Really good movies no one seems to know

[shizzle787]

I'm not sure what you mean by 'no one seems to know', if it's low box office movies, I've got a few. The Michael Douglas reference reminded my of a couple.

Thinking of Michael Douglas:

• Wonder Boys - Decent movie about an English professor with life problems
• Falling Down - Might be too famous, but a lot of people I talk to haven't seen it and it's great

....

US Cinema:

• Nightcrawlers - Just saw this. Awesome film. Jake Gyllenhaal absolutely crushes it. Belongs on depressing list too I'd think. More Disturbing than anything though
• October Sky - Coming of age about a poor, coal miner's kid who grows up to be a rocket scientist
• Garden State - I don't know why more people haven't watched this. Classic indy film
• Rescue Dawn - Christian Bale. Vietnam POW movie. Underrated under seen.

Sci Fi selections:

• Moon - If you're a fan of sci fi and you haven't seen this, there's something wrong with you
• Man From Earth - If you're a fan of sci fi and you haven't seen this, there's something wrong with you
• A Scanner Darkly - Dystopian Phillip K Dick number. This movie was a flop, but was actually awesome. It was shot digitally, then animated over the top. Great cast. Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson
• The Island - Here's a weird option which doesn't quite fit the title because: Michael Bay. $126m budget. Stars Scarlett Johansson and Ewan McGregor. Huge Ad campaign. And yet, very few people have seen it! Grossed like $36m; $12.5m opening weekend. Quality Sci fi imo.
• Primer - great time travel sci fi movie made for only $7,000!!

Special Addition. I think most on the Yard have heard of it, so perhaps doesn't qualify, but it's a must watch. Idiocracy. Taken at face value, a horribly bad movie. But actually a piece of brilliant satire. It's meant to be bad on purpose. One of the most relevant movies by which to view modern society. Theme song of the Cesspool.

Cult classics in Australia (but not here in the US):

• Chopper - brutal "true" story about about a real life bicycle gangster
• The Castle - Light hearted comedy. THE Australian cult classic. You get to see what a great Character actor Eric Bana is in his first role. Not for everyone.
• Romper Stomper - Russell Crowe before he became Russell Crowe. A low budget movie about Aussie Skinheads
• The Proposition - An Australian western directed by musician Nick Cave. Really underrated

While we're talking Foreign Films, because most Americans haven't seen them, I've got a ton. Some really popular, some not so:

• The Orphanage - Spanish Horror/Thriller. Really freakin' creepy. Foreign horror movies are better imo (The Ring etc)
• Old Boy - Crazy Korean thriller. Also brilliant.
• La Haine - French day in the life of 3 ghetto kids in a time of unrest. Probably won too many awards for this list
• Un prophète - French gangster in prison. Also probably won too many awards for this list
• Death at a Funeral - British dark comedy. Absolutely hilarious. Peter Dinklage
• Withnail and I - British cult classic. Weird. Loved it though. Some of you might need subtitles to understand the English being spoke.
• This is England - Coming of age story with skinheads
• Dead Man's Shoe's - for a straight up no frills revenge flick. Paddy Considine.

etc, etc, etc

Foreign films remade, which are often well known here, but the originals were way better.

• Let The Right One In - Ok, it was remade in the US to a bit of popularity. But the original was, way better. Brilliant Scandi flick
• Die Welle - German movie where teacher does play acting nazi experiment with classroom
  
• El Secrete de Sus Ojos - Argentina. Better than the crappy remake
• The Ring - Japanese. Holy crap. that's how you do a freaky movie
• Abre los ojos - Better than the crappy Tom Cruise remake Vanilla Sky

etc, etc, etc

I could go ham on listing foreign films all night. I think they make better movies these days. Real story. Real characters/actors. Not as much about 'selling' as they are about 'creating'.

Death at a Funeral is one of the funniest movies ever, and October Sky is a great movie. I would suggest you give War Dogs a try. Slumdog Millionaire is a well known movie but it seems like a lot of people haven't seen it.

 

[G0UCONN]

Death at a Funeral is one of the funniest movies ever, and October Sky is a great movie. I would suggest you give War Dogs a try. Slumdog Millionaire is a well known movie but it seems like a lot of people haven't seen it.

Agree on October Sky. Great movie.

War Dogs was good too.

 

[Dove]

FIFY. One of the better Sci-Fi flicks of recent years. I liked it a lot when it came out. Neill Blomkamp has a visual flair as director I like, but he's let himself down with the scripts he's written. I think his best films are still ahead of him though. Wish he had gotten his Halo film off the ground. District 9 was great.

Its a great movie. ts a crime Sharlto Copley didn't get an Oscar nod for it.

 

[G0UCONN]

The Illusionist with Edward Norton is excellent with great ending.

 

[dbmill]

The Illusionist with Edward Norton is excellent with great ending.

Very good movie. Ed Norton good doing the magic thing, but Paul Giamatti as the inspector just about steals the show.

