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

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  • 24-06-2010 1:05am
    #1
    Hank_Jones
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,783 ✭✭✭Hank_Jones


    I'm really hoping to use this thread to find films to watch personally, finding it really hard to find really good films to watch recently.
    Pretty much every new film is absolutely terrible and I'd love to find some good films to watch.

    Some films I've seen personally which I think are good, but others might not have seen are:

    The Conformist
    L'Appartement
    Irreversible - Not for the light hearted though.
    Koyaanisqatsi


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    #2
    con-chance
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17 ✭con-chance


    Cashback
    The Fisherking
    Into the Wild
    The Edge
    Tropa de Elite


    [/SIZE]


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    #3
    monkeyfudge
    Registered Users Posts: 23,216 ✭✭✭✭monkeyfudge


    Just watched Koyaanisqatsi tonight actually.

    With was an absolute favourite of mine growing up.

    Dug it out this evening as I went to see Philip Glass at the NCH last night.


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    #4
    LadyW
    Registered Users Posts: 294 ✭✭LadyW


    Everything is Illuminated. Great film. Please don't be put off cos Elijah Wood is in it, there's much more to it than that.


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    #5
    Dozen Wicked Words
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,325 ✭✭✭✭Dozen Wicked Words


    A few films that are maybe more well known than I think, but I thought were enjoyable are:

    Big Night

    Palookaville

    The City of Lost Children (La cité des enfants perdus) (I prefer the subtitled version)

    None of them are probably going to stay with you for long, but nice, easy to watch films.


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    #6
    dermothickey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 489 ✭✭dermothickey


    Life is Beautiful, with Roberto Begnini
    Cool Hand Luke- some people have never heard of it :eek:


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    #7
    johnny_ultimate
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 29,442 CMod ✭✭✭✭johnny_ultimate


    Let's try to avoid another list thread :) If you think people probably haven't heard of it, write a line or two about it to recommend it to them!

    Some I'd imagine many haven't heard of:

    Water Lilies - A superb French film from a year or two back. A film about girls on a swimming team dealing with being teenagers and learning about sexuality. It had the potential to go very wrong, but it threads the difficult thematic ground well. The soundtrack in particular is worth noting.

    Festen - probably familiar to a few, but worth checking out if you haven't heard of it. One of the Dogma 95 films, it's obviously very naturalistic with little to no visual flourishes or excesses, all done with a hand-held camera. Storywise it has a chance to shine as a result. A dark, intense family drama, and gives a good reason for the admittedly pretentious Dogma films to exist!

    Kikujiro - Recommended by Karl Hungus a few years ago, this is one totally worth seeking out. From the wonderful Takeshi Kitano, this is a very touching, funny portrait of a man and a lonely child on a strange road-trip. Kitano is a master of his craft, and there's a typically superb Joe Hisashi soundtrack too.

    Ocean Waves / Whisper of the Heart / Pom Poko - the often forgotten Ghibli films. The first two are poignant adolescent love stories, small scale but enjoyable. Pom Poko is utter lunacy about large-testicled raccoons (I kid you not) causing mischief as they try to save their forest. They may not quite have the same magic as the better known Ghibli stuff - Pom Poko probably does tbh! - but even lesser Ghibli is something special. Avoid the Cat Returns though (semi-sequel to Whisper of the Heart)!


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    #8
    monkeyfudge
    Registered Users Posts: 23,216 ✭✭✭✭monkeyfudge


    I thought The Cat Returns was fantastic.

    Loved the cat parade with the kitty body guards.


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    #9
    johnny_ultimate
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 29,442 CMod ✭✭✭✭johnny_ultimate


    monkeyfudge wrote: »
    I thought The Cat Returns was fantastic.

    Loved the cat parade with the kitty body guards.

    It just really freaks me out for some reason. I might go back to it some time, but I think I read the innocent tone entirely wrong :pac:


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    #10
    Poly
    Registered Users Posts: 1,807 ✭✭✭Poly


    "The lives of others" - a brilliant German film set around the fall of the wall.

