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Hollywood is a machine. Every week, every month and every year countless films are released into theatres and not every one is as successful as the studio heads would hope. Sometimes the publicity machine was askew, sometimes the movie targeted an odd demographic, sometimes the release was steamrolled by a much larger movie and occasionally the movie is flat out bad.

But Hollywood's loss is our gain. There is a veritable treasure trove of film out there that you may not have seen. I will be your guide to this veritable wilderness of unwatched film. It will be my job to steer you towards the action, adventure, drama and comedy that may have eluded you, and at the same time, steer you away from some truly unwatchable dreck.

Hopefully we'll stumble across some entertainment that may have slid under your radar. Wish us luck.

Bolt (2008)

Ok, I know what you're thinking, how does a film that grossed almost $300 million worldwide qualify as Stealth Entertainment?

I'll tell you how, by getting released in 2008, where it was massively overshadowed by both WALL-E and Kung fu Panda. By getting released in November of the hottest movie year in recent history and opening in third, behind Quantum of Solace and (*shudder*) Twilight. And by generally being completely awesome.

I kid you not. I *LOVED* Kung Fu Panda, and there isn't anything negative to say about WALL-E, but Bolt is easily as good as both of those films, and it may be better than both of them depending on the mood you're in. It's tough describing just how good this film is.

Bolt stars John Travolta as the voice of Bolt, Miley Cyrus as Bolt's person Penny, the completely unheralded Susie Essman as firmly grounded in reality and homeless cat Mittens, and relatively unknown voice actor Mark Walton as obsessed fan/slightly overweight hamster Rhino.

That's a really...weird cast, but wow, it really worked. For the first third of the movie I wasn't even aware that it was Travolta playing Bolt. It's not that he's bad or failing to stand out, it's just that he did the voice work in a firm, gentle voice that really worked for the character. Susie Essman, someone I'd honestly never heard of prior to Bolt, is at least as good, if not better than Travolta. It's got to be tough playing what is essentially the straight man in a cartoon, but she really nails down Mittens in a way that I still remember long after seeing it. Bolt is fearless and confused and living in a fantasy world, but Mittens is firmly in touch with reality and conveys that nicely in every scene. She even gets her own little heartbreaking sequence later on in the movie, and it doesn't seem forced or tacked on.

The only part that seems a bit off in the film to me was Rhino, the Hamster. Don't get me wrong, I found him amusing, but I also found him unnecessary. Rhino ups the comedy ante a tad when he arrives, but the film as a whole was already really funny. Rhino's purpose seems to be to egg Bolt on into doing even dumber things than he is already doing, despite both Rhino and Bolt knowing better at that point, and despite Mittens' strongly voiced protests.

As the character is a hamster, I'm inclined to forgive him for not entirely thinking things through. Hamsters are not exactly notoriously deep thinkers. Like film critics, they tend to respond to emotion. (And occasionally seeds.)

As good as the film is, the animation is just amazing. I cannot stress that enough. This is not a Shrek style "slap it on the screen" computer generated pseudo animated film. This is brilliantly done. WALL-E looked a little better than Bolt does, but not by much, and only because it was done by Pixar. The characters are very organic but very tightly drawn and there are times watching this film that it feels utterly real and not animated at all. That's superb art, and it's really tough to do.

The script itself is a pretty flimsy premise, as Bolt is based around a dog that is being duped into thinking he's a superhero, but that premise is taken to its logical conclusion in humorous and gentle fashion. Both Bolt and Mittens grow as characters, and as for Rhino...well...did I mention that both Bolt and Mittens grow as characters?

As far as I am concerned, Bolt was one of the top five Movies released in 2008. I'm not kidding at all. This is a funny, touching film with genuine emotion, moments of growth, loyalty and heroism. It respects its characters, the medium it resides in and it the people watching it. Dialogue for this film was sharp, hilarious and heartfelt, and there was exactly one scene that felt awkward or forced. (The photocopier scene, for those who are wondering...) The animation is stellar, and is matched by the voice work and script.

This is a film that I have watched again and again since I bought the DVD. I'm embarrassed to admit I never caught it during its initial run in theatres as it wasn't really on my radar. I don't know how I missed it. This was a superb and memorable film that belongs in my collection and everyone else's.

So that's Bolt. If you don't already own it, go get it. It's really that good.