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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2009 8:49:45 GMT -5
I would like to start a thread for film buffs and share relatively unknown gems for the masses. I say 'film' because so often we talk about movies that make the HT system rock, and those are great, of course, but I am an avid fan of cinema and film.
Over the years I have discovered incredibly wonderful films that - for whatever reason - never became well known to the public. It is these films that I wish to share, and hope others will add.
Suffice to say that most if not all of the entires in this thread will be considered small, independant films.
I will start us off.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2009 8:55:07 GMT -5
 From Amazon After creating one of the breakthrough movies of the American independent cinema, Stranger than Paradise, Jim Jarmusch stayed right in the same minimalist, oddball, black-and-white groove. Down by Law takes place in Louisiana, where two losers (musicians Tom Waits and John Lurie) find themselves stuck in a jail cell together. One day they are joined by a boisterous Italian (Roberto Benigni), and the chemistry changes--suddenly an escape attempt is on the horizon. Conventional drama is not Jarmusch's intention; one of the emotional high points of this movie is the three guys marching around their prison cell shouting, "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!" Yet the deadpan style creates its own humorous mood, underscored by melancholy (also underscored by the music of Lurie and the gravel-voiced songs of Waits). This was the first American film for Roberto Benigni, the Italian comedian (Life Is Beautiful), and he lights it up with his effervescent clowning. Jarmusch has said that Down by Law forms a loose trilogy with Stranger than Paradise and the subsequent Mystery Train, a triptych of disaffected, drifting life in the United States. Few filmmakers have ever surveyed ennui so entertainingly. --Robert Horton This was a complete shocker for me. I had always been a fan of Benigni but I had never heard of this film when I rented it in 1998. An excellent cast and superb cinemaphotography give this black and white film a throwback feel to it. I loved it. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2009 9:11:17 GMT -5
 Another great film and story. I love character pieces and this is most certainly that. James Spader played his role exceptionally well, and Durning and Grey and just plain creepy. Patinkin is very well matched up with Spader. Throw in M. Emmet Walsh and Chris Penn? Nice A well done review from Australia (via Amazon) Making a film from a brilliant novel is a risky venture any way you look at it. The list of failures would run into the thousands. Granted, there have been some good ones: 'The Godfather' series comes to mind. So when I came across ~ The Music of Chance~ in the video store, I thought, "Will I take the chance?" How could anyone make or even think about making a film from this exceptional novel? It would be too difficult. Well, without question, director and co-screenwriter, Phillip Haas, pulled it off with such flair and elegance that it drove to return to the novel and experience once again.
James Nashe (Mandy Patinkin) has taken to the road without any particular destination in mind, and has been travelling for over two years. One day he picks up Jack Pozzi (James Spader), a poker player of apparent talent. An instant friendship follows, and they go in for a bizzare game of poker with two millionare, highly eccentric recluses in a far off manor in Pennsylvania. A strange twist of chance occurs during the game and our two protagonists lose everything. The two recluses make a deal to even up the debt, which James and Jack will regret for the rest of their lives.
The movie and novel's genius is the surface-mundane plot and the profound themes simmering underneath the day to day. What does it really mean to take responsibility for one's actions? How far do we take responsibility with others? Is there such a thing as luck? Are we fated to suffer as human beings? Is there growth in suffering? Can we control our destinies and how do we react when hard times befall us? The novel and surprisingly the film ask these weighty questions directly and through metaphor, pushing us to think about our lives.
One of the disappointing aspects about watching a film adaptation is the characters and environment never match-up to what one mentally generated while reading the book. Directors, too, will use creative licence and insert their own interpretation, at times ruining the original plot. Haas remained on task, however, and the film ran very close to the novel. Mandy Patinkin is James Nashe and James Spader as Jack Pozzi was as close to an accurate interpretation of a literary charcter as one could possibly attain: first class acting.
~The Music of Chance~ has been described by some as being a parable on the human condition. If one watches closeley, this film, without being entirely conscious of it, guides you through the big questions, and gently leaves you pondering.
This film is very cool, intelligent with an incredible amount of panache. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2009 6:59:04 GMT -5
damn . . I guess no one is interested . . lol. Oh well, I shall persist if only to entertain myself ;D
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2009 7:03:56 GMT -5
 I can't say enough about this film. Visually the colors are gripping and the score by Philip Glass is just acoustically perfect for the film. I didn;t left my seat the first time watched this film, it was that enveloping. One review from the IMBD website "Kundun" is one of those rare masterpieces that unfortunately might be run over by more Hollywood acceptable films like "Titanic" and "Seven Years in Tibet" (both films that I still admire). While these films were great, their primary purpose seemed to be entertainment alone. Scorsese creates a work out of the bounds of traditional films; "Kundun" is at once a spiritual journey, a compelling story despite its downplayed action, and a delight for the eyes and ears. It is both entertainment and art. The audience isn't captivated by dramatic action, but simply because it is so beautiful. At the same time, it doesn't produce the slightly sleepy sensation other artistic works like "The Last Emperor of China" can, despite their beauty (I personally loved "Last Emperor"). Not once was I tempted to turn away from the screen.
