Best Movie Rental Nobody's Heard Of?

[Jack_Dawson]

I liked Arlington Road. Gimme a minute and I'll think of more.

[Left Is Write]

1. Body Double.

[RebelOne]

41. Heard of and saw that.

[scarlett1]

208. If you like Body Double see "Wild Things"

Matt Dillon plays a High School Teacher Neve Campbell and Denise Richards ( who can actually act in this because she is playing an oversexed teenager) are 2 of his students Kevin Bacon plays a Cop.

Watch until the credits roll, ties up all of the loose ends - in the category of Body Heat and Double Indemnity

[Gato Moteado]

2. donnie darko

nt

[Tweed]

4. Everyone's heard of that film

It's the favorite movie of a lot of people.

[Gato Moteado]

39. it's less well-known than some of the others listed here

here are a few more:

"curdled":
http://imdb.com/title/tt0115994/

"plutonium circus":
http://imdb.com/title/tt0114147/

and this one is a bit more mainstream, but if you haven't yet see it then rent it ASAP...."adaptation":
http://imdb.com/title/tt0268126/

oh...here's another great one...SLC punk":
http://imdb.com/title/tt0133189/

[KurtNYC]

3. Miller's Crossing

early Coen brothers

[miss_kitty]

18. One of my faves

Did a painting based on the shot of G Byrne putting on his hat at the end.

[Insider]

150. a must see dvd

"what's the rumpus?"

[HEyHEY]

233. That was the first on eI thought of!

[Malikshah]

5. Unconditional Love and Enchanted April

Kathy Bates, Rupert Everett, the actress from "Family Law", Lynn Redgrave, Dan Ackroyd, Emmas Samms, Jonathan Pryce, Barry Manilow, Sally Jessy Raphael...

A film that one needs to just sit and watch--I just loved it to death. Didn't change me world completely, but it sure brightened up a day.

As for Enchanted April--

Just get it-- happiness personified.

[Jack_Dawson]

7. Who's in EA?

[Malikshah]

15. Here'a a partial list --not complete

Josie Lawrence (From "Who's line is it anyway?") in a dramatic role
Miranda Richardson (in a sublimely subtle role)
Alfred Molina (as Josie's husband)
Jim Broadbent (as Miranda's husband)
Polly Walker (as a gorgeous heiress)
Joan Plowright

No action--just women on holiday in Italy right after WWI--

Somehow it just works-- they've tried a broadway play--but nothing beats the movie.

[Malikshah]

That reminds me-- Bagdad Cafe

The Maria Sagerbrecht (sp?), Jack Palance, CCH Pounder film-- by Percy Adlon--

Great great film.

[miss_kitty]

31. l love that one

own the soundtrack. Bummed me out when 'Calling You' ended up as a phone company commercial.

[Shakespeare]

23. This is one of my FAVORITE movies!

It was actually a BBC made-for-TV movie, which is why it's not available in widescreen.

Even my husband (who hates chick flicks) loved this--very sweet, funny and romantic.

[yardwork]

183. The book is even better

Enchanted April is a wonderful, wonderful feel good book. And movie.

[Patiod]

Get Enchanted April if you're down

it's lovely. (warning - nothing explodes, no violence or gratuitous nudity, so it might be considered something of a "chick flick")

[Shakespeare]

48. Not true! There is ONE explosion.

How could you forget Alfred Molina and the bathtub scene? ;-)

[TheCentepedeShoes]

117. Love EA

Have seen it 3 times.

[baba]

246. I can't find Enchanted April on DVD.

At least Netflix doesn't have it. Is it even out on DVD?

[Shakespeare]

6. Haiku Tunnel. Sorta like Office Space, set in SF. n/t

[demily]

59. That movie is hilarious!

I caught it on the Independent Film Channel one day. Such a little nothing movie, looks like they spent 50 bucks making it, but so funny! I second your recommendation.

[arwalden]

8. The Telephone. -- Maurice. -- Lost Language Of Cranes. - Beautiful Thing.

[Behind the Aegis]

145. hmmm

Never heard of The Telephone...will have to look for it. The Beautiful Thing is a GREAT MOVIE!!!! I LOVE IT!!!

[arwalden]

147. If You Enjoy Whoopi Goldberg... A YOUNG Whoopi Goldberg...

... then you'll like The Telephone.

[Jessica]

9. Trees Lounge

With Steve Buscemi.

[Jack_Dawson]

12. I saw that!

I remember liking it, although I don't remember what it was about.

[Jessica]

16. I really liked it.

He wrote, directed & starred in it -- was basically just about an unemployed mechanic who spends all of his time in a local bar. Finally ends up driving an ice cream truck & having inappropriate relations with Chloe Sevigny.

[Kire]

125. I just saw "Animal Factory"

Heartwarming story where Edward Furlong gets raped by Tom Arnold and gets help from Wilem Dafoe, the king of the prison.

Steve Buscemi's second feature as director. His brother, Michael, plays a teacher.

[tuvor]

10. Bad Taste. Peter Jackson's first film.

Funny as hell, too.

[Wat_Tyler]

17. I've got it.

And Brain Dead / Dead Alive, Meet The Feebles, Heavenly Creatures and The Frighteners.

Of course, it was all downhill after that. Wonder what happened to him?

[Az]

24. Even better Jackson flick

Dead Alive.



Sample: Hero is trapped in a room with 30 zombies and only has a lawn mower to defend himself with.

[RubyDuby in GA]

Or for another obscure Peter Jackson film, Heavenly Creatures

Kate Winslet is one of the most amazing actresses of our time. She just gets better and better.

[u4ic]

76. That was one amazing (true) story

how could it not end up as a movie?

[johnhorne]

223. Don't forget "Meet the Feebles"!! Muppets on crack!

btw -- I totally agree about Kate Winslet, especially in Heavenly Creatures.

[PittPoliSci]

244. One of my all time favorites!

[loudestchick]

11. "Truly, Madly, Deeply." It is one of my favorite movies!

