Movies I Love, Even If Nobody Else Does
Not necessarily my favorite movies, but movies that are personal favorites that haven't garnered much love from anyone else.
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- DirectorSydney PollackStarsRobert RedfordLena OlinAlan ArkinIn 1950s Cuba, a professional gambler falls for a woman heavily involved in the revolution movement.A remake of Casablanca, the costumes, sets, and atmosphere are worth the price of admission. Redford and Olin are excellent with great support from Alan Arkin, Tony Plano and Raul Julia.
- DirectorDiane KeatonStarsAndie MacDowellJohn TurturroMichael RichardsWhen a youngster needs a break from the pressures of his parents' household, he moves in with his offbeat uncles and learns some invaluable life lessons.Diane Keaton directs a wonderful cast with John Turturro, Andie MacDowell, Michael Richards and Josh Mostel. The family story is deeply affecting and I love the crazy uncles even though they were seen as a weak spot by most critics.
- DirectorRobert DornhelmStarsKeith CarradineSally KirklandTom WaitsA psycho-killer with mommy issues, a charming crooked cowboy and their girl steal some jewels. The cowboy decides not to share and goes on the run with the loot. A crazy chase across the country between former partners in crime begins.A deeply flawed movie, but the sense of humor is my kind of quirky. Probably the best Tom Waits vehicle this side of Big Time. Bill Pullman makes an early career appearance, stealing a number of scenes.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsDamon WayansSavion GloverJada Pinkett SmithA frustrated African-American TV writer proposes a blackface minstrel show in protest, but to his chagrin, it becomes a hit.An under-appreciated gem from Spike Lee.
- DirectorRon SheltonStarsKevin CostnerRene RussoDon JohnsonA washed-up golf pro working at a driving range tries to qualify for the U.S. Open in order to win the heart of his successful rival's girlfriend.Lots of people like this movie, but I hold an affection towards it completely out of proportion to it's actual quality. Kevin Costner at his best. Great soundtrack.
- DirectorDiane KeatonStarsMichael AgbabianJames AllportLazaro ArvizuA series of interviews are conducted concerning people's beliefs towards the possibility of an afterlife. The interviews are filmed against a set of strange backdrops, and are intercut with clips from classic films and a variety of stock footage.An another Diane Keaton project. A mostly forgotten, highly stylized documentary about people's views of the afterlife. Bolstered with wonderful vintage movie archival footage.
- DirectorAlex CoxStarsEd HarrisRichard MasurRene AuberjonoisAn unconventional retelling of the life of William Walker, a 19th century American mercenary leader who became the president of Nicaragua.Alex Cox directs a surreal history of American Imperialism in Central America. Among Ed Harris' finest work. Joe Strummer's soundtrack is unmatched.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsMiriam HopkinsEdward G. RobinsonJoel McCreaMary Rutledge arrives from the East, finds her fiance dead, and goes to work at the roulette wheel of Louis Charnalis' Bella Donna, a rowdy gambling house in 1850s San Francisco.What a world.
- DirectorRobert DuvallStarsAngelo EvansMichael EvansRuthie EvansStep into the world of gypsy life. Come meet Angelo and his family. See the gypsy court system. A gypsy wedding where a boy's family pays for his wife. Come see the gypsy lifestyle, how they live, how they love family.Robert Duvall's story of a precocious and charismatic gypsy kid in New York. Cast nearly entirely with amateurs from the community it sprung from. It was kind of a big deal at the time. It seems to have been largely forgotten.
- DirectorLasse HallströmStarsAnton GlanzeliusTomas von BrömssenAnki LidénIn the late '50s, young Ingemar learns a lot about life and himself when he is sent away from his sick mother to live with his aunt and uncle in a town full of eccentrics.This a pretty highly rated movie for this list. A minor classic to the rest of the world, it's a major classic in mine.
- DirectorThomas SchlammeStarsMike MyersNancy TravisAnthony LaPagliaA San Francisco poet who fears commitment suspects his girlfriend may have a knack for killing off her significant others.Sadly, the failure of this movie scared Mike Meyers away from making more personal movies. (The upside of that was the first two Austin Powers.) I love the chemistry between Meyers and Travis. Great wacky cameos by Phil Hartman, Alan Arkin, Steve Wright and Charles Grodin. Meyers is brilliant as his own father.
- DirectorJohn ByrumStarsBill MurrayTheresa RussellDenholm ElliottHe had everything and wanted nothing. He learned that he had nothing and wanted everything. He saved the world and then it shattered. The path to enlightenment is as sharp and narrow as a razor's edge.This film's poor showing probably delayed Bill Murray's appearance in any more ambitious films by another decade. I love the way they captured the period and Murray does a fine job as a spiritual seeker without any undue sentimentality.
