Added by JayTrotter on 19 Jun 2012 07:05

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Amazing Underrated Obscure Bizarre Films PART 11

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Decade: Rating: List Type:

8.8

7.5

The Beaver Trilogy (2000)...

Of all the films I've seen in my dumbass lifetime this just might be the most captivating cinematic experiment of them all. Shot in 1979, 1981 and 1985 though not completed until 2000. Don't worry, that'll make sense once you see it. Required viewing for any true film buff and the less you know the better but here's a single pic to give you a lil tease even though it's not much but after you see the movie you'll realize, it's EVERYTHING. Seriously, don't look up another bit of info on this cause it detracts from the whole wtf experience. Just watch it.

JayTrotter's rating:

643

8.1

7.7

Fireworks (1997)

Takeshi "Beat" Kitano did the best he ever did right here. Flawles ending.

6.8

Putney Swope (1969)

Robert Downey SENIOR's irreverent counterculture classic.

6.8

The Wizard of Speed and Time (1988)

Practical FX wiz Mike Jittlov made this film over the course of 5 years using many of his own experiences of dealing with all the aggravating assholes that comprise Hollywood. Silly inspired filmmaking done with a lot of love for the art form. It's another one of those kind of films where you think throughout the entire duration OH MOVIES LIKE THIS ACTUALLY EXIST!?!?! GOOD!

JayTrotter's rating:

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (2011)

7.7

7.6

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (2011) (2012)

Deserves all the praise it gets and I was in the boat of, "All these outstanding reviews for a fucking Elmo documentary? Really!?" It wrecked my ass poignantly.

UPDATE - Well this documentary has taken a big drastic turn of how I feel about it. fuck.

JayTrotter's rating:

7.6

7.2

Medium Cool (1969)

Haskell Wexler's fight-the-power time capsule of a docudrama blending fact with fiction by using footage shot during the infamous riots amidst the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. And Robert Forster looking like the coolest motherfucker this side of James Dean.

356

6.7

The Quiet Earth (1985)

Sci-Fi from New Zealand about a man who wakes up to find he's the only man left on Earth. Takes some cool turns and has some funky visuals and please if you can tell me what really is going on in this flick I'll give ya a muffin.

JayTrotter's rating:

7.3

6.9

Zombie Girl: The Movie (2009)

Emily Hagins, a 12 year old girl from Austin, Texas wants to make a zombie movie and this is the documentary that chronicles her journey as friends and family help her towards brain munching nirvana. Did a good job of giving me that motivational feeling of WELL SHIT IF SHE CAN DO IT...

JayTrotter's rating:

6.3

5.7

Pathogen (2006)

And right after watching Zombie Girl you should just watch the actual film that she ended up making. Easiest double feature you can do on a late Friday night.

6.5

6.9

The Telephone Book (1971)

Andy Warholesque artsy fartsy softcore sex comedy about a girl who gets obsessed with one highly orally skilled obscene caller.

JayTrotter's rating:

202

7.5

6.7

Julien Donkey-Boy (1999)

Dogme film #6

Harmony Korine gives a rip roaring head fucked depiction of schizophrenia and its effect on the surrounding family that has to care for it. Werner Herzog plays the dad.

206

6.9

6.5

Mister Lonely (2008)

Another mostly ignored Korine flick. This time he fills his frame with flying nuns and a celebrity/historical figure impersonators commune. His most "professionally" looking film but it's still off the wall mad.

7.3

8.8

Alone in the Wilderness (2004)

Short Doc Under An Hour #1
Dick Proenneke is the motherfucking Bob Ross of wood cabin building documentaries. He narrates over his own footage of himself with a voice so calm, so soothing and so playful you'd think ole Bob must've had a twin brother that was locked up in a basement all his life then finally escaped and moved to Alaska. You get to watch this dude build a cabin from the ground up and just holy shit it's oddly hypnotic.

JayTrotter's rating:

357

7.7

7.6

Lady Snowblood (1973)

My favorite revenge origin story:
Sayo is raped and her family destroyed by a band of 4 criminals. Sayo is later sent to prison where she seduces a guard in order to create her only possible instrument for revenge, a daughter. Sayo dies during childbirth but this new child, Yuki, born in prison, is raised as an assassin so that she may one day seek vengeance on the four thugs that ruined her mother's life! She IS Lady Snowblood! AHHHHHH YEAHHHHHHH MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!!!

300

6.7

6.5

Pontypool

See the thing is I absolutely love the first hour. It's irrefutably original and brilliant but the final 30ish minutes tries to be too smart for its own good and ends up being too silly for my tastes. Great premise: a zombie film but from the perspective of the radio station that receives all the bizarre reports of people eating people and the mayhem that follows. Flick is a must see just for that first hour though. *UPDATE* Okay I've kinda warmed up to the other 30ish minutes.

