Films: your favorite rarities
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There's probably just as many rarities that have gone unnoticed as there are top-level block-busters (counting only those that gross in the positive). These titles stay rarities mostly because they don't get enough promotion (which is usually because of their low budget); oftentimes a film doesn't break into the mainstream because of its unorthodox structure or universe of the script. I love exactly those kinds of films above all.
A good example of a rarity title breaking through is Saw (the film had a tight budget, probably most of which was invested in getting Danny Glover), but the freshness of the approach picked the lock to the big industry.
I'm not nominating Saw in my list for matters of taste, though.
Just rarities
Primer (2004) - my advice is to see the film and then (not before) view the Box Office & Business section on IMDb. Also, my advice is to read absolutely nothing about the film before seeing it, then see it and not stop - even if you may become bored or confused (no, really - you will become confused) before the credits roll.
Idoterne (1998) - if you're looking for a prime work of art in dogma, then Idioterne is probably the one exemplary title to name - it covers all the nooks and crannies of the genre and boasts zero censorship unlike von Trier's later works with Dogville in the lead.
Lilja 4-Ever (2002) - if there's a film to rival Requiem For A Dream's onslaught of mental anguish, then this is it. Moodysson (Swe), the director, doesn't speak a word of Russian, so the film had to be shot with total dependence on on-set translators (the main character - Oksana Akinshina - is the Russian equivalent of what Elijah Wood used to be in terms of becoming a promising A-class actress).
Dark Star (1974) - John Carpenter's student film, which almost made me fall asleep twenty times before the end, but eventually made up for all the amateurishness (even the inflatable-ball-for-an-alien) with the final few scenes. 2001: A Space Odyssey was inspired by this, btw.
Hollywood rarities:
After Hours (1985) - in my opinion, easily Scorsese's best flick gone largely unnoticed for some reason - possibly because of the creative and financial depression the director was in at the time.
The Conversation (1974) - went relatively unnoticed as a wedge between the Godfather films' overshadow; a perfect example of character analysis with the excellent 70s touch. Pay very close attentition to the movement of the camera in the closing shot.
Now post your nominees.
edit: edited out misleading/badly phrased parts
My favourites:
23 - the only Hacker movie that deserves this name. Closely based on a true story! Get it now!!! That's an order. Forget Swordfish, forget Wargames, forget Hackers... this is the real thing. Authentic to the bone, including exploitation, espionage, paranoia and loss of perspective. An absolute must see!
Memento - uses the medium "Film" most creatively and is extremely captivating. Very moody. Film about a man with amnesia trying to find th emurderer and rapist of his wife, armed only with messages and reminders tattooed onto his body and a polaroid camera to take pictures and make notes. The film runs backwards, scene by scene, so the viewer is left in the dark just as much as the protagonist.
Okay, some others, possibly unavailable in English:
Nichts bereuen - German film with Daniel Brühl about someone's first love and first experiences with relationships. A great mix of romance and quite a bit of comic relief. A very mody and emotional picture, perfectly captures the angst of realizing that virginhood may not be easy to escape.
Goodbye Lenin - great satire (with Daniel Brühl again) about two grown up kids trying to uphold the illusion of a still intact German Democratic Republic ("East Germany") for their mother who woke up from a coma during which the old regime crumbled and the nations were reunited. Somewhat aclimatic end, but great satire all along. Great use of symbols and brands from the East and the West.
Kampfansage - one of the very few german martial arts movies, and it's really good. Excellent choreography and stunts. Produced by Action Concept, the team behind the popular series "Alarm für Cobra 11" (a series where an insane amount of cars & trucks blows up each episode). Kampfansage has less explosions, but nice fighting styles (prominently features various styles of Kali) and characters that feel alive and authentic.
