Spring Break
Snubbed by the Oscars: last year's most underrated films
Theo Kontos
Issue date: 3/5/09 Section: Entertainment
03/05/09 - The year 2008 was a fantastic year for movies. The summer was filled with blockbusters that were both entertaining and had more than half a brain ("The Dark Knight," "Tropic Thunder," "Iron Man") and the end of the year gave us some powerful films like "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Milk."
With so many great, high profile films being released there were also some spectacular films that slipped through the cracks. So, if you're sick of hearing about "WALL-E" or want to give "The Dark Knight" a rest after your fifth viewing, then here are four good films you probably didn't see.
"Lakeview Terrace" - He may not be a household name now, but a few years down the road we're going to be seeing a lot more of Patrick Wilson. He impressed me in "Hard Candy" and "Little Children" and he gave a great performance this year in "Lakeview Terrace."
The real credit goes to Samuel L. Jackson though, as the racist neighbor of an interracial couple (Wilson and Kerry Washington) that has just moved next door.
Jackson quickly goes from slightly unsettling to scary as his tactics to chase away his new neighbors get more and more aggressive. The film starts out slow and quickly sneaks up on you. It does a great job of making the viewer feel what the characters are feeling, and anyone who picks this one up is in for an intense two hours.
"W." - I'll admit that I groaned a bit when I heard Oliver Stone was making a film about former president George W. Bush. Stone has made some great films, but why would anyone want to watch a film about Bush so soon? I was curious enough to check out the film though and I'm certainly glad I did.
Rather than just attack the former president for two hours (like everyone assumed he would), Stone has taken the much more challenging road of creating a sympathetic character. The film shows a lot of Bush's early life and battles with his father (played by James Cromwell) and tries to explore who he is as a person rather than just a president.
With so many great, high profile films being released there were also some spectacular films that slipped through the cracks. So, if you're sick of hearing about "WALL-E" or want to give "The Dark Knight" a rest after your fifth viewing, then here are four good films you probably didn't see.
"Lakeview Terrace" - He may not be a household name now, but a few years down the road we're going to be seeing a lot more of Patrick Wilson. He impressed me in "Hard Candy" and "Little Children" and he gave a great performance this year in "Lakeview Terrace."
The real credit goes to Samuel L. Jackson though, as the racist neighbor of an interracial couple (Wilson and Kerry Washington) that has just moved next door.
Jackson quickly goes from slightly unsettling to scary as his tactics to chase away his new neighbors get more and more aggressive. The film starts out slow and quickly sneaks up on you. It does a great job of making the viewer feel what the characters are feeling, and anyone who picks this one up is in for an intense two hours.
"W." - I'll admit that I groaned a bit when I heard Oliver Stone was making a film about former president George W. Bush. Stone has made some great films, but why would anyone want to watch a film about Bush so soon? I was curious enough to check out the film though and I'm certainly glad I did.
Rather than just attack the former president for two hours (like everyone assumed he would), Stone has taken the much more challenging road of creating a sympathetic character. The film shows a lot of Bush's early life and battles with his father (played by James Cromwell) and tries to explore who he is as a person rather than just a president.
