Favorite films that no-one else has ever heard of

uncleoswald

I'm looking for some obscure classics. They don't even have to be well regarded, just movies that you like even though certain bits of them might be ropey.

My own nomination is Miracle Mile. I caught it on TV late at night and its stayed with me for years. I downloaded it recently and its still great. Its an 80's (my god is it 80's) end of the world flick starring Anthony Edwards, him off ER, in which he answers a phone and the voice at the other end tells him that nuclear war is imminent. I don't why I like it so much (its rough around the edges) but it has a great off kilter feel about it that I think most people will hate and its strangely paced but for me this only helps to make it more unsettling. It really should be a stinker but I love it! Anyone else seen it? Know anything else like it?

liah

I liked The Mudge Boy but I'm not really sure why, as it's not really all that amazing in any sense, and in a lot of parts just downright weird. Still, I liked it, and not many people have seen it.

Mink

The Nines
I haven't come across anyone who's heard of it & don't remember it being advertised. A bit trippy & you can't figure out what's happening til 1/2 way through, but when you do... it's worth it. Totally original.

frag420

The return of the man that never went away...............

youcancallmeal

Most people have probably heard of it but I loved Red Dawn. So bad its good!

uncleoswald

liah wrote: »

I liked The Mudge Boy but I'm not really sure why, as it's not really all that amazing in any sense, and in a lot of parts just downright weird. Still, I liked it, and not many people have seen it.

Wow that is obscure. And maybe the worst title of all time.

originally posted by youcancallme>al Most people have probably heard of it but I loved Red Dawn. So bad its good!

I hear its been remade, has to go down as one of the more pointless remakes.

Basq

I'd said it before: Return to Paradise

It's not unknown... but it's criminally under-rated.

Stars Joaquin Phoenix and Vince Vaughn (before they really hit it big).. and it's just a tour-de-force of amazing performances - Phoenix in particular!

It's a stunning film that was unavailable on R2 DVD for years.. but picked it up as soon as a print was made available.

EDIT: Didn't realise it was so well-recieved by critics.. but it is a stunning film!

EDIT 2: Roger Ebert's review of it (4.5 / 5) is particularly excellent! (and I'm not a fan of his reviews whatsoever)

Auvers

youcancallme>al wrote: »

Most people have probably heard of it but I loved Red Dawn. So bad its good!

Red Dawn I thought everone had seen that

Wolverines!!

Pi^2

Best scene in any movie - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skYRZ_-RXtk

Its called Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus. And its a new release.

niallon

Pi^2 wrote: »

Best scene in any movie - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skYRZ_-RXtk

Its called Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus. And its a new release.

Not exactly a favourite that no one else has heard of though is it?

I reitterate what I said in another thread about the excellent Fallen starring Denzel Washington and also James Gandolfini, Donald Sutherland and John Goodman on excellent form!

Really good cop flick with a bit more,won't spoil anything!

mike65

Age of Consent 1969 Michael Powells second last film, its a misfire but a charming one.

L31mr0d

Solo: it's so bad it's good.

The Marine: Another very good action movie that's a throwback to the Arnie, JCVD and Stallone era. Maybe it's the fact that the WWE has put their stamp on this film, but I can't understand why more people haven't watched it. It's gloriously OTT and packed full of every action movie cliché.

liah

uncleoswald wrote: »

Wow that is obscure. And maybe the worst title of all time.

That's a bit strong. It was reviewed relatively well (74% on rottentomatoes.com and 7.2/10 on imdb at the moment). It touches on some weird stuff, sure, but it's not even remotely close to the worst title of all time. It's quite heartfelt, and the awkwardness of it is kind of the point.

Unless you mean the literal title, in which case I agree.

Ihaveanopinion

Heavy Metal

1980s cartoon that South Park pulled off in an episode called Major Boobage - also a classic.

Its a feature length cartoon with fantastic music - Sammy Hegar - and an awful lot of cartoon boobs.

What else coudl you ask for..... a lot of clips of it on youtube

ziedth

I have to agree with the nines there I thought it was great once I thought about it (I think I even started a thread about it IIRC).

Anyway, I've mentioned these before and They wouldn't be "No-one" heard but obscure none the less.

District 13: French fairly unknown action film, The action scenes are second to none.

Boondock Saints: Verges on so bad its good but the dialogue more then makes up for its downfalls and Willam Defoe Chewing every bit of scenery he can find.

L31mr0d

Another one I'm usually surprised a lot of people have never heard of is "Better off Dead" with John Cusack. It's a comedy classic tbh, and has been parodied in Southpark, The Simpsons, family guy (these are the only ones I've seen)

I'd say the aficionados here will have seen it, but I used to think it was one of those films that everyone had seen like the Goonies or Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

drunk_monk

For me it's Two Men Went to War

fantastic film

shrapnel222

a fantastic french film which is not very well known (even amongst the french) but is a very good film: 13 Tzameti

mike65

Heavy Metal is a cult classic alright sadly not one I've seen (has it ever played on TV?) there was a (I think poor) sequel HM 2000 and David Fincher is one of the directors of Heavy Metal (2010)

Sleipnir

Has to be Slingblade for me.

