The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension This gem should have been a cult classic on the scale of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Seriously. It's a shoestring budget sci-fi film with a star-studded cast, and well...best you watch it yourself if you haven't already. I couldn't do it justice if I tried.
Can I call you John Smallberries from now on?
Memento is, IMHO, one of the best films ever made.
Kung Fu Hustle: I almost didn't get through the first time (turned it off after the 1st scene), then I watched the whole thing on a lark and was in awe. Great movie.
Others not mentioned:
I'm not entirely sure if this counts as an obscure film, but I personally recommend I'm Gonna Get You Sucka. The best parody of exploitation films I ever saw, made back when the Wayans Brothers still made good movies.
Christopher Lambert and Ice-T
With a tagline of "100 Assassins. 1,000 Weapons. 10,000,000 Dollars. Only One Can Survive.", how can you lose?!
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6
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Tampopo is indeed great. I've seen two of Juzo Itami's other films and loved them, The Funeral (which is an absolutely brilliant moving about handling death) and Minbo (or the Gentle Art of Japanese Extortion). Loved the Ice Pirates too, and Ravenous.
One obscure film I really like is American Success Company, starring Jeff Bridges. Something of a reverse fairy tale about niceness and greed. You can a modified cut of it at the director's website. The edit is a little choppy, so give it a chance if it seems a bit off in places:
http://williamrichert.com/movies/success/watch-restored-success-streaming-c omplete-uncut/
Edit:
A few others I'd add...
American Pop and Hey Good Lookin' by Bakshi. Both fairly uneven, but worth watching.
Twenty Bucks, which I at least think was obscure
Royal Flash
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GUNMEN: Christopher Lambert, Patrick Stewart, Mario Van Peebles (1994): Better than MEAN GUNS.
WATERHOLE #3: Lee Marvin(1967):
Hero is called out to a challenge in the street outside the tavern. He pops out to his horse, reaches over the saddle from cover and retrieves his winchester and puts a bullet in the guy who wants him dead.
It is a foreign movie set in a post apocalyptic world. There is no dialogue, but it's a tight movie that will keep you gripping your seat.
"This film, Luc Besson's first, is a fascinating work: originally released in 1984, it's black and white, and with almost no dialogue until close to the end of the film. In the near future, buildings are mere rubble, and the few people who are left (mostly) cannot speak. The lead male actor, Pierre Jolivet, who also co-wrote the script, wanders around searching for--something, anything that will let him connect to what remains of humanity."
Totally agree with these last ones.
Gunmen: Denis Leary's quote just before death!
CSA: Brilliant!
Last Battle: I found this in a mom n pop video store after "The Professional" came to the US. Reno and Besson make an amazing film.
Man, Ive seen a lot of these obscure films. Thanks Netflix! (and now I have many more to look for!) Thanks forum people!
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The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello
Great short movies talked about on the The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello thread on these boards. The vedio is linked above. Watch, you'll be impressed.
The Way of the Gun
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
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Blood and Donuts. This little Canadian flick is just awesome. A vampire awakens after a decades-long sleep and frequents the local all-night donut shop, which is threatened by organized crime (with the boss played by David Cronenberg), while trying to avoid the women who fell in love with him all those years ago...
If you can find it, check it out. Very funny movie.
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Seen it 3 times now, and counting. Great flick.
So many great films already mentioned, its nice to know that others are into some of the un recognised greats.
Really enjoyed ghost dog. Big fan of Brotherhood of the wolf. The way my friend told me about it should be enough to pique anyones interest "its a french period drama, werewolf martial arts film." what more could you want in one film? Dog soldiers is quality, I've never seen it but "the descent" is by him and supposedly really good.
Anyway as for other obscure films not mentioned yet:
Doomsday- By the same guy who did dog soldiers it's just a ridiculous action romp that cahnges genre so many times it's unbelievable. It goes from zombie film to mediveal film to mad max style road warrior movie in about three quarters of an hour. Its ridiculous but kind of cool.
Oldboy- Only film that has ever made me yell "no f**king way!" at the TV screen. The ending is something else.
28 Days later- Don't know if this is classed as underated but a great zombie film. The sequel 28 weeks later is pretty damn good as well although many disagree with me about the sequel.
