The Hollywood Outsider – Film and Television Podcast | Reviews An award-winning film and television podcast for the fan in all of us
In an era stocked with content, it can be easy to be overwhelmed by the vast number of sheer choices. In fact, if you combed the internet, you could easily stumble through countless Top 10 lists for 2024, and still there might only be 15 different titles. So, what about those forgotten films that far too many people never even gave a fair chance to? Why are there so few lists for those little gems and where we can watch them, to maybe give us a little something different than what we’ve come to expect? Welcome to my choices for the Top 10 Underappreciated Movie or TV Recommendations from 2024!
That’s what I hope this list conveys, a list of movies and TV series that haven’t garnered quite the amount of attention as they deserved. Many you might not have even heard of these, while still others deserved louder praise. Feel free to share any underrated gems of your own in the comments below, and let’s keep spreading the word on those diamonds in the entertainment rough.
Honorable Mentions: Monsieur Spade (Netflix), Late Night with the Devil (Shudder), Oddity (Shudder), Blink Twice (Prime & Fubo), Heretic, Lee, Strange Darling, The Long Game (Netflix), Bad Monkey (Apple TV+), Things Will Be Different (Prime)
On digital – Starz & Prime
Sharon (Hilary Swank) is a fast-talking, spiritual descendant of Erin Brockovich, and she never takes no for an answer. While Ed (Reacher’s Alan Ritchson) is a widower with a daughter with serious medical issues that cost a fortune to address. Though Ed rejects Sharon’s initial offer to raise money for his family’s bills, Sharon perseveres. “Life’s about saying yes” is her mantra.
Everything comes to a head, as a liver becomes available amidst the most brutal snowstorm in Kentucky’s history and the clock is ticking for Ed to get Michelle to a plane or lose their shot. Ultimately, it comes down to Sharon’s tenacious attitude and an entire community coming together to put it all on the line for the life of one little girl.
Hilary Swank has two Oscars, ergo she is no slouch. Every moment she is on screen, she simmers with relentless energy and hope, blending personal turmoil with inner light. It’s a showboat of a role in lesser hands, if an actor chose to play it that way, and Swank smartly assesses when it’s ok to POP for effect and when it is time to calm a moment down.
Alan Ritchson’s Ed wisely sticks to his character’s blue-collar roots, dialing it in instead of up whenever tensions rise, and his relationship with Ed’s mother, Barbara, daughters Michelle and her older sister, Ashley, is the beautiful engine that keeps this film humming along. Any parent can empathize with the panic and fear in Ritchson’s eyes as Ed simultaneously refuses to give up while the terror of failure rises up in his rearview mirror.
Family, community, determination. I am here to tell you, yes, this film is clichéd. Sure, it is predictable at times as most films are these days, and guess what, it still lifted my spirits. I laughed, I smiled, I cried, and then I walked out hopeful for mankind in a way I haven’t in a very long time. Because Ordinary Angels is also simply just a damn good movie.
#9 – Abigail
Prime Video
Abigail revolves around a group of entertaining criminals who engage in a bit of Reservoir Dogs posturing by participating in a crime without knowing each other’s names. The crime in question is kidnapping a little ballerina named Abigail and holding her hostage until her Daddy pays the ransom. The only thing is, there’s a lot more to this story, and this is going to be one helluva bloody night. Bodies will drop and secrets will be revealed.
I’m going to make you a pinky promise to not spoil this movie the way the trailer does (in other words, just watch the movie blind, you will thank me later) but just know this is a great horror film from the creative team that gave you the recent Scream reboot and Ready or Not. It stars Alisha Weir, Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Will Catlett, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, and Giancarlo Esposito.
A strong cast, a healthy blend of violence, blood and humor, and most importantly: FUN! Abigail is easily one of the best horror films of 2024.
