I would like for all who care to mention favorites that were not box ofice smashes, or were not seen by many people. One of my favorites in this category is "Last Exit to Brooklyn". Use this question, if you would like, to present favorites, or movies that made a difference in your life, or whatever. I am having a heckavu lot of fun learning more about all of you, and now have a tremendous amount of new books to read and new music to ponder.

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), May 11, 2000

Answers

FS,

I can't remember that far back. One movie that I saw recently and liked was "Ghost Dog" with Forest Whitacre. He plays a contract hit-man for the mob who lives alone on a rooftop and practices zen.

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), May 11, 2000.

My favorite non-box office hit is my home movies of family and friends. Insert some music and titles and voila, lots of fun, run 'em backwards, or add your own dialog as they roll. New movie every time, guaranteed! Mix and match mine from the 1960's (Super 8 converted to VHS) and on through current, side by side movies of kids growing up and family with all their differing moods shown in a snippet.

Otherwise, when watching stuff I like Die Hard, African Queen, Mrs. Minnever and whatever sounds different and interesting.

Well, you asked didn't you???

-- puttin on the Ritz at home (goodstuff@yahoo.com), May 11, 2000.

Most memorable/biggest impact - "The Exorcist". Whoever was in charge of marketing that film was a genius! Remember all the rumors(?) and publicity about people throwing-up and/or feinting when they saw it?

Favorite - "Stand By Me" written by Stephen King and directed by Rob Reiner. The story of four boys who hiked for 2 days in order to view a dead body. Every mannerism, every corny joke, every "punch in the shoulder" and every way they "played" off each other was a mirror image to what probably every male in this country experienced when they were 12 years old and growing up in a small town. (Well... at least it was for me.) Excellent movie which brings back a flood of good memories every time I watch it.

-- CD (costavike@hotmail.com), May 12, 2000.

Favorite obscure movie - Four Friends

Favorite TV show/movie - Last episode of Quantum Leap

Favorite big movie - Forest Gump

Other than a few other exceptions the teevee is IMHO the idiot box.

-- capnfun (capnfun1@excite.com), May 12, 2000.

Theatre is Life.

Film is Art.

Television is Furniture.

-- DeeEmBee (macbeth1@pacbell.net), May 12, 2000.

Lars:

I want to see Ghost Dog. I like all of Jim Jarmusch's work.

For all time sleeper, my pick is Matewan, directed by John Sayles, with a great performance by a young John Cusack-It is about the formation of the coal miner's union. THere is also Birdy, directed by Alan Parker, with unforgettable turns by Matthew Modine and Nicholas Cage.

One of my favorites for pure cinematic enjoyment is Last Temptation of Christ-Who doesn't like Scorsese? But many have not seen this- screw your religion or what people have told you about this movie-see it, and see the human side of christ-beside, willem dafoe shows you what acting is all about, as does harvy keitel.

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), May 12, 2000.

Hi, FS -- Ok...My All-Time Favorites:

West Side Story; A Streetcar Named Desire; One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; Duck Soup; Schindler's List; It's a Wonderful Life; The Godfather; The Diary of Anne Frank; Raiders of the Lost Ark; Aliens; Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail; E.T. - The Extraterrestrial; Doctor Zhivago; Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; Rear Window; Fargo.

-- eve (eve_rebekah@yahoo.com), May 12, 2000.

Oops...sorry, FS...you wanted favorites that were not box-office smashes. I guess I saw "...movies..." and that's all I needed -- I went right to work!

"Blind Side" was a very good thriller made for HBO (I think) several years ago starring Ron Silver, Rebecca DeMornay and Rutger Hauer. I'll have to think about this some more and get back to you...

-- eve (eve_rebekah@yahoo.com), May 12, 2000.

Eve:

The Coen brothera are remarkable artists. Fargo is indeed a classic. But then all of their work is interesting, and grows on you with each watching. Barton Fink is a real thinking person's film; BloodSimple is a classic in its genre; Big Lebowski and Raising Arizona show they have a rioutous sense of humor. I eagerly anticipate their next work.