147

6.3

6.4

Lone Wolf McQuade (1983)

This is right below Invasion USA on my Chuck list but dude it is RIGHT THERE with it. When that organ music kicks in right before the final fight scene between Norris and Carardine mannnnnnnnnnnn hold onto ya butts.

6.8

6.5

Reflections of Evil (2002)

Absolutely insane Erasehead-like genius or low budget schizophrenic guttertrash shit? You decide! Actually I haven't even decided yet so help me.

175

6.7

Obsession

Contains one of my favorite twists.

7.2

Love Me, Love My Doll (2007)

Short Doc Under an Hour #2
Yup just a normal day for Mike, cleaning the cum out of his fuck doll. I really could not keep my mouth shut during this. My jaw permanently dropped. I don't know what to say about this. I felt feelings I'd never felt before while watching this movie. I dunno man. I'm done for today.

JayTrotter's rating:

6.9

7.2

Malcolm (1986)

Sweet, resourceful Aussie crime comedy with a Napoleon Dynamite/Uncle Rico dynamic feel cause hell they even stole some music from it!

JayTrotter's rating:

103

The Stunt Man (1980) (1980)

At the 1980 San Francisco Film Festival, François Truffaut was asked to name his favorite director. He replied, "I don't know his name, but I just saw his picture last night. It's called The Stunt Man."

The Sinister Saga of Making 'The Stunt Man'

6.2

The Sinister Saga of Making 'The Stunt Man'

And then finish up with this for the whole shebang.

7.7

8.2

Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)

You gotta see a Barbara Kopple documentary at some point in your life so hold the line, quit being a douchebag fuckface scab and make this the one.

444

6.9

7.1

God Bless America

Sometimes satire should be quiet, subtle and inferred and sometimes it should be loud, aggressive and PISSED THE FUCK OFF. And that's exactly what needed to happen here and Bobcat did it right. You can't just nudge nudge our current culture. You gotta smash it over the fucking head with a two by four. The anger and violence is so comforting.

JayTrotter's rating:

264

7.3

The War Zone (1999)

Tim Roth directs this flick that makes a great double bill with the Gary Oldman directed film Nil By Mouth but that is only if you like distressing, raw cinema and/or character actors who direct one feature film and then never do it again. This one might even be the more fucked up of the two. The big reveal towards the end makes ya wanna spew chunks.

720

6.4

Cop Land (1997)

Rewatched this the other week for the first time in like a decade and damn if it didn't remind me of those great low key crime/dramas of the 70s that have a slow burn but still hit nice n' heavy. The entire cast (Ray Liotta's intensity!) is a movie geek kid in a candy store and Stallone is even better here than he's given credit for. Get Anthony Hopkins for Amistad the fuck outta there and give Stallone his Best Supporting Oscar nom. The big YOU BLEW IT scene between Stallone & De Niro is AFI Lifetime Achievement award highlight reel worthy.

JayTrotter's rating:

6.9

Nazi Pop Twins

Short Doc Under An Hour #3
Documentary about a dumbass white supremacist mom who turns her two daughters into Prussian Blue, a pop group who spread the good word of The Lord wait I mean Hitler. The daughters eventually grow to realize maybe their mom is a crackpot after all. Hate breeds hate breeds hilarity.

JayTrotter's rating:

7.5

7.3

Passion Fish

John Sayles finally puttin' one on the list. I think this is the first? Whatever, Mary McDonnell, Alfree Woodard and David Straithairn rule hardcore here.

377

6.6

6.5

Pulse

Of all the creepy Japanese ghost flicks that flooded the terrain when the damn broke, this is one of the standouts. There's one moment that SCARED THE FUCKING SHIT OUT OF ME.

6.3

6.7

White Nights (1985)

Yeah you're reading that right. Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines tap dancing their WHY ARE THESE TWO GUYS IN A MOVIE TOGETHER asses off. The Cold War mixed with The Red Shoes...kinda.

177

7.8

7.9

Pixote

If you want some real deal cinema verite cinema then pop this in your VCR or Laserdisc player. Won all types of Foreign Language Best Film awards.

6.9

7.6

Outrage

Documentary about how tons of the gay politicians in America typically vote against gay rights cause theyre closeted and married to women cause they are denying their homosexuality but are also still giant assholes who choose to fuck over the United States cause they really want to keep their jobs and that's all they actually care about cause remember, at their core they're just weak pathetic bags of shit.

JayTrotter's rating:

146

6.3

6.6

Clockwise (1986)

Very British and very goofy doofy episodic trip with John Cleese as an always-on-time school principal who is running late for a very important conference. Wacky characters and comical situations pop up as you might expect.

JayTrotter's rating:

6.5

7.7

12:01 PM (1990)

Oscar nominated short film that is basically Groundhog Day but more drama thriller than Ned Ryerson. Kurtwood Smith keeps living the same hour over and over and over. This one actually gets into the WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? of the predicament unlike Groundhog Day...which is a good...and bad thing.

