Unsung little gems

[Batutta]

Just wanted to start a thread about great films not a lot of people may have seen or heard about. I caught the HBO movie Don King: Only in America on cable the other day and ended up watching the whole thing. I forgot what a well crafted movie it was. It was directed by John Herzfeld who made the roundly crappy 2 Days in the Valley but this is his Citizen Kane. Sometimes mediocre directors have 1 great film in them, like The Hand that Rocks the Cradle guy somehow pulling LA Confidential out of his ass. It stars Ving Rhames as the infamous Don King, and you've never seen a more entertaining movie performance in your life. You can actually feel the joy Ving Rhames must have had playing this larger than life character come through the screen. The script for this film is full of great, memorable dialogue and has a fun structure, being told by Don King, who often stops the action and addresses the camera to dispute the facts being shown on screen, or to add further explanation. There is one scene where Don King explains the history of the word motherf*ker to an uptight black couple that is one of my favorite scenes of all time. It's not a perfect film. The narrative kind of runs out of steam toward the end and the guy who plays Ali, while looking uncannily like him, mugs too much (but then so did Ali). But this film is well worth a look.

[Mark Harris]

Wonderboys. Maybe not that unsung, but the film has a delicious magic to it. Same director, incidentally...weird, did not remember that when I started typing.

An actual performance from Michael Douglas, Francis McDomand, Rip Torn hilarious in it. Robert Downey Jr. One of those movies that envelopes me every time I put it on. A slow but steady pace that lets you settle in with the characters as if you're visiting that college yourself and hanging with some old friends.

The Pledge, if for no other reason than it reminds us that Nicholson can actually act. Great, tight little film from Sean Penn.

Big Night. Big Night. Big Night.

[Batutta]

Yeah, I didn't care for Wonder Boys. Maybe I had too many expectations after LA Confidential. Big Night I love.

[Paul Llewellyn]

DOGFIGHT is a wonderful little film that I always recommend people check out.

[Mark Harris]

Oh yeah, I remember that movie. Am a big Lily Taylor fan( and she lives in my hood now. I see her at this one coffee shop often while walking my dog during the day). Just added to my netflix.

Would be cool to implement something on here like Facebook where we could share our Queues through DVXUser.

[Luis Caffesse]

Would be cool to implement something on here like Facebook where we could share our Queues through DVXUser.

Interesting idea.

By the way - Kicking and Screaming (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113537/).
Seems to be getting more play now than it did when it came out -
Noah Baumbach's first film.

And, reaching back a bit further, Frankenheimer's Seconds (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060955/).
Killer movie.. not perfect...but some incredibly memorable scenes and great cinematography, and one of my favorite opening sequences.
:thumbsup:

[thartley]

Mule Skinner Blues

Its like the trailer park B-side to American Movie.

[Batutta]

I'll add Jake Kasdan's first feature The Zero Effect. I was predisposed to hating this movie, feeling it reeked of nepotism (why else would a 23 year old get such a great first shot at a movie were it not for his famous dad). But the movie won me over. Bill Pullman plays the oddest of oddball detectives and Ben Stiller his Watson-like assistant. Still my favorite performances from both actors.

[Batutta]

Okay, this one will make you all question my manhood, but I gotta give props to A Little Princess. It was the first American film from Alfonso Cuaron, who has to be the most versatile director working today. That the same guy could direct this, Y tu Mama Tambien, Harry Potter 3 and Children of Men is pretty astounding. It's about a girl sent to a boarding school when her father gets sent to war and then is believed dead. It has an excellent script from Richard LaGravanese, good performances from both the children and adults, gorgeous cinematography and production design and an excellent score from Patrick Doyle. While a good film in general, in comparison to other films pitched at little girls it's in a class by itself. Watched this again with my daughter and the climactic scene in the film gets me every time. If any of you have daughters it's a good movie to watch together that won't make you want to gouge your eyes out.

[DarkElastic]

The Woman In Black.

A british period, horror film, that was made for TV. It is excellently done even on a low budget. The film is extremely hard to come by.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098672/

[Batutta]

The film is extremely hard to come by.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098672/

Unless you have YouTube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6jAM-aQLbc&feature=PlayList&p=C39E94755A0210F2&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=12

Looks interesting. Think I'll check it out.

[Mark Harris]

Two Vonneguts:

Great version of Mother Night with incredible performance by Nolte
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117093/

Old old film with Chris Walken and Susan Sarandon
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083325/

[DarkElastic]

Unless you have YouTube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6jAM-aQLbc&feature=PlayList&p=C39E94755A0210F2&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=12

Looks interesting. Think I'll check it out.

I meant on DVD... But, good find Batutta!

[leepback]

"Sweetie" - Jane Campion's first feature (I think).

