Underrated Movies???

If i had to pick one [that hasn't already been mentioned], I'd go with Secondhand Lions. Haley Joel Osment as a kid with two eccentric uncles [Michael Caine and Robert Duvall]. Caine has some probs pulling off a Texas accent, but Robert Duvall gives his typical excellent performance. Highly recommended. One you can watch with the kids without squirming.

Have to throw in Last Man Standing with My Main Man Bruce Willis and a very creepy Christopher Walken. Plenty of testosterone. Bruce kills about 100 guys.

Any John Carpenter movie, if for no other reason just for the score.

[edit on 28-6-2005 by yeahright]

A movie I think is underrated is Ravenous, starring Guy Pearce. I picked it up for 5 bucks at WalMart, because I am addicted to cheesy horrors/thrillers.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that this was a darn good movie!

Favourite part:

'Are you going to kill me?'
'No. It's lonely being a cannibal. It's tough making friends.'

Romper Stomper with Russel Crowe (Aussie Independent anti-skinhead film)

Female Trouble with Divine (OMG beat me with a car antennae!)

Career Opportunities with Jim Dodge (locked in Target all night with Jennifer Connelly...mmmmm)

To Live and Die in L.A. with Eric Chance (where else does the hero of the movie die before the movie is over)

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back with Kevin Smith ( totally awesome)

The 13th Warrior with Antonio Banderas ( awesome Viking-lore film based on actual events)

Shogun Asassain with Tomisaburo Wakayama (compilation of the "Lone-Wolf" series, released in America under this spliced version. Awesome story, blood shooting 6ft in the air, typical japanese lore film. )

Didnt know fifth element was underrated, hehe. as far as underated bruce willis sci fi movies go, i thought 12 monkeys was good.

The big lebowski is the mosty underated movie!

"im, the dude!"

I forgot about King Ralph with John Goodman. I actually though it was good.

ps....I'm a dork

Here are some underrated movies which I think should get some recognition:

True Romance: it has an all star cast, which portrays two love-birds on the run from mobsters. It also has a corrupt Hollywood director, some drug dealers, and corrupt cops. Oh yeah, you can't go wrong with a movie that stars Christofer Walken, Brad Pitt, Jennefer Jason-Leigh, Christen Slater, Samuel L. Jackson, Dennis Hopper, and the bad guy from the Professonal all in the same movie.

Some Kind of Wonderful: a good 80's teen flick about love. This movie actually portrays love at its purist because it is a feeling between two best friends.

Carlito's Way: This is one of Al Pacino's greatest movies. However, it doesn't get mentioned to often. Also, it doesn't glamorize the mob like the Godfather does.

If you haven't seen any of these you should rent them.

Originally posted by Gazrok
Well, I'm pretty much a fan of all Sword and Sorcery flicks, no matter how cheesy (for the one bringing up Krull...can you say "Hawk the Slayer"?

), and the Keep is a classic....

Me too. Cheesy fantasy films are the bomb. The Beastmaster (1982 movie) and The Sword & the Sorcerer were my favs when I was a kid, as was the original Excalibur. Remember Merlin's charm of making?" "Annul nathrak...usvass bethud...dochyell dienvae..." Lots of gore, sorcery and icky monsters. The hero in The Sword and the Sorcerer had this cool yet cheesy, triple-bladed sword and the outer blades could shoot off like missiles.


Awakenings was also an awesome tear-jerker, with Robin Williams and Robert DeNiro in a rare role for him.
Plot: The victims of an encephalitis epidemic many years ago have been catatonic ever since, but now a new drug offers the prospect of reviving them." I have to fight back the tears and retain my manly composure at the end of this one.

[edit on 2005/6/30 by wecomeinpeace]

I liked The Gods Must Be Crazy a lot. Simplistic yet funny. But it has been almost 7 years since I last saw it.

* Makes a mental note to find the movie*

[edit on 1-7-2005 by Quake]

The Machinist, directed by Brad Anderson, was one of the best films of last year. It is a really creepy, psychological thriller--like a post-modern Hitchcock. Christian Bale lost 65 lbs to play the lead--just watching him as the insomniac Trevor Resnick lose his mind at 125 lbs is worth checking this film out. Also with Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Brad Anderson's previous film Session 9 is also really good and very underrated. Another creepy thriller, this film is set in the actual Danvers State Insane Asylum, which was a huge gothic building abandoned over a decade ago. The building is the real central character, but David Caruso also stars.

And then there is always Joe Versus the Volcano, which is one of the most underrated films of all time. Havah-Nagila singing natives with no sense of direction with a peculiar love for orange soda... what could be better than that??!

I'm sure it's been said...but I have to vote Equilibrium with recent Batman star Christian Bale. I saw it for a couple months in the store and the box says "better than the Matrix" so I thought it was just a knock-off. I ended up seeing it for $10 in the store one day so, on a whim I bought it.

After the first 10 mins I was thinking "wow, this is going to be pretty good"...and it was. Definately.

