Favourite obscure/lesser-known films

Vanillaphant · Apr 26, 2016

Hello, hello.

So recently somebody started a thread for the purpose of recommending an obscure film. I thought it’d be cool to have a thread where everybody had a chance to recommend such films. Films which you don’t necessarily think are underrated, but which you feel deserve to be seen by more people.

I have to say, I’m not exactly a film buff myself, so there’s nothing really obscure that I could recommend. However, one of my favourite films is Memento, and as it’s not a super well-known film, I figured it was worth a mention. For anybody who hasn’t seen it, I guess you’d describe it as a psychological thriller/mystery. It stars Guy Pearce (and it’s a fantastic performance from him, I think) as someone whose short-term memory is fucked (scientific term lol), and so his life is a bit of a puzzle which he is constantly, and repeatedly, trying to piece together. And because of the way the story is told, it is also a puzzle to the viewer – until the very end, that is. What’s also great about the ending is that as well as being the big pay-off as far as the plot is concerned, it’s also, in my opinion, anyway, quite poignant and thought-provoking - but without being all artsy and pretentious! So that would be my recommendation.

Anyone?

The Internet · Apr 26, 2016

Minnie & Moskowitz (1971)

milagros317 · Apr 26, 2016

Quintet (1979)
Given the director (Robert Altman) and the star (Paul Newman), you wouldn't think it obscure, but it was both a box office flop and got panned by almost all the critics.
My cousin and I were the only two people I know who liked it.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079770/

bigdamnheroes · Apr 26, 2016

I found mine in a book. I was reading Paul Auster's New York Trilogy, and the first story contains a digression about going to see Out of the Past (1947) in a movie theater. I was curious, so I rented it. It's a pretty fantastic movie, critically acclaimed as one of the best noir films ever made, and I hadn't heard of it before. I included it as obscure because although it's highly regarded, you just don't see it on a lot of lists. It's Robert Mitchum at his most charming. (Side Note: If you're trying to quit smoking, this is not the movie for you. Actually, that entire cinematic decade is not for you.)

Bohemianne · Apr 27, 2016

City of God - a foreign film. It has more than enough amount of brutal violence anyone could hope (or not hope) for. Very natural acting. It made Pulp Fiction sissy. What I find beautiful in this film is the sequence treatment, narration and what became of the main character.

Vanillaphant · Apr 27, 2016

Thanks for the replies so far.

Dearest Leo said:
Minnie & Moskowitz (1971)

Any particular reason?

milagros317 said:
Quintet (1979)
Given the director (Robert Altman) and the star (Paul Newman), you wouldn't think it obscure, but it was both a box office flop and got panned by almost all the critics.
My cousin and I were the only two people I know who liked it.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079770/

Had a quick scan over the plot outline on wikipedia. Seems like a pretty unusual concept. Not in a bad way, I should say. Sounds interesting!

bigdamnheroes said:
I found mine in a book. I was reading Paul Auster's New York Trilogy, and the first story contains a digression about going to see Out of the Past (1947) in a movie theater. I was curious, so I rented it. It's a pretty fantastic movie, critically acclaimed as one of the best noir films ever made, and I hadn't heard of it before. I included it as obscure because although it's highly regarded, you just don't see it on a lot of lists. It's Robert Mitchum at his most charming. (Side Note: If you're trying to quit smoking, this is not the movie for you. Actually, that entire cinematic decade is not for you.)

Didn’t check out the plot for this one – but I like the look of the theatrical release poster!

I think if I were to take more of an interest in films, I would probably enjoy those old film noirs as much as anything. I definitely prefer films that are more atmospheric and character-based than action-based.

Bohemianne said:
City of God - a foreign film. It has more than enough amount of brutal violence anyone could hope (or not hope) for. Very natural acting. It made Pulp Fiction sissy. What I find beautiful in this film is the sequence treatment, narration and what became of the main character.

