The Glade 4.0

OK, so I thought this might be a fun idea for a thread. This is kind of a corollary to the "Late to the Party" threads. Post up the best movies you don't think many others have seen, ones you'd like to share with more people. This isn't a thread for typical "mainstream" films (for instance, I don't care how much you loved Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and want to evangelize about it, it really doesn't need any help in the publicity department, does it?), but the smaller, older, cult or forgotten films that you've miraculously discovered and fallen in love with and want to share.

Post up the title with a little bit of information (what it's about, why we should see it, your thoughts on it), and let's see what diamonds in the rough get unearthed. I'm going to try to actually be kinda diligent about it; I hope to post up one at week, but we'll see just how long that lasts. So I'm not going to just put up a list and let that be it.

I think I'll start off with…



Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

This is a neo-noir action comedy from 2005, the directorial debut of screenwriter Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, Monster Squad, Last Action Hero, and another overlooked gem, The Long Kiss Goodnight). It was the first stop on Robert Downey Jr.’s comeback trail, and the only good thing Val Kilmer’s done in quite a long time. Downey plays Harry Lockhart, a small-time hood who literally stumbles into the motion picture industry and gets a job playing a private investigator. He’s paired with real detective Perry van Shrike (Val Kilmer) as preparation for his role. Harry and Perry (“Gay Perry,” commonly) wind up intertwined in a salacious murder mystery straight out of pulpy noir fiction, with Harry’s childhood sweetheart-cum-aspiring actress Harmony (a fun and adorable Michelle Monaghan) along for the ride.

The fun of this film is in Downey’s proto-Downey performance, Kilmer’s performance as the…uh, straight man to Downey’s incompetent bungler, and a metafiction angle that keeps the whole thing moving at a whiplash-inducing pace, with Downey’s rapid-fire narration breaking the fourth wall left and right (“By now you may wonder how I wound up here. Or, maybe not. Maybe you wonder how silly putty picks **** up from comic books. The point is, I don't see another Goddamn narrator, so pipe down.”).

The performances are absolutely top-notch, with Downey and Kilmer both giving what I would consider to be their best-ever performances (that’s saying something, as Downey is one of my favorite actors, and one of the rarified few that I will watch in anything). The film winds up so deliriously, deliciously meta that it folds back on itself like the world’s most violent Möbius strip, packed with witty one-liners and plenty of action, as well as enjoyable characters and crackerjack direction (the guy’s good; I hope directs more stuff soon). On a friend’s recommendation, I picked this up used for a $1.50, and it quickly rocketed to being one of my all-time favorite films, one of the most purely fun movies I’ve ever seen.

Highest possible recommendation.

Dot the I





Good character interaction, good plot twists. When my girlfriend suggested this movie I figured it'd be a yawner chick-flick, but I ended up enjoying it a lot.

Moon





This is a good one. Don't read anything else about the movie, though, or you'll see where it's going before you get there. Definitely one of those movies where the less you know, the better. Best of the movie was how it (usually) didn't insult your intelligence with standard movie cliches/scenes.

Little indie film. The acting was a bit wooden but the film overall is freaky.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1160317/

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Been wanting to see this one.

Serendipity

Can once in a lifetime happen twice?

When Jonathan and Sara meet for the first time, there's a definite attraction between the two of them, but they're both attached. Sara is a big believer in "meant to be", and when she gives Jonathan her phone number only to have the wind blow the number from his hand, she sees this as a sign that the two of them are not meant to be together - at least not right now.

Years pass, and now Jonathan (John Cusack) is engaged to marry someone else. He loves his fiancee, but suddenly he's thinking a lot about Sara. Across the country, Sara (Kate Beckinsale) has also just gotten engaged, but she's starting to wonder about Jonathan. They're both starting to wonder what might have been.

The two launch a search to find one another, armed with very little information about the other - they don't even know each other's last name, let alone an address or phone number.

