10 movies i love that you've ( probably) never heard of

[the 'stache]

Hmm. Ten might be a tall task, but here goes. All of these are highly recommended.

Charade (1963). dir. Stanley Donen, starring Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Mathau, George Kennedy and James Coburn. A lively homage to the Hitchcock suspense-thriller. One of my favorite movies of the early 60s.

Der Untergang (2004). Downfall in English. dir. Oliver Hirschbiegel, starring the great Bruno Ganz, Ulrich Matthes, Alexandra Maria Lara, and Corinna Harfouch. The final days of Adolf Hitler in the Wolf's Den, from the perspective of his secretary Traudl Junge. Ganz deserved an Oscar nomination for his performance.

The Night of the Hunter (1955). dir. Charles Laughton, starring Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish and Peter Graves. Initially, this film was panned by critics, and the negative press was so injurious to Charles Laughton that he never directed again. Now it's consider a classic. One of Mitchum's greatest, most unnerving performances.

The Asphalt Jungle (1950). dir. John Huston, starring Sterling Hayden, Jean Hagen, Louis Calhern, James Whitmore, Sam Jaffe, and the one of the first credited performances by Marilyn Monroe. Classic noir film. I've been petitioning Warner Brothers to release this film on Blu-ray through their Warner Archives Collection. It deserves to be in any classic film enthusiast's library.

The Public Enemy (1931). dir. William A. Wellman, starring James Cagney and Jean Harlow. Initially cast in the lesser role of Matt Doyle, director Wellman saw one of Cagney's stage performances, and knew he was better fit for the Tom Power lead role; it served as a career breakthrough for Cagney. Silent film star Louise Brooks was cast to play the lead female part of Gwen Allen, but she refused. It fell to a then 20 year old Jean Harlow. While she'd not yet perfected her craft as an actress, "Baby's" screen presence was already undeniable. Together with Edward G. Robinson's Little Caesar, The Public Enemy set the blueprint for prohibition era gangster movies.

Paths of Glory (1957). dir. Stanley Kubrick, starring Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker and Adolphe Menjou. Kubrick's fourth feature is an unnerving anti-war film set in the trenches of World War I. Douglas, a French army colonel, is forced to defend his men against charges of cowardice, and refusal to obey orders, when they retreat rather than attempt a suicidal rush of a German fortification.

Trois couleurs: Bleu (1993). dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, starring Juliette Binoche, Benoît Régent, Emmanuelle Riva, Julie Delpy. The first film in Polish auteur Kieślowski's Three Colors trilogy, Blue is a powerful drama about a woman who is forced to go on after surviving a car crash that takes the life of her husband, a world renowned composer, and her young daughter. For anybody who has never experienced Kieślowski's work before, this is a great starting point. His work of light, and color, is incredibly poetic. Watching a Kieślowski film makes you shake your head when contemplating the crap coming out of Hollywood now.

I'll think up three more for later today. Right now, I need some sleep.

[egri]

In no particular order:

Twelve O'clock High (1949) about US Army Air Force bomber crews in England during World War II.

Zulu (1964) set after the aforementioned Zulu Dawn (but made 15 years earlier) covers the Battle of Rourke's Drift.

61* (2001) one of the best baseball movies ever, IMHO, it is about the race between Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris to break Babe Ruth's single season home run record.

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by egri

In no particular order:

Twelve O'clock High (1949) about US Army Air Force bomber crews in England during World War II.

Zulu (1964) set after the aforementioned Zulu Dawn (but made 15 years earlier) covers the Battle of Rourke's Drift.

61* (2001) one of the best baseball movies ever, IMHO, it is about the race between Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris to break Babe Ruth's single season home run record.

Scott - I really love Twelve O'clock High & 61*, but prefer Zulu Dawn to a very good Zulu.

