Oh, I Love That Movie
March 18, 2006 4:45 AM Subscribe
Overlooked Films of the 1990s...Some were better then others. Some people will definitely disagree with. And some are my favorite movies...
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Not a bad list overall. I thought Lone Star was a tremendous movie, and it introduced me to Chris Cooper.
posted by selfnoise at 5:30 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by selfnoise at 5:30 AM on March 18, 2006
i'm sure i've seen something similar to this before on mefi, in another guise. in fact, here it is.
suffice to say, the hudsucker proxy is my favourite film of all time - you know, for kids!
posted by triv at 5:43 AM on March 18, 2006
suffice to say, the hudsucker proxy is my favourite film of all time - you know, for kids!
posted by triv at 5:43 AM on March 18, 2006
My favorite 90s movie was so overlooked it didn't even make the list of overlooked films.
Men With Guns. (There were two movies with that title in 1997; I'm referring to the John Sayles movie starring Federico Luppi.)
posted by Jatayu das at 6:04 AM on March 18, 2006
Men With Guns. (There were two movies with that title in 1997; I'm referring to the John Sayles movie starring Federico Luppi.)
posted by Jatayu das at 6:04 AM on March 18, 2006
Thank god for art house movie theaters. There are a lot of good flicks in this list.
"A Midnight Clear" was one of the best movies I've ever seen. I've often suggested it to folks. Two thumbs up! If you haven't seen it, go rent it. You won't be disappointed.
I would also nominate a move called "Dead Calm" -- which included Nicole Kidman back before she was as well known. It was a terrific suspense/thriller type movie.
posted by bim at 6:24 AM on March 18, 2006
"A Midnight Clear" was one of the best movies I've ever seen. I've often suggested it to folks. Two thumbs up! If you haven't seen it, go rent it. You won't be disappointed.
I would also nominate a move called "Dead Calm" -- which included Nicole Kidman back before she was as well known. It was a terrific suspense/thriller type movie.
posted by bim at 6:24 AM on March 18, 2006
I've seen about a third of those and they generally deserve to be on the list. Dead Man is one of my top-ten movies of all time. I would have added these: Breaking The Waves (where I first saw Emily Watson), Antonia's Line, Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead and though doesn't qualify for list (released in 2002) Punch-Drunk Love, which has one of the coolest (oddest) scenes ever in the first 5 or 10 minutes. Oh yeah, Emily Watson is in it.
posted by sluglicker at 6:38 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by sluglicker at 6:38 AM on March 18, 2006
"Jacob's Ladder" is one of my favourite movies of all time, never mind the nineties. Also great on that list (IMHO) are:
The Hudsucker Proxy
Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai
The Butcher Boy
Bob Roberts
Glengarry Glen Ross
Proof (If they mean the wonderful Aussie movie)
Smoke
Big Night (very underrapreciated, this one)
Reasonably good and/or fun would be:
Miller's Crossing
Waiting for Guffman
Searching for Bobby Fischer
Truly, Madly, Deeply
The Limey
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Ravenous (come on, it was hilariouly OTT)
posted by Decani at 6:39 AM on March 18, 2006
The Hudsucker Proxy
Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai
The Butcher Boy
Bob Roberts
Glengarry Glen Ross
Proof (If they mean the wonderful Aussie movie)
Smoke
Big Night (very underrapreciated, this one)
Reasonably good and/or fun would be:
Miller's Crossing
Waiting for Guffman
Searching for Bobby Fischer
Truly, Madly, Deeply
The Limey
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Ravenous (come on, it was hilariouly OTT)
posted by Decani at 6:39 AM on March 18, 2006
Before clicking anything I thought, "Miller's Crossing better be on there." :)
That said, there are many films on that list that I don't consider overlooked. Maybe it's because I'm in Canada, but people here wouldn't shut up about Lone Star, Sweet Hereafter (one of the most overrated films of the 90s imo), Straight Story, Dead Again (poo), Ice Storm, and many others, though I guess if you go strictly by box office they may have a point, but seriously, how much box office can one expect a film like Fresh or Ghost Dog to do?
I've seen everything on this list except Pig in the City, That Thing You Do, Red Violin, October Sky (the only film on the list I haven't even heard of), and Eye of God.
My fave films from the list are Miller's Crossing, Glengarry Glen Ross, Deep Cover, Sneakers, Breakdown, The Limey, and Girl on A Bridge.
There are many that I would consider pure dreck and definitely don't think were overlooked (Matinee, Jesus' Son, Bringing Out the Dead (the book is briliant, what a shame Scorsese fucked up the film), The Ref, Smoke (suprisingly the superior Blue In The Face is not on the list!))...
Off the top of my head, I'd add The Cruise, Punch-Drunk Love, Funny Games, Boiling Point (the Kitano, not the Wesley Snipes), Buffalo '66, Your Friends & Neighbors, Q&A, hurlyburly, Things to Do In Denver When You're Dead, Spanking the Monkey, White Hunter Black Heart, Breaking the Waves, The Kingdom, Happpy Together, Three Kings, and Time Indefinite.
posted by dobbs at 7:02 AM on March 18, 2006
That said, there are many films on that list that I don't consider overlooked. Maybe it's because I'm in Canada, but people here wouldn't shut up about Lone Star, Sweet Hereafter (one of the most overrated films of the 90s imo), Straight Story, Dead Again (poo), Ice Storm, and many others, though I guess if you go strictly by box office they may have a point, but seriously, how much box office can one expect a film like Fresh or Ghost Dog to do?
