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Good Films Languishing in Obscurity...

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711
Thought we could help each other out in this thread, what are some good or even great films that are under the radar? They can be movies which are truly underground, or perhaps just not known to more casual observers. Hoping for some good recommendations for my collection!

The Tunnel (2011)

A tiny, tiny budget found footage horror film (presented as a documentary after the fact) centering around the 2007 NSW Water Crisis & the State Government’s unexplained scrapping of a plan to utilise water in the tunnels below Sydney’s CBD. A film crew heads down there chasing the story.

The Tunnel doesn’t do anything new in the way of found footage horror, but it does it exceedingly well.

Troll Hunter (2010)

Something of a darling of low-budget found footage fans, but still largely unknown to the general public, Troll Hunter is a dark fantasy film from Norway, concerning a Governmental cover-up of a blurred line between Norwegian folklore & real wildlife of the country’s forests & mountain sides.

Darkly funny, lightly scary, & very, very well-realised visually.

Dark City (1998)

My favourite film of all-time. A staggeringly vivid, dream-like neo-noir detective story, this film, written & directed by Alex Proyas (director of The Crow), is a mesmorising mix of Metropolis, M, Kafka & Blade Runner, & is often favourably compared with contemporaries The Truman Show & The Matrix. Revolves around a man who awakens in a hotel bath tub with no recollection of who he is, with a group of sinister men & the Police pursuing him for murder. A story with many complex themes, but delivered with a surprisingly accessible narrative...& boy, is it ever gorgeous to look at.

K-Pax (2001)

Might be a little on the nose in retrospect, as Kevin Spacey has the lead here, opposite Jeff Bridges. Tells the story of a man who’s committed to a sanitarium after calmly explaining he is from another planet. His relationship with a psychiatrist trying to unravel the mystery of who this man is or was, & how to help him re-discover his identity, becomes an extraordinary journey of self-discovery for both men, & will keep you guessing right until the final frame. A film whose implications & possible explanations I have spent many hours pondering over the years.

Best Laid Plans (1999)

An obscure crime & relationship drama featuring Josh Brolin & two future Oscar winners, in Terrence Howard & a young Reese Witherspoon. Centers around a young couple in a fly-speck Arizona town who...well, it’s tough to sell without giving too much away. If you’re a fan of quietly intriguing thrillers with a layer to unravel, you can still find this in some JB’s throughout Sydney.
 
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14,497
K Pax was a great film. I saw it at the movies too.

Dark City is one I come back to every once in a while. Isn't there a theory The Matrix nicked this idea too?
 
Messages
711
K Pax was a great film. I saw it at the movies too.

Dark City is one I come back to every once in a while. Isn't there a theory The Matrix nicked this idea too?

It’s possible. The films were both shot at Fox Studios in very close proximity to one another (in fact, Dark City’s production crew sold set pieces from the stages directly to makers of The Matrix for use in their film), & there is no denying the striking similarities.

Unfortunately, stolen idea or not, Dark City did not take off in cinemas, whereas The Matrix obviously became a mega-hit one year later. Damn shame, too. I strongly feel Dark City tells the stronger & more arresting story.

As for K-Pax, what a journey. The sequence where Bridges’ character visits the farmhouse by the river will stay with me forever.
 

veggiepatch1959

First Grade
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9,841
I watched The Adjustment Bureau a few nights ago.

It felt like it borrowed a bit from Dark City which itself took me a couple of viewings to understand.
 

Dogs Of War

Coach
Messages
12,718
I watched The Adjustment Bureau a few nights ago.

It felt like it borrowed a bit from Dark City which itself took me a couple of viewings to understand.

Dark City borrowed heavily from Philip K Dick. His stories make for great movies mainly cause you can't only use the theme's from the book. To make a movie following the book would make for a horrible movie.
 

edabomb

First Grade
Messages
7,103
Dark City is a great one.

Bringing out the Dead is a movie I rate highly that never seems to get a mention anywhere, despite being directed by Scorsese and featuring a madcap Nic Cage performance.

Some others:
- House of Sand and Fog
- Eastern Promises
- Dirty Pretty Things
 
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veggiepatch1959

First Grade
Messages
9,841
Dark City borrowed heavily from Philip K Dick. His stories make for great movies mainly cause you can't only use the theme's from the book. To make a movie following the book would make for a horrible movie.
Philip K Dick is just sbout my favourite science fiction writer along with Harlan Ellison.
 

PJ

First Grade
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5,651
Not everyones cup of tea but loved Vidiot from UHF.

Better off Dead was my favourite 80s teen comedy but not many saw it.

Really liked Remember as a Nazi war crime type revenge. Great finale.

Agree with original poster on Troll Hunter.
 

veggiepatch1959

First Grade
Messages
9,841
The Australian film Wake In Fright was a good but little known movie in mainstream circles.

Same could be said about Hercules Returns.
 
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8,480
I suggest "No Man's Land".... probably an apt title in a thread like this.

The futility and tragedy in war is a fairly common theme but this - and Buffalo Soldiers (another favourite of mine) are standouts for me.

no-mans-land-dvd-cover.png
 

Willie Ray

Bench
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2,519
Another Christian Slater one.....True Romance,written by Tarantino with Patricia Arquette and James Gandolfini...great story and a fair bit of action....Val Kilmer and Brad Pitt are in it too.

" I like you Clarence....always have...always will.".....Elvis.
 
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711
Very Bad Things

A black comedy based on a Vegas buck weekend that goes wrong. Think Hangover but with a darker, nastier side.
All the main cast simply nail their roles with Jeremy Piven & Christian Slater as standouts.

Classic.


Box Office bomb & hated by critics (Roger Ebert went as far as saying if you like the movie, he doesn’t ever want to meet you LOL), but I have this one on my shelf & have done so for many years.

Think you & I might be the only two people who enjoy this one LOL.
 

Life's Good

Coach
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13,971
Box Office bomb & hated by critics (Roger Ebert went as far as saying if you like the movie, he doesn’t ever want to meet you LOL), but I have this one on my shelf & have done so for many years.

Think you & I might be the only two people who enjoy this one LOL.

For every critic of something, you’ll find a fan. Whilst it’s rated possibly the worst movie ever I’m sure there are people who love Battlefield Earth(not that there is anything wrong with that).
 

Wizardman

First Grade
Messages
8,584
A forgotten gem is "When A Stranger Calls". Forget the sequel and chuck out the atrocious remake. The original is one for the creepiest movies I've ever seen. The first act is one of the best acts I've ever seen in a horror movie, second was just a bit flat but still good and the third was good.
 

t-ba

Post Whore
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55,803
Equilibrium. But I do think it and Dark City have gotten a lot more notoriety over the years. Both of those movies feel like they are exploring themes from The Matrix, which is a perfectly fine film, far better than it did.
 

Parra

Referee
Messages
24,895
The Railway Man

One of the best war movies ever made. I have no idea why this film did not receive any acclaim when it was released and why it remains so obscure. True story.

Watch it before you get any spoilers.
 

horrie hastings

First Grade
Messages
7,336
A forgotten gem is "When A Stranger Calls". Forget the sequel and chuck out the atrocious remake. The original is one for the creepiest movies I've ever seen. The first act is one of the best acts I've ever seen in a horror movie, second was just a bit flat but still good and the third was good.

“Have you checked the children”. Haven’t seen it since the early 80s but was totally creeped out by it. Carol Kane was perfect in it but was happy to see great actress’s Rachel Roberts and Coleen Dewhurst In it too.
 
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