Quick! I need DUers to recommend DVD's!

[iconoclastic cat]

It's that time again!

In case some DUer is reading this and wondering, "What the hell?" here is the deal: Mrs. IconCat and I are huge movie fans; we see at least two movies every week, either in theaters or on DVD. DUers, I have noticed, are both extremely helpful and have great taste, so I periodically post one of these threads requesting recommendations. Usually, dozens of you reply with titles that I might not have seen otherwise. I have yet to be disappointed! A huge thanks to all of you for that!

Anyway, it's that time again--I have about 20 minutes before I have to walk out the door, and I am once again calling upon the vast, vast body of knowledge that is the DU Lounge to enlighten me.

If you need somewhere to start, how about this: Name a great movie that hardly anyone has knows about! Obscure, underpromted, or unjustly maligned, whatever.

On edit: Mrs. IconCat just said, "Hey! How about some film noir?" Okay, sure. Film noir, too.

[okoboji]

1. ok

here's two:

Death to Smoochy with Robin WIlliams

Volunteers with Tom Hanks

[Burma Jones]

2. Night of the Hunter, Magnificent Ambersons, A Touch of Evil

[Osamasux]

16. I'll second Night of the Hunter

Robert Mitchum is chilling as that preacher. I had seen it on the late, late show years back and couldn't remember the title for years. I had been looking for it since Spike Lee stole the "Love / Hate" knuckle tattoo story and put it in "Do the Right Thing".

[DrZeeLit]

3. Wonder Boys

We watched last night. Tres funny and you get to hear good music.

[greatauntoftriplets]

4. Don't Look Now...

Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie. It may be hard to find, but is from the early 1970s. Great spooky film.

[Sporadicus]

9. That Was a Terrific Movie

It's often overlooked but well worth ferreting out and viewing.

[greatauntoftriplets]

14. Should we tell him about the "scene"?

Or let them discover it from themselves?



Don't worry, IC, it's a memorable scene. If you can find it, you will know what I am talking about.

[Sporadicus]

24. I Think I Know the Scene to which You're Referring

involving a case of mistaken identity, but I can't say much more without letting the cat out of the bag. Suffice to say, it startled the crap outta me!

[greatauntoftriplets]

30. Although much of the movie scared the crap outta me....

the scene to which I am referring isn't at all scary...though startling in its own way.

[iconoclastic cat]

10. Hey, GAofT! I'll be down the street at Hollywood!

Thanks for the recommendations, neighbor!

[greatauntoftriplets]

15. I prefer Mina's for rentals....

but Hollywood is more likely to have that movie.

"Don't Look Now" is one I own on VHS.

[TreasonousBastard]

5. "Bread and Chocolate" or...

anything by Lina Wertmuller.

Going way back, "The Front Page" and/or "His Girl Friday."

[lenidog]

6. Here is a couple

A indy film from a couple years back called "No Such Thing" kinda falls under satire/fantasy. For film noir and probably very hard to find try Peter Lorre in the movie "M." Its in German from the early 30s. Its not film noir yet but the film is setting the stage for what we call film noir. Another film to try and probably damm near impossible to locate is called "Heaven and Earth," (Not the Oliver Stone film) its a film that takes place in Japan about five hundred years ago. The cinematography is breathtaking. Lastl for just drama a good film is called "Hunter Home From the Hills." It has Robert Mitchum and a YOUNG George Hamilton and George Peppard.

[Sporadicus]

7. I Got Yer Film Noir Right Here!

modern film noir, that is. Some DUers may disagree with my inclusions in this genre, but I consider these worthy of viewing anyway.

* Chinatown

* Body Heat

* Black Widow

* Kiss of the Spider Woman

* Blue Velvet

* The Grifters

* The Last Seduction

* The Usual Suspects

* LA Confidential

* Memento

[lenidog]

23. Great films all

There is just something that is lost when you do film noir in color.

[Calanus]

37. What?!?!?! No early Kubrick in the list? For shame!

The man did the greatest noir ever.

[stanwyck]

39. Great List

I'm a noir fan. Please pass on any more recommendations you have. We have the same taste in movies.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

8. No problemo!

Bullitt
The French Connection
MASH
Deliverance
The Day Of The Jackal
Soylent Green

and on and on and on...

[lenidog]

11. I just thought of it!!

Great movie never got much fanfare. Try out "Thunderheart" with Val Kilmer adn Graham Greene. It has the distinction of being the first movie ever made that the entire cast was either Native American or had Native American ancestry.

[Lorien]

12. There was a long thread on that topic in the lounge

recently. It would also help to know what some of your favorite films are.

[agates]

13. I'll second Thunderheart

And suggest

Saved

House of Sand and Fog

[Lorien]

17. A friend recommends "the Station Agent"

one of my favorites is a good movie with a stupid name; "Dangerous Beauty"; it's a RW nightmare (and a true story) of a woman who was a famous courtesan, intellectual and poet in 16th century Venice. She was accused of witchcraft by the Spanish inquisition, and.....well, I won't tell you how it ends.

[TrustingDog]

18. Jacobs Ladder with Tim Robbins.

freaked me right out.

[mr blur]

19. "Memento"

with Guy Pearce and Carrie Anne somebody or other. Excellent

[On the Road]

20. Try "Following" (1998)

by Christopher Nolan of "Memento." It's a cat-and-mouse sting movie told in a cut-up time sequence. Shot in black and white. Highly recommended.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005R26...

