Film Matters : My 10 Hidden Gems
- Si Boyle
- Jan 27, 2017
- 11 min read
So far on Si's Matters I've mainly been covering football, motorsport and gaming (again football related) however this site was created for a multitude of interests and in this blog I'm going to concentrate on film. I wouldn't say I'm a film expert but I've seen a lot of films in my time and since 2011 I've been logging the ones I've watched on my IMDB account. In 2012 I set myself a challenge to watch 365 films in 365 days and achieved that sometime in September or October I think so by the end of the year it was 456! Of course not every film was a classic and there were some days watching three, four or five films on Netflix or from Lovefilm as it was then. Since I first started logging the films I watched in January 2011 I've seen (give or take a handful I may have seen twice) 1,339 which includes the 11 I've seen so far this year.
Of course many are blockbuster films that everyone has heard of and a number of classics that have been around for years. Over the years though I've seen some films that I hadn't heard of before and may have gone in blind without reading much of a synopsis and was then pleasantly surprised by.
In this blog I'm going to present ten films which I would class as my 'hidden gems', films that you may not have heard of that I would recommend you seek out. Some you may have heard of but weren't sure whether to give them a go. Alternatively you may have already seen then and may or may not agree with my assessment. That's the beauty of film, like any art form the analysis of how good it is becomes purely subjective upon the likes and dislikes of the viewer. Look at the comments for any film on IMDB and you'll find someone who disagrees with its average rating whether it be too high or too low. The IMDB site uses quite a complex formula to calculate its rating which is not purely an average of every rating clicked on the film and it's worth having a look at that if you're interested.
Anyway, on with the show. The next time you're looking for a film to watch on Netflix, Amazon, Sky or whatever source you use then consider these ten films. I'll try to provide a synopsis without spoilers and will include a link to each film's IMDB page where you should be able to watch a trailer if one is available. I do enjoy a broad spectrum of film genres so hopefully there's something for everyone in here.
Film Murder In The First
Year 1995
IMDB Rating 7.3
IMDB Views 22,234
Nationality American
Starring Kevin Bacon, Christian Slater, Gary Oldman, William H Macy, Brad Douriff, R Lee Ermey, Embeth Davidtz, Stephen Tobolowsky
First of all I'm a huge fan of Kevin Bacon. I truly believe he is one of Hollywood's most underrated actors and I've never seen him play a bad part. From the dancing red-neck in Footloose to the gay informant in JFK to the psychotic scientist in Hollow Man he has been a very versatile performer. Of all the roles he's done though his portrayal of Alcatraz prisoner Henri Young is the one I rate the highest.
Murder in the First is based on a true story and many will point out that the events in the film are not accurate but hey, it's a film and if it says 'based on a true story' then you know the key words there are 'based on'.
The story is that of prisoner Henri Young (Bacon) who is incarcerated at Alcatraz in what I recall to be in a time around the 1920s to 1940s. He is subjected to horrendous treatment and punishment in the prison run by Warden Milton Glenn (Oldman) and when he commits a murder (no spoiler there as it's in the name of the film) he is appointed young James Stamphill (Slater) as his attorney. It's a case that Stamphill is given to lose, to take one on the chin and move on to the next case but instead he fights for Young. His investigation uncovers the poor conditions of Alcatraz and the ensuing court case presided over by Judge Clawson (Ermey) went on to change the running of the prison forever. Some facts may have been changed but the story is heartfelt and uplifting as you really side with Young. I've watched countless films where I feel no 'buy in' with the lead characters but I really cared about both Young and Stamphill in this film and that's a credit to the writing, acting and directing.
The standout performance is from Bacon and it's worth watching for that alone. It may not be as inspirational as The Shawshank Redemption but in my opinion it certainly deserves a wider audience than it received 22 years ago.
Film The Hunt
Year 2012
IMDB Rating 8.3
IMDB Views 182,743
Nationality Danish
Starring Mads Mikkelsen
IMDB Page Trailer on the IMDB page above
If nothing else this film is one reason why I would never want to look after somebody else's child on my own. Mikkelsen is superb as a man persecuted by a community for a crime he didn't commit. That's no spoiler by the way, there's no suspense here of 'did he or didn't he' as the drama is so good it doesn't need it. He plays Lucas who works as some form of teaching assistant at a school for very young children and is falsely accused by a girl of being indecent with her. Unfortunately without any evidence everyone sides with the girl's story and it's scary to think that this could happen to anyone involved in working with children.
