Great movies that slipped off your radar
Here are my list of great movies that in my opinion didn't get as much attention and acknowledgement as they should be. Some were far from being a mainstream movie but they hold unique value of their own. A certain must see to say the least.
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- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsKlaus KinskiClaudia CardinaleJosé LewgoyThe story of Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, an extremely determined man who intends to build an opera house in the middle of a jungle.The teaser line said nobody is bold enough to make such a movie other than Werner Herzog. Amen to that!
- DirectorKaige ChenStarsLeslie CheungFengyi ZhangGong LiTwo boys meet at an opera training school in Peking in 1924. Their resulting friendship will span nearly 70 years and endure some of the most troublesome times in China's history.There is no farewell with this movie after watching it for the first, second and third time. If you get what I mean.
- DirectorNacho VigalondoStarsKarra ElejaldeCandela FernándezBárbara GoenagaA man accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time nearly an hour. Finding himself will be the first of a series of disasters of unforeseeable consequences.Finally there was a time travel movie that practically make sense, clever and intriguing. And it didn't come from Hollywood, no it didn't!
- DirectorJaco Van DormaelStarsJared LetoSarah PolleyDiane KrugerA boy stands on a station platform as a train is about to leave. Should he go with his mother or stay with his father? Infinite possibilities arise from this decision. As long as he doesn't choose, anything is possible.A beautiful and mind twisting movie with so many memorable scenes, partly due to the beautiful score. But too bad if less and less people are talking about Mr. Nobody it would literally live up to its own title.
- DirectorChristopher SmithStarsMelissa GeorgeJoshua McIvorJack TaylorFive friends set sail and their yacht is overturned by a strange and sudden storm. A mysterious ship arrives to rescue them, and what happens next cannot be explained.Do not let yourself be falsely misguided by the poster and the synopsis for a cheap blood-fest gory type of movie. You will find that it was indeed a clever suspense thriller which will leave you shocked and in demand of more explanations in the end. One view simply ain't enough.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoKim Sang-kyungKim Roe-haIn a small Korean province in 1986, two detectives struggle with the case of multiple young women being found raped and murdered by an unknown culprit.A haunting tale of two detectives on their campaign of solving a serial killing case with an unusual ending. No cheap twist as well but it sure was one of the unforgettable powerful ending.
- DirectorGeorge SluizerStarsBernard-Pierre DonnadieuGene BervoetsJohanna ter SteegeRex and Saskia, a young couple in love, are on vacation. They stop at a busy service station and Saskia is abducted. After three years and no sign of Saskia, Rex begins receiving letters from the abductor.Often mistaken for standard horror movie which raised a lot of disappointment among the conventional horror movie fans, but George Sluizer actually took horror movie to a new level with a completely different approach. Horror has a new face!
- DirectorPeter WeirStarsRachel RobertsAnne-Louise LambertVivean GrayDuring a rural summer picnic, a few students and a teacher from an Australian girls' school vanish without a trace. Their absence frustrates and haunts the people left behind.A shocking and mysterious event happened during a school picnic which left everybody in the state of confusion. Things left unexplained but ugh how mesmerizing the cinematography and score was.
- DirectorL.Q. JonesStarsDon JohnsonJason RobardsSusanne BentonA young man and his telepathic dog wander a post-apocalyptic wasteland.the father of all post-apocalyptic movies. Sure it looks outdated and cheaply produced but you'll find the basic idea was indeed the foundation for many modern post-apocalyptic movies. It is but a very disturbing and depressing portrayal of post-apocalypse world mind you.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsJames MasonShelley WintersSue LyonA middle-aged college professor becomes infatuated with a 14-year-old girl.No theme is taboo enough for a movie. Okay so it was year 1962 back then and it was Kubrick that brought the controversy up as always. But really that is not enough reason to miss this wonderful piece of cinema.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsSean PennJennifer LopezNick NolteA man heading to Vegas to pay off his gambling debt before the Russian mafia kills him is forced to stop in an Arizona town where everything that can go wrong does go wrong.Oliver Stone once made a decent but forgotten black comedy with line of fancy casts called U-turn. In case you did miss it, it's always better late than never.
- DirectorRowan JoffeStarsSam RileyAndrea RiseboroughHelen MirrenCharts the headlong fall of Pinkie, a razor-wielding disadvantaged teenager with a religious death wish.This movie is one of very few movies that force me to disagree with the majority of IMDB users' vote. I didn't even watch the 1947 version but I highly regard this one. I think it's the ambience that strike me the most.
- DirectorSion SonoStarsMitsuru FukikoshiDendenAsuka KurosawaThe lives of a bored suburban couple are changed forever when a seemingly nice old man gives their daughter a job at his fish store, and soon his gruesome hobbies are brought to light.The darkest of a black comedy could be. Even with Shion Sono one would not imagine that he would take the level of violence and grim this far. This movie could easily fell into a cheap B grade gory-fest movie but thanks to Sono it's not.
- DirectorNeil JordanStarsStephen ReaJaye DavidsonForest WhitakerA British soldier kidnapped by the IRA soon befriends one of his captors, who then becomes drawn into the soldier's world.Great film with great controversy as well. You need to watch for yourself to fully dig the message.
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsJude LawJennifer Jason LeighIan HolmA game designer on the run from assassins must play her latest virtual reality creation with a marketing trainee to determine if the game has been damaged.You don't want to play the game but you will definitely like to see the movie. Cronenberg's forgotten best work.
