Snubbed by the Oscars: last year's most underrated films

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.

In fact, the film doesn't even touch on his second term. Josh Brolin ("No Country for Old Men") gives a convincing performance as Bush, while Richard Dreyfuss and Thandie Newton steal the show as Dick Cheney and Condoleezza Rice. Regardless of your personal politics, "W." is a fascinating film that is well worth your time.

"Repo! Genetic Opera" - It's not surprising that nobody saw this film. What is a surprise, is that it is a musical. Directed by the guy that made three of the "Saw" sequels, Paris Hilton is in it, and it's actually good! "Repo!" plays out like "Sweeney Todd" crossed with "Rocky Horror" and a dash of "Blade Runner."

It's a visually spectacular film and truly like nothing I have ever seen before. The film is about an epidemic of organ failure plaguing humanity in the future. Companies start up "organ-financing plans," but when people miss a payment they send out the repo man to repossess their organs. Repo is hilarious and has some great music. If you're a fan of musicals, horror or just want to see something new (and don't mind a bit of gore), then "Repo! The Genetic Opera" comes highly recommended.

"In Bruges" - All of the films nominated for best picture this year were fantastic films, but if I were making the list "In Bruges" would have been nominated. Colin Farrell easily gives the best performance of his career in this extremely dark, violent comedy.

"In Bruges" is about a hit man named Ray that botches a hit and is brought to lay low for a while in Bruges, Belgium. Ray (Farrell) is endlessly pessimistic and hates the Bruges that everyone else is enchanted by. The film also features great performances by Ralph Fiennes and Brendan Gleeson. I can't recommend this one enough so do yourself a favor and rent it!