Good movies that aren't extremely popular

[aislephive]

Looking for some good movies that aren't very well known, but not totally obscure either. Just something that you thought was pretty good that wasn't a box office smash or won a lot of awards etc. Also try to describe the movie in a paragraph or so without giving too much away but also letting me know if it's the kind of movie I'd even enjoy.

I'll start:

The Life of David Gale: Kevin Spacey stars as a death row inmate for the murder of one of his peers of an orginization that protests the death penality located in somewhere in the heart of Texas, I believe Wichita but don't quote me on that. A journalist and her colleague set out 3-4 days before he is scheduled to be executed and interview him on the events preceding his sentence. Lots of very great twists and turns in this movie and I've watched it several times now, definitely reccomend it.

[secretprankster]

American History X is a very good one.

[otnemem]

I thought The Life of David Gale was more a pro-life propaganda piece than an actual film, but it was still entertaining.

There's a movie out now called This Is London. It's about skinheads in England during the Faulkands War in 1983. It was pretty good, and got great reviews, but of course most people here haven't heard of it.

Irreversible is a great, but brutal, French movie that most people in the U.S. haven't heard of. If you're not faint of heart, I recommend it.

Like 90% of my DVD collection is comprised of movies that aren't very popular, but of course now I can't think of any that aren't foreign.

EDIT: Another foreign one - Chopper, starring Eric Bana before he was famous. It's about Australia's most famous criminal. Another Australian one - Romper Stomper. Another skinhead movie, starring Russell Crowe before he was famous. That one's kind of brutal.

[otnemem]

[ QUOTE ]
American History X is a very good one.

[/ QUOTE ]
I would consider this movie popular.

[mdeck]

The Vanishing while older, is absolutely phenomenal if you like the mystery/thriller genre, and I don't think many people (in my experience) have seen it.

[secretprankster]

I recommend Arlington Road and The Rocketeer (love this movie for some reason). A 2+2er watched Arlington Road on my rec though and hated it so YMMV.

[monkeyfightclub]

[ QUOTE ]
The Vanishing while older, is absolutely phenomenal if you like the mystery/thriller genre, and I don't think many people (in my experience) have seen it.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's probably the first and only movie in my life where I caught myself yelling at the screen. I was at my house thankfully.

[amplify]

Drunken Master

[mlagoo]

The United States of Leland is one i saw recently that is pretty great. About a kid who murders a retarded child, and the families affected, and the life/psyche of the murderer.

There are a ton of movies like this that I like, most of them pretty depressing but also pretty poignant/powerful. Igby Goes Down is another one that comes to mind. Starring McCauley Culkin's little brother who comes from a very wealthy but disfunctional family, and at a young age elects to leave his home to live a quasi-bohemian life in the city.

[bisonbison]

I would consider this movie popular.

Also, not good.