The Obscure Top 5

[Kam]

Alrighty, so how about a top movie list that isn't your usual top movies. not the blockbusters, the big names, or anything, but just movies we generally haven't listed on our favorite lists because we forgot about them!! so think back to that great movie you remember you saw way back when and share it! some may have well known names, but not the usual ones quoted from the masters, or at least a movie you haven't listed on your normal "top anything" list.

1. Fortress - i've mentioned this one a few times before and highly, highly reccomend it. this was a made for tv movie back in 1986 (not the new future movie one with christopher lambert) about a kidnapping of a school class in the australian outback and how it goes horribly wrong. There's some vicious lord of the flies type undertones throughout and an incredibly chilling ending. brilliant movie. and sela ward looks really sexy as a teacher.

2. Ridicule - a french film from 1996. period piece film taking place in the time of Louis 16th as a low french lord has to raise himself high and gain favor with the king by being the wittiest person around. sounds odd i know, but very entertaining movie.

3. A Pure Formality - another french film from 1994 with gerard depardiue and roman polanski. a famous writer (depardieu) is picked up by the police of an out of the way station after an accident of some kind, without any memory of the recent events and is interrogated by the inspector (polanski) who delves into what really happenned. great ending!

4. The 39 Steps - one of my favorite Hitchcock movies. a little slow for hitchcock, with some long, quiet moments, but just brilliantly comes together slowly, and another great ending.

5. To Be Or Not To Be ( the mel brooks one) - another of my favorite mel brooks comedy, right up there, imo, with blazing saddles and young frankenstein, although maybe just a touch beneath their genius. very funny movie about a theater troupe trying to get by in world war 2 poland, and the hilarity that can only ensue from mel brook's. just great fun and a smart comedy to boot!

so if you havent seen any of the above, i'd definitely put them on the list! let's hear what obscure reccomendations everyone else has!

peace
k2
go' canes!!

[dean_martin]

Great idea for a list! Here are some that are either a little quirky or that I just don't always remember.

1. Boys in the Band (1970) - dir. by William Friedkin who gave us The French Connection and the Exorcist, it's been called a landmark achievement in gay cinema.
2. Camille 2000 - I'm a huge Radley Metzger fan and this one is my favorite. From the elaborate cinematography and beautiful scenery to the hip music, I put it just above his more famous Therese and Isabelle and The Lickerish Quartet.
3. Danger Diabolik - A Mario Bava comic book caper with a super cool John Philip Law in the lead. The old Jaguars are great for car fans.
4. Attack of the Giant Leeches/The Brain That Wouldn't Die (tie) - When I was a student at law school, I would watch these a couple of times a week. Late night gems. Over-the-top dialog and outrageous premise are The Brain's strong points. Yvette Vickers on the bayou is what Leeches is all about!
5. Swingers! - I think most around here liked this film, but through memory lapse or brain freeze I often leave it off my lists.

BTW, Kam, I bet you're breathing a sigh of relief today! Your 'Canes had a close call last night.

[Kam]

VERY huge sigh of relief. would have ruined my whole weekend! whew! but that nov9th showdown with virginia is looking mighty scary now, will have to see what they do with fsu on saturday night.
good reccomendations, will have to put them on my to-see list!

[eisforelectronic]

Eurotrip, Roadtrip, Old School, My Father the Hero, Lake Placid, Searching for Bobby Fischer

maybe these are too mainstream?

[Kam]

5a) Force 10 From Navarone
5b) Ice Station Zebra.

and great big name casts in these before they were huge names! both great old feeling action movies, with great fun and drama as well, the way action movies should be!

[RGA]

Hmm 5 lesser known films on my top 100 list - can't remember where the are on my list but here's 5:

The War Zone directed by Tim Roth 1999: An alienated 15 year old (Freddie Cunliffe), forced to move away from his friends in London when his family relocates to rural Devon, struggles with the change and becomes an observer of the family. His mother (Tilda Swinton) is pregnant, his dad (Ray Winstone) is vocally abusive, and his 18 year old sister (Lara Belmont) is sexually active and open to her brother. However, the boy guesses at and finds that he is correct that his father has had sexual relations with his sister. The boy gets a sexual education from an older woman (Aisling O'Sullivan) he meets.

