Film Underrated Movies

HTG

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While it is rated quite well amongst critics, I always feel that Barry Lyndon doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. For me it’s Kubrick‘s best movie and might very well be my favorite movie in general. It’s so beautifully shot. Every scene another small masterpiece in itself. It‘s such a shame it’s amongst Kubrick‘s lesser known movies.
 

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V For Vendetta

Alan Moore hates it because it's a swallow reading of his work and everyone else hates it because it spawned those god awful masks but..........it's the best comic book movie yet.

It's funny, over the top and campy. The bad guys are brilliant and pure tories with John Hurt as the main villain, Mr Smith from the Matrix is the voice of the hero and Natalie Portman goes full Britney circa mid 2000's and the film ends with westminster getting blown to pieces. Politically it's the antidote to the reactionary Nolan Batman films and for that reason alone it's worth watching.
 

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V For Vendetta

Alan Moore hates it because it's a swallow reading of his work and everyone else hates it because it spawned those god awful masks but..........it's the best comic book movie yet.

It's funny, over the top and campy. The bad guys are brilliant and pure tories with John Hurt as the main villain, Mr Smith from the Matrix is the voice of the hero and Natalie Portman goes full Britney circa mid 2000's and the film ends with westminster getting blown to pieces. Politically it's the antidote to the reactionary Nolan Batman films and for that reason alone it's worth watching.
I love that movie for many reasons but one of them being that I learned of the existence of the eggy in the basket.
 

Sweet Square

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I love that movie for many reasons but one of them being that I learned of the existence of the eggy in the basket.
Exactly, how many films can say this! Although it's not British sadly.

What Moore found most laughable however were the details. "They don't know what British people have for breakfast, they couldn't be bothered. 'Eggy in a basket' apparently. Now the US have 'eggs in a basket,' whish is fried bread with a fried egg in a hole in the middle. I guess they thought we must eat that as well, and thought 'eggy in a basket' was a quaint and Olde Worlde version.
Also I've lived in Britain for years now and have never heard the term ''eggy in a basket'', it just an egg sandwich but because it pisses Moore off so much, I always use the term when in the house. The man is brilliant writer but a miserable old git as well.
 

Florida Man

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Exactly, how many films can say this! Although it's not British sadly.



Also I've lived in Britain for years now and have never heard the term ''eggy in a basket'', it just an egg sandwich but because it pisses Moore off so much, I always use the term when in the house. The man is brilliant writer but a miserable old git as well.
If you put baked beans on top, would that make it officially British?
 

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Watched it many years ago and thought it was one of the best films I'd ever seen at the time, and remember telling people so. Bit scared to watch it again in case it turns out it wasn't actually that good.
Loved that film when it came out but I remember rewatching it in the early 2000's and thinking it felt very dated. I'd quite like to watch it again now to see if it has passed from dated to nostalgia/retro.
 

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Blimey! Even if it's absolute nonsense, I still want to see it. Cheers, mate.
 

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Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Saw it when it first came out last year and thought it was just ok, watched it again this week and ended up watching it 3 times, it's an absolute slow burner classic! Up there with Pulp Fiction.

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Man of Steel

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Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Saw it when it first came out last year and thought it was just ok, watched it again this week and ended up watching it 3 times, it's an absolute slow burner classic! Up there with Pulp Fiction.

"Don't cry in front of the Mexicans"
Yes, I agree! I watched it 4 times in the cinema, on opening night, then over the three month or so run that it was on for.. Absolutely love it.

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Man of Steel

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Man of Steel and Batman v Superman-Dawn of Justice Ultimate Cut.

Both underrated in my opinion.