[TheNightmanCometh]

10 I know you've never heard of, but I love...

#10 2 LDK
#9 Irreversible
#8 Hell Ride
#7 Battle Royale
#6 Thirst
#5 El Topo
#4 Coffee & Cigarettes
#3 Waking Life
#2 Down By Law
#1 The Good, The Bad, and The Weird

[steve B]

The Wraith - Story about a guy killed in a street racing accident caused by the local rejects. Who then comes back as a sort of ghost/spirit of vengeance who's either partly a car that when it's hit or blown up basically vaporizes and recondenses back into a car. The car is the Dodge Viper prototype.

Shogun assassin - The shoguns head executioner gets too powerful and ninjas are sent to kill him but all they manage is to kill his wife. The shogun orders him to submit or kill himself, but he decides to become an assassin, bringing his small child with him. He gets more and more unkempt as the movie goes on, and the best acting is from the kid who never even blinks during the fight scenes which is most of the movie.
It's actually cut down from a series of six Japanese movies.

Deathrace 2000 - the original one from the 70's Probably not in the category of ones you've never heard of, but fairly far outside the mainstream. And an interesting commentary about violence in sports. Complete with a Cosellish character.

Steve B

[tschock]

Originally Posted by steve B

Deathrace 2000 - the original one from the 70's Probably not in the category of ones you've never heard of, but fairly far outside the mainstream. And an interesting commentary about violence in sports. Complete with a Cosellish character.
Steve B

Ah yes...euthanasia day at the geriatrics ward.

[frankbmd]

What About Bob?

[dgo71]

Originally Posted by egri

61* (2001) one of the best baseball movies ever, IMHO, it is about the race between Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris to break Babe Ruth's single season home run record.

It is a great "movie" but unfortunately nowhere close to historically accurate. That bothers me when something is portrayed as historical and is almost completely fictional. I talked to Paul Blair and Clete Boyer about the movie and both guys thought it was terrible because it was so far off of reality. In fact, Boyer was downright mad by the time he got done telling me all the things he didn't like about it.

[irv]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

Here's a few more (that have not be mentioned yet):

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
Robin and Marian (1976)
Cannery Row (1982)
Empire of the Sun (1987)
Quigley Down Under (1990)
Se7en (1995)
The Life of David Gale (2003)
Collateral (2004)
Man on Fire (2004)
Untraceable (2008)


These are all G-R-E-A-T - worth spending your time on IMO - check them out!


.

One of my favorite movies of all time. I like when justice is served.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4kLizDXLY0

[tschock]

Some great lists so far. Not sure about the "probably never heard of aspect", as I've heard (or seen) many of the movies from many of the lists, but I'm a movie junkie so there's that. Also the 10-ish list below contains some I'm sure many have heard of, but 1 or 2 obscure ones. Hey, they're just off the top of my head. BUT, none of the ones below have been mentioned yet. We might need to start breaking these down by decade.

Snatch - Ya like daags?
The Commitments - I'm black and I'm proud.
Fight Club - Mischief. Mayhem. Soap.
It Happened One Night - Lessons on how to hitchhike.
King of Hearts - Which crazy world would you rather live in?
King of Comedy - Robert DeNiro and Jerry Lewis?
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World / Rat Race (a remake that's not a remake) - Zany slapstick anyone?
Life is Beautiful - Buon giorno, Principessa! ("No spiders and Visigoths allowed.")
Barry Lyndon, Lolita, or almost anything by Kubrick
Tapeheads - "But first, I'm going to need to you do something for me... on spec."
Repo Man - "let's go do some crimes. Yeah. Let's go get sushi and not pay."

[Sean]

Originally Posted by tschock

Some great lists so far. Not sure about the "probably never heard of aspect", as I've heard (or seen) many of the movies from many of the lists, but I'm a movie junkie so there's that. Also the 10-ish list below contains some I'm sure many have heard of, but 1 or 2 obscure ones. Hey, they're just off the top of my head. BUT, none of the ones below have been mentioned yet. We might need to start breaking these down by decade.

