Fifteen Movies to Stay Inside and Watch Instead of Melting Outside In The Kansas City Summer Heat
While the heat and humidity
of mid-summer bears down on Kansas City, many of us are choosing to hibernate
indoors with our trusty air conditioners.
If you are feeling bored
while you spend time inside, below is a list of fifteen lesser-known
movies that are worth checking out to help you pass the time.
Note that they are not all necessarily
new movies, but all are definitely worth viewing.
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| Taking Chance |
Based on the true story of Marine Lt.
Colonel Michael Strobl, this drama requires at least one box of Kleenex while
watching.
A 2009 HBO original film starring Kevin
Bacon, Taking Chance follows Strobl’s journey as he accompanies the body of
Lance Corporal Chance Phelps, a fellow Marine killed in Iraq, back home for
burial.
Truly touching, this film is not rated
and runs 90 minutes.
 |
| October Sky |
This 1999 gem, starring Jake
Gyllenhaal, Laura Dern, and Chris Cooper, is based on the memoir Rocket Boys by
Homer H. Hickam, Jr.
Set in a dead-end West Virginia coal-mining
town, the story begins in 1957 with the launching of Sputnik. High-schooler Homer is so inspired by this
event and determined not to become a coal miner like his father, that against
all odds and his father’s wishes, he succeeds at his dream of becoming a rocket
scientist.
This uplifting movie lasts 108 minutes
and is rated PG.
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| State of Play |
This tense political mystery/thriller
stars Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams and Helen Mirren.
Crowe plays an aging Washington, D.C.
reporter assigned to investigate the murder of an up-and-coming politician’s
assistant. What Crowe uncovers is far
more devious and dangerous than he ever dreamed.
Released in 2009, State of Play is rated PG-13 and runs 127 minutes.
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| Flipped |
By second grade, Juli is convinced that
her neighbor and classmate, Bryce, is the man of her dreams – but he is not so
easily convinced.
Directed by Rob Reiner, this sweet
coming-of age romantic comedy set in the 1960s, follows Juli and Bryce as they
grow into teenagers and Juli begins to question if Bryce truly is the “man for
her.”
Funny, poignant, and tender, Flipped
was released in 2010, is rated PG and lasts 90 minutes.
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| Raggedy Man |
This little known film from 1981 is an
“oldie but a goodie.”
Taking place in the 1940s, Sissy Spacek
plays a divorced mother of two young boys who meets a charming sailor on
leave, played by Eric Roberts.
The movie grows dark as rumors about
their romance circulate around the small Texas town she resides in, but gets
even darker when Spacek has a scary encounter with “the raggedy man.”
It is rated R and
runs 94 minutes.
 |
| Hachi |
If you are a sucker for animals, you’ll
like Hachi.
Loosely based on a story from
Japan, Richard Gere plays a college professor who finds a lost Akita puppy on
his way home from work. The loyalty and unbreakable bond that grows between the
dog and the professor is what makes this movie so heartwarming and
heartbreaking.
Hachi was released in 2010, is
rated G and runs 93 minutes.
 |
| Music Within |
Quirky would be a good description of
this 2007 movie starring Ron Livingston, Rebecca De Mornay and Melissa
George.
Also based on a true story, Livingston plays
Richard Pimentel, a Vietnam War vet who returns from his combat duty
practically deaf. This experience leads
him to his life’s work, helping other people with disabilities.
With a wicked sense of humor and a
large dose of inspiration, Music Within is highly entertaining, runs 94 minutes and is rated R.
 |
| Return To Me |
In this little treasure, David Duchovny
plays a widower mourning the loss of his wife when he meets Minnie Driver, a
shy waitress in need of a heart transplant.
What happens to them when they meet is truly unexpected for them both.
Return To Me also stars Carroll
O’Conner, Bonnie Hunt and Robert Loggia. As an added bonus, this romantic
selection is sprinkled with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin music.
From 2000, it is rated PG and runs 115
minutes.
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| The Edge |
Fasten your seat belts for this suspenseful
action thriller.
