Movies you liked...that people have not heard off...
 

Here are four favorites of mine:

Midnight Run - Robert De Niro, as a bounty hunter, trying to get Charles Grodin, as an accountant who embezzled millions from the mob, from NYC to LA alive.

Cockfighter - Based on the Charles Willeford novel about a man's quest for his sport's highest honor.

Irma Vep - Maggie Cheung stars as Maggie Cheung starring in a remake of a legendary French silent serial about a jewel thief in Paris.

Down By Law - Jim Jarmusch's film about three men in Louisiana (John Luri, Tom Waits, and Roberto Benigni) who land in prison.

Coincidentally, I own all four on DVD.

Walkabout :) A 1971 australian film with Jenny Agutter from Logans Run. I don't guess anyone has heard of it, I cant seem to quit talking about it when movies I like gets mentioned :)

What's Up Tiger Lily?

I think that there are a few people on this board who have heard of this one, but there a many who have never heard of it. Plus, you tell them it's a Woody Allen film, and they run away...
It's just a great comedy, and always gets a laugh out of me.

<i>Montana</i>

Meet The Feebles - Directed by Peter Jackson WAY before LOTR... it's classic shock horror, completely done with puppets and just gets worse as the movie goes on. I love it and I love making people watch it and see their reactions.

Whats Up Tigerlilly is great! haha,, so hilarious.

I don't know if anybody here has ever heard of "True Stories", but its a great movie. A trip inside the mind of David Byrne.

Ghost World, starring Thora Birch (American Beauty), Scarlett Johansson and Steve Buschemi. Brilliant film, based on a graphic novel by Daniel Clowes.
Its about two girls who are best friends, who finsih high school, and basically don't know what to do with themselves, and as they begin to face the real world, and not realise their high school dream, their friendship starts to disintegrate.
Very good stuff; very well scripted, and well acted.

(Oh and good call on Midnight run.....that film was hilarious!)

-C.S. Flim

The Spanish Prisoner.
Twisty mystery. Steve Martin in a dramitic role.

I really liked Ameleie... or however you spell it... I know its French (damn french :) but still.... frigin hilarious.

just watched The Grey Zone. Set in 1944 Auschwitz, asks the question: what is acceptable to do in order to stay alive?

Very understated filming, lots of dread, but no horror. Not an obvious play for emotion or sympathy in it. The "punch" happens as a result of the whole movie, not any speilbergian tricks.

cybermike, I have Walkabout on video. Jenny Agutter is hot, and only 16. Ohhh, the pains are coming back.

Still in the Aussie vein...how about 'Welcome to Woop Woop'. Funny as a farkin crutch.

Run, Lola, Run was awesome, if you can get past subtitles.

Spider was brilliant. I've never seen a movie that has the main actor with *no* intelligible lines.

And Boondock Saints is rapidly becoming known, but still culty.

The Walkabout is a GREAT movie. True, nobody has heard of it though. :(

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Goodbye Pork Pie - early 80's filmed in New Zealand. As best I can recall, very funny.

Slacker - the day in the life thing filmed in Austin with no plot or continuing story; just interesting/weird characters.

Total agreement with Walkabout and Midnight Run. Either The Sundance Channel or IFC showed two versions of Walkabout a few months ago. The second version had running commentary by the filmmaker about making it.

I know a lot of people have heard of this, but they don't really carry it at the movie store.... Donnie Darko.

Grosse Pointe Blank and The Big Lebowski. I usually get a blank stare when I mention these movies.

<i>Fucking Åmål</i> - 16 year old hawt swedish lesbians! Okay it's a gimmick, but the movie has a few bright spots that don't involve it's shameless exploitation of lesbian chic. What I like about this movie is that it really has the potential to make you feel great, not just for the raw sexuality in it, but because of the huge ammount of non-sexual warmth displayed by the two lead actresses.
<i>Au Revoir Les Enfants</I>: This one is a lot better known. It's a French movie about growing up during world war 2, really very touching.

Other than that, everything I can think of right now has already been mentioned.
And what's wrong with subtitles? Is it so hard to read a few lines of text?

Actually, that was mentioned in "Coupling", where the three male leads are sitting in pub talking about film nudity. I think Walkabout was referred to as the "Gold standard for frontal work." Made me want to run out and rent it.

Arrgh! I can't believe I didn't catch that. I've watched that movie three or four times. (Stoned, Abba playing, lots of bright colors and people doing strange things with incomprehensible accents. It works.) I will never be able to take Agent Smith or Elrond seriously again.

Again: ARRRHGH!

<a href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0074937">Murder by Death</a>. Great cast, well written, and funny witty instead of funny stupid.

and

<a href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0083869">Eating Raoul</a> Funny Creepy.