#8 – No Good Deed
Netflix
Seeing comic TV icons Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano come together as a married couple seems like a perfect fit for a cheesy CBS comedy. But instead, No Good Deed revolves around a troubled marriage, rocked by a death in the family and a shady brother (Denis Leary) who happens to be trying to sell their home to a gaggle of couples with dark secrets of their own.
This is a dark comedy with dramatic undertones that takes a look at what tragedy can do to a family. With a fun supporting cast (highlighted by Luke Wilson and Linda Cardellini), weird twists, and broad stretches in the performances of both Kudrow and Romano, this series should be in the entertainment conversation quite a bit more. Plus, who doesn’t love being a bit of a nosy neighbor?
Prime & Apple
The film opens with Dean (Nadine Crocker) after she has survived a suicide attempt and is now mandated to reside within a mental health facility as she works to understand the depths of her depression. Dean must learn how to cope with the complicated nature of her own mind, the anguish of her own past, and especially to chart a healthier, happier course forward. Along the way she finds new friends and love, but is she truly healing?
Though the supporting cast are all a compliment, the strength of Continue lies solely with Nadine Crocker. Her script is based on her own true story, and you can feel the passion and love behind every scenario and dialogue exchange. Dean is the centerpiece to not only the film, but also the challenges of confronting the fracturing of one’s own mind. There is no generic cure or prescription that easily wipes the pain away. Dean must learn that she will need to do the work to continue on, and it is a lesson worth learning. Her life, everyone’s life, is worth fighting for.
Like you, I take this topic very seriously. For many, it is triggering, disheartening, and often remains imbedded in the very fabric of your entire being. While the film’s subject matter might be a struggle for those connected to it, Continue handles Dean’s journey with care, warmth, and understanding, and Nadine Crocker delivers unflinchingly in every facet as writer, director, and star. Simply put, this is a powerful film.
Prime Video
If the Marvel or Fast & Furious franchises had a Christmas section, Red One would be in it. Santa (J.K. Simmons) gets snatched and it’s up to his lead security elf (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) and a prime Naughty Lister (Chris Evans) to get him back before Christmas. Seeing Black Adam and Captain America team up to save Christmas should be enough, but Red One has even more in store, as everything Christmasy gets its own makeover in this festive kaleidoscope of holiday ideas.
Red One was trashed by a lot of critics, but this is just creative, action-packed, zippy fun that most of the family can enjoy. If you’re looking for something new on Christmas with a little heart plus humor and a lot of effects, this is right up your chimney.
#5 – In the Land of Saints and Sinners
On Digital
It’s 1974 in Belfast when a group of IRA wannabe freedom fighters, led by Kerry Condon’s Doireann McCann, sets off a bomb in which an innocent mother and her children lose their lives. They decide it is time to lay low for a spell and take refuge in the quaint coastal town of Glencolmcille. Unfortunately for them, this also happens to be the home of Liam Neeson’s retiring hitman, Finbar Murphy.
In recent years, Liam Neeson has found himself wading in the waters of countless thrillers of this sort, and it would be fair to read the synopsis for In the Land of Saints and Sinners and assume the plot is rather formulaic. To do so, though, would be a disservice to both the filmmakers who have really ratcheted up the tension with this piece, and the actors who all came to play in a high-stakes thriller worthy of our attention.
The best performance, however, is Kerry Condon as Doireann. Equal parts empathetic and monstrous, Kerry Condon is fantastic as Murphy’s antagonist and leader of this IRA sect.
In the Land of Saints and Sinners is a captivating thriller that pulsates with Irish history and pulpy characters. Taking notes from his previous collaboration with Neeson in The Marksman, director Robert Lorenz allows the characters to breathe enough to intoxicate the audience before hitting the gas midpoint until the final credits. Not only is this a taut, energetic outing stacked with memorable performances, it’s also Liam Neeson’s best film in years.