Billy Bob Thornton wrote, directed and starred in it, he was nominated for 'best actor' Oscar for his performance and it won the Oscar for best writing.
Yet no one I ever mention it to has heard of it.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

"Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" is an amazing pshychadelic rollercoaster of emotions - reasonably unknown, but anyone I know who's seen it loves it.

uncleoswald

liah wrote: »

That's a bit strong. It was reviewed relatively well (74% on rottentomatoes.com and 7.2/10 on imdb at the moment). It touches on some weird stuff, sure, but it's not even remotely close to the worst title of all time. It's quite heartfelt, and the awkwardness of it is kind of the point.

Unless you mean the literal title, in which case I agree.

I meant obscure in a good way. Its seems to have been well reviewed but made no impact with audiences beyond festivals.

I stand by the title been rubbish though. Certainly unappealing.

mike65 Age of Consent 1969 Michael Powells second last film, its a misfire but a charming one.

Thanks for this, I love Powell but have never seen this one.

I've heard of loads of these like Better Off Dead and Heavy Metal but never got around to watching them so I think its about time.

Anyone every seen Wizard of Gore? I don't know why I've thought of it but its one of those movies I've seen the poster and DVD box and thought it looked cool but never watched it.

kraggy

Sleipnir wrote: »

Has to be Slingblade for me.

Billy Bob Thornton wrote, directed and starred in it, he was nominated for 'best actor' Oscar for his performance and it won the Oscar for best writing.
Yet no one I ever mention it to has heard of it.

Amazing film.

For me it has to be Naked. Many on here will have heard of it but not many people I know have heard of it.

Brilliant.

CaptainNegative wrote: »

"Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" is an amazing pshychadelic rollercoaster of emotions - reasonably unknown, but anyone I know who's seen it loves it.

That's on Film Four tomorrow night at 12.30 a.m.

uncleoswald

kraggy wrote: »

That's on Film Four tonight or over the weekend some time.

I remember staying up real late on Friday and Saturdays to watch some real obscure films on Channel 4. These movies formed my film tastes and some of them were way out of left field like Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Vampire Lesbos and The Crazies. Now a hell of a lot of them were rubbish but they were better then the crap they put out late at night these days.

Another Gem: Local Hero

maggy_thatcher

I remember Victory Through Air Power as being a great film that most people haven't seen - unfortunately it's very difficult to get hold of. Having said that, I haven't seen it in 20 years, so it could be my mind is playing tricks on me!

Nolanger

Murder at the Gallop - Miss Marple movie from the '60s.

Redsoxfan

Not sure how obscure it is (it was on a Sky movies channel), but Brotherhood was pretty powerful.

MaceFace

The Wog Boy.

tech77

Might be an obvious one but The music of chance.
James Spader is unrecognisable and great in it.

Denerick

An obscure French film I once loved called 'Le derriere et twas!'

Fine film. So obscure its a fictional creation of my mind.

Denerick

uncleoswald wrote: »

I remember staying up real late on Friday and Saturdays to watch some real obscure films on Channel 4. These movies formed my film tastes and some of them were way out of left field like Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Vampire Lesbos and The Crazies. Now a hell of a lot of them were rubbish but they were better then the crap they put out late at night these days.

Another Gem: Local Hero

Yea, I think I know what your on about. Called Green Street was it? Starring Elijah Wood?

b12mearse

raw head rex

rednik

Two days in the valley. Excellent comedy thriller with James Spader, Charlize Theron, Eric Stoltz and Danny Aiello. For me an absolute classic.
To live and Die in LA. William Petersen of CSI fame, Willem Dafoe and John Turturro. One of the best action films of the eighties with one of the biggest shock endings I've ever seen. Directed by William Friedkin another classic.

MonicaBing

Tombstone. That is all.

liah

Breakfast on Pluto, now that I think of it. No idea about its popularity in Ireland since it was made here, but nobody anywhere else seems to have heard of it.

Absolutely fantastically funny film with a lot of heart, one of my most favourite movies ever.

Esmeralda34

Hi there

I'm searching for the name of a French horror film that was reviewed this week on TV3 AM. I thought the name was along the lines of The Churned, but I'm obviously wrong! Granted I was half asleep but I believe the story line was in the general gist of three girls that had been in care (could be wrong here!) and that murder a family...? It got a pretty good review (by the way, anyone seen Let The Right One In? - excellent in my opinion)...

I think it may now be on dvd. Actually, I really should have checked dvd releases before I started typing this! But hey, I've started this, so if someone out there has the answer for me, I'd be most grateful!

