Each year, we’re treated to some great and memorable movies that are watched by the masses. 15 years ago, that meant legitimate hits like Moneyball, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, X-Men: First Class, and Super 8, just to name a few.
2011 was pretty loaded, though, meaning there were also plenty of great films that flew under the radar. These are movies that were either smaller indie releases, went straight to DVD, or just didn’t get the proper appreciation they deserved upon arrival, yet all are worth a viewing.
Violet & Daisy
Violet & Daisy is an interesting movie that features a strong cast and a fun premise, yet nobody really saw it. The film was also met with a lackluster response from critics, sitting at a mere 23% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film follows its titular characters, played wonderfully by Alexis Bledel and Saoirse Ronan, respectively, as a pair of teenage assassins. They accept what should be an easy mission, only for the target to throw them off their game.
Bledel and Ronan are a blast together, while the supporting cast includes James Gandolfini, Tatiana Maslany, and Danny Trejo. It doesn’t do a ton of new things with the genre, yet it’s a good time featuring great actors.
Batman: Year One
Far too often do moviegoers completely ignore animated projects. That’s especially true with the superhero genre and movies that are released straight to DVD and Blu-Ray.
That was the case with Batman: Year One, which is based on the graphic novel of the same name. It follows the first year of Bruce Wayne’s tenure as Batman alongside Jim Gordon’s first year after transferring to Gotham.
The comic itself was critically acclaimed, and Batman: Year One is actually one of the highest-rated Batman movies ever on Rotten Tomatoes (88%). It features a well-told story and quality voice acting.
My Week With Marilyn
It’s not often that you can consider a movie that was nominated for an Academy Award to be a hidden gem, yet My Week with Marilyn fits that bill. It didn’t get as much hype as 2022’s Blonde despite being a better film.
My Week with Marilyn is based on a pair of books and depicts the making of Marilyn Monroe’s The Prince and the Showgirl from 1957. We follow her, Laurence Olivier, and others throughout the course of a week of filmmaking.
Michelle Williams delivers one of the best performances of her impressive career as Monroe, earning an Oscar nomination for her work. Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Redmayne, and Emma Watson are part of a strong supporting cast.
Goon
One of the most underrated sports movies in recent memory is Goon. We don’t get enough films about hockey in general, so the fact that Goon got overlooked by so many is disappointing.
Goon, based on an autobiography, tells the story of Doug Glatt, a lovable yet dim-witted bouncer with a penchant for fighting. He takes that ability to the ice as a member of a hockey team, which helps him and the team grow.
Seann William Scott is great as Doug, while Liev Schrieber plays a legendary fighter whom he matches up against. The rest of the cast includes the likes of Allison Pill, Eugene Levy, and Jay Baruchel.
Our Idiot Brother
It might not be a well-known comedy, yet you’d be hard-pressed to find a film with a better cast than Our Idiot Brother. Paul Rudd, Zooey Deschanel, Rashida Jones, Elizabeth Banks, Kathryn Hahn, Steve Coogan, Emily Mortimer, and Adam Scott are all so good.
Our Idiot Brother centers on Rudd’s Ned, a well-meaning guy who can’t get his life together. Despite his best intentions, his presence wreaks havoc in the lives of his three siblings, played by Banks, Deschanel, and Mortimer.
The screenplay is sharp, the performances are good, and there’s a lot of heart here. It’s the kind of movie that you’d stumble upon and wonder how it got lost in the shuffle in the first place.
You’re Next
The coolest thing about You’re Next is the way that it goes against the known tropes of the slasher genre. For so long, we’ve seen a killer go on the attack, only to be thwarted by a desperate final girl.
However, You’re Next goes a different route and it’s the best idea. When a group of killers terrorizes an estranged family at a remote cabin, they’re shocked to find that one member, Erin, grew up in a survivalist camp.
That gives her the skills to strike back at the killers. We watch as Erin starts hunting and taking them down, giving us a character who might go down as the ultimate final girl, even if a lot of people don’t know about her.
10 Years
Even more than the aforementioned Our Idiot Brother, 10 Years is a movie that’s filled with an incredible cast. Nearly everyone in this film was either a notable name upon release or has become one in the 15 years since.
That cast features Channing Tatum, Rosario Dawson, Oscar Isaac, Jenna Dewan, Aubrey Plaza, Anthony Mackie, Chris Pratt, Ari Graynor, Justin Long, Kate Mara, and so many others. The film sees old friends reunite at their high school reunion.
That brings together so many intercutting stories that make for a movie where every scene is pretty enjoyable. Reviews were solid, yet the movie didn’t even crack $1 million during its limited theatrical run.
Martha Marcy May Marlene
These days, everyone knows who Elizabeth Olsen is. She delivered some tremendous performances over the years as Wanda Maximoff in the MCU, in the fantasy rom-com Eternity, and in the miniseries Love & Death, just to name a few.
Before she was known to people, she had her breakout role in Martha Marcy May Marlene. At the time of its release, most people weren’t aware that there was another Olsen sibling.
Elizabeth Olsen is fantastic as the titular character, a woman who returns to her family after spending several years in a violent and sexually abusive cult. She struggles with PTSD as she tries adapting to the regular world again.
Attack The Block
Before he was known as Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, the world got to see just how talented John Boyega is in Attack the Block. The film sees him as Moses, a member of a low-level gang of teenage crooks.
One night, he and his friends have to step up and help defend their neighborhood from an alien invasion. Boyega is joined by another future breakout star, Jodie Whittaker, as the most recognizable actors in the cast.
The film didn’t cost a lot to make, yet it manages to ensure that the aliens look great. You’d think it had a much bigger budget, as the visuals go well with the strong script.
Pariah
Not enough people talk about Pariah, even though it’s a great and important movie. The film tells the story of Alike, a Black teenager juggling conflicting identities and trying to please people in her life.
She wants to find acceptance as she embraces her identity as a lesbian. Pariah was met with widespread acclaim, to the tune of a 95% Rotten Tomatoes rating and various accolades among indie films.
Pariah won the Excellence in Cinematography Award at the Sundance Film Festival and has gone on to be selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. It’s one of only five movies since 2011 to earn that honor.