18 Great Overlooked Films Of 2018

So what makes for a great overlooked film, or a hidden gem as I like to call them? For me, it's simple. Any movie that resonated with me, that I found some connection with, and feel others will find a similar connection if they give it a chance. As with any year, there are so many movies that it's easy for a lot of great ones to simply fly under the radar. Fantastic performances go unnoticed, unique storylines sit waiting to be discovered (or copied), and as usual I struggled to find just 15 to put down here.

That's why I cheated and made it 18. Not that it's cheating when it's my list, right?

I went with films that surprised me with their spirit, like the Kodi Smit-Mcphee survival thriller Alpha, or spoke my language politically like The Oath did. Some of these movies spoke to my baser instincts, as the giallo-inspired Let the Corpses Tan did,  while Ibiza put both of my favorite actresses together for a silly international comedy. And that Brett Haley; I think he has a movie on my list every single year. There's a lot of good to be found in each of these movies, so check 'em out below and then check 'em out at home!

And when you're done, be sure to follow all of our end of the year coverage here!

The Mercy (review)
Director: James Marsh
Cast: Colin Firth, Rachel Weisz, David Thewlis, Simon McBurney



Jonathan (review)
Director: Bill Oliver
Cast: Ansel Elgort, Suki Waterhouse, Patricia  Clarkson, Matt Bomer



The Oath (review)
Director: Ike Barinholtz
Cast: Ike Barinholtz, Tiffany Haddish, John Cho, Billy Magnussen, Carrie Brownstein



Final Score (review)
Director: Scott Mann
Cast: Dave Bautista, Pierce Brosnan



Let the Corpses Tan (review)
Directors: Helene Cattet and Bruno Forzani



Alpha (review)
Director: Albert Hughes
Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee,  Johannes Haukur Johannesson



Night Comes On (review)
Director: Jordana Spiro
Cast: Dominique Fishback, Tatum Marilyn Hall



Hearts Beat Loud (review)
Director: Brett Haley
Cast: Nick Offerman, Kiersey Clemons, Blythe Danner, Sasha Lane, Toni Collette, Ted Danson



Ibiza 
Director: Alex Richanbach
Cast: Gillian Jacobs, Vanessa Bayer, Phoebe Robinson, Richard Madden



Revenge (review)
Director: Coralie Fargeat
Cast: Matilda Lutz



Marrowbone (review)
Director: Matthew Stagg
Cast: George MacKay, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Mia Goth



I Kill Giants (review)
Director: Anders Walter
Cast: Madison Wolfe, Imogen Poots, Zoe Saldana, Sydney Wade



Thoroughbreds (review)
Director: Cory Finley
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Anya Taylor-Joy, Anton Yelchin



Monsters and Men (review)
Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Cast: John David Washington, Anthony Ramos, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Rob Morgan



Assassination Nation (review)
Director: Sam Levinson
Cast: Suki Waterhouse, Odessa Young, Hari Nef, Abra, Joel McHale, Bill Skarsgard, Bella Thorne



Mom and Dad (review)
Director: Brian Taylor
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Selma Blair, Anne Winters, Zackary Arthur



Kickboxer: Retaliation (review)
Director: Dmitri Logothetis
Cast: Alain Moussi, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mike Tyson, Christopher Lambert



Never Goin' Back
Director: Augustine Frizzell
Cast: Maia Mitchell, Camila Morrone, Kyle Mooney

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Review: 'Marrowbone', An Evocative Tale Of Ominous Beauty From 'The Orphanage' Screenwriter

We can feel it in our bones that something terrible is going to happen to the innocent family of kids in Marrowbone, the suspenseful new thriller from The Orphanage screenwriter Sergio G. Sanchez. Having not missed a beat since his breakout script a decade ago, Sanchez ratchets up the dread with surgical precision until it's almost unbearable, while telling a haunting coming-of-age story about first love and family loyalty.

It may sound like a lot to manage but Sanchez, who also serves as director, knows to lean on his immensely-talented cast for support. They help navigate the complicated mix of tones, as much a whirlwind as a teenager's raw emotions, within a Gothic horror of surprising depth. Set in rural America at the close of the 1960s, Marrowbone follows a destitute family of four siblings forced to live in their mother's creaky (and creepy) childhood home after she dies. They fled from their abusive father, took their mother's maiden name of Marrowbone, but with her passing it's up to eldest son Jack (George MacKay) to watch over them and keep them hidden away in secret. Until he turns 21 and is old enough to inherit the estate and legally watch over his siblings: saintly Jane (Mia Goth), rebellious Billy (Charlie Heaton), and young Sam (Matthew Stagg).

They live a hard life on their own, but they have one another to rely on. And at least for one glorious day they even make a friend who shares their love for adventure, Allie (The Witch's Anya Taylor-Joy), a local librarian working within the city.  Then, a gunshot. A cry for help. And a timejump of six months. When we return to the Marrowbones the house they live in has the shades drawn in, there's a mysterious stain on the wall, and large sections of the home are simply off-limits. Good luck telling a house full of teenagers and one inquisitive child that they can't go somewhere.

