I was going to call it ‘obscure movies’, but I figure someone will point point out how one movie or the other isn’t that obscure. But anyway this thread is a thinly disguised attempt to discover good recent movies that I haven’t seen yet.
My two suggestions for others .
Chilicothe(sp?): A cool little low-key indie movie that any guy who isn’t ‘Captain Cool’ will totally relate to, and everybody will get laughs from.
The Dao of Steve: Actually the previous applies to it as well.
definitely less than well known is the original hannibal lecter movie, “manhumter.” it was incredibly well done, but hardly anyone knows about it. in my opinion, “silence of the lambs” was not as good. it has gained popularity lately since the release of “hannibal,” but nowhere near what it deserves. definitely recommend this movie.
Twilight of the Cockroaches. It’s a Japanese film that combines animation with live-action. The animation is fairly average anime, but the photography that it is combined with is amazing, the close-up shots make a small apartment into a strange alien world. It’s got quite a bit of humor, but it’s a serious movie that gets rather dark towards the end, with an excellent ending. I recomend it every chance I get.
Fresh.
I can’t even begin to describe this movie, except that it transforms the Urban Ghetto Story in to an artform. But it is brutal.
I agree about Manhunter being an excellent and, until now, much-overlooked film. But it’s out on DVD all over the place. Michael Mann’s vision of Hannibal (he wasn’t a cannibal in those days) is different from Demme’s. I find that I much prefer this first film.
I’ve commented on other neglected films in other threads, but here’s a partial list of my favorites:
The Last of Sheila
Creator
The Adventures of Mark Twain
Two little-known martial arts flicks: Only the Strong and Best of the Best.
Only the Strong stars Mark DiCasco (the star of flops such as The Crow TV series and the Double Dragon movie… aaigigihghhhhh) as a capoeira teacher in Miami at a troubled high school and his conflict with the local gangs. It’s a fairly well-done movie, interesting, and the choreography is great! Plus, it’s a chance to see a martial art most people don’t get exposure to (I’ve never seen capoeira covered in any other movie).
Best of the Best, with Eric Roberts, is a semi-fictional account of the US National Karate team and their training and competition against Team Korea. The movie itself is predictable as all hell and the acting is pretty pathetic, but the martial arts (especially those displayed by Simon Rhee) are phenomenal! Worth seeing for the fight scenes alone (and watching Chris Penn try to act like he knows karate).
Midnight Run, with Robert DeNiro and Charles Grodin didn’t get much attention when it first opened I don’t believe, but its a great little movie. Charles Grodin is at his irritating, annoying, makes-me-want-to-slap him best.
I loved the movie Bottle Rocket, written and directed by Wes Anderson, and starring Owen and Luke Wilson. It’s one of those “capers-gone-bad” movies that is fabulously funny. I rewound it and watched it a second time immediately because I enjoyed it so much.
Try Prick Up Your Ears. Gary Oldman plays Joe Orton, a British playwright who wrote a couple of well-known plays (Loot, What the Butler Saw) in the early 60s.
Cube is a cool little mid-budget sci-fi character study that involves: lotsa dialogue, some math, cool design and effects, fun literary and cinematic references, and a good deal of ambiguity. I love it.
I’m a little embarrassed to recommend a chick-flick, but this is a really good one. Year of the Comet
Less chicky are*The Milagro Beanfield War, Kill Me Again, Living in Oblivion * and Lone Star
the only one that springs to mind right now is Possible Worlds. I can’t really describe it and still do it justice, but the main character is absolutely convinced that his consciousness jumps from infinite earth to infinite earth. He knows much more than he should and he doesn’t know what prevents him from getting the only thing he desires. It’s a great flick that is truly lessened by my half-assed description, but it’s also one of those movies that shouldn’t really be described in the first place.
The Blood of Heroes
A interesting sci fi tale with Rutger Hauer and Joan Chen. Post apocalyptic earth, survivors have gathered into scattered villages and some underground cities. Only people who get to go anywhere are professional “Juggers”. Juggers play a sport which is kind of like american football played on a tiny field (maybe 20 yards) except instead of getting a ball in the endzone, you have to get a dog’s skull jammed onto a stake. Oh, and everyone except the Skull Carrier (or Qwik) has big mean looking mallets and poles to smack everyone around with.
Pretty Brutal but very cool…also has a host of future stars…Vincent D’Onfrio(looking buffed out)…Delroy Lindo. Very Mad Maxish and a sport that looks like it would be popular.
Check out LEOLO. It’s a hilarious film about an ambitious little kid living in Quebec who wishes he was Italian. He goes through adolescence and comes to realize that the girl of his dreams, whom often babysits him, is being turned into a whore by his grandfather. This, and plenty other of quirky adventures along the way, make it a ton of fun!
dirty work
How about one of the most cynical comedies ever produced? The Last Supper I promise it’s like nothing else out there(at least nothing I can think of,) and it’s probably a good one for Cameron Diaz fans too. http://us.imdb.com/Title?0113613
Strictly Ballroom
Try KILLER TONGUE.
A woman, along with her four poodles, holds up with some nuns while waiting for her convict boy toy to get out of prison. A meteorite crashes into her room and a piece of it lands in her soup. Unknowingly, she eats it and then grows a 10-foot tongue who talks like Harvy Fierstein. Then the poodles eat the soup and morph into cranky gay crossdressers. Robert Englund plays a vicious homosexual prison guard obsessed with toupees, and the guy who played Pinhead in HELLRAISER is his lackey.
Oh, wait. Did you want a GOOD movie?
I second the recommendation on Cube and would like to recommend Head. It is a movie with no discernable plot starring the Monkees. It has their best music and good random vignettes. My favorite part is when Micky is in a tank and shoots a Coke machine. Classic.
I would also recommend Brazil (obviously). Terry Gilliam is a genius.
“Himalaya”, released as “Caravans” a few years back. Nominated for an Oscar. Brilliant.