Film A Perfect Getaway
Year 2009
IMDB Rating 6.5
IMDB Views 57,620
Nationality American
Starring Steve Zahn, Milla Jovovich, Timothy Olyphant, Chris Hemsworth
Trailer on the IMDB page above
This was one of my most enjoyable film discoveries of 2010 and I'm not sure the trailer does it justice. I'm surprised that its average rating is less than a seven on IMDB as although it's no Usual Suspects or Fight Club I did find it an entertaining suspense/mystery. The trailer would have you think it's a roller-coaster ride throughout but it's builds the suspense and tension towards the end of the film when it kicks into top gear for the final act at the perfect time. Having seen Zahn in more comedic roles in Modern Family and the horror Road Kill it was good to see him playing a more serious character as a couple with Milla Jovovich. This is fairly early in Chris Hemsworth's career so he only has a minor supporting role but he delivers excellently.
Film Frozen
Year 2010
IMDB Rating 6.2
IMDB Views 54,546
Nationality American
Starring Emma Bell, Shawn Ashmore, Kevin Zegers
No, not THAT Frozen. If it was that one with the horribly annoying song then it would hardly be a hidden gem. This Frozen was released three years earlier and is a low-budget independent film that debuted at the Sundance Festival. Don't watch it if you don't like horror and even more so if you're squeamish. The premise is simple but I found it thoroughly gripping as three youths who are over-zealous for skiing or snowboarding try to get one last trip up the mountain on the ski lift before the resort closes for the night. An unfortunate miscount of heads by the lift operator leaves the trio stranded in mid-air half way up the mountain when it is switched off. The situation becomes more desperate when they realise they are stuck there not just overnight but potentially for several days while the resort is closed. In order to try and escape their perilous situation and avoid freezing to death they must find a way down. A task made harder by a local pack of hungry wolves. I think I enjoyed this more as I went in with low expectations but I have passed my DVD to others who have liked it too.
Film Primal Fear
Year 1996
IMDB Rating 7.7
IMDB Views 137,194
Nationality American
Starring Richard Gere, Edward Norton, Laura Linney, Frances McDormand, John Mahoney
Another example of a bad trailer for what I believe to be a good film. This is Edward Norton's first film role where he is superb as Aaron who becomes the client of Richard Gere's lawyer character Martin Vale. After a bishop is murdered Aaron is arrested as the only suspect and Vale takes the case on a pro bono basis. Throughout the film we have a psychological drama over whether Aaron did or didn't commit the crime for which he is being charged and there is a great supporting cast especially Laura Linney as the prosecuting attorney and Frances McDormand as the psychologist brought in by Vale to assess Aaron. It builds towards a great conclusion with one of the best endings in film (or literature since it is from William Diehl's original novel which I read some years after seeing the film) history. That might sound like a bold statement when you consider the reveals in Fight Club, Usual Suspects, Se7en and Sixth Sense but I think it's up there. Interesting fact: when the film was being cast in 1996 actors considered or auditioned for Aaron include Leonardo Di Caprio (pre-Titanic), Will Wheaton (of Star Trek TNG and Family Guy skit fame), James Van Der Beek (Dawson of Dawson's Creek), Ed Furlong (five years after Terminator 2) and Matt Damon (one year before Good Will Hunting). Although this was Norton's big break and I could never imagine anyone being better as Aaron I would love to see what some of these guys could do with the role.
Film Dead Man's Shoes
Year 2004
IMDB Rating 7.7
IMDB Views 40,961
Nationality British
Starring Paddy Considine, Tony Kebbell
Dead Man's Shoes is a word of mouth classic, a true gem of the independent British film industry. It has highs and lows in terms of performance but overall it scores a big win. The acting gems are Paddy Considine and Tony Kebbell who excel in their particular roles whereas the film is let down by some of the amateur acting by some of the supporting cast which would not seem out of place in a local village theatre complete with wooden sets and dodgy lighting. The story surrounds Richard (Considine), a former British soldier returning to his home town to take revenge on a small group of deadbeats and petty criminals for what they did to Anthony (Kebbell) – the details of which are revealed over the course of the films so I won't drop spoilers here. Considine is so threatening and intimidating while still being calm and almost under-playing the aggression that you truly believe he is one of the toughest men in film. I'd rather face off against Rambo than Michael on this performance. His occasional switches from placid to pure hate are as swift as they are surprising. Kebbell on the other hand almost steals the show as Michael's mentally impaired (I got the phrasing from Wikipedia to try and be technically correct) brother. It's such a difficult role to play as I'm sure from Kebbell's side you don't want to over-act the role and cause any offence but I'm pretty sure it was done to perfection as I've never heard a bad word said about his performance. The role has classic scenes that are worth seeing more than once, especially the two separate scenes where Richard meets his intended targets Herbie and Sonny respectively for the first time.
