Scarlett Johansson starred in a pair of science fiction classics last year. One of them, Lucy, earned more in its first few hours of release than the other, Under the Skin, managed during its entire domestic run. Unsurprisingly, our eclectic staff drifted toward the unheralded release, the latest offering from Sexy Beast director Jonathan Glazer. This oddly toned, laconic release examines how men behave when a too-beautiful woman expresses sexual interest in them. Spoiler: IT’s A TRAP!!! No 2014 offering proved more divisive to our staff than Under the Skin, but the film’s ardent supporters championed it all the way into the top three in Best Overlooked Film.

Perhaps no film in the 2000s has evaluated the idea of gay marriage from a quirkier perspective than Love Is Strange. It tells the story of a (decades) long term gay couple who finally decide to wed now that the law allows it. Once they do, one of them is fired by his Catholic employers, and they can no longer afford to live in their own home. So, they start residing on the couches of various friends and family members, none of whom can accommodate both men at once. The pairing of John Lithgow and Alfred Molina is brilliant, and Love Is Strange manages to tug at the heartstrings while demonstrating the strength of commitment independent of sexuality. As such, we are proud to declare it the fourth Best Overlooked Film of the year.

Finishing in fifth and sixth place are a pair of heralded indie films. The Skeleton Twins reunites Saturday Night Live cast members Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig in a tale of suicidal fraternal twins who are estranged and failing equally at the struggles of life. There is also a lip-syncing of Starship’s Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us that left our staff in stitches. Obvious Child is the world’s first abortion-based romantic comedy, and its bravado won over the BOP crew. With so many romcoms stuck in the doldrums of formulaic entertainment, this odd take on the genre felt refreshing enough to distinguish itself in a world of Nicholas Sparks wannabes.

A pairing of perennial awards season contenders and a rugged British crime drama are our seventh and eighth selections. Amy Adams has been nominated for five Academy Awards, while Christoph Waltz has won twice. Placing them at odds in Big Eyes all but guaranteed the film’s placement on this list. Starred Up is a story about a 19-year-old criminal elevated to an adult prison as a reflection of his crimes and overall behavior. There, he meets an even scarier thug who happens to be his father. The situation escalates quickly from there. Starred Up is currently one of the highest rated 2014 releases on Rotten Tomatoes, and our staff strongly agrees with the consensus.

Our final selections for Best Overlooked Film are Enemy and The Drop. Enemy was the less heralded Jake Gyllenhaal release of 2014. It tells the unlikely story of a man who stumbles upon an actor who could pass for his twin, straight down to an identifying mark on each one’s abdomen. Rather than uniting the two, however, the similarity leads to intense conflict between the men warring for supremacy of their own appearance/personality/life. The Drop will be best remembered as the final movie of James Gandolfini. Even without that trivia note, it would stand on its own as a fantastic Dennis Lehane adaptation. Bane himself, Tom Hardy, portrays a bartender at an establishment notorious for illicit activity. One night he sees too much, and then he says too much to the police. Everything that happens after that is a desperate attempt by him to escape the criminal element that runs the area.

Narrowly missing nomination in the category but still highly recommended by our staff are The Babadook, Frank, What If, Veronica Mars, The Immigrant and Pride. Less financially successful films such as the ones on this list generally stream earlier in their release cycles, so you can already access a few already. The rest should be available over the next few months. You can trust BOP's staff to be right about most of these. After all, we have an exceptional track record in this category.

2015 Calvin Awards
Calvins Intro
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Album
Best Cast
Best Character
Best Director
Best Overlooked Film
Best Picture
Best Scene
Best Screenplay
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best TV Show
Best Use of Music
Breakthrough Performance
Worst Performance
Worst Picture

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