Unsung little gems

Batutta

Batutta

Major Contributor
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.
 
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.
 
Yeah, I didn't care for Wonder Boys. Maybe I had too many expectations after LA Confidential. Big Night I love.
 
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.
 
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Mark Harris said:
Would be cool to implement something on here like Facebook where we could share our Queues through DVXUser.
Click to expand...

Interesting idea.

By the way - Kicking and Screaming.
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.
Killer movie.. not perfect...but some incredibly memorable scenes and great cinematography, and one of my favorite opening sequences.
:thumbsup:
 
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.
 
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.
 
"Sweetie" - Jane Campion's first feature (I think).

An oldie (1989) but a goodie - not sure how well it's known.
 
leepback said:
"Sweetie" - Jane Campion's first feature (I think).

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

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

"Over the Edge"
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).
 
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

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