Are we talking about movies that no one <i>here</i> has heard of or the general McMovie-going population? With the crowd at the TFP, it's hard to mention a movie that others haven't heard of, unlike in the general population where you get blank stares for mentioning films like "Waiting for Guffman."

My films are:

Waiting for Guffman - funnier with each viewing.

Pi - weirder with each viewing.

Dreams - more peaceful with each viewing.

Kissing Jessica Stein - more "would you be with a woman" questions for my wife with each viewing.

Until the End of the World - further from the future with each viewing.

Chopper

Yes it was and yes I wanted to...

On a related note, "Coupling" is one of the great tv shows that most Americans haven't heard of. It's a Brit comedy, vaguely like "Friends" but oh so much better. NBC picked up a version of it for next season, but I'm sure it won't be the same. I know it's all new actors, and they were absolutely key to the show. Besides, Sarah Alexander is HOT.

And for movies, maybe it's just because I'm young but most people I know have never heard of, much less seen "Shane." Their loss.

Comments on previously mentioned movies.

- Ghost world was good movie. I'm a fan of Steve Buscemi

- I liked Dead Alive, Peter Jacksons other good movie :) I don't own nor have I watched Meet the Feebles

- Run Lola run was a great movie. I love the repeating days movies like this and Groundhog day.

- Coupling sounds familiar. I believe its comes on BBC america on sunday nights. I've never cought a full episode though.

- Pi was very wierd and somehow very interesting :)

I remember being 1 of the 2 people in my city that owned Boondock Saints on VHS.

That was a cool time.

Right on Soda_BoB, Chopper is one of my all time favorites.
Other than that two of the best I've seen recently are The Princess and the Warrior (by the director of Run Lola Run) and Buffalo '66.

Hahah And the new matrix film is coming out.............Maybe Keaunu will be the one in drag this time

Best non-mainstream movie.
 

I need suggestions for movies that are good but doesn't belong to the mainstream movies. Any genre, language. It could be short movies also.

Ok, and some suggestions from me:
Battle Royale (japanese)
Kids
Bully
Pi
Abre los ojos (spanish)
Requiem for a Dream

Ghost World
Run Lola Run
Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down (Old X-rated Antonio Movie. Kind of twisted)
Red Rock West (Nic Cage, Dennis Hopper)

It's tough to say what is "mainstream" or not. For example, I'd say alot of the films you gave are very mainstream. Perhaps you could give a better qualifier.

Lonestar State of Mind - why this movie went straight to dvd and not a motion picture i don't know. if you ever get bored a need a good laugh [ok huge laugh] gotta rent it.

Anything good that's not Pearl Harbor or Titanic.

Brazil. (kinda wierd, but still good.)

Amalie
Devil's Backbone
Y Tu Mama Tambien
Miyazaki's Spirited Away

Equilibrium
Lagaan
Tom's Midnight Garden

Just to name a few....

PI
Memmento
Ghost in the Shell (Anime)
Ninja Scroll (Anime)

Brazil

my $0.02

I'll 2nd PI (the soundtrack alone is enough to drive you insane) and add O Brother Where Art Thou...if you're from the south like me its even more hilarious than normal

RE: Hugo Weaving in <i>Priscilla, Queen of the Desert</i>

Mr. Anderson.
We've been... watching you for... Quite. Some. Time. Now.

Your rear end is... faaabulous. But.. that black dress has... Got. To. Go.

Tacky, Mr. Anderson. Very Tacky.

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They made us watch that in my high school sociology class. My reaction? Something along the lines of "eh." But, hey, to each their own.

Someone beat me to mentioning Donnie Darko, but it's the best movie I know that has such little recognition.

I can't believe people haven't heard of the Big Lebowski though spectre....do they live in a box??? :confused:

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.

Targets. 1968, by Peter Bogdanovich. Boris Karloff is in it (but is not the lead). A strange little sniper movie. Two thumbs way, way up.

RAD - 80's BMX movie...Not being made any more, very hard to get a hold of. My dad has it on laserdisc somewhere...But I want it!

Ultimate X.
Life is Beautiful
Amelie
American History X

Miike freaks me out, but Audition is one of my all-time favorite movies.
Planet Q was pretty nutty as well.

Buckaroo Banzai.

Fire and Ice; the animation was done by hand over film. I love CGI, but this is old school cartoon animation that is the best Ive seen

Full Metal Jacket, directed by Stanley Kubrick. I have a feeling that it's more popular than I assumed though.

No-one's mentioned 'Clue' yet. Personally one of may favourite 'stupid comedies'.

Movie of the board game, made in the 80s, starring Tim Curry and Christopher Lloyd. Very funny, in a very corny sort of way.

