Name some obscure movies you loved.

[chaska]

I saw this Thai horror film (DVD) last night that totally blew me away. It was called 'Nang Nak', based on an old legend.

Set in the late 19th-century Thai jungle, it's the story of a couple whose love was so strong that when she died in childbirth while he was away at war she refused to give him up. When he returned he didn't know, and couldn't "see", that she and the baby were dead. Their lives continued on as before. The village finally was able to make him see that he was living with a ghost, leading to the terrifying and ultimately tragic conclusion.

The ending is absolutely heartbreaking as they say their final goodbyes sitting in her grave. I actually cried it was so moving.

Winner of four awards at the Pan Asia Film Festival including Best Picture.

Highly recommended.

Edit: Ah, this is handy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nang_Nak

[taterguy]

1. Is Junebug obscure?

It got an Academy Award nomination and made Roger Ebert's 10 Best Films of the Year list but for some reason I don't think may people know about it.

[chaska]

2. I don't know, but I'll watch for it.

[ms liberty]

47. I've wanted to see that film...I live in NC...

I've read about the film, and the title alone makes me want to see it. You see, I live in a very rural county where, on Monday thru Friday, a train runs that is called "the Junebug" - it's just an engine that picks up freight as it runs to the nearest city and back(well, large town really!). But it's been called the Junebug for as long as I know about. And with the movie having that title, and being about rural NC; well you can see why it interests me just from that standpoint! I've also seen that it was filmed in Winston-Salem, and the director is also from W-S - which is about an hour's drive from my house. It seems like it would hit very close to home, so to speak!

I keep intending to rent it, and I'm going to very soon...as soon as I can afford to rent movies again anyway! Especially now that I know others who've seen it recommend it!

[taterguy]

54. It got a perfect zero on my very scientific rating scale

The scale is: How many times during a movie do I feel going outside and smoking a cigarette. I liked it so much I saw it twice in the theater even though I hate the theater experience.

[crim son]

3. That's one I'd like to see.

My favorite movie is "Lady Jane", which depicts (with many romantic embellishments) Lady Jane Grey's ascension to the British Throne after young Edward's death. It's a gooey love story and I imagine most people would find it unappealing. Not me; I cry every time I see it.

[philosophie_en_rose]

5. I adore that movie. Cary Elwes and Helena Bonham Carter were beautiful in it.

:)

[deepthought42]

22. I believe we watched that in one my history classes

in high school. I loved it. Very good, and very sad.

[Felix Mala]

115. Some idiot edited "over" the nudity with what looks like a Sharpie.

If two people were ever meant to be seen nude it's those two.

[Pacifist Patriot]

133. Historically pitiful, but it gets me every time.

I enjoy it!

[realisticphish]

4. "Cranes are Flying"

a Soviet film made during the cultural "thaw" just after Stalin. Some propaganda here and there, but beautifully shot, and great acting.

[chaska]

8. The Russian version of 'Solarus' is amazing...

George Clooney did a mediocre version of that recently.

[realisticphish]

9. I really got into Russian film

I took a Soviet cinema class last quarter, and since then, I can't get enough :D

[chaska]

12. I wish they were easier to find...

Not enough out there.

I just saw one recently, but I can't remember the name of it. It was about two boys and their relationship with their father, whom they only just met. He takes them fishing, ends up falling off a tower chasing one of the boys. A real mean ass, that guy.

[realisticphish]

56. It's called "The Return"

And though the father was an ass, he wasn't chasing the kid for shits and giggles, but because he didn't want the kid to get hurt (the kid was terrified of hights). At least that's what I got out of it; he wasn't exactly a good father (by our standards, at least) but he was really trying to get to know the boys.

And that little kid was a whiny bitch, but that's neither here nor there ;)

[L A Woman]

73. the older boy died on the set, i believe....

he drowned in the river that was featured in the film. not sure exactly when, but i think it was right after they finished filming...sad.

[realisticphish]

82. shit

i had never heard that. I just looked it up on wikipedia, and it does say he died right after the end of filming. That makes the ending more poignant, imho (with the rowboat slowly sinking)

[MAGICBULLET]

36. YES!

very nice - the running sequence always stands out to me.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

39. Yes, "The Cranes are Flying!" and other Russian films

One of my all time favorites, the story of two young lovers who are separated when he has to go off into the army without a chance to say good-bye. (There's such a crowd that they can't reach each other.) She then loses her parents in a bombing raid and moves in with her boyfriend's family. He is shot and apparently killed, or is he? The possibility is left slightly open. Meanwhile, the girlfriend and the boyfriend's family go through all the hardships that war brings. What happens when the troops come home at the end of the war is a three-hanky scene.

Amazingly for a Soviet WWII movie, this film never mentions or refers to Stalin, something that would have been unimaginable just a few years earlier.

I also liked The Outskirts (a surreal fantasy about a village rebelling against attempts to drill for oil on their land), The Thief (a smooth-talking sociopath wins over a war widow with a small son), the 1954 film of the opera Boris Godunov (except for the woman with the painted-on moustache playing Fedya), Window to Paris (another surreal fantasy), Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (a splendidly filmed version of a Ukrainian legend about a man who is haunted by the ghost of his lover), and The Muslim (a veteran of the Afghan War who converted to Islam while in captivity returns to his depressing home village).

I tried to watch Andrei Rublyev, and I actually made it to the end, but the whole time I was thinking, "What the hell is going on?"

[realisticphish]

55. Another first for that film

or at least a very rare occurance, there wasn't a single German in it. A german shot killed the boyfriend, he was in the war, but no enemy was shown. This time, the "enemy" was the asshole cousin who raped (or didn't?) the girlfriend.