Prime Video
IF revolves around Bea (a pitch-perfect Cailey Fleming), a young girl still reeling from the death of her mother as she now faces the mortality of her Dad (John Krasinski, who also directs) with an upcoming operation. For reasons that become explained as the film unfolds, Bea suddenly sees imaginary friends (IFs) running rampant! This leads Bea to Calvin (Ryan Reynolds, dialing down the sarcasm to a 3), an IF wrangler of sorts who finds himself tasked with finding new homes for displaced IFs.
IF is centered around the beauty of a child’s imagination, but also how trauma and adulthood often drive the wonder of it all away. The concept is a breath of fresh air in a cinemascape desperate for original adventures, and the unraveling of the story is rife with possibilities.
When released, there were plenty of reviews complaining that IF is cheesy, full of clichés, or too sweet. Sadly, a tinge of saccharin is frowned upon these days. Because we live in an era where everything needs to be EDGY, even the comments or critiques. This is not an edgy flick in any sense, this is Amblin 2.0. It’s grandeur 80s sunshine. Despite a few gripes with the script, IF is perfect fodder for families looking to bond with laughs, endless creativity, and a hearty dose of the feels. IF also reminds us why imagination is the most precious gift we have.
#3 – Super/Man – The Christopher Reeve Story
Max
Crossing back-and-forth in time, Super/Man tells the story of one man’s fight to live after a tragic accident paralyzed him from the neck down. Not just any man, though. This man, named Christopher Reeve, was known the world over for being indestructible and able to fly across the universe. This man was Superman, and this injury was the kryptonite to his legacy. Except, it truly wasn’t. Friends like Robin Williams and an amazing wife in Dana Reeve fuel his fight to walk again as his own children assist telling his story.
It’s beautiful, heartwarming, and crushing. It will also make you believe that in time, others like Reeve will undoubtedly fly. Are you ready to cry tears of both joy and pain? Perhaps the most moving documentary of the year.
Hulu
Sting revolves around a modern family. Heather (Penelope Mitchell) and Ethan (Ryan Corr) have a newborn, as well as Heather’s daughter from a previous relationship, Charlotte (Alyla Browne). Charlotte is in desperate need of a friend when she uncovers a tiny spider which she names “Sting”. Little does she know that this particular spider recently arrived from space.
Nor does she understand or agree with the advice that spiders are not your friends. Sting has a penchant for blood, and with every meal, this beastie gets bigger. I mean, a LOT bigger.
Writer and director Kiah Roache-Turner delivers maximum thrills with a miniscule budget, and the best monster movies know how to produce tension regardless of funding. Think Jaws or The Thing. Sting evolves into a fully-fledged character, despite its knee-jerk icky design. Maintaining a single location – one apartment complex – goes a long way toward ever increasing our anxiety.
Sting is a throwback to monster flicks of the past and is still leading the charge as the best horror movie of the year.
Peacock and Prime
Let’s end on the most underappreciated blockbuster of the year. The Fall Guy has its flaws, sure, but this is perfect all-quadrant entertainment that suffered from a terrible release date and a flat marketing campaign. But make no mistake, this is a GREAT movie.
Director (and stuntman himself) David Leitch takes the reins of this reinterpretation of the 80s TV series and stars Ryan Gosling as Colt Seavers, a dedicated stuntman tasked to find missing superstar Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, pouring on the actorly arrogance) before his absence derails the directing debut of the woman he loves, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt).
Thankfully, the heart of this film lies with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. Colt and Jody spar throughout the film, debating on if their love was ever real and if it could be saved, and each actor could – as Gosling hilariously put it during the SXSW premiere – “create chemistry with a trash can”. As they riff, break apart, and come together, Colt and Jody are always worth rooting for, even as insanity occurs directly behind their frame.
The Fall Guy is one hell of a ride. Gosling and Blunt are enchanting & hilarious together, and David Leitch raises the volume and intensity with every stunt and action set-piece. The Fall Guy is a loving tribute to some of the most impactful people in Hollywood, the unknown stuntmen and stuntwomen. It’s also exactly the type of bombastic fun that demanded to be seen on the biggest screen possible. Since some of you missed it there, don’t skip it at home.