I've seen everything on this list except Pig in the City, That Thing You Do, Red Violin, October Sky (the only film on the list I haven't even heard of), and Eye of God.
My fave films from the list are Miller's Crossing, Glengarry Glen Ross, Deep Cover, Sneakers, Breakdown, The Limey, and Girl on A Bridge.
There are many that I would consider pure dreck and definitely don't think were overlooked (Matinee, Jesus' Son, Bringing Out the Dead (the book is briliant, what a shame Scorsese fucked up the film), The Ref, Smoke (suprisingly the superior Blue In The Face is not on the list!))...
Off the top of my head, I'd add The Cruise, Punch-Drunk Love, Funny Games, Boiling Point (the Kitano, not the Wesley Snipes), Buffalo '66, Your Friends & Neighbors, Q&A, hurlyburly, Things to Do In Denver When You're Dead, Spanking the Monkey, White Hunter Black Heart, Breaking the Waves, The Kingdom, Happpy Together, Three Kings, and Time Indefinite.
posted by dobbs at 7:02 AM on March 18, 2006
Excellent films all. But how overlooked were they, really? All got theatrical release and high-profile reviews. A truly overlooked film would be an excellent film that only got festival showings, or an overseas film that we never got theatrical release in the U.S. Excellent films like
The Duke
or the unforgettable
Photographing Fairies. (booksgoodtoo)
posted by Faze at 7:10 AM on March 18, 2006
The Duke
or the unforgettable
Photographing Fairies. (booksgoodtoo)
posted by Faze at 7:10 AM on March 18, 2006
And of course as I showered I thought of more I would add: Laws of Gravity (overshadowed by the inferior Reservoir Dogs, which was released the same year), Trust, Fairgrounds, Thin Red Line (though how overlooked can you consider a film nominated for Best Picture and Director), and Zigrail (the only film I know of which I don't know a single other person who saw... thank you Canadian film industry!).
posted by dobbs at 7:17 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by dobbs at 7:17 AM on March 18, 2006
How can these movies be overlooked when I've seen almost all of them?
posted by ColdChef at 7:20 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by ColdChef at 7:20 AM on March 18, 2006
Darn, I was hoping for a list of 100 movies that I had never heard of, and I think Sonatine (which does sound interesting) is the only one.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 7:21 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 7:21 AM on March 18, 2006
Decani, I agree SMOKE and BIG NIGHT were terrific and sorely under appreciated.
Nice post Shawnstring...will help me update my netflix queue!
Another great early 1990's firm that barely made a blip was Mike Leigh's (UK) LIFE IS SWEET (not to be confused with "Life Is Beautiful..a wholenotha movie). I wish more people would see it so that maybe, just maybe it will be released on dvd. (I am actually keeping my clunky old vhs player in the back room just so that I can watch my LIFE IS SWEET tape...oh..and also my tapes of NEWHART the 80's sitcom that is also annoyingly unreleased from dvd.)
posted by applemeat at 7:21 AM on March 18, 2006
Nice post Shawnstring...will help me update my netflix queue!
Another great early 1990's firm that barely made a blip was Mike Leigh's (UK) LIFE IS SWEET (not to be confused with "Life Is Beautiful..a wholenotha movie). I wish more people would see it so that maybe, just maybe it will be released on dvd. (I am actually keeping my clunky old vhs player in the back room just so that I can watch my LIFE IS SWEET tape...oh..and also my tapes of NEWHART the 80's sitcom that is also annoyingly unreleased from dvd.)
posted by applemeat at 7:21 AM on March 18, 2006
I hadn't realized that these films were overlooked. Everybody I have ever met incessantly quotes Glengarry Glen Ross. I think this list of more "Art Films I Wish More People Had Seen."
Few Genre films. What about Hard Target (1993), John Woo's first American film? Where's Magic Hunter (1994)? How about The Grifters(1990)?
I'm just going to have to make my own list.
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:23 AM on March 18, 2006 [1 favorite]
Few Genre films. What about Hard Target (1993), John Woo's first American film? Where's Magic Hunter (1994)? How about The Grifters(1990)?
I'm just going to have to make my own list.
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:23 AM on March 18, 2006 [1 favorite]
As Dobbs said, I'm a little puzzled about the "overlooked" status of a large number of these films. Maybe it's because I "really" like movies but... a lot of these movies are considered modern classics, at least by everyone *I* hang around. Especially Miller's Crossing (...which happens to be my personal favorite Coen Brothers film!)
And it's not like a lot of them don't have nice, recent DVD releases.
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 7:24 AM on March 18, 2006
And it's not like a lot of them don't have nice, recent DVD releases.
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 7:24 AM on March 18, 2006
sweet, this list + this thread equals spring break fun times
/fires up azureus and heads over to his favorite torrent search engine
posted by sourbrew at 7:26 AM on March 18, 2006
/fires up azureus and heads over to his favorite torrent search engine
posted by sourbrew at 7:26 AM on March 18, 2006
That being said, "Defending Your Life" has definitely been fairly forgotten (is there even a DVD release of that?), and I remember liking that when I was ten or so... and now I want to see it again, so I guess the list has done it's job.
