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 and shows that haven’t hit the Meter. We have a wide range of projects selected by our team here to highlight the Overlooked Film Spotlight.
What is the Banana Meter scale, you ask?
When a film or series hits above 85% or higher from our critics, it means it hit Bonafide Bananas status.
When a film or series hits between 55-84% or higher from our critics, it means it hit Ripe status.
When the film or series 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:
Victor Aragon
The Sea Beast
Banana Meter Rating: 95%
An epic sea adventure that knows how to keep you at the edge of your seat and tug your heartstrings at the same time.
Tina Kakadelis
Am I Ok?
Banana Meter Rating: 90%
Charming in all the right places, angry in others, and pit-of-your-stomach sad at times, Lauren Pomerantz has written a delightful slice-of-life comedy. Am I Ok? is an ode to the effort that love deserves.
Scott Davis
The Gray Man
Banana Meter Rating: 70%
A bombastic, no-holds-barred, pithy, breathless action thriller that deserves proper theatrical release. Gosling/Evans is fantastic, Ana de Armas continues to surprise, and The Russo Brothers’ kinetic, dynamic style blows up the screen in the best way.
Saxon Whitehead
The Bear S1
Banana Meter Rating: 95%
For anyone who has ever worked in the food industry, The Bear will undoubtedly ring true in a major way, as it is so raw and unflinching in how it depicts it. It truly feels like we are watching real people working in a restaurant at times, and it is so deeply human in how it unfolds its narrative. This is easily one of the best new shows of the year, and one of the most impressive first seasons of a show I’ve seen in a long time.
Shaurya Chawla
Ms. Marvel S1
Banana Meter Rating: 95%
Led by an outstanding Iman Vellani, Ms. Marvel not only succeeds at being a fantastic addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe–which ranks among its best projects to date–but also a wonderfully realized coming-of-age story and beacon for South Asian representation, while setting up a future for Phase 4 of this now multiverse that’s more promising than anything we’ve seen so far.
Ryan Terry
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Banana Meter Rating: 80%
A peerless delight! A throwback motion picture as exquisite as the House of Dior itself! Refreshing uplifts the human spirit. A film to inspire dreamers and doers. Easily one of the best pictures of the year. Slip into Director Anthony Fabian’s meticulously crafted film that is sure to make a beautiful statement in any cinema!
Louisa Moore
Paws of Fury
Banana Meter Rating: 55%
An animated film that’s unusual in style and tone, but the characters and voice actors are good enough for a mild recommendation.
Ruth Maramis
The Sea Beast
Banana Meter Rating: 90%
Dazzling, meticulously-detailed animation featuring dynamic camera work from above and below the sea. But what’s even more satisfying than the glorious spectacle is the well-rounded, diverse characters & a thought-provoking story.
Morgan Roberts
Marcel The Shell With Shoes On
Banana Meter Rating: 100%
Equal parts whimsical and deeply felt, silly and emotionally honest, Marcel the Shell might be the biggest new star of the year despite his 1-inch stature. A wonderful story about love, loss, and finding community, this is one of the best movies of the entire year.
Karen Woodham
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Banana Meter Rating: 80%
Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack are superb on-screen together, you can feel the chemistry build as the movie progresses and I have to say that although at first, I wasn’t sure how Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, would play out, it was a pure joy to watch. It’s not very often that a two-hander movie comes along that can keep your attention from start to finish, but this is certainly a movie that grabs your attention and never lets go of it.
Jonathan Widdup
Ms. Marvel S1
Banana Meter Rating: 84%
Ms. Marvel overall ended up being pretty good. It did kinda follow the MCU show formula in the last 2 episodes. But the show’s characters are the best part, I loved almost every character. The show has a big villain problem though. And of course, once again, the finale was rushed
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.
Joe Movie Man
Where The Crawdads Sing
Banana Meter Rating: 80%
A considerately consolidated big screen adaptation, Where the Crawdads Sing is a solid example of how moving from page to screen can work exceedingly well when the right group of people gets together. Moves Daisy Edgar-Jones into the A list.
