Recommend a relatively obscure film for me to see

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Areas I am not very familiar with:

American independent film
Foreign films outside of France and Italy
Non-Japanese Asian cinema
Silent films (but it better be good!)

And of course lots of other stuff. I am familiar with the most famous directors, but there are always films that I may not have heard of.

Things I do not like:

horror!
big long literary adaptations!

Other than that I have no real taste, I'm willing to watch anything.

(P.S. I really love beautiful films that are casual with narrative, such as Beau Travail or In the Mood for Love or What Time is it There, mood pieces basically.)

― ryan (ryan), Monday, 24 May 2004 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

The Shout

― Fred (Fred), Monday, 24 May 2004 15:26 (twenty-two years ago)

FW Murnau's Sunrise

― Jeff-PTTL (Jeff), Monday, 24 May 2004 17:20 (twenty-two years ago)

The Korean film A Good Lawyer's Wife. Everybody needs to see this.

Good American indie-film (on DVD): Jon Jost's All the Vermeers in New York. (Somewhat of a mood piece.)

The Thai film Last Life in the Universe -- influenced by Wong Kar-wai, and uses the same cinematographer. One of the best films I've seen in ages.

― BabyBuddha (BabyBuddha), Monday, 24 May 2004 17:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring is another recent Korean film that was pretty good; I saw it one of the local "art" theaters last night. Very nice, lyrical narrative; it could have done almost entirely without subtitles except for one part, as the action was all easily followable on the screen.

See some of Abbas Kiarostami's stuff if you haven't yet; his oeuvre fits your PS perfectly. I recommend A Taste of Cherry or maybe The Wind Will Carry Us. I'm sorry if it's not an obscure enough suggestion, but then neither is Murnau; Sunrise is one that you really should see if you're not familiar with silent cinema. The Passion of Joan of Arc is another along the same lines.

― Chris F. (servoret), Monday, 24 May 2004 17:31 (twenty-two years ago)

"Massacre at Central High."

Totally neat exploitation cheapie from the 70s. The first film to utilize the word "Massacre" in its title after the surprise success of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." A new student to a Southern California high school finds that his strident individualism conflicts with the three facist bullies who run the school. What follows could be seen as a weird political allegory in the only film made by Danish director (and colleague of Paul Verhoeven) Renee Dalder.

"Heathers" stole a lot from this actually. Though the fact that this takes itself seriously results in something uniquely atmospheric and tonally disturbing. I caught this on cable on a sleepless summer night a few years ago, right after the equally neat "Class of 1984," perhaps thats the best circumstances to view a film like this.

― theodore fogelsanger, Monday, 24 May 2004 18:22 (twenty-two years ago)

wow these are great so far! thanks!

yeah i have seen sunrise (and the passion of joan of arc). if it has appeared on a best of list (esp sight and sound) i have probably seen it!

― ryan (ryan), Monday, 24 May 2004 18:34 (twenty-two years ago)

The Korean film Failan. Reduced me to tears, it did.

― Mil, Tuesday, 25 May 2004 00:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Mysterious Object at Noon
Friday Night (Claire Denis)

― Anthony (Anthony F), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 00:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Ruben and Ed

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 03:00 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah Ruben and Ed -- that movie ws the shit.

another good one is TIME OUT

― PVC (peeveecee), Monday, 31 May 2004 04:55 (twenty-two years ago)

The Korean film Joint Security Area is excellent, worth seeking out.

― Gear! (Gear!), Monday, 31 May 2004 05:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Aimée & Jaguar. German + lesbians!

― Lazer Guided Mellow Leee (Leee), Wednesday, 2 June 2004 17:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Institute Benjamenta

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 5 June 2004 00:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Two skuzzbucket masterpieces (though I don't know how you'll possibly find the second one)...

Red to Kill... the "is this, gulp, a satire?" riff on HK rape films, set in a retard shelter.

The Chaperone... a soft-core porn that turns into a slasher movie that turns into... oh. my. GOD!!!

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Thursday, 10 June 2004 19:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Non-Japanese Asian cinema

This thread has some good recommendations of South Korean movies.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Sunday, 13 June 2004 11:25 (twenty-two years ago)

one month passes...

Bot has affair with plastic anotomical dummy.

― Ian Grey (Ian_G), Monday, 26 July 2004 18:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I can't recommend Miike's not-as-shocking films enough. The Guys From Paradise was great, and The Bird People in/of China is one of my very favorite movies ever.

― Dan I., Monday, 26 July 2004 20:56 (twenty-one years ago)

it's not exactly obscure, but it did seem to come and go...
'heaven' -- the one with cate blanchett and giovanni ribisi...
i had avoided it because i don't like tom tykwer and he directed it.
but when i found out kieslowski and piesciewicz wrote it, i had to
see it. and it wound up being one of the most rich impactful movies
i've ever seen... i'm kind of easily wound up by that whole stab at
profundity/metaphysical business. but it's worth watching if only
for the cinematography (beautiful tuscan landscapes and nice aerial shots of torino) if that's not your kind of thing.

