f13.net

Bought the Special Edition of Dances with Wolves the other night, and on a whim picked up Changing Lanes because, like three-plus hour movies with Kevin Costner, I'm pretty much a sucker for anything with Samuel L. Jackson.  Also, it was cheaply priced.

Well, I just finished watching the flick and suddenly realized that my life had been slightly more empty before viewing the movie.  Not only did I greatly enjoy it, but I found myself inexplicably moved more by Ben Affleck's character and performance than even the mighty Sam-L.  So much was I affected, that I am willing to forgive him for all his missteps( a great many, mind you) simply based on the fact that this movie exists.

Anybody have a particular movie or "show" that produced a similar reaction, or was equally effected by Changing Lanes?  I need to make sure I'm not crazy...

Bubba Ho-tep... But then again I knew that would rock.

I suppose one movie that caught me totally off guard was We Were Soldiers with Mel Gibson. I was expecting some ultracheesy Braveheart in Vietnam performance, boy was I wrong. I suppose it helped watching the movie with my old man, he's usually a fan of watching movies but when he likes one it can take the movie to the next step just by listening to his comments.

I still have a hard time watching that section of We Were Soldiers, where the jets begin bombing with napalm...

Is your dad a vet, Rodent?   I agree watching war movies, particularly Vietnam movies, with my dad puts a whole new spin on them. He'll make comments about what it was like getting ambushed in similar fashion, or what they were doing wrong, or tell stories about some other similar battle he'd been in.

   We got him "We Were Soldiers" last year for his Birthday and watched it.   I found out he would have been in the crew with Gibson's character's men, but had signed-up for some additional training or gotten into some other crew that held him back a few months.  That made it somehow a lot more disturbing a picture, personally.

Watching Band of Brothers with my grandfather. We always here about Vietnam, in fact my grandfather(God bless his soul) would always tell us to never forget it, but would also make sure that we remember his generations war. A war that proved even in the most just of causes, war still demolishes countries and changes civilizations.
"Remember each and every war, and how they happened. If you don't I'll come kill you myself." ~John E. Pitcher, the efforts you and your men will never be forgotten.

I'm Swedish, the only vets we have are mercs. And they probably won't talk about it since it's extremly illiegal. He loves history though, so he has alot of booksmarts ( if there is such a thing when it comes to war ) about the historic generals etc though.

Glad to hear your dad managed to dodge that hellhole.

Edit: Remembered we have a few Vets who fought in the Finnish Winterwar and some who fought for the nazi's.

It's not exactly under-the-radar, but has anyone else here seen the new Phantom of the Opera movie yet?  It's been in theaters here in Austin for a couple weeks, and I went to see it last weekend.  I thought it was quite brilliant.  Granted, I'm a huge fan of the original Gaston Leroux book and I've seen the stage musical in both New York and London, so I'm obviously a bit biased... But as a true fan of the musical, I was not let down.  Kudos to Joel friggin' Schumaker, who'da thunkit?  Not quite a Peter Jackson LoTR type masterful adaptation, but still a damned good one IMHO.

Sliding Doors (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120148/)

It was the movie that made me not hate Gwyneth Paltrow.

WTF do you name your kid Apple? I mean, that's just asking for trouble in school.

Ok, back to the point. Very good movie and missed by many people. John Hannah is excellent in it as always.

What Dreams May Come (http://imdb.com/title/tt0120889/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9d2hhdCBkcmVhbXMgbWF5IGNvbWV8aHRtbD0xfG5tPW9u;fc=1;ft=1)

Robin Williams is absolutely masterful in this one, with a strong supporting cast including Cuba Gooding Jr, and Max von Sydow. Plus Annabella Sciorra manages to make a couple that is seemingly as unlikely as The King of Queens seem like a pair of very real, devoted soulmates.

Incredible imagery throughout, strong performances, and a beautiful story. While the plot's outcome is a bit predictable, the journey most certainly is not.

PS: Watching it with the lady in your life is like a free pass to punanny-land. As long as you like banging chicks that have just stopped crying. But be warned, don't heckle, or you'll be on the couch for a week.

Bring the noise.
Cheers.............

I have a Fillipino friend who has a sibling named (possibly nicknamed) Apple.

Which, oddly enough, was the name of my new cat at the shelter.  That was changed quickly, I don't name pets after food.

Zig Zag (http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hv&cf=info&id=1808399520&intl=us) hit me pretty hard. Definitely worth seeing in my book.

Basketball Diaries (http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hv&cf=info&id=1800234414) as well. Yes, I know this is Leo, but it's pre-stardom Leo, and actually a damned good performance, as well as one of the most brutal treatments of high school drug addiction I've ever seen. Another must see in my book, just don't plan on feeling good about life for a while afterwards.

Dangerous Liasons

I expected it to be horribly done, and it turned out to be one of the best films I've ever seen John Malkovitch in. The minor detrator is the small part played by Keanu Reeves.

"Woah, I'm like in ancient France. Shall we like, watch an opera or something milady?"

The first time I watched Donnie Darko, I thought it was ambitious, but ultimately juvenile and empty. And yet, in the days that followed, I couldn't get it out of my head. Thoughts and concepts that didn't occur to me while I watched it began to trickle into the deepest, darkest recesses of my consciousness, like rainwater filling the cracks in a sidewalk. So I watched it again about a week later, and the lightbulb went off and it hit me like a medicine ball to the chest.

I've now seen it five times, including the fantastic director's cut that hit theaters last summer. It now is truly is a work of art that speaks to my innermost being.

(On another slightly amusing note, I really hated three of the movies mentioned above. I suppose they might be worth another look, but ... no.)

Leo is decent in the role, it's the true life story of Jim Carroll that makes the movie worthwhile though. This also took me from skeptic to believer about Mark Wahlberg as an actor, not to mention the rest of a stellar supporting cast, including a cameo by Carroll himself (the guy talking about the "shark skin easter suit" in the shooting gallery).

Personally, I wanted to see more of Winky and Blinky.

Bring the noise.
Cheers............

In the Mouth of Madness (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113409/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9bW91dGggb2YgbWFkbmVzc3xodG1sPTF8bm09b24_;fc=1;ft=2) is one of the best horror movies I have seen that really takes a good stab at watching somone go insane.