Taxi- The originally french version not the remake with jimmy Fallon. Pretty cool car film.
Infernal affairs- The film the departed was based on. I say based on it is exactly the same film just set in America. Much as I'm a Scorsese fan the original is a lot better. The tension is done so much better.
The Dark Crystal- I do't know again if this is obscure but it is a great movie. Quite similiar to the Labyrinth but without any humans. A quality little remebered gem.
Ichi the Killer- Never been able to decide if I liked this film or not but it is messed up. It has one of the creepiest main characters ever (a sadistic psycho assaisin who learned all his moves from fighting games) and one of the creepiest villains ever (he bites a mans arm off). Pretty hard to watch and rather weird a grim its still worth a watch if you fancy seeing something extremely odd.
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C.S.A: Confederate States of America - A fake documentary about the history of America after the Confederacy won the Civil War.
White Man's BurdenIs another great movie along similar lines, except in this world, Africans enslaved whites instead of the other way around. I don't usually like John Travolta films, but this one was great.
Infernal affairs- The film the departed was based on. I say based on it is exactly the same film just set in America. Much as I'm a Scorsese fan the original is a lot better. The tension is done so much better.
Agree all around. Infernal Affairs is one of the best suspense movies ever filmed. Tony Leung Chu Wai immediately became one of my favorite actors after I saw that one.
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I don't think it's been mentioned yet, so Bubba Ho-Tep! Oh my god is this movie good. my second favorite after Blazing Saddles. My family finally got me the special edition last year for my birthday and it comes in the elvis jacket slipcase and everything. and what is there not to love about a retired elderly Elvis (played by Bruce Campbell!!! awesome!) teaming up with a black John F. Kennedy to take out a cowboy mummy? nothing is not to love about that, that's what!
Also, I managed to watch Pi, Primer, eXistenZ and death to smoochy over the weekend and can honestly say it was a weekend of awesome movies. they are also listed there in order of how awesome i found them.
And I was going to mention Buckaroo Banzai, but it appears someone managed to do that before me. anyone who hasn't watched this should.
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So many of my favourite movies have already been named in this thread, like Memento and Hot Fuzz!
I'll throw in Shichinin no samurai (or The Seven Samurai) as one of the best movies I've ever seen and possibly one of the best movies ever made. Many have heard of it, but not too many people these days have seen it, though if you've seen The Magnificent Seven or read Stephen King's fifth book in his Dark Tower series (and many more adaptations that I've never seen), you know the story. I got to see the whole 207 minute restored version at the local Indie theatre a few years back and it was totally worth it.
The other movies I've seen at that theatre were also fantastic, though they weren't obscure so much as not mainstream, as they're both recent: Flags of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima (saw them back-to-back, it's worth watching them this way!) and Pan's Labyrinth.
Checking out your local indie theatre if you live in a big enough town is totally worth it, as sometimes you'll get to catch some real gems that you might otherwise have missed.
plus a boat on a roof and a three language totally awesome conversation.
and an old school Italian gangster dancing around in his underpants to Easy-E.
PASSENGER PIGEONS!
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I have seen many of the listed movies and they are great. Plan on seeing the others as soon as I can find them!
Anyway, in the vein of The Usual Suspects, is another Kevin Spacey film
Swimming with Sharks....cool little known flick with a twisted ending.hope this thread continues, I'm a movie watcher and am always lookin for more good flicks. I actually own quite a few of the listed ones....8)
and an old school Italian gangster dancing around in his underpants to Easy-E.
Flavor Flav! Obviously you're not an opera fan.
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I have seen many of the listed movies and they are great. Plan on seeing the others as soon as I can find them!
Anyway, in the vein of The Usual Suspects, is another Kevin Spacey film
Swimming with Sharks....cool little known flick with a twisted ending.hope this thread continues, I'm a movie watcher and am always lookin for more good flicks. I actually own quite a few of the listed ones....8)
swimming with sharks rocked :)
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Infernal affairs- The film the departed was based on. I say based on it is exactly the same film just set in America. Much as I'm a Scorsese fan the original is a lot better. The tension is done so much better.Agree all around. Infernal Affairs is one of the best suspense movies ever filmed. Tony Leung Chu Wai immediately became one of my favorite actors after I saw that one.
Agree!
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I have to second Oldboy.
