OK, so maybe most films that only get a limited theatrical release or are sent right to video suck the farts out of dead pigeons (thanks, Cerebus!). There are those, however, that are actually quite wonderful but simply didn’t get full support from the studio in charge.
For me, a prime example is a little gem of a film that came out a few years ago called Donnie Darko. It was made by a then-unknown director and was considered too weird for general release. And yet, it is one of the best films I have ever seen – it has great acting, great cinematography, a killer soundtrack, and a really mind-blowing plot full of twists and shocks.
What films would you recommend that most people probably didn’t get a chance to see, and why? I trust your opinions so much more than the whore blurbs on the back of the video box.
Tremors II wasn’t up to the level of the original, but was probably the best direct-to-video film I’ve seen. It’s still fun and very entertaining, even if you don’t like monster movies (or haven’t seen the original.
As far as limited release films are concerned, I did like Love’s Labour’s Lost. It’s one of Shakespeare’s worst plays, but the idea of turning it into a musical with classic songs from the 30s was a fine one. The singing is a bit amateurish, but I did love what they did with “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.”
As far as I know, Deathwatch (aka Le Mort en Direct) was barely released anywhere. It is a first class science fiction film (showing you don’t need special effect to make one) with Harvey Keitel as a sleezy reporter who had a camera implanted in his eye to record the death of Romy Schneider. It’s also one of the most successful transitions of a SF book to screen.
Even though it got an academy award nomination for Ellen Burstyn and Eva La Gallienne, Resurrection has been long forgotten. It’s a truly great movie about Burstyn getting the power to heal, and the trouble that causes. The final scene will leave a lump in your throat.
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*Originally posted by Sam Hell *
**Dog Soldiers is another good werewolf movie. All of the Tremors movies have been good IMHO.
I agree. I watched it cold on the Sci-Fi channel one night and was blown away. The funny thing was that I didn’t even realize it was a werewolf movie until midway through the film (I thought it was another generic “experiment gone awry creating a hideous monster” movie). It was probably the most intelligent werewolf flick I’ve seen, and I would compare it to Ultraviolet’s “realistic” treatment of vampires.
Citizen X was an HBO movie that I caught on vhs. Stephen Rhea (the crying game) and Donald Southerland. based on the true story of Russia’s worst serial killer (52 victims, all children). It focuses on Victor Burokov(sp?), an inspector on the case for 8 years. very creepy, great acting.
I’m also a big fan of The Puppet Masters also starring Southerland. Alien invasion movie. very fun.
I second the Ginger Snaps recommendation. It’s about one sister maturing earlier than the other and the interpersonal conflicts that ensue. Plus it has a great werewolf angle.
I believe Wendigo might have been straight-to-video though I’m not sure. It’s a fascinating city-people-versus-country-people horror film with all sorts of experimental techniques, and the star of the film is the child actor Erik Per Sullivan from “Malcolm in the Middle” who just shines in this.
I third Ginger Snaps. Best werewolf movie since American Werewolf In London.
I also second Election. A very funny high school comedy about some very ugly human traits: blind ambition, jealousy, narcissism, etc. Funny with a bitter aftertaste. On a related note, I also recommend Citizen Ruth, Election director Alexander Payne’s first feature, which is a dark satire on the abortion issue . Remarkably, the movie avoids taking a stand as it’s having too much fun taking the piss out of both sides of the issue.
Continuing into increasingly dark territory, I think Safe, directed by Todd Haynes, is an overlooked masterpiece and Julianne Moore’s starring role was deserving of a best actress oscar. She plays a bland, upper-class housewife who develops increasingly extreme allergic reactions to the world around her. The antiseptic and artificial world in which she increasingly cocoons herself provides a stifling backdrop against which we watch her character slowly disintegrate. Someone on the IMDB called it a “horror movie of the soul” and I think that fits perfectly.
I can’t believe I’m the first one to recommend this movie : the Boondock Saints, an hyper-violent comedy about two Irish vigilante who are truly on a “misson from God”
Night Flyer: What should be just another run-of-the-mill Stephen King short story adaption is made all the more enjoyable by casting Miguel Ferrer as the ultra acerbic tabloid journalist.
Grim Prarie Tales James Earl Jones and Brad Dourif share ghost stroies in the old west.
Ed’s Next Move Probably the sweetest most liad back romantic comedy I’ve seen. Plus it has a couple of cute songs by Ed’s Redeeming Qualities.
Let me second Citizen X. I consider myself an avid film goer and have seen most of the classics. Citizen X was made for HBO and went to video shortly thereafter. I count it solidly among the best 100 movies I have ever seen. It is an absolutely gripping account of a police inspector trying to catch a serial killer in the late days of Soviet Russia.
It shares some plot elements with Silence of the Lambs, but is much less flashy in its depiction of evil. At the very least it is worthy of a rental and is one of the few movies I rewound and watched again as soon as it was over.