Recommend a Cinematic Gem (Not Well Known) to Other Members

[Blu Titan]

Hey guys . figured we could use a thread like this.

The premise is easy, just recommend a Blu-ray movie that you considere great. The film should not be something known to most like Star Wars, Braveheart, The Shinning, The Godfather, ect.

The movie can be from the US or foreign, new or old, region free or region locked.

We could just write a line or two about the movie itself (you can do a full review as well), our amateur impression of the PQ and AQ, where it can be purchased, any relevant region information. We can also link to the site's review, if we have one in place, but it is not necessary.

I got the idea from Pro-B as he is always recommending and linking to fantastic films that most of us are not familiar with...figured that we could al do something similar here .

[SilentDawn]

Brick, directed by Rian Johnson

A Film-Noir set within the confines of High School. Yeah, it sounds silly, but it transcends its plot with fantastic writing and memorable characters. Also, the direction and cinematography is top-notch for a film of this budget. Honestly, whether you love it or hate it, the film demands to be seen.

[Blu Titan]

I'll start:

Classe Tous Risques



This is a French Film starring Lino Ventura and Jean-Pal Belmondo. It is a fantastic crime drama that showcases European locations from the late 1950's. The PQ is great and the same can be stated for the audio. Purchased from Amazon UK and it is Region B locked.

Full review here:
Classe Tous Risques Blu-ray Review

[Corner Camping Noob]

The Uninvited Guest
"El habitante incierto"

Written & Directed by Guillem Morales

What if ... you let a stranger into your house to use your phone, but while you've been patiently waiting in the kitchen, he just disappears ... or does he? Félix, an architect who has just split up with his girl-friend and inhabits a huge mansion in Barcelona, finds out how many hiding places there really are in his house. But are there enough to hide another person, a strange parasite of living space? Or is Félix really going insane? - IMDB

I thought this was an EXCELLENT thriller/suspense film.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Uninvited-...univited+guest

[MifuneFan]

Floating Weeds (aka Ukigusa)

This was my introduction to Ozu, and I've never looked back. it's probably well-known to art house fans, but it's still not discussed much. It's a great film set in a seaside town, following a traveling Kabuki group (or troupe) that have seen better days. It's beautifully filmed with great pops of color here and there. It's a remake of Ozu's earlier silent film "A Story of Floating Weeds" The UK disc isnt the greatest, but it's the only one released to date. I'm hoping Criterion releases it one day.

[SilentDawn]

It's Such A Beautiful Day, directed by Don Hertzfeldt.

A story about a stick-figure named Bill, and his outlook on life in his twilight years. Mind-blowing, awe-inspiring, stunning, funny, sad, depressing, life-affirming; It's a film that has everything in the course of 62 minutes.


It's a masterpiece by any standard, and it needs to be seen by anyone who loves movies.

[Oscar Rothman]

Originally Posted by SilentDawn

It's Such A Beautiful Day, directed by Don Hertzfeldt.

A story about a stick-figure named Bill, and his outlook on life in his twilight years. Mind-blowing, awe-inspiring, stunning, funny, sad, depressing, life-affirming; It's a film that has everything in the course of 62 minutes.


It's a masterpiece by any standard, and it needs to be seen by anyone who loves movies.

But it's not on blu-ray :

[SilentDawn]

Originally Posted by Oscar Rothman

But it's not on blu-ray :

Oh yeah, forgot about that.

Still, everyone check it out anyway!

[therealjondoe]

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-C...Blu-ray/17003/
A great thriller with some excellent acting.

[The Great Owl]

From my User Review...

The 1954 John H. Auer movie, Hell's Half Acre, is one of the most pleasant surprises from the Olive Films queue, and it wins my admiration as one of the most underrated film noir titles of that decade. Evelyn Keyes plays a woman who travels to Hawaii to search for her missing husband, whom most believe died at Pearl Harbor years earlier, and gets more than she bargained for when her search takes her to "Hell's Half Acre", a dangerous Honolulu slum filled with gangsters and prostitutes. To reveal any more of the plot in a review would be a disservice to this movie's engaging storyline, but the specifics of how the conclusion plays out brought a smile to my face, and the end result hits all of the right notes when it comes to how I personally define "film noir."

The Hawaiian landscape is a character all its own in Hell's Half Acre, and I was captivated by the settings that are quite unique for the genre. The slum locale does throw a few nods to noir conventions, though, and one particular chase through a canal made me think of one of the genre classics, The Third Man. The music of the film is a pleasure all its own, and it works wondrously to immerse the viewer into the fold. Hawaii is a location best suited for color filming, but the black-and-white photography here is crucial to lend the noir aesthetic to the feature. Marie Windsor, who starred in several femme fatale roles for classic-era film noir movies, lends an additional spark to this title.

The high definition video and audio presentation of Hell's Half Acre may not be demo quality, but the transfer nonetheless beautifully captures the mood of this title. This Blu-ray also has the best cover art that I have seen in quite a while.

[Scottie]

Revanche

[Visco.]

Enter the Void

[jayj15]

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Mad-D...Blu-ray/37674/

Johnnie To's "Mad Detective" is region free from Masters of Cinema. Great weird, movie from Hong Kong.

[Oscar Rothman]

Tense, suspenseful thriller. Effectively done. The ending could have been better. It's a thrilling ride overall.

[Nicolawicz]

Santa Sangre. One of the best films ever made, in my opinion. Unfortunately, the American Blu-ray looks like crap. But the UK one looks pretty good.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Oscar Rothman

[Show spoiler]

Tense, suspenseful thriller. Effectively done. The ending could have been better. It's a thrilling ride overall.

I've got your back on this. A Lonely Place to Die is an underrated gem.

[AgentOrange]

Big City reminded me of some of Ozu's "family" dramas. I had never heard of or really considered Indian cinema, before seeing The Music Room (which I saw first). But I can't recommend Music Room or Big City enough. I'm not sure which one I would favor, but both were highly accessible for me.


Khartoum -This historical epic I thought was really solid, one of the less "dated", or at least I found it to be among the more watchable films of it's ilk. Had never heard of it previously. I found it to be every bit an epic, shot in Egypt, 70mm film, star cast (with interesting roles), etc. Fantastic PQ/AQ too.

[Jett Rink]

A film about the psychology of child killers. Some really powerful scenes here.

[THS]

"Short Term 12"

[IPreferPi]

One of the most devastating, but also poignantly humanistic films ever made, animated or non-animated. The five-Kleenex crown jewel of Studio Ghibli's venerable filmography.