Five overlooked gems . . .

Got a few minutes to burn here at work before I leave for the weekend. Since it's Friday and I'm in the habit of doing movie lists on Fridays, I'm going to write about five films that critics and audiences have kind of pushed aside that I feel are pretty good little flicks. These aren't the masterpieces that made no money or the blockbusters that critics hated. These are just little films no one thought much of but I thought were good movies worth renting or even buying.

1. Unbreakable: This was M. Night Shyamalan's "failure," between Sixth Sense and Signs. This is the story of Bruce Willis's character who survives a train wreck with no broken bones. To say more would ruin the story, but it's a fascinating take on superhero mythology. Yeah, it's a slow moving drama. But the story is very well told. Bruce Willis gives what I consider the best performance of his career. The twist at the end is a bit obvious, but this is wonderful storytelling.

2. Undercover Brother I was surprised this Austin Powers-meets-Shaft type film didn't make more money at the box office. With Eddie Griffin, Dave Chappelle, Chris Kattan and Doogie Howser, this is one of the funniest, wittiest, bravest takes on race I've seen. This is a hilarious movie that only gets better each time I see it.

3. A.I. This is a dark movie when people were expecting Spielberg to deliver something uplifting like his other sci-fi classics. This dark fairy tale isn't totally successful. . . it's cold, warm, scary, downbeat, adventurous. . . the tones never really mesh. But at the times it works, it's Spielberg in interesting territory. Haley Joel Osment's performance is incredibley strong and Jude Law's turn as Gigolo Joe is fun to watch. My only regret is that the film should have ended 30 minutes before it's head-jumbling ending. A failure, yes, but a noble one.

4. Bowfinger: Again, a comedy that should have succeeded. Steve Marting is hilarious as a lying, scheming, desperately bad filmmaker. Eddie Murphy's double role as a superstar and his brother is the work of his career. . . you can't tell it's the same guy! Heather Graham gives another great performance. This is a very very funny movie that it's a shame no one thinks much about it.

5. Freddy Vs. Jason: This movie is made for those who love the '80s slasher flicks. It's great to see the two baddies go head to head. The humor and gore are perfectly balanced, and respect is given to both characters' mythologies. This is just great fun and the showdown at the end was well worth a nearly two decade wait.