Little Known Flicks We Should See?

[Doctor Stamen]

The Debt Collector with Billy Connolly and Andrew Stott.

Billy is a reformed debt collector who used to beat the crap out of those who couldn't repay the money owed to loan sharks. He's now a successful sculptor, and has an exebition in a Glasgow gallery. Andrew was the policeman who caught him and is obsessed with proving that Billy's character is an evil man, and should be an outcast for his previous deeds.

This, and Mrs. Brown show what a good actor Billy is.

[bungadiri]

just remembered: Into the West

it's about 2 Traveler boys who get mixed up with a horse that might be magical. The father, played by Gabriel Byrne, has been in a drunken stupor since his wife died and has get grip on himself in order to find his sons. The boys are wonderful.

[Unorthodox Yank]

nobody i know has seen "after hours" , so ill qualify that as "little known" for now, though i am really in no position to judge. i could be totally wrong.

Anyways, its about the one long night this guy as after he gets off work. ill leave it at that.

Its one of my all time favorites.

[jmh30]

Not sure if it's little-known enough to belong here, but, see Lola Rennt (English title Run Lola Run).

[dearprudence]

A lot of people have heard of "Europa, Europa", but very few have seen it. I found it terribly interesting.

[DoctorJones24]

This list is getting very cool. Lots to choose from now when heading to the video store. How bout people start adding a link to the Imdb page for their film when posting?

[jmh30]

Would edit my previous post to add a link, but apparently it's past some time limit, so...

Lola Rennt (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0130827) (English title Run Lola Run (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0130827)).

[nicodemus]

Same thing, tried to edit my previous post, and it wouldn't let me, so here it is, in revamped form:

------

The first movie I would add to this thread would be Vertical Ray of the Sun (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0224578). It is one of the most beautifully shot movies ever.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00005RDRJ.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg

Another great little known movie is Shower (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0215369). It pits modernity against traditional ways. Its a Chinese movie. Very funny, but very serious too.

Andrei Rublev (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0060107) would be another classic. Long movie though (over 3 hours.) It has a great surprise in store at the end. One of the coolest sequences I've ever seen in a movie.

You should be able to get all of these at any decent video store, eventhough most of them are "little known."

The impossible to find movie I would suggest would be Music in Their Bones a great documentary about bluegrass in rural Alabama. This was listed at IMDB, but there were no reviews, no information and no buying information. I saw it at a film festival.

[Dr. Wankler]

Originally posted by Ghost


Heart of Glass is also a very fine film

That's the one where the cast are hypnotized, right? Funny story about that one: It was shown on "International Film Friday" at my college, and it attracted an unusually large crowd of trendily-dressed new-wave wankers. The film started, and instantly the crowd is restless. A low murmer runs through the theater. Suddenly, about 5 minutes in, a guy with wrap-around shades and an outfit that makes him look like that robot from The Day the Earth Stood Still stands up and says, "hey! What the F#*k! This isn't Blondie!" (You younger folks may not know that Blondie... AKA Deborah Harry's Band, had an album called Heart of Glass, and the trendoids thought they were getting look at the live concert film....

On the the obscure flick part of my post:

Rogopag is a must see for anyone who likes European film from the 60s. It's a series of short films by different directors (similar to New York Stories, only about 30 years earlier). The names of the directors are in the title: Rossellini, Pasolini, Godard, and Gregoretti. Rossellini's seems sort of mailed in, Pasolini's and Godard's are great, but the best one is by Gregoreti (Ghost, I think you'd really dig this one), a director who seems, as far as my local (and excellent) video place iis concerned, fell off the roof shortly thereafter... anyone knows anything about this guy, let me know.

I would also add another good indy American flick that I've seen three or four times and which I like better each time: The Florentine. It revolves around a Pennsylvania bar and features incredible performances by Tom SIzemore, Jim Belushi, and Luke Perry... I'm not kidding.

