Good movies - recent releases

[JesseMartin]

As I mentioned before, I'm kind of a movie whore - I'll watch almost anything and hope it might be good. So there are a lot of stinkers out there, but also some good stuff that isn't all that talked about. So here are a few recent gems, and of course I'd like to know about yours. Not really looking at the summer popcorn movies so much, because they're lots of fun, make tons of money and are talked about a lot. I'm thinking more about the stuff that's good, under the radar, even if it involves actors/directors you know...

Now You See Me - lives up to the hype. Great acting, story, twists and turns, surprise ending, production quality...did pretty well in theaters compared to most of the non-sci-fi movies lately.

The Company You Keep - Wow. With this cast, how did we not hear more about it? Definitely worth spending a night on.

The Big Wedding - I expected to hate it. I ended up laughing and crying and totally into it. HUGE surprise.

Death at a Funeral - Ditto. Hilarious, random...yet strangely familiar and visceral, even though I've never been in a situation anything like that. Shockingly well done, though a bit older than the others in this list so I'm not sure I should call it "recent".

Trance - Since when was there a Danny Boyle movie that nobody knew anything about? Great flick, no more info because I wouldn't want to spoil it.

Red Lights - Honestly, after Cillian Murphy, Jamie Bell, and Thandie Newton totally blew my high expectations with Retreat, I didn't expect much from this one, starring Murphy and Robert DeNiro. Boy, was I wrong. Remember when M. Night Shyamalan made movies that totally blew you away? He wasn't involved in this, but it's reminiscent of his early works. So much to love about this one...definitely one of the best movies of the last few years.

I know I'm forgetting a couple, but this is a good start. Lots of stuff is straight to DVD or streaming or download, etc. lately, and some of that is due to the huge amount of competition in promotion to get on enough screens to be a viable draw. Who cares about what they say you should spend money on? Some of the best movies I've seen lately weren't in a wide theatrical release.

[CMJ]

I see a ton of films too. The last 3 I've seen in the theater were all great.

Rush

Gravity

Captain Phillips

Of those you listed, I only saw Trance - which I thought kinda fell apart at the end though I did think it was okay.

[TheTastyGreek]

Captain Phillips

Is that the one with the guy from "Cloud Atlas"?

[TheWestie]

Mud was amazing, but was in barely any theaters.

[CMJ]

Mud was amazing, but was in barely any theaters.

That's the next film in my Netflix account.

[JesseMartin]

Mud was good, The Paperboy was insane but also really good. The Frozen Ground was pretty decent, first time Cage and Cusack have starred together since Con Air, I believe.

[DeepGreen]

Even though this movie is predictable and we know the outcome,I recommend Captain Phillips. As always, Tom Hanks is excellent in this movie. And google for info on the actor who played the main Somali pirate. Interesting.

And for the record, I think American transport ships should be armed with appropriate weaponry in the event of pirating. All that is need is a couple of .50 cal machine guns and two grenade launchers. No problem Irish.

Edited October 22, 2013 by DeepGreen

[Marty]

Mud was good, The Paperboy was insane but also really good. The Frozen Ground was pretty decent, first time Cage and Cusack have starred together since Con Air, I believe.

Really liked Mud also.

Saw Escape Plan with Stallone & Schwarzenegger , pretty predictable but a good guy flick.

Edited October 22, 2013 by Marty