It is a stunning Korean film, based on a Japanese manga. I was silent for about an hour after I saw it, contemplating the story and the ending. Absolutely fantastic, and guaranteed to provoke thought...as well as providing conflicting emotions.
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I have to second Oldboy.
It is a stunning Korean film, based on a Japanese manga. I was silent for about an hour after I saw it, contemplating the story and the ending. Absolutely fantastic, and guaranteed to provoke thought...as well as providing conflicting emotions.
Oh, and keep this in mind when you're watching it:
No, that was real. It wasn't CG.
And it took four takes to get the whole scene.
Enjoy!
edit-And having just now watched one of the other famous scenes from the movie again because of this thread, I have to say this movie will make you respect high-level Commoners.
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The Sea Wolf starring Edward G. Robinson (c.a. 1930s?) Based on a Jack London short story, Mr. Robinson plays the megalomaniacal captain of a ship that may or may not be engaged in piracy! I think he gives a performance that tops his role in Key Largo.
(Relatively Obscure in the USA):
Luis Bunuel's Mujeres al brinca de un ataque de nervios (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, 1988) A Spanish comedy starring Carmen Maura, it's Antonio Banderas' first film (it's a "soap-opera," but it's funny! If you liked Soapdish you will like this! It's even wackier!)
Michelangelo Antonioni'sL'avventura. Not as well-known in English speaking countries as his British film Blow Up, the "plot" of this film centers on a woman whose best friend goes missing on a Mediterranean island, and she contemplates whether or not she should have an affair with the missing friend's fiance. (It's a SLOWWW movie, but all of Antonioni's films are like that -- he really gives you time to experience his characters' moral ambiguities). But if you thought Hitchcock's Vertigo was too slow, you'll hate this film.
I'll probably think of two dozen more by the time this posts. There's a Salvador Dali film I want to track down that is TRIPPY!
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I agree with Mikazi: Witchfinder General rocks hard, and it's Price's absolute best work; it's almost painful to watch at times because it rings so true. But ANYTHING with/by Vincent Price is worth watching, because he committs to the words he's saying 100%, and his delivery is always watchable.
You've got to see The Black Cat! It's the perfect Halloween film! It stars Bela Lugossi AND Boris Karloff in Boris Karloff's BEST ROLE! Forget "The Mummy"! Forget "Frankenstein"! Karloff creates the role of a very ordinary man who turns out to be a cult leader. The scary thing about this movie is that Karloff does not play "a cult leader"; he plays a pathological man with an odd job title.
Whereas Karloff humanizes the rubber monsters he plays so that there is an element of pathos to them, here he wears a normal suit for most of the film, not a costume. He speaks calmly. He's someone you want to trust. There is something about him, but maybe you'd mistake it for a "professorial" attitude...at first. We see a real man standing before the camera, and he is as frightening as anything because you know people like this in real life, and eventually you see how they hold sway over others, like Charles Manson or Warren Jeffs.
Nowadays it is hard to see how '30s audiences freaked out at "Frankenstein," because our special effects and makeup art has comes so far, but "The Black Cat" captures something of Karloff's stage presence that made children faint and grown men cry.
By the way, Karloff's performance is what I think about when I think of Charisma as an RPG character attribute; it isn't looks or voice, it's sheer presence. He enters the room and EVERYONE looks to him. They don't have a "choice." He puts Lugosi's Dracula to shame.
Luis Bunuel's Mujeres al brinca de un ataque de nervios (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, 1988) A Spanish comedy starring Carmen Maura, it's Antonio Banderas' first film (it's a "soap-opera," but it's funny! If you liked Soapdish you will like this! It's even wackier!)
Im working my way thru Almodovar's work. Ive seen "Talk to Her", "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down", "Volver", and "All About My Mother" (thanks local library for having a foreign film section!) Need to see his other stuff, man--the dialogue and twists of plot he orchestrates are amazing. Pedro makes FILM (not movies).
When you wrote Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, that reminded me of Cassevettes' "Woman Under the Influence". I wont defend everything he's done, but a few of Cassevettes' films are interesting to watch. He works from a bare bones outline and lets the story unfold however it turns out (kind of like how Chris Guest and the gang worked on "Waiting for Guffman" and "Best in Show"). Sometimes too raw and unfinished, "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie" and "Woman Under the Influence" have amazing performances.
