Three Great Movies from the Last Five Years that Flew Under Your Radar!
It takes a lot for me to like a movie. My brother constantly gets irriatated with me when he recomends a movie, I'll watch it and when he asks if I liked it, my response will always be the same...
My face when someone tries to explain the complexity of the “Avengers” series.
That's not to say that I don't appreciate good cinema. It's just that Hollywood has stuck to the same formula for so long that I think it's redundant. Just look at the superhero genre, for example. I find it extremely strange that full grown adults will have discussions about the latest superhero movie like it's the next, “Citizen Kane.”
With that being said, the movies I like are not that far off the beaten path. I'm going to do my best not to go into too much detail about the plot line or give away any major movie spoilers (that's what the internet is for), but focus instead on why these movies stick out to me. These were still pretty big releases, and in my opinion, so much better than the top ten movies that were released in the same year. So, with no further ado, here we go...
Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
Right after I get done trashing action movies, I lead with an action movie. I chose this movie because it's not like every other action/sci-fi movie out there. Written for the screen by James Cameron (Titanic, Terminator, Avatar), Alita follows a cyborg with amnesia as she makes her way through a hellish dystopian landscape.
What makes this movie so unique is the different genres and types of artwork that all merge and somehow work together painting a very vivid tale. There's Japaneses Anime, CGI, and James Cameron-type robots meshed all together. While there are a lot of special effects used throughout the entire movie, nothing is over the top. I've always thought that art and special effects should compliment a story, not take the center stage.
Spolier Alert
The movie ends on a cliff hanger, and we don't know if there will ever be a sequel. While the main hero is a teenage girl, there is quite a bit of violent scenes. Why would that matter you ask?
Disney bought the studio that owns the rights to Alita.
Isle of Dogs (2018)
I love Wes Anderson movies! I've always dug his dry, deadpan story telling. Going all the way back to Rushmore, Wes Anderson has one of the most distinguishable ways of telling a story. Using very straight shot camera angles, and very direct dialogue, viewers will either hang on every word the characters say, or change the channel as fast as they can.
With an all-star cast: Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, to name a few, Isle of the Dogs is set on a desolate island off the coast of Japan. The dogs are all sent to this island because people are afraid of a super flu that is carried by the dogs. A young boy flies to the island an attempt to save his beloved dog, with the help of a rag tag bunch of misfit canines. While the story on its face seems simplistic, the movie deals with very heavy themes such as: Authoritarianism, propaganda, mob mentality, and the classic battle between good and evil of the human psyche.
What I was impressed the most with was the medium that Wes Anderson decided to do this film. Stop Motion! When most animation has drifted towards computer animation, this film was a throwback, or very reminiscent to, the early 70's stop motion animation I watched as a child. Even though it's stop motion, it still has that Wes Anderson feel. That's the mark of a truly great story teller: that they can use any medium they desire and still tell an amazing story.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
I've been a fan of the Coen Brothers' movies ever since, “Raising Arizona.” When people tell me they don't care for the Coen Brothers' movies, I always ask the same question...
“Is it because you don't like great movies?”
If it's one thing I know about people, it's that they like to be told why their preference in movies is wrong, and why they should like all of my favorite movies.
The Coen brothers tackle a light topic in this movie, Death. The movie is divided into six short stories, all based in the Old West. What I found fascinating is that the short stories start very light-hearted, almost slapstick in nature, and then progress to a much more serious and darker tone. I don't want to give too much away in the description, but it's a movie or story that could only be told through the Coen brothers narrative.
This movie also has a star-studded cast with actors such as Liam Nissen, James Franco, and Tim Blake Nelson, not to mention my favorite, Tom Waits...
Who would've thought Tom could play the role of an old prospector digging for gold while he sings to himself?
Hopefully the next time you're cuddling with your significant other and they turn to you and say, “I'm tired of watching the same old garbage. I wish we could watch something different.” you can suggest one of these and be their knight in shining armor.
You can thank me later!
NickelNDime Out!