(upbeat music)
With so many great movies that came out this year,
I've had plenty of reasons to
gleefully eat my body weight in popcorn.
But while it's easy to heap accolades on
super popular, well-received films,
like Captain America Civil War and Deadpool,
there are so many more amazing films
that flew under the radar or simply
didn't get their just desserts this year.
So today, on the Dan Cave, we're celebrating
the most under-rated movies of 2016.
The Nice Guys.
Shane Black is one of my absolute favorite film makers,
so it's no surprise that The Nice Guys
was also one of the best films of the year.
The 1970s detective story takes us through
the mean streets of L.A. as a private eye
and a hit-man join forces to investigate
the disappearance of an adult film star
that leads them to weird pool parties,
sinister conspiracies, and getting punched
in the face, a lot.
Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe make for
a hilarious duo, Angourie Rice drops
an all-timer performance for a child actor,
and Gosling's Holland March is forever cemented as
one of my favorite cinematic heroes,
because, like me, he also has no sense of smell,
and I have to say, it feels damn good
to finally see myself up there on the big screen.
Sing Street.
This movie's basically the perfect counterprogramming
to the never-ending misery parade that is 2016.
John Carney's Sing Street tells the story of
a lonely teenager in 1980s Dublin, who forms a band
with his classmates to impress a local model.
You know, that thing we all did in high school,
every single one of us.
Don't lie to me.
It's an impossibly feel good movie full of
great music, charming characters,
and endless references to new wave.
Now, just be careful you don't
accidentally start a band afterwards, or,
do, and let me be a part of it.
But not the bass, no one wants to play the bass, Jessica.
Kubo and the Two Strings.
What happens when you combine cursed samurai,
enchanted armor, magical musical instruments,
and some insanely detailed mind-boggling
meticulous stop-motion animation?
Well, you get one of the best movies
of the year that you probably missed.
Kubo and the Two Strings from Laika.
Honestly, the only thing that would have
made it better for me is if
Kubo played a keytar instead of a shamisen.
What I'm trying to say, internet,
is please re-edit this movie so Kubo plays the keytar.
Please, I need this.
Pete's Dragon.
Shut up, I'm not crying, you're crying. I said shut up.
Actually, you know, if you watch David Lowery's
lavish update of Disney's 1977 animated classic,
then chances are we were all crying at
the story of an orphaned boy who grew up in the forest
alongside his magical, camouflaging,
furry dragon pal, Elliot.
I don't know what to say, guys.
This movie really hit me in an unexpected way.
I went in just expecting this sort of kid's movie,
but goddamn, not all dragons have to be scary
like on Game of Thrones, some
some just breath feels instead of fire.
Swiss Army Man.
Paul Dano rides Daniel Radcliffe's
magical farting corpse like a jet ski,
and that is just the opening scene of one of
the funniest and most heartfelt movies of the year.
Now don't let its sophomoric humor dissuade you,
because at the heart of this movie is a deeply creative,
sweet, story of survival, friendship, and using
a dead body's butt as a flamethrower
and its penis as a mystical compass.
You know, that old chestnut.
That old, is that rigor mortis in your pocket,
or you, no, wait, yeah, that's definitely
a dead guy's ween chestnut.
It's a great movie.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople.
Imagine a survivalist version of UP,
set in the bush of New Zealand.
Now imagine a rude child and a gruff,
bearded version of Dr. Alan Grant are your costars.
Now imagine laughing your ass off at this caper film,
that finds an army of social workers and, in some cases,
a literal army, chasing this dynamic duo across
the woods of New Zealand.
And, last but not least, imagine Rhys Darby
as a man who cosplays as a tree.
It's epic, it's laugh out loud hilarious,
and, it's from director Taika Waititi,
who gave us the brilliant What We Do in the Shadows.
Guys, don't choose the skucks life, it's gonna choose you.
Popstar, Never Stop Never Stopping.
The most criminally under seen movie of the year
is the Lonely Island's riotously funny
take down of American celebrity culture.
The comedy crooners expertly lampoon Justin Bieber
in this absurd mockumentary that serves
the worthy 21st century successor to the likes of
This is Spinal Tap.
