Jump to content

Obscure movie recommendations?


Sinewav
 Share

Recommended Posts

Wow. Lots of good suggestions. I don't think I've ever had this many IMDB tabs open at once. Thanks guys.

After taking out what I've already seen, what I know Blockbuster has in stock localyl, and what I'm simply not in the mood for at the moment (though I'll probably try to check out most of these at some point), I have narrowed the list down to...

The General

Grave of the Fireflies

Zatoichi (2003 version)

Chocolate

Six-String Samurai

Trust

The Calamari Wrestler

Rock & Rule

Black Dynamite

Which one do you guys think I should watch? (Well, watch first. Like I said before, I'll probably try to check out most of the stuff recommended in this thread)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My brother loves that movie, but I've never seen it. The only Hal Hartley I've seen is The Book of Life, and that was because of PJ Harvey (I <3 her 800 times). I thought it was a good movie though - he has a really interesting style of very stiff acting and fourth-wall breaking but he's also extremely sincere at the same time, which I like a lot.

I remember The Amateur being amusing; I like Hartley in general BUT I love Trust. Definitely recommend it, sort of his hallmark film. Really sad about Adrienne Shelly and the whole fake-suicide murder thing...

1. Inland Empire (Lynch)

2. Mulholland Dr. (Lynch)

3. Mirror (Tarkovsky)

4. Stalker (Tarkovsky)

...

10. Paris, Texas (Wenders)

I'm with you on the Lynch, not so much the Tarkovsky. Regarding Paris, Texas - I agree, really an amazing experience, BUT, a warning: you need to watch it uninterrupted, with zero distractions, and your full focus. Otherwise it's completely ruined, in my opinion.

Actually, these are all a little artsy-fartsy, but the requirement was obscure, not necessarily non-mainstream. Allow me to recommend then one of my very favorite films and Albert Brooks' magnum opus, the highly underrated Defending Your Life. I do so love it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The whole full-attention, zero distractions thing is what worries me. For some reason, my attention span has been insanely short lately, and I don't want that ruining what would be an otherwise enjoyable film. Those movies sound pretty cool though. I'll definitely put them on my list of things to watch in the near future.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok, so, this is kind of my cup of tea, even though I see this as a favorites thread in disguise. In any case, here are my recommendations:

- Audition

- Returner (not bad)

- Brother (with Beat Takeshi)

- A Trip to Karabakh

- Oldboy (as mentioned by Skypo)

- Ichi the Killer (not really obscure)

There are many others, but none are coming to mind. I will add more when I remember.

Also, looks like Man from Earth might be good (as recommended by Stan Burdman).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I remember The Amateur being amusing; I like Hartley in general BUT I love Trust. Definitely recommend it, sort of his hallmark film. Really sad about Adrienne Shelly and the whole fake-suicide murder thing...

Thanks! I'll check it out.

I'm with you on the Lynch, not so much the Tarkovsky. Regarding Paris, Texas - I agree, really an amazing experience, BUT, a warning: you need to watch it uninterrupted, with zero distractions, and your full focus. Otherwise it's completely ruined, in my opinion.

Yeah, the first time I saw that I did that. I'm really glad I had that experience, because I don't think I'd like the movie nearly as much if not for that. It's definitely better for me to watch films alone, because if I watch it with someone else I get really worried about whether they'll like it or not and keep explaining obvious things to them.

Any Tarkovsky films are worth subsequent viewings at least for the visuals. He's a director that might come off as overly obscure or pretentious and didactic at first, but the way he captures the world and nature especially is amazing and unlike any other director.

Actually, these are all a little artsy-fartsy, but the requirement was obscure, not necessarily non-mainstream. Allow me to recommend then one of my very favorite films and Albert Brooks' magnum opus, the highly underrated Defending Your Life. I do so love it.

I don't really know what constitutes obscure and doesn't, so I was just listing my favorites in general.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Obscure?

That's a subjective nut to crack, you know.

At any rate, Waking Life hasn't been mentioned yet, so get that. Think: rotoscoping and philosophy.

Edit, post thread-reading.

