As popular and prolific as the film industry is today, it’s only natural that there are some movies that would slip beneath notice and avoid the success which they deserve. In this case, we want to look at those films which were not only great in their own artistic right but which offer a lesson that raises them above mere entertainment. With that in mind, let’s take a look three of the movies which we think deserved more time in the sun, which you should definitely check out if you haven’t already.
Goon
Directed by Michael Dowse, Goon stars Sean William Scott as Doug Glatt, a genuine but rather dim bouncer at a Massachusetts bar. As what he feels as the odd-one-out in a family of more success men, Doug finds his place as a hockey enforcer after defending his brother from a player during a game.
“Goon 30” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by GabboT
While it might seem this is little more than an appeal to violence, Doug’s increasing success as “Doug the Thug” is more about the character’s development into being comfortable in his own skin, and with his own accomplishments and strengths. In this way, we could draw a parallel to sort of a reverse Billy Elliot, as touched on by this list of inspirational films from Lottoland.
Aided by the criminally underrated acting talent of the often type-cast William Scott, Goon is funny, touching, and shows that you don’t have to obey traditional expectations to be happy or to succeed.
King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters
King of Kong is an unlikely documentary which follows the word of arcade high-score gaming. This 2007 film follows competitor Steve Wiebe, an out-of-work engineer who has taken his downtime to conquer a lifelong dream – the world record score in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong.
“The Donkey Kong” (CC BY 2.0) by walknboston
Seemingly silly on its face, this film does an amazing job of relating the struggles of Wiebe to many which we face in ordinary life, in no short part helped by the juxtaposition of the film’s villain – the entrenched champion Billy Mitchell.
Winning isn’t just a matter of obsession for Wiebe, it’s about fulfilling a dream that reality had slowly stripped away. It shows dedication does pay off, and that karma cuts both ways.
We don’t want to spoil it, but be sure to look up Billy Mitchell after checking this one out, for an even more satisfying ending.
Look Who’s Back
This satirical comedy film has an absurd premise, but one which we can’t help but think back to given our modern social and political climate. This film takes place in 2014, where Adolf Hitler suddenly wakes in the park above his former bunker and attempts to make his way in the modern world.
Intercut with serious scenes of modern Germans talking about the current state of politics, the film raises the question of exactly how fascism takes root within civilisation. While this film was derided by some as not suggesting any serious correlations to the modern world, we can’t help but see the parallel between this and the trajectory of many ostensibly democratic nations of today.
Look Who’s Back teaches us to remember the lessons of the past, and to understand that the underbelly and attitudes which created prior evils are never really defeated. Contentious, absolutely, but worth a view on that merit alone.
So, what did we miss, and what are your favourite films which often get overlooked?