Scorsese mixes symbolic images and a subtle yet emotionally stirring soundtrack into a non-traditional plot structure, creating an exotic and spiritual vision meeting the demands of its eastern inspiration.
I am not a historian, so I cannot speak about its accuracy, though from what I can tell, Scorsese did his homework. Even if that were not true, this film is not meant as a documentary. It has the same emotional power of the finest art, with a simplicity and directness which keeps it from being pretentious. If you add to this historical accuracy, all the better. But it is not meant to influence via facts but via emotion.
Even those viewers who don't normally sit through credits will most likely do so, simply for the chance to let the film soak in. You need the time to digest everything you've been shown and to sit in contemplative peace. This is a film that inspires and delights. It is the film I wish I could have created. Scorsese has certainly produced the best film of the year, if not more. |
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Post by clorets123 on Dec 22, 2009 13:20:27 GMT -5
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Post by UT-Driven on Dec 22, 2009 13:38:45 GMT -5
I missed this thread earlier. This is an interesting thread. I can't think of anything for the list atm.  Doug |
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Post by bigred7078 on Dec 22, 2009 14:02:37 GMT -5
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Post by jlafrenz on Dec 22, 2009 14:11:01 GMT -5
'Tis the season...  |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2009 14:55:31 GMT -5
'Tis the season... interesting choice. not sure it falls within the intended parameters of the thread but hey, cest la via |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2009 14:58:04 GMT -5
I missed this thread earlier. This is an interesting thread. I can't think of anything for the list atm. Doug no worries...thats what its here for. From time to time,. I'll catch a real underground film that merits praise, and when I do, I have a place to post. |
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Post by autiger on Dec 22, 2009 16:44:16 GMT -5
Dominick & Eugene I saw it probably 15 years ago but I have never forgotten it even if I don't remember much about it. I believe it ran in the vein of Rainman.
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Post by jlafrenz on Dec 22, 2009 17:40:48 GMT -5
So my last suggestion may not exactly have been a hidden movie, but was a gem ;D Ok. In all seriousness, a couple of movie that are kind of underground and are "Kids" and "Elephant". Many people my have heard of or even seen Kids, but it certainly never really made it main stream. Both of these movies are pretty F'ed up if I do say so myself. Elephant is pretty slow going, but the way that they shot it was kind of neat. It is the perspective of various people in the film and what they all saw that happened on the same day. Everything king of overlaps. Kind of hard to explain and you would understand once you saw it.   |
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Post by littlesaint on Dec 22, 2009 22:18:07 GMT -5
Irreversible is a great movie. Story, direction, and acting are all top-notch. However, it's also one of those films you wish you could "unwatch" when it's over. It definitely stays with you. Those who have seen it know what I mean. |
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Post by akbungle on Dec 23, 2009 15:01:05 GMT -5
This was a recommendation and I have to say at first I totally wasn't "getting it" but by the end I was smiling and had warm fuzzies.  Another Aussie film that was a bit more popular  |
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Post by akbungle on Dec 23, 2009 15:05:25 GMT -5
I guess since I'm already in a drag mood   And again more popular but a great movie for the season that is often forgotten  |
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Post by akbungle on Dec 23, 2009 15:15:02 GMT -5
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Post by southpaw on Dec 24, 2009 10:44:51 GMT -5
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Post by clorets123 on Dec 24, 2009 11:36:33 GMT -5
I second and triple that! The best Canadian film i saw last year was "One week". Funny and sad, well played, beautiful pictures. www.imdb.com/title/tt1104806/ |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 25, 2009 13:42:18 GMT -5
Dominick & Eugene I saw it probably 15 years ago but I have never forgotten it even if I don't remember much about it. I believe it ran in the vein of Rainman. Yeah, I have that on VHS (  ). Ray Liotta and Tom Hulce from Amadeus. I think Jamie Lee Curtis is in that? Not sure . . its been awhile. Nice pick |
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) Oh and Paris Hilton. 
I actually really liked this. It has Alexa Vega from the Spy Kids movies and "Giles" from Buffy. Campy, gory, and cool.