I agree with you on West Side Story, Cuckoos nest, rear window, oh well just about most of them.

For an interesting take on religion, see the movie The Rapture, with Mimi rogers-very thought-provoking ending.

And then of course there are those movies that you can watch and watch again and you do not know exactly why-two of those for me are Natural Born Killers and The Quick and the Dead(Gene Hackman and Sharon Stone-directed by Sam Raimi-also starring Russell Crowe)-Quick and the Dead is a fascinating movie that not many people saw, and the performance by Stone was against type and showed she can act and not just be a sex symbol.

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), May 12, 2000.

Favs:

Contact!

For the stunning opening sequence.

For the memorable quotes: "Wanna take a ride?"; "If there IS nothing out there, what an awful waste of space."

Gandhi!

Ben Kingsley was superb. My tear ducts get a real workout during this one. An admirable portrayal of the Mahatma - Great Soul. BTW, for those who are Ben Kingsley fans, he narrated the books on tape version of "Autobiography of a Yogi", by Paramahansa Yogananda.

What Dreams May Come!

Again with the tears Bingo? I nodded my head repeatedly the first time I viewed it & every time since. It just felt right. Incredible experience!

Anything that requires I expand my consciousness is golden in my book.

Field of Dreams

A perfect American movie. And not just for guys. My wife loves it too. Plenty of tinfoil, conjures up the ghosts of baseball past - my childhood. "What you grinnin' at you ghost?".

Last but not least, A Family Thing with James Earl Jones & Robert Duvall. I was livin' in rural NC when I saw this one in the theatre. Not a lot of happy campers in that audience! Hint: it deals with racial bloodlines.

Thanks for asking FS.

-- Bingo1 (howe9@shentel.net), May 12, 2000.

FS: I agree, The Quick and the Dead was an EXCELLENT movie! Also, just watched The Phantom Menance and I liked it! ALso just saw Roman Polanski (sp?) The Ninth Gate, excellent movie (as long as you don't need things spelled out for you ). The Stand is an all time favorite. Tonight I'll be watching The Matrix again...this movie, IMO puts things into perspective.

Also, African Queen; anything with Gene Hackman in it; The Commitments (GREAT music); Mother by Albert Brooks (Okay, anything by Albert Brooks!). Star Trek: First Contact; The Devil's Advocate; The Cube--weird, but good; Grand Canyon; Storm of the Century; and anything "Suspense" or "Mystery" Like the Haunting of Hill House 1999 version...great movie...brrr!

AS

-- Not now, not like this (AgentSmith0110@aol.com), May 12, 2000.

Bingo:

Ditto on A Family Thing-very few people saw it and it is EXCELLANT in its dealings on race. I liked contact for another reason-the END sequence! It was a wonderful piece of filmaking in which the object in space(Jodie Foster) becomes part of space-her body is no longer distinguisable from the space in which she resides. Speaks to the interconnectedness of all things; that although I have a body, it is not truly seperate from anybody or anything.

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), May 12, 2000.

FS,

The Rapture --yes! That was one of the most unforgettable movies I've ever seen. Very haunting -- especially the ending.

Bingo1,

And I loved Field of Dreams; absolutely beautiful and also completely unforgettable. I thought James Earl Jones and Burt Lancaster were fantastic. Those guys have such a powerful stage presence -- they don't even have to "do" a lot -- much is in the subtle things...their expressions, their timing, etc. I remember hanging on their every word. It's funny, though...you know I never saw it as a "guy's movie." And, btw, did you know that that was James Earl Jones' favorite role?

-- eve (eve_rebekah@yahoo.com), May 12, 2000.

Eve,

Excellent points. Thinking of Burt Lancaster's performance gives me chills! When Ray & Terence stopped for the hitchhiker - "I can use all the karma I can get right now" - and they slowly introduced themselves - "Hi, I'm Archie Graham" - Yowza!!! I knew it was coming...and still...it was...perfect!

-- Bingo1 (howe9@shentel.net), May 12, 2000.