― firstworldman (firstworldman), Tuesday, 27 July 2004 02:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Ehe der Maria Braun, Die (Marriage of Maria Braun) by Fassbinder. This isn't really relatively obscure either, but it's not seen much in the US. It's lovely to look at, and it's got a smash-up ending.

― x j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 27 July 2004 23:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Just watched Pacino's first major film, The Panic in Needle Park. I have to say that this film kicks the collective ass of 95% of drug films made since then. Also some interesting cameos from Paul Sorvino, Raul Julia, and the guy who plays Al Neri in the Godfather trilogy.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Wednesday, 28 July 2004 10:15 (twenty-one years ago)

MCBAIN

― dean? (deangulberry), Wednesday, 28 July 2004 15:23 (twenty-one years ago)

hitler, a film from germany.

― cºzen (Cozen), Wednesday, 28 July 2004 16:09 (twenty-one years ago)

i was goign to recomend "i am dina" because its bronte-y melodrama doen in mad max style and the heroine is a crazy violent bitch and every last one of the actors chews the senery like theres no tomorrow. but then i saw that longass literary adatpations are unwanted and this movie is one. so ill point out the recent danish film "rembrandt" instaed which is a decent little caper movie with many unexpected twists and charming charcaters.

― :|, Wednesday, 28 July 2004 19:42 (twenty-one years ago)

hitler, a film from germany.

Goddamnit! Now you reminded me that I never did finish watching the university library copy I had access to. I'm never going to be able to see this movie again.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Wednesday, 28 July 2004 21:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Salmer fra kjøkkenet (Kitchen Stories)

The best film I saw last year, it's a Norwegian flick about a sociological study made in the fifties, where Swedish scientists were sent observe the kitchen habits of Norwegian unmarried men. Very warm and funny in a low-key manner.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 29 July 2004 07:58 (twenty-one years ago)

The entire oeuvre of Buster Keaton (not that obscure, but you seem sour on silents). Start with shorts like "Cops" and "One Week," and features like "Sherlock Jr" or "The Navigator."

Great little Australian film called "Praise" about a drifter's romance with an eczema-plagued woman. The director has a new one coming with Naomi Watts, Laura Dern, Mark Ruffalo and Peter Krause.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 30 July 2004 12:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Salmer fra kjøkkenet (Kitchen Stories) isn't available in the US, AFAIK.

― x j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Friday, 30 July 2004 13:28 (twenty-one years ago)

distant voices, still lives.

voted one of the top 50 films *of all time* in a sight and sound poll in 1987, pretty much ignored ever since. working class scousers, music hall tunes, sinbad from 'brookside': better than it sounds.

― piscesboy, Friday, 30 July 2004 15:41 (twenty-one years ago)

you like mood pieces?

"Korea". Irish film which is sort of about the Korean War, but is really about mood and beautiful photography.

"The Low Down". Brit film about slackers bumbling through life, very loose narrative, nicely, subtly stylish.

― David N (David N.), Friday, 30 July 2004 22:15 (twenty-one years ago)

girolamo: yeah I lost one of my opportunities too recently, leaving uni. I had sat through (sat through) almost 1 hour of it. interesting, not heartbreaking.

― cºzen (Cozen), Saturday, 31 July 2004 09:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Salmer fra kjøkkenet (Kitchen Stories) isn't available in the US, AFAIK.

Hmm, I saw a James Berardinelli review on it, but's it's probably not in the cinemas anymore. I'm sorry if my recommendation came a bit too late.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 2 August 2004 08:41 (twenty-one years ago)

I believe that I saw Kitchen Stories in a listing for the local arthouse cinema in Baltimore. I didn't watch it, though...I do need to.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Monday, 2 August 2004 09:39 (twenty-one years ago)

'Attack The Gas Station!'

A Korean comedy, almost Stooges-esque in places. Very funny in parts.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 08:57 (twenty-one years ago)

three weeks pass...

"The Navigator---A Medieval Odysessy" from New Zealand, 1988. Well done film in which a group of medieval people hiding out in caves to escape the Black Plague are led on a quest by a psychic boy. The tunnel they crawl through brings them into the modern day. Low on f/x, but really well done and above all, interesting.

― Jack, Thursday, 26 August 2004 02:31 (twenty-one years ago)

I remember seeing that when I was about ten. Very nicely done film.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Thursday, 26 August 2004 10:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Chappaqua.

Dog Star Man.

Lucifer Rising.

Lost Book Found.

Begotten.

Numero Deux.

Salo.

not obscure, but relatively obscure, as the thread title says.

― jay blanchard (jay blanchard), Thursday, 26 August 2004 19:23 (twenty-one years ago)

is Salo as gross as its reputation suggests? because i dont need that shit in my head!

― ryan (ryan), Thursday, 26 August 2004 23:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes it is. Funny you phrase it like that, btw...

― Girolamo Savonarola, Friday, 27 August 2004 02:19 (twenty-one years ago)

haha ok now im DEFINETLY not seeing it

― ryan (ryan), Friday, 27 August 2004 02:21 (twenty-one years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.