Unsung movies you'd recommend

That's a pretty good list. I must admit though I haven't seen a few of them more recent one. I do like the Posse with Kirk Douglas. I didn't like the remake though.

I don't see that many films, and I don't discuss film that often, so this one might not be unsung at all. Still,

Down By Law -- a Jim Jarmusz flick, starring Tom Waits, John Lurie (from Stranger than Paradise), and Roberto Benigni. Black-and-white, based in New Orleans. A tale of outcasts. Kind of unsettling in its deliberate pace.

This is an interesting thread because I have a movie in mind from the late fifties or early sixties that I can't remember the title. The movie was about a group of people who got stranded on an island with a pack of vicious dogs. Something along those lines. The movie always freaked me out. I just wish I could remember the title.

Anyone know which movie I'm talking about?

An unsung british film that deserves a look. Or two. Or three:
Croupier An early Clive Owen film with a more intelligent script than was prevalent at the time.

There was another one on the tip of my fingers, but I forgot. I think it was probably SunsetI was thinking of.

Siesta, with Ellen Barkin, Gabriel Byrne and Julian Sands.

Coupe de Ville. I've been waiting for a DVD release for years.

The Spy who came in from the cold Has aged remarkably well and shows Richard Burton at his world-weary best.

Good idea for a thread.

Here are a couple:
Restless Natives an independent Scottish comedy and Once Were Warriors a New Zealand film. Both very good.

Til Human Voices Wake Us with Guy Pearce and Helena Bonham-Carter.

And you're right - The Minus Man was a terrific film.

Ah, I´ve just seen that there will be a US remake of a very good British gangster film from the 1980s The Long Good Friday. Let´s hope it´s a better job than Stallone´s Get Carter and Jude Law´s Alfie, both origianlly with Michael Caine and both very good, the remakes, well ...

The In-Laws (original w/ Alan Arkin and Peter Falk) "Serpentine, Shel, Serpentine!"
Cabin Boy (Chris Elliot. So bad, it's good!)
Chronicles of Riddick -the reviews weren't great, so I wasn't expecting much, but really it was Not Bad!
The Edge (w/ Anthony Hopkins. No one mentions this one, but it was excellent).
Passed Away (Bob Hoskins, Tim Curry, Funny!)

SpookyWriter said:

This is an interesting thread because I have a movie in mind from the late fifties or early sixties that I can't remember the title. The movie was about a group of people who got stranded on an island with a pack of vicious dogs. Something along those lines. The movie always freaked me out. I just wish I could remember the title.

Anyone know which movie I'm talking about?

Click to expand...

Was it Devil Dog, Hound from Hell ? I remember watching that with my mom one Saturday afternoon and laughing our butts off.

Mindhunters. FBI Profiler wannabes trapped on an island with a serial killer. Decent recognizable cast, nice twists at the end.

Prototype. TV movie from the 80's that is available on DVD. Retelling of the Frankenstein story, starring a very young David Morse.

Return to Me. Sweet, sentimental love story, directed by Bonnie Hunt. It's worth it just for the hysterical James Belushi.

Life as a House. Kevin Kline at his best. Proof that Hayden Christensen really can act. Rebuilding a father-son relationship, with the necessary sappy ending.

Now this is a thread to print out and take with you on your next trip to the video store.

Big Night -- Stanley Tucci, Tony Shaloub, Minnie Driver, Isabella Rosselini. A wonderful story of two brothers willing to risk it all to make their restaurant a success.

A Slight Case of Murder -- William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman, Adam Arkin, James Cromwell. Macy is hysterically funny as a film critic who ends up on the wrong side of the law.

PS -- C.Bronco: The Edge was filmed around where I live. There's one shot of Hopkins and Baldwin supposedly way out in the wilderness that's less than a mile from my house. Just below the bottom of the frame, if they had panned down you'd see the rooftops of a row of condominium townhouses.

Life as a House was a really great movie

A Home of Our Own - Kathy Bates - This woman can just about pull off anything!

Oh yeah...a subtitled swedish movie called Mas Javlar - this is one of my favs and you can get it on netflix if u dont mind subtitles.

I thought Smoke Signals was a very moving film that seemed to sneak under the radar. I'd say it's a must for anyone who's dealt with an estranged father.

ooooh, I'm always finding accidentals, but this one was my husband's. I kept looking from him, to the cover, and back to him.
Well...no pun intended, but he got the last laugh.
Death To Smoochy. OMG. I was in so much pain, I had to take 800mg motrin for the laugh-migrain!

MOTHER:
Director : Albert Brooks
Producer : Scott Rudin,Herb Nanas
Screenwiter : Albert Brooks,Monica Johnson
Starring : Albert Brooks,Debbie Reynolds,Rob Morrow
Debbie Reynolds is hysterically funny in this movie!

And an old one that I appreciated, even though a young teen at the time:
CHAPTER TWO by Neil Simon
(I know, Neil Simon, so at the time, it probably got much hype, but it's been forgotten in today's fast action--grab me quick movies...and this one's about a writer....)

Fierce Creatures.
I know I'm going to be back with more...

I loved There Was a Crooked Man.

If you like music, a really interesting little gem is Grace of My Heart. Set during the 60s and 70s, it focuses on one "girl singer/songwriter" and her experiences, especially being part of the wildly creative music scene of the Brill Building. Though group and individual artist names have been "fictionalized," it's easy to match those with the real life artists.

What a great thread. I wonder how many I'll remember of these titles I've never heard of, next time I'm at Blockbuster.

I showed my kids the 1942 version of Jungle Book the other day. I was reminded that it's superior to most old fantasy films, even though most people seem not to know it exists. IMO it beats Thief of Baghdad, to name an example that (for having its star and filmmakers in common) is often mentioned in the same paragraph. Most DVD prints are cruddy, almost black and white in places. It was a technicolor production that would look as cool as Wizard of Oz if anyone invested in a good restoration of it. Even seen through the filter of lousy prints, you can tell the photography and settings were awesome; it still looks spectacular.

If you can play region 2 DVDs (unlike me and most of USA), I understand the Network release of this film is actually from a good looking, colorful print. Mine is one of the more common cruddy ones, of which there are many because the film is in the public domain. You can even watch the whole thing on the Internet, somewhere.

Aside from its artistic merits, it stands out as one of the very rare color epics of the 40s with a non-white star. Sabu is such a natural that my kids commented on how good he was several times, as he certainly stood out from the various white actors playing Asians as was normal at the time. Most actors are only so convincing with that Ten Commandments-style dialogue that used to fill the old fantasy films, yet that kid made every one of his lines sound for real.

Agreed on 'The Edge'.
Also 'Let Him Have It' - British film with young Christopher Eccleston
'The Taking of Pelham 123'
I'm sure I'll think of some more later.

I'm with y'all on 'The Edge'. Awesome film. Hopkins excellent as always.

Here are few more overlooked goodies I can think of...

The Iron Giant - not marketed well, it bombed and disappeared from theaters very fast. Its director, Brad Bird, got more fame from The Incredibles so this one has been re-released. It's a great family flick.

Twin Falls Idaho - this is the sad, serious art-house piece that Stuck on You (made a couple years later) was not. It was written and directed by Mark and Michael Polish, who play the conjoined twins in the story flawlessly.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch - this is one of those few films that belong on the same shelf as Rocky Horror Picture Show. Not for the kids, but probably the cleverest and funniest rock musical I've ever seen. Another art-house indy that isn't well known only because it never got ten words of marketing.