The last few movies I rented were, Saving Pvt Ryan, Sixth Sense, Life is Beautiful, Star Wars4, and Big Nite. Big Nite was not too good, or mebbe I wasn't in the right frame of mind, I, in the words of those two queerdo movie reviewers on In Living Color; "Hated it!".

Last movie I saw out: U-571, which was pretty good, despite the use of every single cliche a submarine movie could use.

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), May 12, 2000.

There are so many, I can't remember. I split a gut at The Big Lewbowski. I really liked "Tender Mercies". For me, an almost perfect movie was "Remains of the Day".

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), May 12, 2000.

Well, Unk, I have to put "Life is Beautiful" on my "best" list -- yet another great one that I had forgotten about. And here was an example of a guy who was pretty plain-looking, yet I found him to be incredibly attractive because of his love of life, sense of humor, and infectious optimism under the most adverse circumstances.

And FS, I really liked Raising Arizona. That flick was very funny, wildly unpredictable, and used camera angles and movement that I'd never seen before. I think one of my favorite parts was when Nicholas Cage was scrambling around, desperately trying to collect all those escaping infants!

-- eve (eve_rebekah@yahoo.com), May 12, 2000.

James Earl Jones put on a clinic with this speech:

The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again. Oh people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.

One of our truly great actors (along with Robert Duvall.) Did you know that Mr. Jones had a truly debilitating stutter when he was young? It was the process of overcoming that problem that brought out his gifts for speech and language.

-- DeeEmBee (macbeth1@pacbell.net), May 12, 2000.

Well, with a 7 year old and a 2 year old around, I don't get much chance to watch movies other than Star Wars The Phantom Menace, Toy Story 2, Pokemon The Movie, Elmo's World and The Teletubbies in Big Hug. LOL!

I've got about 7 hit movies that I bought that I still haven't seen. I think the first will be "October Sky". I heard it was good. I also have "The English Patient", "Mr. Holland's Opus", and a few other new (for me) movies. I don't get out to the theater much, and I hate renting movies, so I buy them after the price drops. That means I'm usually 1-2 years behind in seeing the latest and greatest.

All-time favorites? There's probably a few that I can't recall right now. I generally like SciFi and war movies. Star Trek and Star Wars are always fun. I like classic war movies like "The Longest Day", "The Bridge on the River Kwai", "A Bridge Too Far", and "The Battle of the Bulge". But there are others that I always enjoy seeing again: "Kelly's Heroes" is a funny movie with an all-star cast. "It's a Wonderful Life" I like seeing once a year but that's enough. I can't tell you how many times I've watched "Gettysburg". "Casablanca" is always good for a rainy day.

New movie that I want to see: "The Boiler Room"

-- Buddy (buddydc@go.com), May 12, 2000.

Almost forgot two of my favorite movies of all time:

"Trading Places" and "The Blues Brothers"

-- Buddy (buddydc@go.com), May 12, 2000.

"Flashdance," and I fast-forward though all the scenes with dialogue. 8-)

Seriously, I like most sci-fi movies, even the really bad ones -- anyone remember David Hedison in "The Fly"? -- If a movie doesn't have strange creatures or weird science, it's no fun for me. (Yes, I liked "Weird Science.")

-- (kb8um8@yahoo.com), May 12, 2000.

The movie that made a big impression on me was Jaws. Had a hard time going into the Atlantic after that one. Being from Mass. it was a little too close to home for me. I got over it though..LOL!

The hubby and I watched The Sixth Sense last weekend...that blew my mind...had nightmares..heh..guess it made an impression.

One of my favorites is Full Metal Jacket...lots of good tunes in that one...and some of the ones mentioned here already...Pokemon the Movie (LOL, Buddy)...Blues Brothers...and I recently watched Trading Places again. Revenge of the Nerds, very silly and funny!

Loved, The Matrix and I also want to see Boiler Room (I ain't copying you, Buddy..LOL).

-- Peg (not@really.necessary), May 12, 2000.

Don't know if this one's "obscure", but I have yet to meet anyone who's heard of it -- "Bedazzled", a 1967 Brit film starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. Features Raquel Welch as "Lust" (of the seven deadly sins). Absolutely hilarious; rent it if you can find it.

