With Oscar season approaching and with prestige films like The Hobbit, Les Miserables, and Django Unchained set to dominate the headlines for the coming months, now is the time when the year’s earlier releases get pushed to the backburner, only to be mentioned by the more creative year-end lists. The following movies most likely won’t receive much (if any) big-time awards consideration, but all are assuredly worth catching up on before they are collectively forgotten. (All of the following are available for streaming on Netflix Instant, except 21 Jump Street, which can be purchased on iTunes or Amazon.)
Bernie
The true story of a mild-mannered Texas murderer, Richard Linklater’s Bernie mixes its main narrative with quasi-documentary talking heads from real citizens of Carthage, Texas. Jack Black steals the show, playing the title role with just the right amount of sympathy and his trademark devilish humor. Linklater continues his remarkable versatility, balancing dark comedy, genuine pathos, and slices of small-town Americana. Bernie opened to rumblings of Black receiving a Best Actor nomination – he will probably be pushed into the background by the major players, but the film and Black will both rightfully receive attention on the Indie Awards circuit.
The Grey
While The Grey would be enjoyable enough if it were simply Liam Neeson fighting off wolves in the Arctic, the movie surprisingly laces its action with real emotion and even some philosophical musings that manage to not seem out of place alongside Neeson’s general badassery. Some questioned the characters’ long conversations about mortality and regret, but rare is the thriller that even attempts to consider the greater ramifications of its myriad of deaths, let alone present them in such a dark, exciting way.
Take This Waltz
Take This Waltz is the type of movie that tries to focus on and examine real human conflicts and feelings on an intimate scale, and thanks in large part to stunning work by Michelle Williams, it largely succeeds.
Williams as Margot is happily married to Lou (Seth Rogen) when a new neighbor that tests her fidelity moves into their humble Toronto neighborhood. Director Sarah Polley fills Take This Waltz with all the small nuances and details of a real romantic relationship, as well as its gradual unraveling. The result is a measured yet powerful consideration of love and marriage between two (or three) flawed people.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
A documentary that uses its presumed subject (really good sushi), as a jumping-off point to delve into topics like family, career, commitment, and craft. Slow and contemplative but clocking in at well under an hour and a half, David Gelb’s documentary focuses on 85-year-old Jiro Ono, widely considered the world’s best sushi chef. Foodies will adore what goes into making globally renowned sushi, but what’s more interesting is the Ono family dynamic and how Jiro himself remains so dedicated to the same thing he’s been doing for over 70 years. The food and the city of Tokyo make for enchanting, starkly beautiful imagery, as well.
Oslo, August 31st
Norwegian director Joachim Trier’s second film follows a day in the life of 34-year-old Anders, a recovering drug addict who spends his day out of rehab visiting old friends, interviewing for a job, and thinking about how his life got taken off the rails, and how to get it back on track.
The premise may sound less than thrilling and the film skews more towards slow, reflective passages, but Oslo, August 31st is a stark character study of real-life people trying to get by in the world, sometimes warding off their demons and sometimes giving in to them. If you can get through the slower moments in the first half, you will be rewarded by an absolutely devastating ending.
21 Jump Street
21 Jump Street premiered to huge numbers in March but has largely been pushed out of the minds of the general public by the major summer releases. Anchored by the unexpectedly hilarious duo of Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill, it’s still one of the funniest movies of the year and one of the most enjoyable two hours you’ll spend on a movie. The action movie tropes bog down the ending a bit, but an energetic cast and a good premise (based on the 80s TV show starring a young Johnny Depp) makes the majority of 21 Jump Street big, dumb fun that you don’t have to feel guilty laughing at.