Es

thebullkf

heres my tuppenceworth... some well known(sorry!)

oldboy-(whole trilogy actually-new one coming soon:D)
frailty-matthewmc connaughy-brill
the orphanage/anything by guillermo del toro
harsh times-christianbale/magic.
Fateless-think its hungarian about the holocaust-savage
a bittersweet life-korean-tarantino eat your heart out!!
Zatoichi-(the remake) with takeshi kitano,
ichi the killer----all out nuts!!!!
thesis-spanish film v v good.
the sea inside-one of the best of all time. also spanish

Esmeralda34

Hi

Well two of my favourite films couldn't be more different! One is a Jimmy Stewart black & white classic, Harvey... The other is Brain Damage - check it out, not or the faint-hearted mind! Also far from gore for the sake of it though. Thought-provoking...

niallon

thebullkf wrote: »

frailty-matthewmc connaughy-brill

+1 on Frailty, discussed it here somewhere before, criminally underrated. And very easily forgotten that it's also Bill Paxton's directorial debut

bnt

One that's only partly obscure, since the book is quite well-known, and it won an Oscar (for Geena Davis): The Accidental Tourist. I like it for its quiet humanism, the way it explores what people need from each other, and the surprising ways in which you can connect with them.

If you want a really obscure one, though, it has to be King Frat: I saw this when I was about 12, which (if you read the details) is way too young, apparently. It's like Animal House without the common sense, taste, or morals. :cool:

The Pontiac

Bad Boy Bubby, see a review on boards a few months back. http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055529775&highlight=bubby.

Most people I meet never heard of it. Cult classic.

deereidy

Ghost World is a good one, stars Thora Birch and Scarlett Johannson in her nymphy days.
Also Deathproof, pretty recent but hardly anyone seems to know it..

dontcallmerosie

Definately the nines, just picked it up random and turned out to be amazin, also eden log, oldboy and lady vegence havent seen sympathy, pi, dune, life aquatic, my bf recommends julian po.

grames_bond

id have to say lords of dogtown. Brilliant movie even if you are not interested in the Z boys/skate scene! and heath ledgers performance was brilliant, joker-esque at times! defo reccomended strongly!

merlie

Cheers to the OP for getting the obscure movie names out of the woodwork...always a good thing ...thanks

Some of the ones below may be known but are some of my favourite movies.

Napoleon (1927) - Although Napoleon has been played by various actors over the years, this movie by Abel Gance,has to be among the contenders. Not only for its visual and before time imagery and the main actor, Albert Dieudonne, who not only bore that likeness to the man and because of that stirred some french people (whilst on location ) to cheer the man they thought was Napoleon, they thought had come back from the dead. Sadly though in later years the actor who played Napoleon, believed he was him and had become fixated with the man.

Apart from that a little obscure television version of Napoleon dating from 1972. It is hardly ever mentioned and sadly there are no dvd or vhs copies of it available. It was called 'Napoleon and Love' and starred Ian Holm as Napoleon and Billie Whitelaw as Josephine. I vaguely recount seeing a copy of a TV guide that time and there was a black and white photo of Ian Holm standing in profile beside a bust of the emperor and it was considered in the article, he had similarities in appearance to Napoleon. The series was an excellent one. The BBC/ITV excelled in period drama around the 70's.

Magic Eight Ball

Takeshi Kitano's Zatoichi. Amazing movie, the swordplay alone is worth parting with cash.

uncleoswald

Denerick wrote: »

Yea, I think I know what your on about. Called Green Street was it? Starring Elijah Wood?

Not sure but it had Danny Dyer in it...

Another of mine:

Ikiru

Its Kurosawa so maybe not that obscure but its definitely one of his lesser known ones. Perhaps the most poignant movie I have ever seen and its beautiful to look at. Better then Its A Wonderful Life in My Opinion, and I love Its A Wonderful Life.

Denerick

There's a French film called C.R.A.Z.Y, a 'coming of age tale' about a French teen in a Catholic family who is forced to reconcile himself to the fact that he's gay. The plot sounds a little cliched but its done very well, along with all the trademark French moral conundrums and emotional depth. Not sure how obscure it is though, saw it on Film Four late one night...

S.M.B.

Last Life in the Universe

The only Thai films that most people seem to be aware of are either the mainstream horror or martial arts films but this is a beautiful drama directed by one of Thailands finest directors, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang.

Kind of like a dreamier version of Lost in Translation set in rural Thailand starring Tadanobu Asano from Zatoichi which others have mentioned.

There is even an odd cameo from Takashi Miike.

Highly recommended if you're into slowly paced character driven dramas.

mike65

Can't belive know many of these films are considered "hardly heard of"!

The Accidental Tourist? One of the best reviewed films in the mid 80s, Harvey is a bona fide classic, Tombstone? Thats the modest hit Kurt Russell/Val Kilmer western I take it?
Deathproof? C'mon you're taking the pish!

Magic Eight Ball

uncleoswald wrote: »

Not sure but it had Danny Dyer in it...

Your thinking of 'The Football Factory' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Football_Factory_(film)