Let's make a list of UNDERRATED/OVERLOOKED Movies!

[Yollam]

I'll start:

"Steal this Movie" with Janeane Garofalo and Vincent D'Onofrio.

Wonderful!

[Ava]

1. Hide and Seek

with Robert De Niro and Dakota Fanning

i love that movie, but i'm a big thriller fan

[RandomKoolzip]

2. California Split (Robert Altman)....

THis just got released on DVD, and it's a minor masterpiece, a quotidian but profound celebration of the motivations behind the gambling lifestyle. It's also one of the best "buddy" pictures ever made. Elliot Gould is a brilliant improviser, and Altman's at the top of his form, exploring the soundspace and the sumptuous colors of southern California with a loving wit. Go rent it!

Also:

The Chocolate War
Jonah Who Will be 25 in the Year 2000
Seize the Day (Saul Bellow adaptation, starring Robin Williams)

[xmas74]

100. I vaguely remember Chocolate War.

Seems like it was also a book.

[libnnc]

3. Reds..."It's too long. One big Warren Beatty ego trip..."

:eyes:

[mitchum]

4. "Claire Dolan" also with Vincent D'Onofrio

[driver8]

5. The Commitments!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I absolutely love this movie. If you have not seen it, do yourself a favor and rent it as soon as you can. The music is awesome, the characters and the dialogue are hilarious.

[MsAnthropy]

48. I absolutely agree!

I bought the soundtrack on the way home from the theater!

[xmas74]

101. Great movie.

I watch it on St Patricks Day every year.

[Heidi]

6. I don't know if it's "underrated," but

Martin Scorsese's "Kundun" was under-seen. Beautiful, beautiful film. :thumbsup:

[skyblue]

62. I was going to mention that one...

That's the one about Tibet 101 I think.. Excellent film.

[NightOwwl]

7. "A Walk on the Moon"

Diane Lane
Liev Schrieber
Viggo Mortenson

I can watch it over and over again...it never gets old.

[Bridget Burke]

53. Especially the Waterfall scene?

I also enjoyed the soundtrack, which featured some obscure 60's tunes--not just the "hits."

[Giant Robot]

8. "Dark City"

But I'm weird like that.

[Broken_Hero]

12. That movie was

amazing. I just picked it up for five bucks, I didn't expect it to be any good, but i took a chance cause J. Connelly is in it...:) Great movie, a recommend to anyone.

[Richardo]

35. .

Great Flick :thumbsup:

[CanuckAmok]

91. Yeah, and the villain from House of Cards/To Play the King is in it.

"So Husselbeck, what kind of killer do you think stops to save a dying fish?"

[KitchenWitch]

9. "Like Water for Chocolate"

"Cinema Paradisio"

[CBHagman]

29. Great choices.

However, I don't think either failed to gain an audience or critical acclaim.

[xmas74]

102. Great choices.

Both critically acclaimed but not exactly what the average viewer will pick on their own at the local rental shop.

[Suich]

10. "Everything Is Illuminated"

with Elijah Wood...loved it!

[ghostsofgiants]

14. Good call!

[Broken_Hero]

11. The Boondock Saints n/t

[AmyDeLune]

13. Equilibrium

Despite what many critics initially wrote about the film- not a Matrix clone in any way! Very similar in tone and message to 1984 and Farenheit 451, it's not just another mindless action flick.:)

[ghostsofgiants]

15. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

David Lynch's prequel to the Twin Peaks tv series. Most fans of the series hated it because it wasn't as fun and light-earted as the series was. Personally, I think it's a masterpiece of surrealist and horror filmmaking.

[NMMNG]

16. That's exactly the movie I was going to say

I saw that movie before ever seeing any of the TV series, and afterwards I just had to see the show. I ended up getting the entire series on video and became a huge fan. I couldn't believe people hated the movie so much--I loved it.

[ghostsofgiants]

18. I saw the series long before I saw the film.

But I thought the film was brilliant. It takes the creepiest parts of the show and amplifies them tenfold. I personally think it ranks with Mulholland Drive and Lost Highway as some of Lynch's best work.

[xmas74]

103. I really like that movie

and I was a fan of the series.

[ghostsofgiants]

127. From what I've read, we're a rare breed.

[xmas74]

136. That's sad

but probably true.

