A Midwinter’s Tale - A depressed, out-of-work actor decides to stage a minimalist, low-budget production of Hamlet in order to save his own sanity. Riotously funny, especially if you’re a theater person. The ensemble cast is top-notch and a real treat to watch. Kenneth Branaugh made this film around the same time that he was filming his own over-the-top version of Hamlet. Every time I watch it I have the almost irresistable impulse to scan the newspaper for audition notices.
I was going to mention The Beast as well, probably the best film about war ever, war is nasty bloody and nobody are heroes (or everybody are heroes but not admirable).
I caught a movie on German television once, and later figured out that it was Le Trou. It’s a French prison-break film, and the details and execution of the escape are fascinating. I don’t remember if it was subtitled or dubbed, not that it mattered, and I’ll have to see it with an English translation to pick up the character stuff that I missed. It’s great even when you can’t understand a word of it (although I can think of one movie that got worse when I could understand the dialog) and gets some glowing reviews on the web.
I didn’t see Sorcerer in the theater, but I caught it several times during its initial run on cable and I remember it well. The only DVD version I can track down is not widescreen, unfortunately, but I will have to see it again.
From what I remember, it was hyped as one of the big action/suspense movies during the summer it came out, but then faded pretty quickly. I still remember ads with the truck and the Tangerine Dream soundtrack.
And I just borrowed The Wages of Fear and saw it a few months ago. It was good, and I thought the differences with Sorcerer were very interesting. I don’t know if it’s because of the intervening years, or differences from French filmmaking to American, but there seemed to be much more explicit photography and staging in the remake. In The Wages of Fear, you have to accept the actors description of the problems they’re facing. In Sorcerer, it’s filmed in a way that we can see what they’re up against.
Wanda, written, directed, and starred in by the late Barbara Loden, wife of the late Elia Kazan. A sad, heartbreaking little movie about a woman who tries to escape her life in a coal mining town and gets caught up with a small time bank robber. It’s never been commercially available in the US for home viewing, which is tragic in its own right.
Isn’t this the classic Tony Randall film that was even spoofed on the simpsons?
Even had a pre-Jeanie Barbara Eden.
The only thing wrong with A Simple Plan is Bill Paxton. If someone else had been the lead, it would be a great movie. He’s just a big cipher in the middle of an otherwise great movie.
My nomination is The Poor and Hungry, written and directed by Craig Brewer, whose next movie is Hustle and Flow, which will be in wide release this Friday. I highly recommend that everyone go see it, because it’s fucking great.
Excellant movie. Highly recommend
If this is obscure then I am guessing the Secret of Roane Innish http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111112/ is also.
Excellant movie.
Angel Baby - A delightfully depressing movie about people with mental instabilities falling in love. It’s an Aussie indie film. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112362/
Fear Anxiety and Depression - a great quirky comedy made by Todd Solondz (Welcome to the dollhouse, happiness) about a loser playwrite who keeps looking for love losing it and looking again. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0169895/
Bloody Angels (a.k.a 1732 Høtten)- A film from Norway about a detective trying to solve the murder of a man who was accused of raping and killing a mentally handicapped girl but was found innocent. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0157411/
Romper Stomper - One of Russel Crowe’s first movies. About a skinhead gang in Australia and the tragedies that befall them. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105275/
Leaving Normal Thelma and Louise for grown-ups.
I nominate Pretty Village, Pretty Flame I’ve literally never met anyone who has ever seen it, and I only saw it because I had a Serbian friend and she showed it to me.
As war dramas go, it’s right up there with Platoon or Full Metal Jacket or Bridge Over The River Kwai… and IMHO much better than all of these.
It’s out? It’s out?
/me makes note to check local video stores and soon.
The Beast, about a day (or several, I don’t recall) in the life of a Soviet tank crew in Afghanistan.
Really, rent it today.
Oh, and just FYI, Nature’s Call - R&GaD is based on the play by the same name. Tom Stoppard wrote it.
Oldman is excellent in it, as is Dreyfus.
Are comedies eligible? Try (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105017/) Noises Off, by Peter Bogdanivich. Michael Caine, Carol Channing, even Superman. Really, really funny too.
I’ll have to go with Bubba Ho-tep
And John Ritter! 
Bubba Ho-Tep was an awesome film, but seriously mismarketed, I think.
That movie was fantastic, and it was indeed an HBO original.
Another excellent early HBO original that may fit the OP is Freeway. Not only Reese Witherspoon’s best performance, but also single-handedly revived Keifer Sutherland’s career by elevating him out of the brat pack.
I just remembered another HBO original that may fit the OP:
Above Suspicion: Christopher Reeve plays a paralyzed man. Basically a piece of crime story fluff – albeit well-executed – but it was noteworthy (and pulled) due to the fact that Reeve actually did get paralyzed while this was in post-production. His last role before his accident, and he played a paralyzed man. That’s got to fuck with you.