# Name a little-known movie that deserves more recognition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [August 18, 2022, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922 "2022-08-18T23:52:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922/1 "2022-08-18T23:52:05Z")
Of course “little known” is relative. Here, it could refer to older movies, non mainstream ones, foreign films or whatever you want. So I nominate the great film “Local Hero”. If you want to quibble about how well this is known, please see above. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922/2 "2022-08-18T23:56:08Z")
I love “Local Hero,” great cast and very quirky. Mine is “Sirens” with Sam Neill, Tara Fitzgerald, Portia diRossi, Elle McPherson and unfortunately Hugh Grant but in a role he doesn’t completely suck in. It’s beautiful and funny and sexy in a very wholesome way, never fails to put a smile on my face and get me into a better mood. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922/3 "2022-08-18T23:58:55Z")
_Seeking a Friend for the End of the World_ is a good one. An asteroid is coming to end all life on Earth. The last-gasp attempt to divert its path or destroy it has failed. The end _is_ coming. This talks about what people will do in their final days. _Safety Not Guaranteed_ is another sci-fi movie. A woman meets and falls in love with someone who claims to be creating a time machine. But is he nuts, or is this for real? _12_ is an excellent modern-day Russian interpretation of the classic _12 Angry Men._ In this case, the defendant is a young Chechen accused of murdering his stepfather, who was an officer in the Russian military. And even though it’s a recent Disney animated film, _Raya and the Last Dragon_ deserves another look-see from most. It was released the same year as _Encanto_, which overshadowed it and became a pop-cultural sensation. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922/4 "2022-08-19T00:04:32Z")
_[Off the Map.](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0332285/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2)_ _[(Untitled)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1132193/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)_ ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922/5 "2022-08-19T00:05:49Z")
My favorite film of all time was a box office bomb. > **[Dark City (1998 film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_City_(1998_film))** > > Dark City is a 1998 neo-noir science fiction film directed by Alex Proyas and starring Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, Richard O'Brien, and Ian Richardson. The screenplay was written by Proyas, Lem Dobbs, and David S. Goyer. In the film, Sewell plays an amnesiac man who, finding himself suspected of murder, attempts to discover his true identity and clear his name while on the run from the police and a mysterious group known as the "Strangers". > Primarily shot ... ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922/6 "2022-08-19T00:09:53Z")
[Miss Nobody](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Nobody_(2010_film)) is one of the best black comedies I’ve seen. [Whiplash](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiplash_(2014_film)) is unforgettable due to J. K. Simmons’ fantastic acting. [The Loved Ones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Loved_Ones_(film)) is one of my favorite horror films. [Black Robe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Robe_(film)) is my favorite movie about Native Americans. (Indigenous Canadians might be a better term.) I’ve probably watched it a dozen times. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922/7 "2022-08-19T00:10:42Z")
LOVED Dark City! ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922/8 "2022-08-19T00:25:58Z")
There was a group of horror remakes of AWFUL old films. Most of these remakes were legitimately good/great films. Sewell stars in She Creature- a great, atmospheric, sexy horror film about mermaids. Earth VS The Spider- What if the spider bit Peter Parker and things went horribly and tragically wrong? How To Make A Monster- a fun monster movie The remake of I Was A Teenage Caveman sucked though. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922/9 "2022-08-19T00:27:57Z")
Night Breed- marketed as a slasher film it’s actually a fairy tale for adults. A broken misfit finds belonging and becomes a hero. It’s my favorite movie. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922/10 "2022-08-19T00:29:58Z")
_I’m Gonna Git You Sucka_ is hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922/11 "2022-08-19T00:34:35Z")
Seek out [The Station Agent](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/station_agent), a small movie starring Peter Dinklage as a train lover who buys an abandoned railroad station to live in. He wants mostly to be left alone, but ends up connecting with a few locals who have their own quirks. A wonderful movie. mmm ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922/12 "2022-08-19T00:43:33Z")