[billyskank]

120. Why I'm not around on DU

I am only posting this so it can go in my journal. I deliberately chose a thread with many replies to post in because I don't want to create a fuss.

A few days ago someone accused me of being a serial philandering rat bastard. That wasn't the words they used, and it may or may not have been what they meant. It was what sounded in my heart when I read their words. That may have more to do with what I think of myself than what they think.

Okay, so it is true only up to a point - a proper philanderer gets their reputation because they have fucked lots of ladies. I have not so much as kissed a girl in five years. Lol. I can't even get that right. I get all the benefits of the reputation, without having to engage in the messy business of actually having sex. Lucky me.

Nevertheless, I do feel ashamed of myself, and that is why I am not around on DU. The accusation most certainly does not hold true in my non-DU life - that life is so squeaky clean it hurts. I am going to concentrate on that for a while. I will return if and when I can get myself back on an even keel and stop going crazy.

Those of you who want to keep in touch can PM me for an email address. I am accepting PMs again. Those of you who may have emailed me since Monday the 12th, I beg you please forgive me. I have been completely offline since then. I may check my email again tomorrow. I cannot face it tonight.

Richard.

[Haole Girl]

122. Oh my...

...seems you and I have a lot in common. I suspected we did. I, too, have a bad reputation on DU...and, also, ironically, have never so much as given a man a second glance in real life-- for the entire time I've been married. Nor, will I.

Please keep in touch via myspace, okay? I think you are a very fine human being and I'll always consider you a friend.

:hug:

[crim son]

130. I can say with 100% certainty that nobody called you a

philandering rat bastard, and you'd know that if you actually read your PMs. I'm very sorry this happened but - oh well.

[puerco-bellies]

135. Come Home Billyskank!!!

Five years.. wow.. Any-hoo you are an important part of the lounge, and a hoot-to-boot.
In any case I'll miss your posts for now.

[lildreamer316]

137. FUCK this bullshit billy.

I love you, don't you dare go.
I'll kick someone's ass for you over this shit.
Let's go.


Please don't leave.

[Random_Australian]

138. No, that's not right! Not right at all! Don't go away Billy!

Stupid people making stupid accusations for stupid reasons isn't enough reason to leave us sans Billy!

I vote: Come back Billy!

Grargh, if you must leave please come back soon!

[Robeson]

142. No need to leave, billy....

...hang around. It's all good...:hug:

[leftofthedial]

143. I'll miss you

but I understand the need to focus on real life from time to time

don't stay away altogether

and don't stay gone long.

[Bassic]

146. I hope you come back, friend.

I've been called even worse for reasons I still don't get, so I understand.

[HEyHEY]

149. Dood, chill out and stay here

[havocmom]

150. 'serial philandering rat bastard'? That would be Newt or Rudy

not you!

[SPKrazy]

151. So let me get this straight? (aka don't go)

You're leaving DU for a while because you say someone "accused" you of being a serial philandering rat bastard", yet you say that wasn't the words they used and it may or may not have been what they meant :think:

So, why again are you leaving?

I personally don't want you to leave DU, I like you, and you have a lot to offer.

At the same time, I don't understand how you are simultaneously blaming someone for saying something that may or may not have meant what you think it did, and they didn't actually say it at all.

You are feeling bad about yourself :hug:

Don't go away, at the same time, you've left the impression here that someone has done something terrible to you, but then you raise the issue of doubt in your own mind, and in this reader, of what was actually said. This has spun a whole thread of "let's get Billy's persecutor(s)" when there may not have been any at all from what I can read here.

Stick around DU Billy, you're a good egg, and I think the consensus is that we'd miss you

[AngryOldDem]

158. I don't blame you at all.

I know you don't know me because I don't post in the Lounge very often, but I was forum-hopping and felt I needed to respond.

I know how you feel. Just today I was accused on another Internet board of being a "Nazi deserving to win the Holocaust prize" because of my views on the Terri Schiavo case (and that was the NICEST thing this person had to say about me). And, here on DU just now, I was accused of being a right-wing shill after relating a personal experience and then offering my opinion about it -- from someone who had no clue as to all the facts that I chose NOT to include, and then made assumptions about me, a total stranger.

It's hurtful as hell, even though you try to tell yourself that it's only an Internet message board. But the words still sting, and the hate comes through just as loudly and clearly as if someone were right there with you in your living room. For some reason the vastness and relative anonymity of the Internet seem to give a lot of people the license to be absolute jerks. It's somehow okay to be rude, crude, presumtive, and cruel and type things on the screen that one would most likely never dare utter in person. Maybe the people who post these things have displaced anger issues or are just having a bad day. But that's beside the point: However they're communicated, words still have the power to wound just as much as they have the power to console.

I could tell you to get a thicker skin or some bullshit like that, but no, that's not the answer. The answer is that people have to realize that they are still communicating with human beings who deserve respect and civility, especially if they offer their thoughts in a spirit of open discourse.

I've seen your posts and I enjoy them. But do yourself a favor and take a break from the boards for awhile,if that's what you feel you have to do. It seems like a lot of people here really want you to stay, so take comfort in that as well as in knowing that they'll be here for you when you return.

