And so begins my annual 'films of 2012' list round-up, where I try to do more than merely compile the '10 best and 10 worst' of the year. It's often just as much fun to talk about films somewhere in the middle, the underrated gems, the hidden gems, and the overrated would-be critical darlings. This time I'm starting it off with a list of ten very good or great films that you probably didn't see. This is often among my favorite lists to compile, as it allows me to shine a spotlight on films that perhaps didn't get the attention they deserved. These are not "underrated" per say. Most who did see them in fact enjoyed them, but the audience was too small in number for all of the films mentioned below. As always, the following are in alphabetical order. So, without further ado...Detention:
Joseph Kahn's genre-twisting and post-modern horror freak-out had the bad luck to open in limited release on the same weekend as the wide release of another somewhat more mainstream self-aware horror exercise. Of course, opening a youth-skewing genre film in limited release is pretty much box office death anyway, since those who might see it won't know to seek out an art-house and those who frequent art-houses aren't going to see a movie like Detention. This future cult classic is a completely whacked-out little film, basically playing the conventions of horror films against the hyper-connected constant-communication age that is today's youth. That's somewhat of a simplistic reading of this film, which blends 90s-era nostalgia with modern-day apathy in a way that comments on both, but I don't want to give away too much. Let's just say the film goes in completely unexpected places in its final half and it's a hell of a ride. Does it all work? Not entirely, but the effort and ambition deserves notice and I can't wait to see what the director of the slightly underrated Torque does next.
