List some movie you’ve seen but the majority may have over looked.
Fresh
Absolutely fantastic. Amazing performances by the whole cast ESPECIALLY by Sean Nelson. Great usage of parallels between Sam Jackson teaching Fresh about chess and how it relates to what Fresh is going through. Great acting, great writing and great cinematography. This one is one of my all-time favs.
Gigot
Not many people have seen this one. It’s not available on DVD and is sometimes shown on TV. Luckily I was able to DVR it! Jackie Gleason, most underrated actor of all time, is a mute who befriends a prostitutes little daughter! To this day I haven’t seen any actor or actress come close to what Gleason did without saying a word. The way he conveyed his feelings and spoke without words was unbelievable.
Paul Dano did a good job in Little Miss Sunshine with it though. He gets special attention for that.
Poolhall Junkies
Very good film. There were great performances all around. The lead was the writer and did an OK job. Rick Schroder (yeah, Silver Spoons Ricky) was in it along with the Gods Christopher Walken and Chazz Palminteri. Schroder was pretty badass in his small role. He definitely needs to be given more work.
Fresh was great movie. The end where he plays Samuel L. one last time is powerful.
My picks.
The Beast, 1988 Jason Patrick George Dzundza. A pretty realistic movie about a Soviet Tank that gets trapped in a valley in Afganhistan with the Mujahadeen hot on it’s trail.
Windwalker, 1980 James Remar. A story of a Cheyenne warriors lifelong search for his lost son. Great Indian tale pre whiteman era.
Once were warriors. 1994. A realistic portrayal of Maori people stuck in poverty in New Zealand and finding a way to rise above it. Good brutal fight scenes from the guy who played Bobba Fett in Star Wars.
The one that stands on the top of my head at the moment is Ghost Dog: the Way of the Samurai, starring Forest Whitaker (recent Best Actor winner for Last King of Scotland).
There’s a couple of cheesy moments but I thought the overall story was great. The most interesting thing for me was Ghost Dog’s relationship with the French guy. Neither one of them could understand a word the other said (and I mean, literally, not one single word), but they had this great friendship. It added a fascinating dynamic to the story.
Lucky Number Slevin. Not talked about too much, despite the awesome cast and great plot. Probably the best revenge movie of the decade, it gets everything right, down to the kansas city shuffle
Gleason was in another movie back in the day called “Requiem of a Heavyweight”. I have no idea how popular it was, but it is a very powerful piece of art.
Fandango was one of K. Costner’s early movies, and it is one of the best movies no one has seen.
The Pompetus of Love was another good film that no one has ever seen.
[quote]Zen warrior wrote:
Lucky Number Slevin. Not talked about too much, despite the awesome cast and great plot. Probably the best revenge movie of the decade, it gets everything right, down to the kansas city shuffle ;)[/quote]
I liked that one, but it needed at least a couple of ninjas and some really cool fighting sequences choreographed by that guy who throws doves into every John Woo movie.
Brick - Film Noir set in a modern day high school.
GOOD - If you like film noir, don’t write this off as a lesser form of it. It’s the best modern film noir I’ve seen in year.
BAD - Some people can’t get past the hard-boiled high school premise.
Hard Candy - 32 year old Man meets a 14 year old girl on the internet. It doesn’t end well for one of them.
GOOD - Interesting concept, well acted.
BAD - Uncomfortable subject matter.
Overnight - The rise and fall of the man behind Boondock Saints
GOOD - It shouldn’t ruin the movie for you, but you’ll see it differently.
BAD - It might ruin Boondock Saints for you after all.
The Limey - Revenge flick.
GOOD - Terence Stamp’s Wilson is a badass old man.
BAD - Might be too slow slow paced for some.
Miller’s Crossing - Joel & Ethan Coen mob flick.
GOOD - It’s a Coen brother movie.
BAD - Some people hate Coen brother movies.
Lucky Number Slevin and Boondock Saints were amazing. Two of my all-time favourites.
I’ll throw “Secondhand Lions” into the mix. Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, Haley Joel Osment, Kyra Sedjwick. Big name cast, but the studio gave it no backing and it disappeared from theatres almost as soon as it arrived.
There’s a fair bit of touchy-feely stuff thrown in there, but the two old men played by Caine and Duvall are fantastic; by turns hillarious and astounding. It’s like being a kid and hearing tales from the family about the amazing deeds your grandfather did in his younger years. Definitely worth a watch.
