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DETOX's underground movies suggestions
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DETOX
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
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Posted : Nov 21, 2007 03:44
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I am a really big fan of movies and especially non usa titles and i always feel great when i discover classic gems that people dont know either because these movies were released many years ago and are tottally forgotten or simply because their marketing was not as strong as the usual american productions and although these films are just amazing the majority of people ignore their existence simply because in order to find them you got to know what you are looking for and there are very low possibilities someone will mention them online or amazon.com and imdb or blockbuster will feature them on their front pages ever.
I open this topic because i would like to share my endless list of cult and underground classics with you after many many years of searching on the internet and countless money spend on buying films out of print and rare copies of movies from very controversial directors.
No need to mention ofcourse that this is a great chance for me to discover even more new gems from movies that the rest of this forum has discovered and i still dont know about their existence.
Feel free to drop here your suggestions as long as you provide us with some info concerning the movie you want to propose and couple of lines of why you consider it as a great movie.Some extra lines on the director and the cast are always welcome.
PLEASE dont flood this topic with endless lists of movies with no descriptions next to them and PLEASE dont start posting here just your favourite movies or movies that simply everyone knows especially from the hollywood industry.
The main topic here is not well known and cult movies that deserve our attention.Comments ofcourse are more than welcome.
Enjoy!  Toodaloo Motherfuckers!!!!! |
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DETOX
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
296
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Posted : Nov 21, 2007 04:20
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Title : Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... And Spring.
Original Title : Bom Yeoreum Gaeul Gyeoul Geurigo Bom
Website : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374546/
Director : Ki-duk Kim
Year : 2003
Country : South Korea
Plot Summary : I decided to open this section by suggesting some movies quiet recent but no less than magnificent in my own standards at least.The very first movie which i am highly suggesting is Ki-duk Kim's masterpiece Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... And Spring that although has won many international awards is a preety well unknown movie that very few have experienced because this is a film that the viewer experiences and not just watches unlike the majority of films that get released in our times.
This is the story of a young boy who lives along a Buddhist elder master on a floating temple in the middle of a lake on top of a mountain surrounded by trees.The old master is teaching the young boy the secrets of Buddhism but as the years pass the boy becomes a man and a time comes when his sexual instincts wake up when meeting a young girl who visits the temple and then decides to leave behind him the life as a monk and become a part of the real everyday world.While in the real world something terrible happens and after some years the man is forced to return and seek refugee back to his elder master on the small floating temple in the lake while the police is after him.What follows are some of the most magical and shocking scenes in the history of cinema and film making ever.You just have to see it yourself in order to believe it and experience it.
This film deals with some of the most important matters of our life such as love,religion and spirituality,respect for the elders,crime and punishment,human emotions,respect for life and the nature,the cycle of life and seasons and most of all destiny.
So many important themes but so beautifully explained and shown on screen that will leave every viewer speechless and with tears in his eyes when the end credits will roll on the screen.
Will finish my tribute to this real masterpiece by quoting the wise words of the old monk (by the way none of the main characters in this film has a name because Buddhism traditionally is not focusing on individuals).
"Lust awakens the desire to possess.And that awakens the intent to murder."
Toodaloo Motherfuckers!!!!! |
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DETOX
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
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Posted : Nov 21, 2007 04:48
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Title : House Of Sand And Fog
Website : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0315983/
Director : Vadim Perelman
Year : 2003
Country : USA
Plot Summary : As i said earlier i am not a big fan of American movies but every couple of years a movie comes out from America that is trully great but ofcourse as usual gets ignored by the majority of the crowd because it gets lost in the madness that "blockbuster hits" like Spiderman,X Men,Batman and the Fantastic Four create in the american theaters.House Of Sand And Fog is one of those movies that although got nominated for three Academy Awards it rarely made an impact on the audiences simply because noone was aware of it and because of lack of promotion.
The movie is based on the famous novel by Andre Dubus III and features the majestic Sir Ben Kingsley and the great and always sexy Jennifer Connelly in a drama that will remain in your head and hearts forever.
Amir Behrani (Ben Kingsley) was a military colonel in Iran before he and his familly came to America and became political refugees,he works very hard in 2-3 jobs per day every day in order to keep the standards of living for his familly on a high level (just like when they were living in Iran) and he is saving every penny he can (when he buys himself a chocolate he writes that down in the expenses book he always has with him) in order to marry his daughter with the son of a wealthy familly and in order to later on buy a house for his familly and manage to educate his younger son by sending him to college.