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 7:27 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 7:27 AM on March 18, 2006
Trust is one of the great films of all time.
posted by any major dude at 7:29 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by any major dude at 7:29 AM on March 18, 2006
Hairdresser's Husband!
Okay, stepping away from the computer now.
posted by dobbs at 7:29 AM on March 18, 2006
Okay, stepping away from the computer now.
posted by dobbs at 7:29 AM on March 18, 2006
This is a pretty old list. May be a double, but I'm too lazy to care. They have Searching for Bobby Fischer (Ben Kingsley, Laurence Fishburne, Joan Allen) at number 14, so I have to think it is a pretty good list. Nobody remembers that movie and it is great.
posted by spock at 7:38 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by spock at 7:38 AM on March 18, 2006
I'd add The Minus Man to that list. Owen Wilson is just a little too good in the title role.
posted by QuestionableSwami at 7:38 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by QuestionableSwami at 7:38 AM on March 18, 2006
Smoke Signals is incredible. If you only add one movie to your Netflix list, that's the one.
posted by ColdChef at 7:43 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by ColdChef at 7:43 AM on March 18, 2006
If people like Exotic and the Sweet Hereafter, I hope they give the Ararat and the Adjuster a try. They were not as well received, but I liked them much much more.
Not to drone on, but I don't think this critic really knows what an over-looked movie is. As far as I can tell, they were all released and reviewed. Most of these are available at my neigbourhood video store.
Call me a cynic, but I don't expect really great films to be household words, and I certainly don't expect them to get Oscars. (In fact, if you read though a list of Oscars, very few of the movies are any good at all). The plain fact is, there really are tons of great films that aren't even well enough known to get on this list.
Still, I'm going through this list for the titles I don't know.
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 7:44 AM on March 18, 2006
Best over-looked film of the 1990s for me: Return of the Idiot. It was kind of an extraction of the warm human side of Dostoevsky, plus a little bittersweet humour. Critics love it, but it never got a distributor.
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 7:49 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 7:49 AM on March 18, 2006
Joe vs. the Volcano is my most hated movie of all time -- pretentious, mind numbing, and brutally witless. Watching it made me want to crawl out of my skin. So, if it is overlooked, that can only be a good and merciful thing. I guess the jist of this comment is: I didn't like that movie very much.
posted by adgnyc at 7:51 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by adgnyc at 7:51 AM on March 18, 2006
They forgot High Art starring Ally Sheedy. Damn good movie.
And I second "Big Night." And Isabella Rossellini is such a lovely lovely woman.
posted by bim at 7:53 AM on March 18, 2006
And I second "Big Night." And Isabella Rossellini is such a lovely lovely woman.
posted by bim at 7:53 AM on March 18, 2006
Joe vs. the Volcano is one of my most favorite movies of all time. But maybe it's because I love Abe Vigoda.
posted by ColdChef at 7:58 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by ColdChef at 7:58 AM on March 18, 2006
One of my favorite movies of all time - top 20 anyhow - is Restoration. I'm always amazed by the acting - even Meg Ryan's - and the story just moves me. Recommended! Overlooked!
posted by bovious at 8:01 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by bovious at 8:01 AM on March 18, 2006
How can these movies be overlooked when I've seen almost all of them?
I've seen most of these films too. The list seem more like most overlooked films at Blockbuster. For instance, I think the argument could be made that Wong Kar-Wai is one of the least overlooked directors, I'd say someone like Patrick Tat-Chi Yau is overlooked, but not Wong Kar-Wai.
A few of these films I'd say unfairly missed all financial and critical acclaim, Strange Days for instance, which I think Roger Ebert was the sole critic to really praise the film. Also, Living in Oblivion is a hilarious Buscemi film, you'd like it if you've seen it.
posted by bobo123 at 8:14 AM on March 18, 2006
I've seen most of these films too. The list seem more like most overlooked films at Blockbuster. For instance, I think the argument could be made that Wong Kar-Wai is one of the least overlooked directors, I'd say someone like Patrick Tat-Chi Yau is overlooked, but not Wong Kar-Wai.
A few of these films I'd say unfairly missed all financial and critical acclaim, Strange Days for instance, which I think Roger Ebert was the sole critic to really praise the film. Also, Living in Oblivion is a hilarious Buscemi film, you'd like it if you've seen it.
posted by bobo123 at 8:14 AM on March 18, 2006
I am a huge fan of Babe: Pig in the City, which virtually nobody saw. Very dark, surreal, and beautiful.
posted by huzzahhuzzah at 8:17 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by huzzahhuzzah at 8:17 AM on March 18, 2006
There are some definite gems on there. (and dammit, I liked Mystery Men, even if I was the only one) If you're a geek and HAVEN'T seen 'Sneakers,' you simply must seek out a copy. Probably the best (only?) movie about hardware hackers and social engineers ever made.
Hudsucker Proxy is one of the Coen bros movies that no one remembers any more, even though it's up with their best.
Oh, and I have to give shouts out to Dead Again, one of my personal all-time favorites. (And the forgotten non-Shakespeare movie of Branaugh's) It's a murder mystery (and romance) centered around reincarnation, with the next lives of murdered lovers coming together to figure out who killed them. Features a couple of the best\coolest wild plot twists in any movie ever.
