THE 'MOVIES YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE SEEN' THREAD

[Hecatoncheires]

SO THERE'S A SHIT-TON OF MOVIES OUT THERE, AND IT'S OFTEN HARD TO WEED OUT THE GEMS AMIDST THE SEA OF SHIT.

With that in mind, I thought I'd bring back one of those movie suggestion threads we used to do every so often. Theme of this one? Films you think are hype but that aren't all that well known.

LEMME KICK OFF WITH...

I'm not sure how much of an impact 'Bone Tomahawk' has made on the horror scene online; I know a bunch of folk were raving about it on 4chan for a bit, but outside of that I've not really seen it mentioned too often. Hoping I'm wrong on that, though, cos this is probably one of my favourite horror movies of 2015. It's a slow-burner, focused more on building a sense of dread than cheap scares, but when it gets going it really doesn't hold a lot back. Unlike a lot of horror films it also spends a lot of time developing and fleshing out its cast. Which means you actually give a shit about them when it all starts going horribly for them.

War documentaries often use a familiar similar formula to one another, which is why 'Armadillo' is genuinely refreshing. It follows the deployment of a group of Danish soldiers in Afghanistan and does a lot of things differently, ditching protracted interviews and an attempt to build a narrative around the events it documents. Instead it aims to place the viewer as close to the events as possible, to create an authentic experience rather than a story. The film-makers go to great lengths to maintain as invisible a presence as possible, giving the entire film this quasi-omniscient feeling. When the bullets start flying its also an incredibly visceral experience, managing to capture the proper experience of a modern firefight rather than the mythologised version we so often see instead.

The greatest of all Cold War satires. Probably the finest film Stanley Kubrick made. Damn thing's over half a century old now and its still funnier than the vast majority of the shite that passes for comedy these days. Earn some movie nerd cred and check it out if you haven't already.

I kinda thought that more people had seen this one, but it turns out plebs who ought to know better (LOOKING AT YOU @Kooriryu AND @Xnijmai) have not. Hence its inclusion. I know Edgar Wright is seen as the king of modern British genre-comedy (and rightly so), but Joe Cornish definitely deserves a title for this film. It's also the film that put John Boyega of Star Wars fame on the map. CHECK IT OOT.

* * *​

That's me for now, but if you have any suggestions of your own throw them up and tell us why.

 

[Grothnor]

Brick

It's a neo-noir film. It's good. I dunno what else to tell you.

 

[foodforpigs]

Here are two b-movies in my collection that I don't think are well known.

From the description of the trailer video:

Detailed Plot:
A vigilante homeless man pulls into a new city and finds himself trapped in urban chaos, a city where crime rules and where the city's crime boss reigns. Seeing an urban landscape filled with armed robbers, corrupt cops, abused prostitutes and even a pedophile Santa, the Hobo goes about bringing justice to the city the best way he knows how - with a 20-gauge shotgun. Mayhem ensues when he tries to make things better for the future generation.

This movie isn't supposed to make sense, but it definitely has an other-worldliness feel to it. I can't even remember the plot.

 

[Kooriryu]

The entire soundtrack of this movie is some shit I still listen to because: fuck you it's good

And this... this I had the fortune to watch when Blockbuster was still a thing and finding something in its original language with english subtitles was a miracle; also when DVDs were being introduced

EDIT:

And fuck y'all Batteries Not Included is some shit that should be part of Home Classics

 

[Grothnor]

Hobo with a Shotgun

I liked how the movie was shot in technicolor (which, in case you don't know, means the movie was shot in black and white, then colored afterwards. Lots of early color films were done this way and tend to have much more vibrant pallets than regular color movies, something Hobo with a Shotgun does for some artistic effect).

 

[Astaroth]

Grumpy y u do dis

Alright motherfuckers, time to get good.

We'll start with my most recent find:

Stonehearst Asylum (2014)

Normally I would never touch a movie with "asylum" in the title with a ten foot pole. It was on Netflix, I was bored, and a friend of mine (@Jack Shade) was curious about it. We agreed to give it a whirl, expecting it to be terrible (and hoping it was the funny kind of terrible). Instead, we got a surprisingly good film with very interesting social commentary about mental health and the stigma of mental illness that manages to bridge the gap to a modern era despite being a period piece. Also it stars Jim Sturgess, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Kingsley, Michael Caine, and David Thewlis. Ben Kingsley basically KILLS with his performance. Seriously why the fuck wasn't this movie in theaters?