Death of a Salesman directed by Volker Schlondorff 1985: Salesman Willy Loman(Dustin Hoffman) is in a crisis. He's about to lose his job, he can't pay his bills, and his sons Biff (John Malkovich) and Happy don't respect him and can't seem to live up to their potential. He wonders what went wrong and how he can make things up to his family

Crumb directed by Terry Zwigoff 1994 (Documentary): This movie chronicles the life and times of R. Crumb. Robert Crumb is the cartoonist/artist who drew Keep On Truckin', Fritz the Cat, and played a major pioneering role in the genesis of underground comix. Through interviews with his mother, two brothers, wife, and ex-girlfriends, as well as selections from his vast quantity of graphic art, we are treated to a darkly comic ride through one man's subconscious mind. As stream-of-consciousness images incessantly flow forth from the tip of his pen, biting social satire is revealed, often along with a disturbing and haunting vision of Crumb's own betes noires and inadequacies. As his acid-trip induced images flicker across our own retinas, we gain a little insight into this complex and highly creative individual.

Margaret's Museum directed by Mort Ransen 1995: In a town where half the men die down the coalpit, Margaret MacNeil(Helena Bonham Carter) is quite happy being single. Until she meets Neil Currie, a charming and sincere bagpipe-playing, Gaelic-speaking dishwasher. But no matter what you do, you can't avoid the spectre of the pit forever.

Felicia's Journey directed by Atom Egoyan 1999: A lonely middle-aged catering manager (Bob Hoskins) spends all of his time studying tapes of an eccentric TV chef (Arsinee Khanjian). Meanwhile, a young woman (Elaine Cassidy) is making her way from Ireland to find her boy friend (Peter McDonald), who moved to England to get a job in a lawn-mower factory. On arrival, she makes an early contact with the caterer, who recommends a boarding room to her. Slowly, it is revealed that the caterer has in fact befriended and subsequently abused more than a dozen young women. He, of course, now sets his site on this woman. Much of the story is told in flashbacks, revealing how each of the characters grew to the point where they now find themselves. However, the drama of the character interaction is more important to director, Atom Egoyan, than the potential horror of the situation.

There are many others that I have highly rated that did poorly at the box office: Oscar and Lucinda, Welcome to Sarajevo, Welcome to the Dollhouse, Walkabout, Breaking the Waves, Remains of the Day, The Nasty Girl, Quiz Show, Sunshine, Gods and Monsters, Maelstrom, Nosferatu: The Vampyre, Strange Days, Anne Frank Remembered, Croupier, End of the Affair(1999), Alfie(1966), Ed Wood, The Last Seduction, A Perfect World, Priest, Big Night, Central Station, Pleasantville, Grand Canyon, Secrets and Lies etc.

[dean_martin]

[QUOTE=RGA[B]Crumb[/B] directed by Terry Zwigoff 1994 (Documentary): This movie chronicles the life and times of R. Crumb. Robert Crumb is the cartoonist/artist who drew Keep On Truckin', Fritz the Cat, and played a major pioneering role in the genesis of underground comix. Through interviews with his mother, two brothers, wife, and ex-girlfriends, as well as selections from his vast quantity of graphic art, we are treated to a darkly comic ride through one man's subconscious mind. As stream-of-consciousness images incessantly flow forth from the tip of his pen, biting social satire is revealed, often along with a disturbing and haunting vision of Crumb's own betes noires and inadequacies. As his acid-trip induced images flicker across our own retinas, we gain a little insight into this complex and highly creative individual.


RGA,
Loved Crumb, Welcome to the Doll House and Ed Wood! Have you seen American Splendor? It's about Harvey Pekar, one of Crumb's Cleveland buddies. I didn't really like or connect with this movie the first time I saw it, but found myself glued to it a couple of nights ago when I saw it on a cable movie channel.

