Movies that surprised you in a GREAT way

[jlk5844]

Were there ever any movies that you knew little about going in or didn't feel that enthusiastic about, particularly classic movies or less talked about little seen films, but they drew you in and got your attention, and you were thrown off guard at how great a movie it was that you stumbled upon?
I'll start off with a film that I was required to watch as part of a film class earlier this year. The film was In a Lonely Place, with Humphrey Bogart. I thought Casablanca was good and enjoyable, and The Maltese Falcon kind of disappointed me, so it was an uneven track record for me for Mr. Bogart. I did like Bogart, he has that tough guy charm. I still wasn't expecting much from this film. Let me just say, I'm glad I knew next to nothing going in. This is a perfect example of a movie where you should NOT look up the synopsis on imdb or Rotten Tomatoes or anywhere, because it's such a treat to be surprised by even the main plot, something that happens in the first 20 minutes. It piqued my interest and was set up really well, the ambiguity of one subplot made it very interesting, and as it unraveled Bogart really surprised me with a different, darker performance than he usually gives. Also, the movie is quite

[Show spoiler]tragic and the ending is realistic in that sense.

I thought it was powerful and has held up well, and I am eagerly awaiting a blu-ray release for this marvelous film.
Anyone have any stories of their own?

[Sodslaw]

I think this needs to be moved to the movie section.
Unless of course you change the title of a movie released on blu ray that surprised you in a great way.

[bigdaddyhorse]

Chumscrubber. Heard nothing, knew nothing, knocked me on my ass with a great blend of dark humor and drama. Would buy a Blu in a second if it existed, but happy to have it on dvd.

[bhampton]

Not such a great film perse but Roberta Vasquez is so very cute.

[Cahleb]

Crossroads. I thought it would be a C rated movie but Britney gave an Oscar worthy performance.

[HotRats]

When I was young and discovering the joys of cinema most films surprised me because I wasn't used to the conventions that usually dictate things like the star being the hero and surviving to the end, the rules of genres and the reputations of directors. There are plenty of other things to enjoy as time passes but nothing like the thrill of seeing Alien, Halloween or Scanners and many others without knowing the faintest thing about them other than the poster looked good. No internet and not much film press in those days, I just went to see whatever was showing. The pleasure of the unexpected is something I still find in films like Fish Story.

[Scarriere]

True Romance and Cinderella Man jump to mind.
I wasn't expecting a whole lot and ended up being blown away by those two awesome movies!

[AgentOrange]

Probably something like Rapture, or Pale Flower (Japanese Yakuza/crime drama). Before watching Pale Flower, I had basically only watched some of Kurosowa's samurai films. That was my only prior exposure to Japanese cinema. Now I basically make a point to buy as many of these classics as I can.

Had never heard of either film before reading a little about them, and subsequently buying the blu-rays on a whim. Both are way up there for me. There are many more obvious American "classic" films that I neglected to watch until I saw them on blu-ray. However these stand out to me because I had never even heard of them prior to the blu-rays.

I should probably throw The Music Room on that list as well.

[King Troll]

I was expecting cloud Atlas to be OK (I even regretted blind buying it) but then I watched it on blu ray and now its in my top 10 favorites of all time

[chris_sc77]

Perfume: the story of a murderer is one that came out of nowhere and it completely blew me away. Very happy I was able to see it in theatres.

[olivasauce]

Knew nothing about Usual Suspects when I saw it in theatres. Best way to see that movie.

[Buscemi]

Recently:

The Other F Word - I was expecting a typically rock documentary but managed to see the layers of the film's themes on fatherhood.
Compliance - I wasn't expecting it to meet the hype but damn, Ann Dowd was really good and the story is terrifying.
The Impossible - I was expecting a decent disaster movie and got the best disaster movie ever made.
L!fe Happens - I watched this one in a bad mood but was amazed at how realistic the characters were (I know people who are a lot like the three women in this in real life).

[esteban²]

The last time that happened in theatres, was in 2005. C.R.A.Z.Y. by Jean-Marc Vallée (Young Victoria, Café de flore) came by and I knew nothing about it. Nobody knew. There were no commercials, it was never announced the movie was coming, there were no reviews, never heard of it before. And it stole my heart. One of my all-time faves, no doubt.

[Mandalorian]

Barney's Version. Me and someone else had gone to a screening for some horror flick at the Ladmark in West LA, which is a very reliable theater, but this particular night they were having trouble getting the film to play. So they gave us all vouchers to see something else, and we chose that one with no knowledge of it aside from Giamati winning the Golden Globe for Best Actor. I was astonished by how amazing the film was. I absolutely adored it, and it made Giamatti a favorite actor of mine. I've followed his work since.

[Trigger89]

Originally Posted by Scarriere

True Romance and Cinderella Man jump to mind.
I wasn't expecting a whole lot and ended up being blown away by those two awesome movies!

I remember the first time I watched it, I wasn't expecting much either but I loved it. After watching it mulitple times since, it's grown to be one of my all time favorite movies.
The Conjuring is a recent movie that surprised me. I thought it was going to be another cheap scare em up. I was wrong! It scared me good, so good that my hands were sweating.

[leey]

Originally Posted by Cahleb

Crossroads. I thought it would be a C rated movie but Britney gave an Oscar worthy performance.

Go easy. The movie was not C-rated, but this is no Oscar movie either...

As for the topic, to me:
Sin City
Mr Nobody
Never Let Me Go
Tropic Thunder
The Broken Circle Breakdown
Jeune & Jolie

Originally Posted by chris_sc77

Perfume: the story of a murderer is one that came out of nowhere and it completely blew me away. Very happy I was able to see it in theatres.

Not really, since the novel is considered to be a contemporary classic. I think it's loathingly bad.

[principehomura]

Anna Karenina (2012), I was simply astonished by the way it was narrated.

[welcometothepartypal]

DRIVE. HARD TIMES. Both unexpected delights!