    "The treasure of Sierra Madre" a great old John Houston film with Bogey, I saw this on a flight recently, and I watched it again on the way back.


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    #11
    LittleBook
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,716 ✭✭✭LittleBook


    dooferoaks wrote: »
    Big Night


    The City of Lost Children (La cité des enfants perdus) (I prefer the subtitled version)

    None of them are probably going to stay with you for long, but nice, easy to watch films.

    + 1 ... sorta. Both Big Night and La cité des enfants perdus have stayed with me since I saw them years ago ... OK not "forever" but they're highly memorable.

    Big Night was part of a "food films festival" I had including Babette's Feast, Tampopo, Eat Drink Man Woman and ... er ... Delicatessen ;) all highly recommended in the context of this thread.

    Pieces of April - Katie Holmes as an ostracised daughter trying desperately to prepare Thanksgiving Dinner for her family, particularly her estranged mother (the fantastic Patricia Clarkson) for whom it may be the last Thanksgiving.

    Home for the Holidays - Another Thanksgiving film directed by Jodie Foster which contains my favourite montage of all time.

    Secretary - "approaches the tricky subject [of sadomasochism]...with a stealthy tread, avoiding the dangers of making it either too offensive, or too funny"

    Buffalo 66 - starring, written and directed by Vincent Gallo, the story of a young man fresh out of prison who decides that kidnapping a random girl (Christina Ricci) in order to present her to his nutty parents as his wife is doable. Parents are played perfectly by Anjelica Huston and Ben Gazzara, worth it for Gazzara's "singing" and Ricci's tap-dancing alone.


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    #12
    delbertgrady
    Registered Users Posts: 4,732 ✭✭✭delbertgrady


    LittleBook wrote: »
    Buffalo 66 - starring, written and directed by Vincent Gallo ... worth it for Gazzara's "singing" and Ricci's tap-dancing alone.

    I'd have suggested Buffalo 66 as well, though it tends to radically divide people. I love it, but I only know a handful of other people who do. Christina Ricci tapdancing to King Crimson is a great sequence.

    I'd suggest The Monkees' 1968 film, Head. About as far-removed from their TV show as you can get, it's a plot-free sequence of bizarre scenarios (one where they're employed to portray dandruff in a TV commercial, before being vacuumed away), archive news footage, random vox pop clips, and some cracking tunes. Rumours of Charles Manson being in a crowd scene are the stuff of urban myth, but you do get blink-and-you'll-miss-them appearances from Jack Nicholson and Dennis Hopper, and it's the only film you're likely to see Frank Zappa with a talking cow.

    2024 Gigs and Events: David Suchet, Depeche Mode, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, The Smile, Pixies, Liam Gallagher John Squire/Jake Bugg, Kacey Musgraves (x2), Olivia Rodrigo, Mitski, Muireann Bradley, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Eric Clapton, Girls Aloud, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Rewind Festival, The Smashing Pumpkins/Weezer, Henry Winkler, P!nk, Pearl Jam/Richard Ashcroft, Taylor Swift/Paramore, Suede/Manic Street Preachers, Muireann Bradley, AC/DC, Deacon Blue/Altered Images, The The, blink-182, Coldplay, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Nick Lowe, David Gilmour, ABBA Voyage, St. Vincent, Public Service Broadcasting, Crash Test Dummies, Cassandra Jenkins.

    2025 Gigs and Events: Billie Eilish (x2)



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    #13
    Binky Mc
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9 ✭Binky Mc


    Bat 21. I just really like chinooks!


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    #14
    Renn
    Registered Users Posts: 3,255 ✭✭✭Renn


    My Winnipeg (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1093842/)

    My-Winnipeg-thumb-560xauto-24925.jpg

    Would safely say this falls into the love/hate category and I'm definitely in the former one. It's an unusual film in that it's described as a 'surrealist-inflected pseudo-documentary', or as Maddin himself says, 'docu-fantasia'. Can't say I've come across too many like it. If you like your German expressionism, your silent movies, and mix that with a love letter to Winnipeg, then this is for you.


