25 Movies Since 2015 That You've Probably Missed
A few weeks back, I put together a number of films from yesteryear that you may not even believe existed, but there are plenty more movies that you may have missed from the last several years.
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In fact, there are numerous films that most audiences skipped in the past seven years alone, whether it be due to a limited release plan, odd subject matter, alienating gimmicks, or bad release windows (including the COVID-19 pandemic). So with this in mind, I've assembled another list of films from 2015 and beyond that you (probably) haven't seen...
1.Most Beautiful Island (2017)
This unnerving Glass Eye Pix production following an illegal immigrant (writer/director Ana Asensio) who accepts a mysterious and clandestine opportunity to make money quick in New York City garnered high praise from critics with a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, but has been largely unseen to wider audiences due to its limited release from Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn themes.
2.Logan Lucky (2017)
The grand return of Steven Soderbergh after his short-lived, self-imposed retirement from feature filmmaking, this quirky blue collar crime comedy boasted an all-star cast that included Daniel Craig, Adam Driver, Channing Tatum, Riley Keough, Katie Holmes, Sebastian Stan, Hilary Swank, and Seth MacFarlane, but with a theatrical opening of less than $8 million, this funny flick ultimately failed to make bank with audiences.
3.Piercing (2019)
Based on a novel from Ryū Murakami, the controversial author of Audition, this stylish and surreal serial killer thriller follows a methodical murderer (Girls' Christopher Abbott) whose plan to target a sex worker (Alice in Wonderland's Mia Wasikowska) goes awry after she proves to be shockingly unpredictable. While the premise and execution are exceptional, the film's dark humor and shocking subject matter prevented Universal Pictures from providing Piercing with a wide release to find an audience.
4.Buddy Games (2020)
A gross-out comedy directed by star Josh Duhamel and produced by WWE Studios, Buddy Games showcases an extremely charismatic ensemble cast that features James Roday Rodriguez, Kevin Dillon, Olivia Munn, Dax Shepard, Nick Swardson, and Dan Bakkedahl, among other surprise appearances, but the film was essentially DOA when Saban Films dropped it to theaters in November 2020 to scathing reviews.
5.The Girl in the Photographs (2015)
The last film produced by horror master Wes Craven, this disturbing horror film surrounds a young woman (Claudia Lee) who befriends a provocative photographer (Kal Penn) after she unwittingly discovers a photograph of a murdered woman and captures the attention of her killers. Despite having Craven's name attached as well as some impressive names involved in the film, The Girl in the Photographs couldn't quite catch fire with horror fans upon its limited release in 2015.
6.Parallel (2020)
Sense8's Aml Ameen, Mr. Robot's Martin Wallstrom, Vice Principals' Georgia King, and Halt and Catch Fire's Mark O'Brien star as a group of tech start-up innovators who discover a portal to a parallel dimension in Isaac Ezban's indie sci-fi flick, which was sadly overlooked by many upon its release amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2020.
7.Regression (2015)
From the director of The Others, this creepy thriller follows a detective (Ethan Hawke) who attempts to find the truth behind a young woman's (Emma Watson) terrifying testimony of ritualistic abuse through recovered-memory therapy. Despite some unsettling set pieces, strong performances, and a shock-laden ending, Regression danced the release date shuffle before the Weinstein Company dropped the film in limited theaters with very little fanfare.
8.Elvis & Nixon (2016)
In a film that this writer still has trouble believing exists, this little-seen dramedy fictionalizes the real life meeting between Elvis Presley and Richard Nixon, with one of the most bizarre and ill-fitting casting decisions of all-time with Michael Shannon as the former and Kevin Spacey as the latter. The sheer absurdity of its existence wasn't even enough to draw in those who were morbidly curious, as the film barely made over $1 million theatrically.
9.Long Lost (2019)
Starring the late, great Nicholas Tucci (You're Next) as well as Terrifier's Catherine Corcoran, Erik Bloomquist's darkly comical psychological thriller follows a sheepish young man (co-writer Adam Weppler) who is invited by his long lost brother for an extended weekend at his luxurious estate, only to learn not everything is as it appears. While the film is a solid and unconventional mix of erotic thriller and Zwigoff-esque comedy, its limited release and lack of Hollywood A-listers has largely kept Long Lost in the shadows.
10.Mile 22 (2018)
Initially developed as a Raid-esque starring vehicle for Ronda Rousey (who appears in a limited role), Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg reunited for this technically impressive action film that, while a modest box office success, has been nearly completely forgotten by audiences in the years since.
11.Bloody Hell (2020)
This clever and fun horror comedy from Australia, which follows a recently released ex-convict who winds up in the grasp of a cannibalistic family in rural Finland, would have probably become a cult favorite in short order had it not been released mere weeks after theaters began to open throughout the US in October 2020.