Kathy (Jennifer Connelly) just broke up with her husband and is on a serious financial and emotional crisis which she desperately tries to hide from everyone else including her own familly.She is in a traggic situation broke and alone and then the government takes her house away from her because of money she owes to the IRS which she cant afford at the moment.
While Kathy is homeless and tries to find a solution to get her house back Amir is reading on a local newspaper an add for a house that is being auctioned by the government in a very low price,his dream of buying a new house for his familly just became true,his nightmare also just started.
This is a first class drama with top notch acting and amazing music score (all nominated for Oscars) dealing with racism issues and cultural gaps in USA plus the everyday problems people face in life and especially the immigrants in a foreign country,the script of the film is amazing and the ending is a real tear jerker.
If you liked Crash and Babel this will become a favorite movie for you but even people who didnt like the above mentioned movies should really give this one a try because it really worths it.
Toodaloo Motherfuckers!!!!! |
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DETOX
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
296
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Posted : Nov 24, 2007 17:48
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Title : The Decalogue
Original Title : Dekalog
Website : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092337/
Director : Krzysztof Kieslowski
Year : 1989
Country : Poland
Stanley Kubrick described The Decalogue as the only masterpiece he could name in his lifetime and Kubrick cant and isnt wrong on this one.
Directed and produced by the Polish master Krzysztof Kieslowski this is probably one of the best (if not the best) mini series ever created although it still remains preety much unknown even in our days due to the fact that Eastern European cinema works usually get lost in time because of the lack of marketing and because most of the times they are not available on dvd format.Thankfully The Decalogue is finally available on a double edition dvd so more people can enjoy this priceless gem.
As its title indicates The Decalogue refers to the Ten Commandments that God passed on to the people.Each one from the ten episodes is dealing with one of those commandments in modern Poland somewhere in a central city around a block of flats.Each episode focuses on different people and situations although in every episode the characters from different episodes interact with each other trying to show that "There is a ghost in every house" like Michael Caine once said in the magnificent movie The Quiet American.
No movie can get more dark,philosophical and controversial than this one but dont get scared because this is not very difficult to watch and since each episode is one hour long you will have time to think afterwards what happened to each one of them and with the help of the ten commandments you will be able to understand the movie and the episodes even better.
Is technology the new god of our times?What should be the punishment for murder?What is the place of religion in our times?How should we treat our parents and husband/wife?How bad is jealousy?These are just some of the questions asked within this mini series wrapped up with the best soundtrack ever met in a drama full of ambience and dark melodies.
It worths every penny ordering it from Amazon since this will be an experience never to be forgotten.A real tribute to a real film master like Kieslowski.
If you love world cinema then this one is for you.
Toodaloo Motherfuckers!!!!! |
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day_tripper
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posts :
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Posted : Dec 4, 2007 09:46
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psst: any links to download from? 
"It's not the fall that kills you; it's the sudden stop at the end." - Douglas Adams |
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full_on
IsraTrance Team
Started Topics :
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Posted : Dec 6, 2007 07:11
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I watched all of them, well, in fact not all the Decalogue, but it is definitely good. Recommended for those who like real movies.
Respect!
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...Be gentle with the earth...
...Dance like nobody's watching...
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...I don't mind not going to Heaven, as long as they've got Coffee in Hell... |
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DETOX
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
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Posted : Dec 7, 2007 01:21
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Day tripper sorry but i am not much into downloading stuff so i dont have a clue,plus i guess its illegal to provide such links on this website.
Full On mate how did you like The House Of Sand And Fog film?
Toodaloo Motherfuckers!!!!! |
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-Abatwa-
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
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1087
Posted : Dec 8, 2007 15:39
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Nice recommendations, put on netflix que. Thanks.
`Bottomless wonders spring from simple rules, which are repeated without end` Mandelbrot |
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full_on
IsraTrance Team
Started Topics :
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Posted : Dec 9, 2007 15:02
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Hi DETOX. As mentioned before, I watched them all. I liked "The House of Sand and Fog", but to be honest it is not one of my favorites (but still above average), though I think I can see why you liked it (by your description and comparison with Babel and Crash, which I also watched). Probably a matter of taste.
I enjoyed "Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... And Spring" more. Besides it's obvious clichés, it is a nice movie that transmits it's message in its own mood, but I'd only recommend it for people used to slow movies, those in which not many things happen, those with like 3 minutes of no dialogues, etc.
