Recommend Currently Under-appreciated Films

  • Thread starter Les Sleeth
  • Start date
In summary, a conversation about under-appreciated films was held, with various recommendations being made. These included "Paths of Glory," "The Duelists," "Samurai I, II, & III," "Gettysburg," "The Nightmare Before Christmas," "The Civil War," "Beauty and the Beast," "Henry Fonda films," "The Potemkin," "Buster Keaton's works," "Fantastic Planet," "The Triplets of Belleville," "The Bishop's Wife," and "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." Each film was described briefly, with reasons why it is worth watching. Some of the films mentioned were not necessarily under-appreciated, but were still highly recommended.
  • #36
Les Sleeth said:
Wine Country? Since when? I enjoyed "Next Stop, Wonderland" too.

Actually, not yet. I'm moving in about a month. Still in Long Beach for now.
 
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  • #37
loseyourname said:
Actually, not yet. I'm moving in about a month. Still in Long Beach for now.

Cool. What part, Sonoma or Napa County? Play racquetball?
 
  • #38
Les Sleeth said:
4. “Gettysburg.” A 271 minute Turner network production that recreates the battle of Gettysburg in exact detail.

I haven't watched Gettysburg but I have watched the second film in the trilogy, Gods and Generals. This film is one of the most awful films I've seen in a long time. While they tried to make the battle scenes realistic, with mixed success (and they are to be commended for that), nothing else about the film is realistic. Was this a film about humans on Earth, or saints in Heaven? I couldn't tell. It was mostly a film of rousing speeches and stirring music. No matter how honourable, dignified and educated you think the US civil war generals were, there's no way they spoke and acted and communicated like the film depicts. People don't talk and interact like that today and they didn't talk and interact like that back then. People swear, spit, grunt, umm and ahh, they scheme, they politicise, they socialise, they laugh, they do good and evil.

This film is yet another example of the American tendency to canonise their historical figures, turn them into saints. It really is a process of dehumanisation. I think the only way the civil war film genre (mostly awful up till now) is going to be redeemed is if directors stop focusing on these "saints" and the famous battles, and start telling stories of the little guy in the war, the Johnny Rebs and Billy Yanks. But I'm skeptical of this ever happening. Too much has been invested in this civil war mythology.
 
  • #39
cragwolf said:
I haven't watched Gettysburg but I have watched the second film in the trilogy, Gods and Generals. This film is one of the most awful films I've seen in a long time. While they tried to make the battle scenes realistic, with mixed success (and they are to be commended for that), nothing else about the film is realistic. Was this a film about humans on Earth, or saints in Heaven? I couldn't tell. It was mostly a film of rousing speeches and stirring music. No matter how honourable, dignified and educated you think the US civil war generals were, there's no way they spoke and acted and communicated like the film depicts. People don't talk and interact like that today and they didn't talk and interact like that back then. People swear, spit, grunt, umm and ahh, they scheme, they politicise, they socialise, they laugh, they do good and evil.

This film is yet another example of the American tendency to canonise their historical figures, turn them into saints. It really is a process of dehumanisation. I think the only way the civil war film genre (mostly awful up till now) is going to be redeemed is if directors stop focusing on these "saints" and the famous battles, and start telling stories of the little guy in the war, the Johnny Rebs and Billy Yanks. But I'm skeptical of this ever happening. Too much has been invested in this civil war mythology.

Yes. I didn't want to disagree with someone here who recommended it, but I hated it. After loving "Gettysburg" so much, I was ready to find a way to appreciate that movie at all costs, and I still couldn't watch it. Check out Gettysburg, it is quite different (not that there isn't some romanticizing of the characters, but I can handle that if it doesn't ruin the overall thrust of a story).
 
  • #40
Les Sleeth said:
Cool. What part, Sonoma or Napa County? Play racquetball?

Sonoma county. I haven't played racquetball in forever, but my girlfriend plays. She's always asking me to.
 
  • #41
Under-appreciated Films...
Starship Troopers was a failure in the box office, but I enjoyed seeing those giant insects devouring and slaughtering humans. Probably, I was in a wild day :rolleyes:
In general, I tend to enjoy the movies of Paul Verhoeven
 
  • #42
meteor said:
Starship Troopers was a failure in the box office, but I enjoyed seeing those giant insects devouring and slaughtering humans. Probably, I was in a wild day :rolleyes:
In general, I tend to enjoy the movies of Paul Verhoeven
Starship Troopers was GREAT fun, particularly the brain bugs..:smile:
 
  • #43
particularly the brain bugs..
So, a brain bug for you!
http://www.ncxri.com/bug9.jpg

PS: the image is not recommended for weak souls...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #44
BobG said:
"The Gods Must Be Crazy" - I'm not sure how many saw this in the theater, but I would think a lot of people eventually saw this. Great comedy about an African Bushman trying to return a gift from the Gods that turned into a curse.

I saw this movie in my high school Sociology class, of all places...

Anyway, I am into some strange films. I see a lot of obscure and experimental cinema as a challenge; enduring the challenge may not be a particularly enjoyable experience, but when all is over, you can feel satisfied that you completed your journey and reached your intended destination.

I am bad at remembering directors, unfortunately, so I will eternally fall short of sounding like the pretentious film buff I aspire to be. :P But for informational purposes I'm going to look them up.

Some important titles:

Eraserhead (David Lynch)
Holy Mountain (Jodorowsky)
Begotten (E. Elias Merhige)
Irreversible (Gaspar Noe)
Man Bites Dog (Andre Bonzel) (this one I actually found enjoyable. very funny)
I Stand Alone (Gaspar Noe)
Ichi The Killer (Takashi Miike)

There are a lot of other ones, particularly asian films, that I'm missing... ah well. My current endeavor is tracking down the various John Waters films. I just saw "Desperate Living," and man, was it difficult.
 
  • #45
One movie that I always stop and watch is "The Full Monty" I know it's a bunch of guys stripping, but it is a good movie. Does this mean I'm gay?
 
  • #46
tribdog said:
One movie that I always stop and watch is "The Full Monty" I know it's a bunch of guys stripping, but it is a good movie. Does this mean I'm gay?


yes it does...but don't worry about that...


I saw a great movie yesterday though it is not really an underappreciated movie (8 academy awards hhiaaahahahaha) : AMADEUS...


regards
marlon
 
  • #47
Spielberg's "AI" is underappreciated
 
  • #48
"Duets" with Gwyneth Paltrow and Huey Lewis. I loved Paltrow's angelic voice.
 

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