Added by JayTrotter on 31 Aug 2012 05:35

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Amazing Underrated Obscure Bizarre Films PART 12

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Decade: Rating: List Type:

6.1

6.2

Just Before Dawn (1981)

THE greatest low budget backwoods hicksploitation slasher EVER.

JayTrotter's rating:

1080

7.9

Notorious (1946)

My number one Hitchcock.

JayTrotter's rating:

7.5

7.3

Dangerous Encounter: 1st Kind (1980)

Nihilism has never been more exciting to watch with Tsui Hark completely losing his shit while making this movie. Also, be sure you get the uncut, non-watered down narrative version, the one that goes balls to the wall!

7.6

7.1

Crazy Love (2007)

It's not as traumatizing as Dear Zachary (what is?) but this talking heads documentary gives off the same feel with the gradual revelation of fucked up info after fucked up info to the point where you're in a state of disbelieving wonder.

JayTrotter's rating:

279

6.6

6.5

Margaret

The most fascinating 3 hour epic mess of a movie I've seen in years. If it was more polished and concise it wouldn't have hit me as hard. I'm fucking glad it wasn't.

JayTrotter's rating:

192

6.9

6.8

Slaughterhouse-Five

Kurt Vonnegut adapted via 70s filmmaking aesthetics & sensibilities.

7.1

Mother Night (1996)

Kurt Vonnegut again + Nick Nolte as an undercover Nazi = a mid 90s Keith Gordon homerun. John Goodman, Alan Arkin, actually Kurt Vonnegut and Frankie Faison!

254

6.8

6.4

Alice, Sweet Alice (1976)

An American Italian Giallo.

5.8

6.2

Evil Dead Trap

A Japanese Italian Giallo.

JayTrotter's rating:

477

8.3

8.1

Ace in the Hole (1951)

Another one of those flicks that was wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ahead of its time and is as relevant today as it was 60 years ago. Also, a good example of just how good Kirk Douglas and his chin could be. This and the Sweet Smell of Success would make for a perfect double feature for a journalism class on the day the teacher is hungover.

JayTrotter's rating:

124

7.9

7.4

Caliber 9 (1972)

The opening sequence is one of the coolest, most violent, ridiculously energetic pieces of filmmaking I've seen in quite some time. Italian Crime cinema at its peak. Made by the man, Fernando Di Leo.

“I am a huge fan of Italian gangster movies, I’ve seen them all and Fernando Di Leo is, without a doubt, the master of this genre.” - Quentin Tarantino

JayTrotter's rating:

291

6.3

6.2

Room 237 (2012)

Crazy film nerds obsessed with The Shining go in depth with all their crazy conspiracy theories and hidden messages that they think Kubrick put in there. The best one is about how Kubrick directed the faked moon landing and he lays hints of this throughout the movie. A must watch for true film buffs.

JayTrotter's rating:

245

7.7

7.5

Survive Style 5+

Just look at the pictures.

6.7

6.3

Frightmare (1974)

Beautifully slow moving British horror of the grim variety. Sinks in deeper after you see it.

JayTrotter's rating:

7.5

7.6

The Moon and the Sledgehammer (1971)

Old school doc on a family of 5 secluded from modern civilization: the dad, two daughters, and two sons living out in the country in Sussex, England in 1970. Unaware of things such like we've already landed on the moon. The ending reminded me of the twist to Shyamalan's The Village.

JayTrotter's rating:

450

6.8

Two Lovers

Rarely does a flick truly capture how fucked up relationships can make you act. Sometimes you just lose your mind and you know you shouldn't do a certain something but it doesn't matter cause you can't help it. An irrational jamboree.

JayTrotter's rating:

174

7.1

The House with Laughing Windows (1976)

Gothic Giallo with one hell of a EWWWW AHHHHH SHIT WTF twist ending!

JayTrotter's rating:

8.5

Friends Forever (2001)

These guys have a band called Friends Forever but they can't get any gigs however that doesn't deter them one bit so what they do is they drive around in their van to where other bands are getting gigs and set up on the street or in the parking lot and rock the fuck out RIGHT IN THEIR GODDAMN VAN to anybody that just happens to be hanging outside the venue. One of the best documentaries on the true who-fuckin-cares-we-just-wanna-play spirit of rock n' fucking roll.