Romantic...bittersweet...funny...Juliet Stevenson and Alan Rickman ..British but universal

[Southpaw Bookworm]

26. Love that one

Great leads, humor, and a story that pulls your heartstings.

Thank heaven for the British film section of my local independently owned video rental place.

[loudestchick]

36. I developed such a "thing" for Alan Rickman after that film.

[Patiod]

47. Ditto on Alan Rickman

Who else can make mumbling and half-closed eyes that sexy?

[Southpaw Bookworm]

63. Read somewhere

That the mumbly thing is the result of a jaw problem that doesn't allow him to open his mouth as far as it should.

[WCGreen]

142. I really liked that one as well....

When he brings all the boys back to the flat.....

[DrZeeLit]

184. How weird... I just checked that one out at the library. Very touching.

[Richardo]

13. Blood Simple.

The Coen Brothers' first movie. Excellent.

[Jack_Dawson]

19. Seen it

I think. :freak:

[Tweed]

49. So you didn't enjoy film noir meets "Evil Dead"?

[maveric]

82. A young Frances McDormand. Dan Hedaya too.

A great thriller.

[naryaquid]

172. ...absolutely...I was waiting for someone to mention Blood Simple

It is, imho, their best, along with Millers Crossing.

[murielm99]

14. Witch Hunt

with Dennis Hopper and Eric Bogosian.

I thought it was funny.

[Richardo]

20. Choose Me

Alan Rudolph directs the lovely Genevieve Bujold

[WCGreen]

143. I really liked that one too....

Wasn't Kieth Carradine in that one as well.....

[Bridget Burke]

156. Yes, Keith Carradine is in many Alan Rudolph films....

Others are "Welcome To LA" & "Trouble In Mind."

Plus "The Moderns"--my favorite. Love, Art & Paris in the 20's. Alan Rudolph pulls off the impossible combination of arty pretension & humor. Plus atmospheric art direction & moody music.

[auburngrad82]

21. Rabbit Proof Fence

Whalerider
The Eye (the Cantonese movie from 2001)

All were excellent.

[loudestchick]

"Rabbit Proof Fence" rips me up...but surprize, I didn't feel manipulated

[RebelOne]

45. Saw Rabbit Proof Fence.

[4_Legs_Good]

121. fantastic Peter Gabriel Score

and a gorgeous film to boot.

See it... now!

david

[Solly Mack]

133. Rabbit Proof Fence was excellent

[RubyDuby in GA]

22. Clay Pigeons

It's hilarious.

[Solly Mack]

134. Loved it!

[Wat_Tyler]

25. Carnage Visors.

A true classic.

[tuvor]

66. I thought that was just an instrumental the Cure recorded

for a movie that didn't exist.

Or is that your point? ;)

[EstimatedProphet]

27. Waking Life

Richard Linklater's animated course in philosophy.

[Gato Moteado]

44. good film

alex jones even makes an appearance in it.

[fishwax]

85. I'll second that

it's a great movie. And you can probably buy it at Target for little more than the price of a rental. (I got it for five bucks a couple of years back.)

[Tyrone Slothrop]

28. Waydowntown n/t

[terrya]

30. Don McKellar is in that, right?

I liked "Waydowntown" a lot.

[Wat_Tyler]

35. They filmed that in my old office building.

Of course, all downtown Calgary is an office building.

[terrya]

29. "Big Eden"

Arye Gross stars as a gay man living in New York who goes to Montana to take care of his father. It's a lovely little movie...wonderfully drawn characters. It's a favorite of mine.

[RPM]

32. Taking it Off

unrated soft porn - was able to rent it at twelve :evilgrin:

[JVS]

34. Betty Big-ones Ruled!

[Coventina]

33. Cecil B. Demented

A John Waters movie.

I really enjoyed it, and I only rented it on a whim.

[EOTE]

111. Hilarious movie.

Help! I'm stuck in a k-hole.

[XNASA]

37. The Red Violin

[Rainbowreflect]

46. I thought of that one as well.

I loved it.

[u4ic]

77. A beautiful, beautiful film

[Rainbowreflect]

38. I've heard of it, in fact I own it. Good flick!

[Jack_Dawson]

83. Arlington Road

you mean? Seriously great film.

[fishwax]

87. I saw it in the theater

it is a good movie. Joan Cusack, especially, is excellent in it.

[underpants]

40. Gotham (nekkid Virginia Madsen and ...Tommy Lee Jones)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095246/

[Patiod]

52. For more nekkid Virginia Madsen (+ clothed Wm Peterson)

you'd enjoy "Long Gone" an HBO movie which you can rent at more artsy video stores. Great little baseball movie.

[underpants]

56. Excellent

Thanks

[faithfulcitizen]

42. baaadaasss! (or something like that) nt

[Wat_Tyler]

51. Sweet Sweetback's Badass Song?

[fishwax]

89. Badass was a movie about the making of Sweetback ...

It was made by Mario Van Peebles, son of the director of Sweetback (and a kid actor in the film).

It is about Melvin and the experience of trying to get that film made, and it is really a good film (which is always a little surprising coming from Mario Van Peebles).

[Gothic Sponge]

43. Runaway Train

[XNASA]

50. Great! I love that movie.

I haven't seen it in ages though.

[Gothic Sponge]

53. It's a great film!

Most people are put off by the title, but it has little to do with the train.

[Az]

64. Written by Akira Kurosawa

When I first saw this movie I knew I liked it and that it was something special. I had no idea it was written by my favorite director Kurosawa. Stunning work.

[silvermachine]

54. What Happened Was

What Happened Was

Great flim with an incredible performance by Karen Sillas.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111689/maindetails

[giant_robot]

55. This one's hard to find, but

if you can locate a copy of "Amateur" by Hal Hartley (1994), you won't regret it.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109093/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxzZz0xfHR0PW9ufHBuPTB8cT1hbWF0ZXVyfG14PTIwfGxtPTIwMHxodG1sPTE_;fc=1;ft=74;fm=1

[Az]

57. The Price of Milk, Tuvalu, Audition (long list ahead)

Re The Price of Milk, an agoraphobic dog... it's gotta be interesting.

