Kinda ironical. Kinda.
All the movies I was going to mention have already be mentioned except…
Zero Effect
The Wicker Man. Some of you probably have seen this. I think it’s one of the best movies ever.
Def by Tempation. I am the only person I know who has seen this movie. Very interesting take on the succubus.
Sorta saw it…rented it from NetFlix and about 10 minutes before the end, the DVD screwed up.
Never did see the ending…last I saw was a bizarre parade going down the street…
However, up to that point, I was sorta underwhelmed, so maybe if I see it on some cable channel, I’ll tape the last few minutes…
The parameters here are a little fuzzy. Most of the films listed so far I would not consider little-known (and I don’t consider myself a film maven). Some films are excellent but obscure because only a very narrow range of people will put up with them (for example, Last Year at Marienbad & Taxi zum Klo). Some films are obscure, and should be even less seen than they are, and yet they are considered influential (Eraserhead). Some films are little-known for what they really are because of unrelated notoriety (Blue Velvet is a wonderfully sweet love story). And some films were once often spoken of but the passage of time has rendered them little-known (for example, Five Easy Pieces or Antonioni’s The Passenger in case you were wondering how Jack ever got a career in movies).
Anyway, here is my incomplete and non-definitive list:
The Dead–Joyce’s story faithfully told by John Huston.
Desperately Seeking Susan–1980’s lower Manhattan life (O, the memories…) vs the burbs. This film and A League of Their Own prove the only decent films made by Madonna are ones in which she is just a supporting character.
The Fire Within–Early Louis Malle at the height of his passionate intensity. What do you do when your crutch for making existence bearable is gone?
Holiday–A Cary & Kate happy love flick with Ms Hepburn at her neurotic best.
Kestrel’s Eye–Swedish documentary of life in a small town from a bird’s viewpoint. Not for lovers of fast edits.
Paths of Glory–Kubrick’s WWI ode to the glories of war starring Kirk Douglas.
Picnic at Hanging Rock–Peter Weir’s film of a school girls outing that doesn’t end the way it should but raises the question of how it did end.
Life is Sweet–Mike Leigh’s depiction of the British working class. Best use of chocolate syrup in a film.
The Rapture–The end of the world according to fundamentalists and what happens when you don’t quite measure up to a stern God’s standards. But, before that, Mimi Rogers tries the swinging lifestyle and David Duchovny gets postalized.
Shoot the Piano Player–French '50s existentialism at its best. Truffaut at his best. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll want to kill yourself afterwards.
The Sorrow & the Pity–Why the French are despised. A documentary of interviews with WWII participants. It slowly becomes apparent who collaborated and who did not.
Truly Madly Deeply–A exquisite love story concerning what happens when your one true love kicks the bucket and you get what you most fervently wish for.
Videodrome–Cronenberg’s view of TV undermining reality.
And I’d like to add my strong endorsement of 3 flicks already mentioned:
**
Local Hero
Housekeeping
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & her Lover
**
Haven’t seen these mentioned (although I have tons of seconds for this list) so far:
Mountains Of The Moon - The tale of Burton and Speake’s quest for the source of the Nile. Unjustly overlooked.
The Stunt Man - A great forgotten gem about the movies. Just bought it on DVD after years of seeing it only on late night TV. Beautiful looking, with a great commentary track from the director and much of the lead cast.
Seconds - The neglected Frankenheimer film with Rock Hudson. Makes you forget all those Hudson/Doris Day flicks, the man had a lot more range than he got credit for. A truly creepy tale.
Castle Keep - A very strange WWII story from the late 60s. Burt Lancaster was that rare thing, a major star willing to take risks with unusual and edgy material like this.
One I haven’t seen mentioned : Time of the Gypsies My first brush with Magic Realism cinema, I think. It’s a genre I’ve come to like a lot.
Kusturica also directed While Father Was Away On Business, which I recall liking a lot.
Does anyone know of a particular French New Wave film that features a scene of someone riding past a traffic jam on a rural road that seems to go on for like 10, 15 min. ? I seem to think it was called “Weekend” or somesuch? Director?
The Legend of 1900 is my current favorite movie. It’s just…well…incredible.
How about:
‘M’ old German B&W film about a serial child killer who brings the heat onto the local criminals who band together to catch him. Extremely chilling and affecting, stars a young and very German Peter Lorrie.