Clear Cut (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101592/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9Y2xlYXIgY3V0fGh0bWw9MXxubT1vbg__;fc=2;ft=4;fm=1) is a pretty unusual movie that seems to aim mostly at the environment; however, the one sceen in which the leg is handled is just the most graphically cringe worth scene from a movie I have ever had.

Now, for my personal favorite indie movie that jumps beyond the pale, Smoke Signals (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120321/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9c21va2Ugc2lnbmFsc3xodG1sPTF8bm09b24_;fc=1;ft=2) is a great look at youth, rebellion, racism, and the bonds of son and father.  Damn good writing and directing, besides, the song on the bus has stuck in my mind for a few years now...

Okay so this crowd isn't into musicals?  :)  Here are some very good documentaries:

American Movie (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181288/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9YW1lcmljYW4gbW92aWV8aHRtbD0xfG5tPW9u;fc=1;ft=18;fm=1)

Hands on a Hardbody (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116481/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9aGFuZHMgb24gYSBoYXJkYm9keXxodG1sPTF8bm09b24_;fc=1;ft=1)

The Thin Blue Line (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096257/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9dGhpbiBibHVlIGxpbmV8aHRtbD0xfG5tPW9u;fc=1;ft=4;fm=1)

I completely agree that this is one very good horror movie that doesn't treat you like a moron when watching it.


I completely forgot about listing this movie and it definitely deserves to be watching by anyone and everyone.

Shattered Glass (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0323944/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9c2hhdHRlcmVkIGdsYXNzfGh0bWw9MXxubT1vbg__;fc=1;ft=2;fm=1)

Totally changed my mind about Hayden Christiansen. Seriously, he was really good in it. The story is about Stephen Glass, who, if you don't recall, almost managed to get away with publishing dozens of made up stories at the New Republic in the late 90's. If anyone here is interested in journalism, then it's a must see imo.

I had the same experience with What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108550/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9Z2lsYmVydCBncmFwZXxodG1sPTF8bm09b24_;fc=1;ft=3;fm=1)

First time I watched it, I saw some dark humor, and laughed at Leo in his natural role as a retarded boy....but upon a second viewing, there was really a lot more to the story that I could identify with.

As a result, I immediately started banging the wife of my insurance agent, slapping around retarded kids, and burning my mom's house down.

Bring the noise.
Cheers.............

I had to give Leo kudos for the scene where he was arguing with his mother, as well as the "drying out" sequence. Having known a couple of hardcore addicts, his performance was pretty damned accurate.

I just wonder if he can get away with a scene like that now, being much older. Just about everything he did when he was younger was great. This Boy's Life (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108330/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9dGhpcyBib3kncyBsaWZlfGh0bWw9MXxubT1vbg__;fc=1;ft=4) being another.

I forgot to mention the Big Lebowski. On the first viewing I hated it because I didn't know what to expect. Only on the next viewings did I really get at the great movie that it was.

Also, American Psycho affected me the same way. It was a movie I hated on the first time through and then loved every time since.

It was a Coen Brothers film. From now on, expect Genius from anything they do.

One that suprised the hell out of me was...Hackers 2:Operation Takedown. I downloaded it on a whim wanting to see how bad it was since the first one blew hard. Imagine my suprise when it turns out to be the Kevin Mitnick story. And a well done one at that.

Oh yeah, and don't forget one of my favorite J Depp movies...

 Crybaby. Soooo bad it a smashing success (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099329/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9Q3J5YmFieXxodG1sPTF8bm09b24_;fc=4;ft=9;fm=1)

For those of you that enjoyed watching We Were Soldiers, pick up the book and give it a read.  It is a bit dry to start with (like the first 20-40 pages), but he describes the conflict very well.

As someone mentioned Thin Blue Line up there, I'd say anything by Errol Morris. Mr. Death is particularly good.  I haven't picked up Fog of War yet, but it is on my list.

We were soldiers was a damn good movie, I remember watching it and going, "Why is this so damn familiar?" and then I realized about halfway in I read the book years ago when it first came out. My father died in vietnam, so I read a lot of various things, and I have to say the movie almost lived up to the book, which says a lot for the movie.

The Big Lewbowski is also high on my list of "wow" movies, since I hate the Bridges. Also, Boondock Saints, was another under the radar movie for me. I picked it up on a whim and it wound up being in my top 5 favorites of all time.

Gummo was a good movie also, good in a weird, indie, "what the fuck are they on" kind of way.

I wasn't expecting much from Death to Smoochy (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266452/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxzZz0xfHR0PW9ufHBuPTB8cT1kZWF0aCB0byBzbW9vY2hpZXxteD0yMHxsbT0yMDB8aHRtbD0x;fc=1;ft=2;fm=1) when I watched it, but it was pretty damn funny.

Speaking of movies, Netflix came out with two new features: Profiles and Friends. Profiles are cool because I can let my girlfriend have her own queue of movies and I set that 1 out of 3 movies sent comes from her queue. The rest come from mine. She even gets her own login.

Friends is interesting because you can see recommendations and each others queues and ratings. If anyone wants to do the friends thing, send me an invite.

I think just immediately after seeing Glengarry Glen Ross was when I decided humanity was a lost cause.
After seeing Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky, I realized things weren't so bad after all.

Also, Donnie Darko, just for the fact that no two people can agree on what the film really means.

The Fisher King (http://imdb.com/title/tt0101889/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9ZmlzaGVyIGtpbmd8aHRtbD0xfG5tPW9u;fc=1;ft=13;fm=1), really enjoyed that movie in spite of Robin Williams who I generally don't like.  Jeff Bridges does a good job too.

"Box of Moonlight "with John Turturo was apretty cool.
Ancient history here but "After Hours" directed by Scorcese was a real departure from hi usual stuff.

I almost forgot The Devil's Own (http://imdb.com/title/tt0118972/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9dGhlIGRldmlsJ3Mgb3dufGh0bWw9MXxubT1vbg__;fc=1;ft=20;fm=1), which is probably the best Harrison Ford/Brad Pitt movie that nobody has ever heard of.

After thwarting the IRA as Jack Ryan in Patriot Games, Ford takes on a very un-Ryan-like role as NYPD Sergeant Tom O'Meara, and agrees to put up an Irish immigrant as a favor for a friend. The immigrant, played by Pitt, is actually a member of the IRA who has come to NYC to try and acquire stinger missles and smuggle them back to Ireland.

Pretty good flick overall.