I discovered this movie under similar circumstances:


The Art of the Steal (2013)

It's hands-down the best heist movie I've seen in a long time. Kurt Russell is essentially Evil Knievel and an art thief. All of the dialogue is golden.



Now for something older:


Ball of Fire (1941)

It stars Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper, which is kind of like saying a modern movie stars Christian Bale and Scarlet Johansson. It's wacky as fuck. Gary Cooper plays a professor of linguistics who lives in what amounts to an academic monastery and invites Barbara Stanwyck, who is a slinky and streetwise nightclub singer, to stay with them so he can study slang. She agrees because she's hiding from the police who want to ask about her mobster boyfriend. It's like Snow White and the Seven Dwarves had a baby with the '40s.


F for Fake (1973)

A documentary of sorts about frauds and fakery, particularly art forgery. Written, directed by, and starring Orson Welles. Saying too much would ruin the experience.


Mean Guns (1997)

It's a 90's movie about a bunch of shitty people fighting to the death. Starring the Highlander, Ice-T, and mambo music.


A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)

Don't be fooled by the hammy trailer. This movie is subtle psychological horror at its finest, with a bit of supernatural elements thrown in just for the extra mindfuck. It's one of my favorite movies and it's directed/written by Kim Jee-woon. The same guy who made this blackest of black comedies:


The Quiet Family (1998)

This movie is about an extended family who start up a bed and breakfast only to be plagued with the terrible luck of their first guest committing suicide. They proceed to do the sane, natural thing to do in that scenario. (Hint: It's not going to the police.) It only gets more fucked up from there. It was remade by the infamous Japanese director Takashi Miike of Ichi the Killer and Audition fame as this piece of work:


The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001)

Basically, Takashi Miike took the incredibly dark and fucked-up original concept and reworked it to be a goofy, violently Japanese horror/comedy/musical with dancing zombies, pop culture references, and a claymation opening scene that would give Tim Burton nightmares. It's a unique experience.

Speaking of unique experiences...


Braindead/Dead Alive (1992)

Ever hear of Peter Jackson? Forget LotR; this was the first Peter Jackson movie I saw. It was also the first zombie movie I ever saw, and let me tell you. It set the bar so high that nothing has ever come close to meeting the standard.


Léon: The Professional (1994)

If Dr. Strangelove counts as an unknown movie, so does this. This was Natalie Portman's debut at age 12 where she shows crazy-impressive acting chops. It's a depressing buddy/revenge movie about a professional hitman and a 12-year-old orphan girl. Gary Oldman also stars as the corrupt DEA agent villain. This movie will make you sob like a baby when you hear Shape of My Heart by Sting, if you didn't already.


Okay yeah, if I'm not careful I'll go on forever. So I should stop. But I'll end on an old childhood fave:

Ladyhawke (1985)

Despite Matthew Broderick's presence, I love everything about this movie. It's a fantasy/fairytale classic, with Rutger Hauer being a badass and Michelle Pfeiffer pulling off this weird mix of ethereal and earthy even though she has only a few scenes. Also I challenge you to listen to the soundtrack and not imagine yourself riding a horse into the sunset mysteriously every time.

 

[Space Cowboy]

Brick was one of the first movies to come to mind!

 

[Space Cowboy]

I FOUND MORE.

 

[ᴛᴏᴄᴋᴀ]

And fuck y'all Batteries Not Included is some shit that should be part of Home Classics

Apparently you weren't an 80's kid. =/ They used to play the hell out of Batteries not Included, along with Cocoon. I think they just liked all the old people.

Freaky movie. That's all I can say about that one. It's really the only obscure movie that I know of. Most of the others either sucked, or everyone has at least heard about them in passing.

 

[Kooriryu]

Uh... no shit I'm not a 80s kids. I was still learning to shit into a tiny, toddler-sized toilet in the 80s.

There's probably some kind of Dadaist, surrealism bullshit critical analytical nostalgic review I could make but this shit is just something you'd have to witness, like The Room.

 

[Shiri]

Okay, I know that Westerns are way past their prime and were done to death when they were popular, but this movie and the sequel are worth at least a glance. Its your typical outlaw movie only your main character, Trinity, is a failure of an outlaw. He's supposed to be a bandit and a horse thief, but anytime he sees someone having a hard time he goes out of his way to help them. He even gives back the reward money that he gets for helping people! That sort of plot would be flat from goody-goody if it wasn't for the fact that his gorilla of an outlaw brother gets pulled into the mix. He grudgingly helps his younger brother though his methods are...uhhh, more brutal. Its not a particularly deep plot, as its the typical religious settlement being trod on by a billionaire, but it is a fun movie.