[ghostsofgiants]

137. Fuck it though, it's one of my favourites, and that's what matters to me.

[TheMightyFavog]

17. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension

End of Line.

[vi5]

19. Once Were Warriors and The Whale Rider

Coincidentally both movies from New Zealand. Once Were Warriors is a depressing, bleak look at old culture clashing headlong into modern life and the pain and problems that can come out of that. It's really depressing but a great movie.

The Whale Rider is the total opposite and is just a great, life affirming movie.

[ForrestGump]

23. Good call(s)

Both excellent movies.

[taterguy]

20. North Dallas Forty

Was promoted as a comedy since serious sports movies don't sell unless the protagonist dies. It has great performances and a lot to say about exploitation in our society.

[RedStateShame]

21. "Kicking and Screaming"

No, no, no, not THAT one!! This one was released in 1995 and was directed and written(I think) by Noah Baumbach--who also did "Mr. Jealousy" and "The Squid and the Whale" and co-wrote "The Life Aquatic"--starring Eric Stoltz and Olivia D'Abo about a group of college graduates who don't know what they'll do with their lives. If you're in college and you watch it, it's hilarious. If you watch it after you've graduated, it's sort of depressing. Plus, it features an underrated song as well, Freedy Johnston's "Bad Reputation." A must-watch!!!

[clyrc]

46. I loved that movie

I laughed til I cried several times

[HughBeaumont]

22. City of Lost Children

Brought to you by the people who did Ameile. I found this one to be more of my liking than Ameile because of the steampunk meets dingy-port visuals, dark ambience, bugs-eye cameras, weird characters and Ron Perlman.

Also, The Borrowers was a highly underrated kids movie, with John Goodman.

[skyblue]

32. If you liked that one, you might like

Tetsuo the Iron Man. Really strange stuff.

[HughBeaumont]

52. I tried looking that up on imdb, but found nothing.

What year was it made and who are some actors?

[skyblue]

61. Try Amazon.com

It's a Japanese film about a man who sprouts metal. See the plot's synopsis in Amazon. Stars Tomorow Taguchi and director Shinya Tsukamoto. DVD released 2005.

Here's link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/imdb/actor/nm0875354/ref=imdbfl_d_0/002-4037106-8108066

anyway, it's an acquired taste so ya have to have the sense of humor for it....

[ghostsofgiants]

67. ...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096251/

[KittyWampus]

24. Elmer Gantry (Burt Lancaster) Cape Fear (original version w/Peck/Mitchum)

[long_green]

77. The big surprise about "Elmer Gantry" to me...

is how "Holy Shit!" sexy Shirley Jones is as the fallen young woman who gets revenge on Elmer. Who knew?

[Tikki]

25. OVERLOOKED..all LA based movies....

The Runnin' Kind (1989)....Juliette Lewis is in this movie.
Slam Dance (1987) Tom Hulce is in this movie.

...and three early Penelope Spheeris' movies..

The Boys Next Door (1985)
Hollywood Vice Squad (1986)
Suburbia (1984)

All these movies have great LA scenes and scenery.....

Tikki

[Taverner]

50. Suburbia...LOL

"Guess what?" "CHICKEN BUTT!!!"

IT was a great idea, but they left in so many gaffes the film is unwatchable at times now...

[CanuckAmok]

92. AAAUGH!

The acting in that movie made "Clerks" look like Citizen freakin' Kane.

[mitchum]

51. Spheeris' "The Boys Next Door" IS a fantastic overlooked film...

all of these years, I thought that I constituted a one man cult for the movie. I 'm glad to see that someone else has great taste :)
I think that Maxwell Caulfield turns in one of the greatest screen performances ever

[Mother Jones]

26. "The Ref"

With Judy Davis, Kevin Spacey and Dennis Leary.


Sidesplittingly funny....Should be a holiday classic!

[peekaloo]

28. My favorite Christmas movie.

The dinner table scene STILL makes me laugh out loud.

[CBHagman]

59. I love The Ref.

Kevin Spacey (Lloyd) to Glynis Johns, who plays his mother:

"You know what I'm going to get you next Christmas, Mom? A big wooden cross, so that every time you feel unappreciated for your sacrifices, you can climb on up and nail yourself to it."

