Demolition looks good. Having lost Jim in 2022, this might be a necessity for me. Destroying your life to put it back together again? I dig it.
I will also recommend Big Trouble (2002), as it is one of my favorite movies. You do have to get past Tim Allen in it, but he is actually really good, playing a stand-in for a fictional version of Dave Barry. You can also enjoy zany performances from Stanley Tucci, Rene Russo, Zoey Dechanel, DJ Qualls, Sofia Vergara, Patrick Warburton, Dennis Farina & Jason Lee.
Based on Barry's novel of the same name, it unfortunately was scheduled for release in Oct 2001, and it included a scene with a bomb on a plane. The studio pushed it back to Feb 2002 to die a quiet death. It's short, it's fast-paced, and it's really funny.
Seconding Big Trouble, I love that movie despite hating the living crap out of Tim Allen. I might watch that this afternoon with my kids. They adored Midnight Run and The Good Guys (although I completely forgot that movie was about the seedy porn underworld, awkward choice for family movie but they were good sports) so they might love this.
I just want to say that I exclaimed to no one, “Finally!” When you opened up the Substack. Been wanting to give y’all’s my money for years, seriously. Probably started reading in the mid aughts, I consider Pajiba my daily news. I hope the revenue stream allows you to do things you’ve always hoped to do, Dustin.
I have a feeling this is going to be a thread I come back to for suggestions a lot. My recommendation is a late 90's indie film called Safe Men. It stars young and adorable Sam Rockwell and Steve Zahn as a pair of terrible bar singers who get mistaken for top notch safe crackers, and hijinks ensue. Oh also a young adorable Mark Ruffalo! It's low key and kind of sweet and fun, it's not hyper violent like a lot of movies of that era if that's a concern. It has a really charming kid in it who's nervous about his Bar Mitzvah, so, it hinges on plot points like that. It's very white and male but other than that, highly recommend! Pair it with 1995's Living In Oblivion for a Peter Dinklage being awesome double feature (which, caveat, I have not watched in years so I cannot guarantee it holds up).
Another great Steve Zahn movie from 1999 is Happy, Texas. Also has William H. Macy and Jeremy Northam and it's crooks mistaken as beauty pageant coaches. And it has Illeana Douglas!
My two “fell through the cracks” recommendations are two movies that in my head are entwined as stories about women, but aren’t actually that similar at all. I won’t spoil it but I could have written an essay about the ideas of free will and choice as presented in these two films:
“45 Years” (2015) and “The Wife” (2017). Both are quiet little movies that don’t seem to be about much more than the story we’re watching yet both end with a punch to the gut and I haven’t been able to forget either film.
As an bonus, each features a quietly devastating central performance, with Charlotte Rampling in the first and Glenn Close in the second.
The Lookout from 2007. Crime featuring an ordinary guy with issues with his memory from an accident getting roped into a bank heist. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Matthew Goode, Isla Fisher, Jeff Daniels, and Carla Gugino among others. One of the best movies from the mid aughts and it feels like it just disappeared.
Agreed. I remember not being impressed by the trailer but I picked it up years later in a bargain bin or Black Friday sale and was shocked how good it was.
I have two older Stanley Tucci movies: Undercover Blues from 1993 with Kathleen Turner and Dennis Quaid has an amazing supporting cast including Tucci, Fiona Shaw, and Obba Babatundé; and The Imposters from 1998. The Imposters is so fun and funny and has a huge cast - Tucci, Oliver Platt, Lili Taylor, Campbell Scott, Isabella Rossellini, Billy Connelly, the list goes on and on. My dad and I used to watch it and crack up.
"I try not to think about it too much because sometimes all that kindness can be overwhelming." First time I've heard/read someone articulating how I deal with kindness.
I feel like I, Tonya didn't ever get the attention it deserved, beyond the dissonance of Margot Robie playing one of America's most legendary white trash princesses. Every performance in that movie was top notch, the fourth wall breaks were actually refreshing, and the whole vibe of the movie was just an absolute blast.
The Off Hours [2011]. I stumbled onto this one on netflix one weekend and thoroughly enjoyed. It's such a mood, and really seems to capture a sense of place (one of my favorite aspects of any creative work).
The Endless [2017]. I knew nothing about it going in (best way to watch), and was kindof blown away.
And i'm not sure if Martha Marcy May Marlene [2011] qualifies as falling through the cracks, since it won a bunch of awards, but that one really messed me up. Nuanced, dense, and f'n horrifying.