Whale Rider
Iron Monkey
Bride with White Hair (1&2)
So Close
Pyromaniacs Love Story
Brotherhood of the Wolf
Amelie
Chocolat
Anything made by Jackie Chan in China or Australia
Fifth Element
Blade Runner
Wizards
Sorceror (aka Heart of Darkness remake)
Asoka
Ran
Run Lola Run
Battle Royal (1&2)
Road Home
Iron Ladies(only for the open minded)
Sky High
Bug
Big Lebowski
Samurai Fiction
Ichi The Killer
The Great Race
Dark Star
Dr Strangelove
Happiness of the Katikuras
Ju-Do (The original not the Buffy remake)
The Vanishing (original not the US remake)
Comfort of Strangers
Lagaan (if you have 4 hours to kill)
Ghost in the Shell
Akira
Spirited Away
Princess Mononokie
Kiki's Delivery Service
My Friend Totoro
Hero
Azumi
Pistol Opera (very very surreal)
Prospero's Books (very existential)
Trigun (Anime Series)
Cowboy Bebop (Anime Series)
FLCL aka Fooly Cooly (Anime Series)
Excell Saga (Anime Series)

[Gato Moteado]

58. wings of desire

wim wender (who also did "buena vista social club") did this film and i really enjoyed it:
http://imdb.com/title/tt0093191/

[Patiod]

60. The Castle and The Dish (Aussie), Chorus of Disapproval

Castle & Dish - same director - Castle a little darker humor, Dish a little more commercial (Sam Neill)

Chorus of Disapproval - rent this if you've ever had even the most peripheral involvement with community theater or amateur opera. Jeremy Irons is sucked into a wild group doing "Threepenny Opera", and Anthony Hopkins reverts back to his native Welsh and chews the hell out of the scenery as the crazy but ultimately sympathetic director. Prunella Scales is also really good as Hopkins' wife. Those involved in theater/opera love it, those who don't - not so much.

[u4ic]

118. I LOVED the Castle

[bleedingheart]

160. The Castle and The Dish were really funny

I especially loved The Castle...

[motely36]

61. Sordid Lives

[hollywood926]

97. Aint it a bitch....

sorting out our sordid lives?

Only ONJ fans and gay people know that movie. :-)

[SnowGoose]

62. Toto the Hero (french), Corn Dog Man, The Big Empty

Leolo (french candadian), The Reflecting Skin, Prospero's Books, After Life (japanese), Baraka, Flushed, Living in Oblivion, and one of my current faves: The Station Agent (which, granted, a lot of people know about).

[Az]

67. Wow

Someone else listed Prospero's books. Thought for sure I was the only one.

[MotorCityMan]

158. Cool! Someone else mentioned The Reflecting Skin!

Saw that one about 10 years ago, and only rented it because the blurbs compared it to Blue Velvet.

One of the weirdest, darkest, funniest movies I have seen (Does your father ever touch you? Yes. Where? In the kitchen). Has a pre-LOTR Viggio Mortensen(sp?) in it.

Two others I liked that aren't well known are Very Bad Things and Trick.

[peekaloo]

65. Laurel Canyon.......good not great

Frances McDormand with a boy toy.

[BeTheChange]

68. Love obscure films

Run Lola Run- German
Meet the Feebles (Warning, Twisted)
City of Lost Children- French
Amelie-French
SLC Punk

White
Blue
Red by Krzysztof Kieslowki

Shower - Chinese

YiYi-Chinese

[Az]

69. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead

Familiarity with Hamlet helps a lot but is not necissary.

[underpants]

72. I remember that one

Sorry wrong thread

[Lorien]

181. Loved it! Still pissed that it's

not on DVD yet.

[DelawareValleyDem]

70. Search for One Eyed Jimmy

written and directed by Sam Kass, a producer/writer for Seinfeld

[fishwax]

91. Damn, I was going to say that :)

Excellent suggestion. :toast: I don't know anybody who's seen that other than my wife and I, but it really is a funny movie.

I especially liked Samuel L. Jackson's character (Do you have a library card? / No / Then you're a moron!)

[DelawareValleyDem]

94. He was great

I also liked John Turturro as Disco Bean. Too bad neither of them had a big part. Fortunately, Steve Buscemi as Jimmy's brother had a bigger role.

[fishwax]

100. Disco Bean, ha ha

Yeah, he was funny too. The movie really had quite a good cast. Jennifer Beals and Anne Meara were in it too, right?

It's been a long time since I've seen it. The rental store where I rented it closed down a few years ago. I might have to try to get my hands on a copy somehow.

[billyskank]

71. Clerks

"My girlfriend sucked thirty-seven dicks!"

"In a row?"

[Az]

74. 37!?

Hey don't accidently suck any dick on your way to the parking lot!

[billyskank]

102. LOL!

[CanuckAmok]

139. My love for you is ticking clock...BERZERKER!!

[MISSDem]

73. Wit.

[Shakespeare]

75. DO NOT WATCH this one alone, or if you're depressed.

Excellent, excellent HBO movie with Emma Thompson (adapted from the play). It's difficult to watch, though--I made the mistake of watching it by myself, late one night, and ended up bawling for hours.

[Bertha Venation]

81. Excellent advice. n/t

[u4ic]

78. Prick Up Your Ears

Disturbing, yet fascinating (and like Heavenly Creatures, a true story).

[doubleplusgood]

79. Goodbye Lenin

Woman (committed Communist) goes into coma before wall comes down in E. Germany. Later, son tries to keep illusion of Communist state alive when she wakes up after Germany is united.

[Dzimbowicz]

149. Yes, excellent film !!!

Ausgezeichnet! :thumbsup:

On Edit: 'Anatomie' with Franka Potente is another good one if you like German films.

