I read the book in 8th or 9th grade. It was decent.

The movie I can think of would be On Any Sunday. Its a movie made in 1969 about motorcycle racing. Of course I thought I was the only person who had seen it until I mentioned it to a motorcyclist. It's like a cult classic to them I guess.

Lonestar (by John Sayles) is one of the best movies ever made. It's about: small town racism, generational conflict, affects of military on rural towns, sports fanatacism and border politics. And it's a first rate love story and a murder mystery too.

It has (obviously) multiple plot lines, but they never confuse. It has a large cast that is all first rate, and doesn't bite off more than it can chew. Sayles is a genius filmmaker.

Oh yeah, his other films are good too. Try "Matewan" or "The Secret of Roan Inish".

how about:

Lonestar (just singing it's praises in another thread)
Matewan
Trainspotting
Time Bandits
Run Lola Run
Fandango
Name of the Rose

None of these is particularly obscure, but they are not Pearl Habor! I would recommend them to anyone that loves movies.

One Hour Photo
Waking Life
Secretary

Arlington road - bad guys win
brazil - just an odd movie
pi - as said above gets weirder with each viewing

brazil is a good one

Buffalo 66

They Might Be Giants - movie where a guy thinks he is Sherlock Holmes. One of the best perfomances from George C. Scott. You really grow to love the characters.

Comedy: The life of brian
Thriller : Irreversible
SF : Metropolis
Drama : Festen
Feel good : Le fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain
Horror : Braindead

Brazil is great but did you see Time Bandits ?

boondock saints

office space

Yeah! I love this movie.

I also vote for

Momento
Run Lola Run

Free Enterprise (William Shatner raps LOL)
summary from IMDB "Young filmmakers (Robert Weigel, Eric McCormack) trying to hawk a movie titled "Bradykillers" about a serial killer who goes after victims Marcia, Jan, and Cindy meet their screen idol, William Shatner. Shatner, appearing as himself, has fun poking fun at his own image. The two young men, who idolize him and in their fantasies have seen him as a shadowy fairy godfather figure, are alarmed at the reality of the middle-aged non-Captain Kirk man that they meet. However, their relationship helps anchor the two more into reality."

Equilibrium (this movie kicks ass)
Comic Book Villians (very dark comedy)

Conspiracy

Tim, from the novel by Catheleen McCullough, same author as the Thornbirds. EARLY Mel Gibson. Good movie, even better book.

Quiet Earth, New Zealand, mid 80's, sci-fi appocalypse film with a twist at the end. VERY good and underrated IMO.

Dead Alive, New Zealand (hmm), mid 80's, zombie film. Dawn of the Dead but extremely funny, with a love story thrown in.

hrmmm..."Death to Smoochy" That movie was all kinds of messed up.

Betty Blue

I guess this means independent movies. . .I would say 100 Girls, it's really cute.

Schizopolis. A movie directed by and starring Steven Soderbergh that unfortunately is only available on VHS, last I checked. But it makes Office Space look hackneyed and naive by comparison.

BOONDOCK SAINTS, i had to order it from canada to get it on dvd back in the day, but now its a cult fav so its easy to find anywhere.

O and i can't forget the best of the worst "Army of Darkness" Some people believe Bruce Cambell is a god, and rightfully so.

Army of Darkness

Yes, yes I am aware that every here knows what I'm talking about, but when I bring it up with a new group of people usually I get blank stares.

Just picked up my Boomstick edition!

An old fav of mine is 3 Days of the Condor.

If you liked Fucking Åmål you might like Tillsammans by the same director. I think the international title was Togheter. It's about the life in a '70s collective. I don't like the director but I found this movie a bit entertaining. If you want to be depressed, he also made Lilja 4-ever, about a russian girl who gets tricked to Sweden and has to become a prostitute.

Good recommendations, although I'm surprised at what some of you think we haven't heard of...

Anyway, my recommendation is a charming, yet dramatic film from 1999 called After Life. I'm sure some of you have seen it, but it didn't get a widespread release so I think it was under a lot of folks' radars. What is the one memory you would take with you?

Amelie - Amazing and quirky French flick about love
The Big Lebowski - "The Dude"
Red Violin - A very good movie depicting the life of a violin throughout all of its owners. It looks like a series of short films, but it all comes together in the end. Some know about it, eithers have no clue and think I'm talking about the Red Shoe Diaries.
I'll post others as I remember them..

An old girlfriend made me watch that. I remember being terrified because it sounded awful but it's actually an incredibly powerful movie. Very good.

I got a few to add. Crippled Masters. Martial arts movie about two crippled Kung Fu heroes, one with no arms and one with no legs. Subtitled, of course. Doesn't get any better than that. Wait for the wheelbarrow scene. My god if that doesn't make you laugh nothing will.

Also Orgazmo, horrible but horribly funny.

Just watched Donnie Darko th'other night. 12 Monkeys meets Catcher in the Rye. Good Stuff.

a great movie I saw years ago was called 'The Emerald Forest' about a boy who was abducted and raised by a tribe in the amazon. Very powerful movie.

The Last Seduction with Bill Pullman and Linda Fiorentino... she plays an excellent bitch.

I own a copy of this, but only because I'm a collector of Lovin' Spoonful.

some good comedies:
God of Cookery d. Stephen Chiau: kung fu plot + iron chef
Tampopo d. Juzo Itami: spaghetti western plot + oodles of (ramen) noodles
chunking Express d. Wong Kar-Wai: just good romantic fun

Lets see...
Pi- Cool movie, the end still creeps me out.

Harold and Maude- I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned it... really funny movie about a kid with a fixation on death and him falling in love with an old woman. Its hilarious.

Buffalo 66- I know a few other people have mentioned it, but it deserves another mention. "Meet the Parents" seems like a poor attempt at a rip-off of this movie.

Daytrippers- I missed the very beginning, but it's a good movie.

used cars with kurt russell
stay as you are-young nastasia kinski neekid

City of God and La Haine

The really creepy thing about Harold and Maude (other than sex between a teenager and an octogenarian) is the Cat Stevens soundtrack. Love the movie, but Cat Stevens gives me the willies when he doesn't give me the heebie jeebies.

Quick Change - with Bill Murray.
The Squeeze - Michael Keaton

Don't know why these two light weight comedies didn't get more play. Well worth a rental!

The Man Who Sued God

Austrailian comedic drama about a down on his luck fisherman who decides to take the Almighty to court in order recoup the insurance money from his boat that was struck by lightning after it was ruled an act of God.

God of Cookery, Shaolin Soccer, King of Comedy - Stephen Chow is awesome

Dead Alive - good old Peter Jackson

Happiness of the Katakuris, Audition - director: Takeshi Miike, he goes off the deep end sometimes but that is what makes them soo great.

The Atomic Bomb movie - restored nuke test footage colorized and put on DVD with a bassy soundtrack. Beautiful images.