Now that you mention it, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out this is common with outdoor shots to get a scenic beach scene or view into the movie. Was this some well known location?
Proof. A 1991 Australian film about a blind photographer. Very charming, and it has some hilarious scenes.
Frozen. No, not that one. The suspense/horror film made in 2010. I really enjoyed it.
Dogfight. My favorite film with River Phoenix, who I miss to this day. Arguably his best performance; arguably the best film he was in. A Marine meets a wannabe folk singer the night before he ships out for this little country in Asia. The date is November 21st, 1963. It’s a very offbeat love story. And in a way, it’s a love letter to San Francisco. (Also, look for a then-unknown Brendan Fraser as the sailor who brawls with three other Marines.)
If you’re gonna watch Dogfight, it would be a good idea for This Boy’s Life to be the next film you watch. Leonardo DiCaprio’s first film, not counting a couple of walk-ons. River Phoenix died in 1993, the same year this was released, and Leo was a big admirer of his, and probably studied his performances. If he did, it paid off. Not many people saw this film either, but among those who did, there was no doubt that this kid was going places. Also worth noting that Robert DeNiro agreed to be under-billed for this, because the movie was not about his character and he didn’t want to overshadow it. (Or turn off people who expected a different kind of movie, based on his presence in it.)
In the Western genre, I’d nominate The Oxbow Incident, a 1940s William Wellman film starring Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Harry Morgan and Anthony Quinn, among others. A very dark film about mob violence and lynching that got mixed reviews, but which lost the Oscar to Casablanca.
Reminds me, one of our favorite Christmas movies is The Ref. It didn’t do that well at the time, and IIRC Siskel and Ebert were pretty cold on it, but we like it. “Slipper socks. Medium”.
You should also give A Child’s Christmas in Wales (1987 version) a try, based on the Dylan Thomas poem, starring Denholm Elliott. A very sweet rendering and a good Christmas Eve movie.
I liked it, athough I didn’t think I was going to.
A little Australian film that I liked a lot was Me Myself I with Rachel Griffiths. A kind of body switch with herself. Nicely done “road not taken” story.
That’s a good review for a movie. I only know a few others who have seen the movie but all of them said something similar about it. One might think the movie needs a more attractive title but I think it turned out to be just right for the movie. Maybe not so much for profit though.
Yeah, the title was actually rather perfect, but I think that it’s what put me off.
I didn’t like it since I knew the backstory it was based on and I though the only direction Aubrey Plaza got was, “Be kooky.”
I’ll present Hollywood Knights. As a hint, Robert Wuhl was on a talk show promoting Arliss and mentioned his role as Newbombe Turk and the audience gave him a standing ovation.
For foreign films, Shall We Dance was great (the Japanese film, not the American one) if you want a rom-com and Raise the Red Lantern for drama.
A few more I remembered:
Happy Accidents with Vincent D’onofrio and Marisa Tomei. I really loved this movie. It hit me in just the right place. When I sussed out who Holland Taylor was before D’onofrio, I was so sad. .
“Xiu Xiu - the Sent Down Girl.” Very depressing, but I’m glad I saw it.
“The Salton Sea” – I don’t know how well this one was publicized when it came out, but it was new to me when I found it about five years back.
So many good films here. It’s brought back some memories.
But so far, not one nod for Big Trouble In Little China?
Kurt Russell as a nincompoop in over his head, trying to John-Wayne his way through on sheer bravado. Kim Cattrall, brainy and tough as the love interest. A cast filled with Asians (appropriately enough) so no yellowface concerns, and old-style special effects for the mystical powers and fight scenes.
I laughed my way through this four times in the theater. Took friends the last three times; they just didn’t get it.
I love that film, but it’s not what I think of when I think of “little-known.” Granted, it didn’t do particularly well at the box office, but it’s become a cult hit, and at least among my circle of nerdy friends, it’s very well-known, and frequently quoted.
Three Kings.
Not your typical war movie.
It’s not Christmas without The Ref. " Your husband ain’t dead, lady. He’s hidin’.
I assume that’s a typo, but I can’t figure out what word you were going for.
I think it wasn’t a typo – I suspect that it was meant, as a play on “star-studded cast,” to indicate that it is full of hammy actors.
Why? It’s bigly-known!
I’m guessing that’s it. When I think of ham and studded, I think of cloves, but clove-studded doesn’t work either.
Oops, you’re right.