[Jigarotta]

82. Nick Nolte and Martin Short... in.....

what was that movie called again, I forget. Hilarious.

[Jigarotta]

83. Three Fugitives, that's what it is.

will have to see that one again.

[NNadir]

121. I absolutely agree. It's our favorite Christmas movie here.

[CBHagman]

27. Cold Comfort Farm

Better Than Sex

Shall We Dance? (The Japanese version, not the American remake) Yes, I know it was a hit at Sundance, but I'll bet a lot of people who need to know about this film haven't seen it!

[Random_Australian]

30. The Da Vinci Code!

Now that we have the obligatory joke out the way, we return you to your normal thread.

[peekaloo]

31. Zelig

A little gem from Woody Allen. 10 years before 'Forrest Gump' Woody was manipulating old newsreels to tell the story of a man with chameleon abilities.

It's funny as hell, too.

[CanuckAmok]

93. "It just goes to show what you can achieve if you're a total psychotic!"

Love that movie.

[sarge43]

116. "I have to council a group of chronic masturbators and if

I'm late they'll start without me." :rofl:

[skyblue]

33. Buffalo 66, Big Fish, Batman Begins, Dogville

[ghostsofgiants]

66. Buffalo 66 and Dogville are both incredible.

I just found out that Von Trier's Manderlay has been out for a while. Definitely one I need to see.

[progressoid]

34. Little Murders - - from 1971

Still one of my favorites and has a great (& timely) scene about Alfred being monitored by the Government

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067350/

Complete credited cast:
Elliott Gould .... Alfred Chamberlain
Marcia Rodd .... Patsy Newquist
Vincent Gardenia .... Mr. Newquist
Elizabeth Wilson .... Mrs. Newquist
Jon Korkes .... Kenny Newquist
John Randolph .... Mr. Chamberlain
Doris Roberts .... Mrs. Chamberlain
Lou Jacobi .... Judge Stern
Donald Sutherland .... Rev. Dupas
Alan Arkin .... Lt. Practice

[progressoid]

41. Ooops. Meant to add REPOMAN to the list

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

36. Babe 2: Pig in the City

The appauling marketing campaign for this which made it look like a complete studio sell out sequel turned most people (myself included) off. It's a tragedy because it's one of the best films of the nineties and it really deserves an audience. I don't really want to say anything about the content (there's enough reviews online or there's IMDB for anyone interested) because the film plays with your expectations from the very beginning and watching it fresh was an experience I'd like others to have.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120595/

Also, Frank Darabont's The Majestic which is about a screenwriter (Jim Carrey) who gets named as a Communist during the McCarthy hearings, gets drunk and comes to with complete amnesia in a small town who recognize him as a lost WW2 hero. I think this suffered from coming out just after 9/11 because it's just as good as Darabont's other work. That said, The Shawshank Redemption was a word-of-mouth hit, so hopefully The Majestic can pick up stream now it's out on DVD.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268995/

Another great film that suffered from 9/11 (the release was postponed for about 2 years) was Buffalo Soldiers with Joaquin Phoenix:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252299/

and whilst we're on army related satires, Article 99 is good and overlooked:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101371/

Another Garofalo film that's underrated (in the UK at least) is Hot Wet American Summer.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0243655/

edit to add one of my favorite comedies, But I'm A Cheerleader:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0179116/

and everything by Matthew Bright (Freeway, Freeway II, Tiptoes).

[xmas74]

107. One of my former bosses was an extra in Article 99.

He said that it was a good experience, compared to a couple of other movies he did.

[Richardo]

37. "Choose Me" (Alan Rudolph) and "Brother From Another Planet" (John Sayles)

Both from 1984.

[CBHagman]

87. Oh, great choices!

I've been meaning to catch up on my John Sayles movie viewing. Lone Star and Brother from Another Planet were just wonderful, and I'd like to see some of his other pictures, such as Matewan and Silver City.

And I was just thinking about Choose Me last night. What a great cast.

And here's an oddball choice from some years back: Cold Feet (with Keith Carradine, Sally Kirkland, and Tom Waits). I found it strangely entertaining.

[Richardo]

38. "Blood Simple" (The first Coen Brothers movie)

...and still one of my favorites of theirs.