    Seconds (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060955/)

    seconds.jpg

    This one totally took me by surprise. Great and depressing at the same time, with John Randolph being superb for his part. Though it does lose its way slightly halfway through, thanks to some strange Rock Hudson scenes, it picks it up for the finale, and gives us one of the best endings out there. Ahead of its time, that's for sure.


    The Hidden (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093185/)

    459568920_eb2176f1f7.jpg

    Only caught this recently (recommended to me by someone saying it was a combination of The Thing and The Terminator) and had ****loads of fun with it. It's got the horror, the sci-fi, got the 80s cheese, flamethrowers, some ridiculously funny scenes and MacLachlan doing his whole FBI role before his Twin Peaks days. Just a really entertaining movie.


    Chop Shop (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0990404/)

    chopshop2.jpg

    If you like your realism, and you like your City of God type flicks, then this is probably the one for you. Although it's better than that. Bahrani makes it look gritty, makes it slow, but it's a great character study which comes across as natural due to performances from Polanco and co. It's probably closer to reality than most documentaries you come across. Probably should have put this on the top of the list.


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    #15
    Skerries
    Registered Users Posts: 12,442 ✭✭✭✭Skerries


    12:01 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106188/
    12-01_dvd_cover.jpg

    its a film that was released around the same time as Groundhog Day and has a similar theme but more grounded in sci-fi, and even though it was a straight to vhs it is actually a good film with the lovely Helen Slater

    Dogs in Space http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogs_in_Space
    Dogs_in_space_poster.jpg

    it stars the late Michael Hutchence and centres around a bunch of people in the late 70's in Australia living in a house and just the general chaos of young people with no inhibitions
    it really appealed to me growing up as a great coming of age film
    Untitled Image




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    #16
    KevArno
    Registered Users Posts: 231 ✭✭KevArno


    Ok, so I am totally going to lower the tone here, but has anyone seen Monster Island?? Ridiculous movie with Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Carmen Electra, and Adam Weeeeeee(st)... I have been ridiculed for watching this but truth be told I tought it was hilarious. It is a total B-movie pastiche, so if you want to see over acting, plenty of fourth wall breakages, pipe cleaner monster spiders, dodgy stop gap animation, and Adam West then this (I hope) is the only place to look... In advance, I do apologise :D

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382856/


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    #17
    Hank_Jones
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,783 ✭✭✭Hank_Jones


    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.


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    #18
    funky cheese
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3 ✭funky cheese


    Buffalo 66 - starring, written and directed by Vincent Gallo, the story of a young man fresh out of prison who decides that kidnapping a random girl (Christina Ricci) in order to present her to his nutty parents as his wife is doable. Parents are played perfectly by Anjelica Huston and Ben Gazzara, worth it for Gazzara's "singing" and Ricci's tap-dancing alone.[/QUOTE]

    I loved this movie. I have yet to see the brown bunny? Has anyone seen this?


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    #19
    Nolanger
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,556 ✭✭✭Nolanger


    Charlie Chan at the opera.


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    #20
    Delicate_Dlite
    Closed Accounts Posts: 250 ✭✭Delicate_Dlite


    Oldboy, an amazing Korean film I saw a few years ago. Based on manga, I believe.

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1321511/


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    #21
    pitkan
    Registered Users Posts: 221 ✭✭pitkan


    The Alamo (original John Wayne) The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three (original Walter Matthau) Capricorn One .


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    #22
    Also Starring LeVar Burton
    Registered Users Posts: 18,503 ✭✭✭✭Also Starring LeVar Burton


    cac55e94-40c1-4ff9-8894-9654f24cd280
    Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) - (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065466/)
    Really good film that falls under pretty much every genre of film - well worth a look if you haven't seen it... If you like stuff along the lines of A Clockwork Orange, you'll probably really enjoy this...


    2yl08ds.jpg
    The Warriors (1979) - (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080120/)
    I'm surprised by the vast amount of self proclaimed film buffs who haven't seen this one... It's easily one of the greatest films ever made... Make sure you see it soon, if you haven't already...


