Underrated Masterpieces (Films and Movies for the cinephile)
Some are underrated others underseen. Usually less then 15,000 votes at time of rating. Quite a few have gone up a bit in rating over the years
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- DirectorAbel FerraraStarsLili TaylorChristopher WalkenAnnabella SciorraA New York philosophy grad student turns into a vampire after getting bitten by one, and then tries to come to terms with her new lifestyle and frequent craving for human blood.While King of New York and The Bad Lieutenant get only a small share of the credit they deserve, this gem by the same director is totally ignored. The philosophical and theological implications of the screenplay by Nicholas St John make this movie perhaps the deepest and most "European" movie ever shot in the US.
- DirectorLuis BuñuelStarsFernando ReyCarole BouquetÁngela MolinaRecounted in flashback are the romantic perils of Mathieu, a middle-aged French sophisticate as he falls for his nineteen-year-old former chambermaid Conchita.No Bunuel movie gets enough credit for my taste. This one though is more accessible, stunningly well acted and somehow timely. Pay close attention and don't read anything about this movie before you watch it. Bunuel at his best.
- DirectorIngmar BergmanStarsIngrid ThulinGunnel LindblomBirger MalmstenTwo estranged sisters, Ester and Anna, and Anna's 10-year-old son travel to the Central European country on the verge of war. Ester becomes seriously ill and the three of them move into a hotel in a small town called Timoka.A movie that never was taken seriously when released due to its nudity. A Bergman movie, hence not easy viewing, but stunningly beautiful and psychologically intricate.
- DirectorRainer Werner FassbinderStarsHanna SchygullaKlaus LöwitschIvan DesnyMaria marries Hermann Braun in the last days of World War II, only for him to go missing in the war. Alone, Maria puts to use her beauty and ambition in order to find prosperity during Germany's "economic miracle" of the 1950s.Hmmm, is there a better German post WWII movie? Probably, but I can't think of it. Disturbingly under-seen considering its power and historical relevance in terms of what it meant to be a German Post WWII.
- DirectorGéla BabluaniStarsGeorge BabluaniAurélien RecoingPascal BongardA man takes over a dead man's task without realizing the horror it entails.Shocking movie that was recently butchered by a Hollywood remake. A new Bicycle Thief of our times.
- DirectorDouglas SirkStarsRock HudsonLauren BacallRobert StackAlcoholic playboy Kyle Hadley marries the woman secretly loved by his poor but hard-working best friend, who in turn is pursued by Kyle's nymphomaniac sister.An American Masterpiece! Amazing cinematography, great acting, great script! This movie was way ahead of its time and its one of the greatest movies ever made (think Vertigo and Citizen Kane caliber)
- DirectorAndrey ZvyagintsevStarsVladimir GarinIvan DobronravovKonstantin LavronenkoIn the Russian wilderness, two brothers face a range of new, conflicting emotions when their father - a man they know only through a single photograph - resurfaces.Even if you play it on mute, and ignore the brands of the cars they drive, this is still easily recognizable as a Russian movie, but its as good as they get. A meditation on fatherhood, and by extension the Fatherland (Russia).
- DirectorElio PetriStarsGian Maria VolontèFlorinda BolkanGianni SantuccioA chief of detectives, homicide section, kills his mistress and deliberately leaves clues to prove his own responsibility for the crime.Elio Petri! Ring a bell? Didn't thinks so. Politically charged, master of power relations. Somehow he has been forgotten, possibly due to his politics. Nonetheless this movie is a must see!
- DirectorAlejandro AmenábarStarsAna TorrentFele MartínezEduardo NoriegaWhile doing a thesis about violence, Ángela finds a snuff video where a girl is tortured until death. Soon she discovers that the girl was a former student in her faculty...Spanish low budget movie with an axe to grind with the business. Only for the true movie geek.
- DirectorAki KaurismäkiStarsJean-Pierre LéaudMargi ClarkeKenneth ColleyHenri is depressed after losing his job, but finds himself too afraid to go through with suicide. He hires a contract killer to do the job for him instead - but what happens if he changes his mind?Aki Kaurismaki's simple yet ingenious ploy to remind us to think of our mortality. Beautiful cinematography, and a typical, slow, dark comedy full of life and somehow warmth.