Favorites include "When Harry Met Sally" (probably some of the best lines I've ever heard came out of that film); "The Usual Suspects"; just about any Bogart film; "Raising Arizona"; "Leaving Las Vegas" (yeah, one of the absolute saddest films I've ever seen, but I loved it); "Peter's Friends" (at least I think that was the title).

In the "guilty pleasures" department, I like most Mel Brooks movies just for the belly laughs ("Blazing Saddles" is still one of my favorites) and for pure silliness, "Airplane" ("Stewardess, we have to get these people to a hospital right away." "What is it Doctor?" "It's a big building with lots of sick people, but that's not important right now."); just about anything they used to run on Mystery Science Theater 3000 (great concept).

-- Patricia (PatriciaS@lasvegas.com), May 12, 2000.

Patricia-

Ditto on Usual Suspects-Spacey is wonderful-he is almost always wonderful.

I forgot about the movie "hoosiers"-I think Hackamn was in that one- great sports film about coming of age, making commitments, and dealing with an alcoholic father.

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), May 12, 2000.

What we have here..is a failure to communicate...

-- Luke (cuttin meter heads@street.com), May 12, 2000.

I like just about all movies, but especially science fiction. Does anyone know any websites where people are "sharing" copies of DVD movies, or would it be necessary to get on Gnutel to do that?

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), May 12, 2000.

Some favorites include:

Immortal Beloved, The Truth about Cats and Dogs, Love Serenade, Breaking the Waves, The Matrix, The Long Kiss Goodnight, The Professional, The Net, Sense and Sensibilities, Wuthering Heights, Little Women, Pretty Woman, Suspect, La Femme Nikita, hmmm...thinking thinking... =)

-- cin (cin@cin.cin), May 12, 2000.

The Breakfast Club!

-- cin (cin@cin.cin), May 12, 2000.

Wild at Heart, Boxing Helena (Julian Sands =P), E.T., The Red Violin

-- cin (cin@cin.cin), May 12, 2000.

Shoot The Moon- Diane Keaton and Albert Finney. I cry every time I see it. Where's Poppa?- George Seagull. I laugh till I cry every time I see it.

-- Gia (laureltree7@hotmail.com), May 13, 2000.

The Arrow, Canada; Hear My Song, Ireland; Malcolm, Australia; The English Patient, Britain; Imitation of Life, U.S.

-- viewer (justp@ssing.by), May 13, 2000.

Oops! And, of course, Life is Beautiful, Italy. And "Ran," Japan.

-- viewer (justp@ssing.by), May 13, 2000.

"Remains of the Day." GREAT movie.

-- Stephen M. Poole, CET (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), May 13, 2000.

"The Inn of the Sixth Happiness"

Ingrid Bergman, star..

directed by Mark Robson (who?)

Can't rent it, got to buy it.

Better than "Gump"

-- ownership (----@--.com), May 13, 2000.

I'm not sure if it was a sleeper or not but I thought "The Big Red One" with Lee Marvin was an excellent WWII movie.

One I haven't seen mentioned was "Vision Quest" with Mathew Modine. A wonderful movie about goals, aspirations, and the human spirit.

-- Greybeard7 (Wolverine_in_NC@mail.com), May 13, 2000.

I thought "Brazil" was a brilliant satire of the Leviathan state. "Galipoli" and "Private Eyan" are the best anti-war movies I know.

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), May 14, 2000.

Two more that I thought of tonight-one of which I watched again tonight.

I cannot believe I forgot this one when I was talking about the Coen brothers-Hudsucker Proxy-absolutely hilarious, and Tim Robbins is brilliant in it.

And the film I feel is a cinematic wonder and an astounding piece of filmaking is Akiro Kurosawa's "Dreams"-stunning. There is a piece at the end about death that will bring tears to your eyes.

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), May 14, 2000.

"Birgitte's Feast" (hope I remembered her name right)

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), May 15, 2000.

