Seriously underrated movies

[anarky]

I'll kick things off.

Waterworld. Yeah, I said it. I'll admit that I enjoyed this movie. Sure, it has all sorts of technical flaws in it, but it's a really fun movie. Did it deserve all the bad press? I don't think so. Funny how this one was considered DOA for its budget, but Titanic trumped that just a few years later and is supposedly this great movie.

Can't bring that one up without:
The Postman. Everyone just hated Costner after Waterworld. They forgot that he fucking gave us Dances With Wolves. While neither Waterworld nor The Postman is near that quality, neither one sucks. Hell, The Postman automatically gets two extra stars for a cool-ass Tom Petty cameo.

I'm no real fan of Costner, but the hatred toward these two movies is really unjustified, IMHO.

[Ran]

Heat and Enemy At The Gates are couple movies I've only seen once that I probably should see again. Its been a long time since I've seen either, but I remember really liking both. I never hear anyone talking about either film which is kind of suprising considering the number of big names in Heat. Maybe they aren't as good as I remember.

[anarky]

Really?

Heat is one of the best films ever made, and everyone I have ever spoken with who's seen it agreed.

Phenomenal movie. Aside from being perfect in almost every way, it's rare (if not nonexistent) to have a movie that focuses equally on the hero and the villain, until, at the end of the movie, you're watching it, thinking, "Shit, one of them has to go down. Goddammit."

As an aside, on the demo album I put together for my brother-in-law (the one that he didn't actually do anything with, but just stuck on the copies on a shelf in his living room for almost two years), I had to stick in the classic DeNiro line from Heat: "What am I doing? I'm talking into an empty phone. There's a dead man on the other end of this line."

[Ran]

Heat was one of the first movies I saw on DVD. I was so impressed, I don't think I've bought a VHS tape since. Heat never seems to be on any of the movie channels or superstations. Considering some of the bad movies they do broadcast, it makes you wonder who is running those stations. Heat didn't make AFI's top 100 films, either. It is one of those movies I really need to watch again.

[Zero]

So this is the Heat thread now. I haven't looked recently, but Heat and Shawshank were neck and neck on iMDB's user ranking system as the best movies ever. Considering the amount of people on iMDB, that's impressive.

I like Hudson Hawk. Nobody else seems to. But it's quirky offbeat sense of humor makes me laugh everytime.


I completely agree with you on Waterworld and Postman. And another Costner classic, No Way Out. Great performances by Hackman, Costner, and Will Patton. The twist at the end is awesome.


Quick and the Dead. Rami's Western homage/parody has so many quintessential "western" tropes in it. Camera angles, pans, zooms, dialogue, bravado showdowns, all performed with the utmost over the top sincerity by some of the greatest actors of our time. Hackman, DiCaprio, and Crowe are brilliant.

[anarky]

I've only seen the end of Q&TD, but the shot of Hackman staring down at the hole in his belly, which we can see through, sorta killed it. On your recommendation, I'll reconsider condemning the whole movie for the one shot.

[kidhuman]

I love Water World and Hudson Hawk.

Never saw the Postman

Mystery Men is underrated.

[Zero]

I've only seen the end of Q&TD, but the shot of Hackman staring down at the hole in his belly, which we can see through, sorta killed it. On your recommendation, I'll reconsider condemning the whole movie for the one shot.

Well, the whole tone is over the top as that shot, so you won't like it unless you realize it's a celebration of camp dressed up as a western. Plenty of B-movie greats like Lance Henriksen and Kieth David (or maybe David Kieth, I get them confused) are on hand, as well as every living character actor Raimi could find from all the great westerns of yesteryear.

[Ran]

I like Hudson Hawk. Nobody else seems to. But it's quirky offbeat sense of humor makes me laugh everytime.

I liked Hudson Hawk, too.

[Zero]

I know noone here will disagree, but Super Troopers is a seriously funny movie.

Ditto the Big Lebowski, Swingers, and Grosse Pointe Blank.

[Diabolical]

Gotta agree on Enemy at the Gates. one of my favorite war movies.
Heat is a good one also. So many great actors in it. But I see it on tv every now and again.

16 Blocks - Seriously underrated performance by Bruce Willis. One of the strongest of his career, IMO.
Miracle/Mystery, Alaska - Probably because they were hockey movies, neither performed well at the box office, but both have their fans. Its really a shame when it comes to Miracle. Kurt Russel was outstanding as Herb Brooks.
Signs - The Sixth Sense gets all the praise, but I felt Signs was far better. Yeah, it made a bunch of money, but it has practically been forgotten. Signs is one of the few movies that made me actually tense up in the theater.
Rules of Engagement - Great performances by Tommy Lee Jones and Sam Jackson.
The Fugitive - Like Signs it has pretty much been forgotten. Ford deserved an Oscar for it.
The Rocketeer - Fun movie that underperformed and ruined any chance of a sequel. The effects have held up pretty well almost 20 years later.
The Talented Mr. Ripley - This movie is the one that made me a fan of both Matt Damon and Jude Law.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - Underrated for its uniqueness alone.

[kidhuman]

I just purchased Sky Captain for 3 bucks at WM last night. Great Flick.

Signs was good, I enjoyed it.

16 blocks was OK, wouldnt say underrated.

[anarky]

I'm agreeing with most of what I've seen.

Signs rocks, but I prefer Unbreakable. Signs was a tad predictable, but it was before the "Shamaylan twist ending" was absolutely known to be a given.

Sky Captain and Rocketeer are both highly underrated movies. Coming from the guy with the Connelleytar, and that being her hottest role onscreen, it means a lot when I say she wasn't even the best part of the movie.

Grosse Point Blank was great. I think High Fidelity is another one. (I read the book, too, and this is one of the rare cases of "watch the movie, skip the book.")

I actually kinda think Swingers is overrated. Maybe it's just that most people I know worship it. It had some good bits, and was a pretty decent movie overall, but I don't find my life to be better having seen it.

[Zero]

Forgot about High Fidelity. Good call.
I also prefer Unbreakable to Signs.

Some other good ones:
Gatacca
Arlington Road

[Diabolical]

High Fidelity was so fucking gay.