This is that horror movie Disney made that tends to be forgotten. Watch it. Its shocking how well Disney handled the horror genre. Most of the film has little no music so it really lets that creepy atmosphere sink in. The acting feels strange but I almost feel like they did it on purpose to add to the chilling factor. I can't really put my finger on it, its...unsettling somehow. I want to see more horror from Disney. The potential is there.

This movie is so bad that its good. Don't worry, the movie doesn't take itself serious either. I feel like its one of those movies that movie buffs know about, but gets passed by by the casual movie watchers and that's a shame.

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

Not sure how popular some of people consider these.
I'm just going by what movies I've never seen anyone talk about outside of whatever friend(s) may have introduced me to it.

Basically a number of human beings are found to have Immortality. And for... reasons they must fight each other to the death. The winner gaining any one wish. This movie specifically follows Connor MacLoead of Scottland as he discovers this, get's mentored by a fellow Immortal and goes from medieval times right up to the modern era. It's not too much of a serious movie, but it's a fun one.

For gods sake do not watch the 2nd.

Tired of those Holiday films that shove Christmas spirit down your throat as if you're being stuffed like a turkey? Then how about a movie about professional thieves where a mall Santa is depicted as a drunk, promiscuous and a swearing sailor?

Leonardo Dicaprio, Christopher Walken and Tom Hanks.
It mostly revolves around Leonardo playing a Conman who uses his skills to impersonate a number of careers like pilot and doctor, forge millions of dollars in cheques and how one Investigator played by Tom Hank is spending years trying to chase him down.

Takes place if your typical poor neighbourhood. And this covers one Korean War Veteran played by Clint Eastwood in his retirement on his own. His wife is dead, the rest of his family only see's him as a payday once he dies. So he spends most of his time alone until he decided to chase off a Gang harassing his neighbours. He suddenly becomes a hero of the neighbourhood (despite his requests to be left alone) and the movie centers around how he warms up to them (one boy in particular... No not in that way!) and dealing with the Gang harassing them getting more and more restless.

 

[Space Cowboy]

 

[Kooriryu]

... I hate you, so much, for putting that fucking movie back into my mind Seiji.

I don't even care that this is an irrelevant post. I HAD THAT OUT OF MY MIND BUT OH NO, NO, YOU HAD TO DREDGE THAT THEFUCK BACK UP.

 

[Shiri]

Probably anyone who watched Sci-Fi Channel in the '90s saw this series. After the '90s, not so much. Its a low budget puppet horror series as you can probably tell from the title. The first 3 movies are pretty good and the rest...eh, I could probably live without. The puppets are quirky in the way that Gremlins are, just more gory. I only recently heard that there's a game being developed. Looks kind of fun in a nostalgic way.

 

[Astaroth]

@Gwazi Magnum

Where the hell have you been that Highlander and Gran Torino are unknown movies??????

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

@Gwazi Magnum

Where the hell have you been that Highlander and Gran Torino are unknown movies??????

I'm more just going by how often I've heard people talk about it. Because that's my main gauge as to if a movie is well known or not.
And the only people I've heard talk about those movies, are the same people who introduced me to it, or I introduced them to.

 

[SlamifiedBuddafied]

A lot of great movies here that should be seen.
But I ask. Why oh why has no one put up the legendary trilogy of the Man with No Name?

And let us not forget the one and the only...

What can I say, I'm a huge Clint Eastwood fan. While I'm at it...

Million Dollar Baby, Bloodwork and Heartbreak Ridge are all excellent movies.

And there are others.

A whole bunch of trailers

 

[Brovo]

Funny, @Grumpy I watched Attack the Block just two days ago. I fucking loved it. Moses was is fuckin' great.

Anyway, I'm a sci-fi nut, and tend to be attracted to B-Grade stuff, so I got plenty of both that I'm fairly sure most people don't know about, or have at least forgotten.

#1: Starship Troopers: Invasion.

