6. Burn After Reading (2008)
For years “Burn After Reading” had its distractors, to the level of alluding it as Coen Brothers worst film. It must be bad luck for the Coens, “Burn After Reading” is anything but unseen and a very underrated flick indeed. Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton – this film had an assemblage of the dream.
It also had Brad Pitt and George Clooney in meaty roles, with Brad Pitt delivering one of his career best acting in this film. George Clooney and Pitt were cast against their type, and Coen Brothers brought out superb comedic acting from them.
“Burn After Reading” was tagged by some film viewers as uninteresting, boring flick but Coen brothers wanted to target that particular spot. Life is uninteresting and dramatic at the same time, we have a butterfly effect in each of our lives, and tragedy can come in an instant, which is the condition of a good black comedy. The best thing is this film has something for everybody. If a Brad Pitt – Frances McDormand romance or the sight of Pitt in Gym Vests are not alluring to you, watch for tragicomedy that comes to their life.
7. Tomorrowland (2015)
Another George Clooney film with a tragic fate. It also has to do with the awkward release schedule when several bigger films competed with “Tomorrowland”, but the epic losses faced by Disney is beyond all imagination. Disney commented on the film’s failure that “Tomorrowland” faced losses because it is difficult to compete with an original film in the crowded market of franchises. This is a contradiction at its best, coming from a producer who is famous for pulling franchise outfits.
The film was targeted for its uneven tone and lack of energy, but in hindsight, Brad Bird’s fictional universe was full of surprise and optimism. “Tomorrowland” was a film built on the premise of optimism, so accusing an optimist film of lack of energy is nothing but a bland criticism.
The worst can be said of that film that the third act of the film is completely dull and it is a genuine fault of a blockbuster film which has several creative leads. Maybe it was an exact problem with the film, too many writings may have destroyed the third act. But the rest of the film was great entertainment, and for lighting optimism in a bleak world, it should be given a little extra consideration.
8. The Bling Ring (2013)
“The Bling Ring” was a misunderstood gem in every way. Sofia Coppola’s brilliant satire of millennium generation was wrongly charged for glamorizing capitalism as Baz Luhrmann did with his “The Great Gatsby”. Celebrity culture was never worshipped in this film, but it was a target for Coppola. Coppola’s filmography is stuffed with films that comments on the great excess of capitalism and the loneliness surrounding celebrity culture and urban space.
In that context, “The Bling Ring” is not an isolated entry, but a spiritual successor of that early films. Only Coppola here decided to go extremely close to the teenagers and tried to capture their vapid existence with the risk of getting misunderstood.
Exactly it happened with the critics, who misjudged the film as all glitz but emptiness, which it was not. The film didn’t have a great plot, a common trait of character observations, which also provided great versatility in Coppola. Watch the film with an open eye, and you will be satisfied.
9. Bridesmaids (2011)
“Bridesmaids” never demands itself to be a profound film as it is not even close. Heck, It is also not for everyone, only for a selected target populace. So if you are an absolute hater of Buddy dramas, “Bridesmaids” will not change your mind. But for the extremely selected populace, it is a great film.
“Bridesmaids” succeeds in doing what it tried to present to its bored audiences. The character outlines are extremely thick, the girl gang does unimaginable things, but this was the intention of the filmmaker. Melissa McCarthy again rocked in her almost caricaturist role of Megan, a jealous girlfriend who fights for her best friends attention on her wedding day.
This film presents awkward plots that a normal girl would never experience in her life, it was a dream that would never come true. It will provide a necessary catharsis and welcome relief from the daily mundanity of life, it was one of the goals of films.
10. Frozen (2013)
Disney is whitewashing characters in their films for a long time. So, it was not a surprise when their 2013 film “Frozen” gained controversy for the same reason. But another peculiar thing happened in2013. “Frozen” was also slammed for being gay and propaganda film for homosexuals.
For the sake of debate, even if “Frozen” did publicize homosexuality, it did respectfully and cleverly. The subtle indication of erotic interests would not reach the teenage audience and it doesn’t hinder the quality of the film.
“Let it go” was not a song to be remembered by generations, but it was a peppy hummable song. The presence of dark themes in a children’s movie was not alright to a major part of the audiences, but it is the perfect vehicle to prepare the children for the real, harsh world.
“Frozen” doesn’t deserve the honor of being the highest-grossing film of all time, it was not a film granting a legendary status, but never did box office shakes hands with quality. In that angle, “Frozen” is better than a lot of films to grant the honor. The animation was spectacular, decent thrill factor was present, and the film delivered a powerful message about liberation. Not a film to be slammed, right?