- DirectorSylvia ChangStarsLouis KooRene LiuNora MiaoA father desperately tries to hide his Triad lifestyle from his daughter.A beautiful and heartwarming drama about a dutiful father from an underground society that unfortunately even the fans base of the main casts seem to pay little to no attention to. Such a pity.
- DirectorChris MarkerStarsAmilcar CabralFlorence DelayArielle DombasleA woman narrates the contemplative writings of a seasoned world traveler, focusing on contemporary Japan.The only documentary that fits in. I'm sure that most have hardly heard of this documentary but once you set eyes on it you will see the beauty, in a nostalgic way. A very rare experience.
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsTatsuya FujiwaraAki MaedaTarô YamamotoIn the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill one another under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.Long before The Hunger Games, there was Battle Royale.
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsScarlett JohanssonJonathan Rhys MeyersEmily MortimerAt a turning point in his life, a former tennis pro falls for an actress who happens to be dating his friend and soon-to-be brother-in-law.For once you will see a different kind of Woody Allen's movie which make you believe that he actually has what it takes to be a suspense/thriller director as well.
- DirectorBenny ChanStarsAndy LauChien-Lien WuMan-Tat NgDuring a bank heist, the getaway driver Wah took a young woman Jo Jo hostage. After preventing her from getting killed by his accomplices, they began a forbidden relationship causing mayhem and chaos for their friends and family.A trendsetter of a vast number of similar movie theme about triad society and tragic romance in early 90's of Hong Kong Cinema. Every youth at the time practically lived and grew up on this movie. Too bad this piece of classic is simply fading and forgotten.
- DirectorGregg ArakiStarsBrady CorbetJoseph Gordon-LevittElisabeth ShueTwo pre-adolescent boys both experienced a strange event and later it affects their lives in different ways. One becomes a reckless, sexually adventurous prostitute, while the other retreats into a reclusive fantasy of alien abduction.A very provoking movie that you will hardly forget for quite some time. Joseph Gordon-Levitt gave the all out unforgettable performance in this movie. He has since long ago showed that he was not just face but skill.
- DirectorMorten TyldumStarsAksel HennieSynnøve Macody LundNikolaj Coster-WaldauAn accomplished headhunter risks everything to obtain a valuable painting owned by a former mercenary.I wouldn't be surprised to find this movie one day spawned into Hollywood remake but it must first get its deserved attention. It comes with an original idea which were executed well to top many of the regular and predictable nowadays thriller.
- DirectorMichael HanekeStarsChristian FriedelErnst JacobiLeonie BeneschStrange events happen in a small village in the north of Germany during the years before World War I, which seem to be ritual punishment. Who is responsible?Haneke depicts the dark side of human being in a subtle but solid way set in a small Germany village pre-WWI. Do not ever underestimate what children as an innocent object could possible be capable of.
- DirectorChuan LuStarsYe LiuDaniel WuChang ChenThe story of two warring generals (Liu Bang and Xiang Yu) fighting for control of China at the end of the Qin Dynasty.The scattered reminiscence from one of the greatest rivalry in the ancient history of China, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu. The main casts are all very well recognized actors from three different countries (Hong kong, Mainland China and Taiwan) but surprisingly even with a compelling story it never gets the deserved attention and rating.
- DirectorRobert RedfordStarsRalph FiennesJohn TurturroRob MorrowA young lawyer, Richard Goodwin, investigates a potentially fixed game show. Charles Van Doren, a big time show winner, is under Goodwin's investigation.A movie for those who always has something to question about the integrity of television performer and reality show contestant. Arguably Redford's best directorial picture up to date.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsMelanie LynskeyKate WinsletSarah PeirseTwo teenage girls share a unique bond; their parents, concerned that the friendship is too intense, separate them, and the girls take revenge.Adolescent age is full of twist and rebellion, but never this disturbing like the tale Peter Jackson brought us.
- DirectorLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsJennifer TillyGina GershonJoe PantolianoTough ex-con Corky and her lover Violet concoct a scheme to steal millions of stashed mob money and pin the blame on Violet's crooked boyfriend Caesar.Before the Wachowski Brothers came with their Trilogy Matrix hits, there was their directorial debut without fancy fight scene or cool outfit but instead an intriguing thriller.
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsCarice van HoutenSebastian KochThom HoffmanIn the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance.Resistance never feels so sexy. Verhoeven is the best when it come to this thing without making it looks cheap. Two and half hours that never feels boring at all.
- DirectorJong-chan YunStarsJin-young JangKim Myung-minJo AnA 30 year old mystery resurfaces and takes over the lives of the people living in an eerie apartment complex.A psychological horror very worthy to watch, type of movie which haunt your mind for some time after viewing. The director Yun Jong chan's best and one hit wonder to this day.
- DirectorJoel SchumacherStarsJason PatricCorey HaimDianne WiestAfter moving to a new town, two brothers discover that the area is a haven for vampires.An iconic movie of youth vampires in the 80's that wouldn't ever level the same audience enthusiasm as in the modern 'Twilight' youth vampires. Lack of romance, maybe?
- DirectorShunji IwaiStarsAnne SuzukiYû AoiTomohiro KakuWhen two best friends develop a crush on the same boy, they develop a plan to trick him into dating them.A beautiful tale of two friends in their adolescent age and all the complexity, come with such magical scores that make it so bright and enjoyable even to the most non-sensitive grown up audience.