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    #23
    dermothickey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 489 ✭✭dermothickey


    thumbs up for the warriors....also the wanderers, along the same lines but lighter


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    #24
    seraphimvc
    Registered Users Posts: 3,356 ✭✭✭seraphimvc


    Runaway Jury With John Cusack :pac: is easy to tell if the person is a movie lover or not when you ask if he knows about this film! (i kid i kid:P)


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    #25
    DazMarz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,493 ✭✭✭DazMarz


    15 Minutes; an oft-ignored entry on Robert deNiro's C.V. that, while not as good as some of his previous works, is still a highly entertaining and darly comic yarn. DeNiro is a celebrity cop and Edward Burns is a New York City Fire Marshall, both of whom are chasing down two Eastern European (well, one Czech and one Russian) criminals who are videotaping their murders, in the hopes of getting their own '15 Minutes Of Fame'. Kelsey Grammer features in a role he was born to play as the sleazy, Maury-Povich-esque newsman who would do anything for a scoop. Well worth a look.


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    #26
    JP Liz V1
    Registered Users Posts: 86,476 ✭✭✭✭JP Liz V1


    Confidence - Its directed by James Foley and stars Ed Burns, Rachel Weisz, Dustin Hoffman and Paul Giamatti - a witty thrilling con movie

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0310910/

    19624-large.jpg
    https://forumofgames.com/




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    #27
    jab1
    Registered Users Posts: 24 ✭jab1


    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,


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    #28
    minister poxbottle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 439 ✭✭minister poxbottle


    barfly
    drugstore cowboy
    naked lunch (the guy from manchester who goes to london)
    runaway train

    these are some of my favourites which a lot of people i know have never heard of :confused:


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    #29
    TheManWho
    Closed Accounts Posts: 264 ✭✭TheManWho


    Brigham City is a nice little murder mystery film from Richard Dutcher, the so called "father of mormon cinema". It's not brillant but it's good and it's interesting. The mormon religious aspect is not too overbearing and the film is relatively and undeservedly unknown.


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    #30
    nachoman
    Registered Users Posts: 232 ✭✭nachoman


    BrainCandy - An extremely funny film in my opinion.
    It was shown on rte 2 once a couple of years back.
    The Canadian comedy troupe 'kids in the hall' wrote and starred in this film as various characters, it really is surreal and over the top, hasn't been released in the cinema because certain parts of the film were deemed too controversial at the time which is a shame because it could have been a classic.


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    #31
    D.S.
    Registered Users Posts: 756 ✭✭✭D.S.


    Delicate_Dlite wrote: »
    Oldboy, an amazing Korean film I saw a few years ago. Based on manga, I believe.

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1321511/

    Fantastic movie - directed by Chan-Wook Park and second part of a trilogy of films about revenge. Oldboy is definitely the stand-out movie of the three. Story relates to a not-so-nice character who is imprisoned by a rogue group without explanation for 15 years and abruptly released and given 5 days to find his captor.

    Worth checking out.


    Some other non-hollywood films worth checking out:

    - Internal Affairs Trilogy - Scorcese based The Departed on this trilogy. The original is far superior imo and worth a look if you liked what Scorcese achieved.

    - Ong Bak/Ong Bak 2 - personally I prefer the first movie but both are excellent Tony Jaa movies from Thailand. Tony Jaa is a martial arts expert and is probably the best guy in the world to watch right now. Storylines are weak/a bit naff but the action scenes are absolutely incredible.

    - Battle of Red Cliff - John Woo directed. Story of how a united China came about. V well done. It's a two part story which was recut into one film for English Audiences. Watch the original two-part story if you can as it really tells the story of Chinese War strategies and politics at the time. Some great action sequences

    - 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...

    - Delicatessan - v different French post-apocalyptic flick...

    - Mongol - story of Genghis Khan told by a Russian director (Sergei something)...v good and a different take on the character...nominated for Best Foreign film in Academy Awards some years back..


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