Bring the noise.
Cheers.............

After Hours is the shit. One the better Scorsese flicks imo (as if any of them are bad). Griffin Dunne (also from American Werewolf in London) is such a funny guy, but it seems he's been relegated to minor support roles for the past 20 years.

All of these are excellent recommendations.

I would also highly recommend "Capturing the Friedmans", a soul-shattering movie if ever there was one. And utterly unique, because a lot of it is comprised of actual family home movies that you couldn't make up if you tried. Riveting shit, trust me.

Also, all human beings should be required to watch "Paradise Lost" and "Paradise Lost 2", about three teenagers serving life sentences for murder. At first you're convinced they are guilty, and five minutes later you're practically on the phone to the governor of Alabama demanding their release. And back and forth. Brilliant filmmaking, and is full of the infuriating (but fascinating) ambiguities of the real-life legal system.

The Big Lebowski is probably the funniest movie made in the last decade.

That movie was pain.  Pure pain.  If I am remembering correctly...this movie involved a long, overdone scene involving an old man in a bathtub.  They cut away from it, something else happens...and they once again cut back to the old man in the bathtub.

At that point I died inside, and have been dead ever since.

The Killing Fields (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087553/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9S2lsbGluZyBGaWVsZHN8aHRtbD0xfG5tPW9u;fc=1;ft=4;fm=1)

I think it's the last time I actually cried watching a movie. Powerful movie.  It's hard to put into words, but you'll be changed after watching this.

Empire of the Sun (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092965/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9RW1waXJlIG9mIHRoZSBTdW58aHRtbD0xfG5tPW9u;fc=1;ft=16;fm=1)

Yah, it's a Spielburg, although not one I expect everyone to have seen.  Real emotional trip with some really hard to take sceens.

Yes, that entire movie is pure pain.  But hilarious at the same time.  I had to watch this documentary in film school, and as a young aspiring filmmaker it was purely gutwrenching to watch a guy whose dream it is to make movies... who thinks he is brilliant... produce utter garbage that his brain sees as fine art.  You'll laugh, but you'll also feel terrible pity for him.

Wait a second.

Is this a thread about movies that hit you with a sledgehammer, or movies that you didn't think would hit you with a sledgehammer, but did? Because quite a few of the films being mentioned so far are largely considered to be not "under the radar".

I didn't remember I had seen this movie up until you posted that. Was a really good flick. Pitt did well in his role and so did Ford. Now I must watch it again. Damnit.

It should be little-seen movies that made an impact on you. But, as with everything here, it became something else.

Granted, the Holocaust is a subject that makes being impactful quite easy but Amen (http://imdb.com/title/tt0280653/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9YW1lbnxodG1sPTF8bm09b24_;fc=1;ft=140;fm=1) was quite good. It's the story of an SS officer during WW2 who tries to inform the Pope about the concentration camps, with the help of a young Jesuit priest.

Although not a Holocaust movie, Max (http://imdb.com/title/tt0290210/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9bWF4fGh0bWw9MXxubT1vbg__;fc=1;ft=43;fm=1) was nothing short of extraordinary, IMO. Noah Taylor's performance (as probably the most human portrayal of Hitler ever put onto celluloid) absolutely must be seen to be believed.

This topic is going to be the bane of my getting any work done today, because different movies keep popping into my head.

Bring the noise.
Cheers............

I feel like i have dutifully stayed on-topic in respect to the obscurity of motion pictures mentioned.

Cohen and Gilliam films, and ones with Brad Pitt however, are a little less obscure.

If that's case, retitle the thread "let's discuss movies that only art fags have seen".

Under the radar != Let's have a dick-measuring contest about the obscurity of the films we can reference

Bring the noise.
Cheers.............

Nah, I wasn't talking about obscurity. I was talking about movies that we walk into not wanting to see it, only to come out surprised.

Like the first post mentioned: Changing Lanes. Far from obscure, but ahoythematey found that he didn't hate Affleck in it. Or mine: Shattered Glass convinced me that Christiansen is actually a good actor. Same goes for you in mentioning Mark Wahlberg.

Brought me in mind of The Year of Living Dangerously (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086617/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9eWVhciBvZiBsaXZpbmcgZGFuZ2Vyb3VzbHl8aHRtbD0xfG5tPW9u;fc=1;ft=8;fm=1); another movie I remember being an awakening of the world outside my world.

Personally, I was thinking about the kind of movie that had totally escaped my individual attention when saying "under-the-radar", but why not leave things open to interpretation?  Forums are all about dick-waving anyways.

The anime flick Wings of Honneamise is another that really took me by surprise, because I knew nothing about it, started watching the movie expecting something marginally okay, and ended up with an experience that I could swear was masterminded by Ron Howard.

Oh yeah great flick.  It's got Malkovich and Joey Pants, great cast.  Plus its got Batman when he was a kid.

It was a damn good movie, and Bale was a pretty damn good child(teen) actor. Which I suppose should make me bring up Equilibrium, I expected pure crap but was treated to one of the better action sci-fi movies in the last couple of years.

I also agree Wings of Honneamise was damn fine, though my expectations were high when I watched it.

Alot of people didn't catch Princess Mononoke (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/princess_mononoke/) when it was released in the US.

Disregard the title, and any hangups you have about it being anime.   It's a really good movie.

/second that, I still watch Empire of the Sun everytime it comes on HBO.  As for Equilibrium, it looked like complete shit, but turned out to be very entertaining, not a sledgehammer, but worth a watch.

One that my girlfriend really wanted to watch, so we rented, was Thirteen (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0328538/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9dGhpcnRlZW58aHRtbD0xfG5tPW9u;fc=1;ft=53;fm=1).
The concept of the movie was so strange to me (I'm an arab male), that I  was actually really disturbed by the movie, and wanted to get up and do something else, but it had me caught.  A very strong movie.

This is a great thread, already added 7 movies to netflix!  Got to get through the season of The Wire first though.

Jacob's Ladder (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099871/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9amFjb2IgbGFkZGVyfGh0bWw9MXxubT1vbg__;fc=1;ft=14;fm=1)

I didn't expect anything from it at all, and it really hit me pretty hard when I figured it out.

I also want to add Swimming to Cambodia (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094089/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9c3dpbW1pbmcgdG8gY2FtYm9kaWF8aHRtbD0xfG5tPW9u;fc=1;ft=1)

Not emotionally super impacting but considering the movies presentation it is amazingly engrossing.

