Most people choose movies to watch based on big stars or famous franchises, but some of the best movies of the last two years didn't have either.
Summary
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Some remarkable movies can fly under the radar and build immense critical acclaim without having recognizable characters or big stars.
Recent examples prove that any story, whether it's a rom-com or a foreign musical, has the potential to be a great movie if told with skill and invention.
Taking a chance on a relatively unknown film can have a massive payoff, as evidenced by some of the very best movies of the last two years that weren't hotly anticipated.
Not every great movie arrives to a chorus of fanfare, some fly under the radar until people are forced to take notice. In the current cultural landscape, most movies that get people excited are sequels, especially those that are a part of long-running franchises. But only focusing on the blockbusters can mean missing out on some word-of-mouth hits that build immense critical acclaim. If a movie doesn't have recognizable characters or a huge star on the poster, then it takes something special for it to succeed. This means that some filmmakers are forced to push the limits of their creativity, and they end up producing some remarkable movies that nobody saw coming.
The last couple of years have seen a return to movie theaters following pandemic lockdowns, but it's not just the big franchises which are getting people in the seats. Any story has the potential to be a great movie if it is told with skill and invention. There are plenty of recent examples which prove this. Whether it's a nostalgic rom-com or a foreign musical, great movies can arise from unexpected sources. Even some of the very best movies of the last two years weren't hotly anticipated, but this just shows that taking a chance on a relatively unknown movie can have a massive payoff.
10 Bottoms
Dir. Emma Seligman
Like a more violent Booksmart, with no interest in books.
Bottoms is a queer version of many similar teen comedies, but Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri's electric comedic dynamic means that it is so much more than that. Like a more violent Booksmart, with no interest in books, Bottoms features two lovable losers who aspire to the pinnacle of high school popularity, but find themselves helplessly adrift. This is a fairly typical set-up for a high school comedy, but the characters are decidedly atypical. They start a fight club to get the cheerleaders to notice them. Bottoms is buoyed by the surprising comedy chops of former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch, and a healthy dose of explosions.
9 No One Will Save You
Dir. Brian Duffield
No One Will Save You
Release DateSeptember 22, 2023DirectorBrian DuffieldCastKaitlyn DeverGenresHorror, Sci-Fi
Brian Duffield's sci-fi horror mashup achieves a lot with one central character and one very, very long night. Kaitlyn Dever shines as Brynn, a social recluse consumed by her creative hobbies until aliens start invading her home. The aliens mostly resemble the stereotypical big-eyed variety, barring an enormous arachnid, but this familiarity is given twist after twist as Brynn fights for her life. The quivering string music and largely wordless ambiance heighten the tension, but truthfully, Dever does most of the heavy lifting. The ending of No One Will Save You provides a stark contrast to the rest of the movie, finally allowing enough time for a deep breath.
8 Rye Lane
Dir. Raine Allen Miller
Rye Lane
Release DateMarch 31, 2023DirectorRaine Allen MillerCastAlice Hewkin, David Jonsson, Simon Manyonda, Munya Chawawa, Vivian Oparah, Karene Peter, George TaylorGenresComedy, Drama, Romance
The rom-com is alive and well, and it is living in south London. Rye Lane tells the story of two newly single strangers who spend an afternoon together, trying to ignore their own messy lives by exploring each other's. The dialogue zips seamlessly from hilarious one-liners to philosophical musings on life, but the movie has a sweeping cinematic visual style. Rye Lane's two lead characters practically dance around the screen, their boldly colored outfits acting like broad brushes on a canvas, and their chemistry reflects this expressive motion. Rye Lane owes a lot to classic British rom-coms, but it's so self-confident and charming that it stands out on its own.
7 Smile
Dir. Parker Finn
Smile
Release DateSeptember 30, 2022DirectorParker FinnCastSosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Robin Weigert, Caitlin Stasey, Kal Penn, Rob MorganGenresHorror
Smile tells the story of a psychiatrist plagued by an evil curse. The concept may sound fairly derivative, but Smile's execution is almost sadistic in its efficacy. Each crooked camera angle and toothy jump scare, though it has certainly been done before, hits its intended target. Director Parker Finn taps into the malevolent nature of smiling psychopathy. The fear is not just that some parasitic force is closing in, but that it enjoys the hunt. It's not easy for a horror movie to distinguish itself in the way that Smile has done, especially without big names attached, but a powerful premise and unwavering conviction can go a long way.