[Bertha Venation]

80. Afterburn

Laura Dern

[phusion]

84. Promises...

It's a documentary about these Israeli kids who go play with a bunch of Palestinian kids in the occupied territories. It has interviews with all the kids. Some of them are on the cusp of developing that hate for each other that you can tell is just propogated from their parents, etc.

The filmmaker is Jewish but he offers a really objective look at the conflict.

It was wonderful...
Here's the website:
http://www.promisesproject.org/

P.S. On a lighter note, I'll mention The Office, a British sitcom...Season 1 and 2 are on DVD. Funny stuff!

[fluffernutter]

86. Swimming Pool

[Jack_Dawson]

90. With that pretty young thang?

Liked looking at her, that's fer shure.

[Tom_Foolery]

88. A Family Thing...

with James Earl Jones and Robert Duval. I highly recommend it.

[Jack_Dawson]

92. What's it about?

[Tom_Foolery]

166. Duval plays an old southern redneck...

who finds out that the woman who raised him wasn't his biological mother. His father had had an affair with a black servant and produced Duval's character. Jones plays his half brother who lives in Chicago. It's a very touching and funny movie as Duval comes to grips with his situtation. Jones is splendid as usual.

[yardwork]

186. Tender Mercies - another great Robert Duvall movie

Very quiet, moves at a slow pace, produced on a low budget. I love it.

[Tom_Foolery]

194. Yes, that's a great one!! n/t

[fishwax]

93. Rubin and Ed

"My cat can eat a whole watermelon" -- Rubin

With Crispin Glover and Howard Hesseman. I think it's a hilarious movie, but it is very weird and definitely not for everybody :)

[Strawman]

103. good one

Hard to find too. At least around Detroit. I've only seen it at Thomas Video in Clawson.

[fishwax]

108. Glad to know others have seen it

and enjoyed it even :D

I wouldn't have any idea where to find it now that all my favorite local stores have been pushed out by chains. We used to have a great little video store that had all kinds of obscure movies like that. I know they don't have it at any of our blockbusters. (sigh)

[hippiechick]

95. 9 dead Gay Guys, The Ice Storm, Danny DeckChair

:hippie:

[LeftyMom]

124. The Ice Storm is a great movie

but sort of hard to watch. I loved it but at the same time I hated it.

[pimpinella]

96. State of Grace

Gary Oldman, Sean Penn, Ed Harris in an Irish mob flick

[ooglymoogly]

98. there is a wonderful film

i think the name is "the mask" not sure. it is chinese and won the international film award. i'm sure someone here knows the correct name but it is spellbinding. it is the story of an orphan and a master of masks. edit to add "mon uncle" and "mon uncle hulos" two classic wonderful films if you can find them they are french but no titles are required, made in the 50's i think

[Lydia Leftcoast]

154. King of Masks

An elderly street performer who has outlived his wife and only child decides to buy a little boy slave as a "grandson" in order to have someone to teach his art to. After some time, he learns that the "grandson" is actually a girl, and his formerly affectionate attitude turns harsh and cold. When the girl's misguided attempt to win the old man's favor backfires, she is forced to use her ingenuity to resolve the situation.

Excellent film!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

157. More of my favorites, with plot synopses

Edited for formatting

1. Z: Not out on DVD yet (but out on VHS), this film has a mostly French cast, the script is in French, and the setting is generic European, but at the time the film was made, everyone knew that it was a thinly disguised account of how a rightwing junta destroyed democracy in Greece in the 1960s.

2. Hamsun I don't know if this is out on video or DVD, but I saw it at a film festival. Max von Sydow plays Norwegian Nobel Prize winning author Knut Hamsun, a highly-regarded writer and an absolutely despicable human being, who treated his family abominably and collaborated with the Nazis.

3. The Fringe Dwellers Also only on VHS, I think. The situations in this film about Aborigines living in a small town in Australia will seem uncomfortably familiar to anyone acquainted with either African-American or Native American issues. A teen-age girl is equally angry at the local white community and at her own family, for their internalization of the stereotypes about Aborigines.

4. The Bank When a young Australian computer genius demonstrates that his newest program can predict the stock market, a bank (run by the most heartless bunch of greedheads you ever saw) hires him. He and everyone else are making millions, a pretty young woman practically throws herself at him, and he proves that he is willing to do absolutely anything to retain his position. But the young woman becomes suspicious...

5. Dadetown: I saw this on IFC or Sundance, so I don't know whether it's out on video. This is a mock documentary about a small town, and although it initially engages the viewer with humor, it turns very serious at the end.

6. The Other Side of Sunday It's the early 1960s, and Maria is growing up in a family that's part of the fundamentalist wing of the Norwegian state Lutheran church. As she approaches the day of her confirmation, she struggles with the question of whether she wants to become like the adults in her congregation or try a different path.

7. Clockwise I don't know why this 1980s Britcom feature never made it big in the U.S., because it stars John Cleese, who would already have been famliar to U.S. audiences, thanks to Monty Python and Fawlty Towers. Cleese plays a (surprise!) pompous ass of a school headmaster whose whole life falls apart when he takes a wrong turn in a train station.

8. Peking Opera BluesThis Hong Kong film is a slapstick comedy about a traveling Peking Opera troupe, but it's full of wonderful gags that you've never seen before. There's one regrettable scene with S&M overtones, but otherwise, it's a delightful romp that had audiences at one Portland Film Festival a few years ago laughing themselves silly, not only at the gags but also at the charmingly awkward subtitles.

9. Where the Spirit Lives A Canadian film about two Blackfoot children who are kidnapped by white authorities and sent to a harsh boarding school far from home. After school officials lie and tell them that their parents are dead, they decide that they have no option but to conform, and the girl, in particular, excels in her studies. But then...

10. Strangers in Good Compay Another Canadian film, this one about a group of elderly women who are stranded at an abandoned farmhouse when their excursion bus breaks down. As they figure out how to get along until help arrives, they begin talking about their past and present lives. The stories are based on the real lives of the diverse group of actresses and are illustrated with photographs of them at various stages of their lives. A small, low-budget, but very touching film for anyone interested in women's studies or aging issues.