I have a hard time watching Spalding now because of his recent untimely and sad demise. I was a big fan and saw him live multiple times.

I would like to point out that Swimming to Cambodia is about the making of The Killing Fields.  If you plan to pick up The Killing Fields because of this thread I highly recommend that you follow it with Swimming.

Hoop Dreams is a great documentary.  If you have any interest in sports or life in the inner city, you will never forget this movie.  It is a stunning depiction of the hope and the pain associated with athletics and escaping the ghetto.

Hearts of Darkness (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102015/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9aGVhcnRzIG9mIGRhcmtuZXNzfGh0bWw9MXxubT1vbg__;fc=1;ft=5) Eleanor Coppolas documentary footage of the shooting of Apocalypse Now. great insight into fucked up people making movie history.

Maximum Overdrive (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091499/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9bWF4aW11bSBvdmVyZHJpdmV8aHRtbD0xfG5tPW9u;fc=1;ft=1). I know King is a sucky director, but, goshdarnit, I still think it's a fun modern day matinee flick. "We made you!" Cheasy buy lovely... and the soundtrack literally rocks.

Starman (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088172/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9c3Rhcm1hbnxodG1sPTF8bm09b24_;fc=1;ft=21;fm=1). It's sappy as hell, but I ike sappy movies that only Americans can make. Jeff Bridges is terrific and should have had the Oscar he was nominated for.

The Boxer.

Daniel Day Lewis and Emily Watson. It started on cable one night and I just couldnt stop watching. Bloody excellent.

Well that pretty much goes for all Studio Ghibli movies. Spirited Away, Laputa: Castle in the sky, Porco Rosso etc. are all generally the best anime you're going to find.

I don't know how obscure it is, but since it's subtitled I'll assume "somewhat obscure."  In any case, I hadn't heard about it.

City of God (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317248/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9Y2l0eSBvZiBnb2R8aHRtbD0xfG5tPW9u;fc=1;ft=15)

I don't really know what to say about this movie.  Someone told me I had to watch it and lent it to me.  I finally got around to watching it, expecting something pretty decent.  What felt like a little while later, the movie was done and I felt like I'd seen something important.  I didn't feel like I had any new answers to the Questions Of Life, but it did seem that I hadn't wasted a few hours.

I'd like to go on the record saying that some of you are calling movies that garnered some Oscar notariety 'under-the-radar.' Just sayin' is all.

Very well, here's a true under-the-radar: Waking The Dead (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0127349/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxzZz0xfHR0PW9ufHBuPTB8cT13YWtpbmcgdGhlIGRlYWR8bXg9MjB8bG09MjAwfGh0bWw9MXxubT1vbg__;fc=1;ft=20;fm=1). I expected little more than a weepy chick flick, but this film really hit me hard. It's not just a "love story", it's a story about love itself, and yes there is a difference. The main characters (Billy Crudup and Jennifer Connelly, both excellent) have a connection that I only wish I will be able to experience before I croak.

Connelly's character in this movie can be my pretend girlfriend any day. Crudup is the most underrated actor of his generation, and someday I hope he is given a role that gives him the attention he deserves.

Everyone knows about waking the dead because there are like 3 oppurtunities to see Connelly titties in it. That said, I bought it not knowing about the nude scenes. It had just been released and I was still buying near every release that didn't look like utter shite each week.

Here's under the radar: The Bird People in China. Takashi Miike, the director, is arguably one of the most talented directors alive today. Other works include Ichi, The Killer and numerous mafia stories (there's a 3 movie box set available at Best Buy for something like $52.99 and it includes Ley Lines, which is a work of art if you ask me).

Edit: At least Crudup is underrated. Clive Owen is misused in every movie he's done since he stopped doing British Indie stuff. He's being raped by Hollywood.

I actually felt the same way about Affleck's performance in this one. He isn't a great actor, but when he finds a part in his comfort range, he does well with it.

Amistad.
Waiting for Guffman, but that was a Sledgehammer of Funny.  And Parker Posey is hot.

Under the radar? Not so much.

If you want to see a truly heart-wrenching Djimon Honsou performance, see In America (yes, equally not-under-the-radar, but a much better film, and it has the bonus of not having Anthony Hopkins in it).



"I HATE YOU, AND I HATE YOUR ASS FACE!"

I love this movie.

Djimon Honsou is also awesome in "Dirty Pretty Things" with Audrey Tatou (of Amelie fame).

As long as we are talking about "pre-Tim Burton" Crudup, I think Jesus's Son is a pretty good flick, although it didn't particularly sledgehammer me.  You know a movie is going to have some good bits when it's main character's name is Fuck-Head.

If you can catch Nick Bloomfields flick about the serial-killer chick Theron played in Monster, it is pretty interesting (can't remember the name right now). Bat shit insane on parade.

You're getting your confusingly named African actors mixed up. Chiwetel Ejiofor was the lead in Dirty Pretty Things, and yes, he was excellent in that film. Another under the radar winner.



Broomfield made two movies. "Aileen Wornous: The Selling of a Serial Killer" in the early 90s, was not really about serial killing but about the weasels that pour out of the woodwork to exploit her.

His update, made about 10 years later and after Wornous was executed, is "Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer". Be sure to watch them in that order.

Once you see them, then you realize they should have given Charlize Theron 2 or 3 Oscars for her performance in Monster, she fucking nailed it.

Ah right, Djimon was great in Gladiator as well. Goddamn strange vowel-stricken names. You should see what I do to traditional Indian names. It's absolutely amazing.

Darkman just hit me like a brick.

The last mask Liam Neeson puts on is freaking Bruce Campbell. I hadn't seen that movie in like 8 years.

Wow, that was entirely uninteresting.

/me presses submit.

Dude, never use Campbells full name so long as the board censors like that. Campbell will shoot you with his boomstick, primate!

Edit: Damn that filter.

Spirited Away - which is anime, my wife who hates anime, sat down, said, "WTF?" asked me to start from the beginning, and sat through the whole thing with her face making the cutest contortions in wonderment. Any Studio Ghibli movie is pretty darn moving. Dance of the Firefly's is just depressing, Princess Monokee is wonderful.  I love the little tree spirits.

Donnie Darko was another one we both watched 2 or 3 times. Just trying to figure it out. She was convinced he was off his meds and having split personalities the first time. Which was fun to watch. I really would like to see the director's cut.

