this is why i should keep a film diary but never can be arsed. one from the top of my head would be GRAVE ENCOUNTERS (2011). even by the trailer it looks like just your average found footage tripe. but no, this ones actually pretty good and a rather effective horror film.
i know that big budget doesn't necessarily automatically mean that a film will be any good. but you can expect at least half decent i guess. well, half decent is all i was expecting from GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, but man, that fucker blew me away. hardly a 'hidden gem', i know, but i knew next to fuck all about about this going in and the comic isn't even known hardly here.
paul thomas andersons PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE. probably adam sandlers only watchable film. BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD (sidney lumet). i need to give this another watch. not just because marisa tomei gets naked, but for the all round great acting from the rest of the cast you understand. that, and i only caught it by chance after it had already started so i missed a quite a few minutes of the beginning.
not only a hidden gem, but a forgotten one too. REPO MAN from 1984. if science fiction and irreverent humour set against a backdrop of the emerging la punk scene of 80s is your thing, then this classic gem film is an absolute must watch. it still holds up very well today too, with tons of quotable lines and a fucking awesome soundtrack to boot.
and last but not least. a film that i always have to big up is SESSION 9. no cheap jump scares here. just a tense, unsettling and rather disturbing tale of a mans mental breakdown.
which reminds me of TAKE SHELTER. starring michael shannon (almost a guarantee its gonna be more than half decent) and jessica chastain (yum). directed by jeff nichols (MUD) who so far has proven that all his films are very much worth seeking out.