[Ohio Joe]

39. hmmm, lets see, heres a few

Stir of Echoes
The Night of the Hunter
Innocent Blood
House
Who'll Stop the Rain
Running Time
Grosse Pointe Blank
The Long Kiss Goodnight
The Golden Child
The Hidden Fortress
Romper Stomper

[djeseru]

40. "Quick Change" with Bill Murray.

Also Geena Davis and Randy Quaid. My all-time favorite New York film.

I like this thread! I've come across several I enjoyed as well.

[peekaloo]

43. What kind of clown are you?

I dunno, the crying on the inside kind I guess.

:thumbsup:

[blondeatlast]

72. Seen it dozens of times and Randy Quaid still makes me fall on the floor.

And Tony Shalhoub as the taxi driver is just perfect.

Can't forget the wonderful Philip Bosco as the bus driver. He's one of those great character actors you never remember the name of 'cause he's just so good as the character.

[Jokerman]

42. "Fear Of A Black Hat" the "Spinal Tap" of rap music

The announcement for the "Bush is a dickhead" tour still cracks me up even though it's directed at dickhead SR.

From the mind of Rusty Cundieff - most recently of the "Chappell Show".

OFFICIAL SITE:
http://www.avatarrecords.com/nwh/

INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE:
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0106880/

[AmandaRuth]

44. Smoke Signals

a beautiful film, the only movie I immediately sat down to watch again after i finished it.

[Bzzzz]

45. Pushing Tin...

and Slingblade. Both starring Billy Bob Thornton. John Ritter and Billy Bob were both terrific in Slingblade.

[Dying Eagle]

138. 100% agree on Pushing Tin

[cmkramer]

47. "Once Around"

It stars Holly Hunter and Richard Dreyfuss. She's a young Italian-American woman from a close-knit family on the rebound from a broken relationship who marries a truly obnoxious jerk (Richard Dreyfuss) who she meets at a real estate seminar -- one of those "get rich quick" deals that were so prevalent in the 1980's. He's like the infomercial guy from hell and her family can't stand him. It's a real tearjerker and a masterful performance from Dreyfuss.

[electron_blue]

147. I agree! I was so pleasantly surprised by that film

Now I want to see it again.

[Taverner]

49. "Devils Rejects", Romero's "Martin" to name a few

I am a self proclaimed expert on obscure horror movies

[flvegan]

88. I second the "Devil's Rejects"

Excellent flick.

[ghostsofgiants]

128. I'll third it.

:thumbsup:

[BurtWorm]

54. Citizen Ruth

Laura Dern's performance is among the very best character studies on film. And funny as hell! But do people ever mention it when they mention great film performances? Nuh uh!


:thumbsup:

[hedgehog]

55. The Molly Maguires with Sean Connery and Richard Harris

It was downplayed when it came out in 1970 because it reminded too many people of the Black Panthers. A wonderful film, historically accurate, that raises questions about loyalty and violence with no comfortable answers. It only recently came out on DVD, so I think people are still afraid of this movie.

[Aiptasia]

56. Fandango, Wet Hot American Summer, Chocolat

See them.

[djeseru]

84. Fandango is excellent.

:thumbsup:

I never get tired of it.

[NTL714]

57. Everyone with a soul should see...

"Hotel Rwanda" and "Born into Brothels". first one, I don't think tears ever stopped running down my face and the second one is an amazing documentary about children who's mothers are in brothels and who are trying to escape through learning photography

[SaveElmer]

58. "Iceman" ...Tim Matheson, Lindsay Crouse

ABout finding a NEanderthal in Arctic ice and reviving him. Then the debates that took place afterwards over what to do with him.

SOunds "B" Movie like, but really a very intelligent, interesting movie!

[electron_blue]

148. That movie haunted me for years. I loved it!

[kwassa]

60. White Men Can't Jump

for many reasons, one of the best to show parts of LA most movies never show. The film-maker really understood Los Angeles.

"Training Day" also did the same.

[skyblue]

63. Triplets of Belleville, Run Lola Run

[long_green]

73. enjoyed both of those movies immensely

the grandmother in "Triplets" is my kind of hero.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

64. "The Party" with Peter Sellers.

[Buck Turgidson]

65. "Rancho Deluxe"

Jeff Bridges, Sam Waterston, Slim Pickens, Harry Dean Stanton.