Snatch - Ya like daags?
The Commitments - I'm black and I'm proud.
Fight Club - Mischief. Mayhem. Soap.
It Happened One Night - Lessons on how to hitchhike.
King of Hearts - Which crazy world would you rather live in?
King of Comedy - Robert DeNiro and Jerry Lewis?
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World / Rat Race (a remake that's not a remake) - Zany slapstick anyone?
Life is Beautiful - Buon giorno, Principessa! ("No spiders and Visigoths allowed.")
Barry Lyndon, Lolita, or almost anything by Kubrick
Tapeheads - "But first, I'm going to need to you do something for me... on spec."
Repo Man - "let's go do some crimes. Yeah. Let's go get sushi and not pay."

Taylor, you beat me to most of my favorites:
Fight Club
Snatch
King of Hearts
Repo Man

Great thread. Brings back some great memories. I saw The Ghost and Mr Chicken in the theater when I was a kid. And I watched Charade with my mom. It was one of her favorites, along with Rear Window.

Speaking of mom, I remember watching a really bad '50s horror movie with her. I think it was called "The Thing That Couldn't Die." It scarred the hell out of me (I was seven or eight). Years later I saw the movie being ridiculed on Mystery Science Theater. Now that was a great show....but that's a topic for another thread.

PS- When you say almost anything by Kubrick, I have to mention Clockwork Orange, though it is hardly obscure.

[clydepepper]

Prisoners is a movie that will affect your life if you let it.

VERY disturbing!


.

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by dgo71

It is a great "movie" but unfortunately nowhere close to historically accurate. That bothers me when something is portrayed as historical and is almost completely fictional. I talked to Paul Blair and Clete Boyer about the movie and both guys thought it was terrible because it was so far off of reality. In fact, Boyer was downright mad by the time he got done telling me all the things he didn't like about it.

As a big fan of both the movie and of Boyer, I would be interested if you could share specifically what Clete was mad about.

[AgonyandIvy]

Originally Posted by dgo71

It is a great "movie" but unfortunately nowhere close to historically accurate. That bothers me when something is portrayed as historical and is almost completely fictional. I talked to Paul Blair and Clete Boyer about the movie and both guys thought it was terrible because it was so far off of reality. In fact, Boyer was downright mad by the time he got done telling me all the things he didn't like about it.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I've always said that *61 was not very accurate. In fact even the title is inaccurate. There was NEVER an asterisk, and I would like to know how this myth ever started.

But anywho, here is my list of ten movies that, while not completely obscure and maybe only shown one time, are not widely known or frequently shown:

Water (From India directed by Deepa Mehta)
One-Two-Three
Above Suspicion
The Boys in Company C
Head
The Swimmer
Stage Door
The Palm Beach Story
You Can't Take it With You
Hell's Angels

[the 'stache]

Firstly, I don't think the movie was implying that there had, indeed, been an asterisk in the record books. More, I think the title is a nod to the debate that raged about how the record should be handled. For nearly fifty years, there were two entries in the official Major League record book for home runs in a single season: one listing Babe Ruth's 60 in 154 games in 1927, and a second entry listing Roger Maris' 61 in 162 games in 1961.

As to the genesis of the myth, you can thank the Commissioner of Baseball at the time, Ford Frick:

'Any player who has hit more than 60 home runs during his club's first 154 games would be recognized as having established a new record. However, if the player does not hit more than 60 until after this club has played 154 games, there would have to be some distinctive mark on the record books to show that Babe Ruth's record was set under a 154-game schedule.'"

This was a statement of opinion. The "distinctive mark" never appeared in the record books, but it's easy to understand why people might assume it had. This happens all the time. Popular culture would have you believe the line, "play it again, Sam" came from Casablanca, that the correct line from All About Eve was "buckle up, its going to be a bumpy ride", or that Cary Grant famously quipped "Judy, Judy, Judy".

Once something is entered into the popular lexicon, accurate, completely made up, or not, there it will stay.

Originally Posted by AgonyandIvy

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I've always said that *61 was not very accurate. In fact even the title is inaccurate. There was NEVER an asterisk, and I would like to know how this myth ever started.