Movies I can watch over and over again .. all 4 StarWars and the 3 good StarTreks, Jeremiah Johnson, Big, Overboard, National Velvet. Movies I liked seeing once,..the Matrix, Jurassic Park (both) and The Fly, (I like Jeff Goldblum), Starman, Total Recall, the original Terminator and Predator, (I like Arnold), and for laughs..nothing beats Monty Python and the Holy Grail! :-)

I just saw Battlefield Earth and I enjoyed it even though it was kinda cheesy. Travolta's character stays with you long after the movie is over.

Do to the presence of a 7yr old, I also love Mulan, Little Mermaid, Anastasia, and we just enjoyed Road to El Dorado. However, I also went to see My Dog Spot with her, and it was such a painfull tearjerker of a movie..I think every kid in that theater needed therapy afterwards.

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), May 15, 2000.

Kritter-

Yes. Starman. Good script-clever-good performance from the enigmatic jeff bridges.

Also, I asked you on another thread-Did you go to rutgers university in the 1979-1983 time span?

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), May 15, 2000.

Sorry FutureShock, I forget to return to threads sometimes. My boyfriend at the time was an RSU student, I can't even remember his name,..okay..Mike something..heh. Then I dumped him for a Seton Hall man! (whose name I can't recall either..ah youth) The RSU guy, Mike, was a deadicated fan of the dead...HE is the one who first turned me onto them. He was Jewish..wish I could remember more about him.

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), May 15, 2000.

Atlantic City! Burt Lancaster & Susan Sarandon star in this low-budget, dark, depressing sleeper.

Bull Durham is a film I have seen a dozen times. I love the Costner/Robbins/Sarandon trio. I cant hear the word meat without thinking of Tim Robbins plunking the Bulls mascot! Too funny, in a sophomoric way.

Shawshank Redemption. What can I say. Tim Robbins at his best. The film doesnt pull any punches. Takes my breath away every time I view it.

-- Bingo1 (howe9@shentel.net), May 15, 2000.

Lars,

I bet you mean 'Babette's Feast'. That reminds me of the Chinese film 'Eat, Drink, Man, Woman'.

We just watched Kurosawa's 'Hidden Fortress', credited by George Lucas to be his inspiration for 'Star Wars'. I have an old favorite, Alfred Hitchcock's 'Rebecca' sitting on the coffee table waiting for the right moment to strike...

-- flora (***@__._), May 15, 2000.

Shawshank..yes..add that to my list too! One of the few adaptions of one of Kings books that actually made the grade and then some! Thanks Bingo!

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), May 16, 2000.

Anything for a fellow, figuratively speaking, Jerseyan, kritter. Your mention of Rutgers brought back a particularly mind-expanding frat party experience, circa 1983. Thanks for the flashback!

-- Bingo1 (howe9@shentel.net), May 16, 2000.

Bingo:

I may have been at that frat party. Which House? I was a rutgers student from 1979-1983 and stayed on campus. mostly, until 1985 as that is when my girlfriend at the time graduated.

Shawshank is one of the all-time classics, not well-reviewed even though it got a nomination for best picture, it worked on a lot of levels, like the previously mentioned Runaway Train.

The scene where Robbins escapes via the sewer pipe-very symbolic of purging the past and getting out all the garbage.

Many things like this in the movie. Loved it. Yes, Robbins is excellant-He is also good in an otherwise unmemorable film-Arlington Road.

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), May 16, 2000.

FS, kritter, Bingo 1..I loved Shawshank -- Morgan Freeman has such wonderful stage presence, and it really showed in the film. And, if I recall correctly, in a big internet poll a year or two ago, it was voted the greatest movie ever!

FS...Runaway Train was unforgettable for me. And the Vivaldi piece (was it played mostly toward the end?) was perfect, but I don't remember what it was -- do you? Btw, I think that was Jon Voight's greatest characterization.

-- eve (eve_rebekah@yahoo.com), May 16, 2000.

Eve,

Morgan Freeman is truly a gem. I couldn't for the life of me remember his name, otherwise I would have mentioned his performance.

