DVD RECOMMENDATIONS
DVD SLEEPERS – MOVIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
Not sure what to rent at the video store – or add to your Netflix queue? Here’s a sampling of films I heartily recommend. Some are obvious, some aren’t. But all should deliver 2 hours of grand entertainment.
COMEDIES:
“The Hammer” (2008) – Who knew radio talk show host Adam Carolla had a warm and funny romantic comedy in him?
“Kabluey” (2008) – Don’t give up on this one – it improves nicely after the 20 minute mark and delivers a quirky ode to family along the way.
“Three O’Clock High (1987) – “You and me. Three o’clock.” So says the menacing bully to poor Jerry, the hero of this absurd, yet wildly entertaining high school comedy.
“The Thing About My Folks” (2005) – Paul Reiser wrote and co-stars in this surprisingly touching tale of a middle aged man going on a road trip with his pappy (Peter Falk). Sounds terriblly schmaltzy, right? Only during a few scenes. The rest of the time it’s a warm and witty yarn.
“Sweet Liberty” (1986) – Writer/director Alan Alda cobbles together a great cast (Michael Caine, Michelle Pfeiffer, Bob Hoskins) to gently mock how Hollywood runs roughshod over a small Long Island town while shooting a “historical” biopic. Sweet, indeed, and Caine is in rare form.
ROMANTIC COMEDIES:
“Last Chance Harvey” (2008) – Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson team up for this warm and witty romance. The actors click beautifully, and the narrative doesn’t follow the rom-com template to the letter.
ACTION:
“Freeway” (1996)- A young Reese Witherspoon flashes serious potential in this multi-layers thriller.
“House of Flying Daggers” (2004) – Own a big screen TV? Then watching this gorgeous film on it is a must. The story holds up better than most Asian-based action films.
DOCUMENTARIES:
“Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos” (2006) – I hate soccer. Hate it. This soccer documentary is one of my favorites movies of the last few years. Chock full of entertaining memories of a time when soccer nearly reigned supreme.
“Deliver Us From Evil” (2006) – The arresting story of a pedophile priest and the efforts to keep him away from the law. Powerful. Painful. Unforgettable.
“”American Artifact: The Rise of American Rock Poster Art (2009 – DVD release date TBD): A fascinating glimpse at a severely underrated art form.
DRAMAS
“Miller’s Crossing” (1989) – The Coen brothers’ most neglected classic.
“Shattered Glass” (2003) – The true story of journalist fraud at The New Republic is brought vivid life by Billy Ray (“Breach”). It’s so good even Hayden Christensen impresses as the tragic lead character.
“Inside Moves” (1980) – John Savage plays a suicidal man who finds reason to live while hanging out at a bar where other social misfits dwell.
“Beautiful Girls” (1996) – A fine ensemble (Timothy Hutton, Matt Dillon, Mira Sorvino) brings back memories of your own high school days — and reminds you the dangers of going home again. Feel free to FF past Rosie O’Donnell’s meaningless scenes.
“The Door in the Floor” (2004) – Sharp adaptation of John Irving’s “A Widow for One Year” featuring yet another brilliant performance by Jeff Bridges.
“Full Moon in Blue Water” (1988) – Gene Hackman, Teri Garr and Burgess Meredith star in this crusty drama about second chances at love and life.
“My Bodyguard” (1980) – Chris Makepeace stars as the new kid in school being bullied by a young Matt Dillon. This sweetheart of a film delivers a poignant tale of redemption and one of the most satisfying endings you’ll ever see in a teen flick.
SCIENCE FICTION
“The Thing” (1982) – Sorry, Dad. This remake is superior in most ways to the 1951 original.
“Time After Time” (1979) – Malcolm McDowell plays H.G. Wells in this smart rom-com slash sci-fi yarn about the chase for Jack the Ripper (David Warner at his most evil).
“Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut” (1980) – A very different, and more sophisticated version of the Super sequel.
“Galaxy Quest” (1999) – A “Star Trek” spoof that tweaks the show, its fan base and the actors who boldly went where no man had gone before. Plus, it’s a fine adventure story to boot. Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver headline this terrific sci-fi comedy.&&&
HORROR
“The Descent” (2005) – Best horror movie of the decade.
“Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon” (2006) – Don’t let the micro-budget fool you. This impressive mockumentary takes down virtually every cliche in the horror genre.
“Let the Right One In” (2008) – This Swedish import is currently being remade by Hollywood, but it’s hard to imagine a studio version replicating the chills found in this bond between a teen boy and a youthful vampire.
“Fright Night” (1985) – Great example of ’80s horror films. Campy, scary and impulsively watchable.
“Wolf Creek” (2005) – Beautiful Aussie scenery sets you up for one nasty horror treat.
“Eden Lake” (2009) – You’ll never look at school punks the same way again. A smart, tense British horror film with a blood curdling ending.
“Rogue” (2008) A killer crocodile? C’mon. Trust me. This one is smarter than most horror flicks.
“Splinter” (2008) Sometimes all you need for a gripping horror movie is a simple set and four distinct characters. An outlaw and his galpal kidnap a couple, but things really go awry when they run into a strange life form that seems to take over the bodies of those it kills.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
So is the directors cut of Superman II that much different?
Very different, Piper. If you’ve never seen the director’s cut – and love the old Sup II – you really need to check it out.
A wonderful list, many of which I already own. So happy I’m not the only one who thinks “Miller’s Crossing” is way overlooked. I prefer “Hero” just slightly more than “Flying Daggers,” though. Loved “The Descent,” and it bears up after repeated viewings, too, but I’m never going to watch “Eden Lake” again. Brilliant film, but just thinking about how it ends gives me a chill, albeit in a good way. And all hail Donner’s Sup II; it’s so much better, I can’t watch the “original” any more.
A wonderful list! I was thrilled to see some of my own sleeper favorites like “Galaxy Quest” and “Inside Moves.” I love “Kabluey” and “Sweet Liberty.” Some neglected gems I have enjoyed: “I Could Never Be Your Woman” with Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd, “Dancing in September,” “I’m Through With White Girls,” “Happy Texas,” “Big Bad Swim,” and “Helvetica.”
Nice additions, Nell … a lot of your picks I haven’t even seen yet, but will add them to my ‘buy at the used DVD shop’ list.
I like most of your list (but I can’t handle horror movies). Good choices and some I’m interested in seeing for the first time. My 3 favorite movies are:
1. “Sweet land” “Historical” drama (2005) (with Tim Guinee, Lois Smith, John Heard, Ned Beatty). The Boston Globe called it a “lovely, old-fashioned farm romance” (and the farm romance has nothing to do with animals I might add!). This is the one I would probably call the sleeper. It’s a wonderfully funny love story that takes place shortly after WWI. You can safely watch this with your whole family.
2. Tender Mercies with Robert Duvall and Tess Harper (1983) a drama about 2nd chances at love and family, and an alcoholic’s redemption physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Robert Duvall got an Oscar for this. This is another great family movie.
3. My Cousin Vinny (1992). I’m sure everyone knows this one. Everyone I know who watched and loved this movie has seen it so often we’ve memorized most of the dialogue. Unfortunately, the language is a bit rough for family viewing. But the movie was “edited for television” for some of the syndication channels (i.e. USA) and I believe there was also an edited DVD version available. This is such a laughable example of how misunderstandings can take on a life of their own (which is a good lesson for young people to learn although some of us parents are a bit sensitive about the language used to teach that lesson!).
Again, thanks for this DVD list. I always love watching (and rewatching) movies, especially old favorites, and finding new favorites.