So weit die Füße tragen - epic story about a german prisoner of war who escapes a mining camp on the far north-east tip of Siberia and flees homeward (almost exclusively) on foot. Beautiful scenery, interesting characters and a depressing finale when the man gets home and has been - of course! - presumed dead for several years. A bit like the German equivalent of "Cast Away", only with more "Cast Awayness" and less love story. Film contains the most emotional scene about what losing one's dog can mean when it's the only soul you've been with for months. Great screenplay.
Wie Feuer und Flamme - movie about a West Berlin girl in love with an East Berlin punk rocker, during times when The Wall was still up. Great pictures and a very realistic depiction of conservative West German media intentionally misinterpreting the East's youths' struggle to create a new "concept of the enemy" in NATO-allegiant West Germany. German equivalent of "Uptown girl"; very true story, very emotional. Great use of ruined industry buildings as romantic backgrounds.
[Edited by - Thygrrr on August 8, 2006 5:02:53 PM]
23 - the only Hacker movie that deserves this name. Closely based on a true story! Get it now!!! That's an order. Forget Swordfish, forget Wargames, forget Hackers... this is the real thing. Authentic to the bone, including exploitation, espionage, paranoia and loss of perspective. An absolute must see!
Memento - uses the medium "Film" most creatively and is extremely captivating. Very moody. Film about a man with amnesia trying to find th emurderer and rapist of his wife, armed only with messages and reminders tattooed onto his body and a polaroid camera to take pictures and make notes. The film runs backwards, scene by scene, so the viewer is left in the dark just as much as the protagonist.
Okay, some others, possibly unavailable in English:
Nichts bereuen - German film with Daniel Brühl about someone's first love and first experiences with relationships. A great mix of romance and quite a bit of comic relief. A very mody and emotional picture, perfectly captures the angst of realizing that virginhood may not be easy to escape.
Goodbye Lenin - great satire (with Daniel Brühl again) about two grown up kids trying to uphold the illusion of a still intact German Democratic Republic ("East Germany") for their mother who woke up from a coma during which the old regime crumbled and the nations were reunited. Somewhat aclimatic end, but great satire all along. Great use of symbols and brands from the East and the West.
Kampfansage - one of the very few german martial arts movies, and it's really good. Excellent choreography and stunts. Produced by Action Concept, the team behind the popular series "Alarm für Cobra 11" (a series where an insane amount of cars & trucks blows up each episode). Kampfansage has less explosions, but nice fighting styles (prominently features various styles of Kali) and characters that feel alive and authentic.
So weit die Füße tragen - epic story about a german prisoner of war who escapes a mining camp on the far north-east tip of Siberia and flees homeward (almost exclusively) on foot. Beautiful scenery, interesting characters and a depressing finale when the man gets home and has been - of course! - presumed dead for several years. A bit like the German equivalent of "Cast Away", only with more "Cast Awayness" and less love story. Film contains the most emotional scene about what losing one's dog can mean when it's the only soul you've been with for months. Great screenplay.
Wie Feuer und Flamme - movie about a West Berlin girl in love with an East Berlin punk rocker, during times when The Wall was still up. Great pictures and a very realistic depiction of conservative West German media intentionally misinterpreting the East's youths' struggle to create a new "concept of the enemy" in NATO-allegiant West Germany. German equivalent of "Uptown girl"; very true story, very emotional. Great use of ruined industry buildings as romantic backgrounds.
[Edited by - Thygrrr on August 8, 2006 5:02:53 PM]
Aguirre: the Wrath of God: mainly a rarity here because it's a German film from 1972. It's one of the best movies I've seen. Very haunting and mesmorizing.
The Pentagon Wars. (1998) It was an HBO made Satire movie about the making of the Bradly fighting vehicle. It stars Kelsey Grammar and Carey Elwes. It came out on DVD recently.
Ravenous.
This movie is extremely unusual. It's dark, atmospheric, and just nails everything right. It sports one of the best film scores ever. Seriously, it's very unorthodox and accents the film in a unique way. I don't know what's up with that cover art on the IMDB page though, it was never there before (since it debuted) and has absolutely nothing to do with the movie.