I've seen more of this state's poor cowboys, miners, railroaders and Indians go broke buyin' pickup trucks. The poor people of this state are dope fiends for pickup trucks. As soon's they get ten cents ahead they trade in on a new pickup truck. The families, homesteads, schools, hospitals and happiness of Montana have been sold down the river to buy pickup trucks!... And there's a sickness here worse than alcohol and dope. It is the pickup truck death! And there's no cure in sight.

[skyblue]

68. Mother - Albert Brooks

[long_green]

76. For Albert Brooks, the answer has to be "Real Life"

"Real Life" is a litmus test movie for me. If you don't think that movie is hilarious, you're suspect. "Mother" was very good, though.

[peekaloo]

78. YES! My sister and I make jokes about "protective ice".

Defending Your Life is another Brooks masterpiece.

[skyblue]

69. Billy Elliot - with TRex Soundtrack.

Excellent movie for people who believe sports are overvalued and overrated and that dumbed down male stereotypes are too confining for straight men and too boring for women. Sort of.

[xmas74]

109. Fantastic movie!

I need to watch that again sometime.

[ghostsofgiants]

129. Definitely a good one.

[blondeatlast]

70. Clay Pigeons; a very black comedy with a great cast. Joaquin Phoenix,

Vince Vaughn, and Janeane Garofalo along with an especially good supporting cast.

Possibly the best Garofalo performance ever--the bar scene and the cigarette (I can't say more without ruining it) is a black comedy classic. Then there's the videos in the hotel, and her awkward come-on to Vaughn, and I'll stop there...

It's also the last time Vaughn was unrestrained, pre-"I wanna be a leading man" funny, like he was in Swingers.

If you like 'em darkly funny, don't miss it.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/clay_pigeons/

[Ava]

74. i've seen that one

it's pretty dark, but i still thought it was a good movie.

[supernova]

71. Valmont the MUCH BETTER Dangerous Liasions

Valmont with Colin Firth and Annette Benning is witty and fun, unnlike Glenn Close and John Malkovic.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098575/

[long_green]

75. "Breaker Morant" and "The Sorrow and The Pity"

"The Sorrow and The Pity" is the four hour documentary mentioned at the beginning and the end of "Annie Hall." It's made to seem like a punchline, a movie only someone like Woody Allen could ever love. If you find it, watch it. Wow.
"Breaker Morant" is my favorite courtroom movie (court-martial in this case). It has Jack Thompson, Edward Woodward, and a young Bryan Brown as a hothead lieutenant. At the end, Woodward sings "Soldiers Of The Queen" on the soundtrack. You'll get chills.

[LibDemAlways]

79. "Days of Heaven"

1978 with Richard Gere and Sam Shepard. A haunting and visually stunning movie.

[Calliope]

80. Dear Frankie

In America
Barbarian Invasion
another vote for Cinama Paradiso - the best ending EVER!

[yellowdogintexas]

81. UnderCover Blues! ; Tea with Mussolini, Ladies in Lavender;

second votes for "Everything is Illuminated" and "Cold Comfort Farm"

"Bang The Drum Slowly"...possibly Robert de Niro's first movie..

[djeseru]

85. I just remembered Enchanted April...

...always puts me in such a good mood. I'd highly recommend the book as well.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

105. I love that movie

have seen it 3-4 times, never gets old.

[maveric]

86. "Jesus's Son", "11:14", "Animal Factory".

"The Climb", with John Hurt and David Straithorn.

[CanuckAmok]

94. I forgot about "Animal Factory"

That was a great film.

[maveric]

119. Written and directed by Steve Buscemi.

Have you ever seen "Ghost World"? Starring Steve Buscemi, Scarlett Johannsen and Thora Birch.
Great fil.

[CanuckAmok]

120. Yeah, I loved that one, too.

I never read the original comic, but Thora Birch has HUGE hooters, so I enjoyed it anyway.

[Jade Fox]

134. Wasn't "Trees Lounge" directed by Buscemi too?

I remember thinking it was good.

[maveric]

135. Yes it was.

Did you know that Steve Buscemi was a NYC firefighter at one time?

[flvegan]

89. "Best in Show" and "Dogma" I think were largely

overlooked and underrated.