There’s so many, a lot of which I heard about on here. Some of these might be more “not as talked about” rather than not seen, but I’d still recommend: The Man with One Red Shoe, Dredd, The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-sec, The Bank Job, Being There, Kung Fury, Bernie, Big Game,In the Valley of Elah, Lupin III: The Fuma Conspiracy (it’s overshadowed by Castle of Cagliostro, but is a classic in its own right), Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky, Sword of the Stranger, Night Train to Munich, The Man from UNCLE, The Legend of Tarzan, To Catch a Killer, Stardust, Focus, This is Where I Leave You, Begin Again, The Man from Earth, Copshop, Burnt, Accident Man, Chopping Mall, Brick, Another Man’s Poison, An Inspector Calls, The Man from Nowhere, and Get Smart (it works surprisingly well, especially since Carell isn’t doing an exact copy of the character but is playing the overconfident new guy who’s still learning and having a run of bad luck).
"Demolition" was a great, wondrous little gem of a movie.
I'd actualy add TWO other Jake Gyllenhaal movies to this list: the slick and thrilling "Nocturnal Animals" and one of the best movies I saw this year, "The Covenant".
Both are highly underrrated and highly recommended.
What did you like about "Nocturnal Animals"? I would warn anyone considering watching it that there is a brutal rape/torture scene near the beginning. Although it is relevant to the story, I didn't think the payoff was worth it personally, and I found it even more grotesque paired with a twist near the end of the film.
No one understands my take on this, but The Bourne Legacy (the Jeremy Renner/Rachel Weicz/Edward Norton one) is wildly underappreciated and one of my favorites. It's well-plotted, suspenseful, well acted. The motivations and power of the government are so well done! It's much more intricate and analytical than the other Bourne movies, particularly the final terrible "Jason Bourne".
And I love Matt Damon, it's not that I wanted a replacement for him! But that movie is really good.
I enjoyed it. Surprised they never followed up on it. Figured they’d give us a Damon/Renner team up movie at some point. Disappointing we never got that, if only to tie up the loose ends of the franchise.
A great and overlooked Christmas move is The Family Man with Tea Leoni and Nicolas Cage, with a wonderful (brief) appearance by Don Cheadle. We watch this every year.
Demolition looks good. Having lost Jim in 2022, this might be a necessity for me. Destroying your life to put it back together again? I dig it.
I will also recommend Big Trouble (2002), as it is one of my favorite movies. You do have to get past Tim Allen in it, but he is actually really good, playing a stand-in for a fictional version of Dave Barry. You can also enjoy zany performances from Stanley Tucci, Rene Russo, Zoey Dechanel, DJ Qualls, Sofia Vergara, Patrick Warburton, Dennis Farina & Jason Lee.
Based on Barry's novel of the same name, it unfortunately was scheduled for release in Oct 2001, and it included a scene with a bomb on a plane. The studio pushed it back to Feb 2002 to die a quiet death. It's short, it's fast-paced, and it's really funny.
Seconding Big Trouble, I love that movie despite hating the living crap out of Tim Allen. I might watch that this afternoon with my kids. They adored Midnight Run and The Good Guys (although I completely forgot that movie was about the seedy porn underworld, awkward choice for family movie but they were good sports) so they might love this.
💔❤️
Haven't seen it since it came out but remember loving it and been meaning to do a rewatch for a while now.
Tucci in the final scene has a lot of Muerte energy!
The film “Go” from 1999. Had a stacked cast, Sarah Polley, Timothy Oliphant, Katie Holmes (actually good in this).
The way you specify that Katie Holmes is actually good in this makes me like you and trust your opinions.
I just want to say that I exclaimed to no one, “Finally!” When you opened up the Substack. Been wanting to give y’all’s my money for years, seriously. Probably started reading in the mid aughts, I consider Pajiba my daily news. I hope the revenue stream allows you to do things you’ve always hoped to do, Dustin.
I have a feeling this is going to be a thread I come back to for suggestions a lot. My recommendation is a late 90's indie film called Safe Men. It stars young and adorable Sam Rockwell and Steve Zahn as a pair of terrible bar singers who get mistaken for top notch safe crackers, and hijinks ensue. Oh also a young adorable Mark Ruffalo! It's low key and kind of sweet and fun, it's not hyper violent like a lot of movies of that era if that's a concern. It has a really charming kid in it who's nervous about his Bar Mitzvah, so, it hinges on plot points like that. It's very white and male but other than that, highly recommend! Pair it with 1995's Living In Oblivion for a Peter Dinklage being awesome double feature (which, caveat, I have not watched in years so I cannot guarantee it holds up).
Another great Steve Zahn movie from 1999 is Happy, Texas. Also has William H. Macy and Jeremy Northam and it's crooks mistaken as beauty pageant coaches. And it has Illeana Douglas!