Edit - Added Pie... (I think it might just be the symbol).  Very interesting movie.

Not quite under the radar, but I avoided Fight Club forever, nearly missing a very good film.

Also since Gwynith Paltrow seems to be the actress everyone loves to hate, he was quite good in Shakespeare in Love.  Plus who doesn't love Geoffrey Rush? Odd - I never realized she was the young Wendy in Hook.

I have been following this thread and one movie struck me House of Games (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093223/).  It's a suspense film that isn't overly deep or have an exceptionally surprising ending.  Somehow, it managed to stick with me all these years... I guess that has to say something.

Hell yeah. You may want to check out other David Mamet films or writings as well. They tend to do that.

Pi.  Its a greek letter.

Π

html: Π or Π

edit:  Lower case
π

html: π or π

This is probably about as obscure as it gets, but I saw a very good movie at a local arthouse-type theater. It was named "The Story of the Weeping Camel", a docu-drama of sorts about a nomadic family on the Mongolian steppes who depend on their herd of camels and goats for their livelihood. One of their camels gives birth to a rare white camel, but doesn't recognize it as her own baby. The movie follows the story of this family as they try to unite the mother and child through a variety of means.

 The pacing of the movie is pretty slow, but I don't have a problem with slow pacing as long as it is appropriate to the story. To me, the movie is a fascinating look at a culture completely different from our own, and I thought the main story was quite moving as well. For some reason, it made me very happy to know that there are still people out there living such a simple yet fulfilling lifestyle.

I will second Shattered Glass, it was very good. I also saw Waking the Dead and thought it was pretty decent, even on cable with a distinct lack of breasts. (Damn, didn't even know what I was missing)

OK, this thread actually drove me to register here and actually delurk. Hi all :-)!

My not so comprehensive list of films which were under the radar but left an impression for me.

Mind you since I live in germany these might be films which might have been rather popular in the States but just didn't make it over here. There are also most certainly some german flicks in my list where I do not know the english title (if it even exists)

Disclaimer: english is not my mother tongue, but pointing out  spelling and grammar errors is not considered rude behaviour by me. (At least if one's not being anal about it)

In no particular order

"Das Boot" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082096)

One of the best world war II anti-war movies ever. Period. If you get the chance try to get your hands on the original tv miniseries. The film is just an edited and shortened version of said series. (The miniseries can be ordered on DVD and even has an english language track)

I never had the chance to see the series in '81 (I was five at the time) but got my hands on the dvds and it is still great.

"Lola rennt (run lola run)" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0130827)

Restored my faith into the german movie business. Before Lola rennt came out 99% of the films produced and directed by germans sucked big time or where just some cheesy pseudointellectual art house bullshit (or both). Notable exception Wim Wenders. I just love "Der Himmel ueber Berlin" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093191). Whoever made the sucky remake "City of Angels" just should be shot IMHO.

It astonished me because it showed me that german films actually could be cool if they tried to.

Ronin (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122690):

A little John Frankenheimer Flick with amazing car chases, with DeNiro, Sean Bean and Jean Reno and of course Natasha McElhone in it. Nothing really spectacular but the first DVD i bought and I like actually watch it from time to time. If only DeNiro could get through a film without mumbling unintelligibly.

Worst movie ever in this regard is Heat. Cool movie but a big DeNiro/Pacino mumblefest. I actually had to switch to the german dub because I couldn't understand these two most of the time. I never had to do this while watching trainspotting which had some awful english dialect in there.

Memento(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0209144):

Stumbled upon this film because we were bored at the time and just picked some random movie to watch. I very much liked the narrative and the premise of this movie. It imho shows how important our memory is for evaluating our next step and how easy it is to jump to wrong conclusions or how easy somebody can be manipulated if one doesn't know all the facts.

Pi (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0138704): Same as for Memento I just stumbled across it.

Old Boy (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364569): Saw it at the annual Fantasy Filmfest in Nuremberg.  Revenge is obviously a big topic for Mister Park since he also directed Sympathy for mister vengeance.

Jeff

p.s. honorable mention goes to Urotsukidoji for introducing me to the fact that the Japanese are very strange people indeed.

Das Boot and Run Lola Run are indeed kickass movies. ( Although I needed ALOT of coffee to get through Das Boot ).

I really liked Old Boy until they revealed a plot that makes even the japaneese go "WTF is wrong with you people?!".

I don't know what you mean...


As for Mememto, you win a star.  It's easily one of my all time top ten films.  Stunning stuff.

I hate Memento - with a passion.

Ronin is one of Frankenheimers worst efforts. No story to speak of, but some truly great carchases, I still prefer Bullit ogr French Connection for those, though.

Heat is brilliant (but Pacino, de Niro and Mann... under whose radar?)and I had no trouble understanding the dialogue. (but I did grow up with only one national tv-channel and three German - which means that I've suffered through the horror of John Wayne speaking German all through my childhood)

I saw Das Boot when it first aired, and has still to see it as a movie. I must go buy it now.

Speaking of that weird accent. Shallow Grave is a slight favourite to Trainspotting, but both are great. Then there was two terrible efforts and the 'under the radar' favourite of 28 Days, which I like even less than Memento...

??? I can't quite decide if this is a real question or irony.

btw. substitute english with scottish. Proofreading is not my speciality. Sometimes when I write in english I use german expressions and colloquialisms without realising it. And most germans just use the term english even when refraining to other parts of the United Kingdom such as Scotland



We discussed the film with a group of complete strangers for nearly two hours outside the theater afterwards. It was november and quite cold outside but we didn't care.

Jeff

It was Irony.  I'm one of the Scottish posters on the board (at last count, there were 3 of us.  Like witches.)

I had little trouble understanding the film, but I'm not enough of a prick not to see how others might have.  I'm reminded of the scene in Goldmember where Caine and Myers talk entirely in Cockney Slang and even the subtitles give up....

I'm curious. Why exactly?





In germany Heat was not a high profile film when it was released.  It is that way sometimes. Sometimes something is big in the US but doesn't quite make it over here. Same with Alias. Big success in the US but has recently been cancelled here in germany because ratings sucked. Same with the sporanos and 24. But otoh we "enjoy" frequent reruns of "The Nanny", "Golden Girls", "The fresh prince of bel air" and "7th Heaven". Sometimes I do not understand my own people :-(.