JayTrotter's rating:

5.8

6.9

Coming Apart (1969)

Great Rip Torn Movie #1

Psycho psychiatrist, Torn, hides a camera in his apartment (which is where the entire movie takes place) to record the messed up lives of all the women who come to him for help.

7.4

7.1

Payday (1975)

Great Rip Torn Movie #2

Long before Jeff Bridges played Bad Blake in Crazy Heart, there was Rip Torn as the pill poppin', whiskey in his cereal and pussy on his toothbrush, self-destructive country singer, Maury Dann.

JayTrotter's rating:

330

6.8

6.7

Night of the Creeps

The thing is when a horror/comedy from the 80s that has screenshots like this gets a 6.7 on IMDB you need to take notice. Cause a 6.7 for this type of flick on IMDB basically means like a 9.3 or some shit. Tom Atkins!!!!!!!

230

7.3

7.2

The Beguiled (1971)

A troubling, macabre Civil War drama thriller with Clint playing against type.

109

6.4

6.8

Shoot to Kill (1988)

Sidney Poitier is an FBI agent after a psychotic killer who is out there somewhere in mountain man territory. Tom Berenger just happens to be the expert mountain man able to guide Poitier through the dangerous terrain in order to capture/arrest/shoot-sixteen-times the mad killer on the loose. Buddy action thriller comedy with some nice touches and I love this casting script device:

"The killer's identity is not revealed until midway through the film. He attempts to evade detection by killing a member of a hiking expedition and taking his place. To keep the audience guessing as to the true identity of the villain, some of the hikers were played by actors known for playing bad guys: notably Clancy Brown, Frederick Coffin, and Andrew Robinson."

JayTrotter's rating:

147

6.6

The Vicious Kind (2009)

Dark comedy/drama with a 90s Sundance vibe that manages to be mean spirited yet simultaneously endearing. Adam Scott kills it, JK Simmons supplies another good dad role and that hot ass sex scene is REAL TIME PRIMAL.

JayTrotter's rating:

130

6.2

6.1

Alone in the Dark (1982)

Atypical (not "A typical" ya fast reading bastards) slasher about escaped mental patients deciding not to play nice anymore comprised of a stellar cast: Donald Pleasance, Martin Landau & Jack Palance. Entertainment maxed out. Tom Savini did some of the special fx.

JayTrotter's rating:

6.8

6.6

The Man from Hong Kong (1975)

Sensational Ozploitation action that takes pride in dangerous no-permit-acquired stunts with Asian actor, Jimmy Wang Yu hanggliding, kicking ass and getting laid JUST LIKE SHAFT! Also watch George Lazenby actually get set on actual fire!

JayTrotter's rating:

5.9

The House on Sorority Row

I Know What You Did Last Summer got its premise from this 80s slasher.

JayTrotter's rating:

6.2

6.4

Cohen and Tate (1988)...

Hitchockian b-movie thriller with Adam Baldwin and Roy Schieder playing two shithead criminals hired to bring back this kid (who might have overheard important bad guy kind of information) to an interested mob boss. Baldwin and Schieder's personal conflicts mixed with the kid's head games make for a bumpy ride home. Dun Dun Dun!

JayTrotter's rating:

256

7.1

7.2

Tape

A gripping, hardcore play of a movie directed by Richard Linklater.

300

6.8

6.6

Demons (1985)

Demons attack movie goers in a theatre. People get possessed. Gore flies everywhere. People run and scream. Guys on motorcyles wield samurai swords. There is a funny pimp guy. Etc.

7.5

7.2

To Sleep with Anger

Is Danny Glover the devil? I mean in this movie. In the movie.

JayTrotter's rating:

114

6.1

6.7

13 Game of Death (2006)

High concept Thai dark comedy that asks how far would you go for a whole lot of money. Would you make small children cry? Would you eat poop? Would you smash your ex-gf's new boyfriend with a chair? (Well I mean that's an easy one) Would you a kill a dog? What are you REALLY capable of as a human being? That kinda thing but ya know, with that extra OH THAT'S FUCKED UP Thailand touch.

JayTrotter's rating:

6.2

6.3

Permanent Midnight (1999)

Ben Stiller plays Jerry Stahl, a heroin addicted TV writer who used to pen episodes for Alf and Thirtysomething among others. Based on Jerry's actual life and book about his Hollywood fueled depravity. Easily best performance of Stiller's career.

