Sleeper movies

[Austin]

Gents, I thought I would start a thread about movies that did not do well at the box office or forgotten movies you thought were great. I like the following:

1. 1977 Sorcerer starring Roy Scheider. This is a remake of the the French movie "The Wages of Fear". I remember sitting in a movie house with my little brother in a 1/3 empty theater. Unfortunately, this movie was a flop because it came out at the same time as Star Wars. I have always been a fan of Scheider since The French Connection. I was blown away with the locale, the story line and the sound track by Tangerine Dream. The jungle scenes will blow you away without CGI. Check it out.

2. 1941 Penny Serenade starring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. This is a must see for couples. I saw this movie with my first wife and we were deeply affected. The storyline is predictable but what a tear jerker. Check it out.

Honorable mention goes to To Live and Die in L.A.

What is your must see?

 

[Angus Young]

A Bridge Too Far. The greatest war movie ever made with the greatest cast ever assembled. Apparently it bombed in the states as people reckoned it was too far fetched. The fact that every event in it actually happened and wasn't put on film otherwise just makes those guys stories all the more incredible.

 

[TnutsShave]

My must see and all time favorite is "The Great Escape". Maybe not a sleeper, but depending on your generational handicap, it may be missed. My Dad introduced it to me and I was hooked. The length may be a turn off to some, but man, what a cast!!!

 

[valaru]

My must see and all time favorite is "The Great Escape". Maybe not a sleeper, but depending on your generational handicap, it may be missed. My Dad introduced it to me and I was hooked. The length may be a turn off to some, but man, what a cast!!!

One of my favourites.

another one is exodus. If you don't like the politics in it, ignore them, and just enjoy the movie.

 

[probesport]

Four Rooms by Quentin Tarantino, great flick went virtually unnoticed upon release

Also some other obscure flicks that are amazing that I just love.
Joe
Harold & Maude
Where's Papa

 

[diverdoug]

"Unstoppable" with Denzel Washington. Had a 100,000,000 budget, and only grossed 81,000,000. Well acted, and had good suspense, despite having a very simple plot.

 

[p.m.a.]

I'll definitely have to check out Sorcerer - thanks, Austin! I love 70s cinema & Tangerine Dream, and Roy Scheider is great

My sleeper pick is The Mechanic, with Charles Bronson and Jan-Michael Vincent. I used to catch on t.v. once in a while when I was a kid. There is a remake now in theatres, so maybe it's not so much of a sleeper anymore.

Okay, one more sleeper starring Jan-Michael Vincent and Darren McGavin. A movie called Tribes, about a hippie who gets drafted and overcomes Marine Corps boot camp with his mystical hippie techniques.

 

[masonjarjar]

KICK-***. Totally not what I tought it would be. Promos made it look like a kids movie. It is NOT. Some amazing John Wu type gun action in this one. Nick Cage is great.

DONNIE DARKO. Missed this one the first time around. Now it's one of my favorite movies. Great mind-twist kind of movie.. Make sure you see the original one and not the "remixed" version.. bad idea..

 

[kwk285]

Defending your Life with Albert Brooks. My wife and I rally enjoy that movie. Everyone else we tell it about doesn't like it.

 

[BigRich]

Fight Club. It never really took off in popularity until after it went to video.

 

[TonyH]

Defending your Life with Albert Brooks. My wife and I rally enjoy that movie. Everyone else we tell it about doesn't like it.

Lost in America is another gem that many people haven't seen. And Sorcerer is top 10 quality stuff!

 

[Austin]

Lost in America is another gem that many people haven't seen. And Sorcerer is top 10 quality stuff!

Tony, I was waiting to hear from you. Being a film dude, I was interested in hearing your favorites.

 

[DFrancis]

One of my faves would be the Shawshank Redemption.

 

[dklaiman]

I'm a big fan of the movie "Millions." Danny Boyle directed it.

 

[AlanL]

"1900" by Bernardo Bertolucci.
Stars Robert De Niro, Burt Lancaster, Donald Sutherland, Gérard Depardieu.

 

[SmoovD]

It would be very hard to top the greatness of The Wages of Fear but I will Sorcerer a go.

Bayona directced a G. del Toro production called The Orphanage a few years back. Awesome film. Another highly recommended fiim is 1973's The Spirit of the Beehive.

In general, find a director that you enjoy. Watch the films of that director. The next step is to do a little digging into the favorite directors of your favorite. Watch their films. With some diligence one can significantly improve the calibre of films to be screened.

 

[hifigeezer]

Steve Martin was hilarious in "The Jerk"; if you like the Pink Panther movies you will like that one. His remake of "The Pink Panther" got slammed by the critics but the part I saw on cable was great.

 

[probesport]

Steve Martin was hilarious in "The Jerk"

Stay away from the cans, he hates the cans.

 

[Austin]

Another movie you should check out is Camp Restrepo. It's a great documentary on the Afghan war seen on the ground level from the soldiers perspective. It's gut wrenching not so much for violence but that these servicemen are kids. Having a son who was deployed it hit close to home. Check it out. Here is review from Reuters.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/06/24/us-restreppo-idUSTRE65N6BE20100624

 

[tvldatsi]

Sukiyaki Western Django