“Brigsby Bear”
Although it drew considerable praise at Sundance and Cannes, Dave McCary’s “Brigsby Bear” starring Kyle Mooney struggled to find its footing outside of critic circles. On paper, the premise behind a comedy about cherishing childhood and a man-child seemed too ironic and insincere to garner any interest when it was released this past summer. However, ”Brigsby Bear” is everything but ironic and insincere. As I wrote in my review a few months back, “’ Brigsby Bear’ charms from the very beginning, with emotion, heartbreak, and humor. Bearing a radiant heart and an expanded imagination, ‘Brigsby Bear’ is what James would probably describe as ‘Dope as shit!’ It’s a movie grounded in honesty and parades the pleasantries of humanity.” Although “Brigsby Bear” is too difficult to pitch to just anyone, it’s a sneakily poignant story that deserves all the attention it can possibly get. — KK [our full review]
“Marjorie Prime”
I already noted how “Marjorie Prime” was the most underrated film of 2017, or at least mine, but I will drive the nail deeper if I have to, because Michael Almereyda‘s adaptation of Jordan Harrison‘s Pulitzer-nominated play is the most underseen film of 2017. Across a brisk 99 minutes, Almereyda imbues his viewers with a piercingly affecting study of memory, grief and death. Set in a future where death is not necessarily the end all, “Marjorie Prime” subverts utopian, sci-fi cliches. With the science fiction context almost irrelevant to this film’s message, the audiences’ focus shifts to the movie’s core — this slow-burning conversation on mortality. It’s an intelligent, powerfully intimate conversation to say the very least — a soulful meditation that will leave you suspended in ambiguity with in-depth questions about the fragile construction of the human mind and how everyone deals with own sadness and grief. — KK [our full review]
“Berlin Syndrome”
With “Wish You Were Here” in 2012 and now “Berlin Syndrome” in 2017, Teresa Palmer has proven herself to be one of the best and most underappreciated actors working today. The latter film, following an Australian tourist in Berlin, starts out as a romance between Clare (Palmer) and Andi (Max Riemelt) before turning into a claustrophobic kidnapping horror show as Clare slowly learns that she is trapped within Andi’s apartment, becoming his captive “girlfriend.” How Palmer demonstrates this progression, from lust to infatuation to, finally, horror, is some of the best acting of the year. Director Cate Shortland locks the viewers in with Clare, placing us within her point of view as she struggles to find any means of escape. One of the best thrillers to come out in 2017, “Berlin Syndrome” deserves to be seen as soon as possible. — CG [our full review]
“The Happiest Day In The Life OF Olli Maki”
There is no shortage of boxing movies. Every year, to varying degrees of success, a studio releases another film about a boxer and it seems every year we grow increasingly tired of it. To look at the trajectory of films such as “The Fighter” and “Warrior” to “Southpaw” to last year’s near forgotten “Bleed for This,” mainstream audiences seem to have either grown tired of the genre or, more likely, studios have grown complacent in how they package these stories. (“Creed” being the obvious exception as Ryan Coogler helped redefine said genre). All of which is to say that “The Happiest Day In The Life of Olli Maki” is surprisingly delightful in the manner in which it upends expectations. Directed by Juho Kuosmanen, the film tracks the true story of Olli Mäki, the famous Finnish boxer who had a shot at the 1962 World Featherweight title. Unassumingly sweet, and full to the brim with an earnest affection for the character and genuinely excited to tell this story, “The Happiest Day In The Life of Olli Maki” is far from the biggest film of the year, but what it lacks in budget in makes up for in the sheer volume of unadulterated heart. — AJ [our full review]
