Top 10 UNDERRATED movies EVER!

[w/o horse]

I just read through this looking for movies to watch and soixante (pg. 3, 12) and Weak2ndAct (pg. 3, 15) are clearly the mvps.  Page 14 is the best page, and the argument about Vanilla Sky is questionable (pg. 4-6).

I'm looking to pick up some underrated films.  My list to see, including those added by combing through this topic:

Manny & Lo
The Lady & The Duke
Modern Romance
Un Flic
Valerie & Her Week of Wonders
Le Petit Soldat
Hole
Black Widow
The Blue Gardenia
The Last Seduction
The Big Clock
Mississippi Mermaid
No Man's Land
Miami Blues
Street Smart
Smile
Ragtime
Miracle of Morgan's Creek
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
Night Moves
Accattone
The Sorrow and the Pity
The Life of Jesus
Goodbye South, Goodbye
Angels and Insects
Hidden Agenda
Humanite
L.A. Story

As always, comments/suggestions welcome.

Some of my personal favorites:

The Adjuster
The Day of the Locust
To Live and Die in L.A.
Body and Soul (47)
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
Les Misérables (98)
The American Astronaut
Animal Factory
Trees Lounge
Midnight Express
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
Basquiat
The Comfort of Strangers
Escape from New York
Screamers
Pet Sematary
Mother and Son
Papillon
Simple Men
In the Company of Men
Léolo
Smoke
The Mosquito Coast
The Flower of My Secret
In the Soup
The Claim
Show Me Love
The Tenant
God's Comedy
Purple Noon

[picolas]

excellent work.

[jigzaw]

Waterworld  (not a fantastic film, but got a lot more trashing than it deserved)

Eyes Wide Shut

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Jackie Brown

A.I.

[©brad]

Waterworld  (not a fantastic film, but got a lot more trashing than it deserved)

how can a film be underrated if it's not fantastic?

[pete]

check your cig.

[jigzaw]

Waterworld  (not a fantastic film, but got a lot more trashing than it deserved)

how can a film be underrated if it's not fantastic?

It's underrated because while it's not a superb film, it's certainly entertaining fluff with some great imagery.  The general consensus, though, is that it's one of the worst films ever made, thus it's underrated because it isn't as horrible as it's generally considered.

[©brad]

Waterworld  (not a fantastic film, but got a lot more trashing than it deserved)

how can a film be underrated if it's not fantastic?

It's underrated because while it's not a superb film, it's certainly entertaining fluff with some great imagery.  The general consensus, though, is that it's one of the worst films ever made, thus it's underrated because it isn't as horrible as it's generally considered.

it still doesn't belong in this thread. you really think it's one of the most underrated films ever? you said it yourself that it's not a great film but it has some redeeming qualities. i still think an underrated film has to be at least good to very good on the good-o-meter.

[MacGuffin]

I think jigsaw is defining 'guilty pleasure.'

[Pubrick]

you have got to get over cinematography and cinematographers. it's hardly a reason to watch a movie.

[pete]

this artsy martial arts movie came out last year called "Seven SwordS" that was so good but it was kinda trashed by the critics and dismissed by the public, virtually killing its chance to make it in the US, despite superior filmmaking and inventive fight sequences.  it's based on a novel from the 1920's (therefore outdating Seven Samurai), about a swordmaster and his five disciples (and two recruits), calming China's turmoils as the imperial government went overboard with the ban on civilian martial arts trainings.  It's supposed to be the first part of a seven-part moviie, though I doubt there will be other movies to come after the bomb at the box office.  I liked it because it was an epic without too many epic cliches, not too many contrived "arcs", just a lot of nice moments between characters.  and the fights are wild, they're laden with special effects but mostly practical ones, with interesting camera and editing techniques to boot.  The whole movie feels very "street" despite it being a period piece in a village.  Maybe that's a bad thing, but not to me.

also, Cradle Will Rock.  It's so moving, and it's another example in a movie where the play is as good as the movie.  Though many people have dismissed its politics as obvious and the last shot too preachy, I found the whole film to be very organic and I've never seen Emily Watson in a better performance.  The ensemble is wonderful, and for a movie starring an ensemble of great actors and comedians putting on a play with a "liberal bias", nobody in this movie got too clever or greasy.  Everyone was dignified and sincere.  Jon Tuturro too, he was great.  Compared to the other-last-performance-in-a-theater-for-the-NPR-crowd movie, "A Prarie Home Companion", this one is quite a bit more moving and more grand.

[w/o horse]

I haven't seen a B movie go all out like that on such a stupid idea.  There will never be a better Calamari Wrestler movie.  I'll tell you the truth:

1.  Octopus vs. Squid.
2.  Squid vs. Lobster
3.  Squid/woman love scene
4.  Dancing women in bikinis celeberating Calamari Wrestler
5.  Squid vs. man
6.  Man vs. Lobster
7.  Crazy appropriate dialogue

I'm just saying.

[pete]

check out kaiju big battel at kaiju.com, it's a studio that puts out monster wrestling matches, and you can see my work in a few of their dvds.

[A Matter Of Chance]

Big Night

[socketlevel]

I saw sucker free city by spike lee last night, and even though it was supposed to be a piolet for showtime, i gotta say it really works on it's own as a stand alone film.

however, imdb rates it real low (and used to be lower) and i'm curious why.  too many comparisons to "the wire" and too many San Fran peeps pissed off that a new york film maker made it.  i thought it was great and would have loved to seen more.   too bad it wasn't picked up.

very underrated

[pete]

I've been thinking about that movie Cellular and how good of a script it was.  I'm gonna rent it again just to be sure.  Has anyone else seen that movie?