- DirectorJodie FosterStarsHolly HunterAnne BancroftRobert Downey Jr.After being fired, making out with her soon-to-be ex-boss, and discovering that her daughter plans to spend Thanksgiving with her boyfriend, Claudia Larson faces the unenviable task of spending the holiday with her exceedingly dull family.Jodie Foster directs a mindbendingly talented cast in a smart, touching family drama.
- DirectorJames TobackStarsRobert Downey Jr.Heather GrahamNatasha Gregson WagnerTwo girls wait outside a young actor's door and find out he's had them both as "only" girlfriend the last ten months. They wait inside after breaking in. When Blake comes home he just can't stop lying but they stay.Before Tony Stark, this was the ultimate vehicle for Robert Downey Jr's oversize ego. People seem to love it or hate. I loved it.
- DirectorMichael TolkinStarsPeter WellerJudy DavisPatrick BauchauEpisodic story about a yuppie couple who're going broke, and can't decide if they want to stay together - but openly sleep around and experiment with different lifestyles, or not.Peter Weller and Judy Davis are by turns ferociously viscous and heartbreakingly vulnerable. A fantastic portrait of a relationship between two big egos on it's last legs.
- DirectorAlan CummingJennifer Jason LeighStarsAlan CummingJennifer Jason LeighPhoebe CatesLove is complex and relationships deteriorate.Altmanesque quality ensemble cast. Not any great shakes as a story, but you'd be hard pressed to find a group of actors that you'd rather spend some time with.
- DirectorWalter HillStarsMichael ParéDiane LaneRick MoranisA mercenary is hired to rescue his ex-girlfriend, a singer who has been kidnapped by a motorcycle gang.The opening fight scene alone is worth the price of admission. Walter Hill imagines a highly stylized alternative 50s world. Dynamite soundtrack that includes a live bar room Blasters performance. Highlights include a devilish looking Willem Defoe who prefers to settle scores in latex overalls with sledgehammers.
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsSean PennSamantha MortonWoody AllenIn the 1930s, jazz guitarist Emmet Ray idolizes Django Reinhardt, faces gangsters and falls in love with a mute woman.My favorite non-cannonical Woody Allen movie. Also my favorite non-canonical Sean Penn movie.
- DirectorJohn SaylesStarsDavid StrathairnMary Elizabeth MastrantonioVanessa MartinezIn an economically devastated Alaskan town, a fisherman with a troublesome past dates a woman whose young daughter does not approve of him. When he witnesses the murder of his shady brother, he, the woman and the kid run to the wilderness.Under appreciated work from John Sayles. Has the social tapestry he is known for but with a more personal story and more heart then he often achieves.
- DirectorPeter BogdanovichStarsJeff BridgesCybill ShepherdTimothy BottomsThe summer of 1984: 32 years after Duane Jackson captained the high school football team and Jacy Farrow was homecoming queen, the small town of Anarene, Texas prepares for its centennial celebration. Oil prices are down, banks are failing, and Duane's $12 million in debt. His wife Karla drinks too much, his children are always in trouble, and he tom-cats around with the wives of friends. Jacy's back in town, after a mildly successful acting career, life in Italy, and the death of her son. People assume Duane and Jacy will resume their high school romance. And Sonny is "tired in his mind," causing worries for his safety. Can these friends find equilibrium in middle age?Peter Bodanovich's sequel to The Last Picture Show. Jeff Bridges hang dog midlife crisis is brilliantly rendered as is Annie Potts' switchblade wit as the wife who is happy to give him all the rope he needs.
- DirectorJay RoachStarsRussell CroweBurt ReynoldsHank AzariaThe residents of a small town get over-excited when their hockey team gets chosen to host a televised event.It's not that great, but I like it.
- DirectorRobert BentonStarsPaul NewmanBruce WillisJessica TandyA stubborn man past his prime reflects on his life of strict independence and seeks more from himself.Paul Newman is having a tough couple days somewhere cold and snowy.
- DirectorWayne WangStarsJeremy IronsGong LiMaggie CheungThe story of Hong Kong, from New Year's Day to June 30th, 1997, when the British left their colony and turned it over to the People's Republic of China.Very smart, very personal, very poignant tale of a British journal working in Hong Kong as it returns to Chinese rule. Highly under-rated. Maggie Cheung's performance alone elevates it to another level.
- DirectorRobert AltmanStarsSophia LorenJulia RobertsMarcello MastroianniA chronicle of the interconnected lives of a group of people in the lead up to Paris Fashion Week.Altman, old and on the ropes, delivers a series of sharp jabs and deft feints.
- DirectorIvan PasserStarsPeter O'TooleMariel HemingwayVincent SpanoAn eccentric scientist teaches a student in his own manner while he looks for a way to clone his deceased wife.This could have been a great film if it weren't for the straight to video shmaltz of the period. Wonderful story and O'Toole is his usual brilliant, gigantic self.