A couple of documentaries I usually forget to include in a favorites list are:

Roger and Me - Michael Moore (probably don't have to say much more)

The War Room - if you have any interest in American political campaigns at all you would
probably like this. It takes you behind the scenes of the 1992 presidential campaign focusing on the Clinton team. Those who don't care for Clinton (and you know who you are) may still find it interesting because Clinton isn't really the focus of the movie. It's much better than the poorly acted schlock Primary Colors. Another fictional piece about campaigns that I did enjoy was Bob Roberts (although some of it seemed forced). Jack Black is in it but his role is so "different" I didn't even realize it was him.

Paradise Lost - A bizzare HBO documentary on the brutal ritualistic murders of young children in Arkansas and the ensuing investigation and trials of three teens. Truth is stranger than fiction. My guess is that the original documentary purposefully left many questions unanswered. HBO did a followup but it didn't reveal much.

[Worf101]

I like this thread a lot!!

1. "Amelie" (2000) - Funny, quirky and original. I'll never look at lawn gnomes the same again.

2. "The Dish" (2000) - Fine Australian fare. They make a lot of quirky movies that don't always see the light of day around here.

3. "Once Were Warriors" (1993) - Australia/New Zealand again. Disturbing strong film. Shows that the scourge of racism and ignorance are not strictly American problems.

4. "Sammy and Rosie Get Laid" (1987) - A powerful film of love, redemption, conscience. I enjoyed it immensely.

5. "My beautiful laundrette" (1985) - A beutiful introduction into modern, multicultural London, black, brown, white and gay.

Da Worfster

[Smokey]

CrumbThrough interviews with his mother, two brothers, wife, and ex-girlfriends, as well as selections from his vast quantity of graphic art, we are treated to a darkly comic ride through one man's subconscious mind.

I really liked this movie also, especially his family. I wished more of the movie was spend with his family and the brother who like to read novels 24/7. MY landlord's brother was like that....he was not a social person. But had books stacked all the way to the ceiling, and read them night and day. I find those type of persons fascinating.

3."Once Were Warriors" (1993) - Australia/New Zealand again. Disturbing strong film. Shows that the scourge of racism and ignorance are not strictly American problems.

Worf, I didn't know you had such a good taste for exotic movies

Excellent choice.

[Dusty Chalk]

5. Wrongway Goldfarb, Please Come Home -- weird film, but when I was a kid, I got caught up in it every time I watched it. I'm not sure I still love it, I'd have to see it again to know for sure. All those types of films -- Those Daring Young Men..., Around the World..., etc., I just find terribly enjoyable.

4. Strange Days -- I love the way it starts of in one direction (Ralph Fiennes is the main character), and partway through it just shifts gears and Angela Bassett starts kicking ass.

3. I Was A Zombie For The FBI -- really dry delivery -- like those cop shows of old, yet it's still a horror movie. I love unorthodox juxtapositions.

2. Forbidden Zone -- Waters-type madness, except (a) with no transvestites, and (b) good. Oh, and Danny Elfman plays Satan.

1. From Dusk Til Dawn -- is it a comedy? A horror film? A Quentin Tarantino dialog film? I don't know, but it's not just the naked girls that keep bringing me back. The filmmakers obviously had fun making this film (I figured that out just by watching the movie -- long before I heard the commentary). I list this one not because I forget it -- it's often on my Favourite Films lists. It's just that I've never seen it on anyone else's. Plus, it's George Clooney at his most charismatic.

[jimmymagick]

and a very controversial movie when it came out. Notre Dame was very upset that its football players were characterized as drunken, womanizing louts.

Lord, what a simpler time that was. (And I can't believe the nonsense I have floating around in my memory.)

[Kam]

ok, so i'm posting another top 5... sue me.

#1. Hoop Dreams - not too obscure i guess, but often overlooked on lists. great movie following the lives of two chicago area high school basketball stars and their hopes and dreams to make it to the next level.

