# What are the last obscure movies you saw and loved? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 20, 2012, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-last-obscure-movies-you-saw-and-loved/613401 "2012-02-20T07:46:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2012, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-last-obscure-movies-you-saw-and-loved/613401/61 "2012-02-26T08:15:36Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > Can we at least specify that movies that receive academy award nominations for best picture are not ‘obscure’. I didn’t know that. I’ll skip my planned mention of the National Film Board of Canada’s _Herring Hunt_, which won the 1953 Best Short, one reel Oscar. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2012, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-last-obscure-movies-you-saw-and-loved/613401/62 "2012-02-26T09:26:46Z")
There have been a lot of SDMB threads about recommendations of obscure movies, and many of them have contained arguments about which movies are obscure. I don’t know that it’s possible to define the term “obscure” sufficiently precisely. There’s too much variance in the amount of film watching for that. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2012, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-last-obscure-movies-you-saw-and-loved/613401/63 "2012-02-26T13:58:03Z")
The last obscure movie I saw and loved so captivated me that I was moved to shout it from the virtual rooftop: [Triangle (open spoilers, but not in OP)](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=627798). ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2012, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-last-obscure-movies-you-saw-and-loved/613401/64 "2012-02-26T14:07:31Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > The last obscure movie I saw and loved so captivated me that I was moved to shout it from the virtual rooftop: [Triangle (open spoilers, but not in OP)](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=627798). Saw it. While I can totally understand why someone would like it, I did not. ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-last-obscure-movies-you-saw-and-loved/613401/65 "2012-02-26T22:05:20Z")
[High Strung](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102032/). Definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, but I loved it! ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-last-obscure-movies-you-saw-and-loved/613401/66 "2012-02-28T15:43:33Z")
I don’t know if The Adventures of Don Juan (1949?) is considered obscure - maybe to the young who don’t know who Errol Flynn was. But I’m watching it on TCM this morning and am, as always, agog at the stunning costumes - yes, in color. This movie won an Oscar for best costume design, and rightfully so. Just stunning. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-last-obscure-movies-you-saw-and-loved/613401/67 "2012-02-28T21:09:53Z")
If we broaden “obscure” to mean “little indie film that nobody I know saw, but me” then: [Cedar Rapids](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1477837/) [Win Win](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1606392/) [Fair Game](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0977855/) [The Guard](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1540133/) ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-last-obscure-movies-you-saw-and-loved/613401/68 "2012-02-29T03:47:07Z")
If we mean _really, really_ loved, it would be _Mary & Max_. It’s an Australian stop-motion movie about a pen-pal relationship between a rather sad little Australian girl and an obese middle-aged New Yorker with Asperger’s. The animation is amazing and incredibly detailed while all looking very “handmade.” You can feel the love of the animators in practically every frame. It’s also very, very funny, very touching, and charming and entertaining throughout. Seems to have been totally overlooked, despite a great voice cast including Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toni Collette. Very, very worth watching. Perhaps a little less obscure but even more loved, _Sita Sings the Blues_. Almost indescribably great. Animated almost entirely by a single woman in multiple styles, it combines the music of 1920s jazz singer Annette Henshaw with the story of Sita from _The Ramayana_ (she’s sorta like Helen of Ancient India, sorta). It works far, far better than that description would suggest, and is easily one of my favorite movies. It’s also _totally free to download and watch_, since licensing rights with the music mean the creator can’t really sell it. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-last-obscure-movies-you-saw-and-loved/613401/69 "2012-02-29T04:35:01Z")
> [@MacSpon](#): > > **Agora** was magnificent. And made me cry. > > Not sure if it counts as “obscure” but I loved, loved, loved **Dean Spanley**. With that cast,\* Dean Spanley\* should not have been obscure! But I’d never heard of it until it was streaming on Netflix; just bought the DVD. (Written by Lord Dunsany!) _The Woman Chaser_ was a sort-of neo _noir_ starring Patrick Warburton as an LA used-car salesman who becomes a filmmaker. I saw it on IFC or one of those weirdo networks; it was released as a VHS but sank out of sight. I did not love it as I did _Dean Spanley_, but it was certainly original & memorable. And obscure… (_Agora_ in in my queue…) ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-last-obscure-movies-you-saw-and-loved/613401/70 "2012-02-29T04:58:52Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > If we broaden “obscure” to mean “little indie film that nobody I know saw, but me” then: > > [Cedar Rapids](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1477837/) > > [Win Win](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1606392/) > > [Fair Game](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0977855/) > > [The Guard](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1540133/) I was about to post _The Guard_ also. Good movie, Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle make an interesting duo. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-last-obscure-movies-you-saw-and-loved/613401/71 "2012-02-29T07:23:33Z")
The four obscure movies my wife and I love: **The Grey Fox** 1982 Richard Farnsworth’s masterwork as an actor. It wasn’t always obscure- it won a couple of Golden Globes, and dominated the Genie Awards that year (Canadian Oscars). It’s _criminal_ that this film is forgotten and long out of print in any format. **Strangers In Good Company** (also called **The Company Of Strangers** ) 1990 Another Canadian treasure. **Kenny** 2006 from Australia. A mockumentary about a professional portapotty service tech. Unbelievably funny at times, but also a surprisingly gentle and touching character study. It’s not a bunch of caca-peepee jokes. Americans may have to watch it with the subtitles- the actors (and non-actors) speak deep Australian. Fellow Dopers, I can’t recommend this one highly enough. **Happy Accidents** 2000 Marisa Tomei, Vincent D’Onofrio. Young woman meets the man of her dreams, only to eventually learn that he’s delusional, believing himself to be a time traveler. A funny, touching love story. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-last-obscure-movies-you-saw-and-loved/613401/72 "2012-03-02T05:59:05Z")
**Frozen River** Takes place in the days before Christmas near a little-known border crossing on the Mohawk reservation between New York State and Quebec. Here, the lure of fast money from smuggling presents a daily challenge to single moms who would otherwise be earning minimum wage. Two women - one white, one Mohawk, both single mothers faced with desperate circumstances - are drawn into the world of border smuggling across the frozen water of the St. Lawrence River. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-last-obscure-movies-you-saw-and-loved/613401/73 "2012-03-02T12:27:52Z")
My wife just got done watching [_Sleeping Beauty_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588398/) and really liked it. It’s about a young narcoleptic woman who works as a hooker. Australian, director got nominated for the 2011 Palme d’Or. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-last-obscure-movies-you-saw-and-loved/613401/74 "2012-03-02T14:32:34Z")
I dunno if it qualifies as obsure or not (it was nominated for an academy award), but I really, really loved The Secret of Kells - an animated movie based on a fantasy version of the story of how the (historical) Book of Kells came to be made. > **[The Secret of Kells](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_of_Kells)** > > The Secret of Kells is a 2009 animated fantasy film about the making of the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript from the 9th Century. > The film is an Irish-French-Belgian co-production animated by Cartoon Saloon, which premiered on 8 February 2009 at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival. It went into wide release in Belgium and France on 11 February, and Ireland on 3 March. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, but lost to Pixar's Up. > It was directed by... If I ever have a white cat, I’m calling it Pangur Bán. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-last-obscure-movies-you-saw-and-loved/613401.md?page=3)