obscure MUST SEE movies
 

first, make sure your suggestion is MUST SEE and not just good. second, make sure the move is obscure. (must see is more important than obscure, many of the readers are very young)

TWO LANE BLACKTOP. seriously, seriously one of my top 10 movies of all time.

G.T.O.: [after being approached sexually by a male hitchhiker] I'm not into that!
Oklahoma hitchhiker: I just thought it might relax you while you drive.
G.T.O.: This is competition, man. I've got no time.

then enjoy other monte hellman movies like COCKFIGHTER.

next, ROLLING THUNDER

Linda Forchet: If you know where some of then men are, why don't you call the police?
Major Charles Rane: Because I want to find them all.

gooooooood shyt.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

I'm not sure if its obscure but a recently watched Harold and Maude with a friend which I had never heard of.

[ QUOTE ]
Harold is a depressed, death-obsessed 20-year-old man-child who spends his free time attending funerals and committing suicide in front of his mother, but he does not die. At a funeral, Harold befriends Maude, a 79-year-old woman who has a zest for life. She and Harold spend much time together during which she exposes him to the wonders and possibilities of life. After rejecting his mother's three attempts to set him up with a potential wife, and committing fake suicide in front of all of them, Harold announces that he is to be married to Maude. However, Maude has a surprise for Harold that is to change his life forever.

[/ QUOTE ]

again it may just be my ignorance and this could be a well known movie but I found it to be original, visually pleasing, hilarious and touching.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

Saw a movie called Medium Cool for a film class I took one summer during high school. It is this weird mix of drama/documentary taking place during 1968, focusing on the Democratic Convention in Chicago that year. I haven't seen it since, so I might feel differently now, but I was absolutely blown away by it at age 17. At the very least, it's worth seeing for any modern U.S. history buff.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

science of sleep
here are a few forieng ones i'll assume are obscure
el norte
jean de florette
my life as a dog

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

PRIMER - An indie sci-fi film from just two years ago that I loved and that seems perfectly suited for 2p2ers, imo. Smart young guys have a small business in their garage as an addition to their engineer day jobs. One day they accidentally create what turns out to be a kind of time machine, and unlike every movie ever, they actually think about what they're doing and try to use it in rational ways. But that still doesn't mean everything goes smoothly. I can't say much more without spoiling, just that I give it my highest possible recommendation, to a thinking audience.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

I don't know how obscure movies with Johnny Depp and Ben Stiller can be, but :

Dead Man by Jim Jarmusch. Psychedelic black and white western starring Depp, as well as Crispin Glover, John Hurt, Robert Mitchum, Gabriel Byrne, Iggy Pop, Billy Bob Thornton, Alfred Molina, Lance Henriksen ... and a soundtrack by Neil Young. Great, great movie.

Permanent Midnight ... Ben Stiller plays a junkie sitcom writer for an "Alf"-like show. Based on the memoir by Jerry Stahl.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

I actually dont know if its obscure, but the movie Thursday, is a must see imo.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0124901/

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

Two Australian films made by the same team.

1. The Dish - story of the first moon landing told from the perspective of the guys running the radio telescope in Parkes in NSW Australia. Great light comedy / drama / storytelling

2. The Castle - A man's home is his Castle. Story of a bloke who stands up for his rights when the Federal Government tries to acquire his property for airport expansion.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

Ghost Dog- Forest Whitaker as an inner city Samurai hit man, up against the Public Enemy spouting mob. His best friend is a Haitian ice cream vendor and neither of them speaks the other's language. It works well.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

Obscure movie that was so horrible it was hilarious. Killing spree (1988?) Probably one of the lowest budget movies iv ever seen on video. Ordered something in the mail, this came instead. Really cheesy low budget horror movie with awesome lines like "you screwed my wife, so ill screw drive your head!" and then of course he drops a screw driver into the guys head which kills him.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

[ QUOTE ]

PRIMER - An indie sci-fi film from just two years ago that I loved and that seems perfectly suited for 2p2ers, imo. Smart young guys have a small business in their garage as an addition to their engineer day jobs. One day they accidentally create what turns out to be a kind of time machine, and unlike every movie ever, they actually think about what they're doing and try to use it in rational ways. But that still doesn't mean everything goes smoothly. I can't say much more without spoiling, just that I give it my highest possible recommendation, to a thinking audience.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seconded

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not sure if its obscure but a recently watched Harold and Maude with a friend which I had never heard of.

