Films you thought brilliant that others might not have seen or heard of.

LittleBook

D.S. wrote: »

- Bubba Ho Tep - cheesy but imo hiliariou B movie with Bruce Campbell about how Elvis is not dead but living in a rest home in the States and is being chased by a Egptyian mummy...

+ 1,000,000 on Bubba Ho-tep, how could I forget it!

Elvis Presley: It ain't much of a home but it's all I got and I'll be damned if I let some foreign, graffiti writin', soul suckin', son of a bítch in an oversized cowboy hat and boots take my friend's souls and shít 'em down the visitors toilet!

:pac:

And if anyone enjoys reading as much as watching films, Bruce Campbell's books are hilarious reads.

"If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor" - autobiography
"Make Love! The Bruce Campbell Way"

spikeprint

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Its an oldie but its really great. 2 sisters are going at it, Davis is an ex child star that treats her sister like a dog. Its a wicked thriller.

Another oldie, Some Like It Hot, starring Marlyn Monroe. Think Mrs Doubtfire or Tootie, only far funnier.

Deadly Pursuit, starring Sidney Poiter and Tom Berenger. Its a buddy movie from the eighties. A great mix of thrills and comedy, its surprisingly good.

Midnight Run, starring Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin. Another excellent buddy movie with a plot that keeps everything ticking over nicely.

The Name of the Rose, starring Christian Slater and Sean Connery. Its a thriller set in a 13th century monastery. Visually it sends you back to the time, all with a compelling story line.

One of the best films of the noughties, Perfume: Story of a Murder, based on the excellent Peter Suskind novel. Authentic sets and powerful performances make this one a keeper. Its a modern classic.

Birth of a Nation, even with its overtly racist tones, is one any true film buff must see. Its a silent movie, about the Klu Klux Klan, by DW Griffiths. If only for its groundbreaking style, this is one not to shy away from. The current reworking, Rebirth of a Nation boasts a snappy new soundtrack from DJ Spooky and the Kronos Quartet, the latter being responsible from playing Clint Mansells soundtrack to Requiem for a Dream (another brilliant flick that should not be missed).

While on old silent movies, Eisensteins Battleship Potemkin is another unmissable movie. He is the father of film, and has influenced virtually every film director since his time. Groundbreaking direction has led this film to be referenced in many modern movies, like the steps scene in The Untouchables.

Best film of last year, Moon, from David Bowies son. Simple but surprisely effective, with a stellar turn from Sam Rockwell. If you haven't seen it, watch it now.

Other worthy mentions are The Prestige, The Boys From Brazil, Marathon Man, Midnight Cowboy, Groundhog Day, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Bus 174, Clerks, Inglourious Basterds, etc.

I could go on all night, I have a strong love for movies.

karma_

LittleBook wrote: »

+ 1,000,000 on Bubba Ho-tep, how could I forget it!

Elvis Presley: It ain't much of a home but it's all I got and I'll be damned if I let some foreign, graffiti writin', soul suckin', son of a bítch in an oversized cowboy hat and boots take my friend's souls and shít 'em down the visitors toilet!

:pac:

And if anyone enjoys reading as much as watching films, Bruce Campbell's books are hilarious reads.

"If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor" - autobiography
"Make Love! The Bruce Campbell Way"

I have recommended so many people to watch Bubba Ho-Tep but they never do, too bad because it's a little gem of a film and they have no idea what they are missing.

Soul Stretcher

Revanche.

Austrian film about love, death of a loved one, blame and revenge.
Whose fault is it if life doesn't go your way ? (from cover of DVD).

Oh... can't find the words to say how brilliant I think this film is.

Renn

Yeah Revanche was definitely one of the better ones from last year (even though it's been around for nearly three years at this stage). It's a slow burner but well worth it.

blackalicious

Hank_Jones wrote: »

Just thought I'd add a couple more that crossed my mind.

Koyaanisqatsi - Experimental film with Francis Ford Coppola as executive producer.
Extremely well done film that matches up the soundtrack from Phillip Glass with the visuals.
It's an experience in editing and film making, well worth a look.

Streetwise - Documentary following street kids and their lives on the street of Seattle in 1984.
Really gritty stuff, shows some terrible hardships.

Pretty sure both are available on youtube, or at least they used to be.

never heard of streetwise, checked it out the other night very good, if ya liked that you should check out black tar heroin http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0221023/ also great if not a little grim

Princess: Danish animation about a priest who avenges the death of his sister who was a porn actress, i loved this and im not usually into animation http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0419073/

Chunking Express: one of my all time favourites hard to explain but its basically a mixture of thriller and love story but unlike any film ive seen before, check it out http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109424/

Pusher 2: the whole trilogy is very good but this is my favourite, danish crime drama, it follows the story of drug dealer just released from prison who find out he has a son, amazing http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0396184/

Paradise LOst: watched tthis for the first time last night and i was blown away, the best documentary ive ever seen. Following the brutal murder of three little boys in the heart of the bible belt in America, three teenagers who wear black clothes and listen to metalica, are charged and we get to see the trial unfold.. MUST WATCH its on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CyTJgAfSRs

mikhail

LittleBook wrote: »

+ 1,000,000 on Bubba Ho-tep, how could I forget it!

