Kinda Obscure Movies I Think You'd Like

By TwinsWin83

Fairly often my wife makes it clear to me that I have way too many DVD’s and that if I don’t clean house a bit she is going get rid of each and every one of them some day when I least expect it. I don’t know if it was out of fear or boredom but I finally sat down and started to assess the situation. It was then that I realized just how many DVD’s I have. I have DVD’s that I haven’t opened out of their original wrappers and at least a dozen that I have yet to even watch.
This sudden discovery in no way meant that I was about to get rid of any of my DVDs but as I examined some of the more ambiguous titles in my collection it did give me a good idea for a post: listing some of the more obscure movies I have that I think those of you out there might not have seen but would enjoy if you checked them out. Now bear with me, I know I’m not the only movie and DVD freak out there so some of these you guys might have already seen.

The Outsiders- This movie from 1983 is the film adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s famous book by the same title. Hinton is one of my favorite authors and wrote this classic novel at the ripe old age of 13. This movie, like most adaptations of famous works, is nowhere near as good as the book version. It did, however, star many future big names in Hollywood such as Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and even the face of evil himself, Tom Cruise. It might not be as good as the book but the story itself is so good that it doesn’t matter.

Mississippi Burning- Another movie from the 80’s, Burning stars a young William Dafoe (Boondock Saints, SpiderMan) and a younger Gene Hackman as FBI agents investigating the murders of several Civil Rights Workers in the deep South in 1964. The movie is based on true events and tells an amazing story that captures just how difficult life was for African Americans and anyone willing to stand up for what was right in the South during this turbulent time in American history.

Deep Impact- For those that remember as well as I do, the summer of 98’ was all about the movie Armageddon. Few remember that a couple weeks before Armageddon was released another Dooms Day film about asteroids debuted with a smaller budget and much less fan and media-fare. Deep Impact was that movie, and in my opinion was a much better film. The story line was much more solid and structured and it wasn’t as overloaded with big name stars as the blockbuster Armageddon was, making it all together more believable.

Apt Pupil- Of all of the movies on my “obscure” films list this has to be my favorite. Pupil is directed by Bryan Singer (X-Men, Usual Suspects) and based on a story by Stephen King but I’m still guessing most of you have never heard of it. The tale is of a young student (Brad Renfro) who discovers he is living next door to the commander of a former Nazi concentration camp. The commander, named Dussander, is living in hiding but instead of turning the Nazi into the authorities the curious student blackmails him into telling him everything he remembers about his role in the Holocaust. Renfro’s character soon encounters more than he bargained for and things quickly turn dark as he battles wits with the ex-Nazi (played by famous old guy Ian McKellen).

The Majestic- One of Jim Carrey’s more obscure movies but what I feel is his best performance next to The Truman Show. Carrey plays a Hollywood filmmaker in the 1950’s falsely accused of being a Communist who escapes L.A. only too run his car over a bridge during a storm. He washes up down river struck with amnesia from the crash and in a tiny town where everyone believes he is the long-missing-war-veteran-son of the town’s theatre owner. Carrey doesn’t know who he is and believes it when he is told that he has miraculously returned home after nine and half years away. I am one of the few who prefer Carrey in a dramatic role but this movie is one of his best performances and films bar-none.

The Babe- I’m not a Yankee fan but I am a fan of baseball and few things are more interesting then learning about what life and baseball was like during the glory days of the early 20th century. This movie, starring John Goodman as Babe Ruth, tells the story of Major League Baseball’s most famous player from childhood to retirement. For someone like me, who didn’t know a whole lot about The Great Bambino other then what I see on HBO specials or ESPN, this movie was pretty interesting and gives the viewer a better idea of what it was like during the golden age of baseball.

The Pianist- I am a history major so I’m a softy for period pieces, especially ones containing tales about World War II, but The Pianist is one of the most amazing true stories about the Holocaust. Adrien Brody (in his career-making, academy award winning role) plays the part of a Jewish-Polish musician who finds himself in the middle of the Nazi’s attempt to exterminate Europe’s Jewish population in the late 30’s and early 1940’s. Brody’s characters tale of struggle and survival has to be one of the most amazing true accounts of the past century. It may be hard to watch at some points but the story contained within is an important one.

Made-Everyone loves Vince Vaughn now, and I am no exception, but I think that Made was one of his better movies. The film was directed by his good buddy Jon Favreau and stars the two as wanna-be-mobsters struggling to make a living. Vaughn is so clueless and annoying that he messes up any chance that Favreau has at success, and even though it’s painful to watch Vaughn’s obnoxiousness at points, their downfall is hilarious.

Finding Forrester- One of my favorite movies ever, this is the story of a young black basketball player from New York named Jamal. He is from a rough neighborhood but gets the chance to attend a prestigious high school because of his basketball skills. More importantly, Jamal is a brilliant writer who by chance meets a former author in recluse. It turns out the writer he has befriended is one of the most famous authors of the 20th century (played by Sean Connery) who penned only one great novel and then disappeared (ala real life J.D Salinger, author of The Catcher In the Rye). As Jamal and his new tutor work on building his writing skills issues arise as he attempts to become a successful author as well as maintain his promising future in basketball at a school that only cares about his prospects as a prominent athlete.

Identity- The only movie that could possibly be considered a “horror” film on my list. Identity is a psychological thriller in the mold of The Usual Suspects meets Seven. I won’t say much more because it’s the kind of flick where even the smallest hint could ruin its dramatic conclusion. Just take my word for it when I say that if you’re into thrillers that not only make you think but are also full of drama and suspense then this is a movie for you. Plus John Cusack is the main character and ever since I saw High Fidelity I’ve dug most of his movies.

Honorable Mention: Adaptation, Frequency, From Hell, Man on the Moon, The Cooler