[ QUOTE ]
Harold is a depressed, death-obsessed 20-year-old man-child who spends his free time attending funerals and committing suicide in front of his mother, but he does not die. At a funeral, Harold befriends Maude, a 79-year-old woman who has a zest for life. She and Harold spend much time together during which she exposes him to the wonders and possibilities of life. After rejecting his mother's three attempts to set him up with a potential wife, and committing fake suicide in front of all of them, Harold announces that he is to be married to Maude. However, Maude has a surprise for Harold that is to change his life forever.

[/ QUOTE ]

again it may just be my ignorance and this could be a well known movie but I found it to be original, visually pleasing, hilarious and touching.

[/ QUOTE ]

SUCH a good movie! it was extra credit for my 'Problem of God' class.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

I dont think it counts as an unknown, but it is a good movie and worth watching anyways

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

[ QUOTE ]
Ghost Dog- Forest Whitaker as an inner city Samurai hit man, up against the Public Enemy spouting mob. His best friend is a Haitian ice cream vendor and neither of them speaks the other's language. It works well.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ghost Dog is excellent - Forest Whitaker owns. Primer is very good as well.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

Harold and Maude is very good. I wouldn't call it obscure, but people should definitely see it. Strong soundtrack, which frequently favorably disposes me towards movies.

If you liked Memento, I'd recommend an earlier work by the same director (Christopher Nolan) called Following. It has a really creepy atmosphere, plays around a little bit with the chronology, and is generally just an enjoyable little package.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

[ QUOTE ]
Ghost Dog- Forest Whitaker as an inner city Samurai hit man, up against the Public Enemy spouting mob. His best friend is a Haitian ice cream vendor and neither of them speaks the other's language. It works well.

[/ QUOTE ]

I opened this thread thinking of this movie, although I'm not sure it qualifies. Since someone posted it, I'll go with...

Withnail and I, a huge UK cult classic from the late 80s. This movie doesnt have much of a plot. It's a dark comedy invlolving a failed actor and his friend wandering around near london in '69 consuming ridiculous amounts of booze, with lots of parallels to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Truly amazing dialogue.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'm not sure if its obscure but a recently watched Harold and Maude with a friend which I had never heard of.

[ QUOTE ]
Harold is a depressed, death-obsessed 20-year-old man-child who spends his free time attending funerals and committing suicide in front of his mother, but he does not die. At a funeral, Harold befriends Maude, a 79-year-old woman who has a zest for life. She and Harold spend much time together during which she exposes him to the wonders and possibilities of life. After rejecting his mother's three attempts to set him up with a potential wife, and committing fake suicide in front of all of them, Harold announces that he is to be married to Maude. However, Maude has a surprise for Harold that is to change his life forever.

[/ QUOTE ]

again it may just be my ignorance and this could be a well known movie but I found it to be original, visually pleasing, hilarious and touching.

[/ QUOTE ]

SUCH a good movie! it was extra credit for my 'Problem of God' class.

[/ QUOTE ]

Maude ruined it for me.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

I'm not sure how obscure films need to be to qualify, but "Lone Star" (link) should definitely be seen.

It stars Chris Cooper, who is one of my favorite actors, and also features Kris Kristofferson, who is cast perfectly as a scary sonofabitch. At its most basic level, the film is a mystery story, and it is interesting enough on that right. But it also presents a rich portrait of Texas's multicultural history.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

I think many people under 25 are not nearly as familiar with
Harold and Maude as they were in my little 'mini-generation' and older.
I'm 36, graduated high-school in 89, and most people I was friends with in high-school or college had seen this film and many considered it their all-time favorite.