- DirectorJean VigoStarsDita ParloJean DastéGilles MargaritisNewly married couple Juliette and a ship captain Jean struggle through marriage as they travel on the L'atalante along with the captain's first mate Le père Jules and a cabin boy.Ok it is not Metropolis, or M, or some other well known silent era movie, but it has struck me like no other silent movie I can think of.
- DirectorAnders Thomas JensenStarsNikolaj Lie KaasMads MikkelsenLine KruseTwo Danish friends are tired of their employer and open their own butcher shop. An electrician accidentally dies in the freezer and he's sold as marinated chicken and business picks up. What happens when they run out of "chicken"?Dark comedy, beautifully acted and wickedly hilarious.
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsJeremy IronsGeneviève BujoldHeidi von PalleskeTwin gynecologists take full advantage of the fact that nobody can tell them apart, until their relationship begins to deteriorate over a woman.A movie worth watching for David Lynch fans, and anyone who enjoys great acting.
- DirectorDino RisiStarsVittorio GassmanCatherine SpaakJean-Louis TrintignantAn impulsive braggart takes a shy law student with him for a two-day road trip from Rome to Tuscany.
- DirectorPaolo SorrentinoStarsToni ServilloOlivia MagnaniAdriano GianniniAn introverted man's life changes completely when he finds himself attracted to a young barmaid.Paolo Sorrentino is certainly the best Italian director active, and recently won an Oscar for The Great Beauty, but this little gem, while less visually attractive, is a much more powerful and cohesive work of art.
- DirectorLina WertmüllerStarsGiancarlo GianniniMariangela MelatoRiccardo SalvinoA trip into the Mediterranean sea becomes a trip into the discovery of how society's frameworks of the rich and poor are delicate and temporary."Travolti da un insolito destino nell'azzurro mare d'agosto" must be the one of the longest titles ever. The movie is quite excellent, and shockingly has only 3000 votes. Not to be confused with the new Madona version.
- DirectorPier Paolo PasoliniStarsEnrique IrazoquiMargherita CarusoSusanna PasoliniThe life of Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of Matthew. Pasolini shows Christ as a Marxist avant-la-lettre and therefore uses half of the text of Matthew.Passolini is not someone you would expect to put together a serious first rate cinematic version of any of the gospels. Yet, he does succeed to bring forth one of the most interesting versions put on reel. Black and White, slow Neo-realism with amateur cast, and dedicated to a pope by Passolini. No wonder it is ignored, as 120 days of Sodom is much more jarring and shocking, but this masterpiece is ignored but at ones own loss.
- DirectorLuis BuñuelStarsFrancisco RabalMarga LópezRita MacedoA priest in a poor community lives a charitable life in accordance with his religious principles, but many others do not return the favor.Bunuel's modern Christ in Mexico. An attack on the Catholic Church's relation to power while a love letter to Christianity. It is Bunuels take on The Grand Inquisitor, a marvelous huge little movie.
- DirectorBéla TarrStarsMiklós Székely B.Vali KerekesGyula PauerA lonely barfly falls in love with a married bar singer.Bela Tarr's masterful 1988 movie is painfully slow for some, deeply evocative for others. A brilliant study of the death of communist societies under the weight of immorality. Have patience!
- DirectorVittorio De SicaStarsDominique SandaLino CapolicchioHelmut BergerThe story of the Finzi-Continis, a noble family of Ferrara, during the Jewish persecution in Italy's 1930s.
- DirectorLuchino ViscontiStarsDirk BogardeIngrid ThulinHelmut GriemThe dramatic collapse of a wealthy, industrialist/Junker family during the reign of the Third Reich.An investigation at the factors behind the rise of Nazism in Germany. A beauty of a movie and an absolute must watch.