Yeah the wonders of dubbing. At least the people who dubbed John Wayne movies still knew what they were doing and did an excellent job translating the text and selecting the right actors for the job. Nowadays you have to be grateful when there is no major language fuckup every three sentences. Quality of the dubs has declined so much that I stopped watching dubbed versions entirely. I wish they would do it the way it is done in sweden and norway and just use subtitles but that will not happen :-(

I now understand why Europe hates America. Fran Drescher is a Weapon of Mass Annoying.

Bring the noise.
Cheers............

... and Denmark!

While subtitles are to be preferred to dubbing, the rise of more commercial tv-stations has also given rise to cutthroat competition between translators.
Movies in the cinema are still good quality (it's not just translating the movie: You only have limited space - two lines max - and the text needs to be onscreen for a set amount of time. It's an artform), but television shows are just full of stupid ass mistakes.
At least without dubbing, you have a chance to ignore the subtitles, but that doesn't work for those languages you don't speak fluently.

Yes, and my wife loves watching that fucking show. Drives me batty. I did manage to obstinately get out of watching the Nanny reunion they had recently. I can only watch the Nanny with the sound muted, and even then it's hard.

Pi was an excellent, but very cerebral film. Heat, however, really would suffer if you had a hard time understanding DeNiro or Pacino. The accents they spout are nothing to me, but to someone who hasn't lived here, I can see how it might be hard. The movie is incredible though; I think their performances are spectacular, even though they are both just rehashing character types they've played in many previous movies. The scene in the coffee shop with the two of them talking is just two acting giants playing off each other, and I absolutely love that moment. Doesn't hurt that it has Tom Sizemore, Val Kilmer and that crazy Mexican motherfucker from Desperado to boot.

I love all you people discussing Pi. I might have to make a contest out of something pi-related.

The only thing that bugs me about that scene is that Mann never does a two-shot. Every shot during the major confrontation is an over the shoulder shot of one of them onto the other's face. For all we know the two of them didn't even shoot the scene together, but just did their dialogue with stand-ins because you only ever see the back of the head. Was a very odd choice.

Run Lola Run - good film.  Been a while since I saw it but, now I might have to go buy the DVD.  

On the subject of foreign films - The Vanishing and La Femme Nakita the original versions were also both quite good. Shallow Grave, very very good. Trainspotting heck ya.

As for The Nanny. Fran is hot. Maybe dubbed she doesn't have an annoying voice/laugh and is watchable???

I disliked Mememto as well. It was a 15 minute movie that was wrapped around a gimmick.

I'd like to see how people viewed Jacob's Ladder. We had to watch it a couple times for a class I was in in college then write a paper on what was "real" in the film and what wasn't. (IE. Was he killed in Vietnam and the whole thing imagined, or was it all real, or what bits).

The discussion of Horror movies that treat you intelligently...I was going to suggest Seven, but then I think it did have a cat jump out at you... so much for that...

In general recommendations...Shawshank Redemption and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

As for Heat...I think I saw it twice in the theatre. Good action. And I agree it was extremely odd with how they "shared" the screen.

Correct.



Imagined. I side with the people who say he was completely delusional. But then, it is VERY easily argued either way.



Se7en falls under thriller I believe. Gore does not a horror movie make. Eventually I plan on going through my collection of horror movies that I think are great (which will probably result in distilling a list of 100 movies down to about 9).

Jacob's Ladder was a sublime masterpiece that I've only seen once. I need to watch it again. I rented it years ago with a not-so-smart-former-friend of mine, my sister (also not booksmart), and my cousin, and NONE of them got it. Meanwhile, I'm sitting there grinning my ass off.

Some movies are just gimmicks, but they are cool gimmicks. Pulp Fiction probably wouldn't have had quite the punch without the skewed time line. Memento did its schtick well, I thought.

Pi: I thought it was great just after seeing it, but it's waned in my memory.  The Rabbinical/Kabbalah/Government conspiracy seems kind of campy in retrospect.

Unrecognizable Scottish Accents:  The worst I've had to muddle through was an indie Scottish movie from a couple of years ago about a kid who gets caught up in the drug trade/crime and eventually stabs his mother's boyfriend.  I can't remember the name for the life of me, but it was a really good movie.  Too bad most of the dialogue went something like:
"Hae' mae fookin coolah mleh!"

On Jacob's Ladder and determining the truth:  I really hate it when the writer's too lazy to decide the truth.  I liked Donnie Darko alot. . enough to watch it again with the Director and Writer commentating over it.  And without spoiling anything, they basically said 'We don't know what really happened here' in some crucial bits.  Fuck that.  If the writer doesn't know, it's not a mystery, it's just imaginative masturbation.

Edit: The Scottish movie is Sweet Sixteen.  Dark, but recommended.

Good film that not enough people have seen "Evil" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338309/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9b25kc2thbnxodG1sPTF8bm09b24_;fc=1;ft=21;fm=1). Might not be under the radar since it was nominated for best forgeign film last year, but I have yet to meet a single non-swede who has seen it.

Kudos on bringing up Run Lola Run. One of my favorite movies. Das Boot is currently available as a 4 hour directors cut on dvd - this would be the version I recomend watching (with subtitles of course).

My favorite little known movie would have to be Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "Delicatessen".  He's the guy who did the much better known "Amelie". Great movie if you can find it, its not available on dvd yet though.

Actually, my 'uncle in law' (if such a thing exists) produced that one. You helped him get that summer house in France, he always wanted...
But yeah, it's a very good movie (the book is right over there on the table waiting for me)

Lola Rennt is actually on the telly right now... and my machine is recording a Chris Rock HBO special... from the mesmerizing 10 minutes of Lola I just caught, I think I made the wrong choice. I'll put that on the dvd buying list.

Here's an old under the radar foreign movie (from before Weir went Hollywood). Picnic at Hanging Rock (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073540/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9cGljbmljIGF0IGFobmdpbmd8aHRtbD0xfG5tPW9u;fc=1;ft=2;fm=1). Weird, but still deeply memorable after all these years (I haven't seen it in about 10 years time).

And speaking of Down Under. One of my guilty pleasures is Quigly Down Under (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102744/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9cXVpZ2x5IGRvd24gdW5kZXJ8aHRtbD0xfG5tPW9u;fc=1;ft=1;fm=1) with Tom Selleck. What can I say? I'm a sucker for Alan Rickman.