"Miss Peacock was a MAN!?!?"

And.... Equilibrium. Totally. No one seems to have ever heard of this movie, yet it was cool as hell.

Kagemusha
Seven Samurai
Equilibrium
Lost Highway
Mulholland Drive
The Man Who Fell to Earth

Oh and Star Wars ;)

gangster no.1
steve-o 2 don't try this at home world tour
rivers edge - crispin glover is god
spun
city of god
the real cancun

Rickey-Oh(spelling) Its a must watch... its teaches that throwing tombstones is only acceptable for training

and a real old Jackie Chan movie. master with the broken fingers

Circle of Iron
Zardoz

Colossus: The Forbin Project has to be one of the cooles movies of all time.

*Obscure Movie Recommendations*
 

There was a thread similar to this in the last incarnation of TFP but I never got around to printing out that thread. I remember there were alot of good recommendations that I was looking forward to seeing but can only remember a handful...

Here's a few to start, please use the same format if possible :) -


Lock , Stock, & Two Smoking Barrels
Tagline: A Disgrace to Criminals Everywhere.

Plot Outline: Four London working class stiffs pool their money to put one in a high stakes card game, but things go wrong and they end up owing half a million pounds and having one week to come up with the cash.



Up the Creek
Tagline: Get set to get wet ... at the funniest, raciest, wildest white-water raft race ever!

Plot Summary: Bob McGraw is in his 12th year of college, goofing his way through life. Bob, Irwing, Gonzer and Max are the four losers forced and bribed...



Blood and Donuts
Plot Summary: Boya, a vampire who went to sleep in 1969, is awakened in modern day Toronto by a stray golf ball. He becomes involved in the lives of a hapless cabby...



Storm Riders
Plot Outline: An evil warlord takes in 2 students (Wind & Cloud) in an effort to become invincible so he can take over the world.



Near Dark
Tagline: Killing you would be easy, they'd rather terrify you...forever.

Plot Summary: A mid-western farm boy reluctantly becomes a member of the undead when a girl he meets turns out to be part of a band of southern vampires who roam the highways in stolen cars. Part of his initiation includes a bloody assault on a hick bar.



City of Lost Children, The
Tagline: Where happily ever after is just a dream.

Plot Outline: A scientist in a surrealist society kidnaps children to steal their dreams, hoping that they slow his aging process.



use this site if it helps... Internet Movie Database

Twin Falls Idaho
Plot: Francis and Blake Falls are Siamese twins who live in a neat little room in a rundown hotel. While sharing some organs, Blake is always fit and Francis is very sickly. Into their world comes a young lady (Michele Hicks), who turns their world upside down. She gets involved with Blake, and convinces the two to attend a Halloween party, where they can pass themselves off as wearing a costume. Eventually Francis becomes really ill, and they have to be separated. They then face the physical and mental strains that come from their proposed separation.

The Specials
Tagline: Not as good as regular superheroes, but slightly better than you.

Plot: America's 7th Best Superhero Team, the Specials, are a group of geeks and oddballs. We get to see one day in their lives as fan and new member Nightbird joins the group. The Specials try to launch a line of action figures and deal with their leader, The Strobe, disbanding the group after he finds out his wife Ms. Indestructible and The Weevil having an affair.

But I'm a Cheerleader
Tagline: A Comedy Of Sexual Disorientation

Plot: Megan is an all-American girl. She's a cheerleader, she has a boyfriend, etc. But she doesn't like kissing her boyfriend very much. And she's pretty touchy with her cheerleader friends. And she only has pictures of girls up in her locker. Her parents and friends conclude that she *must* be gay and send her off to "sexual redirection" school, full of admittedly homosexual misfits, where she can learn to how to be straight. Will Megan be turned around to successful heterosexuality, or will she succumb to her love for the beautiful Graham?

heres two great examples of Japanese cinema.

AUDITION
tagline: will leave you cowering.
very very disturbing film. but well worth the watch.

BATTLE ROYALE
tagline: 'lord of the flies' with guns. fantastic watch.

has anyone seen - "Flesh and Blood", "Jabberwocky" or "Hour of the Pig", Anazapta, Mean Machine? any good?

Jabberwocky is terrible if you think it is going to be a Monty Python-esque film. Its not. I went into it with that mindset, and it was horrible. Even after knowing this, i refuse to watch it.

Grosse Pointe Blank
Tagline: Even A Hit Man Deserves A Second Shot!

Plot Outline: Martin Blank is a professional assassin. He is sent on a mission to a small Detroit suburb, Grosse Pointe, and, by coincidence, his ten-year high school reunion party is taking place there at the same time.

And Maveric, Near Dark kicked ass!