- DirectorWhit StillmanStarsCarolyn FarinaEdward ClementsChris EigemanA group of young upper-class Manhattanites are blithely passing through the gala debutante season, when an unusual outsider joins them and stirs them up.Witty, evocative, perhaps best categorized as a period piece misplaced in 90's Manhattan. Its topic is foreign to most, yet it holds a certain universal appeal as a coming of age story, perhaps the best coming of age story - in an intellectual sort of way.
- DirectorMark WatersStarsParker PoseyJosh HamiltonTori SpellingA mentally unbalanced young woman - who is convinced she is Jackie Kennedy - flies into a murderous rage when her brother returns home to reveal he is engaged.Incest, insanity, patricide and Parker Posey posing as Jacqueline Kennedy! If we scratch a bit deeper perhaps also an attempt to say something about post Kennedy assassination America. A movie I love more with every view.
- DirectorRobert AldrichStarsRalph MeekerAlbert DekkerPaul StewartA doomed female hitchhiker pulls Mike Hammer into a deadly whirlpool of intrigue, revolving around a mysterious "great whatsit".Quintessential Film Noir!
- DirectorJ.C. ChandorStarsOscar IsaacJessica ChastainDavid OyelowoIn New York City 1981, an ambitious immigrant fights to protect his business and family during the most dangerous year in the city's history.Deserved an Oscar, got robbed, next. Actually no. Its quite a movie, carried by excellent performances, give it a shot if you missed it the first time around.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsJohnny DeppFrank LangellaLena OlinA book broker discovers his latest find may summon Satan.Dark, brooding, morally disturbing, yet great acting quite a neonoir by Roman Polanski.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsRichard GereJulie ChristieGene HackmanAfter a close friend drops out of politics, a political consultant helping to find a replacement finds a web of corruption and deceit as well.Sidney Lumet's lowest rated movie is actually a mature work by one of the greats, unfortunately it is a movie about ethics, and not flawless in dealing with such an noncommercial theme. It is about a main character that discovers the nature of the game he is playing, and the consequences of his professionalism. A hired gun realizes that the game is not a game, it is power. While not Lumet's masterpiece (see Network), it is still a worthy movie, brutally underrated.
- DirectorPeter MedakStarsGary OldmanLena OlinWallace WoodA womanizing, crooked cop on the payroll of the mafia is confronted with the reality of his double life after he is asked to kill a beautiful and ruthless Russian gangster.Gritty, imperfect neonoir that will stay with you for a long time.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsBibi AnderssonRichard BooneNigel GreenDuring the Cold War a Naval Intelligence officer endowed with a powerful photographic memory is transferred to the CIA to participate in a covert operation in Moscow.A flawed gem, most certainly worth the two hours. Amazing performances from the cast directed by John Houston make this a movie that deserves a chance.
- DirectorGerard JohnstoneStarsMorgana O'ReillyRima Te WiataGlen-Paul WaruA young woman is forced to return to her childhood home after being placed under house arrest, where she suspects that something evil may be lurking.Hilarious!!!
- DirectorKen RussellStarsVanessa RedgraveOliver ReedDudley SuttonIn 17th-century France, Father Urbain Grandier's protection of the city of Loudun from the corrupt Cardinal Richelieu is undermined by a sexually repressed nun's accusation of witchcraft.Vanessa Redgrave = :0
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsJohn CusackKevin SpaceyJack ThompsonA visiting city reporter's assignment suddenly revolves around the murder trial of a local millionaire, whom he befriends.If you have not read the book, watch this movie!
- DirectorHélène CattetBruno ForzaniStarsElina LöwensohnStéphane FerraraBernie BonvoisinA grizzled thug and his gang head to an island retreat with a haul of 250 kilograms of gold bullion to lay low; however, a bohemian writer, his muse, and a pair of gendarmes further complicate things, as allegiances are put to the test.Artsy, gutsy and the movie Tarantino fan should kinda appreciate, it is a dark and deceptive visual tour de force with metaphysical implications.