JayTrotter's rating:

5.6

Fifty/Fifty (1992)

Another stolen title from an IMDB review but it is so spot on I can't resist:
ONE OF THE GREATEST MEDIOCRE ACTION MOVIES EVER

358

7.4

7.5

The Sweet Hereafter (1997)

Probably Atom Egoyan's most accessible film. It leaves the stinger in and keeps pumping venom. Faint, barely audible pain cinema.

5.5

6.3

Interview with a Poltergeist (2007)

Short Doc Under An Hour #4
Real life account of The Enfield Poltergeist which involved flying objects and demonic possession in fish n' chips land. Offers interviews with skeptics as well as believers and those who were there when the shit went down. This is the story that The Conjuring 2 is based on even though in real life Ed and Lorraine Warren didn't really have shit to do with it. Who are full of shit themselves.

JayTrotter's rating:

112

6.9

Deep Cover

Bill IMMA HA' ME SOME FUN Duke directs Jeff Goldblum and Lawrence Fishburne in this terrific crime drama with that ice cold cool early 90s smooth style cinematography.

131

7.7

6.6

Spetters (1980)

Paul Verhoeven doing the 80s teen sex comedy thing. But with motorcycle racing, bleak realism, Rutger Hauer and NC-17 level shenanigans to balance it out.

6.6

7.3

The Front (1976)

Woody Allen is the guy that all the blacklisted writers in Hollywood submit their work through. But then Woody Allen can't take it anymore. Surprised this film doesn't get more praise.

147

5.9

The Handmaid's Tale (1990)

This old terrifying tale again.

JayTrotter's rating:

7.8

Stevie (2002)

Steve James (Hoop Dreams) returns to check in on a boy he was a "big brother" to ten years prior. What he finds is difficult to deal with. Engaging and hard to watch real life.

6.8

6.3

Personal Best (1982)

Ole "write a line, snort a line" Robert Towne writes and directs this film about Mariel Hemingway and a bunch of other ladies trying to make it in the track n' field world. Good damn movie, Bob!

5.7

Hit List (1989)

B and well C list character actor heaven in some grungy William Lustig (Maniac, Maniac Cop, Relentless, Vigilante) crime slop. Jan-Michael Vincent is high as fuck throughout the whole film, Leo Rossi kicks ass as a don't-give-a-shit mob informant, Charles Napier does what he does best as the cop protecting Rossi, Rip Torn goes over the top nutzoid as an Al Capone style mob boss, Harold Sylvester even shows up to get killed off after a few minutes like a stud and finally, Lance Henriksen is Al Bundy moonlighting as a mafia hitman. Solid gold IMDB trivia: "For several days, William Lustig directed the film from his limo, complaining about cold weather."

JayTrotter's rating:

7.7

Make Believe (2011)

If you like documentaries and teenagers with dreams and magic and Las Vegas then YOU'LL LOVE THIS DOCUMENTARY ABOUT TEENAGERS COMPETING TO BE THE BEST YOUNG MAGICIAN IN LAS VEGAS

JayTrotter's rating:

The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)

7.7

7.5

The Decline of Western Civilization (1981) (1981)

Penelope Spheeris jumps into the punk rock scene of Los Angeles in 1980 and meets some people who are made out of fire, psychosis and shit for brains.

JayTrotter's rating:

The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years

7.4

7.2

The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years... (1988)

Spheeris again but this time she is checking out 80s hair metal. Great interviews with Ozzy, Motorhead, Steven Tyler etc. Best of the trilogy imo, well at least the most entertaining. Some truly epic metal moments.

JayTrotter's rating:

The Decline of Western Civilization Part III

7.2

The Decline of Western Civilization Part III (1998)

Spheeris catches back up with punk in 96-97 and its not a pretty sight.

6.4

He Restoreth My Soul (1975)

Short Doc Under An Hour #5
Man meets plane. Plane crashes and burns man's face. Man is like OH GODDAMN WHAT THE FUCK PLANE? Plane doesn't give a shit. Then, Man meets Jesus. Jesus inspires Man to sing songs about the Lord. The Lord isn't so sure about this. Merrill Womach is that Man's name, the Bride of Frankenstein is his wife and this documentary is their story.

JayTrotter's rating:

202

7.4

7.2

Equus (1977)

I really dig this IMDB plot summary, it paints an enigmatic picture to get you interested while not giving away anything crucial, it's like a good teaser trailer:

"A psychiatrist, Martin Dysart (Richard Burton) investigates the savage blinding of six horses with a metal spike in a stable in Hampshire, England. The atrocity was committed by an unassuming 17-year-old stable boy named Alan Strang, the only son of an opinionated but inwardly-timid father and a genteel, religious mother. As Dysart exposes the truths behind the boy's demons, he finds himself face-to-face with his own."

Voters of this movie list - View all

Been doc crazy lately so this one is filled with 'em and probably the next list too.

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.