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| Name: Ryan Roe Email: prawnrr-rmv@this.com-yahoo.com Position: Movie / Television / Comic Book / Trivia Geek View Ryan's Personal Profile |
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| Pass the popcorn, Mama, it’s movie time! But what should we rent? It’s a tough question, and one faced by millions of Americans every weekend. You could go with Napoleon Dynamite for the eighth time, or Monty Python and the Holy Grail for the 18th, but why not try a more obscure choice? When I’m entrusted with the rare privilege of choosing a movie, I will often suggest a film that I know to be a winner, but which I know nobody else in the group has seen. There are a handful of movies that I’ve found always delight and entertain, and lead people to say, “How did you find out about this movie?” Here then, are some of my favorite lesser-known crowd pleasers. Everyone Says I Love You (1996) Woody Allen made a musical. This might seem implausible, but it’s light and funny and it never fails to make me happy. All the musical numbers are songs from classic movie musicals – the title song, for example, was first heard in the Marx Brothers movie Horsefeathers, where it starts as a solo by Zeppo. There’s no Zeppo in this movie, but there is Alan Alda, Goldie Hawn, Edward Norton, Drew Barrymore, Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, that one really old guy from those other movies, and Allen himself. And they all sing! Except Drew Barrymore, who doesn’t do her own singing. Edward Norton, meanwhile, seems to think that being in a Woody Allen movie requires one to go through the entire film doing a Woody Allen impression. But that doesn't prevent the movie from being an accessible, light-hearted good time for everyone. There are singing, dancing pregnant ladies, singing, dancing ghosts, and the scene with a hundred people dressed as Groucho Marx and singing "Hooray for Captain Spaulding" in French is one of my favorite cinematic moments. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) At one point, this film held the world record for least profitable movie ever. Directed by the imaginative Terry Gilliam, the production went crazy over-budget, but it delivers sufficient bang for its buck. There's comedy, there's action, there's a giant fish, there's a young Uma Thurman as the goddess Venus. I actually happened to see Baron Munchausen during the five minutes of its theatrical release, and I was spellbound. Since then, I've made sure to recommend it to everyone. Its one problem is that it starts rather slowly, establishing the tone of the harsh, war-torn real world before the title character arrives and throws everything into the fantastic realm of the rest of the movie, in his quest to reunite his band of super-talented adventurers and save England from an invading army. But if you can sit through the first twenty-odd minutes, you'll be richly rewarded. Stars include Eric Idle (as the fastest man in the world), Sarah Polley (as a girl who joins the baron on his wild journey), and Jonathan Pryce (as a jerk). And hey, wait a second -- is that a brief cameo by Sting? Yeah, it is. I think my favorite sequence is the part that takes place on the moon, where Baron Munchausen schmoozes the King of the Moon's giant floating head, played by a Big Movie Star making an Uncredited Surprise Appearance. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) If you ask me, this is the least appreciated of all the films of Joel and Ethan Coen. Tim Robbins stars as a young man who comes to the big city to seek his fortune, and ends up finding it, but not in the way he expected, because his strings are being pulled by a team of shady corporate executives led by Paul Newman. It's a period piece, but i doesn't present a realistic portrait o the 1950s, opting instead t depict the world that those o us who like old movies and comic books wish had existed, and every scene i popping with atmosphere. Jennifer Jason Leigh plays a reporter straight out o is the most underrated Coen brothers movie? Matinee is the least appreciated film by Joe Dante of Gremlins fame (although Small Soldiers might come close. I've been meaning to give that one another look). John Goodman plays Lawrence Woolsey, a B-movie director inspired by the real-life mad genius of movie gimmicks, William Castle. Woolsey brings his latest sci-fi opus MANT ("half-man, half-ant, all-terror!") to a small town on the southern coast of Florida smack dab in the middle of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The teenage protagonists of the film have a lot to deal with -- the excitement of meeting a big-time movie director, the tension of knowing that there are nuclear missiles pointed at their hometown, the urge to speak their minds, and the desire to make out. I haven't seen Matinee as recently as most of the other movies on this list, but it's enjoyable as heck and it's obvious Joe Dante loves going to the movies as much as he loves making them. Clue (1985) I guess a lot of people have heard of this one, but I'm guessing