Great movies you might not have heard of.

sabrinathecat · Mar 25, 2013

Ah yes, Nate&Hayes. Tommy Lee Jones young and swashbuckling.
Battle of Britain--was that the one with Susannah York? I remember a movie like that with a very nice view of her backside, completely kitless. And I don't normally find that sort of shot interesting.
By the Sword was a fun one too.
Does "Dog Soldiers" count? Hard to tell what people have heard of and haven't. I'd also list "Men Who Stare at Goats" and "Wrong is Right" as good, very off-beat movies, but I'm not sure if they count as obscure sleepers.
Sorceror was another goodie.
As was... I think it was called "Juggernaut." Might have been a made-for-tv movie, but decent.
And there's an old Roger Moore flick called "fFlolks" (yes, with 2 f's at the beginning).

I was originally trying to limit myself to scifi fantasy, but where's the fun in that. Sometimes it seem just like movies that are old are unknown to the younger audiences. When I make jokes at work about #6 and "I am not a Number, I am a free Naan", most people just stare at me blankly--they never heard of The Prisoner. (Makes more sense when you know I work in an Indian Restaurant)

Umbran · Mar 26, 2013

Hm. Not a "great" movie, but an interesting and thought provoking one:

TiMER - starring Emma Caulfield of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" fame. Postulates that someone designs a device that you implant in your body that can detect *exactly* when you'll meet your soul mate, just so long the other person also has one of the implants. It then examines the impact on people and social relations. Available on Netflix streaming....

Dannyalcatraz · Mar 26, 2013

Loved Dog Soldiers.

Umbran · Mar 26, 2013

Oh, another movie worth a look that you probably haven't heard of (and will probably have a devil of a time trying to find, as I don't believe it has ever been released to DVD) - a 1995 Showtime film of the Vonnegut story, Harrison Bergeron, starring one of our favorite hobbits, Sean Astin.

Man in the Funny Hat · Mar 26, 2013

Ghost dog: way of the samurai. A modern assassin working for a small time mafia boss adheres strictly to a samurai code of loyalty.

If you don't know that one you should.

Dannyalcatraz · Mar 26, 2013

Love that one, too!

jonesy · Mar 26, 2013

sabrinathecat said:
Harrison Bergeron HBO product about society after the 2nd American Revolution, when the government recognized that not all are created equal, and whenever possible it was the duty of Government to step in and make everyone as equal as possible. People wear brain impulse inhibitors to keep them from being too smart. Athletes have lights flashing into their faces to blind them or break concentration. Wobbly equipment. The ultimate goal is to be average. The perfect grades in school is straight C's. One poor boy, however, is just too smart. No matter how much his band is adjusted, he it too smart, and his brain compensates. The only course of action: Lobotomy. Or is it? Based on Vonnegut story.

Umbran said:
Oh, another movie worth a look that you probably haven't heard of (and will probably have a devil of a time trying to find, as I don't believe it has ever been released to DVD) - a 1995 Showtime film of the Vonnegut story, Harrison Bergeron, starring one of our favorite hobbits, Sean Astin.

There's a third one as well called 2081 starring James Cosmo who is the Night Watch commander on Game of Thrones.

Mallus · Mar 26, 2013

Ghost Dog is a fine little film. Reminds me of another art-house flick from the late 90s that I adore: Hal Hartley's Henry Fool, starring two guys I can never remember the names of and Parker Posey.

And similar to Harrison Bergeron, there was a credible adaptation of The Lathe of Heaven that ran on PBS many years ago.

Dannyalcatraz · Mar 26, 2013

Cue my predictable response: I liked that adaptation of Lathe of Heaven. Seen it at least 3 times.

Umbran · Mar 26, 2013

Mallus said:
And similar to Harrison Bergeron, there was a credible adaptation of The Lathe of Heaven that ran on PBS many years ago.

There seem to be two adaptations of The Lathe of Heaven available on DVD from Netflix - one from 1980, one from 2002.

I have this vague memory of some odd deep voice speaking the name "George Orr" - I wouldn't be surprised if I half-watched the 1980 version at some point...