[MikeGarcia]

.."The Bad Lieutenant;Port Of Call "-Cage should be dipped in bronze for his performance

..."Breaking Away"---brilliant 'little' movie

..."Oh, What A lovely War" -so overlooked on this side of the pond; shame , that.

.."Hard Candy"--ummm---maybe not for everyone but a good flick

.."The Boy With Green Hair"---will stay with you

.."The Sergeant"---- Whew , Rod Steiger...whew

.."The Kiss Of The Spider Woman"--best cast EVER

..''The Dogs Of War"----Walken --wow,just "wow"

.."Topper"--the old original black and white one; look at Cary Grant's car....

[bravos4evr]

ten movies I love many of you have never seen?



Dead Man - incredible black and white photography and philosophical storyline

Ikiru- everyone knows seven samurai and yojimbo, but this might be Kurosawa's best film

Ex-Machina- maybe the best film of last year and one of the most original scifi films in a long time

Juggernaut- 1970's Richard Harris stars in this great thriller about bombs aboard an ocean liner

Time Bandits- Terry Gilliam at the top of his game making odd, yet fun films

Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone- total 80's space movie cheese, yet strangely delicious and satisfying cheese

Bubba Ho-Tep-an old Elvis and JFK fight an ancient mummy sucking the souls of the members of their retirement home. yep (see it for Bruce Campbell as Elvis and Ossie Davis as JFK)

Beyond the Black Rainbow- it takes me back to those weird psychedelic films of the late 60's early 70's where you don't really know what's going on but the mix of film and music are hypnotic

Colossus: The Forbin Project- The first "computer takes over the world" movie, really great hard sci-fi that obviously influenced The Terminator

Session 9 - very spooky movie from around 20 years back that somehow pulls off creepy without slamming weird visuals or gore at you every 5 seconds

[darwinbulldog]

Originally Posted by the 'stache

Hmm. Ten might be a tall task, but here goes. All of these are highly recommended.

Charade (1963). dir. Stanley Donen, starring Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Mathau, George Kennedy and James Coburn. A lively homage to the Hitchcock suspense-thriller. One of my favorite movies of the early 60s.

Der Untergang (2004). Downfall in English. dir. Oliver Hirschbiegel, starring the great Bruno Ganz, Ulrich Matthes, Alexandra Maria Lara, and Corinna Harfouch. The final days of Adolf Hitler in the Wolf's Den, from the perspective of his secretary Traudl Junge. Ganz deserved an Oscar nomination for his performance.

The Night of the Hunter (1955). dir. Charles Laughton, starring Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish and Peter Graves. Initially, this film was panned by critics, and the negative press was so injurious to Charles Laughton that he never directed again. Now it's consider a classic. One of Mitchum's greatest, most unnerving performances.

The Asphalt Jungle (1950). dir. John Huston, starring Sterling Hayden, Jean Hagen, Louis Calhern, James Whitmore, Sam Jaffe, and the one of the first credited performances by Marilyn Monroe. Classic noir film. I've been petitioning Warner Brothers to release this film on Blu-ray through their Warner Archives Collection. It deserves to be in any classic film enthusiast's library.

The Public Enemy (1931). dir. William A. Wellman, starring James Cagney and Jean Harlow. Initially cast in the lesser role of Matt Doyle, director Wellman saw one of Cagney's stage performances, and knew he was better fit for the Tom Power lead role; it served as a career breakthrough for Cagney. Silent film star Louise Brooks was cast to play the lead female part of Gwen Allen, but she refused. It fell to a then 20 year old Jean Harlow. While she'd not yet perfected her craft as an actress, "Baby's" screen presence was already undeniable. Together with Edward G. Robinson's Little Caesar, The Public Enemy set the blueprint for prohibition era gangster movies.

Paths of Glory (1957). dir. Stanley Kubrick, starring Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker and Adolphe Menjou. Kubrick's fourth feature is an unnerving anti-war film set in the trenches of World War I. Douglas, a French army colonel, is forced to defend his men against charges of cowardice, and refusal to obey orders, when they retreat rather than attempt a suicidal rush of a German fortification.

