Great underappreciated films

This one probably has a low popularity due solely to age factors, but it's a must-see for comedy & monster movie fans of all ages. It's still as funny now as when I was a child, if not funnier, and a lot of fun from start to finish.

The trailer doesn't quite do it justice, as it's much funnier. Also, I have no idea why even the English language dialogue is given subtitles.

Hands down one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. There were parts that I was crying from laughing so hard.

Full disclosure: I love Hunter S. Thompson's work. Therefore any film that provides further insight into the man and his work is completely essential viewing in my book. This and the other two HST documentaries on this list (Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride and Gonzo) may therefore not be as interesting or entertaining to others as they are to me.

I feel like each film is well made and worth revisiting every so often. Or at least worth watching to those curious about HST. Of the 3, Gonzo is my favorite largely because it's made with such sincerity & passion by people whose lives he directly touched.

I watched this during my October horrorfest, and fell in love with it.

A must-see for anyone planning to have children in America.

I'm guessing this one also has a low popularity due to age factors. I admit that I first came across it on TCM late one night, and might have overlooked it otherwise. The story is perfectly told, the acting is stellar, and the effects are amazing for the time.

Excellent animation & excellent storytelling.

A personal favorite, probably because I saw it at a young age & fell in love with it (as well as several others of Universal's monster movies). It's not perfect, but it's definitely entertaining throughout.

A documentary about the F-word. I like that it doesn't take itself too seriously, and they got some awesome people to discuss their ideas about said word.

As I said elsewhere: Excellent documentary detailing the history of the slasher film. I find it interesting that even though Wes Craven didn't pioneer the style, he singlehandedly revived it twice so far. I like that they interviewed directors and special effects artists for this, as both are equally important in the success of any horror film.

If I had any complaints, it'd be that the doc should have spoiler alerts in case you haven't already seen any of the films they discuss...in most cases they reveal the plots AND endings, which is fine if you've already watched the movies but not so cool if you haven't. Regardless, this doc inspired me to revisit some films I haven't watched in a while and check out some I've missed.

Highly recommended.

Probably my second favorite of the Halloween films, largely because it has nothing to do with the rest of them (which I suspect is why it's mostly hated). Let go of the fact Michael Myers isn't in it, suspend your disbelief & just enjoy.

Hellraiser is one of my favorite horror films (some days I think it's my #1), so when this sequel came along I was excited. It explores the history of the puzzle box and provides an interesting, entertaining tale. It also effectively ends the Hellraiser series, and satisfyingly so in my opinion. (In fact, I haven't watched any of the other sequels inexplicably released after this one.)

An excellent horror-comedy written by Fred Dekker who also did The Monster Squad and Night of the Creeps.

One of the best martial arts films of the 90s. I've watched it more times than I can count & it's still highly entertaining.

Hilarious & highly quotable. I've watched it countless times and still laugh throughout the whole thing.

The first film from the guys that brought you Airplane!, The Naked Gun, and Hot Shots!. It's getting dated with each passing year, but their spoofs of TV shows, commercials, movie trailers, and Enter the Dragon (yes, all that in one movie) are hilarious.

I realize Christian Slater is basically a Jack Nicholson clone, but I've enjoyed his films anyway. This one earns bonus points for breaking the 4th wall, and it's an excellent action-comedy.

Over-the-top and completely ridiculous revenge flick that's a lot of fun to watch. If you liked Planet Terror or Shoot 'em Up, this one's for you.

One of my favorite Richard Linklater films....

Excellent film about a mother's love for her son & her efforts to prove his innocence of a crime he may or may not have committed.

Currently available on Netflix instant watch. Go there now.

Dan Aykroyd & Cathy Moriarty move next door to John Belushi & Kathryn Walker and immediately prove they're the most insane neighbors ever. Hilarious from start to finish.

Actually, the majority of Marx Bros. films seem to have gone unwatched around here (I didn't bother listing all of them), as most have been seen by less than 100 Listal users. That could simply be an age thing though. I got into the Marx Bros. thanks to my parents, and I own all their films on DVD.

One of my favorite Steve Martin movies.

One of my favorite comedies...watched it more times than I can count.

Stuart Gordon directs this excellent Poe adaptation starring Lance Henriksen, who plays the Grand Inquisitor as creepy as he can (and that dude's creepy). The acting is excellent all around, and the humor in it works well to offset the serious subject matter. The opening scene where they flog a corpse is especially hilarious, and the film occasionally made me think of Army of Darkness (though it's far less comedic). Definitely worth watching.

Roger Corman + Vincent Price x Poe = excellence. Add to that Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, and Jack Nicholson and it rises above the competition. The effects are silly and it hardly qualifies as horror, but this film is a lot of fun, especially the way it spins a new tale out of Poe's.

Denis Leary & Kevin Spacey in one of the best Christmas films ever.

I haven't seen it since my early 20s, so it's possible it's not as good as I remember it...but I know there's more to it than this trailer provides. What it's actually about is a couple of teenagers who get held hostage by masked men with guns & a videocamera. After surviving their ordeal, they're turned into celebrities by the media & we see how they deal with that.

Tony Randall is awesome in this, taking on 8 separate roles & playing them all perfectly. The special effects were ahead of their time then & mostly hold up well now, and the story is an excellent one of standing up for what you believe in.

The trailer can be viewed here.

If you enjoyed any of Mel Brooks' movies (or comedy at all for that matter), you owe it to yourself to watch this one. I recently watched it late at night thinking that since it's a silent film I wouldn't disturb my sleeping girlfriend. Turns out my laughing kept waking her up. Oops.

Any movie Gene Wilder & Richard Pryor are in together is totally worth watching.

One of the best, most original movies I've ever seen.

From wiki: "Raymond Joshua (played by Saul Williams) is a young man growing up in the Southeast Washington D.C. area known as Dodge City. Despite his innate gift for poetry and his aspiration to be a rapper, he finds it difficult to escape the pressures of his surroundings: violence and drug dealing."

The performances are tremendous and the story is both entertaining and passionately told.

Truly original.

By far Vincent Price's best performance.

I recommend you turn the volume up for this one, as the sound quality is lacking.

After hearing everyone slam this film, I avoided it for several years. When I finally got around to watching it I spent the entire movie wondering why it's so hated. Robin Williams is hilarious throughout, Joan Cusack is amazing, the film is a visual marvel, and I've been entertained every time I've watched it.

It's possible my high rating for this documentary is colored by the fact that The Doors are one of my all-time favorite bands.

Did I mention I'm a Hunter S. Thompson fan? Bill Murray & Peter Boyle are excellent in this comedic look at HST.

A great documentary, definitely worth seeing for anyone who loves music. When I'm old I hope this chorus is still around so I can join it.

I love films that don't take themselves seriously and are more fun because of it. This is one of them. (Plus, you know, it has zombies)