Film Silent House
Year 2011
IMDB Rating 5.3
IMDB Views 18,963
Nationality American
Starring Elizabeth Olsen, Adam Trese
IMDB Page Trailer on the IMDB page above
I really enjoyed this film but I think I'm in a minority as it gets the lowest IMDB rating of these ten films at 5.3 and a lot of the comments on the site are very critical. It's shot as though it's filmed in one take although there are clearly some areas where filming was stopped and re-started. It's still more in 'real time' than the TV series 24 ever was though so it has that going for it. I found it quite gripping with an interesting story and although it's not an all-time great I certainly think it's worth a watch. In terms of what the film is about I believe the IMDB Storyline description sums it up better than I ever could: “This movie is about Sarah as she and her dad go to their lakeside retreat to pack things up inside because it is being sold. While there, her uncle also helps get the place up to scratch so they can sell it. The uncle has to leave to get an electrician to check the wiring, but after he goes she starts hearing noises and seeing what she thinks are people inside the house. Soon she and her dad are attacked by someone or something and they end up in a fight for their lives. But there's something more going on here than she thinks.“
Film Catfish
Year 2010
IMDB Rating 7.1
IMDB Views 35,902
Nationality American
Starring Nev Schulman
Trailer on the IMDB page above
If you've seen the Catfish the TV series then you pretty much know what this is about however if the MTV show has passed you by then I'll try not to give too much away. I was lucky enough to stumble across this documentary or docudrama on Netflix without any knowledge of either the TV series or the film which I think helped my enjoyment as I had no expectations. If I'd seen the trailer I would think it was a different film entirely as it almost sets it up as the next Blair Witch and seems to make out there's something scary, sinister or supernatural going on which is far from the truth. Two young film makers Ariel and Henry capture the story of Ariel's brother Nev (pronounced Neev) and his new relationship online with Megan (pronounced Megan). It starts when Megan's eight year old sister Abby writes to Nev for permission to paint one of his photographs (he's a photographer) and from there he speaks to Abby's mum and sister (Megan). Nev gets close to Megan but is everything all that it seems? Well no obviously because if it was it wouldn't be an interesting story would it? I love films of this type whether filmed from what I would see as an internal perspective like this one or as an after the event documentary. I also love the psychology that surrounds the catfish phenomena and why people do what they do, both from a catfish and victim perspective. If you have seen the TV show but not the film then you need to see the film to understand how it all started. There are many comments online over whether it's fake or not and whether it is scripted or not but personally I don't think it matters if you enjoy it.
Film The Intouchables (Untouchable)
Year 2011
IMDB Rating 8.6
IMDB Views 534,408
Nationality French
Starring Francois Cluzet, Omar Sy
Trailer on the IMDB page above
While trying to work my way through IMDB's Top 250 films I came across this French gem. It's a great story of a wealthy quadriplegic gentleman, Philippe, who hires a young black man called Driss from the Parisian projects to be his carer. Driss was only there to apply for the job so that he could show he had tried and he could then get his social security money but actually ends up getting the job. The film has great compassion and comedy in equal amounts as we laugh along with the antics of the duo but never at them. As with Tony Kebbell's role in Dead Man's Shoes above I think Francois Cluzet plays the role with great respect and the writing of the film puts you through a great range of emotions. This film is currently #39 on the IMDB Top 250 which shows how highly regarded it is by all who have seen it.
Film The Invisible Man
Year 1933
IMDB Rating 7.7
IMDB Views 21,624
Nationality American
Starring Claude Raines
I'm finishing with my favourite black and white film, an 84 year-old classic as the great Claude Raines portrays the title character or more specifically Dr Jack Griffin. He invents the potion for invisibility and tries it on himself only to find he is unable to reverse the effects. He runs away complete with bandages, hat, gloves and sunglasses of a fashion (everything needed to cover up an invisible man) to an inn where he can try and work on concocting a cure for his condition. As time passes though he slowly goes insane and becomes a raging psychopath while the owners of the inn and the drinkers downstairs become curious about the stranger who has taken lodging there. The reason I love the film so much and can watch it time and time again is for it's great effects for the time. Special effects had hardly been invented in 1933 and here was an invisible man in the flesh (or not). It may look poor by today's standards but I'm still in awe over how good it was. Not only that though I really enjoy the story from beginning to end. I also enjoy Citizen Kane but feel The Invisible Man trumps it as my favourite black and white classic.
p.s. When categorising black and white films I mean for the era and not films like Raging Bull or Schindler's List which use it for effect.
I hope you've enjoyed this list and try some if not all of the recommendations. If you've seen some of the films on the list already do you agree with me over their inclusion? I'd love to hear what people think of them. You know where to find me on Facebook.
Comments