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Our pick of the finest movies of the year was just released, and it includes everything from Oscar-winning Room to unorthodox indies like Tangerine. However, the narrative of any particular year in cinema transcends the films that practically everyone can agree upon. Sometimes the things we remember the most that help define a year are the outliers, the unseen, the crucially disregarded. (War Horse will eventually be regarded by some as one of Spielberg’s greatest movies, won’t they?) Our writers were asked to select one movie from this year that they felt was overlooked or misinterpreted. Some intriguing and surprising answers to the question were received.

The D-Train
During awards season, subversive comedies—or really any comedies, for that matter—never receive the recognition they deserve. By its very nature, comedy doesn’t convey its importance, and most Oscar voters aren’t intelligent enough to pick up on anything that isn’t shouting. Comedies with inside gags about the film industry, such as Shakespeare in Love or The Artist, are the only ones that have ever won an Oscar. Fortunately, I’m a hero, and I’m here to inform you that The D-Train was a hidden gem that you most likely missed this year. Every studio comedy in recent years seems to have been required by law to feature at least one gay panic or cutesy, gay-but-not-really-gay bromance joke. Instead of treating one of those bromance subplots as a passing joke, The D-Train approaches it as a serious issue. which, ironically, turns out to be more funny. The D-Train, which is more akin to an Alexander Payne film than a “Jack Black film,” is a good choice if you enjoy comedies that don’t hesitate to “go there.” — Vincent Mancini

Maggie
This movie was not only underappreciated, but it never received the recognition it so well earned. The story gives a novel interpretation of a bloated genre, and Ahhnold does a great job of capturing melancholy feelings. Nowadays, a lot of zombie movies are rehashed bloodbaths. That’s OK, but Maggie slows things down by focusing on a single father-daughter bond (between Schwarzenegger and Abigail Breslin) while a zombie pandemic breaks out. Many of the suffering and significant ramifications that other zombie movies ignore are shown to us. Furthermore, it successfully executes a gradual burn without ever being boring and is intriguing. If nothing else, it gives us reason to anticipate more John Scott 3 screenplays.

Take a vacation
The new vacation was not well received by the public. However, I have discovered a group of folks who share my opinion that this film is incredibly humorous, even in the somewhat pessimistic depths of film and cultural journalism. We have covert, shadowy meetings twice a month. Although I can honestly state that the new Vacation has many issues, I couldn’t stop laughing. I should also mention that I saw it twice. I paid to see it again after seeing it at an early press screening.)

Its flaw is that the loud, blustery “laughs” are awful. Christina Applegate’s repeated vomiting during a sorority obstacle course was unnecessary. However, the little comedy is spot on: In one scene, a mouse is perched on the shoulder of a local yak. The guy responds, “What?” after Ed Helms’ character Rusty Griswold remarks that he likes this person’s pet rat. Then, when he swats the rat away, he freaks out, looking at his shoulder and exclaiming, “I don’t know him.” (Alright, I know that this description doesn’t support my argument, but know that I thought it was humorous.)

Well, anything! It’s not a very good film. I did, however, chuckle a lot. I wasn’t the only one who laughed, either. A couple of us are out there. I’m here to tell you that you’re not by yourself. — Mike Ryan

Get to know the Patels
With the somewhat gimmicky premise of “What happens when an Indian-American guy lets his parents try to arrange his love life?” Ravi Patel and his sister, filmmaker Geeta Patel, collaborate on this romantic comedy documentary, which they manage to transform into a surprisingly poignant examination of one’s duty to one’s family and heritage. For his depiction of the Indian-American experience in his Netflix series Master of None, which features Ravi Patel, Aziz Ansari rightfully received a lot of praise. However, Meet the Patels also merits some recognition for its insightful examination of what it means for a parent and child to have a soul divided between two cultures. — Jen Chaney

The Crimson Peak
It’s obvious that Universal had no idea how to promote Guillermo del Toro’s most recent work. Although the trailers gave the impression that it would be a straight-up horror movie, audiences were really treated to a gothic romance reminiscent of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier and the Brontës on cocaine. The lavish movie features a fantastic ensemble, one Charlie Hunnam and Jessica Chastain’s sister-in-law-from-hell in particular. Every outfit and set piece is really beautiful. It is very amazing that the home is still standing at the end because she eats up so much of the landscape. The film explores the evil side of human nature and the twisted aspect of love, and while it isn’t especially subtle or frightening, it is incredibly watchable. — Fikse, Alyssa

