Every new year brings out the list of things each of us hope to accomplish in the upcoming year. For most it might be to exercise more or maybe lose some weight, but I am sure there are people out there who’s goal it is to catch more movies. With that in mind I have made a list of ten movies that came out this past year you might have missed, for whatever reason to help you start that goal. They range from comedies to some good horror movies, but they do share one thing in common and that is that they are worth your time and will help you to achieve your goal to watch more movies.
Crawl
Starring :Kaya Scodelario, Berry Pepper, Morfydd Clark
Written by Michael Rasmussen and Shawn Rasmussen, Directed by Alexandre Aja
Hurricanes are not a good thing and being trapped in one is not the place to be. You know what makes a hurricane worse? Alligators running wild and treating the hurricane like an all you can eat buffet. Haley (Kaya Schodelario) can’t get a hold of her father Dave (Berry Pepper) and decides to go and look for him. When she finds him, she also finds out that she has a lot more to deal with than just the weather.
Available on Blu-Ray and for rent on Amazon Prime
Ready or Not.
Starring: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O’Brien
Written by Guy Busick and Ryan Murphy, Directed by Matt Bettinelli and Tyler Gillett
Game night is always a good time with friends and family, and joining a family who made a bunch of money off of making games can’t be bad right? Well if you are Grace (Samara Weaving) who is marrying Alex (Mark O’ Brien) whose family is into a unique kind of game. The marriage comes at a cost as Grace must play a game chosen randomly to show she belongs in the family and after that choice is made the horror of the in-laws is given a whole new meaning.
Available on Blu-Ray and for rent on Amazon Prime
Queen and Slim
Starring : Daniel Kaluuya, Jodi Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine
Written by Lena Waithe and James Frey, Directed by Melina Matsoukas
Making a list of things that go wrong on a first date is a pretty easy thing. One item not on that list would be becoming a fugitive with your date, something that happens in this road movie with a message. Making her feature debut, Melina Matsoukas gives us a modern day Bonnie and Clyde with the help of great performances by Keluuya and Turner-Smith.
Available in theaters still
The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Starring : Jimmie Fails, Jonathan Majors, Rob Morgan
Written by Joe Talbot, Rob Richert, Directed by Joe Talbot
Every major city goes though changes as it grows, where old charms turn into new and shiny things. For some, those changes take away the things that make that city a home. San Francisco is one of those cites to many as it becomes harder to live in for average people. This is a story of Jimmie (Jimmie Fails) who along with his friend Montgomery (Jonathan Majors) is searching for home in this changing city that has seemed to have left him behind.
Available on Blu-Ray and on Prime for free
Late Night
Starring: Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling, John Lithgow
Written by Mindy Kaling, Directed by Nisha Ganata
Late night television has always been a hot spot for entertainment. So how about a movie that goes into that world about a late night host named Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson) who suspects she might lose her long time running show. Enter in some new blood and a voice in Molly (Mindy Kaling) who helps Katherine discover who she is again.
Available on Blu-Ray and on Prime for free
Fast Color
Starring: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Strathairn, Loraine Toussaint
Written by Julia Hart and Jordan Horowitz, Directed by Julia Hart
Movies today seem to revolve around superheroes, which, let’s face it is not a totally bad thing. While we are all enjoy epic stories, sometimes it’s the more intimate and personal stories that can be the most impactful? Ruth (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is forced to go on the run after she learns she has superhuman abilities but must return home where she hopes to find the answer to who she truly is.
Available on Blu-Ray and on Prime for free
Luce
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr. , Tim Roth, Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer
Written by J.C Lee, Julius Onah, Directed by Julius Onah
Expectations can be a blessing or a curse as it’s hard to live up to them either way. When Luce ‘s (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) perfect high school existence is put into question by his teacher Ms. Wilson (Octavia Spencer). Watching their son’s all-star student status being attacked, it makes Mary (Naomi Watts) and Peter Edgar (Tim Roth) look at their idealized image of their son.
Available on Blu-Ray and for rent on Prime
Wild Rose
Starring Jessie Buckley
Written by Nicole Taylor, Directed by Tom Harper
Trying to follow your dreams can be a tough thing to do, because life always seems to do what it can to make it not happen. After spending time in jail, Rose-Lynn (Jessie Buckley) plans to leave Glasgow and pursue her dream of being a Nashville country star.
Available on Blu-Ray and for rent on Prime
Booksmart
Starring: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Billie Lourd
Written by Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, Katie Silberman, Directed by Olivia Wilde
Were you one of those kids in school who was all about the books and had little time for fun? Well this is the movie for you, to show you it was all for nothing. Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) have made doing well in school the thing that mattered and did little more than study. Well on the last day of school, that changes as one wild night shows them more about themselves than all those years of school ever did.
Available on Blu-Ray and for rent on Prime
High Flying Bird
Starring : André Holland, Melvin Gregg, Zazie Beetz
Written by Tarell Alvin McCraney, Directed by Steven Soderbergh
I don’t know about you, but I have always had an interest in the world of professional sports. Now I am not just talking about what we see on the court, but also the business side. During a pro basketball lockout, agent Ray Burke (André Holland) pitches a rookie basketball client an intriguing and controversial business proposal.
Available on Netflix