A surprisingly watchable entry in the otherwise terribly beleaguered franchise that never quite got its groove back after the original Starship Troopers film. They tried multiple times to kick start Starship Troopers into a series, and failed pretty miserably on every attempt. (Albeit, Starship Troopers: Roughnecks was cutting edge CGI for its time, and pushed the envelope for what computers could do. Damn shame the show itself had to suffer from systemic budget concerns and mediocre voice acting.) This is the only other Starship Troopers-related franchise material I'd recommend people to, under the caveat that you don't expect much from it other than the B-Grade budget it had on hand at the time to produce something with. It does feature both marines blowing apart the Bugs, and the Bugs doing clever and Machiavellian things to fuck up the Marines. Get some plotcorn and enjoy your fairly dumb but admirably made action movie.

Also, it's on Netflix, so if you want to give it a spin there, go for it.

#2: Appleseed.

Again, another sci-fi franchise that decided to experiment with how CGI is generally done, but this time from the other side of the pond. It features decent voice acting, well done action sequences, and a well developed universe that takes several cues from Ghost in the Machine's premise and themes. Can't guarantee you'll enjoy the animation (it's a mixed bag: Some love it, some hate it) but it's definitely different enough to recommend giving it a go.

#3: Blue Gender.

Do you like science fiction? Do you like romance? Do you like brutal, gory anime? If you checkmarked these boxes, go find a copy of Blue Gender lying around somewhere. Hell, you can probably find it for free viewing on YouTube, Funimation has basically given up entirely on trying to control the licence, or even giving a shit about it, because so few people care. Seriously. It's just that much of an unknown at this point. The ending is disappointing, so be forewarned, while you do technically get a "conclusion", it leaves a lot to be desired. Beyond that, the voice acting is actually admirable (albeit admittedly in English there are a couple of poor performances), and the world itself is extremely interesting and quite macabre. It tries to explore aspects of the human condition most shows tend to ignore, which, warning, includes human sexuality, so, you know, nudity is a thing in this show.

Although, if you're put off by the nudity, but not the extraordinary levels of graphic violence, decapitations, body horrors, and so on, you've uh... You got odd priorities there.

Also, yes, there's a movie. Skip it. It's terrible. It's really, truly terrible, even by B-Grade standards. Yes, this does mean I'm cheating the movie list with a TV show, but this is a TV show you should binge watch like one long movie anyway.

#4: Galaxy Quest.

A sci-fi comedy that has been largely forgotten over the years, but which is still genuinely funny and at times, even heartfelt. Features performances by great actors, including the late and great Alan Rickman. It looks, talks, and quacks like a Star Trek parody, and often finds itself escalating over and above the quality typically presented in a single episode of Star Trek. It's lovingly crafted, and begs for you to enjoy it. Don't pretend it's an extremely heady movie though: It's pure comedy, plain and simple, no head games.

#5: Moon.

Miiight be cheating with this one, because for an indie film, it took off quite well, but I'm nonetheless recommending it whole heartedly. This is far more of a heady film than others on this list, and is emotionally compelling if a bit slow to get started. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it profusely, and it would be criminal for me not to mention it. I would show you the trailer, but the fucking trailer spoils the main plot twist, so, you know, avoid it. If you're going to watch this, go into it with no expectations, and put yourself in the protagonist's shoes, and you'll have a good time.

Bonus: The Worst Movie I Have Ever Watched

#6: The Greatest Miracle.

Never in my entire life did I feel more tortured than watching this. I feel no shame in spoiling the deranged shit that this movie tries to teach you for you. Bring a cell phone to church? Demons are going to pop out of it and shove pitchforks in your head until an angel tells them to fuck off by wrecking your cell signal. Sexy women? They exist solely to drag you into corners of the church to (presumably) have evil evil sex. Your family is dying? God loves you, that's why he gave your brother/uncle/whatever cancer, because fuck you, movie said so.

Seriously, this movie was so shit, that it became hilarious. Its lip syncing is non-existent. People do weird clip face things. It's like watching a 10 year old record two hours of The Sims 2 and attach random Catholic monologue to it. It's one of the most fantastically horrible movies I've ever seen.

Ever.

Ever!

And I go out of my way to watch shitty b-grade budget films! Seriously, this movie is fucking worse than Food Fight! It's not even a movie! I swear!

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

Not exactly a movie (but might as well be cause it's just three episodes that pick up right off from one another).
But if horrible media counts...

It's a Dub, the dialog makes no sense, it doesn't understand the concept of tone, grammar... Or anything about the English language.
The plot is just kind of... "Look Goose! Look Wings! Fighting!".

Watch this if you just want a laugh at something completely awful.