Dunno about obscurity of these, but I also liked
Short Cuts and Gosford Park by Altman (to pick a couple of his)
Glengarry Glen Ross (freaking genius!)
My Beautiful Laundrette by Frears
SLC Punk
Summer School
Private School
Old School
Ski School (ok, enough schools!)
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, State of Grace, and Romeo is Bleeding (for an Oldman trifecta)
another vote for Withnail and I
Warlock (speaking of Richard Grant)
and for a western, has anyone seen
Ride the High Country by Peckinpah? Genius!
**EDIT** fourthed on Oldboy. Ending will freak you out. and I have to add Ong Bak here too. WOW! Muai Thai FTW!! (part 2 is coming soon!)
Oh jeez...I thought of more.
"The Executioners Song" with Tommy Lee Jones and "Guyana Tragedy" with Powers Boothe and "I Know My Name is Steven" all tv movies.
At Close Range with the Penn brothers (and their mom) and Christopher Walken!
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Repo man yet? Or Heathers? Not obscure enough?i guess, at least for my generation, neither of those movies are obscure. they were pretty much required watching, in fact.
Shiny, if you can , get a hold of the repo man soundtrack, awesome primer if you need to introduce someone to early 80's punk...
...as opposed to my "shut up and listen, you're gonna like this" speech. I definitely need to pick this one up. I NEED CONVERTS!
...as opposed to my "shut up and listen, you're gonna like this" speech. I definitely need to pick this one up. I NEED CONVERTS!Repo man yet? Or Heathers? Not obscure enough?i guess, at least for my generation, neither of those movies are obscure. they were pretty much required watching, in fact.
Shiny, if you can , get a hold of the repo man soundtrack, awesome primer if you need to introduce someone to early 80's punk...
show em Another State of Mind too. Punk history and camaraderie in general and Social Distortion history in particular. Also shows the creative process of how Ness wrote the title song over the course of the movie.
and everything (almost) that Don Cheadle's been in.
Rebound
Talk to Me
Devil in a Blue Dress
Bulworth (took a nothing part and made it shine)
Out of Sight (loved that Ray Nicolette showed up again in Jackie Brown!!)
The Rat Pack (Sammys dream sequence was awesome, but Montegna as Dean was the best part of the show)
Hotel Rwanda
Traitor
THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOURE DEAD! "AKA his d**k, Uncle Salty."
and the best thing Ive seen him in
"Things Behind the Sun" His performance in the kitchen scene is about perfect!
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Drunken Nomad, I saw your profile. Great list of movies you got there. I agree with you about Almodovar, he's one of the best filmmakers out there today. I haven't seen any of Cassavett's work, but I've heard of him and that his films are sometimes hit-and-miss.
Have you seen Terry Gilliam's Brazil? Tom Stoppard helped write the screenplay. Brazil is one of my favorite movies and Stoppard's dialogue is brilliant. I loved Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, too. As an English major who had to write three essays (3!) on "Hamlet," it provided needed comic relief.
The original Omen was my fave film in high school. I once watched it four times in a row. That movie and Tod Browning's Freaks (yes, the "One of us, one of us!" Freaks) define my high school experience.
Edit: you should also see American Buffalo if you liked Glengary Glen Ross. It's not quite as good because it's a much smaller cast and there is no mystery to "who stole the leads," but it's still great David Mammett, and Dustin Hoffman gives a fine performance as a small-time thief.
I haven't seen any of Cassavett's work, but I've heard of him and that his films are sometimes hit-and-miss.
Theres a box set of about 5 of his films out there. Hopefully your local library has a copy and that will save you some $$. I mostly like the story about Cassevettes the man. Hes in "Dirty Dozen", hes in "Rosemarys Baby", he does this n that and takes the money and makes his own small personal movies. He surrounds himself with very capable performers they hash out a basic idea of a story and then the set up a camera and GO!
Have you seen Terry Gilliam's Brazil? Tom Stoppard helped write the screenplay. Brazil is one of my favorite movies and Stoppard's dialogue is brilliant.
I love Brazil, but youve reminded me that I havent seen it in quite a few years. I will watch this again soon!
I loved Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, too. As an English major who had to write three essays (3!) on "Hamlet," it provided needed comic relief.