A certain character going down shooting always tears me up, and the flashback to where Elvis loses his copy of the contract is just the right amount over the top to make me fall off my chair laughing. The film has minor pacing problems, but it's a little gem.

There are a lot of 1984 fans out there, but the film version is supposed to be disappointing. Instead, pick up a copy of Terry Gilliam's Brazil, which is in the same vein, but as a black farce pretending to be a love story.

Divorce - Italian Style is hilarious. Won an Oscar in its day, but not that well known now.

spikeprint

Just watched Paradise Lost, excellent stuff, thanks for the recommendation! Jesus, those boys were stitched up by a load of religous nuts.

My favourite documentary is The Fog of War. Its an interview with Robert McNamara, with a Philip Glass soundtrack. Excellent stuff.

Nolanger

Most dangerous game - old man-on-the-run movie.

Woddle

Innocent voices
Absolutely brilliant

mav79

Just watched Leaves of Grass by Ed Norton and laughed my ass off.
Might not be for everyone but wasn't expecting much and thoroughly enjoyed it.

saltie

Buffallo 66

Renn

mav79 wrote: »

Just watched Leaves of Grass by Ed Norton and laughed my ass off.
Might not be for everyone but wasn't expecting much and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Watched it a few weeks ago, it's great. One of the few good things to be released this year so far. Norton is just great in this. Felt like a Coen bros movie at times too.

SuperInfinity

Les Diaboliques.

D.S.

Les Grand Bleu (The Big Blue) by Luc Besson...filmed in English and French.., recommend the Directors cut which is about 3 hours long...

Story of free divers who continue to push themselves to go to greater depths...

Extremely well filmed...more of an atmospheric piece..probably Besson's best movie imo....

fontanalis

jab1 wrote: »

savior,a really great movie starring dennis quaid,set in the balkans during the war,based on a true story..
also i seen a mega french film a few years back called 36 starring daniel auteiul and gerrard depardeu,best way of describing this movie is a frech version of the pacino deniro movie heat,well worth a look i really enjoyed it.also one more was an italian movie called romanzo criminal another very good movie,

Good film but not an easy watch.

ricero

the foot fist way stars danny mcbride of east bound and down and pineapple express fame very good movie

alabandical

One of my favourite films to watch is Gosford Park - a Robert Altman film that turns the whodunnit on its head. It also boasts a magnificent ensemble.

Mickeroo

Must recommend Red Sun/Soleil Rouge, its a western starring Charles Bronson and Toshiro Mifune as an outlaw and a Samurai forced to grudgingly work together to track down a mutual enemy, I can never get over how many people have never heard of it and how hard it is to get hold of! It's not of the quality of Once Upon a Time in the West or Yojimbo and the like but well worth watching to see those guys work together!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_E9vFLw-R0

indough

ha, seven samurai and magnificent seven members ride together

blue_steel

Primer.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390384/

The definitive film about time travel. Made for $8000 but don't let the budget fool you. This is a stylish, brilliantly written exploration of the minutiae of scientific investigation.

Mickeroo

blue_steel wrote: »

Primer.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390384/

The definitive film about time travel. Made for $8000 but don't let the budget fool you. This is a stylish, brilliantly written exploration of the minutiae of scientific investigation.

+1

Be sure to watch with a clear alert mind though!!

LittleBook

blue_steel wrote: »

Primer.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390384/

The definitive film about time travel. Made for $8000 but don't let the budget fool you. This is a stylish, brilliantly written exploration of the minutiae of scientific investigation.

Good call. And you reminded me of this time travel gem:

Los cronocrímenes (Timecrimes)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480669/

Caught it a couple of weeks ago on FilmFour, great stuff ... less complicated than Primer but still quite challenging and thought-provoking.

filmfan

Those two sound very interesting, must check them out!

henryporter

Two films by a director called Bernard Rose, both starring Danny Houston: Ivansxtc http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0238321/ and The Kreutzer Sonata http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1172063/, both looking at different angles of living in the Hollywood machine, brilliantly filmed, scripted and executed.

++1 on Primer - a movie that should be watched a few times almost imitating the looping of time travel in the movie.

'The Sacrifice' and 'Andrei Rublev' by Andrei Tarkovsky the Russian Master whose original 'Solaris' got fleeced by George Clooney et al

'Russian Ark', a superb sublime piece of film making set in the Hermitage Museum in St Petersberg; the entire film done in one continuous shot travelling through space (not outer!) and time. Just amazing - may well have to watch it again.

'My Architect' by Nathaniel Kahn; a documentary about the life and loves of one of the worlds greatest architects Louis I. Kahn - the filmmaker is the illegitimate son of the architect and this film is his journey through his fathers past in an attempt to find meaning in his own life. Much better than I've made it sound there.

