20 Overlooked Movie Gems of the 00's

This article is a look at some movies from the last decade that failed to find the audience it deserved for one reason or another. These 20 films are all ones I enjoyed and the hope is that you readers will attempt to seek out as many of them as you can. These films are not what I would call guilty pleasures but films I genuinely enjoyed.

One film not on the list but most deserving is Bill Paxton's Frailty, a terrific thriller about a man who may or may not have seen a vision of God and proceeds to find evil people known as demons, and kills them. He enlists the aid of his teenage and pre-teenage sons to help trap and kill them. How does he know they are demons? He touches them and sees the heinous acts they have committed. This taut thriller rests on the question of whether Paxton (serving as director and actor) is crazy or not. The film is suspenseful and frightening with a strong script that throws quite an unexpected twist at the end. The film received some strong reviews (Roger Ebert gave the film four stars) but the audience just didn't show up for it. It was their loss just as it was for the following films. Frailty is not on this list because it can be found in an earlier article where I picked it as one of the ten best films of the last decade.

Here are 20 overlooked gems from the 00's decade. If you have seen them I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did and if you haven't I hope you seek them out and enjoy them. The films are listed alphabetically.

BANDITS - Barry Levinson's action comedy stars Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton as bank robbers who, as the film opens, find themselves surrounded by police at the sight of their latest robbery. They are being interviewed and the film flashes back to show how they got to where they are. Cate Blanchett is lovely as the romantic lead, a woman who runs from an unhappy marriage and finds herself hooked up with these two men and begins to have feelings for them both as the two of them fall for her. This film is part caper film, character study and romantic comedy and it all falls into place beautifully. I must confess that it took almost 30 minutes for the film to really grab me with its parallel story lines but once it did I was quite entertained by it.

BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD - 83 year old director Sidney Lumet crafted one of the very best films of his career which is saying something when you consider this is the man behind Serpico, Murder on the Orient Express, Dog Day Afternoon, Network and The Verdict. Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke star as brothers who are both in deep financial straights. Hoffman suggests the easiest way to get out of the hole is to rob a local jewelry store. But this isn't just a jewelry store but the one owned by their own parents. The plan seems airtight but it goes terribly wrong leading the family on an odyssey best left undescribed here. The film has many twists and turns that are a joy to discover and I envy anyone who sees it for the first time. The film co-stars Albert Finney, terrific as the father, and Marisa Tomei as Hoffman's seriously sexy wife. This is a tough film to watch but its rewards are endless. This is a MUST see.

BELOW - One of the best horror films of the last decade that hardly anyone has even heard of is the tale of an American submarine during World War II that picks up three survivors from a ship that has been torpedoed. Soon it is discovered that one of the survivors is German and some shocking violence ensues. While they are being dogged by a German sub the crew starts experiencing some ghostly encounters only no one knows if it is real or if it is in the minds of the crewmen. Director David Twohy eerily establishes his set-ups and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The film also features some terrific cinematography and some images that you will not soon forget. Why, you may ask, have you never heard of it? The studio gave up on the movie and released it here and there around the country with no advanced word or any advertising campaign and that is a real shame because they had no idea what the had. This is a must see for any fan of horror films or thrillers. Watch this one with the lights out.

BLACK SNAKE MOAN - Director Craig Brewer's sophomore effort after Hustle and Flow is a film that is an answer to us movie fans constantly crying for something new and original. I guarantee this is unlike any film you have ever seen. Christina Ricci plays a small town nymphomaniac who, just after her husband is shipped overseas, begins going out with other men and is soon beaten and raped and left for dead on a back road. Samuel Jackson plays a former blues musician who finds her and brings her back to his place where he gives her food and medicine in an attempt to help her recover. He also chains her so she cannot escape as he tries to free her of the dark desires she has within herself. This is a strong character study of two people thrown together whether they like it or not and grow to discover things about each other and themselves that is quite unexpected. Also unexpected is the strong performance by Justin Timberlake as Ricci's husband.

THE CONTENDER - Rod Lurie's political thriller stars Joan Allen as a senator who is nominated to succeed the Vice President who has been killed while in office. As the confirmation process begins allegations of crude sexual behavior from her college days surfaces and she has to decide whether to comment and fight the allegations or stick to her personal morals and stay quiet letting her spotless political record speak for itself. This is a tremendously well written dramatic thriller that is buoyed by Allen's Oscar nominated performance while being supported by some terrific actors in great roles including Jeff Bridges, also Oscar nominated, as the President near the end of his term deciding to create his legacy by bringing in the first woman V.P. Gary Oldman, as the confirmation chairman, steals the movie in a role where he is almost unrecognizable. Also featured in strong performances are Sam Elliot, Christian Slater and William Petersen. For any fan of political thrillers this film is one of the best. Fans of thrillers should also seek this film out.

THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR - First time director Tod Williams adapts John Irving's novel A Widow For One Year into this powerful drama about a teenager who comes to work in East Hampton for children's book author (Jeff Bridges) whose once beautiful marriage is falling apart because of his infidelities and the depression both he and his wife (Kim Basinger) feel over a tragic loss. The teenager infiltrates both of their lives as he learns about life, love, sex and death all over the course of one memorable summer. This is a lovely, realistic and very adult drama that doesn't teeter on any one theme but presents them all fully leading to a conclusion that isn't completely happy but is totally believable. Much like life.

FEVER PITCH - From the whacky comedic team of Peter and Bobby Farelly (Kingpin, There's Something About Mary) comes their best film of the decade and one that is a real head scratcher as to why it didn't find an audience. This outlandish romantic comedy stars Jimmy Fallon as a die hard Boston Red Sox fan who meets the woman of his dreams in Drew Barrymore but refuses to let his love for his baseball team get in the way of their relationship. The film features the usual raucous Farelly gags but below the surface is a warm and touching love story. This is a sweet and very funny movie that shouldn't be avoided just because you think it is about baseball. It's about so much more and you may be surprised at its wit and depth.

GRINDHOUSE - This was a true movie lover's dream that came and went without much notice. Directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez each made an homage to 1970's films (both 90 minutes in length) with some very memorable coming attractions made by real filmmakers of fake movies (including Machete; Don't!; Thanksgiving Day) sandwiching the films. This is the way it used to be at all night theaters in the 70's when you saw two movies and loads of previews in the wee hours for one low price. Rodriguez' film is called Planet Terror and is about a zombie invasion and those trying to survive. Tarantino's films is called Death Proof and stars Kurt Russell as a former movie stuntman who terrorizes women on the road to varying degrees of sickness. The stunt work in this story is some of the best I have ever seen on film. Because of the film's failure the Weinstein Brothers thought it wise to re-edit the two feature length films and release them on DVD separately. These longer versions can also be seen sometimes on cable. Those versions aren't bad but you lose the grind house experience such as the previews and commercials and the missing reels that pop up. No if you are willing to indulge yourself go for the original theatrical cut.

HAMLET 2 - One of the funniest films that virtually no one saw starred British comedian Steve Coogan as a high school teacher trying to put on a play but meeting all sorts of resistance from parents, school faculty and his adulterous wife (Catherine Keener). Of course it doesn't help that the teacher has the reputation of being a loser and that the play he is trying to conceive is Hamlet 2. This is a very winning comedy about one man's determination to put on the production he has conceived and wait until you see the musical number, Rock Me Sexy Jesus, a sequence so funny you would swear Christopher Guest was somehow behind the film.

ICE HARVEST - Harold Ramis's black comedy stars John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton as a couple of small town thugs with big dreams but little brains who decide to steal a cache of money on Christmas Eve from a local mobster but soon find themselves stuck in town due to a major ice storm that has hit. Connie Nielsen is at her sexiest as a strip bar manager who is the object of Cusack's attention. The film takes place in one long night and becomes darker and more violent as it goes. I found this to be a very strong film that is sometimes very funny and sometimes shockingly violent.

IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH - Another film that was oddly overlooked was this powerful drama starring Tommy Lee Jones (in an Oscar nominated performance) as a man whose son has been killed just after coming home from Iraq but believes he is not being told the whole story of how his son died and decides to investigate himself. Susan Sarandon, Charlize Theron, Josh Brolin and Jason Patric co-star in this very strong and moving drama that is also a quite involving mystery. Crash director Paul Haggis followed that triumph with this film and announced himself as a major director to watch in the future.

LANTANA - This Australian drama is a multi-character tale that seems random at first but then all comes together beautifully. Anthony LaPaglia stars as a policeman who is cheating on his wife, who is seeing a psychiatrist, whose own marriage is unhappy. He catches the case of a murdered woman. The psychiatrist is barely making it through a life of grief and possible deceit as she is convinced her husband is cheating on her. The cop's mistress is recently separated and is convinced her married neighbors are having serious problems of their own. The brilliant script follows all of these lives as they all live under the shadow of a murder (and possible murderer) until everything comes together with resolutions smartly made and not the contrivance of a writer. Barbara Hershey, Geoffrey Rush and a host of strong Australian actors co-star in this film that deserves to be seen and paid attention to.

