CalMeacham writes:
> I liked American Dreamer, too, but I have two complaints:
>
> 1.) The trailer gave away too much of the movie
>
> 2.) It came too soon after Romancing the Stone, which it resembled in many
> ways.
In fact, the movie that it’s astonishingly similar to is Desperately Seeking Susan:
That was released five months later, so it’s unlikely there is any copying either way.
Slums of Beverly Hills is a very underrated film streaming on Netflix right now. I absolutely love the characters in this movie. Sequels suck, but i was left wanting to see what they do next.
It may be a bit late, with this thread beginning too fade, but I have to put in a plug for The Salton Sea (with Val Kilmer). I though it was incredible - not just the characters, but the movie itself seemed to be on ‘speed’. I mean what a pace. An irresistible, fast, frenetic pace (not unlike the last 20 minutes of Goodfellas, when Henry is coked out and paranoid).
But, what really makes The Salton Sea a cut above is Vincent D’Onofrio’s noseless ‘Pooh-Bear’ (a bit too much coke, only a bit left of his nose). Pooh’s fondness for scrambled brains for breakfast (although he is a good sharer), and his special ‘way’ with starving,rabid badgers, are just two of the ‘quirks’ that make Donofrio’s Pooh-Bear one of the most sinister, truly unsettling ‘bad guys’ in cinema history.
Vanilla Sky never got a lot of love, perhaps because of the Tom Cruise factor, and I’ll admit that I didn’t like it much myself upon first viewing, but after repeat viewings, I have decided it is a work of genius. The genius being Cameron Crowe.
Some have been mentioned that I really like, but the 2 that I could watch "everyday, whether I need to or not are Underworld (the greatest vampire vs. werewolf movie EVAH), and The Chronicles of Riddick, a sci-fi action flick that I think is every bit as good as any of the Star Wars movies.
This reminds me, Knight and Day was a perfectly acceptable movie that people skipped because of being sick of Tom Cruise.
Dead Man (1996) - Dead Man (1995) - IMDb
Not sure if this was mentioned but Stardust (2007) was much better than expected.
They did, and a damned good one. Had me in tears.
I liked Underworld but I thought Pitch Black was better than The Chronicles of Riddick. Apparently there are plans for a third Riddick movie.
My favourite underrated movie is 2010: The Year We Make Contact. I think it is unfairly forgotten because its a sequel to the massively respected 2001.
It is a much more straightforward action/science fiction movie than 2001 but is extremely well done with an interesting plot, sympathetic characters and some excellent scenes. The climax is wonderful with Hal having the opportunity to redeem himself and die a hero.
2001 is a more ‘worthy’ movie certainly but personally I think 2010 is the superior watch, it may not be as clever as 2001 but it has much more heart. I find it one of the most uplifting, moving, awe-inspiring and humane movies out there.
^good pick, I love 2010.
It’s Spielberg, so you can argue that it can’t be underrated, but I think A.I. is brilliant on so many levels and is a terrific take on the future.
The same underrated claim could be made for Empire of the Sun, but I get the feeling this is more subjective per the viewer. It’s not like people stop to consider the greatness of the movie and say, “Yeah, that movie doesn’t get the accolades it deserves,” like one would with Get Shorty or Three Kings.
Nice call whoever said Vanilla Sky.
I’m suprised to see ANYONE ever mention this movie, I thought of it as one of my obscure ones and haven’t seen it since a ‘friend’ borrowed the VHS from me in 1989, moved and denied all knowledge of it afterwards. The fact that it still hasn’t had a DVD release all these years later, its shocking. A proper good cult movie, and for a movie about dying of cancer, very funny indeed…
Synecdoche, NY
I liked Vanilla Sky. Well enough to buy the DVD, anyway. However, I wouldn’t go as far as to assign the genius to Cameron Crowe, considering it’s a remake of Open Your Eyes (aka Abre los Ojos), which was written and directed by Alejandro Amenábar. I’d say he was the genius.
One of my all-time favorite movies is A Midwinter’s Tale, released in some markets as In the Bleak Midwinter. An unemployed actor at the verge of a complete nervous breakdown takes it upon himself to adapt, cast, direct and star in a 7-person production of Hamlet. In 2 weeks. In the middle of nowhere. At Christmas. Written and directed by Kenneth Branagh shortly before embarking on his own mammoth staging of “The Danish Play,” the film is stuffed to the gills with great actors (especially those portraying the commando squad of eccentric thespians), screamingly funny dialog, and slice-of-life moments that will ring frightening true to most anyone who has dared tread the boards. John Sessions is particularly noteworthy as a drag queen playing…well, the queen (“Dirty Gerty”, as he calls her).
The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2010): 2 men kidnap a woman and hold her in an apartment they’ve prepared for the purpose.
The Quiet Earth (1985): A man wakes up one day to find the world empty of people.
The Ninth Configuration (1980): Stacy Keach as the new CO of an army psychiatric hospital.
The Hitcher (1986): A young fellow delivering a car across country picks up a strange hitchhiker.
Roadgames (1981): Stacy Keach again, this time as a truck driver in Australia who happens upon a serial killer.
And I’ll second** Snowboarder Bo**'s recommendation of Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World.
Called it underrated or under appreciated but Fight Club is a masterpiece. Few movies ever live up to the books they are based upon (mainly due to time constraints) but Fight Club had everything:
Exceptional direction
Norton and Pitt are amazing and the perfect casting
The story is engrossing and has so much going on in most scenes
Such a great movie, but did not achieve success until well after its theatrical run.
