Last week, I asked about the top three “important” films that you just couldn’t watch, and I confessed that I don’t have the energy for so-called masterpieces like Apocalypse Now.
Now … I’m flipping the script. Oh, snap! Now I want to talk about our favorite “under-popular” movies. By “under-popular,” I mean films we love that haven’t quite become “classics.” Or films that were huge in their day–and that we still adore—but have been forgotten by the people at large.
After the jump, I’ll reveal my top three. Do you agree? Think I’m mental? A little of both? And what are your choices? I wanna know…
(1) The Truman Show — Good lord, this movie is brilliant. It’s so much more than a media satire or a Jim Carrey vehicle. It’s surprising and soaring and profound. And funny. And Laura Linney-ish. Can I have it’s baby?
I’ve already written about why Truman is my jam, so I’d just like to reiterate… genius. I’d sacrifice fifteen Gwyneth Paltrow movies if I could just go back in time and give this a Best Picture Oscar.
(2) Clue — Look, people… I know this movie has fans and that its enjoys the occasional participatory screening, but I want more. I want full-blown, Rocky Horror-level cult status, and I want it now.
If you haven’t seen Clue in a while, take another look: The comedy is fizzy, smart, and brilliantly paced, and every single one of the actors (from Tim Curry to Madeline Kahn) gives a stellar performance. Anyone who wants to know what effortless, madcap humor looks like should buy this DVD right away. (Bonus points for the three endings, each more satisfying than the last.)
(3) Children of Men — Two years ago, this sci-fi masterpiece, about a world where humans have lost the ability to reproduce, got unfairly lost in the Oscar shuffle. It’s in the IMDb’s Top 250 of all time, but it should still be more popular. If you haven’t seen it, watch it for the scene where Julianne Moore and Clive Owen are playing with a ping pong ball in their car. Shot in a single take and with nothing but “natural” sound, it’s a terrifying, utterly believable sequence that I could watch again and again.
Your turn! Which “under-popular” movies are you rooting for?
31 responses so far ↓
1 rev s // Jan 21, 2009 at 2:13 pm
The Signal – It was a hit at Sundance but Magnolia Pictures screwed up a wide release after a panicked maneuver in response to the release Saw IV. Only a few weeks on a couple of hundred screens caused this smart and scary triptych of a horror/thriller to pass unnoticed.
2 Wendy Spear // Jan 21, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Mark, I’m so very glad you asked. “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” is by far one of the best movies at all time. It has Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton as star-crossed lovers and Deom Deluise as the overzealous media hound! It is funny, smart and just a little bit sexy, “but there’s nothing dirty goin on!” Go watch it today!
3 Anonymous // Jan 21, 2009 at 2:24 pm
I saw your facebook status, and ‘clue’ was the first movie that came to mind… where was the 20th ann. special edition dvd??
4 Mark Blankenship // Jan 21, 2009 at 2:32 pm
“Best Little Whorehouse!” Amazing. I loved that movie when I saw it, but I haven’t thought about it in years. Charles Durning got an Oscar nomination for it (!), yet it certainly doesn’t get enough love these days.
And Rev. … I haven’t even heard of The Signal. Thanks for the tip.
5 Carl // Jan 21, 2009 at 2:58 pm
I know some people find it pretentious, but I believe MY DINNER WITH ANDRE is the finest film ever made. And, it’s not even available on DVD! It really did change the way I thought about art, and a life in art. I’ve seen it maybe twenty times, and it alwasy informs me in some way. I would love to see it again – but, I don’t have a VCR player.
6 Laura Mc. // Jan 21, 2009 at 3:29 pm
1. Junior. Ah-nohld pregnant is hilairous, and I don’t care if Emma Thompson is too classy to admit she ever made this film. I LOVE IT!
2. Danielle Steele flicks always amuse. Annette O’Toole in “Jewels.” I sit there totally engaged for all 12 million hourse of this mini-series.
3. Finally. The remake of “A Little Princess.” So beautiful and touching, and I feel like I am the only one who’s even seen it! When the father cries in the rain in the end, I bawl like a 3 year old!
7 Rey // Jan 21, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Hey Mark… Rarely respond to these types of things, but it does consistently sadden me to see great (in my humble opinion) films go under-recognized.