An oldie (1989) but a goodie - not sure how well it's known.

[Batutta]

"Sweetie" - Jane Campion's first feature (I think).

An oldie (1989) but a goodie - not sure how well it's known.

Oh, yeah, that's a good one!...Another film that I'm sure the older members will be familiar with but some of you young'uns might not have heard of is The Candidate starring Robert Redford. Easily the best fictional portrayal of an election campaign. Redford plays a young, idealistic guy who runs for Senator of California on a lark and mushrooms into a viable candidate. It's both a serious and satirical look at the democratic process. I love the final moments of this movie.

[Luis Caffesse]

I've mentioned this one on here before...but it's a personal favorite:

"Over the Edge (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079688/)"
Matt Dillon's first film, and an often overlooked movie that never got the chance it deserved back in the day - luckily it's since gotten quite a cult following.

It's on Netflix (finally).

[Londude]

Anyone ever seen this cheesy 80s/90s horror movie called House? Check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZaCMj8Gzgs I must of rented it out last year and I thought it was awesome.

[Londude]

Oh and it has the guy from Cheers in it.

[thartley]

I think this link will work for a trailer for Mule Skinner Blues on imdb. Its a documentary, of sorts...kinda.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1218117913/

[Mark Harris]

Okay, if it's ever on TV in a hotel room or something, I cannot NOT watch this film. It's got a kind of magic.

Commence the name-calling and well-deserved derision.

SOLDIER (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120157/)

http://users.skynet.be/pekkaris/sologo2.jpg

Maybe this should have gone in the guilty-pleasures thread...

[Jim Klatt]

Flight from Death: The Quest for Immortality is one of my favorite docs ever. It's hard to come by, but incredible.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMla61cOMtc

[Kellar42]

I like Kevin Bacon in the 'Big Picture'. Kind of the like the early, early Entourage.

[Batutta]

Okay, if it's ever on TV in a hotel room or something, I cannot NOT watch this film. It's got a kind of magic.

Commence the name-calling and well-deserved derision.

SOLDIER (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120157/)

http://users.skynet.be/pekkaris/sologo2.jpg

Maybe this should have gone in the guilty-pleasures thread...

There's no shame in admitting something is crap and liking it anyway. It's the people who can't tell the difference between crap and quality that worry me. :)

[Simon Höfer]

There is an awesome Korean film called Chaser. Well, the original title is Chugyeogja.

Got a good 7.9 on imdb

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1190539/

Not the usual story compared to an American movie.

[Londude]

There is an awesome Korean film called Chaser. Well, the original title is Chugyeogja.

Got a good 7.9 on imdb

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1190539/

Not the usual story compared to an American movie.



I was dissapointed with Chaser. It had potential to be good but all the cops seemed ridiculously stupid. I really like Asian cinema but on the front of the DVD it was being bigged up as some great film when it really wasnt. Shame that woman the ex cop was trying to save got her head bashed in with a hammer tho LOL. Have you seen Old Boy? Old Boy is MUCH better.

[Simon Höfer]

I was dissapointed with Chaser. It had potential to be good but all the cops seemed ridiculously stupid. I really like Asian cinema but on the front of the DVD it was being bigged up as some great film when it really wasnt. Shame that woman the ex cop was trying to save got her head bashed in with a hammer tho LOL. Have you seen Old Boy? Old Boy is MUCH better.

Well, I've seen Old Boy, but I won't compare those two, as they are totally different. I enjoyed both of them.

You might wanna edit your post for spoiler alerts.....

[Billy Pilgrim]

By the way - Kicking and Screaming (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113537/).
Seems to be getting more play now than it did when it came out -
Noah Baumbach's first film.


I've been making people watch this movie for years now. It's one of my all-time favorites.

Noi (or Noialbino). It's kind of like an Icelandic Cather in the Rye. Very sad and funny film.

Mutual Appreciation. Andrew Bujalski's follow-up to Funny Ha Ha. Great script with some of the most believable and natural performances I've ever seen, with great music to boot.

Stardust Memories. Totally underrated Woody Allen. Easily one of his best-shot films as well.

Slaughterhouse-Five. George Roy Hill's film adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's classic novel (my favorite book, I might add). It totally captures the tone/feel of the book, and Michael Sacks is the perfect Billy Pilgrim.

Ghost World. One of my all-time favorite films. My favorites tend to blend sadness and humor, and this one does it beautifully. Thora Birch and Steve Buscemi are just amazing. And speaking of Steve Buscemi...

Trees Lounge. Written, Directed by and Starring Steve Buscemi. Really brilliant, funny script, with solid performances all around, including the debut of Chloe Sevigny.

Buffalo '66. Vincent Gallo's crazy, weird, funny, stylish, off-beat kidnapping/revenge film.