 

[storrsroars]

Thought of two others I particularly like, neither of which did boffo box office. I may have mentioned one or both on another movie thread, but figured I'd drop them here:

The Mexican. Just a fun telling of a story. Nothing Oscar worthy, although James Gandolfini was superb as a gay hitman. Pitt and Roberts were goofy throughout but had good chemistry. Lots of quirky little things to enjoy on the way, like the dog that keeps following Pitt around.

The Matador. Worth it just to see Pierce Brosnan cast out of type as a lonely mean drunk hitman. And he sells it beautifully.

 

[fadero]

A couple of under rated Westerns. Valdez is coming. One of Burt Lancasters best. Seraphin Falls. always watch it when it's on.

 

[storrsroars]

Just watched "A Perfect Day". I knew nothing about this movie, but all the other movies on Netflix at the moment looked like crap and this one had Benecio Del Toro and Tim Robbins, so how bad could it be?

Turns out it was terrific. It's a black comedy about aid workers in Bosnia toward the end of the Bosnian conflict. The whole movie is pretty much about how they're trying to get a corpse out of a well so the villagers can have drinking water. And all the bureaucracy and cultural misunderstandings that get in the way of them doing such a simple task. Based on a true story and surprisingly entertaining for what seems like a rather mundane plot. Highly recommended.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I enjoyed that as well storrsroars.

 

[Blueblood79]

My top movies that you probably haven't seen;

Primer - As someone indicated above great movie low budget but the story hooks you in.

The invitation - This was slow in the beginning but really grabbed me in the end.

Animal Kingdom - Australian movie was also a TV show adapted by the movie but not as good.

Before the Devil knows your dead - One of Phillip Seymour Hoffmans best work

 

[dbmill]

Cold Comfort Farm - From 1995, a hilarious British comedy directed by John Schlesinger and starring Kate Beckinsdale very early in her film career. After the death of her parents, Beckinsdale goes to live with a bunch of her eccentric rural relatives at an exceedingly run down family farm. Ian McKellen has a great supporting role as a fire and brimstone preacher. After seeing this, you will never forget that one of the characters once "saw something nasty in the woodshed".

 

[dbmill]

I posted this a couple of months ago in the Recently Viewed Movies thread, but this definitely belongs here. Brigsby Bear. I really enjoyed this oddball film, although I suspect that not everyone will buy into it. It's a strikingly original movie on among other things the creative process. It also provides Mark Hamill with a late career role that is my idea of the perfect twist from his fame as Luke Skywalker.

 

[manbyrd]

Coherence - one of the better sci-fi movies of the last 5 years and very few people have seen it. On hulu now it seems.

 

[eastmill]

Red Cliff
Three Kingdoms
Hero
Ip Man
Red Rock West
The Killers (Lee Marvin)

 

[storrsroars]

Red Cliff
Three Kingdoms
Hero
Ip Man
Red Rock West
The Killers (Lee Marvin)

The scene where Bernie LaPlante is explaining life and bullshiat to his kid should be required viewing before participating in any political discussion. Nobody has explained it better and more concisely.

 

[Taco]

Igby goes down and Lars & the real girl are both good & unknown. Gattacca is a bit older & is borderline great & only has a cult following.

 

[rogerflash]

Thank you! Cool movies. I'll watch them on the weekends.

 

[dbmill]

Forbidden Planet is simply a terrific movie, and is hardly unknown to anyone who is a fan of classic movies from before 1960. Forbidden Planet is a particular favorite of my wife, and it would be my nomination for best science fiction movie of the 1950’s. It has the added distinction of introducing the world to Robby the Robot, who became something of a pop culture icon who kept popping up in various movies and television shows for many years.

Which version of “We’re No Angels” are we talking about, the Humphrey Bogart one, or the one starring Robert DeNiro? The one with Bogart was one of my mother’s favorite movies, and Bogart is one of my favorite movie actors period. The Bogart version is certainly entertaining. Peter Ustinov is always worth watching, and having such character actors like Basil Rathbone and Leo G. Carroll hanging around is never a bad thing for any movie.

Sahara is a solid WWII movie.

 

[dbmill]

No question, Bogart, Ustinov, and Ray may a fine trio of escapees.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Just watched this for a second time, I think it's excellent. "Mr. Church." Not sure if it even had a theatrical release, definitely haven't heard it talked about. Beautiful, poignant, understated, bittersweet story about an unlikely lifelong friendship. Stars Eddie Murphy and Britt Robertson.

 

[rogerflash]

Enter the Void

It's like seeing the world held under a black light: This is a film that's meant to be experienced, not watched!

 

[nwhoopfan]

Just saw such a movie two nights ago. The Limehouse Golem. Very interesting gothic thriller type film. Complex plot with many inter-connected characters and the acting is good.

Just saw that, really enjoyed it...until the end. The twist kinda pissed me off. Agree the acting was good. Bill Nighy always gives a good performance, and I thought Olivia Cooke was fantastic. I think "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" is the only time I've seen her before.