Descriptions courtesy WikiPedia (except for my douche comment, lol.)
In no particular order…
LONE STAR by John Sayles starring Chris Cooper and Elizabeth Peña. In this ensemble piece, director Sayles tells the story of several residents of a small Texas border town. At the forefront of film is the investigation of the death of Charlie Wade (Kris Kristofferson), the sheriff who disappeared decades earlier, and whose skeleton is found on a former Army shooting range. Sam Deeds (Chris Cooper), the current sheriff, takes it upon himself to uncover the truth about Wade’s death. Despite warnings from other residents, Deeds presses on, convinced that his father, the much-loved Buddy Deeds (Matthew McConaughey – before he became such a douche), was somehow involved. In the process, he reconnects with a former love, Pilar Cruz (Elizabeth Peña). Delmore Payne (Joe Morton), the new commander of the local army base, must come to terms with a father who abandoned him and a son who does not wish to follow in his footsteps. Mercedes Cruz (Míriam Colón), a prominent member of the Hispanic community, is forced to deal with a past that she thought was long forgotten.
THE VANISHING is a French/Netherlands film (NOT the U.S. version which sucked it hard) adaptation of the novella The Golden Egg by Tim Krabbé, released October 27, 1988. Directed by George Sluizer, the film is about a young Dutch girl named Saskia Wagter (Johanna ter Steege) who disappears from a rest stop along a highway in rural France; her lover, Rex Hofmann (Gene Bervoets), cannot accept her disappearance and embarks on an obsessive search for her spanning years.
INSOMNIA (again, not the U.S. version, though it wasn’t half-bad) tells the story of a cross-border collaboration between Swedish and Norwegian police to hunt down the killer of a seventeen-year-old girl in the city of Tromsø far up in the Norwegian Arctic. The investigation goes horribly wrong when police officer Jonas Engström (Stellan Skarsgård) mistakenly shoots his partner (Sverre Anker Ousdal) and subsequently attempts to cover up his bungle. The title of the film refers to Engström’s inability to sleep, the result of both his guilt and the relentless glare of the midnight sun.
Honorable mention:
SAFE is the story of Carol White and her husband Greg living with their son in the San Fernando Valley. She begins to get strangely sick, reacting to various things in her surroundings and attempts changing her diet and habits. Her doctor cant find anything medically amiss and she consults with a psychiatric physician. She collapses one day and she and a doctor figure out she does a mild allergy. She begins to seek answers to her growing illness…
Thanks!
Rey
8 Mark Blankenship // Jan 21, 2009 at 4:07 pm
You know, Carl, I’ve never seen “My Dinner With Andre,” but your comment makes me wish I had.
And Rey: Thank you for reminding me of “Lone Star,” a movie I watched six or seven times in high school. I loved it (and bought the VHS). I need to re-watch. And it’s strange to remember that Matthew “Bongos” McConaughey was ever in brilliant indie films. It’s a long way from “Lone Star” and “Dazed and Confused” to “I’m Screwing Kate Hudson on a Pirate Ship!”
And Laura… “Junior,” huh? Really? I never would have thought, but now I’m intrigued.
9 timothy // Jan 21, 2009 at 5:20 pm
The Descent is the best horror film made in the last 20 years.
Audition is possibly the most seminal, artistic and beautifully disturbing films that lead to a wave of “torture porn”
Session 9 is one of those rare independent horror films, and it is truly amazing. these are three amazing horror films.
The Signal is pretty good and you should like, Mark, because it is made by three Atlanta film makers who were each given there own part of the movie to tell. but ultimately it is far from a classic.
and i know people love Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but i it is underappreciated. It is seriously one of the best films ever made, and i am not hyperbolizing. it is absolutely genius, a perfect film. should have won the oscar that year, hell it wasn’t even nominated for crissakes. people don’t talk about it until i say, ‘i love that movie” and then they say “yeah, i forgot about that movie, i love it, too!” oh yeah, prove it!
10 Carol Elaine // Jan 21, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Mark, I’m completely with you on Clue. I have an unholy love for that movie and agree it should get the Rocky Horror Picture Show treatment. And the shot you mention in Children of Men is amazing.
Rey, I’ve got the Criterion DVD of Insomnia in the the DVD player. Still need to see the end, though, as my honey and I started watching it late at night. Really good thus far.