[DarkmoonIkonoklast]

159. For the record:

   It seems that there is a problem in our "liberal" community with being a lover of beauty. Some people appear to have difficulty telling the difference between "sexist lechery" and an honest appreciation for beautiful women... I know, because I, too, an acknowledged "recovering gynophile" have oft been the target of such accusations... accusations which have caused my sisters -- mostly Goddess worshippers -- to stare at the accusers with jaws agape.
   I am constantly reassured and warmed by the steadfast acceptance and support of these women, these precious and beautiful Daughters of Our Mother.
   Billy, my friend, I love your art, and am fiercely proud of the several pieces in my personal gallery. The work shows me that you, too, are appreciative, if not indeed, worshipful, of Woman, and of women...
   My brother, I have noted the many DU sisters who have expressed their appreciation of your work, who have shown faith and trust in you... sisters whom, I'm certain, have counterparts in your RL... don't YOU lose faith in yourself.

[datasuspect]

164. "why i'm not around on DU?"

i've never seen that one.

is it a drama?

seems i've heard a lot about it lately.

[Dora]

174. Oh, I am sorry to hear you say this.

I enjoy your presence on DU. To me, you have always seemed a kind and happy sort, and not at all as you describe yourself here.

Of course, how others perceive us is not nearly as important as how we perceive ourselves. To thine own self be true.

I wish you well, and understand a little the shame of which you speak. Please do not let shame take the lead in your life; it is a diversion from the spirit.

[Nicole]

175. Billy don't go!

You will be missed by many here if you do.

Take some time to heal whatever it is that needs healing. Then come back. Put the person who has upset you on ignore & enjoy the rest of DU.

:hug:

[Drum]

180. Don't stay gone long, Billy...

I want to read more of your posts, and enjoy your good-natured self here again....

:hug:

[In_The_Wind]

185. Damn-it! You're breakin' my heart!

:banghead: You of all people don't deserve this type of treatment.

May you find inner peace again soon my friend. :pals::hug:

[JanMichael]

147. Great film! Have you seen "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears?"

Another nifty Russian movie.

[hippiechick]

6. Pieces of April, A Very Long Engagement, Scotland PA ...

... Schultze Gets the Blues, A Brief Encounter, Withnail and I ...


I love obscure little movies :)

[MedleyMisty]

59. I love A Very Long Engagement!

It actually made my husband tear up.

[hippiechick]

62. I love both of those movies with Audrey Tatou ...

... the coloring, the scenery, how full of life all the characters are ... deep sigh.


:hi:

[MedleyMisty]

64. Yeah, we have Amelie too.

We both just seem to really identify with her character in both movies.

I was struck in Amelie by how she just left the shop whenever she felt like it and her employer was cool with it. Must be nice.

Actually - European movies in general just seem more laid-back and more real and more accepting of human foibles than American movies. And all of the actors aren't gorgeous, which I really like. They're real people.

[AngryAmish]

7. The Godfather

It is an old movie from the 70s about a crime family in New York.

[ForrestGump]

109. Sounds like a rip-off of

Mickey Blue Eyes....

[MissMillie]

10. Amazing Grace and Chuck

Gregory Peck, Jaime Lee Curtis, Alex English

I loved it.

[underpants]

11. JOE VS. THE VOLCANO!!!

Have you thought much about luggage sir...it is the central preoccupation of my life...may you live to be a THOUSAND YEARS OLD SIR!

Abe Vigoda as the Sunkist worshipping tribe chief :rofl:

[Cobalt-60]

87. Live like a King, die like a man.

[brook]

184. Joe was one of the

funniest scripts I ever read -sadly, the movie didn't do it justice at all. (It was fun to work on because of the locations and the cast...so I do have a soft spot in my heart for it.)

[chaska]

13. 'Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... and Spring'....

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spring_summer_fall_winter_and_spring/

Korean. One of my favorite films. Truly stunning.

[MedleyMisty]

60. I also love that movie

Rented it from the library.

It made me want to go be a hermit and live on a lake somewhere.

[brentspeak]

14. The Navigator - A Medieval Time-Travel Odyssey

[jobycom]

20. Sometimes I think I dreamed that film

I remember it, but no one else I know seems to have seen it. Excellent film.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

46. Another time travel movie, this one a comedy: Les Voyageurs

A magical spell gone wrong transports a medieval knight and his servant to contemporary France, where they run into their descendants.

Only if they're going to have descendants, they need to find their way back to the Middle Ages.

[jobycom]

58. Do you mean "Les Visiteurs," with Jean Reno?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108500/

This one was remade as an American film, but I've never seen it. "Just Visiting." It also starred Jean Reno.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

81. Yes, that's the one

Pardon my French. :-)

[meegbear]

15. Crimes of Passion ...

Ken Russell movie starring Kathleen Turner, her movie after Body Heat and Anthony Perkins.

A sportswear designer leads a double life as a hooker named China Blue. One of her clients, a divorced man, decides he loves her and figures out who she is. He then begins wooing her, which she fights against since he was a client. Meanwhile a street preacher works the red light district trying to save souls. He decides to save China's immortal soul and begins hounding her. Eventually he gets out of hand and the man in love with her must try to help her.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087100/plotsummary

[knowbody0]

188. one of my favorite!

Anthony Perkins was freakingly excellent.

[Mad_Dem_X]

16. Ummm, Donnie Darko?

Is that obscure enough? :shrug:

[jobycom]

23. Obscure only in meaning, not in renown.

At times I hate that film. At times I love it. But most people have heard of it, I would think.

[Mad_Dem_X]

25. Gotcha

[redqueen]

17. Silent Running

http://imdb.com/title/tt0067756/

:hi:

[chaska]

21. Hello, my friend. So happy to see you again....

I was so alone, all by myself I just couldn't make it.

End quote. Who "said" it?

Hey, RQ. I hope all's well with you. :)

[redqueen]

34. Hendrix!

All is well... getting better all the time. :)

Hope all is well with you, too!