[faithnotgreed]

90. "hidden agenda" - frances mcdormand + pretty much all my favorites

odd man out - james mason
they knew what they wanted - carole lombard
in name only - carole lombard & cary grant
anything by the maysle brothers
resurrection - ellen burstyn


too many others to name right now

[CanuckAmok]

95. The ultimate Democrat movie: "Cradle Will Rock".

Hank Azaria, Reuben Blades, John Cusack, Joan Cusack, Philip Baker Hall, Vanessa Redgrave, Bill Murray, Susan Sarandon, John Tuturro, Gretchen Mol, Emily Watson, Jack Black....

The cast, alone, make it worth watching. It doesn't even need to be a compelling, tragic comedy of a story based on true events, but it does anyway. I'm getting all tear-eyed just writing about it.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

108. Another favorite

I have a Diego Rivera print right here in the spare bedroom/office. Another one in the hall.

[CanuckAmok]

96. The Quiet Earth.

Based on the Craig Harrison story about a scientist waking to discover he is the last man on Earth. Or is he?

[xmas74]

110. And I thought I was the only one who loved that movie!

I need to look around and see if I can find it on dvd sometime.

[GCP]

139. I've been trying to remember the name of that movie - Thank you!!

I loved "The Quiet Earth" - I seem to remember it had some really interesting special effects with the sky - planets very nearby?

[CanuckAmok]

97. Three O'clock High

Fun, Ferris Bueler-esque 80's teen movie lost in the torrent of 80's teen movies.

[CanuckAmok]

98. Birdy

Nicholas Cage and Matthew Modine as two friends who arrive back from Vietnam, scarred in different ways. One has physical injuries, the other has mental problems that make him believe he is a bird, a subject he has always been fascinated with.


Best final scene in movie history.

[CanuckAmok]

99. The Man Who Would be King

Kipling's short story with Sean Connery and Michael Caine, at the peaks of their careers.

[GCP]

140. Self delete - wrong thread

delete

[long_green]

143. Bingo! Many of the movies on this thread are underappreciated

good movies..."The Man Who Would Be King" should be a movie that everyone considers a classic. I think "Master and Commander" will be this generation's version of that movie.

[CanuckAmok]

104. Get Carter and Gangster No. 1.

Two of the best of the British gangster genre... Guy Richie has absolutely nothing on these movies.

Get Carter:

A vicious London gangster, Jack Carter, travels to Newcastle for his brother's funeral. He begins to suspect that his brother's death was not an accident and sets out to follow a complex trail of lies, deceit, cover-ups and backhanders through Newcastle's underworld, leading, he hopes, to the man who ordered his brother killed. Because of his ruthlessness Carter exhibits all the unstopability of the android in Terminator, or Walker in Point Blank, and he and the other characters in the film are prone to sudden, brutal acts of violence.

NOTE! I know this is a no-brainer, but don't bother with the embarrasing remake staring Sylvester Stallone. The original 1971 version is the one to see.



Gangster No. 1:

A vicious London gangster, who's name is never revealed to the viewer, climbs his way to the top of the British underworld through decades of torture, murder, psychosis, betrayal and really, really nice suits.

NOTE! This movie has a death scene, shot from the POV of the victim, which is probably the most disturbing and uncomfortable six minutes in movie history. I saw this in a packed theatre when it premiered, and at the end of the scene you could have heard a pin drop in the cinema. Everybody was stunned into complete silence. For pornographic renderings of brutality, Tarantino has nothing on this one.

[CanuckAmok]

106. Spoorloos (aka The Vanishing)

Not to be mistaken with the poor American remake, this Dutch/French co-production about a man trying to find his vanished girlfriend is one of the most suspenseful and frightening movies ever.

Creepiest villain ever.

This movie will haunt you for years.

[CanuckAmok]

111. The King of Comedy, and After Hours.

Martin Scorsese's most unusual films, and two distinctly different departures from his (at the time) regular theme of gangsters.

The King of Comedy:
You're probably wondering how a movie starring Robert De Nero, Jerry Lewis and Sandra Bernhard can be any good. It can. Go rent it. NOW! Rupert Pupkin (De Nero) is obsessed with becoming a comedy great. However, when he confronts his idol, talk show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis), with a plea to perform on the Jerry's show, he is only given the run-around. He does not give up, however, but persists in stalking Jerry until he gets what he wants. Eventually he must team up with his psychotic Langford-obsessed friend Masha (Sandra Bernhard) to kidnap the talk show host in hopes of finally getting to perform his stand-up routine. Why are you still reading this? You're supposed to be at the video store.