Grave of the Fireflies

That's the only one I've seen on that list, so I obviously can't compare. However, I cried harder during one scene in that movie than I have ever cried in my entire life. It won't affect everyone the same way, though, so your mileage may vary. Regardless, it's definitely one to watch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Obscure?

That's a subjective nut to crack, you know.

Really, I'm thinking just anything that might not be in stock at Blockbuster. You guys are apparently doing a really good job, as I printed off a list, and not even the mail order service was carrying a good number of these movies. I wound up getting Chocolate (just about everything else was unavailable for some reason).

Feel free to keep the suggestions coming though. The discussion here is great, and it's really putting me in the mood to track some more of these down. I actually downloaded and am watching "The General" right now per Skrypnyk's recommendation... so far it's absolutely fantastic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sleuth [1972] is a great mystery movie featuring stellar performances by Michael Caine and Sir Laurence Olivier. It's one of my favorite movies, but I don't think many people have seen this masterpiece.

And if you like mystery/detective movies with all kinds of plot twists and turns, I also recommend Palmetto [1998]. Sure, the IMDb ratings are quite low, but I thought this movie was really entertaining.

The Host/Gwoemul [2006] is an impressive Korean monster movie. What I like about this movie is that while there certainly are quite a few special effects-heavy scenes, there is also room for character development and quirky humorous situations.

I have to go now, but I'll try to post a few more later.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alright, here's a few more:

The Monster Squad [1987]. A fun horror comedy featuring classic monsters like Count Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and The Wolfman. If I had seen this when I was a kid, I'm sure this would've been one of my favorite movies! It has a nice 80's vibe and is highly recommended if you like movies like Gremlins and The Goonies.

The same director (Fred Dekker) also created Night of the Creeps [1986], a fine tongue-in-cheek scifi/horror movie that deserved more credit than it received.

I don't know if this qualifies as obscure, but The Man Who Would Be King [1975] is also highly recommended. This film is a well-made blend of action, adventure, drama and (quite dark) comedy.

Do you like zombie movies? Do you like nazi movies? Well, how about a movie that features zombie nazis? Dead Snow/Død snø [2009] delivers just that. This movie takes a while to get going, but when the slaughter commences it really goes over the top and it's all the better because of that.

Speaking of zombie movies, this may sound strange but I've always felt that Assault on Precinct 13 [1976] resembled a zombie movie, but with gang members instead of zombies. It's an atmospheric, suspenseful early John Carpenter film.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alright, here's a few more:

The Monster Squad [1987]. A fun horror comedy featuring classic monsters like Count Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and The Wolfman. If I had seen this when I was a kid, I'm sure this would've been one of my favorite movies! It has a nice 80's vibe and is highly recommended if you like movies like Gremlins and The Goonies.

The same director (Fred Dekker) also created Night of the Creeps [1986], a fine tongue-in-cheek scifi/horror movie that deserved more credit than it received.

I don't know if this qualifies as obscure, but The Man Who Would Be King [1975] is also highly recommended. This film is a well-made blend of action, adventure, drama and (quite dark) comedy.

Do you like zombie movies? Do you like nazi movies? Well, how about a movie that features zombie nazis? Dead Snow/Død snø [2009] delivers just that. This movie takes a while to get going, but when the slaughter commences it really goes over the top and it's all the better because of that.

Speaking of zombie movies, this may sound strange but I've always felt that Assault on Precinct 13 [1976] resembled a zombie movie, but with gang members instead of zombies. It's an atmospheric, suspenseful early John Carpenter film.

Dead Snow was awesome... saw it with a friend and we both nearly asphyxiated from laughter (the crazed, let's-kill-stuff, testosterone fueled kind of laughter). So much fun.

I definitely agree with you on Assault on Precinct 13 feeling like a zombie movie. It was a good movie as well.

Haven't seen any of the other you recommended, by they all sparked my interest. I love movies with a strong 80s vibe, and just about anything well made that's tongue in cheek. I'll see if I can find them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Two words: Machine Girl. It is one of the most hysterical over the top action gore films I've ever seen. The basic idea is that a girl has her arm cut off, and is taken in by friendly mechanics who give her a machine gun for an arm. Hilarity ensues.

The same team is also making a movie called Robo Geisha that I am excitedly waiting for. It's called Robo Geisha, I don't think I need to say much more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...