If you're anything like us, you had a neatly-organized laundry list of films to catch last year.
But with all that focus on big-ticket films - like Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Wonder Woman,
and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - a ton of amazing picks have slipped under the radar.
We're here to show you the best of the bunch.
The Big Sick
Based on the true story of how Pakistan-born aspiring comedian Kumail Nanjiani met his
wife, Emily V. Gordon, The Big Sick is a prime example of a midsummer sleeper hit.
"She's white."
"A white girl?
You can look like you and date a white girl"
"It's okay… we hate terrorists."
The Big Sick rejects sappy sentimentality in favor of organic dialogue, irresistible
sincerity, and a sharp sense of humor -- even when Emily is struck down with a mysterious
illness that Nanjiani navigates with her parents.
Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan offer up two of the year's best performances.
Hilarious and refreshingly honest, with bawdy jokes and an undeniable emotional intelligence,
The Big Sick is a little film with a great big heart.
A Ghost Story
You may have missed this unique drama, but you'll surely recognize Academy Award winner
Casey Affleck and Academy Award-nominated Rooney Mara as a husband and wife that have
been separated by death.
Affleck plays a struggling musician turned white-sheeted ghost straight out of, well,
a ghost story.
As he slips away, Affleck works to unlock questions of his past, along with the enigma
of existence.
Directed by David Lowery, the film is bursting with fantasy, creating an experience that
lingers on the pangs of love and the hope hidden in grief.
The Survivalist
Directed by Stephen Fingleton, The Survivalist imagines a post-apocalyptic wilderness where
Irish actor Martin McCann protects his makeshift farm from invaders with shotguns and traps.
When an ailing woman offers her beautiful teenage daughter in exchange for shelter,
he mistakenly lets his guard down.
Ravaged by lust, he turns his back on his code—and opens up a world of untold danger.
The Survivalist debuted at Tribeca in 2015, but didn't screen in America until May of
2017.
Its high contrast color palette, fast pace, and thought-provoking plot have earned critical
acclaim.
Be prepared to watch this one from the edge of your seat.
Mindhorn
Produced by Ridley Scott and directed by Sean Foley, this British indie centers on make-believe
actor Richard Thorncroft who tasted fame as Mindhorn, an 80's TV detective.
Three decades later, he's a shadow of his former self.
With no acting work to keep him busy, the self-involved egomaniac has to track down
a Mindhorn-obsessed murderer who will only fess up to the fictional character.
Goofy gags, high-profile cameos, and cheeky one-liners push Mindhorn into "instant gem"
territory.
"We're all gonna die.
Get over it.
Some with a bang.
Some with a whimper.
Some with a weird, wasting disease."
Paint It Black
Lauded for its visual beauty, complex narrative and solid performances, actress Amber Tamblyn's
directorial debut Paint It Black got a low-profile release during its theatrical run.
The film follows the destructive rivalry of Alia Shawkat's Josie and Janet McTeer's Meredith.
After the death of her boyfriend Michael, Josie attempts to piece together the circumstances
of his death.
The process forces her closer to his mother, the menacing Meredith.
It's simply the only way to learn the truth—however nightmarish it might be.
Good Time
Robert Pattinson has come a long way from his glittering vampire days.
Never has this been more evident than in Good Time, a gritty and gorgeous crime drama directed
by sibling duo Josh and Benny Safdie.
Pattinson plays Constantine aka "Connie", who robs a bank with his developmentally disabled
brother Nick.
When Nick gets caught, Connie races against the clock--and through the city's dangerous
underbelly--in a desperate attempt to free his brother from prison.
With its contradictory title, Good Time has swept up acclaim and industry accolades, including
a nomination for the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or
Logan Lucky
In Steven Soderbergh's high-octane heist comedy Logan Lucky, Channing Tatum stars as an average,
blue-collar joe who lost everything.
"I was let go, for liability reasons, involving insurance."
He recruits his one-armed brother, played by Adam Driver, and a number of other zany
characters to rob a major NASCAR speedway.
Featuring an explosive made of gummy bears, a heartfelt rendition of "Take Me Home, Country
Roads," and stellar performances from A-list actors, it's hard to believe Logan Lucky flew
under anyone's radar.
But that's all the more reason to see it as soon as possible.
Lucky
This film about an independent 90-year-old atheist shines with complexity and emotional
weight that resonate both on and off screen.
In his final film, the late Harry Dean Stanton stars as Lucky, a retired World War II veteran
in search of enlightenment at the end of his life.
The warmly lit Arizona landscape and deeply engrossing narrative make you wish you hadn't
missed Stanton's glorious swan song — but feel lucky to have seen it once you finally
do.
Super Dark Times
This is a case where a film's title perfectly describes its events.
Super Dark Times is a visceral thriller about two teenage best friends growing up in the
suburbs in the '90s.
Their lives center around comic books, bike rides to the corner store, Friday night hangouts,
first romances, and the quest for high school popularity.
But when a truly unthinkable incident occurs, the boys lose their innocence--and each other.
As they navigate the murky waters of the tragedy and its aftermath, Super Dark Times rides
the fine line between boyhood and manhood, good and evil, horror and valor, spilling
out onto the silver screen in waves of slow-burning terror that will grip you by the throat.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Academy Award-winning director Martin McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
stars Frances McDormand as a single mother determined to seek justice for her daughter,
who was violently murdered.
The local police department's failure to make headway in the case pushes McDormand to rent
three abandoned billboards and paint each of them with bold messages directed at the
chief of police, played by Woody Harrelson.
As she clashes with the townspeople in increasingly turbulent showdowns, the quick-to-violence
Officer Dixon, played by Sam Rockwell, enters the picture, sending shockwaves through the
town.
With exceptional performances, Three Billboards is harrowing, humorous, and completely unforgettable.
Sylvio
Sylvio isn't your average comedy.
Kentucker Audley and Albert Birney's joint effort follows Sylvio Bernardi as he copes
with newfound small-town fame.
Oh yeah, and he's also a gorilla.
This endearing indie will surprise you with its authenticity.
The eponymous ape's life is turned around when, after appearing on a television show,
he's mistaken for a performer and turned into an overnight sensation.
However, with reputation comes repercussions, and the gentle primate has to reconsider everything
he knows about himself–and what kind of influence the people in his life truly have
on him.
Brawl in Cell Block 99
You'd never expect to see actor Vince Vaughn bald and covered in blood and tattoos, but
that's exactly what S. Craig Zahler gives you with his thriller, Brawl in Cell Block
99.
Vaughn plays Bradley Thomas, a former boxer and recovering alcoholic who returns to dealing
drugs after losing his job.
Things start looking up, but then a violent drug pickup lands Thomas with a ten-year prison
sentence.
Gone are his days spent with his loving wife; he now must face cell block 99, a place where
savagery reigns supreme.
While this thriller saw only a limited release, critics are calling it
"A perfect example of a down-and-dirty exploitation flick..."
...and perhaps Vaughn's very best work to date.
Thelma
This unnerving Hitchcockian thriller slowly builds to bursting.
Directed by Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier, Thelma stars Eili Harboe as a young woman
who waves goodbye to her religious family and moves to the bustling city of Oslo for
university.
As Thelma discovers new things about herself, she also starts suffering from violent seizures
that seem to become more aggressive as her feelings toward Anja, a beautiful student,
grow stronger.
As it turns out, Thelma has supernatural powers, which force her to face the darkness of her
past.
Don't let the foreign language aspect of Thelma turn you away; the bone-chilling scares and
shocking twists are universally understood.
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