Category: Underappreciated Movies

Every Monday, each of us will suggest a film that we feel too few people have seen.

Melissa’s Pick of the Week: A Band Called Death

I’m a sucker for a good documentary, and this is a good one that just recently hit the streaming services. Back in 1973, a trio of young black men from Detroit formed a proto-punk band called Death. Influenced by hard rockers like The Who and Alice Cooper, they worked hard to gain virtuosity with their instruments and break new ground in music, but were stymied by the music industry, racism, and one brother’s unwillingness to compromise his vision. This film examines the brief life of the band and the fascinating 40 years that followed.

Windy’s Pick of the Week: Escape to Witch Mountain (1975)

Back in the heyday of making spooky science fiction movies for family entertainment (see also The Watcher in the Woods), this 1975 charmer is mysterious, tense, and exciting – whether you’re under 10 years old or over 40. Starring screen legends Eddie Albert and Ray Milland, with a very weaselly Donald Pleasance oozing all over the place, this film is anchored by surprisingly strong performances by the two child stars, as well as a very haunting film score. One of my favorite movies from childhood that holds up fantastically.

Every Monday, each of us will suggest a film that we feel too few people have seen.

Windy’s Pick of the Week: Footloose (2011)

I am – naturally, OBVIOUSLY – a huge fan of the original film.  But this remake has several things working in its favor.  First, director Craig Brewer (Hustle and Flow, Black Snake Moan).  Second, a Ren who can actually dance – not much of an actor, but his dancing is top notch and he’s pretty likeable.  Third, and best of all for my personal prejudices – NO LORI SINGER.  Instead, you get the charismatic and talented Julianne Hough.  Also, Dennis Quaid is an excellent Reverend 2.0 and the tweaks they make to the storyline are interesting and believable.  I’m happy that now Footloose can be a double-feature in my house!

Melissa’s Pick of the Week: Black Out

This Dutch crime film is a hoot. It starts when a retired criminal wakes up next to a dead body on the day before his wedding day. He has no idea how he got there or what happened, but he has to plunge back into the world of crime to find out before his bride-to-be is put in danger. For as dark as that sounds, the film is a lovely mix of crime film and black comedy. It’s a little derivative of Tarantino’s work, but there are some truly creative moments here and there. Bonus points for how the film passes the Bechdel Test.

Every Monday, each of us will suggest a film that we feel too few people have seen.

Melissa’s Pick of the Week: The Perfect Host

So, an easy way to get me to watch just about anything is to put David Hyde Pierce in it, which means that The Perfect Host was laser-aimed at the pleasure centers of my brain. The plot involves a thief who cons his way into a dinner party being hosted by an upscale foodie, played by Mr. Pierce. As the film progresses, the thief begins to be wary that things aren’t quite right with his consummate host, and soon David Hyde Pierce is chewing ALL of the scenery. Seriously. I think he may even have been chewing so much scenery, he ran out and started chewing on scenery in other movies. It’s a twisted delight.

Windy’s Pick of the Week: Hustle and Flow

I’m not really a fan of rap music or rap culture.  And yet somehow this movie is still engaging.  A breakout performance by Terrence Howard anchors this film, but it’s the gritty and interesting details, along with the surrounding characters that gives his character something to bounce off of.  It’s a typical hero’s quest – but the hero is a pimp trying to be a rap star.  More inspiring and positive than it has any right to be.

Every Monday, each of us will suggest a film that we feel too few people have seen.

Windy’s Pick of the Week: My Sister Eileen

A series of autobiographical short stories by Ruth McKinney was turned into a play, a movie-non-musical, a Broadway musical (Wonderful Town), and the 1955 movie starring Betty Garrett and Janet Leigh. But who cares about the girls – the reason to watch this movie is the dancing! Specifically the challenge dance done by Tommy Rall and Bob Fosse! The story is about two midwestern girls moving to the big city – what more do you need to know? BOB FOSSE!

Melissa’s Pick of the Week: The Dam Busters

You know how TV shows like Law & Order are called crime procedurals? Well, The Dam Busters is kind of a war procedural. The film tells the true story about how the British managed to attack German dams during WWII, from “hey, I have an impossible task,” to “hey, I’m a scientist and I have an idea” to “HEY, LET’S GO BOMB NAZIS.” Keen viewers will catch that Star Wars borrowed a lot of the starfighter action scenes from this movie, right down to flying low down a trench in order to thread a proverbial needle with a bomb. The film is smart and exciting and definitely worth tracking down. Bonus points for containing Michael Redgrave.

(A note of caution: this film contains a dog with an offensive name. In the film’s defense, the dog was a real dog owned by the real pilots, and that was his real name. The dog even has a Wikipedia page.)

Every Monday, each of us will suggest a film that we feel too few people have seen.

Melissa’s Pick of the Week: Sorcerer

Whenever someone starts complaining about remakes being no good, I bring up Sorcerer. Sorcerer is a 1970’s remake of the French suspense classic The Wages of Fear, one of my favorite films of all time. Sorcerer is different enough from the original to be its own thing, and thus it is amazing in its own right as well as being a worthy heir to the Wages of Fear mantle.

Sorcerer is a film about a team of down-and-out foreigners in South America, whose luck turns when an oil well catches fire. The only way to extinguish the oil fire is an explosion that will smother the flames, and the only way to generate that explosion is to haul a couple trucks full of dynamite over the mountains. The problem is that the dynamite is leaking nitroglycerine, which will explode upon experiencing any physical shock. Thus, the team of men who drive these trucks very carefully over the dangerous mountain road must be both money-hungry and expendable, and so that’s where our protagonists come in.

The film is a master class in tension, and it would probably be a classic of the 1970s if it weren’t for the fact that it opened in theaters against a little movie called Star Wars. Did I mention it was directed by The French Connection‘s William Friedkin? And it has Roy Scheider. And a bizarro soundtrack by Tangerine Dream. And a brand-new, gorgeous Blu-Ray release. Yeah, you should see this one.

Windy’s Pick of the Week: Main Hoon Na

Continuing with my Bollywood recommendations, this is an accessible film for a first time Bollywood viewer. Starring the incomparable Shah Rukh Khan, this is a spy/action/fish-out-of-water/prodigal son movie. It’s Bollywood, so it is ALL THE GENRES! Shah Rukh stars as the super spy sent undercover as a college student to protect a government muckety-muck’s daughter. The action scenes are beautifully over-the-top, some wonderful visual comedy (especially the violins!), plus Shah Rukh Khan cries more beautifully than any man ever.