Bicentenial Man- It was marketed as a wacky comedy for kids. It’s very much not. The one line that best sums up the movie is “It’s not fair that you can cry and I can’t.” It’s a wonderful exploration of what it means to be human. Stars Robin Williams. Cronos- I read the description in the tv guide and expected a cheezy vampire flick I just had to see. Instead, Cronos is a sophisticated film that asks ‘would you really want to live forever? and how much would you be willing to pay?’ Ron Perlman plays a henchman. The film is in Spanish with English subtitles Adventures Of Mark Twain- A claymation masterpiece! Twain, Huck, Tom and Sally ride an airship to rendevous with the comet. Some parts are very dark indeed. The soundtrack is awe inspiring as well. ---
**Author:** ![3AxisCtrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/ecd19e/32.png) [@3AxisCtrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3AxisCtrl)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922/13 "2022-08-19T01:02:14Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > I nominate the great film “Local Hero”. I came to this thread to do the same. Curiously, this was one of the (many dozens of) movies available on a recent flight from Europe to the US. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922/14 "2022-08-19T01:11:36Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > Bicentennial Man- It was marketed as a wacky comedy for kids. It’s very much not. The one line that best sums up the movie is “It’s not fair that you can cry and I can’t.” It’s a wonderful exploration of what it means to be human. Stars Robin Williams. _Bicentennial Man_ is a wonderful movie. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922/15 "2022-08-19T01:16:29Z")
One of my favorite films, but getting old enough that maybe two generations have never heard of it: _[The Man in the White Suit](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044876/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)_ ---
**Author:** ![rippingtons\_fan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rippingtons_fan/32/11767_2.png) [@rippingtons\_fan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rippingtons_fan)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922/16 "2022-08-19T01:18:41Z")
I’ve always liked “You’ll Find Out!”, starring Kay Kyser, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Peter Lorre. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922/17 "2022-08-19T01:23:59Z")
How’s this for obscure (but well deserving of recognition): > **[God Bless the Child (TV Movie 1988) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095227/)** > > God Bless the Child: Directed by Larry Elikann. With Mare Winningham, Grace Johnston, L. Scott Caldwell, Obba Babatundé. Single mother Theresa Johnnson becomes homeless, loses her job, and tries to survive with her young daughter Hillary through... From a quick browse, it’s out of print in North America, and available only from the UK in PAL and Region 2 format, which is generally useless with most DVD players on this side of the pond. But it’s well written and beautifully acted by all, including the little girl. Very powerful ending. I wish I could say more about it but I don’t want to spoiler it. You might be able to catch it streaming somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922/18 "2022-08-19T01:27:39Z")
_Waking Ned Devine_ (or _Waking Ned_ outside of North America) is a funny and quirky Irish film from 1998. In the U.S., it was only in limited release in theaters; I only saw it a couple of years later on home video. I gather that it might be a bit better-known in Ireland and England than it is here. > **[Waking Ned Devine (1998) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166396/)** > > Waking Ned Devine: Directed by Kirk Jones. With Ian Bannen, David Kelly, Fionnula Flanagan, Susan Lynch. When a lottery winner dies of shock, his fellow townsfolk attempt to claim the money. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922/19 "2022-08-19T01:28:41Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Seek out [The Station Agent](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/station_agent), a small movie starring Peter Dinklage as a train lover who buys an abandoned railroad station to live in. He wants mostly to be left alone, but ends up connecting with a few locals who have their own quirks. > > A wonderful movie. > > mmm Good one. Literally the first DVD I ever rented through Netflix, circa 2005. I’ll submit _You Can Count on Me_, which has a similar vibe in some ways. Also _The Straight Story._ ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922/20 "2022-08-19T01:30:11Z")
_A Lesson Before Dying_. A young, unintelligent Black man is found guilty of a murder he didn’t commit in the early 20th century in the Deep South. His former schoolteacher, played by Don Cheadle, is basically extorted into giving him some dignity before his death. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-little-known-movie-that-deserves-more-recognition/969922.md?page=2)