A couple of entries came up when I gave this the wiki treatment! I’m assuming it’s the Brazilian one from 2002 that you’re referring to…? Hmm. Looks like it might be a bit ‘gritty’ for me; I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to onscreen violence! lol

The Internet · Apr 27, 2016

First off, it's a great thread, and I hope people add to it.

To answer about "Minnie & Moskowitz", it's a hard movie to describe, it's a John Cassavettes movie, it's just a beautiful, one-of-a-kind movie, a very unlikely love story. It stars the always-fantastic (and supremely underrated) Seymour Cassell and Gena Rowlands, both of whom are fantastic in it. Cassavettes also has a small part, and Val Avery also, who plays Gena Rowlands date-from-hell. And Timothy Carey! One of the weirdest actors in history! If you've never seen a John Cassavettes movie, you might start with this one.

"Out of the Past" is great film noir, "City of God", really good Brazilian film, does have violence, and is gritty, though. "Memento", I think that's Christopher Nolan's best film, and it's such a compelling way to tell a story. There's another movie that tells the story backwards, "Betrayal" with Ben Kingsley, but it's not nearly as good as "Memento".

But I've never seen "Quintet" ! My favorite Altman film is "Three Women", from that same period (I think it's 1978). Sissy Spacek and Shelly Duvall, what a weird movie! I'll definitely check out "Quintet"! Altman has so many movies!

cph4141 · Apr 28, 2016

out of the past is a really good film, '47 was a probably the best year for noirs (lady from shanghai, odd man out). my favourite 'obscure' film would be i vitelloni or f for fake (which is just as good as kane imo). dmytryk's mirage is surprisingly lesser-known too.

BlasterMaster · Apr 28, 2016

Some oldies I'm fond off that most youngins barely know about:

She Done Him Wrong: A Mae West film.

Seven Sinners and Stage Fright: Both Dietrich films.

Destry: The 1954 version with Mari Blanchard.

cph4141 · Apr 28, 2016

DebonairDamsel said:
Some oldies I'm fond off that most youngins barely know about:

She Done Him Wrong: A Mae West film.

Seven Sinners and Stage Fright: Both Dietrich films.

Destry: The 1954 version with Mari Blanchard.

love that pre-code hollywood.

TMF Jeff · Apr 28, 2016

A few of my favorites -

Brick, which is kind of a Noir-ish detective story set in a Southern California high school. It stars Joseph Gordon Levitt, who absolutely kills the role, and was written and directed by Rian Johnson who wrote and directed Looper, and is currently writing and directing Star Wars Episode VIII.

Primer, which is a really complicated time-travel story. It was made on a budget of $7,000 dollars and it's probably the best, most "realistic" time travel movie I've ever seen. I'm a big fan of those if they're done well, and this one is absolutely amazing, though it needs to be viewed multiple times and even then you probably don't really know what exactly is going on.

Trollhunter, an awesome Norwegian found-footage movie about trolls in the extreme north. I'm not generally a fan of found footage because it's so overused, but this one makes good use of it to get the most out of their small budget, which must have allowed them to focus their money on their special effects because they're not bad at all. The scenes with trolls are really great and believable.

Bohemianne · Apr 28, 2016

Vanillaphant said:
Thanks for the replies so far.
A couple of entries came up when I gave this the wiki treatment! I’m assuming it’s the Brazilian one from 2002 that you’re referring to…? Hmm. Looks like it might be a bit ‘gritty’ for me; I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to onscreen violence! lol

Yes. Cidade de Deus. What is odd is that I am not fond of, as you put it, "too gritty" films either. There is nothing so significant, striking, or extra appeal about the majority of the characters as well, but you will root on something. The setting is in a very chaotic ghetto, plus I have no patience reading "hard subtitles." But there is something about the collective harshness of this film, and each death or explosion of subplots are well-planned. Like I said, the sequence treatment is topnotch. They hired amateurs to act on this film and shoot on very realistic places, which turned out to be very effective. And yeah, you will doubt if gods have forsaken one part of the earth when you see this film. It is weird that I get back to it once in a while...