First Flight. Beautiful stuff! Cant embed so
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYdg1Y8S0N0

Just to say that I discovered that director of these films Zack Snyder is doing a live Man of Steel watch party and directors commentary today on his VERO page. It's from West Coast USA at 8am pacific time, so that should be at 4pm today Wednesday, UK time. But if you're going to watch it live I'd check it out earlier than that to get ready etc. Also to say, you need your own copy of the film Man of Steel so you can sync it with Zack Snyder at the start of the watch party, as the camera is focused on him for his commentary etc

Link to Snyders Vero page
https://vero.co/discover/zack-snyder

I'm sure those awful torrent sites could be reported for having a copy of Man of Steel on them somewhere, and I'll be reporting them if they have got a copy that people might be able to get and use for this watch event...

If people can't see it live today, then it will have a repeat option to view and will be uploaded soon to the vero youtube site which has the Batman v Superman Ultimate Cut commentary watch party Zack Snyder did already on it. It's the second from bottom video in this post that links to the vero youtube.

Also rumours that he may mention news on the fabled 'Snyder cut' version of the Justice League movie that fans are trying to get released. Jason Momoa has done a short release the snyder cut rant, which seems to tie in quite well timing wise for something to be happening ..hmm. We'll wait and see.

I used this youtube link as I couldn't link to the Vero site.


This is a link to Zack Snyders watch party commentary on Batman v Superman - Ultimate Cut.


This is John Campea on the film, and this event. Some interesting stuff here.
 
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I saw the early Michael Mann flick The Jericho Mile (1979) last night

It's a TV movie but everything about it is top notch; the directing, acting, the script - I'd give it a solid 8/10
 

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Always enjoyed Uncle Buck to be honest. John Candy was a really great comedy actor.
 

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Standoff at Sparrow Creek 2019
 

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Also "Birdy", one of the first movies with Nicolas Cage (and Matthew Modine). A Lot of people will probably find Cage uninspiring now, but I remember it as a great movie (last seen it 15 years ago, should probably give it a rewatch)
Birdy is a great movie and a great book adaption - the novel by Wharton is great, as is "a midnight clear"

Other underrated movies I can think of:

"figures in a landscape" (Losey) two men chained together on the run from a helicopter. A bit like Spielbergs "Duel" very intense.

"Strange Days" (Cathryn Bigelow) really one of the best SciFi flicks of the 90ies.
 

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3:10 to Yuma (remake): Absolutely love this film and seeing Russell Crowe and Christian Bale go at it is brilliant! Also a stunningly creepy performance from one of my "why aren't they massive stars?" actors Ben Foster

Adaptation: Charlie Kaufman writing with Nicolas Cage playing twins, what more needs to be said really?

Big Fish: Noted as the start of Tim Burton's downward trajectory but I love this film about the exaggerated fairytale-like stories fathers tell sons as children and the reality behind them. Never a dry eye at the end,

Blindspotting: Criminal in this year with what is going on in the world that more people don't know about this film! The most intense final 20-30mins in a film that I remember seeing in a long time and opened my eyes to the Black Lives Matter / Blue Lives Matter conflict.

Candy: Australian film starring Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish. About two seemingly match-made souls who are both drug-addicts. Has some really heart-breaking moments.

Charlie Wilson's War: BRILLIANT BRILLIANT BRILLIANT film which nobody knows about for some reason! Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Phillip Seymour Hoffman (who steals every scene!) about the US arming the Taliban in the Afghan/Soviet conflict. Did I mention it's bloody brilliant?

Cinderella Man: Boxing film with Russell Crowe as depression-era James J. Braddock. I remember a story about the studio giving people their money back for this but for the love of God I've no idea why! Crowe is just amazing in this!

The Fisher King: Ahead of it's time looking at the possession-based sense of worth in the 80s and a great commentary that is pretty valuable to look at today.

Galaxy Quest: Watch it for Alan Rickman alone!

Hell of High Water: A great film with a brilliant starring turn by Chris Pine as a brother who resorts to robbing banks to pay the mortgage.

Insomnia: Christopher Nolan-directed crime thriller with Al Pacino and the best performance from Robin Williams, creepy creepy creepy!