This movie is extremely unusual. It's dark, atmospheric, and just nails everything right. It sports one of the best film scores ever. Seriously, it's very unorthodox and accents the film in a unique way. I don't know what's up with that cover art on the IMDB page though, it was never there before (since it debuted) and has absolutely nothing to do with the movie.
Ikiru - A classic, yet most Americans have never seen it. It's a simple story of a Japanese man who had never truly lived until he learns he's about to die.
Big Fish - Tim Burton's masterpiece. It enjoyed mild success in the box office, but only lasted a few weeks in most theatres and then died away into obscurity.
Requiem for a Dream - Possibly the most visually powerful film ever made, this movie captures the very essence of drug addiction and dependence. The fact that I never want to see this movie again proves just how much it haunts me. Absolutely horrifying, yet brilliant.
Big Fish - Tim Burton's masterpiece. It enjoyed mild success in the box office, but only lasted a few weeks in most theatres and then died away into obscurity.
Requiem for a Dream - Possibly the most visually powerful film ever made, this movie captures the very essence of drug addiction and dependence. The fact that I never want to see this movie again proves just how much it haunts me. Absolutely horrifying, yet brilliant.
Quote:
Dark Star (1974) - John Carpenter's student film, which almost made me fall asleep twenty times before the end, but eventually made up for all the amateurishness (even the inflatable-ball-for-an-alien) with the final few scenes. 2001: A Space Odyssey was inspired by this, btw.
How is that possible when 2001 came out in 1968?
I don't know if these are rarities, but I've not seen them around much:
Logan's Run
West World
Soylent Green
Author
Quote:Original post by SageofAgesQuote:
Dark Star (1974) - John Carpenter's student film, which almost made me fall asleep twenty times before the end, but eventually made up for all the amateurishness (even the inflatable-ball-for-an-alien) with the final few scenes. 2001: A Space Odyssey was inspired by this, btw.
How is that possible when 2001 came out in 1968?
I don't know if these are rarities, but I've not seen them around much:
Logan's Run
West World
Soylent Green
Silly me - you're right, of course. My brain messed up.
Logan's Run was big when it came out. Plus, it's been show to death on TCM, along with West World. Regardless, I love both. Can't comment on Soylent Green, though.
Speaking of Chriton's novels, I strongly advise everyone see Coma (1978).
A true rarity, that left an impression on me in the sense that it opened my eyes to what Visual Effects could do was DragonSlayer. Phil Tippett was in charge of the animation, and his abilities show.
Truly one of the best fantasy movies I've ever seen.
Unfortunately I think one needs the eyes of a child to see this movie, as I had the chance to see it again recently, and it doesn't seem to have aged well. Due to budget constraints the dragon doesn't appear all that often, which has the effect of placing all the support of the movie on character development, but too much of it can weight a movie down.
Then there are some classics that I never say no when I catch on TV, Big Trouble in Little China by John Carpenter, also his The Thing, etc...
I receive Cinefex every 3 months, and that shows how much I love the technical side of movie making, and would love to be a director one day, but that is a dream I dare not persue.
...and another movie I haven't seen in ages... Robocop!
Truly one of the best fantasy movies I've ever seen.
Unfortunately I think one needs the eyes of a child to see this movie, as I had the chance to see it again recently, and it doesn't seem to have aged well. Due to budget constraints the dragon doesn't appear all that often, which has the effect of placing all the support of the movie on character development, but too much of it can weight a movie down.
Then there are some classics that I never say no when I catch on TV, Big Trouble in Little China by John Carpenter, also his The Thing, etc...
I receive Cinefex every 3 months, and that shows how much I love the technical side of movie making, and would love to be a director one day, but that is a dream I dare not persue.
...and another movie I haven't seen in ages... Robocop!
Technically it's not a rarity as it got 4 Oscar nominations (including best director), but i'll add City of God to the list.
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