'Aguirre: The wrath of God' Just saw this last weekend - Werner Herzog directed and starring (of course) Klaus Kinski - you just wonder how nobody was killed during the making of this movie which follows a Spanish expedition down the Amazon looking for 'El Dorado'

henryporter

LittleBook wrote: »

Good call. And you reminded me of this time travel gem:

Los cronocrímenes (Timecrimes)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480669/

Caught it a couple of weeks ago on FilmFour, great stuff ... less complicated than Primer but still quite challenging and thought-provoking.

According to Film4s website 'Timecrimes' is on tonight at 11.05pm

LowOdour

Lars and the real Girl.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0805564/
Film buffs may have seen this, but I'd say it isnt the most widely known film

Stars Ryan Gosling. very sweet, interesting and funny film.....couldnt recommended it highly enough

Macca3000

Whale Rider - a little gem of a New Zealand film.

A young Maori girl takes on the task of becoming leader of her tribe. A position tradition dictates only a man can hold. Her grandfather, the current chief, is very resentful of her not least because her twin, a boy, died at birth.

Yes, you can imagine the ending and indeed many of the details that lead up to it, but somehow it just doesn't fall into the cliche of 'overcoming adversity and proving yourself capable in the eyes of others' type movie.

Plus the scenery, as you'ld expect with New Zealand, is stunning.

eightyfish

I really liked The Elementary Particles. It's a German film based on French author Michael Houellebecq's "unfilmable" book about two brothers and their odd relationship. It gets 100% on rotten tomatoes, but with only 6 reviews so it appears nobody has heard of it.

jaykhunter

Gran Torino (2008)
Excellent drama with an old racist jarhead (Eastwood) who befriends a young korean family in his rough neighbourhood.

Kung Fu Panda (2008)
CGI animation about an overweight Panda (the equivalent of a comic book nerd but for Kung Fu) gets thrust into the world of Kung Fu, and the impending arrival of a vengeful tiger. All the jokes work, is really well directed, and fun for the whole family. Highly recommend. Jack Black is the perfect choice for the Panda.

Monster House (2006)
Brilliant over-looked CGI kids animation, about the house next door, which is haunted. A few kids go to investage why this old man wants kids off his lawn. Charming, funny and enjoyable.

Dial M For Murder (1954)
Classy almost stage-play-like in it's production, the film is about a husband who wants his (cheating) wife murdered, and so concocts an elaborate scheme for the perfect murder. Really worth a watch.

Strangers on a Train (1951)
In the same vein, two strangers meet on a train, and the conversation turns serious when one proposes that they each murder their problematic spouses. Late in the day, one of them isn't sure he wants to go through with it....

The Omega Man (1971)
Starring Charlton Heston as, you guessed it, Charlton Heston (this guy can't act, pilgrim) it's a very similar story to The Last Man on Earth (Vincent Price) and much later, Will Smith's "I Am Legend". Post apocalyse, The last man on earth -- well, he's not exactly the last man, there's others too -- is a scientist, hiding in his appartment at night, as the cloaked freaks look to kill him. Great story, executed well (better than the other two, IMO) but I still think this film could be done better. Parodied in the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror ("The Homega Man"); It's definitely worth a watch. See you in hell, cloakie!

DOCUMENTARIES

Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life
IMO the best documentary ever made about Darwin and Evolution. Interesting yet succinct and informative. Narrated by David Attenborough

Bigger Faster Stronger [2008]
Documentary about steroids in today's society, showcasing the lives of various personalities; wrestlers, bodybuilders, with first and second-hand views of it's dangerous effects.

Crackheads Gone Wild
Really harsh, but I guarantee if you showed this to 13 year olds, it would put them off drugs for life. It's really rough. But devastatingly effective.

The King of Kong (2007)
Enjoyable and interesting look at the competitiveness of arcade gaming, with one man's journey to become the high scorer of King Kong, and the seedy, underhanded tactics that brings out.

Zeitgeist
Most interesting conspiracy theory doc I've seen. Very well put together, but I wouldn't act on anything before doing fact-checking yourself.

HORROR/THRILLER

Dark Water (2005)
Underrated horror film about a single mother and daughter living in a seemingly haunted apartment block. Probably scarier because it reminds me of my old apartment!!

Death Note (2006)
Really interesting japanese manga comic live adaptation. A smart student gets a hold of a book, which when written in, causes the death of a specific person in the world. A brilliant somewhat austistic criminalist (of the same age) is brought in to track him/her down.

Fragiles (2005)
Horror film set in a children's hospital, which is set to be condemned. Has a high turnover rate of nurses. That sounds crap, but i thought it was pretty good. Despite having Calista Flockheart, I'd recommend it to any horror/thriller fan.

Hard Candy (2005)
A young girl meets up with a far-too-nice older man over the internet. They go back to his place. A gripping thriller ensues. (If you haven't seen this film, just go and watch it. It's great.)

Attack Girls Swim Team Vs The Undead (2007)
Ha, a throw-away japanese horror film, where every scene, there's a chance of female nudity or "lezzing out". Hilarious, i quite enjoyed it.