- DirectorAndrew CurrieStarsKesun LoderBilly ConnollyCarrie-Anne MossIn an Earthly world resembling the 1950s, a cloud of space radiation has shrouded the planet, resulting in the dead becoming zombies that desire live human flesh. A company called Zomcon has been able to control the zombie population. Zombies can be temporarily neutralized by being shot, but can only be permanently neutralized by their brain being destroyed. Their ultimate disposal is through cremation, or burial, the latter which requires decapitation with the head being buried separately from the body. Conversely, Zomcon has created the domestication collar, when activated and placed on a zombie makes the zombie controllable, and thus an eternally productive creature within society. Because all dead initially become zombies, the elderly are viewed negatively and suspectly. And all people, adult or child, learn to shoot to kill to protect society. Zomcon is the go to organization for all things zombie. In the town of Willard, the Robinsons - father Bill (Dylan Baker), mother Helen (Carrie-Anne Moss), and adolescent son Timmy (Kesun Loder) - are one family who don't own a zombie as a domestic, since Bill is afraid of zombies, as, when he was a child, he had to shoot his own zombie father, who tried to eat him. Bill has thus become fascinated with funerals to see zombies put away permanently. But Helen feels pressured to get a zombie when Zomcon's new head of security in Willard, the officious Jonathan Bottoms (Henry Czerny), moves into the neighborhood with his family. Never having had to deal with a zombie directly, Timmy is initially wary of their zombie. But as a lonely child who has no friends and is often bullied, Timmy eventually befriends their zombie, who he names Fido (Sir Billy Connolly), as he treats the zombie much like a faithful pet dog. Timmy protects Fido at all cost, even after Fido, due to no fault of its own, is implicated in some deaths, which creates a mini-wave of loose zombies unknown to Zomcon. But Fido may play a larger role within the family as a companion for Helen, who is largely neglected by Bill, since he sees human affection as ultimately resulting in such difficult issues as what happened between him and his own father. With Timmy and Helen treating Fido with kindness, Fido, in turn, may prove that not all zombies, even when without their domestication collar, are out to kill anyone and everyone in their path.Hard to find satire on modern family.
- DirectorDavid SladeStarsPatrick WilsonElliot PageSandra OhHayley's a smart, charming teenage girl. Jeff's a handsome, smooth fashion photographer. An Internet chat, a coffee shop meet-up, an impromptu fashion shoot back at Jeff's place. Jeff thinks it's his lucky night. He's in for a surprise.
- DirectorRémy BelvauxAndré BonzelBenoît PoelvoordeStarsBenoît PoelvoordeJacqueline Poelvoorde-PappaertNelly PappaertA film crew follows a ruthless thief and heartless killer as he goes about his daily routine. But complications set in when the film crew lose their objectivity and begin lending a hand.Mass Media gets torn apart in this prophetic satire.
- DirectorTimur BekmambetovStarsKonstantin KhabenskiyVladimir MenshovMariya PoroshinaA fantasy-horror set in present-day Moscow where the respective forces that control daytime and nighttime do battle.Together with Day Watch makes for a cultish sci-fi almost masterpiece.
- DirectorJohn FrankenheimerStarsRock HudsonFrank CampanellaJohn RandolphAn unhappy middle-aged banker agrees to a procedure that will fake his death and give him a completely new look and identity - one that comes with its own price.
- DirectorPaul SoterStarsCillian MurphyLucy LiuJason SudeikisA film noir buff to the extreme is given a taste of his own medicine and has his life turned upside down by a kooky femme fatale with a big adventure in mind. Sometimes love is stranger than fiction.Super cute, original, quirky. A darling of a romcom that is at least an 8 but currently 6.4. Really hope people rediscover it for it is truly a gem, for the right viewer that is.
- DirectorLake BellStarsLake BellFred MelamedMichaela WatkinsAn underachieving voice coach finds herself competing in the movie trailer voice-over profession against her arrogant father and his protégé.
- DirectorWoody AllenSenkichi TaniguchiStarsWoody AllenThe Lovin' SpoonfulFrank BuxtonWoody Allen re-dubs the Japanese spy film Kokusai himitsu keisatsu: Kagi no kagi (1965), turning it into a comedy about an agent pursuing the world's greatest egg salad recipe.Pure F#4king Genius! Woodie Allen made a movie without shooting a single scene. He just re-dubbed it.
