MOVIES UNDER THE RADAR

Bargain that deliver entertainment .

Normally, in the cinematic world, the big budget movies always get all the attention, and most times they struggle to live up to their own hype. We’ve been seeing a lot of that lately, big studio movies tripping on their own shoelaces before getting to the expectation line. The pressure that comes with them most times, usually suffocates the creativity (freedom of expression) of the director, unlike the low budget movies. They come with low expectations. The studio has practically nothing to lose except a few bucks which they can recoup from the sales of the DVD/BLURAY. So, the directors are usually free to express their selves without any leash around their neck.

Over the years, I’ve seen quite a lot of low budget movies with better storyline and suspense in comparison with the big guns (e.g. Split and Exam). Mostly romantic movies, but they usually pack a punch, the type that either leaves you grinning or whimpering. There are no in-betweens, except in some rare cases. The psychological thrillers are usually the rare cases, they have the ability to mediate a truce between the two emotions. The dialogues in this kind of movies are always expansive with enough rooms for comic reliefs and witty remarks (because that’s all the director can rely on, no cutting edge CGI, or action sequence to bail him out). The scriptwriters are usually the ones required to pull the rabbit out of the hat, because believe it or not a good dialogue can actually compensate for a lot of things. Critically acclaimed movie director/producer “Quentin Tarantino” knows this, majority of his movies might have disjointed plots but the dialogues are always flawless (Pulp Fiction is a classic example). Good dialogues draw you in, like a fish falling for a fake bait, hook, line and sinker. Game of thrones fans can attest to this.

That being said, I’ll be giving you a rundown of some really good low budget movies that might have gone under your radar during the last decade.

1. WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS (2015)

This debut movie from director Max Joseph is a tale of friendship, ambitions and forbidden love. It stars Zac Efron, and the super-hot model Emily Ratajkowski. Cole Carter (Zac Efron) is an aspiring disc jockey, who dreams of becoming one of the best. The perfect opportunity comes knocking when he meets with a seasoned DJ, James Reed (Wes Bentley) at the club where he and his unorthodox friends normally hangs out. James takes him under his wings, mentoring him and showing him the ropes. Everything became complicated when he started developing feelings for James’s girlfriend. The movie intricately entails the struggle that comes with the fame in the life of a DJ, and outgrowing your childhood friends. The movie might tilt your views about the synth pop culture, giving you an insight about the drudgery involved in making those popular club anthems you usually nod your head to. Zac Efron blended with his character almost seamlessly, while Emily on the other hand was smothering in every scene. There are also some ear catching sounds used in the movie, my personal favorite is “Cole’s Memories” by “Pyramid”. A word of professional caution, you might not enjoy this movie if you don’t like music, it’s a package deal.

2. SING STREET (2016)

If you’re an ardent music lover, you will definitely get a jolt from this musical movie from director John Carney (Director of the award winning movie “Once” and “Begin Again”). It’s a coming of age comedy drama about a young boy and his lofty dreams of becoming a top level musical act. The movie was set in Dublin during the 1980’s when boy bands were slowing becoming the new cool. Majority of the songs performed, were written just because of the movie by John Carney himself, and they’re good (like really good). The puppy romance between the lead actor and his love interest is probably the only sappy aspect about the movie, every other part was pure art. The plot of the movie was nearly a novelty, although it bore some subtle similarities with “Begin Again”. Notwithstanding, the creativity was mildly refreshing. This movie will show you why Dublin is the birthplace of so many musical acts like The Corrs, Westlife, and The Script etc.

3. ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING (2015)

The title of this movie should’ve been “Nitrous Oxide”. One of the funniest movie I’ve seen in a very long time. We all know Simon Pegg is a comical actor, but in this particular movie he was given a free role to fully express himself. He played the role of a high school teacher and struggling writer who was a walking “L” before something out of this world happened to him, literally. The movie is a tad similar to “Bruce Almighty”, but it’s funnier. Director “Terry Jones” is an expert when it comes to goofy adult movies, but sadly this might be the last project we get from him as he was diagnosed with a rare form of dementia. Robin Williams plays the role of Dennis the dog (his last movie before his untimely demise), while the charming Kate Beckinsale played the role of Catherine, the love interest of Simon Pegg. This movie guarantees a bout of laughter all the way, so, knock yourself out.

By Emarged for Urban Central, @Emarged on Twitter

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