After Hours:
(from an IMDB review:) Conjure up an urban world where apparently friendly young ladies all turn out to be somewhere between odd and crazy. Then imagine you're up here to see one such girl and your last bill has flown out of the cab window on the way. Then pretend your date has committed suicide, you've somehow got branded as a serial robber, and another girl is after you with her ice cream van. You could well be Paul Hackett stranded in New York's SoHo in the early hours miles away from your uptown word processing job. You've got some change but since the subway fares went up at midnight, not enough to get back. Who do you call? Definitely not the police.

[ghostsofgiants]

131. Holy shit, the ending of that film creeps the hell out of me.

I just wish Criterion dvds weren't so damn expensive, because I want that dvd.

[peacebuzzard]

112. anyone here familiar with "State of Siege"?

I would like to find it.

[CanuckAmok]

113. Breakdown

Why is CanuckAmok suggesting a mainstream American movie starring Kurt Russell?

Mind your own business and see this movie. One of the best chase scenes ever, and a bad-guy played to menacing perfection by the late J.T. Walsh.

[peacebuzzard]

114. How about "How Tasty was My Little Frenchman"

another one I would like to see. any reviews???

[CanuckAmok]

115. The Wages of Fear.

In the South American jungle supplies of nitroglycerene are needed at a remote oil field. The oil company pays four men to deliver the supplies in two trucks. A tense rivallry develops between the two sets of drivers and on the rough remote roads the slightest jolt can result in death.

The men who take the offer to drive are stragglers in a remote village, and there's no explanation of who they are or why they are there. Some people say the movie is post-apocalyptic. Others say it's certainly post-war, in a community of deserters or war criminals.

[CanuckAmok]

117. Go Tell the Spartans

Burt Lancaster movie about American "advisors" sent to Viet Nam in the early stages of the war.

It's not a spectacle like Apocalypse now, nor is it as introspective as The Deer Hunter, but it's a brutally-shot masterpiece of subtlety and intelligence.

[CanuckAmok]

118. Three Canadian films..... Hard Core Logo, Shoot, Cube

Hard Core Logo: (from IMDB) A psuedo-rockumentary along the lines of 'This is Spinal Tap', we follow director Bruce Macdonald as he follows punk bank Hard Core Logo on a harrowing last-gasp reunion tour throughout Western Canada. As magnetic lead-singer Joe Dick holds the whole magilla together through sheer force of will, all the tensions and pitfalls of life on the road come bubbling hilariously to the surface.

It's not as light as that synopsis makes it sound. It's actually a rather dark movie, focusing on the tragic consequences of the dysfunction between these four men. Joe Dick is the leader, and he's a control freak alpha male who must be the centre of attention. Billy Talent is the guitarist who has agreed to join the tour because he is waiting for his major-label band's commitment to record. Pipefitter is the bumbling comedy relief with a passive-aggressive approach to drumming and to life itself, and John "Ox" Oxenburger is the bass player who's mental illness must be controlled by a cocktail of prescription medications, which he loses early in the tour. Canadians will appreciate the fact that Bruce McDonald makes Terry David Mulligan look like the asshole he really is, and the disparaging references and in-jokes about being an artist in Canada.

Quentin Tarantino says it's one of his favourite movies ever, and he liked it so much he subsidised the US theatrical and video releases. Sadly, not many people bothered to see it, but it's so worth looking for. I worked on it, too, which makes me somewhat attached to it. I think it's the best movie I've ever worked on.

Plus Best. Cinematic. LSD. Scene. Ever.

Favourite quotes:
Pipefitter: "Oh, man... I killed a goat! That's real bad."

and

Billy Talent: (after Victoria questions Bucky Haight really getting his legs shot off) He showed us his stump, Victoria. Ever see a man's stump? Guy's like, (in a poor mock-English accent) "Go on, man. I want you to know how it feels. Touch it. Touch my stump." Disgusting! So don't tell us that Bucky Haight wasn't shot, cause we were there. We touched his stump."