#2. When We Were Kings - documentary following the Rumble in the Jungle. amazing. best part is watching don king quiet, silent, and completely shut up, just watching and learning how to trash talk from the master himself. unfortunately now he does all the talking, in no where near the elloquence (sp?) and panache of ali.

#3. Standing in the Shadows of Motown - i think this has been on showtime or hbo lately, but another great documentary going into the history of r&b, motown, etc. following the Funk Brothers! (and the amazing stat that they've played on more #1 hits than the Beatles, beach boys, stones and elvis... combined. (got that off of imdb))

#4/5/6: The Apu Trilogy - Pather Panchali, Aparajito, and Apu Sansar: If you want to know the other great influence on all the american directors who don't fall under the "kurosawa camp", its from this director, Satyajit Ray. But these are a pain in the butt to come by, i've only added Apu Sansar to my collection, still trying to buy the first two.

peace!
k2
go canes!!

[shaemus]

Great thread. Lots of great titles. Nice call on Margaret's Museum RGA.

Not necessarily my TOP 5 but some that come to mind would be:

Smoke Signals

The Sweet Hereafter

Fog of War- (a fantastic recent documentary based on interviews with Robert MacNamara)

Harold and Maude

The Celebration (danish)

The Secret of Roan Inish (charming mystical family-type movie)

Titanic (just kidding)

[Retardking]

Here are a few that may not be quite as obscure, but are hardly mentioned in this forum that should be checked out if you haven't seen them.

"NARC"- Ray Liotta and Jason Patric are dynamite. Tight storyline with a twist and well shot.

"Buffalo '66"- Finally saw this a few weeks ago. Vincent Gallo is terrific in this movie and he wrote and directed it too, I think. Really dark humor and interestingly shot. (Used "NFL FILMS" stock giving it a gritty look)

"City of God"- Subtitle warning, unless you know Portugese. Story of gangs and drugs in Rio (overly simplified). Scary realism and it's based on actual events and people.

"Made"- Swingers doesn't get enough recognition in my opinion, but Made never even gets mentioned. Vince Vaughn is a great a**hole. He and Favreu are fun to watch on screen. It has Columbo and P Diddy too!

"Raising Victor Vargas"- The actors used were not professionals, but gave very authentic performances. Put simply it's a Romantic-comedy about tennagers in a Puerto Rican section of Manhattan's lower east side, but it's more than that. Just a very well made movie in every respect.

[Troy]

Lots of great movies already mentioned here like Harold and Maude (one of my all time faves), "Buffalo 66" (which used Yes in the soundtrack for pete's sake! And that film stock was pushed fast film), "Amelie" (the film Junet needed to make) and "Crumb" (an incredibly effective and affecting doc about one of my favorite comic illustrators)

5 from me:

Zero Effect.
Bill Pullman, Ben Stiller. Modern day retelling of the Sherlock Holmes storyline about a social misfit genius detective who has finally met his match. Funny and quirky.

Duel.
Saw this again just last week. Spielberg's first film. Classic cat and mouse chase film with Dennis Weaver being attacked by a menacing semi truck as he drives through the CA high desert. A low budget masterpiece. Excellent DVD transfer.

Hard 8.
Powerfull modern film noir. PT Anderson's (Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love) first film about career grifters, balckmail and paying off of old debts. Subtle, quiet and extremely powerful.

Paper Moon.
Ryan O'neal and his daughter Tatum star as a father/daughter (though he'll never admit it) depression era grifter team. Sort of the anti-"Bonnie and Clyde". Tatum won the oscar that year, the youngest (13) best actress ever.

After Hours.
Forgotten Scorsesse film from th eearly 80s about a hopelessly bland guy (Griffin Dunne) who gets lured into Soho by a sexy Roseanna Arquette only to be stranded and hunted like a dog because he pissed off the wrong woman. Huge cast including Cheech and Chong, Linda Fiorentino, Teri Garr, John Heard, Catherine O'Hara. Really funny movie, but Marty still creates that creepy Scorsesse atmosphere. It's an excellent balance of tone.