[qnr]

141. I just watched that today... and I watched Dark Star too

http://imdb.com/title/tt0069945/ :hi:

[mainegreen]

18. Russian Ark. Not sure if that's obscure though.

It was an art-house movie.

[myrna minx]

97. The one take masterpiece.

Absolutely amazing.

[jobycom]

19. A Dream of Passion--Ellen Burstyn, Melina Mercouri. Directed by Jules Dassin

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077473/

[mentalsolstice]

24. Stealing Heaven

about Abelard and Heloise.

[fudge stripe cookays]

45. I love that one.

And "A Summer Story", based on a John Galsworthy story. Both very sad.

[Burma Jones]

26. Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring

[chaska]

33. Yes! love it!

[ceile]

51. Love those films!

"Manon" was my name in my high school French class.

[MorningGlow]

27. A '90s indie

I think I've mentioned it before here on DU about a thousand times (LOL): Next Stop Wonderland. Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman. About two people who are perfect for one another but just keep missing meeting each other. Magical, but not gooey. Set in Boston and NAILS the mood of the city so well. I love the movie. Every once in a while I haul out the DVD--"Time for a little Next Stop Wonderland"--I never get tired of it.

[Jade Fox]

181. Hey, I love that movie!

It's great just as a movie, but I also adore the Brazilian soundtrack and have the CD.

[MrScorpio]

28. Zardoz

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zardoz

[Arkham House]

65. Absolutely!

A film that was just about over all the critis's heads when it was released...maybe we've caught up with it. One of the best SF films ever.

[Cobalt-60]

89. it's one of my faves.

To quote Bart Simpson: The Head is cool!.

[myrna minx]

98. I just watched this recently.

!!! We're off to see the wizard.

[ghostsofgiants]

123. Someone printed this out and put it up in a main stairway at my school...

[AlCzervik]

29. Boiler Room.

[RebelOne]

119. That's not obscure. Vin Diesel plays in it.

And he is anything but obscure.

[electprogdems]

30. Smoke Signals eom

[MorningGlow]

35. Ooh good one

John Wayne's teeth (John Wayne's teeth)
Are they plastic, are they steel?
A-ho hey-ya hey hey ya...

:evilgrin:

[fudge stripe cookays]

43. Frybread power!

Until I saw this (and married a Metis), I knew nothing about native culture. Now, half my in-laws are "couzhinzh" and have exotic French names.

reprehensor and I tease each other by talking like Thomas.

"Hey...go make me a shammich."

[Broken_Hero]

85. Victor! What about your dad?.......nt

[fishwax]

140. great movie, and a great short story too, though the story had a better name

"this is what it means to say phoenix arizona" ... pretty hard to fit on a movie poster, I suppose :)

Welcome to DU! :toast:

[qwertyMike]

31. Station Agent

A masterpiece


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0340377/

[MassLiberal]

76. I loved the Station Agent

[ForrestGump]

110. Saw it a while ago

Really liked it.

I knew nothing about it, at first....from the title, I imagined it was about a stock and station agent who traveled between stations (ranches, more or less) in the Australian Outback. I was off by a bit...

[Oeditpus Rex]

32. 'Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains'

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082639/

[MAGICBULLET]

37. BLACK ROBE directed by Bruce Beresford

<http://imdb.com/title/tt0101465/>

Amazing film, intricately shot, that was kinda overlooked in the early 90s that puts "Dances With Wolves" to shame. Seriously folks, this one is a sure shot!

[fudge stripe cookays]

41. Yep.

The gauntlet part scared the crap out of me!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

42. Yes, French fur traders and missionaries in 17th century Canada

encounter the Native tribes. Nobody has blow-dried hair in this one.

(When it played in Portland, some Native Americans wrote into the paper saying that they didn't like the way the Indians were portrayed, but the ritual torture of captives is historically accurate, and the French weren't any better at the time. Also the 150 different tribes in North America were as different from one another or more different than the nations of Europe.)

[Catfight]

38. Even the Cowgirls Get the Blues and My Own Private Idaho. nt

[Roon]

40. Elvira, princess of the dark

a very funny movie!

[Cobalt-60]

90. Funny, yes.

And a very, very sweet piece of eye candy too.

[mzteris]

44. The Weeping Camel

cute movie. Very culturally interesting.

[NMDemDist2]

48. The Baghdad Cafe

set in Baghdad, AZ the prettiest person in it was Jack Palance (an OLD Jack Palance at that)

a great quirky movie that I still love

whoopi goldberg tried to make a sitcom out of it, but it didn't have the gritty sweetness of the movie

[NC_Nurse]

67. I love that movie.

Beautiful song in it too - "I'm Calling You". Very haunting.

[NMDemDist2]

70. ahhhhh

another member of the Baghdad Cafe cult

:hi:

[SeattleGirl]

177. I love Baghdad Cafe!!!!

Just the kind of quirkiness I appreciate.

[salin]

193. add me to the list of folks who *love this movie*

one of my all time favorites.

[mcscajun]

49. "Before Sunrise" and "Proof"

No, not *that* "Proof"...this one The tagline: "Before love comes trust. Before trust comes proof." Hugo Weaving, Russell Crowe and Geneviève Picot star. This was an Australian film from 1991.

Before Sunrise - "Before Sunrise" is an intimate look at a spontaneous romance sparked by a chance encounter on a train through Europe. It's all in the course of one very talkative overnight spent in Vienna. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy star. The film is from 1995.

[ceile]

50. "Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes" Werner Herzog

w/ Klaus Kinski


My German prof in college made us watch several of Herzog's films, but this one and "Kaspar Hauser" have definitely stuck with me. Excellent films!