Anthony Hopkins plays a reserved
billionaire who is stranded in the Alaskan wilderness when a plane crash
leaves him and fellow passenger, a smug fashion photographer played by Alec
Baldwin, fighting the elements and a man-eating grizzly bear.
The “edgy” part of this movie, however,
is the realization that for Hopkins and Baldwin, the greatest danger comes from each other.
The Edge is from 1997, runs 117 minutes
and is rated R.
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| The Music Never Stopped |
Based in fact, The Music Never Stopped
begins in the late 1960s with teen Gabriel Sawyer rebelling against his parents
and eventually running off to Greenwich Village to become a hippie musician.
Then fast forward approximately 15
years to 1986 when Gabriel’s parents receive a call that their son, whom they
haven’t heard from since he left home, is in a local hospital with a brain
tumor. The tumor is removed, but leaves
Gabe with no ability to retain memories.
Through music therapy, Gabe reestablishes his life and his relationship
with his parents.
A great soundtrack accompanies this
film, including The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan and more.
A Sundance Film Festival favorite from
2011, The Music Never Stopped is rated PG and runs 105 minutes.
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| Pay It Forward |
The premise of this movie is simple –
for every kind act someone does for you, in turn, you should do something good
for three other people – in other words, “pay it forward.”
Haley Joel Osment plays the seventh-grader
who comes up with the idea, which is inspired by his teacher, Kevin Spacey. Helen Hunt also appears in the movie as
Osment’s alcoholic, cocktail waitress mother.
Inspiring and sad at the same time,
this 2000 flick has a running time of 123 minutes and is rated PG-13.
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| The Express |
This 2008 film tells the story of Ernie
Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy.
Davis, who was a star athlete at
Syracuse University, has a bright future ahead of him, until the unimaginable
happens.
Starring Dennis Quaid, if you watch
this movie without shedding a tear or two, you must not be human.
The Express is rated PG and runs 130
minutes.
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| The Way |
This newest addition to my “favorite
lesser known movies” list stars Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez. Estevez also directs the film.
Sheen plays a doctor who must travel to
France to claim the remains of his son, killed while traveling the Camino
De Santiago on a historical pilgrimage.
Once Sheen arrives, he decides to finish the journey in place of his
son.
Along the way, he encounters adversity
and meets new friends. Ultimately Sheen
learns that life is not what comes to you, but what you decide to make of it.
Released in 2011, The Way runs 121
minutes and is rated PG-13.
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| Gifted Hands |
Oscar winner Cuba Gooding, Jr. takes
the lead role in the true story of Ben Carson, an incredible brain surgeon who
overcame a fractured family life, prejudice, and poverty to become one of the
world’s best neurosurgeons.
With the help of his determined mother,
Ben tackles whatever obstacles are put before him to become more than he ever
thought he could be.
Gifted Hands is based on the book by the
same name, is not rated and runs 86 minutes.
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| The Ultimate Gift |
I saved my favorite “lesser-known movie”
for last, The Ultimate Gift, starring Drew Fuller, James Garner, and Abigail
Breslin.
In this 2006 winner, Fuller plays a
shallow, selfish young man who feels he is entitled to his dead grandfather’s
fortune. The grandfather has other ideas and puts
Fuller through a series of tests in his will, which in the end teach his
grandson that the ultimate gift in life is not money, but something much more
enriching.
Lasting 114 wonderful minutes, this
“cinematic lesson in humanity” is rated PG.
Hopefully, some of these films will help you
pass the time inside while you are waiting out the hot, humid Kansas City
summer, but keep in mind, if you don’t get through the entire list now, a cold, bitter Kansas City winter will be here before you know it, and that would be the perfect time
to finish up this list of fifteen lesser known movies worth watching.
Additionally, all of the movies are
available from Blockbuster online, Amazon, and best of all the Kansas City Public Library. DVD feature films
from the library cost $1 each and have a seven-day rental.
So, turn off the cell phone, get the
popcorn ready and let your super summer film fest begin – and if you know of
any movies you think belong on this list, leave me a comment and let me know!