Bonus title:
Flirting with Disaster.
Ben Stiller on a hunt to find his real birth parents. Excruciatingly funny scenes, especially in the Bed and Breakfast and the gay DEA agent on LSD. Killer cast including BPatricia Arquette, Téa Leoni, Alan Alda, Mary Tyler Moore, George Segal, Lily Tomlin.

[Lexmark3200]

I have a bunch of obscure films I enjoy and am attemping to get on DVD; Armand Assante played the notorious gangster John Gotti in "Gotti," an HBO film that was great and I cant stop watching, especially since they recently found dead bodies near where I live that were connected to Gotti's crime spree in New York; Rutger Hauer was awesomely chilling in "Surviving The Game" with Ice T, where the rapper plays a homeless guy thrown into the wilderness to be hunted by Gary Busey and a bunch of psychos; I also like C Thomas Howell and, again, Rutger Hauer in "The Hitcher" where Hauer plays a psycho hitchhiker; there was also an awesome offbeat film that is called "The Infiltrator" starring Oliver Platt in which he is a Jewish journalist and goes undercover in Neo Nazi Germany to bring down some organized hate organizations, based on a true story of Yaron Svoray. Awesome.

[jack70]

Thanks all for the recommends.. I'm going to put some on my list...

The 39 Steps

The 39 Steps is my fave Hitchcock film (not his best, but my fave), although I should note it will look "old" today -- hey, it IS old ('35). And most of the prints I've seen have lots of noise and crappy edits. It's only a few years into the new world of "talkies". I'd hope there are digitally cleaned up editions of this, but I don't know myself. The film stars Robert Donat & Madeleine Carroll, 2 all-time great actors, but both sadly sorta forgotten about today.

Hitchcock remade this film 2 more times... as Saboteur (in 42) and as North by Northwest (59). The plot consists of an innocent man being chased all over tarnation by nasty bad guys, and with a love interest. It's the kinda plot that many others have used many times over the years, but never as well as in this original.

Here's a few lesser-seen films I think are worthy views:

THE 10'TH MAN-
You guys mentioned The Third Man in another thread. As much as I think it's a great film, it's also very dark. But that story is from Graham Greene, one of the better writers of his day. He also wrote The 10'th Man. It's a made-for-TV film with Anthony Hopkins (before he became a BIG star). Not a great film, but far more interesting than the usual fare because it's written by a REAL writer, not a gaggle of Hollywood hacks.

A FACE IN THE CROWD-
Andy Griffith's best performance. Also with Patricia Neal (stunningly beautiful) & Lee Remick's debut. Great Kazan film about popular country bumbkin who becomes political demigod. Quite ambitious, but doesn't come off as fake or preachy either... just a great story.

BEFORE SUNRISE-
Simple, charming reality play. Young American meets Euro chick and they spend a romantic day just talking. Despite what seems like a boring premise, it's quite good. A film that actually takes some chances and lets the actors carry it. The remake was made last year (I've yet to see it). Delpy is terrific too.(as well as beautiful ...LOL).

COMING OUT OF THE ICE-
True amazing story of Victor Herman. Although it's a mediocre low-budget M4TV movie, and is sometimes slow going, the heart of the movie is this man's spirit. Should be required viewing for all spoiled Americans, who don't know how REALLY bad Soviet totalitarianism was. John Savage (the Deer Hunter) plays the lead. And it's a better role than his part there. Nice cameo by Willy Nelson.

THE NAKED PREY-
'66 film directed by & stars Cornel Wilde as a man who's chased like an animal in wild Africa. It's still very compelling, even though it looks a bit dated, but that's because there's little in the way of special effects that we're all so spoiled by today.

THE HIDDEN-
Very strange pop-sci-fi film. Lots of fun and unpredictability. You might call this a very early precursor to "Men in Black", but without the slickness and overproduction of that film.