‘The efficiency expert’ Anthony Hopkins in his pre-sir days as a cold-hearted efficiency expert who rediscovers his heart in a chaotic leather factory run by a paternal owner. The climactic scene is yet another one of those slot car racing scenes that you always seem to get these days.
Man bites dog’ An hilarious French mockumentary of a serial killer and the unlucky film crew who follow him. Very dark, but very funny.
It is indeed Weekend by French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard. A remarkable and infuriating film, with that incredibly long single-take traffic jam as a central setpiece. A genuinely Apocalyptic flim like no other.
Oh, and MrDibble, if you liked Time of the Gypsies, you have to check out Underground, also by Kusturica. The best war movie of the 90s hands down. (Kusturica is also quite the actor; check out The Widow of St. Pierre co-starring Juliette Binoche).
Independent film, you can usually find it in a Blockbuster or similar though. Twisted, funny, interesting flick.
Well, now you know two who’ve seen it.
Anna to the Infinite Power - A film I haven’t seen since about 1985 or 86. It’s about cloning. I don’t remember much about the movie except for the fact that I LOVED it. I never see it on TV anywhere in the states, and I can’t seem to find it on video anywhere.
The Opposite of Sex - I never thought this was a little known movie, but I can’t find anyone who’s actually SEEN it who didn’t see it with me. I just love Lisa Kudrow’s character in it.
Foxfire - Angelina Jolie in 1996. I liked it back then, but I’ve only seen it once, so I couldn’t tell you if I’d like it now. My tastes have changed some since then.
Fortress - I think this was an HBO original, from the mid 80s. It took place in Australia. It’s about a teacher and her students getting kidnapped by guys in cartoon masks. “I’m the king of the castle, and you’re the dirty rascal!”
Speaking of twisted, how could I forget these two?
Delicatessan, about a very odd apartment buidling where the butcher on the ground floors serves up new tennants to the old tennants- I suppose it could be subtitled “The Great Escape!”
Baxter, about a murderous family dog. You’ll laugh, but you’ll NEVER look at your dog the same way again! Incredibly disturbing parts, though.
I believe both of these were French with English subtitles, so look in the import section of your video store.
quote:
quote:
Originally posted by The Peyote Coyote
Def by Tempation. I am the only person I know who has seen this movie. Very interesting take on the succubus.
Well, now you know two who’ve seen it.
Cool! What did you think of it, bordelond?
Strange. I’d heard from a couple of people that they were related, and I’m pretty certain Kurosawa’s son has been doing some directing work. You could well be correct, though. Kurosawa isn’t that uncommon a name.
But anyway, the movie I was talking about was Kaïro, but I’m not sure how they got that romanization out of the name. Good movie, in any case.
Strange. I’d heard from a couple of people that they were related, and I’m pretty certain Kurosawa’s son has been doing some directing work. You could well be correct, though. Kurosawa isn’t that uncommon a name.
But anyway, the movie I was talking about was Kaïro, but I’m not sure how they got that romanization out of the name. Good movie, in any case.
Day of the Wolves - Early '70’s movie that QT may have seen before he wrote Reservoir Dogs. I haven’t seen this movie in years, and I can’t find it anywhere. If anyone has a copy, let me know. Great plot, low budget. This movie would have been a better candidate to remake than Ocean’s Eleven.
Corvette Summer - Mark Hammil starred in this movie… I think Annie Potts was in it too. I think he did this very close to the time frame of Star Wars.
Three O’Clock High - Great flick about a bully and a hypoglycemic senior.
:smack: (I love this guy!)
6th and Main with Leslie Nielsen, Beverly Garland and Roddy Mc Dowell. I saw this on cable TV sometime in the seventies. I never saw a promotion for it anaywhere at the time, and I think it was realeased directly to cable (or made for cable) and never had a theatrical release. Anybody know? A brooding slice of life about a disaffected author (Nielsen) whose “great” manuscript is submitted to a publisher without his knowledge by a woman (Garland), thrusting him back into the commercial whirl he was trying to escape. A few other subplots revolve around the lives of downtown Los Angeles denizens, all of whom seem to be escaping from something.
Hellzapoppin, from, I think, the late forties. A zany comedy starring Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson, with appearences by a young Perry Como and Martha Raye among others, and the wildest jitterbug dance scene you ever saw.
I find it interesting that the same person, you, could/would enjoy Until the End of the World (imho…A+ ) and the Cook, the Theif etc, puleeeeeze…& Amazon Women on the Moon?? no Ed Wood or attacking tomatoes??