My two “fell through the cracks” recommendations are two movies that in my head are entwined as stories about women, but aren’t actually that similar at all. I won’t spoil it but I could have written an essay about the ideas of free will and choice as presented in these two films:
“45 Years” (2015) and “The Wife” (2017). Both are quiet little movies that don’t seem to be about much more than the story we’re watching yet both end with a punch to the gut and I haven’t been able to forget either film.
As an bonus, each features a quietly devastating central performance, with Charlotte Rampling in the first and Glenn Close in the second.
Junebug
Emily the Criminal. I saw it, in the Theatre, opening day. It's still on Netflix.
Emily the Criminal was great!!
The Lookout from 2007. Crime featuring an ordinary guy with issues with his memory from an accident getting roped into a bank heist. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Matthew Goode, Isla Fisher, Jeff Daniels, and Carla Gugino among others. One of the best movies from the mid aughts and it feels like it just disappeared.
Agreed. I remember not being impressed by the trailer but I picked it up years later in a bargain bin or Black Friday sale and was shocked how good it was.
I have two older Stanley Tucci movies: Undercover Blues from 1993 with Kathleen Turner and Dennis Quaid has an amazing supporting cast including Tucci, Fiona Shaw, and Obba Babatundé; and The Imposters from 1998. The Imposters is so fun and funny and has a huge cast - Tucci, Oliver Platt, Lili Taylor, Campbell Scott, Isabella Rossellini, Billy Connelly, the list goes on and on. My dad and I used to watch it and crack up.
"I try not to think about it too much because sometimes all that kindness can be overwhelming." First time I've heard/read someone articulating how I deal with kindness.
Who is TK and why does TK hates all of us? :)
I feel like I, Tonya didn't ever get the attention it deserved, beyond the dissonance of Margot Robie playing one of America's most legendary white trash princesses. Every performance in that movie was top notch, the fourth wall breaks were actually refreshing, and the whole vibe of the movie was just an absolute blast.
A few off the top of my head:
The Off Hours [2011]. I stumbled onto this one on netflix one weekend and thoroughly enjoyed. It's such a mood, and really seems to capture a sense of place (one of my favorite aspects of any creative work).
The Endless [2017]. I knew nothing about it going in (best way to watch), and was kindof blown away.
And i'm not sure if Martha Marcy May Marlene [2011] qualifies as falling through the cracks, since it won a bunch of awards, but that one really messed me up. Nuanced, dense, and f'n horrifying.
There’s so many, a lot of which I heard about on here. Some of these might be more “not as talked about” rather than not seen, but I’d still recommend: The Man with One Red Shoe, Dredd, The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-sec, The Bank Job, Being There, Kung Fury, Bernie, Big Game,In the Valley of Elah, Lupin III: The Fuma Conspiracy (it’s overshadowed by Castle of Cagliostro, but is a classic in its own right), Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky, Sword of the Stranger, Night Train to Munich, The Man from UNCLE, The Legend of Tarzan, To Catch a Killer, Stardust, Focus, This is Where I Leave You, Begin Again, The Man from Earth, Copshop, Burnt, Accident Man, Chopping Mall, Brick, Another Man’s Poison, An Inspector Calls, The Man from Nowhere, and Get Smart (it works surprisingly well, especially since Carell isn’t doing an exact copy of the character but is playing the overconfident new guy who’s still learning and having a run of bad luck).
"Demolition" was a great, wondrous little gem of a movie.
I'd actualy add TWO other Jake Gyllenhaal movies to this list: the slick and thrilling "Nocturnal Animals" and one of the best movies I saw this year, "The Covenant".
Both are highly underrrated and highly recommended.
What did you like about "Nocturnal Animals"? I would warn anyone considering watching it that there is a brutal rape/torture scene near the beginning. Although it is relevant to the story, I didn't think the payoff was worth it personally, and I found it even more grotesque paired with a twist near the end of the film.
No one understands my take on this, but The Bourne Legacy (the Jeremy Renner/Rachel Weicz/Edward Norton one) is wildly underappreciated and one of my favorites. It's well-plotted, suspenseful, well acted. The motivations and power of the government are so well done! It's much more intricate and analytical than the other Bourne movies, particularly the final terrible "Jason Bourne".
And I love Matt Damon, it's not that I wanted a replacement for him! But that movie is really good.
I enjoyed it. Surprised they never followed up on it. Figured they’d give us a Damon/Renner team up movie at some point. Disappointing we never got that, if only to tie up the loose ends of the franchise.
A great and overlooked Christmas move is The Family Man with Tea Leoni and Nicolas Cage, with a wonderful (brief) appearance by Don Cheadle. We watch this every year.
I don't know why but I absolutely love that movie, and I thought I was the only one who watches it every year!