Trust. A Hal Hartley film about a pregnant teenager who befriends a 30-something misanthrope who carries around a hand grenade "just in case".

[notharrylume]

Satantango - Bela Tarr, 1994
Absolutely amazing beauty in 7 1/2 hours of Hungarian mud in the rain. Gotta see it to believe it!

[Mark Harris]

Trees Lounge. Written, Directed by and Starring Steve Buscemi. Really brilliant, funny script, with solid performances all around, including the debut of Chloe Sevigny.

Buffalo '66. Vincent Gallo's crazy, weird, funny, stylish, off-beat kidnapping/revenge film.



I do love both of these films. Ben Gazzara is great in Buffalo 66.

And I will never forget the moment when Steve Buscemi's character sits on the old man's bar stool. Great little film.

[Londude]

Irreversible. Brutal and violent, just how I like it. Great ending as well.

[Batutta]

If you're into documentaries, Errol Morris's Vernon, Florida is an entertaining look at the hilarious characters you can find in the backwaters of the US. The movie has no voice over, no titles, and makes no comment on the people here. It just lets the people exist on screen and reveal themselves. You won't believe some of these characters are real people.

[greymog]

Melville's 'Army of Shadows'. Had one copy for the life of me couldn't find another copy.

Loved it.

[greymog]

Blue will always scare me from now on after army of shadows

[Londude]

Jim Hensons Labyrinth-BEST MOVIE EVEEEEEEEEEER. Lol.

[Batutta]

Deep Cover with Laurence Fishburne and Jeff Goldblum. Great little noir thriller about a cop who goes deep undercover in the drug cartels in Los Angeles. Great writing, great scenes, and a great performance from Fishburne. Also wonderfully shot by Bojan Bazelli. Bill Duke of Predator fame directed. Has some strange, random street poetry dialogue at times but it's worth seeing for sure---

http://ca.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/24/A70-12493

[Jordan_S]

[...]Stardust Memories. Totally underrated Woody Allen. Easily one of his best-shot films as well.[...]Trees Lounge. Written, Directed by and Starring Steve Buscemi. Really brilliant, funny script, with solid performances all around, including the debut of Chloe Sevigny.[...]

Stardust is my favorite Woody film, other than his earlier, funnier movies, of course.

Mentioning Trees Lounge makes me want to see it again.

edit: Just did. Very realistic. Beautiful ending.

[Chris Light]

The Secret of Nimh. What a great story, really. Simple, but great.

[Nektonic]

Dog Soldiers. Directed by Neil Marshall , who also did The Descent, the critically panned Doomsday (which is my Soldier), and the upcoming Centurion. He must love the letter "D".

They Live and At the Mountains of Madness are the last two really good John Carpenter flicks. Neither seem to get much attention compared to his earlier work.

Speaking of Woody Allen films, I always liked Sleeper. Although, I don't know if that one is really "unsung" or not.

[Jordan_S]

Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean probably qualifies as unsung, sung, and reviled. I happen to have found it quite engrossing and odd when I saw it as a teenager. It's another I have to see again.

[Jim Brennan]

The American Astronaut
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51CWMGTMWHL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)

[Billy Pilgrim]

Stardust is my favorite Woody film, other than his earlier, funnier movies, of course.

Mentioning Trees Lounge makes me want to see it again.

edit: Just did. Very realistic. Beautiful ending.

It's good to know other people appreciate these films.

[TheMacB]

Scarecrow (1973). Gene Hackman and Al Pacino.
My favorite road movie of all time.
Won the Palme D'Or at Cannes.

Day For Night (1973). Truffaut at his finest (in my opinion).
A movie about making movies. Truffaut himself plays the director.
If you like making movies (and I assume we all do) then you need to see this.
Won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

Reds (1981). Epic movie. Not little but not as well known as it should be.
Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Gene Hackman...
Nominated for 12 oscars!
4 nominations for Beatty himself - Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor.
Only one other person has ever done that - Orson Welles for Citizen Kane.
But Beatty did it twice! For Reds and for Heaven Can Wait.
Won for Best Director (Beatty), Cinematography (Vittorio Storraro), and Supporting Actress (Maureen Stapleton).


Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean probably qualifies as unsung, sung, and reviled. I happen to have found it quite engrossing and odd when I saw it as a teenager. It's another I have to see again.
I really hope this comes out on DVD soon. I've been wanting to see it for a long time.

[John Morrison]

The Keep (out of print)
The Black Book (subtitled in English)

[Jim Brennan]

ooooh, I love the Keep. Had forgotten about that one.

[Nektonic]

ooooh, I love the Keep. Had forgotten about that one.

I've always wanted to see that one, but never got around to it.