most have never seen it. A movie based on a board game? What's next -- movies based on theme park rides? TV sitcoms based on car insurance commercials? Anyway, Clue has yet another great cast, including Christopher Lloyd, Madeline Kahn, Michael McKean, and Lesley Ann Warren as various characters from the board game, while Tim Curry plays the butler who serves as everyone's host for a mysterious evening of murder, intrigue, and people running around a lot. All the rooms and weapons are there, from the conservatory and the candlestick to the billiard room and the lead pipe. The screenwriters did an impressive job of taking elements from a plotless board game and building a story around them. It was also a good idea to make it a silly comedy rather than trying to pull a serious murder mystery out of it. Oh, and here's something cool: There are three endings. As I understand it, when the film was released theatrically, different theaters received different prints, so that a viewer in Poughkeepsie would get a different resolution to the mystery than a viewer in Sheep's Elbow, Missouri. The DVD version has all three endings, one right after another. Speaking of which, I've often seen Clue in the $5.50 bins at Wal-Mart, so buying it should be almost as cheap as renting, and cheaper than buying a copy of the board game. Cannibal! The Musical (1996) This is just a movie some guy made in college, but that guy happens to be a pre-South Park Trey Parker, and his buddy Matt Stone is here too. It's the classic story of "man loves horse, man loses horse, man becomes the only American in history to be convicted on the charge of cannibalism." What fun! The songs are catchy, the low budget is charmingly obvious, the facial hair is suspect. It's a very good early effort, and while it's not for the kids, it is noticeably less filthy than South Park or Team America, although I suppose that's not a difficult feat to pull off. I must confess that I've only ever seen this movie late at night, so it's possible the effect would be less during normal, lucid waking hours. But I'll bet you a nickel that after you see this movie, you'll spend the next several days with the urge to sing, "The sky is blue, and all the leaves are green/My heart's as full as a baked potato..." Brain Donors (1992) In the early 90s, the Naked Gun writers said to themselves, "Boy, the Marx Brothers sure were neat. What would it be like if they were still around?" The result is a movie that borrows heavily from the Marxes' A Night at the Opera but is quite entertaining in its own right. There's a fast-talking Groucho type (John Tuturro!), an easily confused Chico type, and even a mute Harpo type. Zeppo is nowhere to be seen. As in the Marx movies, there's a bland, personality-free romantic couple at the center of the story (two young aspiring dancers), but unlike in the Marx films, they don't sing any interminable Boring Songs. Brain Donors does an admirable job of capturing the Marx sensibility in a contemporary setting, and as a tribute to a classic comedy team, it's a far better concept than The All New Adventures of Laurel and Hardy: For Love or Mummy (which is a real movie, believe it or not). That should be enough to get you started. You should print this list out and carry it around with you, just in case you're called on to recommend a movie for your next get-together. Everyone will compliment you on your impeccable taste, and you'll just smile and wink at the camera. By the way, there were a few other films I considered including here, but I wasn't sure I had enough to say about them -- Living Out Loud (a romantic piece starring Holly Hunter and Danny DeVito which I've only seen once, years ago, but I thoroughly enjoyed it), Manhattan Murder Mystery (another light-hearted Woody Allen movie, co-starring Diane Keaton, but I already had an Allen movie on the list anyway), and Radioland Murders (a George Lucas-produced ode to radio's golden age, which my friends and I loved when it was first released on video, but I haven't seen it since then and I was less discriminating in those days so I can't really say in all certainty that it doesn't stink). It's also possible I missed a few. What are YOUR underrated, crowd-pleasing recommendations? Comments on this post are closed. |
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| Radioland Murders has George Burns in it, right? Cool, man. George Burns. I like a lot of these movies, including Baron Munchausen and Hudsucker Proxy. Brain Donors is pretty good too. I can also think of some movies to add to the list. I should make a post in reply to yours. |
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| Some of my favorite movies are on that list. Are my tastes really that obscure? I mean, I've always hoped they were, but I actually thought I was more mainstream than I would have liked! What about "Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God...Be Back by Five"? Okay, it wasn't exactly the best movie, but it has a great title. I'd have to add "Man With the Screaming Brain" and "Bubba Ho-tep" to the list. Actually, anything with Bruce Campbell. Even his Old Spice commercial is good! Oh, and "Serenity." I can't believe you left that movie off! |