The plot twists as the two try to find one another in New York City, seemingly against all odds, although they're closer than either of them knows. Their paths ALMOST cross several times, but not quite. Will they ever find each other? Will they find each other again before Jonathan marries Halley? Or will it be too late?


yes, it's a chick flick..but great movie. Watched it with a girlfriend of mine and loved it.

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Dream as if you'll live forever...
...Live as if you'll die tomorrow

Vivere Senza Rimpianti

Thumbs up for Moon, liked that one a lot in the theater, gonna pick up the DVD.

Edit: Had to go looking in my movie collection for one, since Moon was already taken...


The Machinist
Nice psychological horror flick...Christian Bale is a machinist who hasn't slept for a year, and the line between reality and madness starts to blur just as things seem to be getting better...

The amount of weight he dropped for the role is absolutely mind-boggling.

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Women are from Hoboken, men are from Trenton. ~ Jimmy Kimmel

What is mind boggling is that he did Batman Begins after that...

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Raell Kromwell

I got in "trouble" for liking that movie lol

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The Machinist...yes! Great movie.

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Ron Paul 2012

Not super obscure movies, but ones that I love that I find not everyone has seen:



Grosse Pointe Blank
Is it a dark comedy? Is it an action movie? Is there gunplay and explosions? Is it a romance movie that women will also love? Is it a hitman movie? Is it an 80's throwback reunion movie? YES TO ALL!!!



12 Monkeys
A movie by Terry Gilliam, of Monty Python fame. Based off a short French film called La Jette. This is the movie that broke Bruce Willis out of an action hero pigeonhole. An early Brad Pitt also does a great job. It's a movie firmly planted in the "weird science fiction" category. But it's also well done.



Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
I like weird independent-ish movies like this. I also admit I really enjoy Jim Carrey *when he is in a serious acting role.* Great movie about deciding to have memories of relationship-gone-bad erased, but then him realizing that he wants to hold onto those memories while in the middle of the erasing process. Of all the movies I've watched, this one seems to nail how relationships in the real world seem to feel.



Stardust
Ok, if you love The Princess Bride and you have not watched this movie yet, then you need to slap yourself in the face and watch it right now. It has the reincarnated spirit of Princess Bride oozing through this movie. Comedy, romance, action, drama, fantasy, doesn't take itself too seriously, all of that good stuff. Neil Gaiman wrote the thing. What more do you need me to say?!


O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Cohen brothers movie that is a retelling of Homer's "Odyssey" but set in the Dustbowl era during the Great Depression. Very well executed movie that culminates into a very satisfying ending.

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Les Zombis et les Loups-Garous!

Just watched Moon tonight -- short but sweet movie. Outstanding job by Sam Rockwell aka Zaphod Beeblebrox.

I heard The Hurt Locker is supposed to be all that and a box of cheese.

Film wasn't that great but its about One of my favorite people. Wish I could have met him.

Colphax; that movie is awesome.

Numbuk;

Grosse Point Blank is cool.

12 Monkeys is better, Eternal Sunshine was great... odd but great. O Brother where art thou was awesome. And I will so need to check out Stardust.

And for my humble Contribution:

1973's CLassic Horror Movie: The Legend of Hell House

plotline from IMDB - A team consisting of a physicist, his wife, a young female psychic and the only survivor of the previous visit are sent to the notorious Hell House to prove/disprove survival after death. Previous visitors have either been killed or gone mad, and it is up to the team to survive a full week in isolation, and solve the mystery of the Hell House.

my take -

Clive Revill (the voice of Jetfire from RotF, and voice of Dr. Doom in Marvel Ultimate Alliance) is hired to perform a weeklong experiment and prove or disprove the existence of ghosts and Life after death. He brings a team with him to the Bilasco house (also known as Hell House). His team consists of a mental medium, a physical medium who was the sole survivor of the last trip to hell house (Roddy McDowall) and his wife. While in the house they are confronted with the supernatural evil that inhabits the house and tries to kill them all.

This movie was great because it was fairly low budget and did not have a lot of great special effects. It relied on suspense and real fear inspiration to be a horror movie, not gore.