Strange Days, tho? I can think of few movies that START so good that end so awfully. The chart of the movie is a downhill accellerating roll.
posted by InnocentBystander at 8:28 AM on March 18, 2006
Hudsucker Proxy is one of the Coen bros movies that no one remembers any more, even though it's up with their best.
Oh, and I have to give shouts out to Dead Again, one of my personal all-time favorites. (And the forgotten non-Shakespeare movie of Branaugh's) It's a murder mystery (and romance) centered around reincarnation, with the next lives of murdered lovers coming together to figure out who killed them. Features a couple of the best\coolest wild plot twists in any movie ever.
Strange Days, tho? I can think of few movies that START so good that end so awfully. The chart of the movie is a downhill accellerating roll.
posted by InnocentBystander at 8:28 AM on March 18, 2006
My favorite 90s movie was so overlooked it didn't even make the list of overlooked films.
So you're the other person who saw this film, Jatayu das! I agree. Men with Guns was an amazing, unforgettable story.
posted by 327.ca at 8:33 AM on March 18, 2006
So you're the other person who saw this film, Jatayu das! I agree. Men with Guns was an amazing, unforgettable story.
posted by 327.ca at 8:33 AM on March 18, 2006
Let me add: Gattaca, a beautiful gay science fiction love story that Uma Thurman almost ruins.
posted by ColdChef at 8:40 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by ColdChef at 8:40 AM on March 18, 2006
I must agree their notion that Cemetery Man ranks alongside NotLD and DotD as one of the greatest zombie movies ever.
posted by JT at 8:41 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by JT at 8:41 AM on March 18, 2006
Darn, I was hoping for a list of 100 movies that I had never heard of, and I think Sonatine (which does sound interesting) is the only one.
That may be my favorite there, after Miller's Crossing.
For truly overlooked: The Woman Chaser, tragically unavailable.
posted by Aknaton at 8:52 AM on March 18, 2006
That may be my favorite there, after Miller's Crossing.
For truly overlooked: The Woman Chaser, tragically unavailable.
posted by Aknaton at 8:52 AM on March 18, 2006
What the list makes really clear is that the 90s truly were a great time for movies.
Dead Man and Lone Star are fantastic (but where is Secrets & Lies) - in fact, of the movies I've seen, almost all ov the movies on the list are very good - including Mystery Men!
posted by Chuckles at 8:52 AM on March 18, 2006
Dead Man and Lone Star are fantastic (but where is Secrets & Lies) - in fact, of the movies I've seen, almost all ov the movies on the list are very good - including Mystery Men!
posted by Chuckles at 8:52 AM on March 18, 2006
'Sneakers,' you simply must seek out a copy. Probably the best (only?) movie about hardware hackers and social engineers ever made.
I adore that movie. However, I've always had one issue with it: At the time that they're demoing all of this fancy hardware, one of the hackers cradles his handset in a cradle for an audio modem. He then proceeds to do a hell of a lot of work in real-time with a bunch of satellites. I mean, seriously, was that like 120baud or something?
posted by thanotopsis at 8:55 AM on March 18, 2006
I adore that movie. However, I've always had one issue with it: At the time that they're demoing all of this fancy hardware, one of the hackers cradles his handset in a cradle for an audio modem. He then proceeds to do a hell of a lot of work in real-time with a bunch of satellites. I mean, seriously, was that like 120baud or something?
posted by thanotopsis at 8:55 AM on March 18, 2006
Dobbs, you listed two of my favorite over-looked movies: Clean, Shaven and Laws of Gravity. (I don't think it's fair, though, to say that Resevoir Dogs is inferior to Laws of Gravity as they are very different films in style, setting and genre.) Peter Greene had an enormous amount of potential and it was sad to see him lose his way (reportedly to an addiction to heroin), and Nic Gomez also never really matched Laws with any of his later projects.
posted by soiled cowboy at 8:58 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by soiled cowboy at 8:58 AM on March 18, 2006
there are many films on that list that I don't consider overlooked.
Damn right. I was excited when I saw the post, but the actual list severely disapponted me. Lot of good movies there, don't get me wrong, but most of them aren't by any stretch of the imagination "overlooked," and the problem is that they push out other movies that deserve the attention. Some years back the American Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria had a series of overlooked '90s films chosen by critics, and it turned up some real gems that nobody I know has seen, like Edward Yang's A Brighter Summer Day and Arnaud Desplechin's La Sentinelle, and it would have been a genuine service to bring them to the public's eye. But I guess people don't really want to see lists of things they haven't heard of, they just want to nod at lists of movies they and their friends have seen that didn't make a bajillion dollars. Oh well.
posted by languagehat at 8:58 AM on March 18, 2006
Damn right. I was excited when I saw the post, but the actual list severely disapponted me. Lot of good movies there, don't get me wrong, but most of them aren't by any stretch of the imagination "overlooked," and the problem is that they push out other movies that deserve the attention. Some years back the American Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria had a series of overlooked '90s films chosen by critics, and it turned up some real gems that nobody I know has seen, like Edward Yang's A Brighter Summer Day and Arnaud Desplechin's La Sentinelle, and it would have been a genuine service to bring them to the public's eye. But I guess people don't really want to see lists of things they haven't heard of, they just want to nod at lists of movies they and their friends have seen that didn't make a bajillion dollars. Oh well.
posted by languagehat at 8:58 AM on March 18, 2006
triv: you know, for kids!