Star Maps
Bruce Wagner’s most recent film, directed by David Cronenberg, received more confused reactions than criticism. And with good reason: It’s an odd movie that occasionally feels like it’s at war with itself, combining creepy atmospheres with simple satirical jabs at Hollywood. Although it’s not Cronenberg’s greatest, it’s too strange to ignore, full of too many iconic Julianne Moore freak-outs to overlook, and, at its best, it makes Hollywood’s inner workings seem as much like the stuff of horror films as zombies or masked murderers. Keith Phipps

The U.N.C.L.E.
It’s easy to understand why viewers ignored The Man From U.N.C.L.E. It was marketed as an off-brand Bond film and is based on what is now a quite obscure 1960s television program. As art thief Napoleon Solo (played slickly by Henry Cavill) and by-the-books Russian spy/rage case Illya Kuryakin (a hilarious Armie Hammer) must work together to save an apparently innocent East German mechanic from a Nazi plot to steal nuclear weapons, it’s a series of capers that are more Topkapi than You Only Live Twice. (What else?)

Ritchie photographs the entire occasion like a magazine spread, including the token admiration of the time’s fashion and style. Beneath that, however, is his usual sense of humor, which is rooted, in part, by the fact that Cavill and Hammer immediately establish a quarreling couple’s connection that the film explores in surprising ways. If you enjoy espionage films and missed this in theaters, you should see it along with Kingsman: The Secret Service. It’s a refreshing take on a Bond-dominated genre. Dan Seitz

Fort Tilden,
Fort Tilden might embody all the negative stereotypes of girls that people who haven’t watched an episode of HBO’s show have about the show. It’s about a group of aimless musician pals (oh no) who attempt to ride to a hipster-filled beach in Brooklyn (oh no). However, Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers’ satirically sour comedy is on the joke. The protagonists are awful and extremely self-obsessed individuals, portrayed by the talented Bridey Elliott and Clare McNulty. You can write them off as “ugh, millennials.” The point is that. Josh Kurp

Jupiter Ascending
Jupiter Ascending is huge in terms of raw volume. The Wachowski siblings packed their latest film with enough rambunctious plot twists, absurd mythology, and confusing exposition to fill a trilogy (the third installment, of course, was split into two films)—like tourists jumping on top of their overstuffed luggage in an attempt to squeak it shut. A sweeping sci-fi epic that ties together a half-dog Channing Tatum, a janitor space princess, magic bees, alien Eddie Redmayne screaming with the guileless innocence of a man who doesn’t know he’s about to win an Oscar, and space bureaucracy is something that no other filmmaker could possibly muster the courage or necessary madness to attempt. Jupiter Ascending is not only the most ambitious would-be blockbuster in years, but it’s also the most personal; the themes of bodily agency and independent identity act as a defiant declaration from Hollywood’s most visible trans filmmaker, Lana Wachowski. Fortunately, the Wachowskis can still use their Matrix street cred to trick major studios into supporting their wild fantasies. — Bramesco, Charles

Paper Towns
It was not necessary for Paper Towns to be good. Based on a hugely successful young adult novel by John Green, the movie was non-discriminating teen bait from beginning to end. Cara Delevingne, a supermodel-turned Instagram sensation-turned-actress with an unrivaled capacity for capturing the pure admiration of young girls and guys alike, and Nat Wolff were the main stars. It was promoted as a gloomy, Garden State-style teen romance in which Cara Delevingne mounts Nat Wolff in a pitch-black room while sporting a sultry red outfit. No one was worried about Paper Towns, and it came and went with little adult attention since no one anticipated it to be good and everyone knew it would profit from those teenagers. But, folks, we made a mistake! It was improper for us to sleep on Paper Towns. In fact, it’s a fantastic little film that closely resembles The Perks of Being a Wallflower in its charming, comparatively realistic portrayal of teenage anguish, lust, and self-discovery. Wolff is credible as a young man who believes he has it figured out but still has a lot of maturing to do; Delevingne is a shockingly good actor who is naturally attractive and genuine. However, Wolff’s interactions with his two best pals, Ben (Austin Abrams) and Radar (Justice Smith), are the highlights. Awkward teenage-boy banter and a kind of assertive oddity abound in their charming trio sessions. Paper Towns is a sincere, humorous movie that appeals to audiences of all ages while occasionally being a little—pardon me—paper thin. Rachel Handler