[bungadiri]

I have a question:

What's the name of the Italian film that has the director tooling around on a vespa to a Keith Jarrett soundtrack. It touches on everything from reminiscences about the political left to Jennifer Beals and Flashdance.

[Dr. Wankler]

Originally posted by bungadiri
I have a question:

What's the name of the Italian film that has the director tooling around on a vespa to a Keith Jarrett soundtrack. It touches on everything from reminiscences about the political left to Jennifer Beals and Flashdance.

Caro Diario... which means "Dear Diary." The director is Nanni Moretti (I think I'm spelling that right). Cool movie. I like it when they go to the Island to get some writing done, and on the top of this dormant volcano, they encounter American tourists who get them caught up on their favorite soap operas.

[bungadiri]

Thank you, that's been bugging me since this thread was started.

The aesthetic guy gets completely zoned in watching the soaps on the ferry's tv, doesn't he?

I liked the scene of him dancing in the little deli. Plus the scenes of him on the vespa are really hypnotic.

[LeperKhan]

A movie I saw a couple of years ago and then forgot about came up in conversation recently:
Hands on a Hard Body (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0116481)
It's a documentary about a contest held at a car dealership in East Texas. A bunch of contestants stand alongside a new truck and put one hand on it. If you take your hand off you're out, and the last one left standing many hours/days later wins the truck. Let's just say there are some interesting folks participating in the contest.

Very cool, very funny movie. I'm not sure how easy it is to find, but if you get a chance it's well worth watching.

[Ghost]

Originally posted by Dr. Wankler


That's the one where the cast are hypnotized, right? Funny story about that one: It was shown on "International Film Friday" at my college, and it attracted an unusually large crowd of trendily-dressed new-wave wankers. The film started, and instantly the crowd is restless. A low murmer runs through the theater. Suddenly, about 5 minutes in, a guy with wrap-around shades and an outfit that makes him look like that robot from The Day the Earth Stood Still stands up and says, "hey! What the F#*k! This isn't Blondie!" (You younger folks may not know that Blondie... AKA Deborah Harry's Band, had an album called Heart of Glass, and the trendoids thought they were getting look at the live concert film....

On the the obscure flick part of my post:

Rogopag is a must see for anyone who likes European film from the 60s. It's a series of short films by different directors (similar to New York Stories, only about 30 years earlier). The names of the directors are in the title: Rossellini, Pasolini, Godard, and Gregoretti. Rossellini's seems sort of mailed in, Pasolini's and Godard's are great, but the best one is by Gregoreti (Ghost, I think you'd really dig this one), a director who seems, as far as my local (and excellent) video place iis concerned, fell off the roof shortly thereafter... anyone knows anything about this guy, let me know.

I would also add another good indy American flick that I've seen three or four times and which I like better each time: The Florentine. It revolves around a Pennsylvania bar and features incredible performances by Tom SIzemore, Jim Belushi, and Luke Perry... I'm not kidding.

Dr. Wankler,

That's a great story. I can totally see that happening.

Heart of Glass is the film where Herzog hypnotized the cast. It has a really interesting premise. A village in 15th or 16th century Germany becomes wealthy by producing and selling "ruby glass." Then the man who knows how to make it dies. No one else in the village knows the formula. From there, things go downhill.

Sounds like an interesting recommendation on your part. But finding it in small-town Georgia would be a task. There are two Blockbusters where I live, and I'm just tickled that they have as many good films, particularly foreign films, as they do. I'll give it a look, though, when I have the chance.

[evilcrossbar]

This probably won't be in your local video store but you might find it in a good public library or college/university. Its a documentary called "Titicut Follies" and its one of the most f***ed up things that you will probably see.

It was filmed back in 1967 (black and white) in the Massachusetts Prison for the Criminally insane. It was banned for 24 years by an embarrassed Mass. Supreme Court until PBS aired it back in 1992.