11. Supermarket Woman The last film by Juzo Itami, director of Tampopo. A small mom-and-pop grocery store is threatened by the arrival of a large chain supermarket in the neighborhood, and a local resident (played by Itami's wife Nobuko Miyamoto) volunteers to advise them using "housewife's wisdom." Like Tampopo, this is a comedy with serious and surreal moments and is probably the most internationally accessible of Itami's other films.

12. Peppermint Candy After a South Korean man commits suicide at his twentieth high school reunion, we see his life over the past twenty years in reverse (in much longer sequences than Memento), until we finally uncover the reasons for his despair.

13. Honey for Oshun All the people who argue about Cuba on this board should see this film. It's about a Cuban-American man who returns to the island to find his mother. He joins forces with a cousin, and they follow slim leads from one part of Cuba to another, in the process providing a panoramic view of the island and of contemporary life, both the good and the bad.

14. The Holy Innocents At first you can't figure out when this film takes place--the Middle Ages maybe, or perhaps the 1930s? Gradually it becomes clear that this story of tenant farmers in Spain actually takes place in the 1960s, when the Franco regime still allowed the wealthy to treat the peasants as virtual slaves.

15. The Thief In postwar Russia, a sociopath moves in with a young widow and her son. He charms all the neighbors while stealing them blind, and even starts training the boy in thievery. As I thought about this film later, it seemed like a parable of what the Soviet Union went through with Stalin.

16. The Cranes Are Flying After Khrushchev denounced Stalin in 1956, Soviet cinema entered a brief golden age, when directors felt free to experiment and tell stories that focused on people instead of propaganda. A young engaged couple is separated when the man is drafted to fight in World War II. After the woman's parents are killed in a bombing raid, she moves in with her fiance's family, and they are eventually forced to flee to Siberia. This absorbing story, beautifully filmed in black and white, avoids the typical Hollywood ending but still manages to conclude on an upbeat note.

17. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors My candidate for "movie most in need of digital restoration," this 1964 film (in its original, undeteriorated form) lets you feast your eyes on the brilliantly colored folk culture and splendid scenery of the Carpathian mountain region of the Ukraine. The story is a magical realistic account of a young man's struggles to come to terms with the death of his first love.

18. Priest A young seminary graduate goes to serve a working class Catholic parish in an industrial city in England. He is appalled by the "laxity" he finds there, including the fact that the senior priest sleeps with the housekeeper. But he himself is not exactly following the rules, because after dark, he dresses up in civvies and cruises gay bars. At the same time, he learns through hearing confessions that one of the students in the parochial school is being sexually abused by her father. Although this film aroused the ire of people who had never seen it, most of the liberal religious people I know who saw it thought it was a thoughtful examination of the conflict between "the rules" and real life.

19. Les Miserables NOT based on the musical or the Victor Hugo novel, this is a World War II-era story about a French truck driver who helps a Jewish family escape the Nazis. Fate splits the family up, and several parallel plots follow the mother, the father, the daughter, and the truck driver, as they cope with the difficulties of living under a harsh occupation. A richly textured film with moments of horror and humor.

20. The Offiical Story The wife of an Argentine government official has never questioned her luxurious lifestyle or paid much attention to politics. Then she learns that her adopted daughter is actually the child of murdered dissidents, and that her husband was complicit in the repression of anti-government activists in the 1970s.

21. Letter to Brezhnev With both Brezhnev and Margaret Thatcher off the political scene, this film is no longer current, but it's worth viewing as a period piece and as an example of British filmmakers' willingness to tackle social and political topics that Americans won't touch. A working class woman in Liverpool has a fling with a Russian sailor, falls madly in love with him, and petitions to be allowed to join him in the Soviet Union. There's an undercurrent of satire as government officials and media types try to convince her that she's making a mistake.

Well, twenty-one films is enough. I agree with a lot of the picks in other posts, but I don't think anyone has mentioned these in particular.

[ooglymoogly]

161. yes thank you thats it.... i knew someone on du would know

i will rent some of your other suggestions

[Lex]

99. Flirting with Disaster. Lost in America. The Day Trippers.

All funny, lesser-known flicks.

[fishwax]

101. You are not good B&B People!

I couldn't especially get into Lost in America, but parts of Flirting with Disaster (like the line above) and the Day Trippers (Liev Schrieber describing his novel) still pop into mind occasionally and make me laugh even though I haven't seen either in several years. :D

[Lex]

105. Me too. Lines from all those movies pop into my head

and crack me up.

In Lost in America when she loses their nest egg--her husband is so mad he forbides her to say "nest" or "egg"---"when you go into the woods you see a bird's round stick. For breakfast you have 'things' with ham."

[fishwax]

109. Lol ... yeah, you're right that is a funny part

maybe i'll have to give lost in america another shot.

[fishwax]

104. Naked in New York, Kicking and Screaming, and Mr. Jealousy

An Eric Stoltz trilogy, but all good movies.

[giant_robot]

106. "The Reflecting Skin" or "The Passion of Darkly Noon"

I love Philip Ridley's movies.


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100469/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0... ;fc=1;ft=6


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114099/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxzZz0... ;fc=1;ft=4

[Strawman]

107. May have heard of this one already but: Naked

Mike Leigh directed it and David Thewlis starred in it as Johnny the fucked up homeless genius philosopher guy.

[Kire]

110. But I'm a Cheerleader

Megan is an all-American girl. She's a cheerleader, she has a boyfriend, etc. But she doesn't like kissing her boyfriend very much. And she's pretty touchy with her cheerleader friends. And she only has pictures of girls up in her locker. Her parents and friends conclude that she *must* be gay and send her off to "sexual redirection" school, full of admittedly homosexual misfits, where she can learn to how to be straight. Will Megan be turned around to successful heterosexuality, or will she succumb to her love for the beautiful Graham?

[Jack_Dawson]

114. OMG that sounds funny

[Az]

116. The title plays into a great line

But I'm a cheerleader. I can't be gay!