I'm a sucker for Laura San Giacomo's breasts (http://www.mrskin.com/Stars/00502/Laura_San_Giacomo.htm). To each their own, I guess.

Since I was primarily interested in moving movies and not obscurity, the title has been changed.  And now for something completely different:

(http://www.intriguing.com/mp/_pictures/compdiff/announce.jpg)

"Two Brothers" - a Korean film about (surprise) two korean brothers during the korean war.  Excellent acting, excellent realism, better than Saving Private Ryan IMO.  Good to see a movie about that particular war from a non-American perspective, as well.  I'm not totally sure its available for rent in America yet, but it came out a while ago here, and was Korea's entry for best foreign film for the Oscars.  

"Dog Soldiers" - Scottish werewolf horror movie.  Not perfect but damn good as horror movies go.  Been out for a while in America; if you like most horror movies you'll love this.  And no crappy CGI effects.  

Check 'em out

Probably the best werewolf movie ever made.

Dog Soldiers is great indeed.

Made me think of another movie while I'm at it. Canadian werewolf movie called Ginger Snaps. Won't be for everyone, its centered around two sisters hitting puberty and encountering a werewolf at the same time, but personally I found it really well written.  There are actually three movies in a series, and I was shocked by how much I enjoyed them all.

It may be a bit more mainstream then i think, but none the less im blown away everytime i watch it is The Crow.  The whole concept of comming back to put right what was wrong and and do it in such away that wasnt just mindless violence was incredible.  I know they had to do a large portion of the movie with Computer for Brandon Lee, but that was just a killer story....Screw the guys that made the crap known as Crow 2 city of angels.....Brandon rolled over in his grave at least 3 times when the put that hunk of crap on the market!

Hmmm, the title changed - so just movies that hit me like a sledgehammer? Off the top of my head:

Lost in Translation
Croupier
12 Monkeys
24 Hour Party People
The Quiet American
Twin Peaks
Poolhall Junkies
The Game
Frailty
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
The Eye
Phone
Charade
Exorist
Silence of the Lambs
Ringu
Event Horizon
Dead Ringers
Le Pacte des Loups
Igby Goes Down
Cure
Comedian
Cinema Paradiso
Bob Roberts
All the President's Men
A Better Tomorrow 1 & 2
Infernal Affairs
Battle Royale
Alive
Ichi, The Killer
Ley Lines
Adaptation
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
I <3 Huckabees
Shaun of the Dead
Kikujiro
High Fidelity
Insomnia (Original)
Mulholland Drive
North by Northwest
Ping Pong
Zatoichi (2004)
Hard Boiled

If I can come up with more, I guess I'll add them later.

Four words: American Werewolf In London.

Best. Werewolf. Movie. Ever.

None of the movies I really like are all that obscure.

The Usual Suspects, Saving Private Ryan, Full Metal Jacket...

I do however really like "Seige of Firebase Gloria". My dad's a Vietnam vet and its his favorite Vietnam movie even over Full Metal Jacket, but that could be because it's about his company (Lima).

Pi is on my eternal top ten list.

Those of you bagging on Memento, take another look. It is most certainly NOT a "gimmick" film, although it may appear that way in a single viewing. There are layers upon layers happening in this movie that have nothing to do with the backwards logic. This movie has a tremendous amount to say about the power of human memory, and how we manipulate it to rationalize our own failures, disappointments, and holes in the soul. It's one of the most illuminating films about the true workings of the human animal ever made.

I once wrote a dissertation of the multiple philosophical and spiritual concepts Memento touches on, but lucky for you people, it's on my other computer and I'm too lazy to pull it off to post here.

Heh, if you get a chance please do.  I like reading academic papers that tie into cinema.  My last year of undergrad I wrote a semi-term paper on Odysseus characterization in film.   The professor I was writing it for wrote extensive papers on the Three Stooges.  Good times.

Long ago, Amadeus and Reservior Dogs showed me movies were more then just entertainment.

Somewhat more recently, Titus(directed by Julie Taymor) made me sit up and take note.  It is currently my favorite movie.

The best feeling I have had walking out of a theatre had to be seeing Seven and The Prophecy back to back for the first time.  I was numb and overloaded at the same time.

I would have said what he said, but I just couldn't get beyond "Yeah, Oh Yeah ?  Yeah ?  Well FUCK YOU !" to those who disliked Memento.  I'm afraid I like it that much.

I personally would have added the enormous insight into the pysche of the human condition in the film and how, in the end, we are all someone's tools.

But still can't get by Fuck You.

(Oh and Seven Samurai is one of the best films of all time too.)

Schild, didn't the original Insomnia have Stellan Skarsgaard?

Yes.

That settles it then, I must see the original Insomnia.  I enjoyed the Pacino/Williams remake a good deal, but everything is better when Stellan Skarsgaard becomes involved.

So is, Yojimbo (points at avatar), although it's not quite as socially powerful.  Still has its profound moments.

There is supposed to be quite an interesting flick here at Sundance by Neil Gaiman and Dean McKean called Mirror Mask. I'm going to try to get a ticket to see it but it is a tough one to get into.

There is also a film called The Aristocrats that is basically a whole bunch of famous comedians telling the same joke over and over again. It is apparently a well-known joke among comedians but is so fithly that it is never told in public. The punchline is apparently really lame but each comedian does an improv riff in the middle of the joke which is the really funny part.  They say that if it is submitted to the MPAA it will be the first film to get an NC-17 based solely on language.

Only movie that interests me at Sundance is "Strangers with Candy: The Movie".

World Premiere: January 24th, 2005 (Sundance Film Festival in the Park City at Midnight category)

Cast: Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert, Paul Dinello, Sara Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ian Holm, Allison Janney, Dan Hedeya, Kristen Johnston, Chris Pratt, Justin Theroux, Deborah Rush, Sarah Thyre, Greg Hollimon

There's a South Park version of that joke.  Wish I could find the vid.  It's absolutely filthy.  It had my wife cringing.

Ya, they did the SP version for this flick.

http://www.spschat.com/RareMedia/videos/southparkjoke-thearistocrats.wmv

Not even remotely work safe.

That's an understatement.

As far as I can tell from the South Park version, it's just an excuse to go buck wild with maximally offensive imagery.  That's not a joke.  It's verbal trolling.