Apparently its the only movie/documentary in the US that was successfully censored for reasons other than nudity or obscenity (I believe the reason was the violation of patients' privacy rights - although it took them a while to develop this excuse, at first they justified it due to its nudity).

[Ghost]

Dr. JOnes,

To highlight your original post cconcerning Jinnah.. I was reading through the "Ghandi" essay in a book that I have that has historians' assessments of films. This is the description of the portrayal of Jinnah in the film -- "The genuine fears of hte Muslim minority are never presented, and the brilliant lawyer who became leader of the Muslim League, Mohnammed Ali Jinnah, is portrayed as nothing more than a languid and malevolent fop -- which makes ther subsequent success of his campaignfor Pakistan inexplicable."

[Unorthodox Yank]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/6300270912.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg

After Hours (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0088680)


When it's after midnight in New York City, you don't have to look for love, laughter and trouble. They'll all find you!

Best Martin Scorcese Film.


Ever.

[Manifesto]

Donnie Darko

You may or may not have heard of it..but either way, a very enjoyable movie. It came out sometime last year and recently came out on DVD (I think it has been on video a bit longer). Anyways, your local blockbuster should have a copy or two, as long as it has a decent selection...

Jake Gyllanhall stars in it (he was the kid from "October Sky"...and he is gonna be in some upcoming movies) - This kid is good...I was impressed...His sister has a role as well, and she does a really good job.

As far as plot goes....it's hard to explain...Basically it's set in the 80's (in a much more subtle way, than say, The Wedding singer), and Donnie Darko (Gyllanhall) has some apparant mental problems....Anyways, go rent this....It's funny/interesting/confusing/enjoyable..etc.

[Gaspard]

Local Hero (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0085859). 1983, with Burt Lancaster and Peter Riegert.

Very quirky and cynical, if that's your cup of tea, and also it screws with your expectations a bit. Lancaster's the head of a big American Oil company that sends Riegert to Scotland to buy up all the land in a small town. Both Riegert and Lancaster are great, and the small town is of course filled with eccentrics, but not predictable ones if you know what I mean. And they manage to get a Russian submarine captain in there.

You can see an echo of this movie in Mamet's State & Main when the two local geezers are sitting in the diner talking about the box office receipts report in the latest Variety. Scene's done in almost the same offhand manner as it is in Local Hero too.

I'd recommend State & Main except seeing some the post in here I would guess that everyone here has heard of that one. What is it, the staff of Cahiers Du Cimema are big Metrostars fans? My favorite one so far was the Todd Haynes movie that isn't even legal to rent. Some of these could be made up for all I know, Rogopag? Vetical Ray of the Sun? Hmmmm.

My made up movie would be Mondo (http://users.rcn.com/jddaly/mondo.html),a little known beach blanket knockoff that introduced sex, drugs and juvenile delinquency to the genre. Written and directed by Larry Trengrove, Jack Nicholson's writing partner on Head, the Monkees movie.

[bungadiri]

Originally posted by Gaspard
Local Hero (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0085859). 1983, with Burt Lancaster and Peter Riegert.

Very quirky and cynical, if that's your cup of tea, and also it screws with your expectations a bit. Lancaster's the head of a big American Oil company that sends Riegert to Scotland to buy up all the land in a small town. Both Riegert and Lancaster are great, and the small town is of course filled with eccentrics, but not predictable ones if you know what I mean. And they manage to get a Russian submarine captain in there.


This is one of my wife's all time favorites. It's not really what I'd call cynical, though. It has a pretty good soundtrack, too, by Mark Knopfler (might be the first he did). Many of Bill Forsythe's films are good, but this is the best. (Gregory's Girl has a soccer connection: goofy young kid falls for a girl who's on the school soccer team. )

Another interesting point about Local Hero: the guy who plays Gordon Urquehart also played Wedge in the original Star Wars (A New Hope) and is Ewan McGregor's (young Obi Wan) uncle.