[Bullwinkle925]

44. I totally agree!!

[iconoclastic cat]

21. Fantastic! Thanks, everybody!

I'm off to find some of these titles! And, of course, all of the other errands that I have to do.

[JanMichael]

22. Dummy!

The movie "Dummy".

It's a very cool flick.

[tjdee]

25. Adrien Brody....

I can honestly say that Dummy is the one film I've seen where I've not wanted to pummel Milla Jovovich (and when I say pummel I mean give dirty looks to.)

[JanMichael]

27. Milla did a bang up job.

As did Adrian Brody and the rest of the cast. It's just a neat movie.

[givemebackmycountry]

26. Until the end of the world

A film by Wim Wenders.
Epic and compelling, sweeping and incredibly inventive.

Some very haunting visions.

A man invents a machine that helps blind people see.
The twist is it also records your dreams and let's you play them back.

It was Jeanne Moreau's last movie.

***** Five freakin stars and a excellent soundtrack.

[tjdee]

28. Excellent soundtrack.

Good film....but my general criticism of Wenders' films is that they go on FOREVER.

This is one film I would like to see remade.

[yellowdogintexas]

29. "Undercover Blues"for a fun romp in New Orleans

"Like Water for Chocolate" for a romantic foreign flick

"Cold Comfort Farm" Just plain hilarious

"I Capture the Castle" gorgeous, beautiful, sweet....delightful

[opiate69]

31. Memento, The Big Lebowski, Identity.

[sakabatou]

32. Well it depends

on which category you want. Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi, etc.

[Orsino]

33. A Mighty Wind

Riveting performances by the usual suspects (essentially the same cast as Best In Show and Waiting for Guffman). This flick is another mockumentary, a chronicle of a reunion concert of sixties folk musicians. It pulls of a startling trick: by the end of the movie, I found myself nostalgic for this music I'd never heard before.

Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara wrote and sung their own material, as did the Spinal Tap trio, mostly recognizable in their new roles.

And Fred Willard--well, he just makes me cringe every moment he's on screen, yet it's hard to tear my eyes away.

The DVD has *lots* of deleted scenes.

[tjwmason]

34. La Haine

A French film (have a good evening and piss off Freepers at the same time), it's set in one of the massive public housing projects around Paris in the aftermath of a raid by riot police; based around three teenagers.

Stunning film, though a very heavy subject.

[CanuckAmok]

36. Zut alors! "La Haine", il est marveleaux!

That and "Man Bites Dog" are my two fave French films.

[tjwmason]

38. You're the first person I've met whose heard of it

As you say il est marveleaux but nobody else seems to have seen it. Thank goodness for D.U. and the people one can meet here.

[CanuckAmok]

41. one of the most depressing elements was:

the subtle commentary oin the homogenious presence of American popular culture. All those Parisian kids, living in the centre of the birthplave of Western culture, and they had all adopted an American hiphop/gangsta style they couldn't possibly beging to assimmilate into here in the "New World". It was just such a well-expressed statement of the obvious impact of MTV-cool on the rest of the world.

[CatWoman]

35. "The Killers"

see Lee Marvin slap the shit out of Angie Dickinson, and dangle her out of a 30 story windonw. See Ronald Reagan shoot John Cassavettes in cold blood for "messin with his woman".

And Clu Gallager is Marvin's partner in crime -- two hit men searching for treasure that was stolen by Angie and Reagan.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00007ELD...

Film Noir at its best.

[Calanus]

40. Breaker Morant. The Opposite of Sex. Diva. After Dark, My Sweet

There ya go.

[Flaxbee]

42. You're probably out the door by now, but

I have recently seen, and can recommend "Monsieur Ibrahim" (with Omar Sharif, French w/subtitles); "The Housekeeper" (French w/subtitles) and "Cuckoo" (Finnish and German and Lapp with subtitles).

I also just rented "Calendar Girls" with Helen Mirren (one of my favorite actresses) and I really enjoyed it... light and funny.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

43. Ask Bullwinkle925. She's a DVD expert.

[Lisa]

45. The Paper Chase

I bought it for my local library and they claim that it has either been out or "on hold" since they put it on the shelf last April.

Another hard-to-get movie starring Timothy Bottoms is "Johnny Got His Gun" -- mentioned several times here on DU.

Other titles that the library either asked for specifically, or were very glad to get:

The Manchurian Candidate (good interviews with Angela Lansbury and Co., plus some surprising insights from the filmmakers)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (the bonus version with the extras is hilarious)
Atanarjuat (this is an Inuit film -- not really a mainstream release unless you are interested in the myths of tribal societies, life in the Arctic, and Canadian history -- but lots of cool extras on the DVD)
Never Cry Wolf

One I'm currently waiting for (I've ordered it on VHS -- I don't think it's out on DVD yet) -- Come See the Paradise. In my opinion, it's actually better than "Snow Falling on Cedars". (Makes a good double feature with "Bad Day at Black Rock", which is on DVD.)



Film noir -- Dana Carvey's "Blank Slate" is an attempt to spoof film noir -- not a classic, but there are some funny moments.

[Taverner]

46. Harold and Maude

Trust me, just....trust me