[Solly Mack]

135. OMG! I love that movie. Own it, too

[udflyersfan]

224. Good one. Add this to your list.

Another great movie in this genre is Saved! It is a hysterical (and probably somewhat accurate) look at fundamentalist "christians".

[pimpinella]

112. Los Olvidados

Old School Spanish film by Luis Bunuel. Masterpiece.

[Hand]

218. A big ROGER THAT!

It was one of his Mexican films. It has the absolute MOST chilling dream sequence ever put on film, and with no whiz-bang special effects, just utterly brilliant imagery.

:toast:

[Texasgal]

113. Aria

A Movie set to different aria's with Italian opera in the background. Beautifully crafted.

[tanyev]

115. The Road Home

Veteran director Zhang Yimou this time trains his camera on a love story between a Chinese boy and girl that endures for 40 years. Starring Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), The Road Home tells the tale of Zhao Di (Ziyi) and how she met the love of her life, Luo Changyu -- a new schoolteacher assigned to teach the children in her small village.

Wonderful. Very sweet.

Also:
The Dish
The Castle
Saving Grace

[u4ic]

119. Johnny Stecchino

Roberto Bengini - 'nuff said.

[Boswells_Johnson]

120. Dirty Pretty Things

It's fantastic. Plus (!) it's got Audrey Tautou:)

[mattclearing]

216. This was excellent.

eom

[Az]

122. Attack the Gas Station

Korean flick. Wow.... um .... just Wow. Go rent it. Now

[fishwax]

207. I saw that movie

it was a little weird (something lost in translation), but quite enjoyable.

[LanternWaste]

123. 84 Charlie Mopic, & Love's Labour's Lost.

84 Charlie Mopic

A movie about the Viet-Nam conflict. It's complete fiction, but filmed as a documentary-style film. Compelling as hell.

Love's Labour's Lost (Brannagh production). Standard Shakespearean comedic fare, but it's set in France in the late '30's with the shadow of WWII looming and if that ain't enough, Branagh turned it into a Cole Porter musical! Brilliant stuff!

[Seabiscuit]

126. Amazon Women On The Moon

[fishwax]

209. If you liked that, you'll probably like the Kentucky Fried Movie

which might be the funniest movie ever made, and is similar to Amazon Women on the Moon in tone and structure.

[udflyersfan]

225. wow, fishwax, you're really dating yourself

but you reminded me of another movie from 1974, The Groove Tube. It featured a young (and unknown) Chevy Chase and Richard Belzer. The first time I saw this movie I laughed so hard I could hardly breathe!

[fishwax]

227. I've heard of that one

but I've never gotten my hands on it to actually see it. I'll have to look for it again though :)

[RabidNation]

127. THE SILENT EARTH

ultra-gloomy post-apocolypse tale that has more atmosphere than a dozen Lynch films, plus a quiet environmental consciousness. Australian flick. Love it.

[CanuckAmok]

141. That's "The Quiet Earth", from New Zealand...

And, yes, it kicks ass!

[wovenpaint]

128. Red Rock West

Stars Nicholas Cage...

[Beaverhausen]

167. Excellent film!!!

good choice.

[yellowdogintexas]

129. Undercover Blues, I Capture the Castle,

LIke Water for Chocolate

definitely

[Jack_Dawson]

130. Like Water for Chocolate?

:wtf:

[yellowdogintexas]

163. a beautiful movie, based on an equally beautiful book

by Mexican author, Laura Esquivel

the title comes from a statement in the book that the passion of love must be boiling, and rolling.. like water for the making of chocolate.

In Mexico, their drinking chocolate startes with boiling water and the chocolate.

The book is about food, family, love, old customs. Each chapter is built around a specific dish, and includes the recipe.

If you rent it, get the Spanish version with subtitles. The dubbed version is OK, but listening to the Spanish is lovely.

Read the book!

[scarlett1]

191. That was on TV with in the last week

I remember browsing past the listing on Dish Network

[Jack_Dawson]

217. Virgin Suicides

Forgot about that one...

[BattyDem]

131. "The Dream Team" and "Morlang"

Two completely different movies, but I love them both. :-)


"The Dream Team" (description from Amazon.com)

Michael Keaton heads an all-star cast in this wild and crazy comedy about four mental patients who get separated from their therapist on the way to a baseball game.

Billy (Keaton), a pathological liar with a violent streak, finds himself on loose in New York City with his fellow group therapy patients: Henry (Christopher Lloyd), a neat freak; Jack (Peter Boyle), a former advertising executive who thinks he's Christ; and Albert (Stephen Furst), a near catatonic couch potato. Faced with the task of rescuing their missing doctor from a pair of crooked cops, the group finds themselves sharing a series of hilarious misadventures in this farce "The Washington Post" calls an "irresistibly nutty buddy movie."

(Ok ... the plot isn't very PC, but the movie is funny.)



"Morlang" (description from Amazon.com)

Starring Paul Freeman (best known as the villain, Rene Belloq, in "Raiders of the Lost Ark")

Based on a true story, Morlang is a chilling, psychological drama about jealousy, betrayal and revenge. Successful artist Julius Morlang (Paul Freeman) has reached a crossroad in his career. So when his wife Ellen becomes involved with an upcoming new artist, the limits of their love are strained. Julius seeks refuge in Ann, a sexy new admirer. But when Ellen unexpectedly falls ill, the two of them must reform the trust they had lost before. But once betrayed, can you trust the one you love?


:-)

[WCGreen]

132. The Opposite of Sex......

Christina Ricci in a wonderfully sardonic movie....

The Thing Called Love..... About the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville TN...

My First Mister with Albert Brooks and LeeLee Sobieski....

Ghost World, with Thora Bird and Steve Buscemi

[Solly Mack]

136. The Opposite of Sex is a great movie!

[Solly Mack]

137. The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

138. The Ninth Configuration

Starring Stacy Keach and a practically uncredited Gene Hackman. You probably won't find it at a rental store, but it can be ordered via the web.