Danger lurks everywhere in Marrowbone, but the greatest threats are those unseen. Jack's need to get out and spread his wings attracts him to the city, where he meets Allie for brief romantic encounters. But these excursions also draw the attention of a hotshot lawyer eager to win Allie's heart and do away with the mystery Marrowbone family. That yearning for adventure also burns within Billy, and there's a boiling jealousy within him that is going to be trouble. The constant threat of their estranged father returning also looms large, like a tumor just waiting to turn malignant.

Sanchez emphasizes tension over jump scares, setting out a number of dire traps we keep waiting to explode and consume the Marrowbone kids. It's very much like another of Sanchez's screenplays, The Impossible (directed by J.A. Bayona just as The Orphanage was), which told a harrowing story of a completely different variety. But the feeling of overcoming tragedy and hardship to be with the ones we love is there, just as it has been in all of Sanchez's films. Shot by cinematographer Xavi Gimenez, there's  a distinct break between the gloom of the Marrowbones' captivity, because that's basically what it is, and Jack's trysts with the colorful Allie. It's almost like we're watching two separate movies, one filled with darkness and paranoia, the other a sunny teen romance about two lovers from opposite sides of the tracks.

The performances are uniformly excellent, which shouldn't be a surprise. MacKay, probably best known for Captain Fantastic a couple of years ago, impresses as the overwhelmed Jack. And I appreciate that Taylor-Joy wasn't reduced to just being a symbol of Jack's aspirations towards freedom, she's an active participant in the Marrowbones' salvation or doom. I won't spoil which. If there's a problem it's Sanchez's weighty setup which takes too long to get going, and an artsy final act that is too clever for its own good. Without giving too much away, Sanchez does a lot of screwing around with timelines and even if everything eventually makes sense there is still a great deal of unnecessary confusion to get through. Despite that, Marrowbone spins an evocative tale of ominous beauty that will appeal to those looking for something different from the typical horror.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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'Marrowbone' Trailer: Something Sinister Haunts Anya Taylor-Joy And Charlie Heaton

You may not know the name Sergio G. Sanchez, but that's likely about to change. As the writer behind J.A. Bayona's breakout films The Orphanage and The Impossible, Sanchez has seen the director move up to much bigger things. Now it's his turn, as Sanchez readies his directorial debut, Marrowbone, with a very impressive cast of rising stars.

The first trailer for Marrowbone features a pair of New Mutants in Anya Taylor-Joy and Charlie Heaton, plus George MacKay (Captain Fantastic), Mia Goth (Nymphomaniac), and Matthew Stagg. And as you might have thought given the title and Sanchez's past credits, this is a film that puts its young stars through the wringer.  Here's the synopsis:

Four siblings seek refuge in an old home after the death of their mother, only to discover that the house has another, more sinister, inhabitant, in this haunting directorial debut from Sergio G. Sánchez, screenwriter of The Orphanage and The Impossible.

Marrowbone hits theaters and VOD on April 13th.

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Sam Elliott Is 'The Hero', Anya Taylor-Joy Joins 'Marrowbone'

Quietly one of the most charming movies of last year was Brett Haley's I'll See You In My Dreams, which starred Blythe Danner as a widower taking a second chance on love. The guy she fell hard for (sorry Martin Starr, it wasn't you) was played by the great Sam Elliott, who I think any of us would be happy to have narrate the story of our lives. Well now Elliott and Haley have reteamed on The Hero, which has just wrapped up shooting in Los Angeles. The plot sounds perfect for Elliott as he plays a past-his-prime Western film icon who receives some life-changing news and sets out to reprise his most celebrated role in a sequel. He also seeks to make up with his ex-wife and estranged daughter, while becoming friends with a standup comic who forces him to re-evaluate his idea of success. Katherine Ross, Krysten Ritter, Laura Prepon, and Nick Offerman co-star with a 2017 release date planned. That sounds like it should be three or four different movies not one, but I trust Haley to bring it all together. [Deadline]

The Witch breakout Anya Taylor-Joy continues to build an impressive string of upcoming roles. Her latest is Marrowbone, a psychological thriller written and directed by Sergio G. Sanchez. J.A. Bayona is on board to produce, having directed Sanchez's screenplays for The Orphanage and The Impossible. Mia Goth (Nymphomaniac Vol. II), George MacKay, and Charlie Heaton co-star in the story of four children who hide from the world after their mother's death on a farm with a terrible secret. Next up for Taylor-Joy is the Ridley Scott-produced horror, Morgan, followed by M. Night Shyamalan's thriller, Split. She's also set to star in a biopic on Barack Obama's early years, and recently wrapped filming on Thoroughbred opposite the late Anton Yelchin. She has also been rumored for Fox's New Mutants movie in the role of Magik.

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