"The Ninth Configuration"

This was the film that William Peter Blatty made after the success of "The Exorcist". He wrote, produced and directed. A great film imho. Bombed at the box office, people were expecting another horror freak out, which this isn't. Watch it if you get a chance.
Here's a clip of some scenes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMDq328nr0M

Local Hero
Queen of the Stardust Ballroom (this may have been a made-for-TV movie)
Enchanted

All joyous!

I saw Air Force One again last night for about the tenth time...it's so good, and you seldom hear about it. All star cast, good story, fast paced action film.
What I wouldn't give for a no nonsense, stand up president like Harrison Ford...

I LOVED Enchanted which really surprised me as it's not the sort of film I normally go for. Another little gem to add to the list is 'Gregory's Girl' with a superb performance from Chic Murray as the head of the school. It has innocence, charm, and a great deal of wit. Lovely!

Ah, Dee Hepburn and Clare Grogan. Be still my beating heart.

For me...

"The Man Who Went Up A Hill And Came Down A Mountain"and "Waking Ned Devine"

Two British Classics!!!

I'm a big fan of 40s and 50s film noir. In that vein I really enjoyed Call Northside 777 with Jimmy Stewart, the original D.O.A. featuring Edmund O'Brien, the little known or remembered City That Never Sleeps starring Gig Young. My absolute favorite in that genre is the tense crime drama The Asphalt Jungle, which has some great acting, including a surprisingly good and very young Marilyn Monroe. Mickey One is a cult favorite which features a young Warren Beatty playing a surreal role. One of my forgotten favorites from the 70s is Blue Collar, a film that delved into the dark side of Rust Belt assembly line work. Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel and Yaphet Kotto are all great. This is just a partial list. I usually don't care too much for what is popular in today's culture.

Two Aussie entries which are very entertaining:

Billy Elliot
Strictly Ballroom

I will always stop to watch:

The Full Monty

And as a lover of Cohen Brothers films their little known first film

Blood Simple

recommended for that intentional dark humor and quirky storyline.

Loved Billy Elliott, but it was British, not Aussie...

Strictly Ballroom was a favourite, but why stop there...How about

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
The Dish
or the all time classic, The Castle?

You Aussies will know what I mean....

Oops, my bad. Should've had Billy grouped with Full Monty.

Have seen both Priscilla and Dish but will definately make an effort to find The Castle.

The humour of The Castle may not translate to US....it's a little like Kath & Kim....The Australian version is an absolute parody of Australia, (embarrassingly so), but I don't think the US version quite gets it...hehehe.

Some great movies I suppose one can consider as overlooked. Fantasies, dark and otherwise:

"Dark City" Jennifer Connelly & Rufus Sewell

"The City of Lost Children" Ron Perlman

"eXistenZ" Jennifer Jason Leigh

"Happy Accidents" Marisa Tomei & Vincent D'Onofrio

"No Such Thing" Sarah Polley & Robert John Burke

"Run Lola Run" Franka Potente

A couple George C. Scott flicks I enjoy and feel are overlooked as I rarely hear them discussed: "They Might Be Giants" and the "The List of Adrian Messenger" (this one desperately needs to be released on dvd)

Speaking of needs to be released on dvd, anyone remember & enjoy "Made in Heaven" starring Timothy Hutton & Kelly McGillis? Very nice romantic fantasy drama film that I'd pre-order in an instant if they ever reissue it.

I'm going to jump into this conversation, if you don't mind.

The Blue Lagoon
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Fiddler on the Roof
Twin Falls Idaho

It seems that Independent films are better than "normal" Theatrical films. Perhaps because the actors and crew REALLY put their hearts and souls into the movie? Like, it is more personal? I don't know... maybe it's just me.

Leonardo DeCaprio is outstanding in Gilbert Grape.

He also has terrific performances in "Basketball Diaries" and "This Boy's Life".

Tredici,
"This Boys Life" is one of my favorites and very few I know have seen it. Such a dark and thought provoking movie about the human state.

"Withnail & I" is in my top ten. While it was a successful film in Britain, few of my American friends have seen or heard of it. It is a hilarious film, but the humour is very English, and I don't know if it translated well for American audiences.

I was going to be pretentious and say that Wim Wenders' "Der Himmel über Berlin ("Wings of Desire") (a darling among critics) is one of my favourite flicks. To be perfectly honest, I slept through the entire thing. I am fluent in German, so the subtitles were not an issue.

I don't have terribly highbrow tastes in films.

I'll take a good zombie movie any day!

Yes, I agree. Robert deNiro's portrait of an abusive parent is often difficult to watch. As is the child's acceptance of the things being forced upon him.

Try Basketball Diaries. There is one scene of a parent having to say an absolute no to a drug addicted child which is simply heart rendering.

"Basketball Diaries" broke my heart. To see a few kids just RUIN their lives like that was just... sad.

I haven't had the privilege of seeing "This Boy's Life" yet.

'Basketball Diaries' is another good one, I agree. It's also one that most of my friends have never seen.

"Basketball Diaries" annoyed me. I suppose if I had seen the film before I had read the book, I may have formed a different opinion. I knew quite a bit about Jim Carroll (and knew people who grew up with him) before I read his autobiography.

Jim Carroll was an extremely talented, good looking guy who was given a full scholarship to one of New York's most elite private schools. He blew it. Everything, including great grades and the possibility to play pro ball. I have absolutely no sympathy for the guy. Leo DiCaprio gave a very powerful performance, but that was great acting. Jim Carroll? Boo hoo.

I'm sorry if I sound coldhearted, but the film was an attempt to elicit sympathy from the viewer, and it got none from me. Carroll made a choice. Most of his peers did not go down that road. In fact, many of the kids from his neighborhood resented the portrayal of their being members of the "oppressed urban working class".

Just my opinion, but there are far better films about drugs and lives lost or destroyed: "Midnight Cowboy", "Panic In Needle Park", "Requiem For A Dream", and some really scary documentaries about Platzspitz, in Zurich. Sorry if I have offended anyone. (edited for clarity)

An attempt to elicit sympathy? Well, we all see what we see. I saw exactly what you did. An extremely talented individual who made the wrong choice. I didn't feel sorry for him, but angry he did completely blow the opportunity life had given him. I had sympathy for those around him, just like the loved ones who cope with addiction in their families. Who was heartbreaking in the scene I described was the woman playing his MOTHER who knew the only way to help her child was to keep the door closed. That, I think, deserved a boo-hoo.

I agree Midnight Cowboy was also a powerful film.

Tredici,

I do agree with you about the portrayal of Jim Carroll's mother. I was very tired when I wrote my post, but I will let it stand as an example of what NOT to do when you are tired and emotional! I will delete the last sentence of my post, as it made no sense at all.

I apologize to everyone on the board for going off topic. I don't have an "Off Button" concerning Jim Carroll.

cydonia, there is no need to apologize. Everyone has a different viewpoint and sometimes we don't explain ourselves sufficiently.

Jim Carroll is an example of a waste of talent and life and how drugs can destroy not only who touches them, but everyone around them. It's hard to understand how relatively intelligent people fall under the influence to such an extent.

Actually a dialogue like this will do more to make people curious about the film. And to perhaps, heed the warnings.

As an antidote to an overly syruppy thread elsewhere on the site I need to rent Woody Allen's Bananas to get back some of my peace and sanity. I surely feel like I'm living in San Marcos.