Here's a blurb on the film:



Oh, and in reading up on Mirror Mask, it is sort of a quasi-sequal to Labyrynth written by Gaiman and directed by McKean. Combines live action and digital animation.

It's one of the funniest jokes I've ever heard.

Closer should have been NC-17.

Edit: Did I mention I have a permanent copy on my desktop?

You're fucking kidding me.  Unless there's some kind of deep meaning in 'the aristocrats', it's not a joke.  Christ, at least give me a pun or something.  The punchline may as well be 'Snickers Bar' or 'Wrist Cancer'.  It's just mouth noise.

It's funny mouth noise.

[Cartman] While the mother starts licking the babies tiny little bal..

[kyle] Dude!

[Cartman] Hold on Kyle!

It's all such a buildup to a terrible payoff. And the timing from the Kyle/Cartman exchanges are hilarious.

Not everything is a knock-knock joke.

The Kyle/Cartman exchanges are what make the whole bit.

See that's the trouble with Schild and movies.
Sometimes you're very very wrong (with an almost SB-like arrogance) and sometimes you nails it in one. This is the latter.

I've had this SP-bit downloaded since it first made the rounds. I didn't know the background, but the delivery makes the joke.
Now, knowing where it comes from and why it was made, just makes it better and I'm looking forward to its first showing over here.

... and I'm a huge fan of Penn Gilette, who's a personal friend of Neil Gaiman, who's a friend of Dave McKean, who did the majority of the work on Mirror mask. Gaiman only helped with the script and gave advice, so it's a bit unfair to McKean to label it a Gaiman-McKean work.

Go to Gaiman's blog and search for Mirror Mask if you want to know more (as well as a lot of stuff on their viewing of the 3 hour unedited Labyrinth, we'll never get to see).

Back on the original topic:
The Prophecy (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114194/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9cHJvcGhlY3l8aHRtbD0xfG5tPW9u;fc=2;ft=27;fm=1). Christopher Walken as the archangel Gabriel making Viggo Mortensen look possibly benign as Lucifer himself. What's not to love?
Just like great bits of Sandman, Preacher and Hellblazer I have a fondness for stories that plays with religion and especially christian mythology.

I even kinda sorta like The Seventh Sign (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096073/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9c2V2ZW50aCBzaWdufGh0bWw9MXxubT1vbg__;fc=1;ft=20)

Then you might be interested in seeing "The Rapture" with Mimi Rogers. A very disturbing film ... I can't really say as I enjoyed it, because it's not so much a film you enjoy as much as absorb, discuss, and examine your own view of Christian theology.

I thought what made it funny was to look at other people the first time they hear it...

I see a lot of good picks already listed. A few of my more recent favorites:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Garden State

Solaris

Man on the Train

Lost in Translation

Spartan

Whale Rider

Northfork

The Man Who Wasn't There

Same here.

Although his films are a little more down to earth, and don't always fall into the category of "mythological" or "fantastic", I consider Abel Ferrara a master at these type of stories. I'd probably get lynched if I said this in a church, but the Bad Lieutenant (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103759/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9YmFkIGxpZXR1ZW5hbnR8aHRtbD0xfG5tPW9u;fc=1;ft=21;fm=1) is one of the best "religious" movies ever made.

For something more mythological, Angelheart (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092563/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9YW5nZWxoZWFydHxodG1sPTF8bm09b24_;fc=1;ft=20;fm=1). Fuck The Devil's Advocate.

What do you think of Andy Kaufman?

The joke is telling it to other people and experiencing thier reaction or even your own reaction.  The south park version is an excellent example of it because it works purely by comedic timing theres no sight gags or cheap laughs.  The joke builds tension as it goes, getting more and more obscene until finally there is no possible punchline that could live up to the joke.  People are expecting a punchline, they really want a punch line.  You can literally watch people tense up as they hear the joke play out.

This (that there is no punch line) tends to upset many people which, really, just makes the joke that much funnier.

I love the symmetry in South Park doing the joke.  If you don't get it - or find it offensive - it's just foul and obscene; exactly what people have labeled the show as being.

Anyway, when Cartman starts screaming during the 911 part, I can't keep from laughing.

Ran uber alles.  The cinematography still nails me everytime I watch it.

Yojimbo just has that classic story, though.  Seriously, it's been remade, what? 9, 10 times in different genres and styles?

Every single Kurosawa samurai movie has. From Hidden Fortress to Sanjuro to Yojimbo.

Though it's debated wether Kurosawa was inspired by it or not, the basic story came earlier in Dashiell Hammett's novel Red Harvest.

I've read some of Dashell Hammett's stuff.  The man had a very real genious.  I haven't read Red Harvest but I'll go hunt it down now.

You won't regret it if you like his style.

Ok - watched Poolhall Junkies. Christopher Walken was great. The ending was a bit too Holllywood.

(http://media.livingwithstyle.com/files/1/3/6/5/8/necro.jpg)

Couldn't resist  :-D

Rise - Rise - Rise - I command you!

That movie is awesome. Some of the acting isn't up to snuff, but if you like billiards at all, you owe it to yourself to watch it.

Plus, Walken tells a story.

(http://www.spawn.com/news/images/poolhall_movie_photo_01_lg.jpg)

Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0115005/)

The imagery in this film has stuck with me for years now.  I honestly do not think I've been more disturbed by a movie in my life.  I recommend it if you don't mind being emotionally scarred.

edit:  No, no I did not mean scared.  Fear my terrible spelling.

Did you mean to say scared ?

whoah, uber necro...

Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0096142/) is the movie that touched me in the most places.

Walken playing a likeable non-sociopathic character was nice. I liked his monologue about money as well.

The Black Hole.  Believe it.  First saw it two years ago.  I now hate most other movies.

Few more came to me - since I thread necro'd - Salvador (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091886/), and Sorcerer (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076740/). I keep meaning to watch Wages of Sin to see the original of Sorcerer.

Did I mention "Max" already?

(I know the thread was changed to "Fuck the Radar" but) That's probably the last flick that I didn't know anything about, and didn't expect to be so damn good. It's a fictional/theoretical story (but still probable and realistic) about Hitler "the painter and artist", and the things that lead him to become the Hitler of later years. The story revolves around 2 characters: John Cusack's "Max", a Jewish art gallery owner, and Noah Taylor's (who is absolutely amazing) young Hitler. Definitely worth checking out.