Many big name stars appear in the flick. Directed by William Peter Blatty, who directed The Exorcist, among other powerhouse films.

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stacy Keach .... Col. Vincent Kane
Scott Wilson .... Capt. Billy Cutshaw
Jason Miller .... Lt. Frankie Reno
Ed Flanders .... Col. Richard Fell
Neville Brand .... Maj. Marvin Groper
George DiCenzo .... Capt. Fairbanks
Moses Gunn .... Maj. Nammack
Robert Loggia .... Lt. Bennish
Joe Spinell .... Spinell
Alejandro Rey .... Lt. Gomez
Tom Atkins .... Sgt. Krebs
Steve Sandor .... 1st Cyclist (Stanley)
Richard Lynch .... 2nd Cyclist (Richard)
William Lucking .... Highway Patrolman
Stephen Powers .... Sgt. Christian

[CanuckAmok]

140. THE QUIET EARTH (NZ)

A scientist awakes fron an attempted suicide attempt to find he is the only person left on earth. The further he travels, the more he is convinced everyone else has just ceased to exist. Everywhere, the wreckage of planes and cars, and small fires burn from the aborted breakfasts people had been cooking as they dispaaeared.

He enjoys the solitude for a while, but soon begins to suffer the effects of isolation...

and then a very stange phenomenon occurs...

[baldguy]

173. Saw it

[Born in the Maze]

144. Pieces of April

I saw it at a friend's house once, and have never been able to find it again. It was on a DVD.

[Hans Delbrook]

175. Netflix has it

We watched over Christmas holidays. Good but kind of heart-rendering. I still think Bobby should have run the other way (for his own good - he was so sweet!) That family was way beyond dysfunctional. Shudder.

[Born in the Maze]

197. Sorry to take so long,

I just figured out how to use "My Posts". I can't use NetFlix, if I can't find it in a rental store, I don't get to watch it. I thought the Mom was really freaky at first, then I realized she was the one pushing to get the family together, and her husband and April's sister were acting like they wanted to go, but really they didn't.

And that guy upstairs who stole the leg off her turkey! I have got to find that movie again.

[WCGreen]

146. Grosse Point Blank....

Someone also mentioned the Fifth Elelment, but that one is on the Tube a lot........

[kodi]

148. The Ice Storm

last 15 minutes hits you so hard in the guts it stuns you.

[RubyDuby in GA]

151. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

God how I love that movie.

And it's totally not cool that Guy Pearce makes a prettier woman than I am.

[Patiod]

201. Priscilla (and Full Monty) actually made me cry laughing

You know when you're stomping your feet and trying to catch your breath that it's funny.

[meppie-meppie not]

243. they did me too! nt

[Seabiscuit]

152. Amelie

and any other movie Audrey Tatou stars in.

[peekaloo]

153. Mother

Albert Brooks and Debbie Reynolds.

Funny!

[Butterflies]

155. The Heidi Chronicles

with Jamie Lee Curtis in the Heidi role. I hadn't heard of it until I saw it in the video store and rented it. I liked all of the Women's Liberation Movement stuff from the '60s and '70s in it.

[Dedalus]

159. "Bodies, Rest, and Motion"

It's got Eric Stoltz, Tim Roth, Bridget Fonda, Phoebe Cates, AND a cameo by the hottest girl alive, Alicia Witt.

[flama]

162. Bliss (Australian) n/t

[Nevernose]

164. With the neo-nazi son and the prostitute daughter? Guy thinks he's dead?

I remeber loving that movie, but it's been an awfully long time since I've seen it. The guys thinks he's dead and in Hell, right?

[Hardrada]

185. Not About Nazis but A Satire of Militarism in 1900's Berlin

Der Hauptmann von Koepenick (The Captain from Koepenick). A tough one to find but does have English subtitles. A German film from mid-1950's. Spoofs Prussian militarism and glorification of all things martial. Heinz Ruhmann is excellent in the role of a poor shoemaker who is led by events to impersonate a Prussian captain of the Guards with hilarious (and very educational) results.

[MidwestMomma]

165. The Trip to Bountiful

Wonderful movie with Geraldine Page as an elderly women who just wants to go back to her childhood home in Bountiful. Her son won't take her so she hides her social security check from her heartless daughter-in-law and 'escapes' one day and finds a bus going to Bountiful. It's a real tear-jerker so grab the tissues.

Anyone else seen it?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

170. Yes, I've seen it many times...Page's last fim..was it not?

[AmandaRuth]

174. yes beautiful movie

whenever I see elderly women sleeping in bus stations, I think of that movie.:)

[AmandaRuth]

168. smoke signals

great movie about alcoholism - set on a reservation (native American) First movie i ever saw that i when i walked out, i immediately bought a ticket and went back in.

if you can stand anime - grave of the fireflies

[peekaloo]

187. I wish I could remember the words to John Wayne's Teeth

very good film adapted from the short story "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven".

[baba]

245. Great movie.

I didn't think of it as a movie about alcoholism, though. Interesting perspective.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

169. Pow Wow Highway - produced by George Harrison's film company

great cast, great story - part mystic, part real, great editing...it moves well... a story about two native American's interpretations of what it means to be a warrior

[fishwax]

210. Based on a great and widely unknown novel, too

by David Seals. The book is much better, in my opinion (and David Seals hated the movie version) but I really liked the movie (part of which--the part where they buy the radio and bust up a radio shack was filmed in my hometown).

[TroubleMan]

171. MOMENTO

That movie is a masterpiece.

[Hans Delbrook]

176. Dinner Rush

Fantastic movie! Stars Danny Aiello. If you like cooking, restaurants, etc. it's a must see.

[TalkingDog]

177. How to get ahead in advertising

DARK DARK DARK and funny! Espcecially when he's stuffing the whole raw chicken in the garbage disposal.

[webjamn]

178. Smoke

It has Harvey Keitel and William Hurt in it.