Jerome Muscarella
Vortex
Banana Meter Rating: 100%
Gasper Noé once again delivers a fantastic film, that is both emotional and very raw. A truly beautiful but sad picture of the harsh reality of dementia and heart issues.
Hector Gonzalez
She Will
Banana Meter Rating: 80%
Through a revenge film and folk horror medium, as well as a dream-like visual feast, She Will entrancingly showcases how the past lingers in the ether and earth, both as a curse and gift.
James Y. Yee
Decision to Leave
Banana Meter Rating: 97%
After six years off the radar (or four, if one includes The Little Drummer Girl), Park Chan-wook finally returns with his least extreme feature film in years, but also perhaps his most romantic — a noirish romance-thriller and police procedural spearheaded by an enigmatic Tang Wei and a charismatically dimensional Park Hae-il. It’s one of the most rivetingly inventive pieces of filmmaking the South Korean veteran has pulled off in quite some time, and it’s absolutely exceptional to witness in full.
Freda Cooper
Where The Crawdads Sing
Banana Meter Rating: 50%
The first two-thirds play out like an attractively packaged coming-of-age story, getting in the way of something gritty and more challenging. Despite a great performance from Daisy Edgar-Jones, the story has been so sanitized it positively squeaks with cleanliness.
Edward Douglas
Murina
Banana Meter Rating: 85%
A fantastic debut by Kusijanović beautifully shot with just terrific performances from all four main actors.
Don Shanahan
Marcel The Shell With Shoes On
Banana Meter Rating: 95%
“Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” is emphatically wholesome to no end. Revealing so much wonderment in plain domesticity, this movie decorates the micro-ordinary in wildly unique ways worth celebrating. It may not be your children’s shiny new favorite movie for endless replay, but, when absorbed with receptiveness and appreciated for its singularity, the film will become a charming and formative right of passage experience held dear for a long time.
Dallas King
Watcher
Banana Meter Rating: 85%
Shades of The Tenant & Gaslight as director Chloe Okuno draws out a terrific performance from Maika Monroe in this taut, tense, and immensely watchable thriller.
Cassie Hager
She Will
Banana Meter Rating: 55%
The film is beautifully shot, but confusing to follow – and the likes of big screen legends such as Malcolm McDowell and Rupert Everett are sadly wasted with an underdeveloped backstory.
Brian Skutle
Apples
Banana Meter Rating: 89%
“Apples” explores a fascinating “what if?” scenario that is reflective of a society that cares for the well-being of people struggling with health issues, and offers them a chance to reconnect with life. Aspirational, to be sure, but wonderfully observed.
Brian Eggert
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Banana Meter Rating: 90%
Lesley Manville is a delight in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, a Cinderella story that gives surprising dimensionality to its characters. The cast is superb, the haute couture is sublime, and if you’re like me, you’ll be all tears and smiles in the end.
Anthony Papetti
Where The Crawdads Sing
Banana Meter Rating: 75%
Daisy Edgar-Jones is terrific, elevating this adaptation that soars as much as it stumbles. The film is made with great love but struggles to overcome its controversial and outdated source material.
Beta_Critic
The Boys S3
Banana Meter Rating: 80%
The best season of Boys and the ride promises to be crazier and insane as we go into further seasons. Season 3 is superhero entertainment at its finest.
Alex Madden
Paws of Fury
Banana Meter Rating: 50%
There’s definitely entertainment to be had, but I couldn’t help but feel like this was just created as a vehicle for intellectual property for Nickelodeon.
Michael Thomas
The Boys S3
Banana Meter Rating: 95%
This season of The Boys continues the insane quest to take down Vought and the false hero. Homelander. Season three takes everything we love about The Boys and turns it up to 11, creating one of the best seasons of television of the year.
Ripe Banana 
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