Please allow me to recommend you two movies:
Oasis (Chang-dong Lee - 2002)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0320193/
Claire's Knee (Eric Rohmer - 1970)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065772/
I think those are the best two movies I watched in 2007. Oasis is full of emotions, showing how happiness can be found in simplicity, approaching the soulless way people treats people and expliciting the huge capability of humans to love. Claire's Knee is packed with interesting dialogues and divagations about human nature, love, conquest and feelings.
Respect!
.
...Be gentle with the earth...
...Dance like nobody's watching...
.
...I don't mind not going to Heaven, as long as they've got Coffee in Hell... |
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DETOX
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
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Posted : Jan 7, 2008 05:34
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Title : Le Samourai
Website : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062229/
Director : Jean Pierre Melville
Year : 1967
Country : France
No words can describe the genius of Jean Pierre Melville,the godfather of the Nouvelle Vague,and the creator of some of the most precious but at the same time undiscovered gems of the European cinema dealing mainly with assasins,gangsters,gamblers,corrupted police officers and the underworld in general.
The Red Circle,A Cop,The Finger Man and ofcourse the majestic Bob The Gambler are some of his masterpieces but it is Le Samurai that surpasses them all and for a good reason indeed.
The one and only Alain Delon plays the character of Jef Costello a professional hitman in the city of Paris who lives very neat and discrete in an apartment filled just with mineral water,packs of cigarettes and a cage with a bird inside it in the middle of his room.His life is a routine and he performs every action in a religious manner with exact timing and precision like a clock,thats actually the reason that noone knows about him and why the police is unaware of him.
Every "job" he takes is planned very carefully and with great detail to the very last aspect of it,he even creates different alibis for him after each hit along with the help of his girlfriend.This time though after killing a night club owner several people see him and now he is being chased by both the police and his employers.
What follows is a crime/thriller/drama masterpiece with a controversial ending that raised a lot of discussions among the people who watched this film.
If you liked films like Heat,Kill Bill and Leon then you will love this one,its actually much better and deeper although already 40 years old.
Rare and not so easy to find film but Criterion remastered it not so long time ago and the new amazing version is available through amazon and other websites,it really worths buying this one instead of just downloading it from the net if it is available in our days.
Highly suggested and worths searching for it,european cinema at its finest.
The murderer always returns to the scene of the crime and Jean Pierre Melville just did it again with this state of the art cult film.
Toodaloo Motherfuckers!!!!! |
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DETOX
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
296
Posts :
6194
Posted : Feb 21, 2008 18:32
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Title : El Topo
Website : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067866/
Director : Alejandro Jodorowsky
Year : 1971
Country : Mexico
What you will witness while watching El Topo isnt exactly clear but you wont forget it for the rest of your life.
A man dressed in black and his naked son ride in the desert.
"You are seven years old now,you are a man,bury your first toy and your mothers picture in the sand"
During their journey they find a town full of dead people and animals and the mysterious black dressed man swears to take revenge on whoever did that.He finds out the people responsible for this massacre who are hiding in a nearby town and then after he kills them he swears to find their leader and kill him too.
With the help of a woman he has to first defeat the four great gun masters in order to become the greatest gunman in the land before he can defeat the leader of the bandits that massacred the first town,a man named simply The Colonel.
Some of you might say that till now this sounds like a typical western movie and you most probably be right,what follows next though is a masterpiece full of hidden messages and images that is really difficult even for the most demantive viewers to fully understand.
El Topo now has to face the four gun masters before he can continue his journey.
He has to kill the blind man with the voice of a woman being well guarded by a man with no legs who is riding a man with no hands.
He has to defeat the enormous traveller acompannied by his mother and a lion.
Win the duel with the mysterious rabbit shepherd who says to El Topo that as soon as he arrived to the farm the rabbits begun to die.
And last but not least defeat the long haired gun master who has no longer a gun but challenges El Topo to a fist fight.
I wont reveal to you if El Topo will win all of these duels and how he will win any of them.Sometimes he was skilled enough to win,other times he was just lucky,sometimes he had to trick his opponents and sometimes he just had to give up and burst into tears and frustration since he couldnt win or trick his opponent.
And imagine this is the synopsis of the first half of the movie,the rest wouldnt be possible even for me to describe,how can you describe a movie that includes dwarves,deformed people,slaves,religious cults,monks that play russian rullet,sexual orgies and many many more strange things?
If we are talking about cult movies then this has to be the best and at the same time less known cult movie of all times.
A real masterpiece by a master director like Jodorowsky.
Buy it,rent it,download it no matter what and how but try to find and watch this movie over and over again and come and thank me later.