BLACK ROBE -
Won the Canadian Oscar for best film. Good realistic historical view of life in the Canadian-American frontier of the 1500-1600 era. Very longish, artistic views of nature may bore some, but the action scenes are stone cold brutal and realistic. Too many people today have this BS romantic view of past historical ages. You'll be REALLY glad you live in the 21'st century after seeing this.

SCARLET STREET-
Edward G Robinson made lots of great films including the classic film noir "Double Indemnity". This is another Film Noir, directed by Fritz Lang. Rube Robinson is led into hell by bad girl & guy. Good if you can get your head into the spirit of the time (old & dark). Turn the lights down.

[Mike That Likes Music]

Never posted in the movie section before, but this seems as good a time to start as any. Can't say these are the all-time faves, but they is good'uns.

1. Kind Hearts & Coronets-
A late 40's British comedy. Very very dark humor. A man with vague ties to nobility decides to become a duke so his recently deceased mother can be buried in the royal family graveyard. He tries to accomplish this by murdering those directly in front of him for the title, all 8 of them. All the victims are hilariously played by Alec Guinness (even the woman!) and the dialog is classic tongue-in-cheek English verse that will have you rolling on the floor if you have an ear for it.

2. Harry & Tonto-
Now, I'm generally not much at all for touching films, but this one is very well done. A retired New York schoolteacher (Art Carney, who won the best actor Oscar for it in 1974) is evicted from his apartment and wanders the country with his cat. Along the way meeting all sorts of interesting people and trying to patch things up with his estranged children. The only truly feel-good movie in my stable. It doesn't pump sunshine up your tuchis, but leaves me feeling that life is okay every time I put it on.

3. Dark Star-
John Carpenter's first movie. Actually a feature-length adaptation of his student project. Written in conjuction with Dan O'Bannon ( the writer of all the Alien movies) who also stars in it. A film about 4 guys in a spaceship wandering around the galaxy obliterating rogue planets that may later cause supernovas and destroy earth. An oddball, EXTREMELY low-tech sci-fi film with the lowest budget alien you will ever see on film and a smartass bomb. 'Nuff said.

4. Drop Dead Gorgeous-
Very funny mockumentary about a teen beauty pageant in Minnesota (oh jeez!). Stars Kirsten Dunst as the poor but beautiful hometown girl, Ellen Barkin as her hilarious mom, Denise Richards as the evil rich girl everyone loves to hate and Kirstie Allie as her success-obssessed mom. Rated PG-13 but still has me rolling more often than not.

5. Das Boot -
Made a bit of a splash (no pun intended) and then faded all too quickly. Fantastic film about a Nazi U-boat in WW2, going on missions for the glory of der fuhrer and ends up being hunted by the allied boats. This film is so good and feels so realistic it actually makes you feel sorry for the nazis. Now that's on accomplishment.

There 'tis.

Mike

[chimera128]

Party Monster, A Beautiful Thing, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Harold and Maude, Black Hole (gotta love those flying trashcans)

[RGA]

Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Yeah this one was quite good - Terrence Stamp in drag - well strangely that is worth the price of admission by itself. Some good movies.

I should at waydowntown and Emporte Moi(Set Me Free) to the list both are Canadian films and both quite excellent - the first is a bit strange but good fun. ALso Talk to Me is quite a good film - highly implausible but atthe same time strangely affecting.

[jimmymagick]

Watched "Ridicule" last night based on your recommendation. Enjoyed it immensely.

Thanks.

[Geoffcin]

Fantastic movie, if a bit obscure. If your a diver even more so.

[shaemus]

Fantastic movie, if a bit obscure. If your a diver even more so.

I thought it was pretty good but mostly what I remember was how my girlfriend at the time kept going on about how the protaganist was the hottest man alive. Something about his eyes.

[IsmaVA]

No particular order

1- A Man Facing Southeast

2- Belle Epoque

3- Ghost in the Shell

[shaemus]

No particular order

1- A Man Facing Southeast

2- Belle Epoque

3- Ghost in the Shell

I totally forgot about Belle Epoque but I loved it and now that you've reminded me I'm going to search it out and watch it again. THANKS