What with the what now?
posted by UKnowForKids at 9:00 AM on March 18, 2006
What with the what now?
posted by UKnowForKids at 9:00 AM on March 18, 2006
'Safe' is excellent. Julianna Moore, possibly the greatest working actress.
posted by The Jesse Helms at 9:00 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by The Jesse Helms at 9:00 AM on March 18, 2006
Yeah, Safe was on the AMMI program too. And I agree about Moore.
posted by languagehat at 9:05 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by languagehat at 9:05 AM on March 18, 2006
While we're on the topic of Todd Heynes, it seems to me that Velvet Goldmine was even more overlooked than safe, and Poison even more overlooked than that. In fact, video stores still often put Safe in the foreign film section, presumably because gay people are all from another country. Gaylandia, specifically.
And what of Guy Maddin's Archangel, or any of his other films from the 90s (such as the terrific Careful)? Even as a list of art house films, this is suspiciously slight.
posted by Astro Zombie at 9:08 AM on March 18, 2006
And what of Guy Maddin's Archangel, or any of his other films from the 90s (such as the terrific Careful)? Even as a list of art house films, this is suspiciously slight.
posted by Astro Zombie at 9:08 AM on March 18, 2006
Haynes.
posted by Astro Zombie at 9:08 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by Astro Zombie at 9:08 AM on March 18, 2006
Great post. And The Babe better than the matrix? well I guess I'd have to see it first to judge...but... oh well.
posted by uni verse at 9:16 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by uni verse at 9:16 AM on March 18, 2006
Babe is a million times better! The Matrix ate poop. See Dark City for a much better interpretation of the same set of storyboards.
Speaking of under-appreciated (which Babe isn't, being one of the most highly acclaimed children's films ever), am I the only one who thought Mouse Hunt was amazing?
posted by damehex at 9:25 AM on March 18, 2006
Speaking of under-appreciated (which Babe isn't, being one of the most highly acclaimed children's films ever), am I the only one who thought Mouse Hunt was amazing?
posted by damehex at 9:25 AM on March 18, 2006
I'm printing out the list to take to the local video store. And the one that was missing, IMO, was Delicatessen (1991) which is a crazy french black comedy that... well, you've got to see it to believe it. The directors went on to make another little film you might have seen. Amelie.
posted by drinkmaildave at 9:31 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by drinkmaildave at 9:31 AM on March 18, 2006
Oh, that brings up Funny Bones with Lee Evans! Which also calls to mind Hear My Song, directed by Peter Chelsom. If those aren't overlooked classics, I don't know what are.
posted by Astro Zombie at 9:33 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by Astro Zombie at 9:33 AM on March 18, 2006
i second the mention of "high art"....and so happy to see
"safe" in there. it's both my favorite todd haynes movie and my favorite julianne moore movie. and the ice storm is there!
posted by chupacabra at 9:57 AM on March 18, 2006
"safe" in there. it's both my favorite todd haynes movie and my favorite julianne moore movie. and the ice storm is there!
posted by chupacabra at 9:57 AM on March 18, 2006
Cemetery Man was one of the best blind rentals I ever made.
Hudsucker is known enough that everyone knows it should be on that list -- nice little tip of the hat by Coen Bros. friend Raimi in Spider-man is the repeat of the boardroom scene.
posted by linux at 10:02 AM on March 18, 2006
Hudsucker is known enough that everyone knows it should be on that list -- nice little tip of the hat by Coen Bros. friend Raimi in Spider-man is the repeat of the boardroom scene.
posted by linux at 10:02 AM on March 18, 2006
"Overlooked" or not, I love this list. It's got at least four of my all time favorites, and at least nine others that I thoroughly enjoyed. I guess I'd better start watching the rest of them.
posted by Songdog at 10:03 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by Songdog at 10:03 AM on March 18, 2006
I'm surprised Map of the Human Heart didn't make the list. If you're a fan of The Sweet Hereafter you'd probably like this; similar tone.
posted by MarvinTheCat at 10:03 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by MarvinTheCat at 10:03 AM on March 18, 2006
The Matrix ate poop. See Dark City for a much better interpretation of the same set of storyboards.
I was surprised when my friend told me that she enjoyed the crappy Dark City so much. It turns out she got to the theater five minutes late, and missed the putrid, disgusting, feculent, unforgivable voiceover at the beginning that explains "...while this is made to look like a murder mystery, know now that you can ignore all that because actually the executive summary is this..." What a cockup.
For the real deal see the earlier The City of Lost Children, from which the look of Dark City is stolen down to the goddamn rowboat. It's by the Delicatessen directors (only one of whom went on to make Amelie), and the Se7en cinematographer.
posted by Aknaton at 10:03 AM on March 18, 2006
I was surprised when my friend told me that she enjoyed the crappy Dark City so much. It turns out she got to the theater five minutes late, and missed the putrid, disgusting, feculent, unforgivable voiceover at the beginning that explains "...while this is made to look like a murder mystery, know now that you can ignore all that because actually the executive summary is this..." What a cockup.
For the real deal see the earlier The City of Lost Children, from which the look of Dark City is stolen down to the goddamn rowboat. It's by the Delicatessen directors (only one of whom went on to make Amelie), and the Se7en cinematographer.
posted by Aknaton at 10:03 AM on March 18, 2006
A selected few...