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| My favorite thing about articles like this is the discussion/debate that follows. Anthony: I think George Burns and some other old radio people are in Radioland Murders. On some days, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is my favorite movie. I think you should absolutely write your own response post. Matt: Went to Coney Island on a Mission From God...! I forgot about that one, but it was a good one. As I recall, the first half of it was quite funny, and the second half was dramatic and thought-provoking. As for Man With the Screaming Brain, I really can't say I liked it enough to include it here. I haven't seen Bubba Ho-Tep yet, but I plan to. And Serenity would have been a good choice... I guess I didn't include it because in my head I like to imagine that it's an international megahit that everyone has heard of. |
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| Great idea for a post. Also, great movies...when I saw the title, I thought about three movies (Baron Munchausen, Clue, and Brain Donors) before I got to them in your post. And good caveat on Baron Munchausen. We started watching that in US History in high school (this was after the AP test, when we had a few vaguely-history-related movie classes), but people gave up on it before it got really good. One suggestion: how about Better Off Dead? Is that obscure enough? I can think of at least two instances when I showed that to groups in which most people had never heard of it, but everybody really enjoyed it. |
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| Chopper - Eric Bana at his undisputed best. Velvet Goldmine - a trip through the glitter and glam age of rock. The Frighteners - Pre-LOTR Peter Jackson and the best horror / dark comedy I've watched. Idiocracy - for a preview of coming attractions. |
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| Jason: I think Better Off Dead might be too well-known through cable and video to qualify. In a crowded room, I'm guessing at least one person would recognize the line, "I want my two dollars!" Chris: I haven't seen any of your others, but The Frighteners is a good one. Except for that scene with John Astin and the mummy. Yecch. |
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| Of course I'll have to second "Idiocracy." Very few people got a chance to see it in theaters, and almost everybody I've made watch it has enjoyed it. It's a really great horror movie! Speaking of horror movies, I also feel the need to mention "A Polish Vampire in Burbank." You don't get much more obscure than that. You pretty much have to order it from the guy who made it, as they stopped playing it on TV years ago. |
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| I have to agree with Matt on the Bruce Campbell statement. A couple other ones are: They Live Flight of the Navigator I also enjoy the old 1960's Disney live action flicks like Treasure Island, Swiss Family Robinson, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (but not Mysterious Island; giant crabs!?! please. that wasn't even close to being in the book) |
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| Yeah, Flight of the Navigator is a good one. I also liked The Fountain, The Secret of Nimh and The Explorers. |
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| Is "The Secret of Nimh" under appreciated? That's too bad. It's better than most Disney cartoons. |
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| I'm sure we could come up with a whole separate list of "Good Movies You May Not Have Heard of Unless You Were a Kid Around the Time They Came Out." Flight of the Navigator has always been a favorite of mine, so I don't think of it as being underrated... The Secret of Nimh is well-respected, I think, but it wasn't as big a hit as, say, An American Tail or The Land Before Time. Chris: Are you referring to Darren Aronofsky's "The Fountain" from last year? I never got around to seeing that when it was in theaters, but I really, really should rent it one of these days. Oh, and I thought of another one: True Stories, a movie made by David Byrne of The Talking Heads and featuring an all-Talking Heads soundtrack. It's probably a little too quirky and plotless for some people, but it's odd and whimsical and fun. |
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| I tried to rent Noises Off just this past weekend to show my man and couldn't find it anywhere. Love it though. I sat through Munschausen, about two years ago and honestly can't remember a bit of it. Are there really people who have not seen Clue? It should be mandatory for humanity. Check out Eulogy. It's Little-Misss-Sunshine-dysfunctional, but 10 times funnier. |
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| Thank you very much |
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| You're welcome! |
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