How about The Thirteenth Floor and eXistenZ, two movies about virtual reality that came out about the same time as The Matrix, so they got lost in the shuffle.
I think The Thirteenth Floor is an overlooked gem. It gets extra points because it’s based on the seminal VR novel, Daniel F. Galouye’s 1964 Simulacron-3. The latter is a David Cronenberg film, which definitely makes it worth watching.
I saw it once years ago on cable. The only thing I remember was that Israel and its Arab neighbors had united to form a superpower. I know Elvis Costello sang a song but I wasn’t a fan so I have no recollection of it.
I remember ads for it, but I don’t know if it was when it was in the theater or if it was a frequent Saturday afternoon movie. Never actually saw it.
I remember seeing the video at a rental store, but was never interested enough to rent it.
I was in high school when “Americathon” was in the theaters, for about a week. Never saw it, but it appears to have been forgotten for some very good reasons.
Ditto “Rabbit Test”, where Billy Crystal played the world’s first pregnant man.
No, not cringeworthy. But neither is it worth of including in the Comedy Movie Hall of Fame.
The entire premise is based upon the idea that the United States has gone broke. Well, it will in a few weeks’ time, when its outstanding loans are due. And who are they due to? Native Americans, who, thanks to oil being discovered on their reserves, are now multi-trillionaires, and who were willing to loan the US Government what it needed. But now the loan is due, the Native Americans want their money, and the US doesn’t have it.
Somebody comes up with the idea for a telethon (hence, an “Americathon”) to raise money from ordinary Americans. Okay so far; it worked for Jerry Lewis. But somebody who has some kind of business interests with the Native Americans stands to gain if the Americathon fails, and books nothing but second-rate ventriloquist acts for the show.
It has to be seen to be believed, and some of the sight gags make no sense today (signs saying “Smoking is Prohibited,” which are normal today, but not in 1976), but I’d say that it’s worth watching at least once. If it’s not to your taste, you need never watch it again.
I remember the plot very well; like I said, I saw it several times on cable. The debt was actually 400 billion dollars, owed to just one Native American, who owned National Indian Knitting Enterprises. The real Nike was just starting to make a name for itself at the time the movie was made. Oil has run out; people live in their cars and ride bicycles to get around. Meat Loaf plays a daredevil who fights the last working automobile on the telethon.
And on the subject of goofy '70s movies, does anyone else remember The Big Bus?
Oh yeah! One of my favourites, and I wish I had it on some form of media. A perfect sendup of all those 1970s disaster movies. “Shoulders” O’Brien, and Henry Joyce (“He’ll play your choice, right here in the Oriental Lounge”) and so much more.
Damn! Fun picture; it should still be out there.
We still love WUTL but do find ourselves fast-fowarding more than we used to. Don’t ask me “why egg salad.”
It’s been forever since I saw that. Thought it was hilarious, and the twist on “invisible but not crazy” was genius.
Special Bulletin (1983). It seems to have been overshadowed by The Day After, released the same year. Special Bulletin was very much in the mould of H.G. Welles’ The War Of The Worlds broadcast. It annoyed me a little that they put disclaimers that it’s only fiction at every commercial break.
Unfortunately, it’s only available on VHS and I haven’t been able to make our VCR work with our newest TV.
I’m a big fan of con game movies, and have to agree that A Big Hand for the Little Lady is a classic of the type. Especially because it doesn’t appear to be a con game until the end.
It’s on YouTube, which is where I finally saw it.
Lots of people at the time figured out it wasn’t real, because in addition to it not being in real time (WOTW wasn’t either) they weren’t talking about it on any other channels.
I’ll have to look for it there… unless you have a link?
“Special Bulletin” is very easy to find.
I did forget about that one! How about Mysterious Island?
It was a based off of a 3-5 minute short film that first appeared on MTV. I never saw the movie, but the short film was pretty amusing.
I saw that as it aired, and I thought it was effective, though I was well aware it was false. (For one thing the TV anchorman was one of the actors from St Elsewhere.)
Same here, but I didn’t recognise the actor because I’ve never seen St. Elsewhere.
I just watched it a couple of days ago. Classic Harryhausen effects and Bernard Hermann score. Warning: don’t waste your time watching the 2005 TV movie (starring Kyle MacLaclan and Patrick Stewart) unless you want to be sorely disappointed.