And, if nothing else, it gave us the donkey roll.
Gods of Egypt.
Okay, alright, bear with me on this one.
Is it dumb as hell?
Yeah.
Could they have better navigated
that whitewashing controversy?
Yeah, absolutely.
Is it sitting around a 16% or so on Rotten Tomatoes?
Yeah, but is it an unreasonably fun movie
full of strange godly space battles, Gonzo mythology,
and warrior women riding giant fire-breathing snakes,
starring weirdly gigantic Jaime Lannister?
You bet your ass it is, and that is why I love it.
Hardcore Henry.
Now this movie was an audio visual blitzkrieg of
nonstop action, violence, and bloodshed, all across Moscow.
The first person POV action movie delivers
all the visceral thrills and intensity of
a video game, without coming off as gimmicky.
It's basically one long revenge tale,
with these weird twists and turns,
psychic villains, and some seriously
stomach churning fight scenes.
Sure, a better title would have been Crisis on
Infinite Sharlto Copleys, but sometimes,
bad titles happen to good movies.
Train to Busan.
Holy smokes, you guys.
I know we're all getting tired of
zombies everywhere all the time always,
but Train to Busan is worth the trip.
The Korean language horror film follows
a father and a daughter who get trapped
on a speeding train during the middle of a zombie outbreak.
Basically, imagine Snowpiercer meets 28 Days Later,
and you have a recipe for one of the best
and most enjoyable horror flicks of the year.
And if nothing else, it will make you stop complaining
about your dang commute for a minute.
Everybody Wants Some!!
It's what I love about these Richard Linklater movies, man,
I get older, they keep the same mustaches.
I'm driving a Lincoln.
Anyway, you guys get it.
The man who brought us Dazed and Confused
and Boyhood returns with an ode to 1980s masculinity
with Everybody Wants Some!!
The film features the lowest stakes countdown
maybe of all time, basically they're waiting
until the start of the fall semester at a Texas college.
But that's kind of the beauty of it.
This movie takes us back to this nostalgic
place full of friendship, and beers, and
fantastic facial hair, that halcyon time where
summer seemed to stretch on forever.
Honestly, it's a place that sounds
a hell of a lot nicer than 2016.
I know I'd like to visit.
Green Room.
It was amazing to see the late, great, Anton Yelchin
in his final performance as Chekov in Star Trek Beyond,
but, the dearly departed actor actually turned in
one of the year's best performances with another
Star Trek alum, Sir Patrick Stewart,
in the terrifying thriller Green Room,
about a punk band that winds up trapped in
a night club run by Neo-Nazi skinheads.
After they witness a murder, they get trapped inside,
and the result is tense, it's terrifically acted,
and will make you genuinely afraid
of Captain Jean Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise.
And those are just a handful of the most
underrated and underappreciated movies of 2016.
But tell me, what's your favorite?
What would you add to this list?
Let me know in the comments below,
and while you're there, give me an underrated thumbs up.
Be sure to like and subscribe, or else you might
miss next week's show, when we talk about the story of
a mustachioed pilot who's forced to land his plane
on the Hudson River and then goes on to
try to destroy an enclave of fairies in Fern Sully.
Until next time, keep on digging.
Let's open up the old mail bag, shall we.
@Lesserknownhero asks "Weapon of
choice, wand or lightsaber?"
I'm going to go with wand on this one,
because I would 115% accidentally cut off
no fewer than seven hands, including my own,
if I owned a light saber for real.
@krallbd asks "Who would win in a fight
between the state of Idaho and a mildly perturbed Hulk?"
Well, that's a tough question, krallbd.
I'd like to say the Hulk, but then again,
Idaho has his one weakness, carbs.
Specifically, delicious potatoes.
Potatoes, boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a Hulk.
@clayohee, whatever jumble of Scrabble vowels that was,
asks, "What's your alignment, D&D?
And, your Briggs-Meyers type?"
Well, my alignment usually depends on my character,
but I'd say, IRL, I'm probably lawful neutral,
according to the quiz I just took,
and I'm also an ENFB, what up.
But tell me, what's your D&D alignment,
and your Briggs-Meyers type?
Let me know in the comments below,
and I'll see you guys next time.