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!!