So what makes for a great overlooked film, or a hidden gem as I like to call them? For me, it’s simple. Any movie that resonated with me, that I found some connection with, and feel others will find a similar connection if they give it a chance. As with any year, there are so many movies that it’s easy for a lot of great ones to simply fly under the radar. Fantastic performances go unnoticed, unique storylines sit waiting to be discovered (or copied), and as usual I struggled to find just 15 to put down here.
That’s why I cheated and made it 18. Not that it’s cheating when it’s my list, right?
I went with films that surprised me with their spirit, like the Kodi Smit-Mcphee survival thriller Alpha, or spoke my language politically like The Oath did. Some of these movies spoke to my baser instincts, as the giallo-inspired Let the Corpses Tan did, while Ibiza put both of my favorite actresses together for a silly international comedy. And that Brett Haley; I think he has a movie on my list every single year. There’s a lot of good to be found in each of these movies, so check ’em out below and then check ’em out at home!
And when you’re done, be sure to follow all of our end of the year coverage here!
The Mercy (review)
Director: James Marsh
Cast: Colin Firth, Rachel Weisz, David Thewlis, Simon McBurney
Jonathan (review)
Director: Bill Oliver
Cast: Ansel Elgort, Suki Waterhouse, Patricia Clarkson, Matt Bomer
The Oath (review)
Director: Ike Barinholtz
Cast: Ike Barinholtz, Tiffany Haddish, John Cho, Billy Magnussen, Carrie Brownstein
Final Score (review)
Director: Scott Mann
Cast: Dave Bautista, Pierce Brosnan
Let the Corpses Tan (review)
Directors: Helene Cattet and Bruno Forzani
Alpha (review)
Director: Albert Hughes
Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Johannes Haukur Johannesson
Night Comes On (review)
Director: Jordana Spiro
Cast: Dominique Fishback, Tatum Marilyn Hall
Hearts Beat Loud (review)
Director: Brett Haley
Cast: Nick Offerman, Kiersey Clemons, Blythe Danner, Sasha Lane, Toni Collette, Ted Danson
Ibiza
Director: Alex Richanbach
Cast: Gillian Jacobs, Vanessa Bayer, Phoebe Robinson, Richard Madden
Revenge (review)
Director: Coralie Fargeat
Cast: Matilda Lutz
Marrowbone (review)
Director: Matthew Stagg
Cast: George MacKay, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Mia Goth
I Kill Giants (review)
Director: Anders Walter
Cast: Madison Wolfe, Imogen Poots, Zoe Saldana, Sydney Wade
Thoroughbreds (review)
Director: Cory Finley
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Anya Taylor-Joy, Anton Yelchin
Monsters and Men (review)
Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Cast: John David Washington, Anthony Ramos, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Rob Morgan
Assassination Nation (review)
Director: Sam Levinson
Cast: Suki Waterhouse, Odessa Young, Hari Nef, Abra, Joel McHale, Bill Skarsgard, Bella Thorne
Mom and Dad (review)
Director: Brian Taylor
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Selma Blair, Anne Winters, Zackary Arthur
Kickboxer: Retaliation (review)
Director: Dmitri Logothetis
Cast: Alain Moussi, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mike Tyson, Christopher Lambert
Never Goin’ Back
Director: Augustine Frizzell
Cast: Maia Mitchell, Camila Morrone, Kyle Mooney