I forgot to offer a description. From Rotten Tomatoes:Tongue-in-cheek satire blends well with entertaining action and spot-on performances in this dark, eclectic neo-noir homage.
It has a smartass tone, is genuinely funny, suspenseful with great performances from all involved. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer and Michelle Monaghan.
Ken Russell’s 1972 masterpiece The Devils with Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed. Based on Huxley’s “The devils of Loudon” it is a strange story of power and possession in a 17th century French town. Very, very cool - especially if you can find the uncensored version with the (in)famous “rape of Christ”-scene.
And Crackerjack
I wonder what it means that I have seen most of these movies, even the ones in RealityChuck’s post. I suppose it is partly that I am in my 50’s and have always enjoyed movies quite a bit. But I thought Brassed Off did okay? Ah well, I suppose it was no Waking Ned Devine or Calendar Girls.
Another excellent movie that never seemed to do well back when it was made is
The Silent Partner.
From IMDB:This is an imaginative plot, yet one with which the viewer can readily identify. A bank teller (Elliot Gould) is held up at gun point in his bank. Luckily for him he receives a clue that this is going to occur and diverts most of the cash into his own safety deposit box, leaving only a nominal amount for the crook.
What follows is a battle of wits.
I always liked this movie, and bought it when it came out on DVD. Both my sons (18 and 24) enjoyed it.
Has Kinky Boots been mentioned?
This is a movie I never heard of until it was in the rentals and my brother turned me onto it. From IMDB Trivia:Inspired by the true story of a traditional English men’s footwear factory in Northamptonshire which turned to production of kinky boots for transvestites in order to save the ailing family business and safeguard the jobs of the local community.
Brad Serum
I liked Kiss Kiss Bang Bang too.
I just watched Kinky Boots again the other night, I like that one. Stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, who played the operative in *Serenity *and Keira Knightly’s husband in Love, Actually.
I liked *Brassed Off *- also try The Snapper, a comedy about a girl from a large Irish family who gets herself “in trouble”. Colm Meaney is great as her father. And of course there’s The Full Monty, which is well known.
I was going to mention that one as well. Excellent film! Has you going back and forth between who to believe. Very strongly acted by the two leads, especially Weaving. (There’s a reason he’s my favorite film actor.)
Probably not entirely obscure, I remember vaguely seeing the stars promoting it on talk shows but I don’t think it did too well in theaters although I think the critics liked it.
Big Night with Tony Shalhoub and Stanley Tucci. It was subtle but good and it made me hungry.
“Viva Max!” came out in December 1969, starred Peter Ustinov as Max. Here’s the plot, from IMDB:
It wasn’t the laff riot that, say, “Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” was, but it was touchingly funny and did a great job of skewering some American history myths. It was co-written by Jim Lehrer, upon whose book the movie is based.
The Ninth Configuration is great.
Side note: I got my SO Film Noir Classic Collection Vol. 2 for X-mas. While watching Born to Kill I kept thinking who does this leading man remind me of. I finally realized “Hey…that’s Joe from Reservoir Dogs 43 years younger!”
I always liked Orlando yet when I mention it, even to movie buffs, no one’s heard of it. Imdb desribes it: “Young nobleman Orlando is commanded by Queen Elizabeth I to stay forever young. Miraculously, he does just that.” Quentin Crisp stars as Queen Elizabeth.
I also really liked Robert Downey Jr. in Restoration. Reviews seem to be very mixed on Rotten Tomatoes, but I loved it. Stars Sam Neill as the king and Meg Ryan as Not Meg Ryan, which in itself is something to see. It’s the best of the great costume movies of the '90s, I think. You can also see what Robert Downey is capable of; it’s such a tragedy that he has been felled by drug addiction.
Bet that role was a stretch…
My wife passed the button test on one of our early dates, Chazz Palminteri is a genius.
And a few picks…
The IMDB describes 11:14 as “The events leading up to an 11:14 PM car crash, from five very different perspectives.” You can’t really say anymore without ruining it, but it’s a great movie.
Slither is a little better known (it stars Nathan Fillion after all), but I still don’t think very many people saw it. Which is a shame, because it’s the best horror-comedy since Tremors.
Missed the edit window, but I just remembered another one.
Series 7: The Contenders is a reality TV satire which pciks six people at random to run around the country attempting to kill each other.
Sure it’s an old joke, but it’s a great movie.
Thank You for Smoking - I have bought and given away 4 copies of this so far. You can find it in the bargain bin at Target. One of the best cynical looks at DC politics in awhile.
Tsui Hark’s The Blade. No, not the Wesley Snipes movie…
This one is a dark quasi-apocalyptic kung fu movie, a very gritty and grim revenge tale with none of the lightheartedness or whimsy of your typical wuxia movie. Mad Max with swords.
Yay, this is on its way to my mailbox right now! I finally gave in and queued it up when Netflix kept recommending it as I highly reviewed Shaun of the Dead (well known), Black Sheep, and **Severance **(which both fit this category as well).
**Black Sheep ** is just nonstop silly gory fun.
**Severance **is far from perfect, and more a slasher than a comedy, but it won my heart when early on a character finds a manky old swimming pool, the water’s surface covered with dead leaves. He decides it would be fun to test out the diving board, and is soon happily jumping up and down, having a grand old time. So you’re kind of rolling your eyes, waiting for the inevitable horrible death, or at least the poolfull of decomposing bodies to reveal . . . and in the next scene, you see that character sheepishly going down a hall in the house, soaked in dirty water. And that’s *all *that ever comes of the incident.
I also second Dark City (try watching it without listening to the initial voiceover), Dog Soldiers, and Living in Oblivion.
I know I’ve mentioned it here before, but **Noises Off ** is our standard movie to show to friends, leaving them mystified why they’ve never heard of it. Michael Caine, Carol Burnett, Christopher Reeve, Marilu Henner, John Ritter, Nicolette Sheridan, Denholm Elliott, and others in a comedy about a troupe putting on a sex farce. Totally hilarious and wonderful.
Seconded.
And really, the timeline stuff is beside the point,* so seriously, don’t let it shape your expecation of the movie’s genre.
-FrL-
*yet great fun
The Bothersome Man. Norwegian film about a man who commits suicide and goes to Purgatory, which bears a striking resemblance to a city built by Ikea. Fantastic movie.
Santa Sangre. Very freaky.
Amazing. I only knew about El Topo, Fando & Lis, and The Holy Mountain (which is really fantastic and trippy).
Added to my list!