5.5

4.8

Screwballs (1983)

I've seen a good many over the top goofy 80s high school sexual hijinks movies lately but this one takes the biggest piece of poontang pie. "Your bra bomb better work, Nerdlinger!"

JayTrotter's rating:

7.9

SlamNation (1998)

Wildly passionate and fire breathing documentary on the 1996 National Poetry Slam in Portland, Oregon. Saul Williams is THE FUCKING MAN.

179

6.1

5.6

The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

A feminist slasher movie? Well sorta. Btw, a feminist slasher means you have to show women playing basketball...HORRIBLY. They also like baseball and talk about box scores. But they still have girly slumber parties & show off their tits. I dunno.

JayTrotter's rating:

274

5.8

5.7

The Hole (2010)

Joe Dante does a perfect family appropriate 80s horror homage, in 2009.

JayTrotter's rating:

575

6.1

6.8

The American President (1995)

What the fuck? How was this movie that good? I really didn't wanna like you movie but you melted my black heart. Script by pre-West Wing Aaron Sorkin.

JayTrotter's rating:

6.5

6.6

Mischief

American Pie for the 1950s. Attentive and well done coming of age story.

206

6.2

6.4

The Yards (2000)

James Gray, who did Two Lovers, does Mean Streets.

5.9

5.4

Student Bodies (1981)

Before Scream. Before Scary Movie. There was...Student Bodies!

JayTrotter's rating:

142

6.7

Antibodies (2005)

Great serial killer film in the vein of Silence of the Lambs but then that piece of shit ending hits the glass and you just go UGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Still I'd say you should check it out but be prepared, the ending fucking sucks.

6.6

Bounce: Behind the Velvet Rope (2000)

Absorbing documentary on club n' bar bouncers. Some of these dudes are sadistic wastes of a pulse and some are the sweetest, most heartbreaking characters, specifically the main black dude featured. There's one scene with him on the phone that...man it's good.

528

6.2

6.5

Premium Rush (2012)

Standard thriller premise elevated to a high degree by putting a very talented actor in as the hero and another very talented actor in as the villain. Then you cut down on the CGI bullshit for some really intense, heart racing practical bike chase sequences and you got yourself a really fun movie.

.
.
.
.
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But seriously Michael Shannon fucking owns this movie. He's an ANIMAL.

JayTrotter's rating:

109

5.8

5.7

Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988)

Doesn't have the KAPOW twist ending of the first one but it makes up for it with stupid ass entertaining characters, an awesome sex scene in the woods, horror flick homages, and just inspired silly shit o' plenty. And oh yeah, the lead chick is Bruce Springsteen's sister.

Daniel Tosh?

JayTrotter's rating:

7.5

7.3

Eye of God (1997)

Dramatically experimental soul smasher of a non-linear drama.

6.2

5.7

Tapeheads (1988)

John Cusack and Tim Robbins yucking it up in the world of music videos!

6.3

6.1

The Deadly Spawn (1983)

Inventively killer low budget giant sharp teeth space monster flickage!!!

JayTrotter's rating:

The Source: The Story of the Beats and the Beat Generation (1999)

7.3

The Source: The Story of the Beats and the Beat Generation (1999)... (1999)

Dennis Hopper as William S. Burroughs. John Turturo as Allen Ginsberg. Johnny Depp as Jack Kerouac. And it's a documentary, not a period piece.

126

4.8

5.3

Pootie Tang (2001)

Sa da tay! Some think it's a godawful reprehensible shit sandwich of a film but it made me laugh my ass off so whatjagonnado?

With it being October n' all (well it was while I was working on this) I've been overdosing on horror flicks (slashers especially cause I think I'm gonna try to write a slasher/giallo/thriller concoction for the fuck of it so good luck me) so this list is chock full of em. Enjoy mofos!

Not every flick here is a top to bottom masterpiece (well some are dammit) but I will guarantee you that every flick is filled with an OH SHIT moment or two or strives for something big n' bold n' ballsy or will be branded into your brain until the very day you die. Or just all 3. Enjoy ya rat basta'ds!

Also, some are just amazing some are just underrated some are just obscure and some are just bizarre but most of the time there's a little mix n matching crossover going on but don't expect each flick to meet all four criteria. All I know is all these flicks just need more love.