First-class movies few have viewed

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Naphtali

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In the universe of motion pictures, quite a few good ones remain nearly unknown. Since I enjoy a large, and growing collection, I hope we can share among those good-but-unknowns.

I'll start the conversation with:
1. Hopscotch (1980) Walter Matthau, Glenda Jackson
2. Mumford (1999) Loren Dean, Jason Lee
3. War Hunt (1962) John Saxon, Charles Aidman, Robert Redford
4. The Americanization of Emily (1964) James Garner, Julie Andrews
5. Father Goose (1964) Cary Grant, Leslie Caron
6. Local Hero (1983) Peter Riegert, Burt Lancaster
7. Operation Mad Ball (1957) Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs
8. Without A Clue (1988) Michael Caine, Ben Kingsley
9. Mountains of the Moon (1990) Patrick Bergin, Ian Glen
10. The Overlanders (1946) Chips Rafferty, Daphne Campbell
 
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I've seen all but No. 10.

First saw Operation Mad Ball at the
Chicago Theater on State Street.

When leaving the theater, Jack Lemon
was in the lobby signing his autograph.

A particular favorite of mine that many
may not have seen is Charley Varrick starring
Walter Mathau. It's not a comedy and Mathau
is a bank robber.
 
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add, "Safari", with Victor Mature and Janet Leigh. Some of the producers later made the James Bond films. It's about a white hunter whose son was murdered by Mau-Mau and his obsession to find the traitorous houseboy who slew his son. Along the way , an arrogant rich man brings his dolly,Leigh, on safari and she falls for the hunter. Add thrills from a man-eating lion.

I think it's on YouTube. Has been recently, in the original English. It's also been posted dubbed in Spanish.

Better hurry and see it, or they'll cancel it for copyright issues, or some such. Too good to miss. I saw it in theaters as a boy and bought the DVD.

Watch as the hunter's Sten gun changed from a MK II to a MK III in some scenes. :D Janet has a Winchester M-94. Well, she's American... Other rifles are typical high quality British items, as would indeed be in Kenya ca. 1956-57.

NOTE: I tried to find, "Safari" tonight and all I could locate is the Spanish version. They may have pulled the English version.

If you can't find it,the DVD is worth the price. Ditto for,, "Captain From Castile", starring Tyrone Power. Made about 1947-48, It's about a young Spanish nobleman whose family was denounced to the Inquisition by a ruthless enemy. The man flees to Cuba, joins the Cortes expedition, and fights the Aztecs. Will he be cleared of heresy by a friendly priest? Will his enemy meet a suitable fate? Will he marry the beautiful peasant girl who fell for him and helped him to escape Spain?

Probably not on YouTube. I didn't check

"The Marine 2". I bought the DVD because I liked Lara Cox, who played Finn on the final season of, "The Lost World" and she's the wife of the hero in this superior action movie. See trailers on YouTube. I bought several copies of the DVD and gave most to friends.

The hero is played by some wrestler trying to turn actor. He's pretty good,and the film as a whole impressed me much more than I thought it might.

Lara is Australian, but fakes a US accent quite well. They gave her a voice coach for that on, "The Lost World." Lara doesn't run around in those little black shorts that made Finn so appealing, but she is in a bikini some of the time. She plays a PR woman married to the hero.

Get, "The Marine 2.", NOT just, "The Marine" predecessor. TOTALLY different cast and plot, and the 2 version is much better..
 
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My nomination:
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
obrother.jpg
 
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I read the topic and thought HOPSCOTCH; then; clicked on this thread to find my first choice as yours too. Another favorite, my Christmas Eve choice, is THE REF.

The Ref is a 1994 movie about bickering spouses (Judy Davis, Kevin Spacey) and their extended family guests who annoy a cat burglar (Denis Leary) when he takes them hostage in their Connecticut home on Christmas Eve while fleeing the police after a bungled burglary.
 
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From the OP's list I've only seen Mumford.

I'm also a fan of Outlander and the Japanese movie Departures mentioned earlier.

There are some movies I enjoy that may be obscure to some, but I honestly have a hard time saying whether or not they're "first-class." But I like them.

First off, I'm a big fan of Korean action movies. My favorite is The Man From Nowhere...basically a well-done Korean version of Taken. Excellent fight scenes with a good story, imo. Other Korean action movies I like include:

Old Boy
A Company Man
No Tears for the Dead
Suspect

There are some Thai movies that I like, too. Ong Bak, starring Tony Jaa, and Chocolate, about an autistic girl who is a savant when it comes to martial arts (she can master techniques just by watching), have some of the craziest action sequences I've ever seen.

I also enjoy old mysteries. I don't know how obscure they are, but I have the complete set of The Thin Man movies on DVD, though I have to admit the first two are the best in the series. One obscure film noir movie I enjoyed was Appointment with Danger, starring Alan Ladd. I believe it's on YouTube (I have it on DVD). It has one of my all-time favorite movie quotes: "Sure I know what love is...it's what happens between a man and a .45 that won't jam." :)

The oddest movie I like is probably No Such Thing, starring Sarah Polley and Robert John Burke, and directed by Hal Hartley. Quick synopsis: An ancient, immortal monster, who also happens to be an alcoholic, is tired of living and wants to die, but can't, because, well, he's indestructible as well as immortal. Polley's character tries to help him, even though he ate her fiance. Yeah...it's weird.
 
Don't know if I'd classify it as "first class" but one I enjoyed that nobody seems to be aware of was "Clay Pigeons" from 1998 with Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix.
 
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