12.The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter (2018)
After receiving rave reviews for The Foot Fist Way and Observe and Report, expectations were high for Jody Hill's third feature film, so it was more than a little disappointing when The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter, which featured a superb cast headlined by Thanos himself Josh Brolin, dropped on Netflix and barely anyone noticed, other than unforgiving critics.
13.Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016)
This tongue-twister of a drama was supposed to be a cinematic spectacle, as director Ang Lee utilized a star-studded ensemble cast and a groundbreaking 120-frames-per-second 4K 3D shooting style, yet as fate would have it, neither its production or featured players were enough to bring in an audience or impress critics, as the film wound down its domestic theatrical run with less than $2 million in gross receipts.
14.The Disappointments Room (2016)
Directed by Disturbia's D.J. Caruso, who co-wrote the movie with Prison Break star Wentworth Miller, this Kate Beckinsale-starring thriller was effectively doomed as a result of Relativity Media's troubled bankruptcy proceedings, having been released to theaters by Rogue Pictures with nearly no marketing or advertising, reaching a height of #17 on the box office charts before disappearing to the background of the SVOD landscape.
15.Will Work for Views: The Lo-Fi Life of Weird Paul (2019)
16.Slice (2018)
Initially conceived as a series before A24 decided to go forward with a limited release in the fall of 2018, this polarizing horror comedy starring Chance the Rapper, Zazie Beetz, Hannibal Buress, Joe Keery, Chris Parnell, and Paul Scheer jumps headfirst into shlock and irreverence but fails to find the tonal consistency often required to build an audience, either cult or otherwise.
17.Rock the Kasbah (2015)
Adapted by acclaimed director Barry Levinson from the 2009 documentary Afghan Star, this inspiring true tale sporting a fantastic cast led by Bill Murray failed to dazzle moviegoers since its release in fall 2015; in fact, its $1.5 million opening was acknowledged as the fifth-worst opening of all-time for a film playing in 2,000+ theaters.
18.Wolf (2021)
Released at the tail end of 2021, this mind-bending drama starring The King's Lily-Rose Depp and 1917's George MacKay seemingly came out of nowhere and went away nearly as quick. While critics were divided on Wolf, the film has still not really entered the cultural conversation in any substantial way in the last several months.
19.Gringo (2018)
Unable to open to the Top 10 on the box office charts in March 2018, Gringo couldn't quite figure out if it wanted to be an all-star action-comedy or an off-beat crime film about an overwhelmed businessman kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel for attempting to sell an experimental marijuana pill, and audiences eventually decided that they weren't interested in seeing either.
20.The Evil Within (2017)
21.Braid (2019)
The first film entirely funded with cryptocurrency, Mitzi Peirone's Braid follows a pair of wanted drug dealers (Imogen Waterhouse and Sarah Hay) who aim to steal money from an unstable and volatile former childhood friend (Madeline Brewer), who demands that they play a fantasy-like game at her rural mansion. A visually spectacular, classy, and spine-chilling horror film, Braid was given a limited release, but by crafting a singular vision, the movie's search to find a wider audience has been moving at a snail's pace.
22.Lost in London (2017)
The brainchild of Venom: Let There Be Carnage actor Woody Harrelson, Lost in London is notable as the first film to ever be shot live and broadcast in theaters via Fathom Events. On the flip side of that coin, those who missed the film's premiere likely don't know it exists, and remains fairly moot as a talking point even though it has been available to stream on a number of different platforms.
23.Butt Boy (2020)
A hysterically twisted horror comedy that must be seen to be believed, Butt Boy follows a cat-and-mouse game between a troubled detective investigating a number of missing persons cases and a compulsive criminal with an insatiable, all-consuming butthole. Released at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, this film may be a hard film to recommend, but if you're in the audience for its warped sense of humor, it's worth tracking down ASAP.
24.Self/less (2015)
Visionary filmmaker Tarsem Singh directs a decidedly non-visionary sci-fi action film in which a dying billionaire (Ben Kingsley) transfers his consciousness into the body of a younger man (Ryan Reynolds) in a Total Recall-esque thriller that has been mostly forgotten by the few who bothered to see the film in theaters.
25.Collateral Beauty (2016)
Marking the lowest box office opening of Will Smith's career, critics and audiences alike rejected this ghastly, saccharine misfire about a grieving advertising executive who is gaslit by his vengeful business partners and a group of actors that represent the abstract concepts of "Love," "Time," and "Death." Yep, it's as bad as it sounds, and the film's utterly unappealing trailers happened to have the opposite effect on audiences.
