List: HIDDEN GEMS & UNDERRATED MOVIES

Aug 11

15 stories

Jul 27

‘The Village’ — Shyamalan’s Beautiful, Misunderstood, and Underrated Period Piece Just Turned 17

A love story about loss and trauma wrapped in pseudo-horror.

Bryce Dallas Howard in Shyamalan’s The Village in 2004.

Feb 11

‘Cop Land’ — The Common Hero Sylvester Stallone Never Wanted to Be

How the powerhouse urban western put Sly back in the game.

Aug 20, 2020

Hanging Out with Man-Child Drug Dealers Will Teach You How Not to Become One

‘Big Time Adolescence’ is a cautionary tale about boys and men.

Jan 23

‘Our Friend’ — The Truth About Real Dying is Ugly and Repulsive

Depicting the ugliness of death and the beauty of friendship.

Feb 7

‘Malcolm and Marie’ Calls Out On Toxic Relationships That We Refuse to End

Unconditional love is the magic dust of hypocrites

Aug 5

‘The Bouncer’ — Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Restrained Yet Powerful Performance Deserves More Praise

He’s a solid actor when he wants to be.

Jean-Claude Van Damme laments in The Bouncer.

Sep 1, 2020

The Core of Grief is Love

Mourning is to love someone eternally.

Nov 14, 2020

‘Jungleland’ Shows That Loyalty Comes From Love

Charlie Hunnam and Jack O’Connell fill Max Winkler’s latest film with heart.

Jul 13, 2020

‘Thir13en Ghosts’ is Childhood to Me

Reminiscing with a tremendously failed horror is fun sometimes.

Nov 3, 2020

‘On the Rocks’ is a Delightful New York-Comedy

Sofia Coppola goes easy on the brain — luckily.

‘Let Him Go’ Portrays Forceful Women in a World Ruled by Men

Thomas Bezucha’s neo-western revises conventional roles.

Aug 7, 2020

Dementia Is a Horror that Consumes Us

The movie ‘Relic’ explores the darkness of a cruel mental illness.

Mar 6

‘Backdraft’ is Old-Fashioned Masculinity

Ron Howard’s 1991 action drama about firefighters still appeals to men.