So I don't think it should count as obscure either but maybe it actually has made it to obscure status by now.

Harold and Maude is a wonderful film and the Cat Stevens soundtrack adds a lot to it too.


Highway 61 (1991) is my obscure movie pick for the day.
Up-tight guy and hip-ster woman make road-trip from Canada to New Orleans with corpse/coffin on top of their car all-the-while being chased by a guy who thinks he's Satan who stops off at churches to play bingo to fund his trip.
Hunting live chickens with hand-guns in big mansion while Tom Jones "It's Not Unusual" is cranked-up is the scene that cracks me up the most.
Black humour that isn't for everyone but I couldn't stop laughing.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

"Paranoia" trilogy:

Three Days of the Condor
Parallax View
Klute

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

[ QUOTE ]
I actually dont know if its obscure, but the movie Thursday, is a must see imo.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0124901/

[/ QUOTE ]

quids you are an awesome poster. This movie is VERY rad. I met Thomas Jane at an HBO party in Las Vegas and brought this movie up to him and he was blown away that I referenced him. He said they made the movie for about a million bucks. He said that Paula was all that......

Both TJ and the evil old friend in the movie have made quite a name for themselves in Hollywood since "Thursday".

FYC

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

Saw this in the theater. From what I remember it was excellent.

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not sure how obscure films need to be to qualify, but "Lone Star" (link) should definitely be seen.

It stars Chris Cooper, who is one of my favorite actors, and also features Kris Kristofferson, who is cast perfectly as a scary sonofabitch. At its most basic level, the film is a mystery story, and it is interesting enough on that right. But it also presents a rich portrait of Texas's multicultural history.

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

[ QUOTE ]
Harold and Maude is very good. I wouldn't call it obscure, but people should definitely see it. Strong soundtrack, which frequently favorably disposes me towards movies.

If you liked Memento, I'd recommend an earlier work by the same director (Christopher Nolan) called Following. It has a really creepy atmosphere, plays around a little bit with the chronology, and is generally just an enjoyable little package.

[/ QUOTE ]

I ahve never heard of Harold and Maude, but it sounds very interesting...... would they have it at Blockbuster?

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

They should have it at many Blockbusters I would think.

It's a 1972 film.
If there's a Cult Classics type section it would be in there. Or just under the Comedy section.

I'm not sure of it's DVD status though. Might still be in the VHS-only genre for all I know.


Also - the description of the film that censored posted really doesn't do it much justice or make it sound as interesting as it really is imo.
If you read the description and thought, "18 year-old kid befriends 79-year-old woman. How exciting" then you aren't alone.


I'll repeat what I mentioned earlier:
This was the 'all-time favorite movie' of MANY people I knew in high-school and college.
It was so popular as a 'favorite movie' it was pretty much a cliche. But even though it was a cliche to think of it as a favorite movie I couldn't help but do the exact same thing.


It's really extremely good.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

Pretty much all the movies I like are in this category so I'll just toss out a few. Dunno how mainstream y'all are so some of these may or may be "obscure". All super must-sees.

Z :
Based on true events, director Costa-Gavras's Oscar-winning film chronicles the overthrow of the democratic government in Greece. The edge-of-your-seat action closely parallels the real-life assassination of Gregorios Lambrakis, a Greek doctor and humanist whose murder in 1963 led to an abortive public scandal. Part mystery and part thriller, Z made its mark as a groundbreaking political roman à clef, and it resonates even today.

