With a light week at the box office this weekend, we wanted to give our critics here on the Banana Meter a chance to highlight some of the films that haven’t hit the Meter. We have a wide range of films selected by our team here to highlight the Overlooked Film or New Film Spotlight.
What is the Banana Meter scale, you ask?
When a film hits above 85% or higher from our critics, it means it hit Bonafide Bananas status.
When a film hits between 55-84% or higher from our critics, it means it hit Ripe status.
When the film hits under 55%, it means it hit Sour Status.
2022 Overlooked Film Spotlight
Here is what our Ripe Banana Critics are saying about the films:
Anthony Papetti
Pleasure
Banana Meter Rating: 90%
Ninja Thyberg delivers an unnvering debut tackling the porn industry and gender inequality. Sofia Kappel is a great find and a force to be reckoned with.
Brian Eggert
Happening
Banana Meter Rating: 95%
Diwan resists turning this story into a soapboxing political statement that telegraphs its meaning into the dialogue or melodramatic speeches; she doesn’t inject political or ideological debates that weigh both sides of the issue against the present-day culture war. Instead, the filmmaker uses unflinching realism and immersive subjectivity to place us into Anne’s perspective. The empathy shown for Anne’s predicament extends beyond the pregnancy; it addresses questions of personal desire, sexuality, and agency over her body and the events that determine the rest of her life.
Brian Skutle
Refuge
Banana Meter Rating: 89%
While looking at the ethnically diverse population of Clarkston, Georgia, two filmmakers find an unlikely friendship start to form between a Muslim doctor and a former member of the KKK. This documentary gives us a fascinating glimpse at the best of the American melting pot coming out of inverted expectations.
Adriano Caporusso
Winning Time: The Rise Of The Lakers Dynasty
Banana Meter Rating: 90%
Ninja Thyberg delivers an unnvering debut tackling the porn industry and gender inequality. Sofia Kappel is a great find and a force to be reckoned with.
Christian Salazar
Firestarter
Banana Meter Rating: 20%
Dull, hollow, and aggressively boring, “Firestarter” is an inconsequetial remake that serves nothing to neither fans of the 1984 original nor anyone else.
Edward Douglas
The Innocents
Banana Meter Rating: 85%
Absolutely terrifying and easily one of the best horror films of the year.
Gary Cruise
The Sadness
Banana Meter Rating: 100%
The Sadness is one of the best horror films to have been released so far this year as well as my favourite film from last year’s FrightFest. Shocking, disturbing, mean spirited, the list goes on, it’s an extreme film that never holds back at all. It’s so perfectly paced and so perfectly directed, this is a must watch for any horror fans with a strong stomach.
Hector Gonzalez
Pleasure
Banana Meter Rating: 85%
Ninja Thyberg’s powerful voice and Sofia Kappel’s performance carry Pleasure – a captivating and realistic no-holds-barred exposition on the porn industry and the power dynamics in huge enterprises.
James Y. Lee
Happening
Banana Meter Rating: 84%
In the wake of Roe v. Wade’s imminent overturning, Audrey Diwan’s ‘Happening’ has become one of the most urgent films of the year — not solely because of its harrowing depiction of a past without abortion rights, but because of how it also reflects a horrifying future in the wake of their absence. A powerful thriller driven by claustrophobic camerawork and a stunning lead performance from Anamaria Vartolomei.
Jasmine Waters
The Quiet Girl
Banana Meter Rating: 80%
The power of saying nothing comes thick and fast in each of The Quiet Girl’s exquisitely crafted scenes. There might be no use crying over spilt milk, but it doesn’t mean you have to settle for its remains.
Jerome Muscarella
Pleasure
Banana Meter Rating: 100%
Pleasure is a disturbing and honest film about the porn industry. Director Ninja Thyberg does not hold back at all to make this as disturbing as possible.
Matthew Simpson
The Outfit
Banana Meter Rating: 80%
A well drawn single-location mystery story with an excellent Mark Rylance performance. Next time someone complains they don’t make movies for adults anymore, just point them to The Outfit.
Ricky Valero
On the Count of Three
Banana Meter Rating: 100%
I genuinely think this is one of the best movies of the last decade. It’s an incredible film from start to finish with powerful writing, performances, and a knock-out directorial debut by Jerrod Carmichael.
Shaurya Chawla
Firestarter
Banana Meter Rating: 30%
It has a few decent ideas, a great score and a decent turn from Ryan Kiera Armstrong, but FIRESTARTER contains neither a fiery enough spark to ignite its dull storytelling, or even really…start.
Tina Kakadelis
Cyrano
Banana Meter Rating: 80%
Nobody is able to describe love quite like The National and no director understands the yearning of period pieces like Joe Wright. It’s a match made in heaven.
Trevor Matteson
Petite Maman
Banana Meter Rating: 95%
Celine Sciamma returns with a tenderly delightful story of childhood, identity, and friendship. Twins Josephine and Gabrielle Sanz deliver stunning performances not just for their young age, but for any age. Accomplishing so much in it’s brisk runtime, Petite Maman is a beautiful film for all to enjoy.
Zach Smith
Gold
Banana Meter Rating: 75%
Deep in the scorching hot and unforgiving Outback, a luckless drifter (played by Zac Efron) must protect a quarry of found gold and survive against not just the harsh Australian elements and its wildlife but some equally as dangerous human greed. Covertly drifting its way into the streaming world this year, not many people have heard of or even talked about this new Australian survival thriller. It features Zac Efron like we’ve never seen before and his unconventional performance alone is enough to warrant a watch!
Matthew Fox
Montana Story
Banana Meter Rating: 68%
This little indie film focuses on a brother and sister coming back together as their estranged father lies dying. It’s a deeply emotional story of two wounded souls seeking forgiveness and closure. I enjoyed the performances from Owen Teague and Haley Lu Richardson, as this one was surprisingly gripping.
Peggy Marie
Happening
Banana Meter Rating: 85%
Happening‘ is a wake up call to us all as the film doesn’t lecture it’s non-believers. It simply, and effectively discredits them.
Maxance Vincent
Firestars
Banana Meter Rating: 40%
Michael Greyeyes, Sydney Lemmon and Zac Efron are all excellent in a movie that doesn’t care about any of its characters and the world they inhabit. As silly as the 1984 original, but for completely different reasons.
Sean Blanford
Pleasure
Banana Meter Rating: 100%
A film that has been stuck in my brain for well over a year, Ninja Thyberg’s unrelenting adaptation of her 2013 short film hinges on and succeeds because of the breakout performance of lead Sofia Kappel.
Tarek Fayoumi
On The Count of Three
Banana Meter Rating: 80%
Carmichael’s directorial debut is a wild ride that stops for some dramatic punches.
Ripe Banana 