Weirdness alert here: I heard that they were working on a "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" version of the other two guys in "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle" with their whole journey to the HotDog place and watching Katie Holmes' **** and ruminating on life.
a few more 'oldies':
The Taking of Pellham One Two Three (yeah thats the Bad News Bears' coach as a detective and Quint from Jaws)
Death of a Salesman
The Indian Runner (Sean Penn taking Springsteens "Highway Patrolman" song and turning into a movie)
Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Long Days Journey into Night with Hepburn and Robards
speaking of Jason Robards, Metallicafans: JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN!
and A Thousand Clowns
and the one where hes a gambler in a hotel lobby and one of the people from Andy Griffith is the concierge. gaaaah!
**EDIT** Its "Hughie" and he's a salesman, not a gambler. Made for tv.
and Something Wicked This Way Comes and the two "Witch Mountain" Disney movies (Robards isnt in those Witch Mtn ones, but I was remembering others from my childhood).
and the Silas Marner version with Sir Ben Kingsley
oh and anything with Spalding Gray.
Killing Fields
King of the Hill
Twenty Bucks
and ANY of his monologue-things. "Swimming to Cambodia" on IFC late at night a long time ago...I could NOT stop listening to that voice tell these amazing stories.
oh and speaking of IFC and late at night and Halloween:
Lars Von Trier's Kingdom 1 and 2 (Riget I & II). Stephen King 'borrowed' these to make his Kingdom Hospital, but the originals will freak you right the f**k out!
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Just watched "War, Inc." Not sure if it's obscure enough, but still, it's one of the funniest, most relevant movies I've ever seen. I was quite impressed.
Make a cocktail made from bits of "Dr. Strangelove," "Airplane," any of the James Bond films, and the Bourne Identity series, and you'll get "War, Inc."
um, wouldn't that be public enemy?
Ooh! May have to go back and see it again. I seem to remember a clock medallion, but that may just be my mind playing tricks on me... I'm clearly deranged, anyway, because I found Oldboy to be annoyingly overdone.
The Way of the Gun
This one is cool.
and an old school Italian gangster dancing around in his underpants to Easy-E.Flavor Flav! Obviously you're not an opera fan.
DAMN! You're right!
i'm lampin, i'm lampin, im cold cold lampin!Had to watch that passage again.
The Way of the Gun ...This one is cool.
yes it was! Sarah Silverman vs Ryan Phillipe--FIGHT! Extremely NSFW but very shockingly funny exchange there.
Hey-
What about:
Outsiders/Rumble Fish/Tex...and I guess That was Then This is Now?
and
The Pope of Greenwich Village: "They took my thummmmmmms, Chaaaaaaaaaahlie!"
and
King of New York: Fishburne and Walken, say it aint so!
Yes! I'm right -- so is Derek, of course -- "Cold Lampin' with Flavor," by Public Enemy, with founding member Flavor Flav always acting as "hype man" for that particular track.
Not sure about the obscurity of it, and haven't seen it mentioned yet, but The Boondock Saints is an awesome movie that I don't remember having a very high profile.
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and everything (almost) that Don Cheadle's been in.
I just saw where he signed to play Rhodey in Iron Man II. Apparently the other guy wanted a big raise and walkd when the turned him down. Cheadle said he would do the role for the amount the producers wanted to pay in exchange for an expanded role in the film.
. and I have to add Ong Bak here too. WOW! Muai Thai FTW!!
Ong bak is one of my favourite martial arts film. The follow up film warrior king(s?) is a pretty amazing as well, silly in places but the fights are something else. The end fight is absolutely brutal although I've discovered that if you watch it on mute without the sound of bones cracking it hilarious. I laughed so hard it hurt. It looks like the world oddest dancing.
I don't know if it counts as obscure but Children of Men is hands down the best action film of the new millenium by a long way.
Black sheep is another one I almost forgot. Scientist create bloodthirsty mutant sheep and hillarity ensues. A great dark comedy/horror.
Ghost in the shell is another often overlooked gem. Really makes you think and is a beautiful anime although I prefer the series for the sheer mind f*** of their philisophical storylines.
Finally apparently this film was bigger in the states than it was in the uk but virtually no one here has heard of Princess Mononoke. A great film both in story and sheer visual appeal.