[martymar64]

152. I watched Aguirre again last week

What a badass movie! Klaus Kinski at his craziest!

[bif]

157. Herzog rules!

I love all his films. Fantastic soundtracks too.

[terrya]

52. "Zero Patience"

A musical that came out a few years ago about...AIDS. And "Patient Zero".

It sounds like the least likely subject for a musical, but "Zero Patience" is very inventive and original. I like it a lot.

[bikebloke]

53. La Meglio Gioventù

Or The Best of Youth. An Italian epic about two brothers starting in 1966. It follows their lives through Italian history for the past 40 years. It's six hours long and the DVD is broken into two parts. It's a really good people story.

[blueraven95]

57. Man of the Century

about a reporter who might as well have just stepped out of the Twenties living in modern times.

lots of fun!

[nytemare]

61. "Everything is Illuminated"

http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Illuminated-Eugene-Hutz/dp/B000DWMN2S/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-3317724-7988053?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1173735795&sr=1-1

Wonderful, charming little film.

[MedleyMisty]

63. Pumpkin

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265591/

As the customer reviews suggest, it's probably a love or hate film.

Also - is Bubba Hotep obscure?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0281686/

[Gatchaman]

66. The Quiet Earth

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089869/

[spiderpig]

94. Worth it for the incredible final shot!

(Don't fast forward - the movie is good.)

[steelemagnolia]

68. Wonderful little gem

Shirley Valentine!

[A-Schwarzenegger]

69. American Job, Princess Caraboo, Hired Hand

[smtpgirl]

71. Liquid Sky

[idgiehkt]

72. "The Cold Room" with George Segal and Amanda Pays

A ghost possession movie but with a bit of history about the holocaust and a morality-type lesson as well. It is a great, great movie and I recommend it to anyone, it's really scary and you don't quite know what is going on til the end.

"Leaving Normal" with Christine Lahti and Meg Tilly. Kind of a chick flick, except substitute a cabin way up in Alaska under a nightly snow of the northern lights for the romeo that usually rescues the chick in chick flicks and you have the plot. It's such a great female-bonding film. I don't know if either of these really qualify as 'obscure' but they are the ones that no one has ever heard of when I mention them so I always take care to.

[L A Woman]

74. Toomorrow, starring a 19-year-old Olivia Newton-John

There is only one copy (the original film reel) in existence. You can get bootleg copies of it from Korea, but that's about it. It's about a band who gets kidnapped by space aliens. It's a classic!!! :-)

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

75. Privilege

It's sixties Britain and, realising there is no difference between them, the two main political parties have formed a coalition. Steven Shorter - an incredibly popular popstar, played by the lead singer of Manfred Mann - is used by those in power both as a means of keeping youth energy diverted and as a way of spreading nationalism and christian fundamentalism.



Directed by Peter Watkins (The War Game, Punishment Park) in 1967, it struggled to get much of a theatrical release in either the UK (where Rank pulled it on moral grounds) or the US and to my knowledge has never been available on video. The only good news is that there's a decent quality .avi bootleg out there and somebody has put it up on YouTube (which isn't ideal, but hey).

This is a great article on the film and its history:

http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/49/privilege.htm

and this is Watkins' statement on the film:

http://www.mnsi.net/~pwatkins/privilege.htm

[MassLiberal]

77. The Castle

A sweet, funny Australian movie from about 1995.

[u4ic]

84. Hilarious, dat one was!

:bounce:

[Strawman]

78. Naked

Not sure if that is really obscure. But I loved David Thewlis as Johnny in that film.

[Decruiter]

79. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains

Starring a teenage Diane Lane and Laura Dern, Fee Waybill (The Tubes), Christine Lahti, Paul Cook and Steve Jones (Sex Pistols).

Directed by Lou Adler, produced by Joe Roth, written by Jonathan Demme and Nancy Dowd (Slap Shot, Swing Shift).

Teen glamrock trio of girls get the crowds aroused.

No awards, no tears. BUT, addictive as candy to a 80s teen like me.

Here's a short making-of: http://www.fabulousstains.com/behindmovie.html

[Labors of Hercules]

80. shadowlands.

This is the only movie that ever made me cry.

[SeattleGirl]

178. That what a good movie, for sure.

[dEMOK]

83. Somewhere in Time (Christopher Reeve)...

IMO Extremely well done.

[u4ic]

86. Haderna/The Hands

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110083/

Emma's Shadow http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096116/

No Man's Land http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283509/

Zentropa http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101829/

Riget http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108906/

The Best Intentions http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104350/

Lilies http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116882/

Margaret's Museum http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113774/

And A Nightingale Sang http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096814/

She's Been Away http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098307/

Walter http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0383046/

[Heidi]

88. Down By Law. (nt)

[smoogatz]

132. Yep--a great one. Directed by Jim Jarmusch, starring Tom Waits

and Roberto Benigni--shot in b&w and set in Old New Orleans. Wonderful movie.

[MrSlayer]

91. Up the Academy.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

92. The Tenant

Nasty little horror movie. Maybe Polanski?

[spiderpig]

107. Excellent! n/t

[ghostsofgiants]

124. Yep, Polanski. The last in a loose trilogy by Polanski about the horrors of apartment life.

Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby are the other two.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

93. Burn

Made back in the day when Marlon Brando's speech could be understood.
:rofl:

[IntravenousDemilo]

95. Hearts of the West

with Jeff Bridges, Andy Griffith, Donald Pleasence, Blythe Danner, Alan Arkin, Richard B. Shull, Herb Edelman, Alex Rocco, Frank Cady (Sam Drucker in Green Acres).

