The ever-impressive Jake Gyllenhaal reunites with his Prisoners director Denis Villeneuve on this one. Remember Prisoners? Very cool detective thriller about child abduction…yes, that’s the one. Adam Bell (Gyllenhaal), a solitary college professor, rents a film on the advice of a colleague—only to discover that one of the actors in the movie looks like his doppelganger, and he instantly becomes obsessed. You know as well as I do how well Jake can play a dark, mysterious part in a movie – and he nails this one!

UNDER THE SKIN

It took filmmaker Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast) nine years to develop this sci-fi thriller, but it was worth the wait. The film stars Scarlett Johansson (you got me hooked already) as an alien seductress stalking the streets of Scotland in search of prey. She drives around in a big, dark van picking up men on the street, before luring them back to her lair and leaving them submerged (and skinned) in a liquid abyss. WATCH. THIS. NOW!

JOE

Nicolas Cage’s career might have a downward facing arrow, but he stars in a vintage performance filled with gravitas in director David Gordon Green’s return to form. In it, he plays a seemingly genial ex-con with a violent streak who befriends a poor 15-year-old (Tye Sheridan) with an abusive, alcoholic father (Gary Poulter). Together with Tye Sheridan, Cage puts in a superb display on screen and fans of his will love this performance.

LOCKE

Tom Hardy. That is pretty much all you need to know here. The man is a genius, and he puts in a genius display here. It’s essentially a one-man show set entirely in a vehicle driving down the M1 motorway. Ivan Locke (Hardy) is a successful construction foreman who’s in a bit of a pickle. The rest is drama at its finest. Follow and enjoy!

EDGE OF TOMORROW 

 What is this Tom Cruise blockbuster doing on a list of “The Most Overlooked Movies of the Year?” you may ask…Well, the $175 million-budgeted film grossed a meager $100.2 million in North America, despite being one of the best event flicks of the year. Boasting a great movie star performance by Cruise, dazzling special effects, and a witty script, Edge of Tomorrow will almost make you forget that Oblivion ever existed.

 

To see the rest of the list check out The Daily Beast