Vanillaphant · Apr 28, 2016

Dearest Leo said:
First off, it's a great thread, and I hope people add to it.

Thanks!

(Though all I actually did was copy your Make Way For Tomorrow thread and then open it up to the community! lol)

Dearest Leo said:
And Timothy Carey! One of the weirdest actors in history!

Huge coincidence! Well – maybe not that huge lol. To explain: Until the other day – I mean literally the day before you posted that comment – I’d never heard of Timothy Carey. I’ve been watching a lot of Quentin Tarantino interviews lately on Youtube (just cos I think he’s an interesting guy), and in one of the two or three interviews I watched that night he happened to talk about Timothy Carey – and what a crazy bastard he was! lol (Apparently, Tarantino was thinking of casting him in the role of Joe Cabot in Reservoir Dogs – before settling on Lawrence Tierney). He goes on to say that farting is “almost like a religion” to Carey. It’s pretty funny. Just thought I’d mention that!

Will definitely check out the other recommendations on this thread in due course.

Cheeyers!

wolfman28 · Apr 30, 2016

Anything by Kurosawa-

So influential on US cinema-

Rashoman- Usual Suspects
Seven Samurai- Magnificent Seven (duh!)
Yo Jimbo- Fistful of dollars
Hidden Fortress- Star Wars

Talking of Star Wars- I also like Lucas debut THX1138-

Tenebrae · May 1, 2016

Bohemianne said:
City of God - a foreign film. It has more than enough amount of brutal violence anyone could hope (or not hope) for. Very natural acting. It made Pulp Fiction sissy. What I find beautiful in this film is the sequence treatment, narration and what became of the main character.

Watched it, loved it~ It was a big hit in France

Tenebrae · May 1, 2016

If I may add my own recommendations:

In the horror genre: Martyrs [2008], one my most favorite movies ever. Exquisite cast, devious plot, and a great reflection on torture and femininity. Also, The Black Cat [1934]; this little gem packs a real punch and shows the much awaited showdown between two horror legends, namely Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi.

Asian cinema: A Touch of Sin [2013], one of the best Chinese movies ever. Fist of Legend [1994], IF you can get the original Chinese language version as the US one is full of mistranslations. It is a remake to Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury [1974], and IMO better than the original. After the Rain [1999] and Samurai Fiction [1998] are two lesser known Samurai movies that sort of subvert the genre very well.

Action: Drop everything and watch The Raid: Redemption [2011], my favorite action movie after Die Hard. It does not have the latter's plot nor intelligence, but has the best hand-to-hand combat and suspense you'd have seen in a long time.

Comedy: My Name is Nobody [1971], if like me you love the Western genre.

Drama: The Guard [2011], a true gem. Despite its outrageously good humor, I put this in the Drama genre for its mood. You'll understand when you watch it.

Animation: Persepolis [2007], an account of how the Iranian revolution affected a girl's life.

I also like mainstream movies, but these definitely went under the American radar IMO. You can't go wrong with any of these :bubble:

The Internet · May 1, 2016

Saw a really weird one last night....."Hearts of Glass" by Werner Herzog (1976).....all the actors were put under deep hypnosis for this movie, their performances are entirely under hypnosis, resulting in a very weird, dream-like movie. Not for everyone, very strange.....but for imagery and eeriness, and originality, this one is worth watching, at least a little bit of it. Like all of Werner Herzog's movies, you will see things you've never, ever seen before, on film, or in life.