[fishwax]

211. One of my favorite scenes in all of filmdom

is when Keitel shares his photo album with the William Hurt character. That was pretty beautiful stuff.

[TalkingDog]

179. Oh, "Delicatessen"... another black comedy n/t

[TalkingDog]

180. "Tampopo" Japanese noodle western- food-sex-gangster movie

Funny, clever and beautiful

[alfredo]

188. Yes!! love it

[koneko]

196. GREAT flick

I recommend that to anyone.

[Lorien]

182. Dangerous Beauty, the Iron Giant, Rosencrantz

and Guildestern are Dead, to name a few...

[DrZeeLit]

189. American Dreamer; and then there's always Local Hero. Also...

Avanti, with Jack Lemmon (and I'm adding The Great Race)
Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, with Jimmy Stewart

American Dreamer is not a "great" film...it's just cute fun.
I like that periodically.
Young Jobeth Williams and Tom Conti

[alfredo]

190. The Scent of Green Papaya, Dreams, Babbette's Feast

25th Hour, The Fireman's Ball

[scarlett1]

192. High Anxiety

Great spoof of several Hitchcock movies by the Zany Mel Brooks

[udflyersfan]

193. Shallow Grave (1994), beyond a shadow of a doubt

Add these to your wish list:

8 Heads In A Duffle Bag
200 Cigarettes

Edited to add this:

Requiem for a Dream
This is a must see flick for anyone dealing with addiction

[koneko]

195. All great films

I loved Shallow Grave.

[Patiod]

202. Shallow Grave was great

reminded me a lot of Blood Simple

[TrustingDog]

198. The Reflecting Skin

[TrustingDog]

199. Harold and Maude.

[TrustingDog]

200. My Dinner with Andre.

[meppie-meppie not]

241. absolutely one of my favs! nt

[peekaloo]

203. Eating Raoul

}(

[jus_the_facts]

204. Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead.....

.....Andy Garcia...Treat Williams...Christopher Walken....EXCELLENT MOVIE!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[jus_the_facts]

205. Trespass.....Bill Paxton..Ice T..Ice Cube....another great obscure flick..

:hi:

[Flying Dream Blues]

206. Brazil...Fantastic, dark, Kafka-esque tale by Terry Gilliam

[fishwax]

212. Just Your Luck

An old man with a winning lottery ticket drops dead in a late-night diner, and the customers bicker over what to do with the ticket. (Mark Sandman of Morphine did the soundtrack, which is a major plus for me, but it's an enjoyable film in its own right.)

[scarlett1]

213. Waking Ned Devine - ( if you can find it)

Ned Devine wins the Irish lottery in a small town of 50 or so people he dies from the heart attack when he finds out he is the winner. The townspeople decide to claim the share for the benefit of the town all getting an equal share.
The Irish lottery man comes during the Wake ( Irish memorial/ visitation) of Ned Devine. So they have to fool him that Ned is still alive.
Very funny and sweet.

[fishwax]

214. Good call

I've seen that movie too and liked it very much.

[meppie-meppie not]

242. definitely! what a hoot nt

[mattclearing]

215. Anything from Film Movement.

http://www.filmmovement.com/

[Hand]

219. Himalaya!

Filmed in Mustang, Nepal with non-professional actors. Dialogue is Tibetan. A wonderfully authentic and moving story of the life of a family and a village. Glorious imagery of a harsh and beautiful part of the world.

This was made by the same director who made Winged Migration--which you should see on the big screen!

:toast:

[Hand]

220. Enlightenment Guaranteed...

Two dumb Germans enter a Zen monastery in Japan; one figures out that he's gay and the other realizes that his wife is merrily cuckolding him. Both learn something... funny, tender, and engrossing.

[Khephra]

221. Santa Sangre

You can still find it in some stores that carry VHS. It's pretty much the only wide-spread release of Jodorowsky here in the states.

[Khephra]

222. Dead and Buried -- the best zombie film that no one knows about

For years it was unobtainable, but it's recently been released on DVD from a small company.

[mtnester]

226. Dutch - great movie, if you can find it!

[Susang]

228. Ginger Snaps

[Wat_Tyler]

229. Not very good, and not very original - a virtual remake of several

previous movies.

[Susang]

230. I enjoyed it for it's comedy

Horror should always be tempered with the ridiculous. :D

[Wat_Tyler]

234. True.

But I didn't like all those false endings.

[Susang]

237. Those exist to prepare you for the sequels

And don't forget the prequel:

[Wat_Tyler]

239. Good God - is this a Zombie Werewolf or something?

[48pan]

231. Strange Brew

McKenzie Brothers are a scream.

[Bouncy Ball]

232. George Washington

it's about some poor kids in the Carolinas somewhere.

TRUST ME. RENT IT.

[Bullwinkle925]

235. "Following" -

British flick - reminiscent of "Memento". Intriguing.

[japple]

236. Withnail and I

and Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man. And Jim Jarmusch's Down by Law.
John Sayles' Matewan and Lone Star.

[greendog]

238. "Walkabout" and "Latcho Drom"

"Walkabout" is an Australian Environmental film from the early '70's.

"Latcho Drom" is a film about Gypsies, their culture, and especially their music. No plot to speak of...a beautiful film.

[tigereye]

240. The Coca Cola Kid - fun satire

Seven Faces of Dr. Lao with Tony Randall -seemed very mysterious when I was a kid.

only two I could think of that hadn't already been mentioned. great lists so far.

[silverpatronus]

247. der tweeling (twin sisters)

excellent dutch film. wasn't a dry eye in the house by the end.

[LibDemAlways]

248. A Walk on the Moon

Chick flick with Diane Lane and Viggo Mortenson at Woodstock. Good guilty pleasure stuff.

[NNadir]

249. Shoot the Moon.

Albert Finney and Diane Keaton.

[Dreamer]

250. John Landis Film

"Amazon Women on the Moon" is one of my favorites. Offbeat and funny.

[Lostnote03]

251. My Left Foot............

[spooky3]

252. Saw Secrets and Lies last night--it was great.