THE MAJESTIC - One of our best directors of the last twenty years, Frank (Shawshank Redemption, Green Mile) Darabont, sadly has two films of this list. The first stars Jim Carrey in a rare dramatic role as a screenwriter in the 1950's about to face the committee for Un-American activities. One night on a drive he crashes his car and when he is found he has no memory of who he is. He is brought back into town and soon it is believed that he is the long lost son of one of the townspeople believed to have been killed in World War II. He then, with the aid of his possible father, refurbishes the local movie theater to bring it back to its glory and bring entertainment back to a town that has had its fill of sorrow. Martin Landau co-starred in this terrific film and why it failed is beyond me. Carrey is one of the biggest stars in the world yet most of his core base stayed away. Was it too serious? Not manic enough? If so it is a shame because they missed one of the best films of that year.

THE MATADOR - This exciting comedy action-comedy stars Pierce Brosnan as a hit man and Greg Kinnear as a businessman who meet in a hotel bar and soon strike up an unexpected friendship that will profoundly affect each man in ways they never dreamed of. To say more would be a disservice to this delightful and thought provoking film that moves into unexpected directions. This may be the best known of the films on my list due to the lead actors but it still didn't hit the way it should have. I strongly recommend sitting back and enjoying this one.

THE MIST - Frank Darabont's other film on this list is an adaptation of the short story by Stephen King about a group of people trapped in a grocery store after a mysterious mist has come into town containing very frightening and very hungry creatures within it. Soon the survivors start to become stir crazy and try planning escapes when there seems to be no escape. Marcia Gay Harden almost steals the movie as a religious zealot who soon has the survivors divided and about to go to war with one another. This is a terrific horror film whose failure at the box office can only be explained by its Thanksgiving release. Apparently no one wanted to see this kind of movie to kick off the holiday season. Still this is a must see for horror film buffs as there are plenty of thrills and chills throughout. One word of warning: This film contains one of the darkest, most downbeat endings in a movie I have ever seen. It's a good ending but not a happy one.

NURSE BETTY - This offbeat, original black comedy stars Renee Zellweger as a waitress whose life seems to revolve around her favorite soap opera and its star (Greg Kinnear). After witnessing a horrific act of violence, Betty heads off to the West Coast to find her dream doctor (whom she know believes is real) while being hunted by Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock as a couple of hit men who think Betty knows more about something than she does. The oddball characters are well written and come together nicely while making perfect sense of it all at the end. This is a nice comedy with a few shocking moments of violence but is well worth seeking out.

ONE HOUR PHOTO - Robin Williams gives one of his best and most understated performances as a lonely man whose sole purpose in life is to work at the photo store inside the large outlet store. Soon Williams becomes obsessed with the married mother (Connie Nielsen) of a small family he believes is the ideal American family until he starts to see the cracks in their foundation. This is an eerie but never scary drama with a character whose full motives of his actions are not realized until it may be too late. This is a carefully paced character study that is utterly fascinating thanks to Williams' terrific performance.

THE WEATHERMAN - Another deliberately paced character study stars Nicolas Cage as a Chicago weatherman going through a crossroads in his life. As beloved as he is, he is also hated by some so much that he is constantly dodging fast food being thrown at him. His relationship with his daughter is distant despite his allowing her to take archery lessons. His relationship with his son is even worse as the son takes up with an oddball man he has met at the local mall. His relationship with his ex-wife is almost as bad as the one with his dad (Michael Caine). Still he tries to make it all work as he prepares for an important interview for a network job. This comedy-drama isn't for everyone but it does showcase that Cage is still a wonderful actor when he isn't hiding behind special effects and has a good script to work with. Hardly anyone saw this movie but I found it quite rewarding, especially to those who don't mind a Cage film with no explosions, car crashes or glass exploding.

WE ARE MARSHALL - A terrific, beautifully told story based on true events about the tragic plane crash in 1970 that killed almost everyone involved with the Marshall football team. The film opens with these details and is relentlessly downbeat for its first 30 minutes but then the film takes a turn and becomes a story about starting over and redemption and turns into one of the most uplifting films I have seen in a long time. Matthew McCoughnahey plays the new coach of Marshall who has little to work with save for an unending optimism and a contagious smile. The film is more than just about football as we witness the town and the survivors put the pieces back together and get on with life. In the end you will be amazed how good you feel considering the rather downbeat, but necessary beginning. This is one to watch with the family and share a few hugs when it is over.

WONDER BOYS - Michael Douglas gives one of the best performances of his career as a college professor/ author going through a midlife crisis when he forges an unusual bond with one of his students (Tobey Maguire), a gifted loner who will end up making the professor's life even more chaotic. Frances McDormand, Katie Holmes and Robert Downey Jr. co-star in this darker comic character study. This was one of my favorite films of the year (2000) and one of the best of the decade (though not in my top ten).