Sodahead · May 3, 2016

Cyrus: 2010 Film starring John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill and Marisa Tomei

The Foot Fist Way: 2006 comedy starring Danny McBride

The Great World of Sound: 2007 film that I believe was filmed in North Carolina

Bob Roberts: A 1992 mockumentary written, directed and starring Tim Robbins

The King of Comedy: 1983 Dark Comedy starring Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis

Barbershopman · May 3, 2016

The Gods Must Be Crazy-1980 Stars Nixau, an African Tribesman

The story is a tribesman's journey to go to the edge of a cliff at the border of the tribes' land and drop a Coke bottle, which the tribe deem as evil, off the end of the earth.

Barbershopman

Mitchell · May 3, 2016

Love Story (1970)

I dont know if that would be considered "Obscure" in the context of this thread. but..

It's one of my all time favorites. Yes, very sad, as those who have seen it know.

I loved the relationship between Ryan O Neal and Ali MacGraw, who played the main characters, Oliver Barrett the IV, and Jenny, in the movie, and the strained relationship between Oliver Barrett the IV, and Oliver Barrett the III, played by the late Ray Milland.

In an extra bit of trivia.

At the end of that movie, there is a sign over Mr O Neal and Mr Milland's heads, that says "Mount Sinai Hospital". which is in NYC

That scene was filmed on January 26, 1970, and Mitch was upstairs in the nursery, at three days old, having been born at Mount Sinai three days earlier. (My parents told me that).

That scene isnt why I like the movie. I just.. liked the relationships between the characters in the film, even though it was a very sad movie.

Vanillaphant · May 3, 2016

Love the sound of Trollhunter. I’ve only seen a couple of found footage-type films: The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity – both of which I enjoyed for their creepy atmosphere. Will have to give that one a go at some point.

Love a good horror film, so The Black Cat sounds promising.

The Gods Must Be Crazy sounds pretty interesting also. Reading that brief description, I assumed it was an artsy, allegorical sort of affair. Was surprised when I googled it and learned that it was a comedy. Not that comedies can’t be artsy and allegorical, obviously... But you know what I mean.

Another bit of trivia regarding Love Story. Apparently it's where the quote "Love means never having to say you’re sorry" comes from. Who knew! Apart from maybe Mitch. And practically everybody who's seen that film. And maybe some who haven't. But apart from those guys who knew! lol

Tenebrae · May 3, 2016

Vanillaphant said:
I’ve only seen a couple of found footage-type films: The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity – both of which I enjoyed for their creepy atmosphere. Will have to give that one a go at some point.

If you like the genre, you should watch rec [2007], the original Spanish version not the crappy American remake. It is the best "found footage horror" that I know of.

b0xr · May 4, 2016

Eulogy: Ray Romano, Debra Winger, Zoey Dascenel, Hank Azaria, Rip Torn, Famke Jahnnsen, Kelly Preston are some of the cast.
A disfunctional family gathers to say goodbye to their deceased father. Very funny

Secondhand Lions: Robert Duvall, Michael Cain, Haley Joel Osmot, Kiera Sedgwick
A boy is sent to live with his eccentric uncles and learns about life. GREAT MOVIE

Angels with Dirty Faces: Old B&W movie starring (my all-time favorite actor) James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Humpfrey Bogart and the Bowery Boys
Young punks on the Lower East Side get a lesson in crime from the Master.

Jersey Girl: Ben Afflec, Liv Tyler, George Carlin, and my friend Raquel Castroe
Cute movie about love and life lessons.

The Internet · May 4, 2016

Greatest Brando movie you probably never have seen: Burn.

It was the role he always said was his greatest work. And a really fascinating, one-of-a-kind movie.

Vanillaphant · May 4, 2016

Tenebrae said:
If you like the genre, you should watch rec [2007], the original Spanish version not the crappy American remake. It is the best "found footage horror" that I know of.

Thanks for the recommendation.

Though having just googled it, I see that it’s a zombie film – not a genre I’ve ever been big on for some reason. :shrug:

But maybe the found footage element would be enough to override that disinclination, who knows.

Favourite obscure/lesser-known films

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