Johnny Dangerously falls in the under-appreciated category for me. Eminently quotable and funny as hell. “Those fargin’ bastiches!”
11 Sarah // Jan 21, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Dancer Texas, population 81 – such a great, understated little movie. The pace is so laid back, and it makes you realize that each of the young men in it has some acting chops of their own. It’s a rare “coming of age”-type movie where no one dies!
Sliding Doors – The best romantic comedy ever – so creative. I force it on everyone that I can.
Three Amigos – so under-loved, but deserving of Tommy Boy status in my book.
12 TRAYB // Jan 21, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Mark: I love “Clue”! It’s way overdue for a “Rocky Horror”-style revival, which would make all my “Clue”-quoting friends quite happy.
As for under-popular films, my pick is “The Iron Giant,” the animated masterpiece from 1999. It was directed by Brad Bird, who went on to make “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille,” but got zero support from Warner Brothers when it was released and was a box-office flop. A shame, because I think it’s one of the best animated pictures ever made, with a thought-provoking plot and beautiful visuals.
13 Brianne // Jan 21, 2009 at 6:58 pm
I would say “Soapdish” which I love in the same way I love “Clue.”
14 Mark Blankenship // Jan 21, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Get out! I originally had “Soapdish” in this post, but I replaced it with “Clue!” Are we related?
15 stephanie // Jan 21, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Overboard. Totally not kidding. And everyone should see Cinema Paradiso.
16 funtime42 // Jan 21, 2009 at 7:55 pm
I’ve been on a Canadian film kick lately, and thoroughly enjoyed “Men with Brooms” because who wouldn’t enjoy a comedy about curling? Paul Gross and Leslie Nielson are great.
“Whilby Wonderful” – a lovely little independent from Canada also starring Paul Gross. It’s so quietly done, and I think was seen by about 15 people, (most of whom are probably related to the cast), but it echoes beautifully.
17 Carl Forsman // Jan 21, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Mark – I cannot believe you;ve never seen MY DINNER WITH ANDRE. That blows my mind! There should be apetition to get it out on DVD somewhere, right?
If we are talking animated classics TRAYB, you absolutely HAVE to talk about Disney’s ROBIN HOOD, which everyone I care about quotes from once a year. Brian Bedford and Peter Ustinov? It’s still very funny, and surprisingly moving…
18 Adrienne // Jan 21, 2009 at 11:00 pm
So nice to see the Texas Indie Movie love here (Dancer, Tx, Lonestar, Iron Giant, etc.) And SPEAKING of movies with Texas roots, I think Rushmore is underappreciated. Wes Anderson is becoming a parody of himself of late, but that movie is so touching and the people in it are so weird… I love it.
19 Tom // Jan 21, 2009 at 11:33 pm
I might be in a minority here, but I’ve always thought Cameron Crowe’s “Singles” is underrated. Yeah, it’s “the grunge movie” but I think if it were just that it would be on the level of something like “Can’t Hardly Wait” (watchable but more like background noise). I love Crowe’s script and the performances (Campbell Scott, Matt Dillon, Bridget Fonda) do it justice. It’s a very good ensemble comedy.
20 Emmanuel // Jan 21, 2009 at 11:43 pm
anything by robert altman.
he got some respect in the 90s with short cuts and the player and got some establishment love with gosford park.
and his stuff from the 70s?when he made mash, brewster mccloud, thieves like us, 3 women etc culminating with nashville?
unparalleled and brilliant.
21 Rachel // Jan 22, 2009 at 12:27 am
@Sarah: I love Sliding Doors too! In fact, when I heard Circuit City was having their fire sale, the first thought that went through my head was “Sweet! Now I can get Sliding Doors on DVD all cheap!”
The Full Monty – I know it got a little bit of Oscar love, but it is hands-down my favorite movie.
I can’t think of any others that would fit the criteria of the post but not also fall into the ‘guilty pleasure’ category. Hm.
22 LK // Jan 22, 2009 at 12:53 am
Sordid Lives! It’s relatively unknown, but has a very recognizable cast and is self-labeled “A Black Comedy About White Trash.” I watch it at least once a month.
23 Mark Blankenship // Jan 22, 2009 at 1:02 am
Oh, I love me some “Sordid Lives.” Leslie Jordan? Amazing. “Can you smell my pussy now?”
24 ferretrick // Jan 22, 2009 at 9:29 am
Hmm…I didn’t love Sordid Lives the movie, but I do LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the show on Logo.
Definitely agree with Clue and Sliding Doors. Charles Durning was nominated for an OSCAR for Best Little Whorehouse? Really?? I mean, not that he was bad, but an Oscar?
25 ferretrick // Jan 22, 2009 at 9:41 am
Ok, my nominees:
1) Eve’s Bayou-If you have never seen this please, please, PLEASE go rent. Its about a wealthy black family on the Louisiana bayou and the psychological effects of the father’s philandering on his family. Amazing performances by Samuel L. Jackson, Lynn Whitfield, and especially Debbi Morgan, probably the most talented person to ever come out of soap operas.
2) The Opposite of Sex-I think it has cult status, but it should be a mainstream hit. Bitter, nasty, cycnical and absolutely hilarious, with similarly great performances, particularly Lisa Kudrow as the anti-Phoebe.
3) All Over the Guy – cute, gay romantic comedy with good, witty dialogue and performances. Its no masterpiece, but its a great date movie. Also, rips on In and Out mercilessly, which it deserves.
26 Rachel // Jan 22, 2009 at 10:00 am
Okay, I thought of another one. “Waking Ned Devine” is a good one. It’s just so cute!
27 Destiny // Jan 22, 2009 at 2:18 pm
After much consideration, my three have to be:
1. Velvet Goldmine- With a fantastic glam rock soundtrack and mesmerizing visuals, this has to be one of my favorite films ever. Yes, it is flawed, but the performances by Ewan McGregor , Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Christian Bale, and Toni Collette make it well worth it.
2. Dark City- I can watch this film over and over again and never get bored. It’s an under-appreciated science fiction masterpiece.
3. What’s New Pussycat?- Peter Sellers and Peter O’Toole in a swinging 60s sex comedy with Burt Bacharach songs. Need I say more?
28 Michael // Jan 22, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Hmmmm. Trying to discern my way between underappreciated and guilty pleasure . . . pausing to affirm from the above lists Charles Durning, whose song and dance bit in Best Little Whorehouse lifts the film to another plane, Little Princess (sucker for any sensitive and intelligent kids’ film here), Lone Star or anything by incomparable John Sayles, Iron Giant (although it will appeal to a different audience than many big animated films), My Dinner w Andre (especially as a time-capsule from a bygone era of art/life questioning and experiment), Disney’s Robin Hood (score by Roger Williams and GREAT voice work), Eve’s Bayou, Opposite of Sex (although I do struggle to resist its inner contradictions, there’s buh-RILLiant writing there), and All Over the Guy (far too little known). My addition: Addams Family Values. The most sustained screenplay Paul Rudnick ever wrote, including Jeffrey; “I am Gomez Addams, and I have seen the vipers that infest the human soul!” “They’re at camp.” Wednesday getting tortured by Disney and the Sound of Music. If you haven’t given it a shot, try it: you’ll like it.
29 Amanda // Jan 23, 2009 at 6:44 pm
“A Room for Romeo Brass,” “East is East,” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” (see timothy’s post above).
Oldies that my dad forced me to watch that are wonderful: “The Quiet Man” and “Jeremiah Johnson.”
I am too lazy to attempt italics. Pardonnez-moi.
30 Collin H // Jan 24, 2009 at 12:16 pm
I’ll also echo The Iron Giant as an unappreciated animated masterpiece. If your eyes dont get misty by the end of the movie, you’re not human.
31 Christy Baker // Jan 27, 2009 at 10:09 am
FAME is one of my favorite. movies. ever.
Whether you like dance, theater, music… there is something for everyone.
And… Irene Cara sings the theme. And stars in the movie!
And who can forget the fabulousness of LEROY!?
If you remember… an 80s tv spin off was created from this movie. And starred none other than… Miss Janet Jackson. If you’re nasty.
My darling husband bought me this movie on DVD for Christmas. (I still have it on VHS.)
And it was my favorite… and probably cheapest… gift.
Well, along with my George Michael Greatest Hits double disc! Woot!
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