Add It To Your Queue: Vol. 5
So, you’ve seen the blockbusters, and all the Oscar contenders, but you still are looking for something to watch. Maybe something you missed. There are so many films that didn’t make a big splash, earn a lot of money or garner a lot of awards, but are still worthy of being seen. Clear your Netflix queue (or itunes or amazon or epix queue) and make some room for a few of these overlooked gems that may not have come your way before but are well worth your time. Missed Volume 1, Volume 2 , Volume 3 and Volume 4? Check them out here. And as always, more to come.
Volume 1 Volume 2. Volume 3. Volume 4. Volume 5. Volume 6: Comedies Volume 7: Alternate Horror
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Harold and Maude (1971)
Hal Ashby’s dark comedy from 1971 was an instant cult classic. Harold ( Bud Cort) young rich and deeply troubled meets Maude (Ruth Gordon ) elderly quirky and full of life. A strange romantic comedy is born. The entire soundtrack is Cat Stevens songs.
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Heaven Help Us (1985)
It is now an almost forgotten rite of passage. Catholic schools with corporal punishment. This film takes place at a Catholic Boys School in Brooklyn circa 1965. The actors capture the feeling of the era in a way that only takes place during the best teen comedies; A Dazed and Confused for mid 60’s Brooklyn Catholics.
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Pusher (1996)
Nicolas Winding Refn’s debut film opened to both commercial and critical acclaim. Pusher, the first of a trilogy, is considered to be the first Danish gangster film. Set in Copenhagen, it follows a low level drug dealer as he blows deal and after deal while trying to pay back a huge sum of money to his supplier. Gritty and cool, Pusher is a dark gangster film and the first film of a now international film maker.
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Ballast (2008)
Ballast- An already damaged family living in the Mississippi Delta is rocked by a suicide that changes their lives forever. A small indie film by director Lance Hammer stars local actors who had never appeared in a film before, which makes the viewing experience feel very real and authentic. With unpolished sets that depict the bleak and depressing setting, the film seems like you are peeking into the actual lives of the characters instead of a movie.
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Bamboozled (2000)
Spike Lee may catch flak for things like his recent Kickstarter campaign and social views, but there is no denying the originality and oftentimes brilliant nature of his films. This is evident in the little-seen 2000 film, ‘Bamboozled’, modern day black minstrel show and the violent fallout when the show becomes a hit. Damon Waynes stars as a frustrated TV writer who proposes and pitches a black minstrel show to his white boss in an attempt to get fired from the company he has grown to despise. Michael Rapaport, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Tommy Davidson are just part of an all-star cast that highlight the controversial, yet poignant film.
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Fever Pitch (1997)
Far from the romantic leading man Colin Firth usually plays, he plays the first of Nick Hornby’s alter-egos in a film based on Hornby’s soccer memoir (which was later remade as a pretty lame baseball comedy). Set in England in the 1980s, when Arsanel football ended its losing streak, lifelong fan Paul can’t hold his life together long enough to get through the season. His only passion in life is football and as best friend Steve (Mark Strong) says, his obsession with the team has turned him into a miserable bastard who can’t find joy in life. He has qualities which suggest he should be a higher functioning adult; a good job as a high school teacher where he’s a favorite teacher, coaching the school football league to many wins, and has the qualities to attract the attention of fellow teacher Sarah Hughes (Ruth Gemmell). The film is thankfully a lot darker than most other romantic comedies (especially the inclusion of the Arsanel riots) and goes beyond the boy girl meet ups to show an entire year (or season) in their troubled relationship. Hornby’s fingerprints are all over the film he’s responsible for bringing to the screen as writer/producer, from some great music from The Pretenders, The Who, and Van Morrison, to the perfect dialogue which would soon be a signature his novels.
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