Did someone mention obscure movies...?

[onager]

A few months ago I was...ahem..."forcibly retired," so I've been indulging my inner couch potato. Which doesn't take much, in my case.

Anyway, here are some obscure movies I've enjoyed recently:

"The Dawns Are Quiet Here" (Russia, 1972) - this one shouldn't be THAT obscure, it was nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar.

Setting - a Soviet anti-aircraft unit during the Second World War, near the Russian-Finnish border. A Russian commander gripes to his superiors about the replacements they send him: "These men do nothing but get drunk, chase women, and go AWOL."

So next time he gets replacements, they are all women soldiers. Great movie. Lots of humor and drama.

"The Way I Spent The End of the World" (Romania, 2006) - a high-school girl and her boyfriend are goofing around and accidentally break a marble bust of Romanian dictator Ceausescu. She is denounced as a "bad comrade" and expelled. Just as Communism is collapsing, when Ceausescu himself is denounced by his citizens. And killed.

"Witnesses" (Croatia 2003) - as Yugoslavia falls apart and former neighbors enthusiastically slaughter each other, the only Serb resident of a Croatian village is murdered. The local detective has to investigate even though the whole town knows the murderers. He soon runs into a big problem - the victim didn't die alone and there is another witness.

One of several movies from this region I've seen, dealing with the collapse of Yugoslavia and its consequences for ordinary people.

"The Rapture" (1991) - full disclosure - I'm a devout atheist. And even though this movie deals with, yes, the Biblical Rapture - it's one of the most atheistic movies I've ever seen. It concludes that even if the Biblical God is absolutely real, It may not be worth worshipping. Starring a pre-X Files David Duchovny and Mimi Rogers.

[cyberswede]

1. Those look interesting! Are they streaming somewhere?

I remember seeing The Rapture, but I don't remember if I liked it. LOL.

[onager]

2. I don't really know. Sorry...

Most of the above I saw with the "Vutopia" on-demand movie service, thru Time-Warner Cable. "Dawns Are Quiet Here" was tougher but I finally got it thru...Alternative Means...

Vutopia is really good if you like obscure movies, especially foreign ones. Here are a few they have shown in the past few months or still have on:

"Carlos" - the 6-hour, 3-part miniseries about the terrorist "Carlos The Jackal" in the 1970's. Vutopia also showed the short 1-part version, edited down from the miniseries.

"The Band's Visit" - an Egyptian police band visits Israel to play at a new Arab cultural center. They get lost and end up in the wrong town. Though everyone resists at first, they eventually have to relate to each other as just regular human beings, not as Arabs/Israelis.

"Che" - 5-hour, 2-part movie about Che Guevara, played by Benicio del Toro.

"Red Riding 1974, 1980, & 1983" - great 3-part British crime series covering 9 years. The "red riding" is Yorkshire, and the fictional events mirror the Moors Murders, the Yorkshire Ripper, etc.

"Cairo 678" - 3 Egyptian women from vastly different backgrounds band together to fight sexual harassment on Cairo public transit. With very long needles...

Vutopia isn't all culture and history. It also shows a lot of cheap, awful horror movies (some of which I love). Anyone up for the "Evil Bong" or "Gingerdead Man" series?

[cyberswede]

3. Thanks!

I'll check out "Che" - I love Benicio del Toro.

I think the Red Riding series is on Netflix - I watched the first one, and am waiting to watch the others some time (hard to find enough time with kid activities, etc).

[Little_Wing]

4. "Che" was great

And del Toro was a such a perfect choice to play the title role. Such a soulful actor. He hasn't really done very much since then, but it looks like he has a bunch in production (according to IMDB).

Also a fan of "The Motorcycle Diaries," the story of Che's youth when he was awakened to the the exploitation and poverty of his people. Gael García Bernal played the young Che. The soundtrack, especially De Usuahia A La Quica, by Gustavo Santaolalla is haunting and perfect.

Sadly I cannot stream movies because of my internet connection, but I will definitely look for some of these recommendations at my local eclectic rental store!

[brooklynboy49]

5. Obscure = Foreign Language?

I can think of plenty of American made indies I'd consider rather obscure, like American Splendor, starring Paul Giamati and Hope Davis. A must-see. I can recommend others if you're into indies.

As for foreign language, I loved Shall We Dance (Japan), The Vanishing (Holland, I think), just about anything by Pedro Almodovar (Spain), The Crime of Father Amaro (Mexico), The Road Home (China), Maria Full of Grace (Colombia, I think) and a personal favorite of mine, Raise the Red Lantern (China).