Fireworks (Hana Bi) :
A hard-boiled ex-cop, haunted by a troubled past and pushed and pushed to the edge by the shooting of his partner, confronts his demons in a ruthless quest for justice and redemption

City of Lost Children :
Nominated for a Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival, this sci-fi fairy tale features stunning visuals from directors Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro. With mad scientist Krank kidnapping children to steal their dreams, only brave young Miette (Judith Vittet) and a kindhearted circus strongman (Ron Perlman) can save them. Part fantastic vision, part nightmare, this production used more special effects than any other French film to date.

Romeo is Bleeding :
Corrupt New York City detective Jack Grimaldi (Gary Oldman) has a nice home, a beautiful wife (Annabella Sciorra) and a sweet, if stupid, mistress (Juliette Lewis). Attempting to live beyond his means, he supplies tips to the mob about the locations of protected witnesses. But Grimaldi gets in over his head when he's assigned to guard sultry Russian hit woman Mona Demarkov (Lena Olin) in this quirky black comedy directed by Peter Medak.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

[ QUOTE ]
City of Lost Children :
Nominated for a Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival, this sci-fi fairy tale features stunning visuals from directors Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro. With mad scientist Krank kidnapping children to steal their dreams, only brave young Miette (Judith Vittet) and a kindhearted circus strongman (Ron Perlman) can save them. Part fantastic vision, part nightmare, this production used more special effects than any other French film to date.

[/ QUOTE ]

Can't believe I forgot this one. What a wonderfully weird movie. I strongly recommend for people who enjoy the weird and original. Visually amazing as well.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

-Raise the Red Lantern:
Early Zhang Yimou film and IMO his best; starring Gong Li.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101640/

-One more vote for My Life as a Dog.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
City of Lost Children :
Nominated for a Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival, this sci-fi fairy tale features stunning visuals from directors Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro. With mad scientist Krank kidnapping children to steal their dreams, only brave young Miette (Judith Vittet) and a kindhearted circus strongman (Ron Perlman) can save them. Part fantastic vision, part nightmare, this production used more special effects than any other French film to date.

[/ QUOTE ]

Can't believe I forgot this one. What a wonderfully weird movie. I strongly recommend for people who enjoy the
weird and original. Visually amazing as well.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thirded, and I'll add Delicatessen, by the same directing team (one-half of which is Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who went to do Amelie, etc).

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

though it was done in the past 14 months, very few people have heard of The three burials of melquiades estrada. This is Tommy Lee Jones' directorial debut and really hits home and is well worth watching.

A foriegn film that doesn't get as much love as it should is the crime of padre amaro. You have the great Gael Garcia Bernal as the main lead in a very intriguing film dealing with the drug trade and problems with the catholic church

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

Two movies come to mind.

<u>Oldboy</u> - This may not fit the description as it isn't completely mainstream, but it IS known about by some.

<u>The Following</u> - Christopher Nolan's work before Memento. Intriguing to say the least.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

[ QUOTE ]
Romeo is Bleeding :
Corrupt New York City detective Jack Grimaldi (Gary Oldman) has a nice home, a beautiful wife (Annabella Sciorra) and a sweet, if stupid, mistress (Juliette Lewis). Attempting to live beyond his means, he supplies tips to the mob about the locations of protected witnesses. But Grimaldi gets in over his head when he's assigned to guard sultry Russian hit woman Mona Demarkov (Lena Olin) in this quirky black comedy directed by Peter Medak.

[/ QUOTE ]

Feed the hole. Awesome.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

Equilibrium

Not sure how obscure this one actually is. It BOMBED in the theaters w/ absolutely no hype at all (someone shoulda been fired) but I really enjoyed it and it's developed a good word-of-mouth kinda following on dvd and download. So, sorry if it's not obscure to you but if you haven't seen it, check it out!

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

i'm not sure how obscure they are but two of my favorites are:

City of God - brazilian gangster movie
Bottle Rocket - first movie by the guys who made royal tenebaums and the life aquatic (both also great but less obscure)

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

There are 2 movies I think about when I come across this type of question. A good friend of mine who was a big movie buff/snob recommended them to me when we were in college. I'm interested to see how obscure you guys think they are.