Trois couleurs: Bleu (1993). dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, starring Juliette Binoche, Benoît Régent, Emmanuelle Riva, Julie Delpy. The first film in Polish auteur Kieślowski's Three Colors trilogy, Blue is a powerful drama about a woman who is forced to go on after surviving a car crash that takes the life of her husband, a world renowned composer, and her young daughter. For anybody who has never experienced Kieślowski's work before, this is a great starting point. His work of light, and color, is incredibly poetic. Watching a Kieślowski film makes you shake your head when contemplating the crap coming out of Hollywood now.

I'll think up three more for later today. Right now, I need some sleep.

I've seen every one of these. Charade is a damn masterpiece, as is Paths of Glory and pretty much everything else by Stanley Kubrick. I'm amazed by how few people who have seen the Trois Couleurs films seem to think Blanc is the best. It's not even close for me.

[darwinbulldog]

My own top 10 list of at least moderately obscure films:

1. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days (Romania)
2. Raise the Red Lantern (China)
3. The Hudsucker Proxy (USA)
4. Wages of Fear (France)
5. Cinema Paradiso (Italy)
6. The Conversation (USA)
7. Y Tu Mama Tambien (Mexico)
8. Cyrano de Bergerac (1990 version) (France)
9. Take the Money and Run (USA)
10. Happiness (USA)

This stuff will change your life.

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

I've seen every one of these. Charade is a damn masterpiece, as is Paths of Glory and pretty much everything else by Stanley Kubrick. I'm amazed by how few people who have seen the Trois Couleurs films seem to think Blanc is the best. It's not even close for me.

Glenn, I guess, for me, Bleu is my favorite because of Juliette Binoche. I absolutely adore her. Fantastic actress, and when she was younger, few women in the world were more beautiful. I'll watch anything she's in. She could fart "La Marseillaise" and I would be riveted.


I have a real thing for French women. Catherine Deneuve was just jaw droppingly beautiful. Laetitia Casta still has "it". And now, it's Léa Seydoux, Melanie Laurent and Eva Green doing France proud. But Juliette's face was drawn by the finger of God. And he gave her a pair of legs to die for. Juliette and Sophie Marceau are my favorites.

Wages of Fear is high on my to-watch list. I've been on a singular mission to build my collection, and the movies have been coming in so fast, there's no way I could keep up. Henri-Georges Clouzot did Diabolique, too. Both classics, imo.

Originally Posted by brian1961

Bill, I adore CHARADE as well. In particular, I love the scene when Audrey Hepburn, her friend and little son rush to visit Monsieur Felix, the honest stamp dealer, who knew there must have been some mistake when he was able to trade a jumbo packet of stamps worth 10 francs to the little boy for "only three" stamps. I can watch that scene a dozen times, as Monsieur Felix lovingly describes those rare priceless stamps in words that mirror how I feel about the elite of my own baseball card and coin collection.

I sincerely hope and pray you're able to get away from "the knife", and back on with your life, my friend.

Best wishes and regards, Brian Powell

Brian, I love the scene with the guignol. It immediately took me back to high school French class. I love everything about that film. Stanley Donen did a masterful job. And, I will like anything Cary Grant or Audrey Hepburn are in. They were so good together.

Thank you for the well wishes. I'm hanging in there. Going a tad stir crazy, perhaps, but still breathing!

[chud]

Originally Posted by the 'stache

Der Untergang (2004). Downfall in English. dir. Oliver Hirschbiegel, starring the great Bruno Ganz, Ulrich Matthes, Alexandra Maria Lara, and Corinna Harfouch. The final days of Adolf Hitler in the Wolf's Den, from the perspective of his secretary Traudl Junge. Ganz deserved an Oscar nomination for his performance.

Downfall is a good film.
It starts with an excerpt from a great documentary, that is well worth watching: Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Im_toten_Winkel