Lewis Tater (Bridges) writes Wild West dime novels and dreams of actually becoming a cowboy. When he goes west to find his dream he finds himself in possession of the loot box of two crooks who tried to rob him. During his escape, Lewis stumbles on to the set of a Wild West movie and through mishap and chance becomes a star of Hollywood Westerns. Arkin plays an abusive, manipulative film director, Griffith a stuntman who becomes Bridges's mentor, Danner a production manager who is the love interest, Pleasence a shady book publisher.

Also:

Kind Hearts and Coronets, with Alec Guinness, Dennis Price, Valerie Hobson, Joan Greenwood, Miles Malleson
The Magic Christian, with Peter Sellers, Ringo Starr, Isabel Jeans, Caroline Blakiston, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Richard Attenborough, Leonard Frey
The Ruling Class, with Peter O'Toole, Alastair Sim, Arthur Lowe, Harry Andrews, Coral Browne
The Bedsitting Room, with Ralph Richardson, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Peter Sellers, Rita Tushingham, Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan(!)
The Wrong Box, with John Mills, Ralph Richardson, Michael Caine, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Tony Hancock, Peter Sellers
The Loved One, with Robert Morse, Jonathan Winters, Anjanette Comer, Milton Berle, James Coburn, John Gielgud, Tab Hunter, Liberace, Roddy McDowall, Robert Morley
Theatre of Blood, with Vincent Price, Diana Rigg, Ian Hendry, Harry Andrews, Coral Browne, Robert Coote, Jack Hawkins, Michael Hordern, Arthur Lowe
Wild in the Streets, with Shelley Winters, Christopher Jones, Diane Varsi, Hal Holbrook, Richard Pryor, Bert Freed
Entertaining Mr Sloane, with Beryl Reid, Harry Andrews, Peter McEnery
Billy Liar, with Tom Courtenay, Wilfred Pickles, Mona Washbourne, Ethel Griffies, Finlay Currie, Julie Christie, Leonard Rossiter
The Royal Hunt of the Sun, with Robert Shaw, Christopher Plummer, Nigel Davenport, Leonard Whiting
Bedazzled (not the awful remake), with Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Raquel Welch, Barry Humphries (as in Dame Edna), Eleanor Bron
The Ladykillers (not the awful remake), with Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom, Katie Johnson, Frankie Howerd
Ten Rillington Place, with Richard Attenborough, Judy Geeson, John Hurt
Seance on a Wet Afternoon, with Kim Stanley, Margaret Lacey, Richard Attenborough

I guess a couple of these aren't really, really obscure, but I'd give a strong recommendation to any of them.

[terrya]

99. I've seen a few of those based on your recommendations.

"The Loved One" is wonderful.

And I've seen quite a few of them myself. "Wild in the Streets" has Shelly Winters in full, over the top, scenery chewing acting mode. And if you've ever had the desire of seeing Ed Begley in a purple caftan (in the adult rehabilitation camp), this is the movie to see.

SHMILY

[spiderpig]

96. Devil Doll (1964)

Bryant Halliday, William Sylvester

My sister and I saw it as kids and have been creeped out by ventriloquist's dummies ever since. We refer to those creatures as "Hugo" (the dummy in the movie). After the 60's, never saw it broadcase until it came out on DVD a few years ago.

I hate ventriloquists and dummies!

[MAGICBULLET]

100. Dark Passage - FilmNoir

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039302/

Bogart and Bacall are so good in this obscure late 40s classic.

[racaulk]

101. Heavenly Creatures

Two girls in 1950s New Zealand develop an incredibly close friendship, and when their parents try to split them up, an unthinkable murder is the result. Beautiful movie, and it's very chilling when you consider that it's based on a true story. Beautiful imagery and wonderful acting (it's actually the first time I remember seeing Kate Winslet).

Highly recommended. :)

[Mad_Dem_X]

104. Excellent movie!

Wonderfully done. Kate Winslet is fantastic.

Edit: spelling

[Zavulon]

102. Bon Cop, Bad Cop

It was the highest-grossing Canadian movie in history (shot in 2006), and you can't even rent it down here. Hilarious albeit stereotypical movie about cops of different methods and different cultures (stuffy Ontario cop hell bent on rules, wild Quebec cop hell bent on breaking them) who are forced to work together when there are issues as to which province has jurisdiction over a murder.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this movie. I watched it five times or so during the first week I owned the DVD. If you like hockey, so much the better.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bon_Cop_Bad_Cop

[GoneOffShore]

103. Keeping Mum

With Maggie Smith and Rowan Atkinson.

[toadzilla]

105. Once were warriors

very good, depressing but good.

[ForrestGump]

111. Excellent

but, yeah...major-league downer.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

106. The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam (2005)

Available on DVD from www.greatomar.com.

Indie first film directed by Persian/Houstonian Kayvan Mashayekh. Filmed in Samarkand, Uzbekistan and Houston. Most of the people in the movie are descended from Omar Khayyam, poet, astronomer and mathematician. Omar and his lady friend are played by Spaniards. I've watched it nine times now,and even the ninth time I got something new out of it!!! A gorgeous movie with a great message about family traditions, the meaning of life, and the conflicts between men of religion and men of reason. Omar's friend Hassan started the Hashashin, who were fanatics who killed people.

The Keeper is the person who keeps the oral family history and tells stories.

Also stars Vanessa Redgrave as the granddaughter of the English printer (Sangorsky & Sutcliffe) of "THE GREAT OMAR", a bejeweled, hand-illustrated edition of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam of Naishapur, that went down on the Titanic in 1912.

Please, folks, this is the BEST movie I have ever seen. Get it if you can. It's a great movie in these times to remind people that Persia was the home of some very advanced science and culture, and still has many educated people. I have babbled to everybody I know about this movie.

Conservatives would probably not watch it unless you bungeed them to the sofa. And held their eyes open a la "Clockwork Orange". I do not know their reaction, though.

Mr. Mashayekh's next film will be about Cyrus the Great of Persia.

[BreweryYardRat]

108. Dog Soldiers. Tremors (1 and 2). The Warriors. From Dusk Till Dawn.

Dog Soldiers is a British werewolf movie, but it's more a war movie (squad of soldiers on a training mission run into more than they expected) than a horror film. And it has a lot of excellent one- or two-liners.

Tremors 1 and 2 were good, campy, 50s-style horror-comedy flicks with modern (1990s) special effects + good (1) and decent (2) screenwriting. 2 also has an excellent musical score.

The Warriors is a cult classic, and I liked it a lot. It's about nine gang members trying to cross the length of 1970's New York after a gang rally goes bad. They have to go through the territory of several different gangs, all of whom are hunting them.

From Dusk Till Dawn: Pulp crime movie (with Quentin Tarantino as both a main actor and one of the initial scriptwriters) that switches gears (and genres) halfway through. Telling you what genre would spoil the fun, but you can probably guess.

[ForrestGump]

112. "Sleeping Dogs"

New Zealand's first big-time feature film of the '70s, and Sam Neill's first big role in a film...the director (Roger Donaldson) went in to do a lot of work in Hollywood (I loved his Dante's Peak) after more great work in NZ (Smash palace was a good film, too).

The film's about a fascist takeover of New Zealand and focuses on the rebels, including a reluctant Sam Neill, who're on the run. Warren Oates plays an American mercenary who's in on hunting down the dissidents.

[AshevilleGuy]

113. Basket Case - over the top supposedly horror flick -

Just hilarious and interesting as well.

[Redneck Socialist]

189. What's in the basket?

Great flick. :thumbsup:

[Breeze54]

114. 'Three Wishes'

A drama/fantasy about war, love, family, despair and magic....
It's a feel-good movie with adult themes but magic eye candy for the kiddies.
Always good for a snowy, cloudy Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
If you're in a bad mood and need a short trip away from your problems,
this is your movie. I think it's rated PG. How could it not be? ;)


If you really believe, magic will find you...

Plot Outline:

In an unexplained act of charity, Jeanne Holman, picks up an injured, apparent tramp
and takes him home to care for him little realising who he was or the effect he would
have on her life and those of her family.

[Felix Mala]

116. Local Hero - Best movie of and about the 80's

Oil business "shark" learns there's more to life than money in quaint Scottish village.

Favorite bits:

The motorcylce driver always trying to run down main character... In some scenes you just here the engine gunning and see our guy running into the frame...

Poor little road-kill rabbit...

Image specialist hired to abuse CEO so he doesn't get too arrogant...

The "mermaid"...


Best literal "deus ex machina" ending ever done.

[Pacifist Patriot]

134. Bill Forsyth is brilliant!

If you haven't seen his other movies, look him up on IMDB.com and rent them all.

[Scarlett17]

117. Idiocracy

Hilarious movie by Mike Judge, creator of "Office Space". You've probably never heard of it because it was buried by the studio, but it's out of video and well worth the time.

http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Idiocracy-1775.html

Excerpt from linked review: "I hate to get caught up in conspiracy theories here, but these companies can't possibly be happy with having their name associated with things like hand-jobs. 20th Century Fox has to have felt at least some pressure from their billion-dollar corporate brethren. Fox is the pet of Rupert Murdoch after all. Captain of industry, baron of big business. Maybe that explains the film's shoddy treatment? Hey, I'm just thinking out loud."

[Manifestor_of_Light]

176. Funny but ....

I did not think it was as funny as Office Space or Borat.

[ProfessorGAC]

118. Is "Streets Of Fire" Obscure Enough?

Love that one.

Another one was an old fantasy/mythology film called "The Quest" I haven't seen it on cable or as a DVD for at least 10 years.
The Professor

[Z_I_Peevey]

121. Friends, from 1971,

a beautiful little love story with an Elton John soundtrack.

[ghostsofgiants]

125. I'm never sure just how obscure some films are...

But most people I know have never heard of these:

The Science of Sleep
Pi
Buffalo 66
Gozu

There are a lot though, I don't feel like digging through my shit to find them.

[atomic-fly]

165. I loved Buffalo 66

[BleedingHeartRN]

192. I loved Buffalo 66 too!

I saw it twice at the theater. Christina Ricci (pre-anorexia) is great and Anjelica Houston is wonderful as well. I think I read somewhere that Vincent Gallo is a right-wing nutjob, but his character Billy is pretty loathesome anyway.

[southernleftylady]

126. Very bad things

[VenusRising]

127. I don't know how obscure, but

I had never heard of it before I saw it.

[BlueIris]

128. High Art.

I mean, I guess that isn't the most obscure movie in the world, but it's more unknown than known. Bleak, atmospheric love story about high-end photographers in NYC struggling with drugs, bad relationships and sexual/professional identity. I'm not crazy about the end, but Ally Sheedy's performance up until then is mesmerizing.

[Magrittes Pipe]

129. Suture

:thumbsup:

[Xipe Totec]

131. Hotaru no haka

(Grave of the Fireflies)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095327/

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

136. The Ninth Configuration

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081237/

Starring Stacy Keach and an uncredited Gene Hackman. A great movie, if a little violent in some parts. Among other things, it deals with the question of God's existence.

I also really enjoy The Gods Must Be Crazy. Extremely funny!

[AZBlue]

139. The Contender, Dick, Quick Change & Mrs. Henderson Presents

[Babel_17]

144. Near Dark

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093605/

"Three of the stars, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen and Jenette Goldstein, were also in Aliens.

Unusual for a vampire movie, the word "vampire" is never mentioned.

The writer and director both were intent on making a Western but realized that the interest in the Western genre at the time was almost non-existent, so it was recommended that they mix genres. Since the horror genre was in vogue at the time, the two decided to make a Horror Western."

I still nurse a crush for the ethereal beauty that was the female lead, Jenny Wright.

It's a cult classic. Oh, and Tangerine Dream did the soundtrack. :)

[stuntcat]

171. yes

right. on.

[Orsino]

145. Bubba Ho-Tep

Bruce Campbell as Elvis, Ossie Davis as JFK, withering away in a retirement home terrorized by an Egyptian mummy with outlandish taste in fashion! What's not to love?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHI1Ogx-h6Q

[JanMichael]

148. I will admit that I like Bubba Ho-Tep...Weird but fun.

Ossie Davis was a hoot playing JFK and the story behind why the real Elvis didn't die was almost plausible.

[sammythecat]

153. "The Beast", it's not what you think.

1988.

A russian movie about a lost Soviet tank in Afghanistan. Much like Das Boot in the desert. I never heard of it till a friend recommended it in the mid 90's. I got it and was blown away.

Intelligent, suspenseful, and highly entertaining. I give it 4 thumbs.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

on edit: I mentioned Das Boot, it's not really obscure, but, for those who are unfamiliar with it, it takes place on a German U-Boat in WWll. Even if you don't care for war movies, I think you'd be surprised with this one. Extraordinarily good. A true classic made in the late 80's.

[Babel_17]

160. "Oh Tank Boy" lol

A fantastic movie, it gripped me right from the beginning.

[AwakeAtLast]

154. Racing with the Moon

I have it on video because I love it so much. Has early perfomances by Sean Penn and Nicholas Cage in it.

I never find anyone who has ever heard of it.

[bif]

156. How strange is that?

I posted this without looking at all the posts because I figured no one would have posted this movie!

[AwakeAtLast]

179. WHOA!

I had to go pick up my husband yesterday so I am replying late.

That is freaky!

Hey, as they say, great minds think alike! :hi:

[bif]

155. "Racing With The Moon"

Sean Penn, Nicholas Cage & Elizabeth McGovern.

[w8liftinglady]

161. Farewell,My Concubine

I love Asian movies,and this was a beautiful,sad movie
http://www.amazon.com/Farewell-My-Concubine-Leslie-Cheung/dp/6303187196/ref=cm_lmf_tit_18/002-6231289-8415224

[w8liftinglady]

162. also The King of Masks

http://www.amazon.com/King-Masks-Renying-Zhou/dp/0767847377/ref=cm_lmf_tit_20/002-6231289-8415224

[sammythecat]

187. Never saw it, but I've heard good things about it.

I'll have to make an effort to check it out. I think I'd like it.

Glad you brought it up. :)

[atomic-fly]

163. Man Facing Southeast

I saw a long time ago, not sure if it holds up.
About An alien in a mental asylum.


http://www.amazon.com/Man-Facing-Southeast-Lorenzo-Quinteros/dp/6302247004

[Jade Fox]

183. K-PAC, speaking of aliens in mental institutions....

Stars Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges.

[atomic-fly]

166. good thread...I will be taking notes.

[Richardo]

167. From the 80s: 'The Brother From Another Planet' and 'Choose Me'

The latter featuring Genevieve Bujold as a radio sex therapist, Rae Dawn Chong, and one of those Carradine guys. Oh yeah, and Alan Rudolph directed. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[datasuspect]

168. salo - 120 giornate di sodoma

pier paolo pasolini

the adaptation of the Marquis de Sade's work.

set in fascist italy during wwII.

the most respected members of the community kidnap and detain young people and ritualistically rape, brutalize, sodomize, and ultimately slaughter them.

very graphic, very disturbing.

[w8liftinglady]

169. allow me to keep this kicked-I'm always looking for good movies

[stuntcat]

170. "Welcome to the Dollhouse" (obscure?)

it's so sick it's funny, poor Weiner-Dog :(

[begin_within]

172. "Tokyo Story" (1953), "Salt of the Earth" (1954), "Soy Cuba" (1964), "Au Hasard Balthazar" (1966)

All four of them are monumental pieces of film that are required viewing in my opinion. They tower over most other films that have been made. Oddly, all 4 are in black-and-white, and only "Salt of the Earth" is in English.

[htuttle]

173. Killer Clowns from Outer Space

No idea why I love this movie. I have no particular fetish for either Clowns nor Troma team, but somehow...it works!

[Jade Fox]

182. The Edge....

A macho guys survival pic with some pretty interesting psychological overtones. Stars Alec Baldwin and Anthony Hopkins

Also: "A Perfect World". Under-rated Clint Eastwood flick featuring what is probably the best performance ever by Kevin Costner.

[EstimatedProphet]

186. Fantastic Planet

Czech-French really trippy movie about humans who live as pets/vermin on a planet dominated by giant blue aliens.

http://www.imdb.com/tt0070544/

[Redneck Socialist]

190. I've Heard the Mermaids Singing

Very touching little romantic comedy.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

191. Songs From the Second Floor.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120263/

[La Lioness Priyanka]

194. sirkar