I can think of two amazing foreign films that came out recently but fell completely off the map:
- Alice’s House (A Casa de Alice, Brazil, 2007)
- The Secret of the Grain (also “Cous Cous”) (La Graine et le mulet, France, 2007)
I loved these films, and I’m dying to see if they’ll ever receive a Region 1 / US DVD release… but so far, it looks like that’s never going to happen.
In fact, these films should be on this website. People should know about them, damnit.
They Came Back
Its a french “zombie” film, but it is not a typical zombie film. Deserves a watch and a round table discussion.
Casino, I mean, nobody ever seems to notice the brilliance of this film.
Julian Goldberger’s Trans.
I think Casino gets overlooked sometimes because of the similarity in tone and casting to Goodfellas, which came only a few years before and, of course, is a masterpiece. I love Casino.
SEARCH AND DESTROY/DIR:DAVID SALLE
The Three Burials of Melqiades Estrada.
I’d agree with Alfonso in regards to Casino. Though disagree with Jon: I would say Casino is remarkably different in tone than Goodfellas and actually that much stronger of a film for it. It is also fun to watch Casino and Boogie Nights close together and to view the multitude of “similarities” in terms of tone, storytelling technique, and most noticeably cinematography. Speaking of P.T…… I think Punch-Drunk Love is an incredible film that is constantly underrated, overlooked, and under-appreciated.
The 13th Warrior.
No idea how this movie tanked.
Prime Cut (dir Michael Ritchie)
Slyly funny and subversive gangster film with a great central performance by Lee Marvin. Oh, and a very young Sissy Spacek. Wow.
Sion Sono’s films.
Suicide Circle & Noriko’s Dinner Table are terribly underrated.
Y, yes Punch-Drunk Love is totally underrated. I mean it is just as good as the other PTA movies.
Imposters (1980) -Mark Rappaport
Millers Crossing
Blasted by critics. Tanked at the boxoffice. But for me it’s the best film the Coens have made and probably will ever make.
BUGSY …
UNDER THE VOLCANO …
ANOTHER WOMAN …
and so many other films that failed to find an audience. Recently i would add LITTLE CHILDREN and AWAY FROM HER.
Silent Night, Deadly Night. I know its a straight forward B-Movie, but I thought it was great. The movie took time to develop a character instead of throwing one in your lap. Even with the cheesy one-liners (i.e. Naughty! or Punish!) I thought it was a good movie.
I really enjoy Noah Baumbach’s Mr. Jealousy. I’m not sure I know anybody who has seen it, but then I don’t really know any movie people.
Woody Allen’s Radio Days is pretty good but not very widely loved.
Also not really sure if I consider it underrated but “fear and loathing in Las Vegas” was definitley misunderstood by many critics.
Miller’s Crossing
The Thin Red Line
Road to Perdition
Casino
Munich
Blow
Vanilla Sky
Eyes Wide Shut
Jacob’s Ladder
Barry Lyndon
I second Jacob’s Ladder.
Withnail & I! Seems like no one in the U.S. has heard of this movie. Though I think I would like it better to keep it that way…
I saw Withnail and I and I’m from The U.S., but yeah I know what you mean.
Speaking of underrated, I wonder if anyone here has seen John Ford’s 1933 “Pilgrimage”, a stark WWI story that has tremendous visual influence from Murnau and Griffith. I just watched it yesterday, and again today, so that’s why I mention it, a very underrated film in Ford’s massive canon, quite moving and funny, in a trademark Fordian meld.
hitchcock’s sabotage, sylvia scarlett , kiarostami’s close-up , deoliveira’s no or the vainglory of command , ed wood ,the prisoner of shark island , i shot andy warhol, donovan’s reef
pilgrimmage has gained a loyal following since it was rediscovered in the 60’s. it was considered lost for awhile.
Definately “Onibaba” a great film
Also, David Cronenberg’s “Crash” (1997) another great erotic film on the same level as Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut”
Killing of A Chinese Bookie – Cassavettes
Pink Floyd: The Wall – Parker
Another Woman
Long Day’s Journey Into Night
Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Suddenly, Last Summer
Eyes Wide Shut
The Tempest (Derek Jarman)
The Boys in the Band
Yang Li’s Blind Shaft
Patrice Leconte’s Monsieur Hire
Not underrated, just terribly underknown.
Sad.
Ed is Dead
Bruce Robinson’s “How to Get Ahead in Advertising”.
It’s the first film that pops up in my mind.