Violent Cop (kitano)
Blue Velvet (lynch, cage)
Roger and Me (moore)
Kagemusha (kurosawa-japan)
Ran (")
A Taxing Woman ( Nobuko Miyamoto)
Grave of the Fireflies (Takahata, 1988)
My Neighbor Totoro (Miyazaki, 1988)
others...
Heathers (Waters)
Spaceballs (moranis)
Dead Poets Society (but not unwatched)
posted by uni verse at 10:04 AM on March 18, 2006
Violent Cop (kitano)
Blue Velvet (lynch, cage)
Roger and Me (moore)
Kagemusha (kurosawa-japan)
Ran (")
A Taxing Woman ( Nobuko Miyamoto)
Grave of the Fireflies (Takahata, 1988)
My Neighbor Totoro (Miyazaki, 1988)
others...
Heathers (Waters)
Spaceballs (moranis)
Dead Poets Society (but not unwatched)
posted by uni verse at 10:04 AM on March 18, 2006
I love My Neighbour Totoro deeply, but it is from 1988 (along with the film it played as a double bill with, the powerful Grave of the Fireflies.
posted by jb at 10:05 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by jb at 10:05 AM on March 18, 2006
I agree with all of those who wondered, "overlooked?"
Still, a good list of movies. Put me down as pro Dead Man. It might be my all-time favorite.
a few more I expected to see:
Man Bites Dog
Henry Fool
Kiss or Kill
three very unique movies, imo.
posted by mrgrimm at 10:06 AM on March 18, 2006
Still, a good list of movies. Put me down as pro Dead Man. It might be my all-time favorite.
a few more I expected to see:
Man Bites Dog
Henry Fool
Kiss or Kill
three very unique movies, imo.
posted by mrgrimm at 10:06 AM on March 18, 2006
friend Raimi in Spider-man is the repeat of the boardroom scene.
Raimi cowrote Hudsucker. He rips himself off elsewhere too -- Peter Parker's costume development scene is very much like Ash's prosthesis development scene in Evil Dead 3.
posted by Aknaton at 10:06 AM on March 18, 2006
Raimi cowrote Hudsucker. He rips himself off elsewhere too -- Peter Parker's costume development scene is very much like Ash's prosthesis development scene in Evil Dead 3.
posted by Aknaton at 10:06 AM on March 18, 2006
Dark City and City of Lost Children are quite different. I like them both, though CoLC much more ...
posted by mrgrimm at 10:07 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by mrgrimm at 10:07 AM on March 18, 2006
Dead Alive/Braindead made the list. Brilliant!
"I kick arse for the LORD!"
posted by meehawl at 10:08 AM on March 18, 2006
"I kick arse for the LORD!"
posted by meehawl at 10:08 AM on March 18, 2006
A Taxing Woman ( Nobuko Miyamoto)
...is from 1987, and is by Juzo Itami (Miyamoto is the star).
But it is indeed great, almost as good as their Tampopo!
posted by Aknaton at 10:10 AM on March 18, 2006
...is from 1987, and is by Juzo Itami (Miyamoto is the star).
But it is indeed great, almost as good as their Tampopo!
posted by Aknaton at 10:10 AM on March 18, 2006
Night on Earth, Jim Jarmusch, 1991. Five vignettes
of cab drivers and their customers in five cities.
posted by the Real Dan at 10:12 AM on March 18, 2006
of cab drivers and their customers in five cities.
posted by the Real Dan at 10:12 AM on March 18, 2006
Aknaton: :) Oh my gosh I totally thought we were doing the 80's for some reason. Like gag me with a spoon. I could die.
If its 90's, then in that case put in "Afterlife", a truly great and sublime film. Also Madadayo by Kurowasawa.
posted by uni verse at 10:16 AM on March 18, 2006
If its 90's, then in that case put in "Afterlife", a truly great and sublime film. Also Madadayo by Kurowasawa.
posted by uni verse at 10:16 AM on March 18, 2006
All the Vermeers in New York, Jon Jost, 1990.
Bitter Moon, Roman Polanski, 1992
Red Rock West, John Dahl, 1992
6ixtynin9, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, 1999
posted by soiled cowboy at 10:24 AM on March 18, 2006
Bitter Moon, Roman Polanski, 1992
Red Rock West, John Dahl, 1992
6ixtynin9, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, 1999
posted by soiled cowboy at 10:24 AM on March 18, 2006
I gotta put my vote in here for Smoke Signals... it wasn't a great movie, but if was a wonderful film with some of the best dialogue this side of a Kevin Smith film...
and That Thing You Do is one of my all time faves... Having been in the music industry whirlwind and seeing how things blow up and break down so quickly, it really struck a chord (yeah, I know), not to mention the look of the film and that the characters were easily acceptable and likeable... First rate..!
Then there's Sneakers, The Zero Factor (great background noise... not a movie to sit and pay close attention to) and, missing from that list, Dave... a quirky little film that almost makes you give serious thought to what goes on in Washington... and Kevin Kline is always great..
and no mention of Ski School II??
travesty...
posted by WhipSmart at 10:28 AM on March 18, 2006
and That Thing You Do is one of my all time faves... Having been in the music industry whirlwind and seeing how things blow up and break down so quickly, it really struck a chord (yeah, I know), not to mention the look of the film and that the characters were easily acceptable and likeable... First rate..!
Then there's Sneakers, The Zero Factor (great background noise... not a movie to sit and pay close attention to) and, missing from that list, Dave... a quirky little film that almost makes you give serious thought to what goes on in Washington... and Kevin Kline is always great..
and no mention of Ski School II??
travesty...
posted by WhipSmart at 10:28 AM on March 18, 2006
Was Happiness an overlooked film? I'm glad to see Todd Solondz's Welcome to the Dollhouse on the list, but I think Happiness is better.
posted by soiled cowboy at 10:30 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by soiled cowboy at 10:30 AM on March 18, 2006
Only one thing to say, Until the End of the World, still not out on DVD
posted by edgeways at 11:04 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by edgeways at 11:04 AM on March 18, 2006
Bim, while I'm inclined agree that it is overlooked and a very good movie, Dead Calm came out in 1989 and stars Billy Zane, so it's ineligible on two counts. Heh.
posted by Heminator at 11:17 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by Heminator at 11:17 AM on March 18, 2006
Must second Careful or pretty much anything by Guy Maddin. Also Babe: Pig in the City and Cemetary Man.
posted by girandole at 11:24 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by girandole at 11:24 AM on March 18, 2006
Dick was hilarious.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:30 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:30 AM on March 18, 2006
Dick is hilarious.
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 11:48 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 11:48 AM on March 18, 2006
I'll just add to the noise and say that this was a good list of 90s movies but I don't think they were overlooked.
Jacob's Ladder got a ton of hype when it came out and then tanked because of bad reviews. I saw it the first night it opened and really really liked it, then read the reviews and thought maybe I was stupid.
I'd like to see that move again. It made a big impact on me.
posted by maggiemaggie at 11:50 AM on March 18, 2006
Jacob's Ladder got a ton of hype when it came out and then tanked because of bad reviews. I saw it the first night it opened and really really liked it, then read the reviews and thought maybe I was stupid.
I'd like to see that move again. It made a big impact on me.
posted by maggiemaggie at 11:50 AM on March 18, 2006
I watched Babe: Pig In The City drunk with my friend a few years ago and it's one of the weirdest and scariest movies I have ever seen. I wholeheartedly recommend drinking at entire bottle of whisky beforehand as it substantially increases the weirdosity IIRC (which I probably don't).
posted by longbaugh at 11:51 AM on March 18, 2006
posted by longbaugh at 11:51 AM on March 18, 2006
Babe: Pig In The City drunk with my friend a few years ago and it's one of the weirdest and scariest movies I have ever seen.
With so many comments like this in this thread, it must be a standout. Was it directed by a new Tim Burton protoge or how did it get so wierd?
posted by uni verse at 11:55 AM on March 18, 2006
With so many comments like this in this thread, it must be a standout. Was it directed by a new Tim Burton protoge or how did it get so wierd?
posted by uni verse at 11:55 AM on March 18, 2006
i love mysterymen
posted by onkelchrispy at 12:06 PM on March 18, 2006
posted by onkelchrispy at 12:06 PM on March 18, 2006
Babe: Pig in the City was directed by George Miller of Mad Max fame (he produced and cowrote the first film), and it has all the intensity of Mad Max.
It really is an excellent film.
posted by Astro Zombie at 12:10 PM on March 18, 2006
It really is an excellent film.
posted by Astro Zombie at 12:10 PM on March 18, 2006
Lone Star and Dead Man have long been on my list too...I think I've got a taste for [Adj] [Noun] movies.
mrgrimm: You know, I'd completely forgotten the existence of Henry Fool until you mentioned it, and all I remember about it now is how much I hated it. I still can't recall a single other thing.
posted by kittyprecious at 12:36 PM on March 18, 2006
mrgrimm: You know, I'd completely forgotten the existence of Henry Fool until you mentioned it, and all I remember about it now is how much I hated it. I still can't recall a single other thing.
posted by kittyprecious at 12:36 PM on March 18, 2006
Babe: Pig in the City was Gene Siskel's #1 movie for 98. It was awesome, and I recommend it to everyone I meet (who subsequently look at me funny...)
posted by Sloben at 12:40 PM on March 18, 2006
posted by Sloben at 12:40 PM on March 18, 2006
All the Vermeers in New York, Jon Jost, 1990
Fantastic film--and one of the worst DVD transfers ever. What a disappointment. Still, I love the film.
posted by dobbs at 1:10 PM on March 18, 2006
Fantastic film--and one of the worst DVD transfers ever. What a disappointment. Still, I love the film.
posted by dobbs at 1:10 PM on March 18, 2006
Yeah, Babe: Pig in the City is unbelievable. Why did it get such suspicious placing in the post?
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 1:32 PM on March 18, 2006
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 1:32 PM on March 18, 2006
I am loving this! A lot of these are movies I greatly enjoyed, and others I wanted to see when I read their initial reviews in the papers.
When I go to the video store (I know: netflix. But this is a local chain with a great selection and awesome employees), I seem to forget their are a ton of movies I want to see. I think I'll print out the page and tack it to the bulletin board.
posted by frecklefaerie at 1:45 PM on March 18, 2006
When I go to the video store (I know: netflix. But this is a local chain with a great selection and awesome employees), I seem to forget their are a ton of movies I want to see. I think I'll print out the page and tack it to the bulletin board.
posted by frecklefaerie at 1:45 PM on March 18, 2006
Cold Fever ain't there, which is a shame--Japanese salaryman goes to Iceland to perform a funeral ritual for his dead parents. It's a road movie, but so beautiful in so many ways--and funny.
Nor is Shower (Xizao), about a father and two brothers, one of whom is retarded, that run a bathhouse in China.
I cried like a baby at the end of these two. My god, I need to see these both again.
And no fucking Johhny Suede? The film that made me decide that my life's goal was to make Catherine Keener my wife? And that Sam Jackson had a career before Pulp Fiction? And that Ricky Nelson was better than Elvis? And that Brad Pitt could act? This film completes me.
As for the list itself? It's good, but I have to thrust my snark upon a few of these--Sweet Hereafter? What a load. Critics mistook cheap melodrama for art. Same with Midnight Clear. I hate to admit that I loved Mystery Men though.
And where's La Femme Nikita? C'mon. I now hate this list. I love this list.
posted by bardic at 1:45 PM on March 18, 2006
Nor is Shower (Xizao), about a father and two brothers, one of whom is retarded, that run a bathhouse in China.
I cried like a baby at the end of these two. My god, I need to see these both again.
And no fucking Johhny Suede? The film that made me decide that my life's goal was to make Catherine Keener my wife? And that Sam Jackson had a career before Pulp Fiction? And that Ricky Nelson was better than Elvis? And that Brad Pitt could act? This film completes me.
As for the list itself? It's good, but I have to thrust my snark upon a few of these--Sweet Hereafter? What a load. Critics mistook cheap melodrama for art. Same with Midnight Clear. I hate to admit that I loved Mystery Men though.
And where's La Femme Nikita? C'mon. I now hate this list. I love this list.
posted by bardic at 1:45 PM on March 18, 2006
Awesome.
I had (almost) forgotten about Cemetary Man. I just bought a copy from a specialty dealer in the UK off of eBay.
posted by PurplePorpoise at 3:00 PM on March 18, 2006
I had (almost) forgotten about Cemetary Man. I just bought a copy from a specialty dealer in the UK off of eBay.
posted by PurplePorpoise at 3:00 PM on March 18, 2006
Who are the "Online Film Critics Society" and why does anyone care what they think?
posted by notmtwain at 6:14 PM on March 18, 2006
posted by notmtwain at 6:14 PM on March 18, 2006
Indeed - the only thing people can agree on is that lists like this always, always forget some of the classic ones and manage to include ones that are hardly worth the mention. While they have many of the good (Exotica, Redemption, Chaplin, etc.), where are the other good ones as well (Mike Leigh's Naked, The Last Seduction, The Vanishing, Vagabond, etc. etc.). ?
posted by rmm at 10:57 PM on March 18, 2006
posted by rmm at 10:57 PM on March 18, 2006
rmm, the Vanishing (assuming you mean the original) and Vagabond both came out in the 80s.
posted by dobbs at 7:10 AM on March 19, 2006
posted by dobbs at 7:10 AM on March 19, 2006
Wow, someone else has seen Map of the Human Heart! Also ...
Love and Other Catastrophies
Denise Calls Up
When The Cat's Away
Loser
The Red Violin
Book of Life
Rouge
Mystery Train
Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould
The Governess
And many of the above. Babe: Pig In The City is indeed a lost classic.
posted by feelinglistless at 7:47 AM on March 19, 2006
Love and Other Catastrophies
Denise Calls Up
When The Cat's Away
Loser
The Red Violin
Book of Life
Rouge
Mystery Train
Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould
The Governess
And many of the above. Babe: Pig In The City is indeed a lost classic.
posted by feelinglistless at 7:47 AM on March 19, 2006
I second a vote for Joe vs. the Volcano.
Some scenes don't work so well, but the ones that do (and there are a lot of them), well...
"I know he can get the job, but can he do the job?"
"I'm not arguing that with you!"
posted by zardoz at 4:26 PM on March 19, 2006
Some scenes don't work so well, but the ones that do (and there are a lot of them), well...
"I know he can get the job, but can he do the job?"
"I'm not arguing that with you!"
posted by zardoz at 4:26 PM on March 19, 2006
I'm guessing that this guys local arthouse cinema / blockbuster didn't go a bundle on European cinema. There's a ton of excellent French, Spanish and Scandinavian films from the 90, you think he could have found room for a couple of them.
I mean, Joe vs the volcano is in but no Almodovar?
posted by ciderwoman at 5:03 AM on March 20, 2006
I mean, Joe vs the volcano is in but no Almodovar?
posted by ciderwoman at 5:03 AM on March 20, 2006
I watched Babe: Pig In The City with my wife again recently. Truely a remarkable film, but almost too dark for the younger set. Falls apart a bit at the end, but contains some very moving and powerful sequences. One of my favorites.
posted by surferboy at 7:57 AM on March 20, 2006
posted by surferboy at 7:57 AM on March 20, 2006
So many good movies, however, maybe its just the film-studies in me, but i don't know how overlooked these all are. My addition would be The Daytrippers.
posted by jrb223 at 1:39 PM on March 21, 2006
posted by jrb223 at 1:39 PM on March 21, 2006
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posted by Plutor at 5:09 AM on March 18, 2006