Great Movies - Seldom Seen

Chris Messineo

Chris Messineo

Veteran
Like most of us, I am addicted to watching movies.

I love finding those obscure gems that few people have heard about.

Some more recent ones that I would reccommend are:

"Lantana" - A thoughtful and moving drama/thriller set in Australia (amazing performances)

"Fresh" - A dark thriller set in the inner city (the kid is phenomenal)

"Chuck and Buck" - Intelligent but quirky comedy (you need to have a strange sense of humor to get this film)

Does anyone have some suggestions for some hidden treasures I should check out?

Chris
 
If you like Lantana, check out "Once were Warriors". I have seen it several times and it kinda sticks with you.

I can not help but throw in some old classics. I just re-watched one of my favorite films that a lot of people do not know about. I just re-watched "Night of the Hunter". It stars Robert Mitchum and Shelly Winters and was directed by Charles Laughton, his one and only directorial effort. It is one of the best examples of filmic expressionism ever. It is an old film, released in 1955, but I swear, it rocks. Check it out.

BTW, you are one of the few people that I have seen that have the guts to recomend "Chuck and Buck". I loved the film and thought the performances were outstanding. It is ashame that alot of people would use the controversial relationships of the film to talk smack about it. I think that it is one of the most intellegent films made in a long time.

If you are in a kinda freak kinda mood, check out Guy Maddin's 2003 film, "The Saddest Music in the World" with Isabella Rossellini. It is one of the strangest films I have ever seen and yet, it has a tenderness and understanding for individual suffering of any film I have ever seen. Watching Isabella being fitted with glass legs filled with beer, is worth the price of admission.

In early August, there is a film, "John Johnson's Shadow Hunters" that is being released by Brain Damage Films. I recommend that everone see it. Of course, I shot it so I am a little bit biased. But it is worth a look.
 
"Once Were Warriors" is an awesome flick. "Night of the Hunter" is a classic - I love Mitchum in that one. You are right about "Chuck and Buck", people either seem to love it or hate it.

"The Saddest Music in the World" I never heard of - so it is going to the top of my rental list. Thanks for the suggestion.

"Jesus' Son" I heard of but haven't seen, so that one will also go on the list. Thanks a lot for the suggestions,

Chris
 
monte said:
Jesus' Son, anybody?

Really cool story about a heroin addict - that is sort of wierd and really doesnt go anywhere thats why i liked it, though...
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Guess someone liked Lou Reed's song Heroin.
 
CMessineo said:
Like most of us, I am addicted to watching movies.

I love finding those obscure gems that few people have heard about.

Some more recent ones that I would reccommend are:

"Lantana" - A thoughtful and moving drama/thriller set in Australia (amazing performances)

"Fresh" - A dark thriller set in the inner city (the kid is phenomenal)

"Chuck and Buck" - Intelligent but quirky comedy (you need to have a strange sense of humor to get this film)

Does anyone have some suggestions for some hidden treasures I should check out?

Chris
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thx haven't seen those. gonna check if i can rent them.
 
Jesus's Son is awesome. Great book too.

Just saw an amazing film last night. "A Face In The Crowd" from 1957 by Elia Kazan starring Andy Griffith. Very dark and extremely fast-faced for 1957. Check it out.

My favorite recent film is Love Liza. Stars Phillip Seymour Hoffman. His wife dies and he becomes addicted to huffing gasoline. Screenplay by Hoffman's brother won the Waldo Salt award at Sundance. Directed by Todd Louiso (the nerdy guy in High Fidelity and Jerry McGuire). Depressing and hysterical at the same time.
 
Peter Weir's The Mosquito Coast.
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"Mosquito Coast" is one of my favorites, although my wife hates it, she says it is too dark. Harrison Ford is awesome and River Phoenix is a real loss. My favorite quote from that movie is this: "I think about you when I go to the bathroom"

"A Face In The Crowd"
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I haven't heard of that one, but it sounds great. I just added to the top of my Netflix list. "Love Liza" was already on my list of movies to see. Thanks a lot

Chris
 
Welcome To The Dollhouse
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Don't get me started. I LOVE this movie. First it was shot in my backyard, well not my actual backyard, but in New Jersey. Second, I have never seen a movie better show the angst of Junior High. Todd Stolodnz is a genius.

If anyone out there hasn't seen this film, you definitely have to rent it. A classic independent film.

Chris
 
PRIMER directed by Shane Carruth.
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Primer is a great independent film. Probably the smartest sci-fi pictures I have even seen.

I saw that one a month ago after some others recommended here in this forum.

Chris
 
Night of the Hunter may be my all time favorite film. Incredibly beautiful.

I've been on a film noir kick lately. One often overlooked is Gun Crazy. Way before its time. Bleaker and more realistic than most film noir (thus banned at the time). The predecessor of Bonny & Clyde and Natural Born Killers. The finale in the foggy marsh is gorgeous.

The original The Killers. Amazing use of light. Also Welles Lady from Shanghai. Uneven film but great cinematography and Rita Hayworth maybe the sexiest femme fatale ever. No wonder he married her.

Also anything by Michael Haneke. Funny Games is up there with most disturbing movies of all time. The Piano Teacher is brilliant too. Every one of his films is quite different and daring.

Clean, Shaven: brilliant film by Lodge Kerrigan. If it would have been more palatable it would have launched Peter Green as a major star instead of character actor. Clair Dolan is another tough to watch but great film of his.
 
I just bought Satanica Pandemonium (the movie who Tarantino named Salma Hayek's character in Dusk Til Dawn, after Rodriguez refused to name her "Blonde Death", from the original script), thinking it would be a horrible, cheesy softcore porn flick.

I was shocked to find out that it had actually had a good story, acting was decent, and was shot well for a mexican nunsploitation B-movie in the 70's. The pace starts slow, then picks up as the story unfolds, and the nudity is always nice, of course. Some camp here and there, but hey, it was made in the 70's. This movie did the whole "hallucinating the whole time" cinema schtick waayyy before Fight Club, Beautiful Mind, etc.

I haven't seen Flavia the Herectic or Alucarda(which I've heard are actually as good if not better films of this genre), but definitely worth a check out.
 
Oh hell yeah. Melville is the ****. Check out Le Cercle Rouge if you haven't already. It has the jewelry hiest that has served as a basis of every jewelry hiest movie after it.
 
I'd still have to say Boondock Saints...too few people know about this movie. It's one of my friends and my favorite movies. We go to a party and find one person out of 100 who know it, and quote it all night long.

Also Final Cut starring Robin Williams. Well lit, cool story, great production feel.
 
Ooof, not big on Boondock Saints myself. Check out Overnight, the doc about Troy Duffy. Far better than anything he ever made himself IMHO. The guys a self-consumed raging lunatic and its rather entertaining watching him destroy everything and everyone around him.

Boondock II: All Saints Day has been in production for a long time now. Was supposed to come out this year but I don't know if it will.
 
I've got a lot of films stuck in my head from waaaaaaaay back when. I think they are good films, and the ones I've re-seen recently confirm my thought, but... One that's in there that I haven't been able to find is Soldier In The Rain, 1963 with Jackie Gleason & Steve McQueen.

Anyone else see it? Is it as good as I think I remember it?

Dan
 
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