Man, there are some great movies listed here. I too am a fan of the sword and sorcery type movies from the late seventies and eighties. I loved about 98% of the movie Krull, but come on, in the end love kills the beast and not that cool flying weapon? I was a really disappointed young man at the end of that movie. I also thought Excalibur was awesome even though many dislike it. Legend, even though it starred a young Tom Cruise, I believe was also very good. One movie though, that always sucks me in every time it's on is Big Trouble in Little China. That movie, as cheesy as it is, keeps me engrossed every time.

Waterworld - Maybe it's because I was born on a boat, but I love the movie that everyone seems to hate.
The 'Burbs - Classic Hanks
They Live - Hands down, bar none, it is the greatest B-movie of all time.
Key Largo - Never gets much attention alongside Bogart's Marlowe flicks, Casablanca, and others.

Originally posted by Frosty
Waterworld - Maybe it's because I was born on a boat, but I love the movie that everyone seems to hate.

You know...I like that movie too. Always have.

Another movie that I think was quite good for many reasons was "I Spy". Owen Wilson was great and I think it was Eddie Murphy's best movie in a long time as over-the-top boxer, Kelly '57 and 0" Robinson.

How can you not love the "feels like a stakeout" comments by Owen or when he gets the giant size spy gear. It even has Office Space boss Lumberg as uber-spy Carlos. The chemistry between the two actors and the great banter makes this a very fun movie, that I think was very underrated. It was also directed by Betty "Hill Street Blues" Thomas.



Gary Cole (Office Space - Bill Lumberg) as Carlos.

"Eyes wide shut"....

"7 years in tibette"....

thats all i remember for now,............

I always enjoyed watching "Summer of Sam" . Think i'm the only one.... but i don't see what was so bad about it, beside being kind of long.

Requirm for a dream was terrific too, although I can understand why you wouldn't want to expose yourself to such a depressing film.

[edit on 7-7-2005 by Strigoi]

Here is some quality film to check out:

*The Last Samurai
*Requiem for a Dream
*American History X
*Road to Perdition
*Saving Private Ryan
*The Professional
*Legend
*Fallen
*Lord of the Flys
*Collateral
*Glory

The Boondock Saints.

I must be way off on my taste. I actually enjoyed many that were not mentioned in here. I cannot say these were all underrated but then again who's to say:
Tom Hanks in Cast Away
U Got Mail
Sleepless in Seattle
Money Pit
Big
Blazing Saddles
Spaceballs
Death Wish
Trading Places
When Harry Met Sally
Dr Strangelove
The Odd Couple
Grumpy Old Men
True Lies
Total Recall
Preditor
Blade Runner
The Witness
Spaghetti westerns, Harry Callahan and others with Clint Eastwood
For A Few Dollars More
The Good the BAd and the Ugly
A Fistful of Dollars
Hang 'Em High
Dirty Harry
Magnum Force
The Enforcer
Sudden Impact
The Dead Pool
The Gauntlet
Every Which Way But Loose
Any Way You Can
Escape from Alcatraz
Pale Rider
Heart Break Ridge
In the Line of Fire
The Bridges of Madison County
Sean Connery in Absolute Power
Blood Work
Presidio
Entrapment
The Rock
Rising Sun
Highlander
Hunt for Red October
The Untouchables
Never Say Never
Goldfinger
Its a Mad, Mad, Mad World
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
On Golden Pond
Chinatown
One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest
Easy Rider
The Shinning
The Two Jakes
As Good AS It Gets
Something's Gotta Give
A Few Good Men
Top Gun
The African Queen
Adam's Rib
The Quiet Man
Key Largo
Casa Blanca
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
The Big Sleep
Maltese Falcon
The Rear Window
Vertigo
It's a Wonderful Life
Destry Rides Again
Mr Smith Goes to Washington
Call Northside 777
Harvey
Spirit of St Louis
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
How the West Was Won
The Filght of the Pheonix
The Shootist
Rooster Cogburn
McQ
True Grit
In Harm's Way
The Longest Day
The Searchers

I have not even begun to make a dent in all the entertaining features that are out there. Some are beginning to appear on DVD. Lately I wonder if the actors and studios can make as good a picture as they did in the past. As soon as I think they are all playing to graphic technology and action ploys, a good film immerges. Stone Cold with Tom Seleck was good. Pacifier with Van Diesel was entertaining. Saw was gruesome and surprising at the same time. Cellular was suspenseful.

My third vice, which I didn't realise until just now, is entertaining movies of all sorts. I really enjoyed Vanya on 42nd Street from the book Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov. I have left out sooo... many good entertaining flix it isn't funny. First vice Chocolate, second is quick cars. If any of these are considered overrated, please excuse and ignore their entry.

"Ginger Snaps Back III"...

is it me or "The usual suspects" didnt get much atention has it should either ??

"Ronin"... " "The Heist" (not sure about the spelling)... "Birth",.....

and again, and always ... "EYES WIDE SHUT" (1000 x 1000)

Originally posted by beyondSciFi
The Fifth Element!

I love that movie, it had great style and an even better screen play. I dunno why almost everyone I asked said they didnt like it. Maybe its just me, but I like futuristic space movies... Bah to them!
BAH them all for under appreciating this movie.

I'm with you. The Fifth Element was a hoot. Chris Tucker and Gary Oldman were hilarious and Milla Jovovich was (is) ravishingly, beautiful.


edited to add photo.




[edit on 7/21/2005 by lightseeker]