FS,

In those days, if you invited me to a party, I attended no questions asked. I didn't care if it was around the block or three states over. I had no idea which frat house then & no idea now.

Best,

-- Bingo1 (howe9@shentel.net), May 16, 2000.

How could I have forgotten Spike Lee's epic X? If there's a movie every person in America should watch it is this movie. Denzel Washington pegs Malcolm as I see Malcolm in my minds eye.

Please read The Autobiography of Malcolm X as well. It changed me forever. It may you too.

Good Day,

-- Bingo1 (howe9@shentel.net), May 17, 2000.

Good Movies ....

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0045by

-- (movies@nd.films), November 21, 2000.

off

-- (clean@up.crew), November 21, 2000.

Cin:

Since you obviously like movies where women are portrayed as clever, cunning, perfect shots, martial arts experts, and all the other things I'm NOT, you'd enjoy an oldie entitled Code Name Dancer. I'm pretty sure the female was Angie Dickinson. The movie began with Angie as a school-teacher, married with a wonderful husband and a few kids. One day she received a phone call wherein all she heard was "Dancer." She immediately hung up, retrieved her false passport and bundle of cash from under her potted plant [same place I keep the spy stuff from MY past life], died her hair, and took off for Cuba. Great adventure film, similar to Last Kiss Goodnight only ... geeze ... I almost told you the ending.

I've inquired at movie stores about this one, and they haven't carried it. I saw it on a movie channel several years back. I'd LOVE to see that one again.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), November 21, 2000.

For any of you that played Little League in the 60's or just good ol' sandlot baseball, check out 'The Sandlot'. Great kid's movie that will bring back a flood of memories. James Earl Jones and my favorite quote, "Baseball was life and I was good at it." Very well done too.

Another good old one is 'The Thief' with James Caan. GREAT soundtrack with Tangerine Dream!

Aliens (the 2nd one) freaked me out!! Definitely one of my all time favorite sci-fi flix.

Any movie on Vietnam......Platoon, Hamburger Hill, 84 Mopic, Platoon Leader (not that great, but OK)......

Saving Private Ryan affected me for a while.....what a portrayal of war that was!!

Deano

-- Deano (deano@luvthebeach.com), November 21, 2000.

Hamburger Hill. Was a 'goodie'.

-- (shh@colder.now), November 21, 2000.

I posted this here because it would have interrupted the thread, Vatican Blasts Gay Unions.

Anita, it was The Birdcage, which I believe was a U.S. remake of the French original, La Cage Aux Folles. Nathan Lane and Hank Azaria were in it, as was Calista Flockhart (as Williams' son's fiancee').

Gene Hackman played her Dad (The Esteemed Senator) and the scenes with him in drag were hilarious.

-- Patricia (PatriciaS@lasvegas.com), November 21, 2000.

Thanks, Patricia. I knew SOMEBODY would come to my rescue on that one. The kids and I watched that one and laughed so hard we cried.

Speaking of which, am I the only one who has kids who look over to see if you're laughing when they are? If mine AREN'T doing that, they're saying, "Mom, it wasn't THAT funny!" [while they stare at the tears flowing and the body shaking and the mouth that can't even shut because it's stuck in the open mode.]

My brother and I took my mom and dad to the theatre to see Blazing Saddles. After the show, I took my brother aside and said, "Did you ever see dad laugh out loud in a public place before?" He said, "No. I think he liked this one."

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), November 21, 2000.

Men SCHMERE their butter on their bread.

"Schmere?"

Yes, Schmeeeerre it on. AND DON'T HOLD YOUR PINKY OUT!

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), November 21, 2000.

Unk, ROTFLMAO!!!

Anita, I took my dad to see Monty Python and the Holy Grail and I thought he would bust a gut. I had to go see it again -- alone -- so I could see the movie.

Same with Blazing Saddles and Beverly Hills Cop. I LOVE seeing movies with my dad; he just enjoys them so much. (He has no qualms whatsoever about laughing out loud.)

-- Patricia (PatriciaS@lasvegas.com), November 22, 2000.