The wikipedia page says Micheal Mann directed it, and Tangerine Dream did the score. How have I not been more aware of this film til now?

[Jordan_S]

Add Buscemi's Animal Factory if only for Dafoe's performance.

http://img5.allocine.fr/acmedia/medias/nmedia/00/00/00/44/139_ph6.jpg

[Chris Light]

Swimming with Sharks.

i never get tired of Spacey in that film.

[Richard J. Johnson]

"Things to do in denver when you're dead" is one of my favs. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114660/

Treat Williams was awesome in that. so was Buscemi, and Walken, and everyone else for that matter.

[TheMacB]

"Things to do in denver when you're dead" is one of my favs. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114660/

Boat drinks!


Add Buscemi's Animal Factory if only for Dafoe's performance.
and Mickey Rourke as a cross-dresser.

[Billy Pilgrim]

Trust. A Hal Hartley film about a pregnant teenager who befriends a 30-something misanthrope who carries around a hand grenade "just in case".

I'm watching this movie for, I think, the fourth time, and I thought I should re-iterate this unsung little gem. This film really needs a north American DVD release. I could die happy if the Criterion Collection could get a hold of this film.

And to add to the thread:

The Last Detail. A wonderful Hal Ashby film with a great performance from Jack Nicholson, and featuring a really young Randy Quaid, about two Shore Patrolmen giving a young recruit one last hurrah before going to prison for eight years for stealing 40 dollars from a charity box.

Wendy and Lucy. A really oddly-moving Kelly Reichard film about a girl who loses her dog after stopping in a town in Oregon, on her way to make a new life for herself working in Alaska. It's a really great commentary on the current state of our economy.

Nights and Weekends. Joe Swanberg's best film, co-directed by Greta Gerwig, wherein both play a couple dealing with the strain of a long-distance relationship.

[Chris Light]

Motorama (1991)
Wristcutters (2006)

total gems.

edit:...oh, and S.F.W. (1993...i think).....total 90s movie, but it's kind of awesome, if you don't mind strong language.
Gas Food Lodging (1992)
Slums of Beverly Hills (1998)

[David Jimerson]

By the way - Kicking and Screaming (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113537/).
Seems to be getting more play now than it did when it came out -
Noah Baumbach's first film.

Have you seen Eigeman lately? He looks like Michael Ensign.

[VGurcu]

Noi (or Noialbino). It's kind of like an Icelandic Cather in the Rye. Very sad and funny film.

What was 'very sad' about it?
{I think i 'll watch the 'trust', sounds interesting.}

[raymondluo]

Boy A.

[Billy Pilgrim]

What was 'very sad' about it?

I would say the ending is pretty damn sad. SPOILERS what with losing everyone he knows and loves in an avalanche.

[VGurcu]

what with losing everyone he knows and loves
I got the impression that he was detached emotionally, therefore wouldnt feel the incident at the end as a tragic event. As for myself(as a viewer) it is odd but it was a relief to see him free, finally.

[Billy Pilgrim]

I always got the feeling that, although he might be free from his family and other connections, he was too intelligent and self-destructive for his own good. He'd always be stuck with himself. I never got the sense that he really grew or learned anything by the end. But it has also been a while since I've watched the film. Maybe my interpretation won't be as bleak, years later.

And to stay on topic. I'm surprised I hadn't recommended it before:

Thumbsucker

It's one of my favorite coming-of-age films with a great debut performance by Lou (Taylor) Pucci, and Keanu Reeves, in a role that actually fits his acting style (or non-acting style, depending on who you ask), as a new age hippy orthodontist searching for the answers of the universe. The whole cast is great, in fact: Tilda Swinton, Vincent D'Onofrio, even Vince Vaughn and Benjamin Bratt. It's shot beautifully in cinemascope, with a very unique melancholy tone (both in terms of the story's tone and the color palette). It also has a unique style to it, that's stylized, but not in an over the top showy way. And also, the soundtrack consists of an original score by The Polyphonic Spree and covers of famous songs by the late Elliott Smith (one of my favorite musicians ever).

[ade4all]

In Bruges, Dean Spanley, Mid August Lunch, Lars & the real girl, The Station Agent, Me and you & everyone we know, The Fall.......

[jkc123]

I often find myself re-watching Lisa Choledenko's High Art over again.

A good debut film featuring Alley Sheedy, Patrica Clarkson, & Rahda Mitchell.

[TheMacB]

every single movie that Mike Leigh ever made.

[norvan5]

A David Lean film called 'Hobson's Choice' (1953) is definitely an unsung little gem. Pre-epic Lean, amazing B&W cinematography (check the 'moon in the puddle' sequence) and Charles Laughton playing a bad-tempered but funny patriarch with a fondness for the bottle. Deserves to be more widely seen.