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Darksiege
Traveller, Calé, Whisperer
Lead me not into temptation; for I know a shortcut

[quote=Outstanding job by Sam Rockwell aka Zaphod Beeblebrox.
[/quote]

aka Crewman #6 Guy Fleegman as Lieutenant Security Chief "Roc" Ingersol

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Les Zombis et les Loups-Garous!

Ah yes I forgot about him in that role.

"Yeah they look cute now, but soon they'll get ugly, real ugly. And there'll be a million of em!"

"Didn't you guys ever WATCH the show?"




Bruce Campbell as Elvis. Ossie Davis as JFK, who believes they dyed him black to hide him from his enemies. Together they fight a mummy. Sounds ridiculous, was an excellent film.



With the sequel being released, a lot of people should know about this one by now, but I still talk to people all the time who haven't heard of it. Gritty Irish crime drama.



Hard to describe this one. Kung Fu + looney tunes + wtf = entertainment.



Simple film about a pool hustler, with excellent performances.



A film about the journey of self discovery we all have to go through as we grow up. Well put together.

So, has anyone actually taken a hint and watched some of these?

I took the opportunity to watch Boondock Saints. Quality movie.

Nice! That makes you the 4861564834189 person I've recommended it to that enjoyed it.

Thanks Numbuk! Gonna watch Gross Point Blank! <3 John Cusak


I think I need to pull out the Evil Dead movies too! Funniest movies ever!
<3 Bruce Campbell too!

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Dream as if you'll live forever...
...Live as if you'll die tomorrow

Vivere Senza Rimpianti

I'm always amazed how many people have watched the Austin Powers crap and loved Shrek but have never seen the best comedy Mike Myers ever did.

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Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
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I have added several of the movies listed here to my netflix queue. Unfortunately, most of the ones I haven't seen yet are not available to "Watch Instantly" so they'll have to wait.

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"I Live, I Love, I Slay, and I Am Content."
- Conan the Barbarian

I made it a point to watch Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang the other day when I saw it was about to come on. Really good movie.

They're in the past, but I've seen all of these except Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and I've added it to my Netflix instant queue. The only one of these I didn't particularly care for was 12 Monkeys (it wasn't bad at all, mind you; something about it just didn't "click" with me), but I either really enjoyed (Stardust) or flat-out loved (Grosse Pointe Blank, O Brother) the others.

I also watched The Boondock Saints, and while I didn't fall in love with it the way so many others have (Phe loved the hell out of the whole of it, whereas I felt the strongest thing about the film was Willem Defoe's performance), I did find it to be enjoyable.

Trying to decide on my next pick.

Contact

The Shipping News



Kevin Spacey plays a loser named Quoyle. Dead end job, miserable childhood, and nobody even spares him a second glance. Until he meets a girl, Petal, who uses him and leaves him stuck with raising a little girl, neither of whom really understanding how little they mean to Petal. When Petal's gone for good, Quoyle finds himself listless once more, and even more despondent than before. Until his aunt shows up to steal his recently deceased fathers' ashes.

She convinces Quoyle to come with her back to Newfoundland, their ancestral home. They find there a sleepy fishing village full of some folk wisdom about what it means to live life. With the help of their new neighbors (and co-workers; he gets a job writing the shipping news for the local paper), all three of them begin to unravel their past and confront the demons they find.

I recommend the movie because it is stunning cinematography. The village and scenery has a character as strong as any of the quirky townsfolk, and its beauty shines through the perpetually overcast days that give the movie its distinctive blue and grey palette. I've seen the movie criticized because the townsfolk are *really* quirky and bizarre, and some I guess find it a bit forced. I prefer to look at it as a bit of a characaturization, and enjoy it for what it is. Several really delightful characters played, among them Scott Glenn's, Rhys Ifvan's, and Pete Postelwiathe's. Judi Dench and Spacey are strong performances that anchor the emotional content of the film.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades