Post#137 » by thomchatt3rton » Wed Sep 20, 2017 3:50 am
I couldn't ever make a true top 10 list- not without a 2 week sabbatical from my job to really work on it.
So, here's a list of
Some Favorite Movies that might be Forgotten, LIttle-Seen, or Underappreciated
Flirting (1991) My teenage self would never forgive me if I left this one off. I love it. IDK why this isn't an enduring teen classic, a la Breakfast Club. Noah Taylor and Thandie Newton are both outsiders in their respective private schools in 60s Australia. They fall in love. Nicole Kidman is there too.
The Vanishing (1988) is one of the finest movies ever made in terms of plotting, editing and pure filmmaking-- and the ending is unforgettable. Kubrick called it the scariest movie he'd ever seen. I can't recommend it enough.
The Wages of Fear (1953) Might feel slow for the first 30 or so minutes, but this is one of the most exciting and tense action/suspense thrillers ever. Until I saw it, I didn't know they made movies like this in the 50s. Beautifully shot, tough, intense, smart and ultimately a very moving and beautifully tragic story too.
Miller's Crossing (1990) and Barton Fink (1991) 5 or 6 Coen movies are right up there for me but these 2 are my favorites, just for personal reasons (and John Turturro reasons).
The animated Rankin & Bass The Hobbit (1977) and the Bakshi LotR (1978) For childhood reasons.
This version of The Hobbit is far superior to Jackson's and both are more faithful to the books than the Jackson's (but I didn't hate PJ's LotR). Both are underrated in terms of their visual influence on all things fantasy that came afterwards, I suspect.
I'm inordinately fond of FF Coppola's Rumble Fish (1983) It's cheesy, but its also pretty cool. Plus, check out the cast (and remember its 1983) Matt Dillon, Nic Cage, Dennis Hopper, Mickey Rourke, Gary Oldman, Diane Lane, Chris Penn, Laurence Fishburne and Tom Waits.
The Tenant (1976) Not the best Roman Polanski movie by any stretch, and kind of a mess, but for some reason I really love this movie. There's really nobody else like Polanski. Speaking of, his Death and the Maiden (1994) is criminally unappreciated and forgotten about- Sigourney Weaver suspects her dinner guest Ben Kingsley of something monstrous, but can't be sure...
The Dreamlife of Angels (1998) This one fell off the face of the Earth. Last I checked, not even Amazon had a US-region DVD copy for sale. F*cking beautiful movie. Cannes famously couldn't decide which of the two leads to give "Best Actress" to, so they gave it to both of them.
Zodiac (2007) The best David Fincher movie. It's hard to make an extremely long and intricate thriller about the hunt for a real-life serial killer who everyone knows was never caught in real life and actually make it thrilling. So if you pull it off don't you deserve the title "Best David Fincher Movie"?
Withnail and I (1987) Perhaps the greatest movie ever made not called "Airplane!".