6 All Quiet On The Western Front
Dir. Edward Berger
All Quiet on the Western Front
Release DateSeptember 29, 2022DirectorEdward BergerCastDaniel BrühlGenresWar, Drama
Erich Maria Remarque's World War I novel had provided the basis for two movies before, but Netflix made the first adaptation in the German language. The result is an immensely powerful anti-war movie, soaked in hard-hitting violence. All Quiet on the Western Front made some changes from the book, but it mostly stayed faithful to the text. Remarque was drafted to fight in World War I, and the movie's grizzly depiction of war gains a shocking depth thanks to this authenticity. The cinematography is stunning, as is the performance of Felix Kammerer, as a wide-eyed German teenager thrust into the heart of the chaos.
5 Sisu
Dir. Jalmari Helander
Sisu
Release DateApril 28, 2023DirectorJalmari HelanderCastJorma Tommila, Aksel Hennie, Jack Doolan, Mimosa Willamo, Onni TommilaGenresAction, War
Sisu follows a Finnish prospector during World War II who has to battle a group of German soldiers to reclaim his gold. The action is gloriously savage, with shades of John Wick, and Sisu delights in concocting new ways to kill off Nazis. It's rare for a war movie to have this much fun. Rather than being disturbed and depressed by the cruelty of war, Sisu invents a fantasy where one man goes ahead and dismantles the entire operation. Its righteous fury is a refreshing departure from the ordinary. War movies are often judged by their historical accuracy, but Sisu deserves to be appreciated on its own terms.
4 Everything Everywhere All At Once
Dir. Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Release DateMarch 25, 2022DirectorDaniel Kwan, Daniel ScheinertCastJenny Slate, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, Harry Shum Jr., Jamie Lee Curtis, James Hong, Michelle YeohGenresAdventure, Comedy, Action
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert already showed their flair for the absurd with Swiss Army Man, a dark comedy about a man using a corpse to navigate his way out of the woods, but there was little to suggest that their next feature film collaboration would win seven Academy Awards. Everything Everywhere all at Once is an expansive surrealist masterpiece, with absurd humor that serves a purpose. Each universe in Everything Everywhere all at Once creates a new set of rules that somehow add up to a coherent and deeply moving narrative. The central thread is never lost, not even when everyone has sausages for fingers.
3 Fire Of Love
Dir. Sara Dosa
The visuals are as jaw-dropping as anything Hollywood could conjure, especially when Maurice takes a special boat out onto a lake of lava.
Katia and Maurice Kraft were two intrepid French scientists who traveled the world together chasing volcanic eruptions, and Fire of Love is a beautiful documentary charting their relationship. The visuals are as jaw-dropping as anything Hollywood could conjure, especially when Maurice takes a special boat out onto a lake of lava, but the swirling inferno only serves as a backdrop to an unforgettable love story. Fire of Love is not a documentary about volcanoes, it's about two people who shared a passion so great that they let it kill them. The narration is sparse and poetic, often reverting to silence in the moments too astounding for words.
2 RRR
Dir. S. S. Rajamouli
RRR
Release DateMarch 24, 2022DirectorS.S. RajamouliCastS.S. Rajamouli, Ram Charan, N.T. Rama Rao Jr., Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Ray Stevenson
It takes a lot for an Indian movie to gain traction in the West, and RRR certainly is a lot. Its decadent mountain of excess includes a prison break, plenty of glorious dance numbers, and even a scene where a man throws a leopard at someone like a projectile weapon. RRR somehow contains every corner of its joyful lunacy within a fiercely anti-imperial period drama. It's a feast for the senses from start to finish, but RRR's incredible ending proves that it can balance its zany fun with emotional storytelling. The action scenes sometimes stick to their own unique laws of physics, but RRR's infectious enthusiasm is hard to resist.
1 Cocaine Bear
Dir. Elizabeth Banks
Cocaine Bear
Release DateFebruary 24, 2023DirectorElizabeth BanksCastRay Liotta, Alden Ehrenreich, Christian Convery, Scott Seiss, Margo Martindale, Keri Russell, Kahyun Kim, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Brooklynn PrinceGenresComedy, Thriller
Cocaine Bear is more than just a deliberately outrageous title and a wacky B-movie premise, it's one of the best comedies of the last decade. Amid the splitting of limbs and the eviscerations, Cocaine Bear tells a rather heart-warming tale of family, with a mother defying the odds to search for her missing daughter. Aided by a superb cast, director Elizabeth Banks manages to keep the party going long after the novelty has worn off. It's testament to her success that there are calls for Cocaine Bear 2, when one movie should have been more than enough to satisfy everyone's curiosity.
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