Intouchables: French film about a wealthy disabled man who hires a street-wise carer and the relationship they form. Absolutely hilarious! Was remade with Kevin Hart & Bryan Cranston in "The Upside" but isn't a patch on this.

The Jacket: Little-known sci-fi with Adrian Brody, Kiera Knightley and a great supporting role for a younger Daniel Craig about an asylum inmate who, as a weird punishment gets drugged up, put in a straight-jacket and put into a mortuary drawer for a set period of time for "sensory deprivation", but realises he can travel in time!

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: Great noir-who-dunnit from Shane Black who later did The Nice Guys. Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer are just electric together.

Nightcrawler: Amazing film looking at the idea of car crash TV and what people will do to win ratings. Jake Gyllenhaal is so creepy in this it's genuinely uncomfortable to watch him at times.

Onward: Pixar's most recent offering. Putting it as under-rated as so few will have seen due to the lockdown. Wife and I saw it the week before closure and (having lost my father recently) I was absolutely in floods by the end of this.

Pleasanteville: Reese Witherspoon, Toby Maguire are siblings arguing about the TV when they get transported into the latter's favourite TV show. He thinks it's brilliant being in "the simpler time" but soon sees the ideology of the town is antiquated and dangerous. Amazing use of black and white vs colour to show the awakening of people in the show.

The Prestige: For my money it's Christopher Nolan's best film.

Road to Perdition: In the world of gangster films this is criminally overlooked. Tom Hanks as the "muscle" for a local kingpin (Paul Newman) going on the run. A great cast with Newman being mesmeric, Daniel Craig and Jude Law both being great, and a rain-soaked scene near the end which is so beautifully shot I have a video of it framed and mounted on my living room wall if the missus would allow it! Cannot believe this isn't out in 4K yet!

Serenity: Guardians of the Galaxy before it was cool and what Star Wars should have aimed for.

Sunshine: Yes the 3rd act is a bit off but this is one beautiful film.

Team America: World Police: So much more than just "Matt Damon!" - bloody brilliant satire.

Up in the Air: Jason Reitman with a brilliant film about isolationism and how unsustainable it is. George Clooney is a downsizing liaison who spends his life flying from place to place to co-ordinate the down-sizing of companies. His life is so vapid his main goal in life is to fly 1 million miles. Life and a woman gets in the way of this lifestyle and he quickly realises just how empty his life has been.
 

Reditus

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Uncut Gems. Not an Adam Sandler fan at all. When I saw he decided to make a serious movie i wasn’t shocked as I think his career needed a jolt. Read initial luke warm reception but my friend swore by it so finally decided to watch it.

Was actually at the edge of my seat for most of the movie. Real tense movie and have to say, Sandler was terrific.
 

Reditus

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@Jericholyte2 a lot of those movies won awards and were very well received. Some even have real cult followings. Are these just movies you really liked? As many of them are not underrated at all.
 

Jericholyte2

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@Jericholyte2 a lot of those movies won awards and were very well received. Some even have real cult followings. Are these just movies you really liked? As many of them are not underrated at all.
The issue is the term underrated being subjective. Yes I get some are popular and have followings, but even with this I believe all are, in different ways, very underrated.
 

Eddy_JukeZ

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Uncut Gems. Not an Adam Sandler fan at all. When I saw he decided to make a serious movie i wasn’t shocked as I think his career needed a jolt. Read initial luke warm reception but my friend swore by it so finally decided to watch it.

Was actually at the edge of my seat for most of the movie. Real tense movie and have to say, Sandler was terrific.
Not sure if I'd class Uncut Gems as an underrated movie.

It's received critical acclaim from nearly everyone.
 

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The Black and chrome version of Fury Road is a million times better than the original.

I love it but some of those costumes are so beautifully designed, and the red hair. I've seen it once each way and I really don't know how I'd watch it next time, cos there will be a next time.
 