Shoot: (from IMDB) When boredom, pride and a mad second of misjudgement leaves a hunter shot dead by one of five combat veterans also hunting in the Canadian hills, it is expected a police investigation will follow, but when the veterans discover the incident has not been reported, the leader of the team, Major Rex (Cliff Robertson) suspects the other party maybe plotting revenge. Convinced that he, his party, and their families will be targets themselves he decides to beat his suspected assailants at their own game, grouping together more army comrades and stocking up an arsenal of weapons for the forthcoming battle.

An analogy of the Cold War arms race, this 1976 movie is SOOO out of print, with no hope for a DVD release. Too bad. It picks up where movies like Deliverance and Southern Comfort leave off. Maybe you'll find a copy in the sale bin at Blockbuster. Buy it for me?



Cube: Seven total strangers awaken one day to find themselves alone in a giant cubical maze. Once they meet, they work together using their given skills and talents to survive the deadly traps which guard many of the colored cubic rooms. Using Leaven's mathematical skills, they press forward, upword, and downward through the hatches to try and find the outer shell. I think the ending is sort of weak, but the premise and the script are very good. This movie was made in a warehouse in Toronto in 1997, and cost just $400,000 to produce, due mostly to the fact that every scene takes place in an identical (but differently lit and oriented) room.

[NNadir]

122. Aguirre, the Wrath of God.

[NNadir]

123. Brother from Another Planet.

[CanuckAmok]

124. One more... "Man Bites Dog"

Brilliant.

This 1992 movie is eerily prescient in its take on the then-nascent "reality TV" genre.

A mockumentary about a TV crew following and interviewing a seriel killer as he murders people.

Not for the squeamish, but if you can get past the graphic violence, there's a brilliant black comedy in there somewhere.

[ghostsofgiants]

132. Man, you have good taste.

[CanuckAmok]

142. Oh, stop!

[CanuckAmok]

125. anything written and/or directed by Hal Hartley.

Except maybe "Henry Fool", which doesn't measure up to the rest.

[yellowdogintexas]

126. update: "I Capture the Castle"...just wonderful..

also "Stiff Upper Lips" outstanding sendup of all those
upper crust British movies. like..."Passage to India",

[Godhumor]

130. L.A. Story and Tigerland

L.A. Story remains one of my all time favorite Steve Martin movies, period.

Tigerland was also one of the better "War" movies to come out maybe ever. Just be aware that the language is, uh, almost to "Deadwood" levels in parts.

[swag]

133. "The American Astronaut" directed by Cory McAbee

Complex, somewhat demented cowboys-in-space homoerotic musical featuring the great music of the Billy Nayer Show.

Also Mickey One, 1965, directed by Arthur Penn and starring Warren Beatty in a Kafkaesque tale of a stand-up comic fleeing the mob. Good luck finding this anywhere. After years of searching (and wondering if the film even existed or if I had merely imagined seeing it so many years before), I finally found it on Laserdisc (of all hapless media) at Scarecrow Video in Seattle. I had to drive out to 132nd and Powell in far East Portland to rent a Laserdisc player so I could dub a copy to VHS for myself. Well worth the struggle, though. A great neglected surrealistic movie. Gore Vidal may hate Arthur Penn, but I can't.

[GCP]

141. Silent Running

Bruce Dern gives a great performance and the droids were lovely! Very sad music and a very sad story.

[long_green]

144. I forgot one

"Lone Star." I love that movie. Chris Cooper breaks my heart. Frances McDormand has a cameo that reminds why no, I don't want my wife to be a big football fan. Or psychotic.

[Arkham House]

145. The Leonardo di Caprio "Man in the Iron Mask"

Yes, Leo himself is a pretty callow and LA version of Lousi IV...but the *rest* of the film is terrific. It has a great script, terrific performances, and an elegaic sense of the passing of time. It also presupposes that our illiterate generation knows who the Three Musketeers were, which means it actually made a (minimal) demand on its viewer's intelligence...

[pink-o]

146. Three Kings

With George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube. About the 1st gulf war and told like a modern Arabian Nights Fairy tale, with the plight of average Iraqis made obvious.

[Patsy Stone]

149. The Cruise

The Wonder Boys (with Michael O'Keefe and Paul Rodriguez)
Trekkies.