Toodaloo Motherfuckers!!!!! |
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Nurbs
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
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559
Posted : May 9, 2008 04:03
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Run Lola
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
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Posts :
476
Posted : May 11, 2008 10:50
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My dear Detox, I finally come across your great taste of movies. Allow me to add a feminine touch to your selection and spot the light on one good movie dealing with the hardships of relationships in our "modern" times
Movie Title: 5x2 (cinq x deux)
Language: French
Director: François Ozon
Year: 2004
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0354356/
In ‘5x2’ From François Ozon, “the hard-working boy wonder of new French cinema” explores the failure of a relationship of a young married couple, through 5 different chapters.
The movie starts backwards, opening with a divorce scene, moving all the way to the first day the couple met. The movie takes us into 5 critical moments of the couples life, starting with a cold divorce followed by a domestic rape, moving to a dinner party where some bitter holes between the two characters start to reveal, followed by the birth of their baby, and the cold emotions it brought with it, to the wedding night and finally the movie ends on the shores of Italy where the couple first met and fell in love desperately.
The viewer sympathizes equally with both characters: Marion, gracefully played by Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi) and Gilles (Stéphane Freiss), proving that it takes two to tango, and also to kill a marriage. By the end of the movie we realize that a relationship, just like any edible product has an expiry date, and no matter how much the two loved each other, and had absolutely no dramatic reason to end the marriage, love remained doomed.
The viewer finds him/her self tightly grabbed by the series of events, trying to search for any clues to the characters impending the break up, and engaged in a series of investigation analysing each incident and reaction coming from the couple.
The end comes clear: love is not enough to hold up two people in one life.
baddeh ekol knefeh! |
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DETOX
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
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Posted : May 11, 2008 17:32
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Lovely i was hoping some suggestions would pop up here soon,thanks both Nurbs and especially Lola (since she also provided a synopsis of the film) for their suggestions,they are both down to my list of movies to see in the future.
By the way sweet Lola i am happy that you liked a Francois Ozon film who happens to be one of my very favorite French directors with great films like Le Temps Qui Reste (you will love it since it has many similarities with 5X2) and the great Swimming Pool with my two big loves Ludivine Sagnier (damn what a female) and the timeless Charlotte Rampling.
Keep it coming people 
Toodaloo Motherfuckers!!!!! |
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DETOX
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
296
Posts :
6194
Posted : May 11, 2008 18:41
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Title : Find Me Guilty
Website : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0419749/
Director : Sidney Lumet
Year : 2006
Country : USA
Stereotypes,what a bad word and what a worst meaning,our world today is full of stereotypes and prejudism for people,places,situations and many other things.
I still remember how and when this film reached my hands,it was sitting on the corner of my video club for more than a year,i had noticed it many many times but with Vin Diesel on its cover this film had absolutely no chances for me picking it up,stereotypes and prejudism like i mentioned before.
Then one day the guy who owns the video club asked me "Hey Mike how come you havent seen this one,you like mafia films no?".I said yes but this one has Vin Diesel on its cover so it has to be another american stupidity."No no this one is very good actually" he answered back so there i was with a film i was very reluctant to watch.
Since that day i have watched this film 3 times during the last year and each time i enjoyed it more than the last time.
Sidney Lumet delivers us with an amazing comedy with Vin Diesel giving the best perfomance of his career so far portraying a real life mobster who decides to defend himself on one of the biggest mafia trials ever.
Jackie DiNorscio is a loyal but not so intelligent mafia member who is arrested and sent to prison waiting for his trial which will put him to jail for a long long time.He is then approached by some federal agents and asked to help them in accusing his bosses in exchange for a much lighter sentence for himself.
After Jackie rejects to help the agents in any way they try to make his life in prison as hard as possible plus they include him in the trial of the state against his whole crime familly.
What follows is the most hilarious trial case ever presented in the history of cinema which in fact is a real life case.
The court room gets full with hundrends of mobsters from single soldiers to all of their bosses,Jackie decides to defend himself on his own because "the last time i got a lawyer he emptyied my bank account and send me 5 years to prison" and Peter Dinklage delivers an amazing perfomance as the midget mafia boss lawyer who tries to protect his customers from Jackie's stupid remarks but at the same time he feels sympathy for him.
This is the best comedy i have seen for many many years and stands out among the american idiotic comedies produced every week.The actors are amazing and the script hilarious plus many moral learnings in the end.Vin Diesel deserved an Oscar for his perfomance and this ranks among the very best of mafia movies ever made.
Never judge a book by its cover,this is a must see film.
Toodaloo Motherfuckers!!!!! |
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