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Charlie Wilson's War: BRILLIANT BRILLIANT BRILLIANT film which nobody knows about for some reason! Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Phillip Seymour Hoffman (who steals every scene!) about the US arming the Taliban in the Afghan/Soviet conflict. Did I mention it's bloody brilliant?
Rewatched this a few months ago, Hoffman really is brilliant!
Love his scenes with John Slattery (Cravely).

Great quotes here: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472062/characters/nm0000450
 

Reditus

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Not sure if I'd class Uncut Gems as an underrated movie.

It's received critical acclaim from nearly everyone.
You might be right. In my head it got very mixed reviews upon release
 

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I love it but some of those costumes are so beautifully designed, and the red hair. I've seen it once each way and I really don't know how I'd watch it next time, cos there will be a next time.
Agree with you that the costume design takes a back seat(:smirk:) and some scenes lose all relevance such as the vegetation that's kept in the the citadel. Where I think the black and chrome version stands above the original is

  • The Night Scenes - Far better at portraying the darkness of the desert at night compared with the blue used in the original. The fight with bullet farmer is best example as it gets across the difficulty our hero's face, there's an extra added bit of tension. Also I put in white war paint of the war boys stands out far more, oddly enough gasoline looks better as well(Although changes can be easily argued it makes the film too clean looking).

  • The Storm and other cgi sections.

  • The Black and Chrome has a timeless look, in the long term I think it will be version that will still hold up decade and won't be easily identifiable as an action movie from 2015.

Still this is me really nick picking what is a perfect action movie.

Also I know I never shut up about this but I did recently watch a review highlighting Fury Road as perfect movie for showing off dialectical materialism!
 

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Rocky 4. USSR v US, fantastic soundtrack, great training scenes, cracking one liners - 'If he dies, he dies.' And Stallone's Iron Curtain shattering speech, which as we all know was loved by Gorbachev too....in the film. Underrated!? Yes. It's a bloody classic.
 

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I've been going through a bit of a Paul Schrader binge recently and Light Sleeper (1992) is well worth a watch

and I also saw Thief (1981) last night, which is yer typical Michael Mann film but you don't hear about it so much

both great if you're partial to a grimy crime flick
 

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I've been going through a bit of a Paul Schrader binge recently and Light Sleeper (1992) is well worth a watch

and I also saw Thief (1981) last night, which is yer typical Michael Mann film but you don't hear about it so much

both great if you're partial to a grimy crime flick
Great shout Also people hated the soundtrack when it was first released and now rightfully so it's seen as a classic.
 

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Edge of Tomorrow always needs a mention in these threads. Still praying for a sequel!
 
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War on Everyone (2016): Not McDonagh's best movie, but the rating for this one is criminal. A hilarious buddy cop movie with a dark streak, brilliant actors, and really good music.

In the Mouth of Madness (1994): Sam Neil is a cocky sceptic who doesn't understand the rave about the latest horror novel and the effect it has on people. The perfect combination of horror, mystery and comedy. I suppose not for everyone, but if you've already liked one of Carpenter's movies, give it a try.

Gremlins 2 (1990): Totally outshines the first one. The whole movie is just a self referencing long joke, with one scene being more outrageos than the next. Works very well though.

Green Room (2015): You know how in horror films they always do stupid things just so it can lead to a gratuitous violent scene? This is the antithesis to that. A thoroughly uncomfortable movie which respects the audience intelligence.

The Foreigner (2017): The combo you never knew you needed - Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan. I've never seen Chan in a movie like this, a total pivot from his usual genre. A political action-thriller about deception, loss and justice.
 

SteveJ

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Julie Taymor's Titus.

 

OleBoiii

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The Prince of Egypt

I think it's better than most of the Disney Renaissance films, but it's rarely talked about as fondly. The animation, songs and voice acting is top notch. And even as an atheist I find the story of Moses interesting.