Apartment Zero: some of the darkest comedy I've come across, some great characters and a pretty good story as well. It also put Buenos Aires on my list of places I'd like to visit someday.

Metropolitan: Mansfield Park meets late 80's Manhattan. This is a real love it/hate it type of movie. If you don't know who Jane Austen is you'll probably fall in the latter category.


If Harold and Maude qualifies as obscure then Blue Velvet deserves a mention as well. I realize it was relatively big in its day and made a lot of critics top movies of the 1980's list, but I occasionally throw some pop culture trivia in on rounds with my medical students/residents and am constantly surprised at how many of them have never heard of it.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

If you've seen one of these obscure movies and didn't like it, you probably won't like the others. Conversely, if you've seen one of these and loved it, you will almost certainly love the others:

Sci-Fi: Dark City
Kiefer Sutherland is awesome

Comedy: Rubin and Ed
Krispin Glover is awesome

Drama: Secretary
James Spader is awesome

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

these aren't so much obscure as they are foreign, but i thought they were great anyways:

wandâfuru raifu (afterlife) 1998

absolutely stunning film about newly deceased people having trouble selecting the one memory they will relive forever in the afterlife. this is not some feel good movie, it's austere and matter of fact, but that just adds to it's impact. one of the most memorable movies i've ever seen.


l'année dernière à marienbad (1961)

i don't really know how to describe this one. there's the young wife, her older and distant husband and the man who claims to have met the wife last year at marienbad. sometimes she seems to remember, sometimes she thinks him a stranger. sometimes the husband takes their 'affair' seriously, other times not. things happen. then they don't happen. in my opinion, the greatest mystery ever.

yakuza no habaka (1971)

kinji fukasaka (the director of battle royale) made this movie about a cop who's conflicted by his friendship with a mid level yakuza gangster and his relationship with the gangsters sister. incredibly gritty but still gorgeous.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

The Best Years of Our Lives is a must see. Impressive that this was made so close to the end of WW2 (1946)

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

[ QUOTE ]

If Harold and Maude qualifies as obscure then Blue Velvet deserves a mention as well. I realize it was relatively big in its day and made a lot of critics top movies of the 1980's list, but I occasionally throw some pop culture trivia in on rounds with my medical students/residents and am constantly surprised at how many of them have never heard of it.

[/ QUOTE ]


Yeah, me too.
I'll go ahead and vote for Blue Velvet as well on the same mind-set that it's about as not-obscure as Harold and Maude but that I'm a bit out of touch with what films have somehow faded into obscurity.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

oldboy is one of the best 5 or 6 movies i've ever seen.

Re: obscure MUST SEE movies
 

"Kenny" is an Australian film from last year which started very small as a sleeper and just got bigger and bigger. It's a 'mockumentary' about a guy who works with portable toilets as a job. He calls himself, "the Dalai-Lama of Waste Management, eternally optimistic and always ready to put others before himself. Kenny represents the humbling nature of common decency."

A family team made the film. The older brother directed it and plays the older brother in the film, the younger brother plays Kenny, their dad plays their dad and the younger brothers son plays himself as well. Beautiful performances all round. Some of the Aussie quotes from this film are absolutely hilarious. Such gems as;

"When people complain about the smell, I remind them I'm only hiding the stuff, they're the ones manufacturing it."

"People freak out, coz they think I'm handling the stuff. I dunno if they think I eat it, or whether they think I scrub it on myself....I plumb it."

"You know everyone will deny the fact that they look at their poo, but everyone does. You know the ancient Greeks, back two thousand years ago when Christ was alive, they used to use poo or look at poo to forecast the future. Mind you, if they'd seen some of the poo that I've seen at some of the festivals the future looks pretty bleak."

Due to it's unexpected success they are going to try and release it overseas. So if you hear of it, make sure you go and see it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_%282006_film%29