- DirectorNathaniel KahnStarsJeff KoonsPaul SchimmelLarry PoonsWith unprecedented access to pivotal artists and the white-hot market surrounding them, this film dives deep into the contemporary art world, holding a fun-house mirror up to our values and times.A great documentary about the art world's machinations
- DirectorAlan ArkinStarsElliott GouldMarcia RoddVincent GardeniaPitch black comedy about a young nihilistic New Yorker coping with pervasive urban violence, obscene phone calls, rusty water pipes, electrical blackouts, paranoia and ethnic-racial conflict during a typical summer of the 1970s.A sarcastic quasi-Bunuelian trip of a movie. A portrait of the nihilistic post-modern man in a chaotic Metropolis devoid of values.
- DirectorJuan Carlos FresnadilloStarsMax von SydowEusebio PoncelaLeonardo SbaragliaIn a world where luck can be taken from a lucky person by a luckier person's touch, a small group of lucky people compete to be the luckiest and for the other contestants' luck.An action thriller of high quality with a cool gimmick.
- DirectorYôji YamadaStarsHiroyuki SanadaRie MiyazawaNenji KobayashiAs the feudal Japan era draws to a close, a widower samurai experiences difficulty balancing clan loyalties, 2 young daughters, an aged mother, and the sudden reappearance of his childhood sweetheart.
- DirectorRian JohnsonStarsRachel WeiszAdrien BrodyMark RuffaloThe Brothers Bloom are the best con men in the world, swindling millionaires with complex scenarios of lust and intrigue. Now they've decided to take on one last job - showing a beautiful and eccentric heiress the time of her life with a romantic adventure that takes them around the world.Brutally underrated. Any Wes Anderson fan will absolutely love this movie.
- DirectorGeorge HuangStarsKevin SpaceyFrank WhaleyMichelle ForbesA young, naive Hollywood studio assistant finally turns the tables on his incredibly abusive producer boss.
- DirectorHenri VerneuilStarsJean-Paul BelmondoCatherine SpaakGeorges GéretIn June 1940, during the Dunkirk evacuation of Allied troops to England, French sergeant Julien Maillat and his men debate whether to evacuate to Britain or stay and fight the German troops that are closing-in from all directions.A beauty of a film, possibly the best made about Dunkirk. The movie takes the French perspective of the event and is extremely well acted.
- DirectorBill ForsythStarsBurt LancasterPeter RiegertFulton MackayAn American oil company has plans for a new refinery and sends someone to Scotland to buy up an entire village, but things don't go as expected.Great script and great acting in this little gem. Burt Lancaster was truly one of the greats and in this movie he shines. A comedy to make you think.
- DirectorAndrew StantonStarsTaylor KitschLynn CollinsWillem DafoeTransported to Barsoom, a Civil War vet discovers a barren planet seemingly inhabited by 12-foot tall barbarians. Finding himself prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter Woola and a princess in desperate need of a savior.Uneven and at times imperfect perhaps, nonetheless it transports the viewer to another world much more efficiently than most blockbusters. A GREAT FAMILY MOVIE!
- DirectorRichard FleischerStarsCharlton HestonEdward G. RobinsonLeigh Taylor-YoungA nightmarish futuristic fantasy about the controlling power of big corporations and an innocent cop who stumbles on the truth.Edward G Robinsons final movie, with a Bang. He died 9 days after from cancer, in the movie his death scene is, well something everyone must see, for it is not acting, it is being human. Shivers....
- DirectorLawrence KasdanStarsMorgan FreemanThomas JaneJason LeeFriends on a camping trip discover that the town they're vacationing in is being plagued in an unusual fashion by parasitic aliens from outer space.Cheeky, grotesque, ridiculous, a guilty pleasure sure to become a cult classic in the near future. Give it a shot if you like cult movies!
- DirectorJohn SaylesStarsChris CooperElizabeth PeñaStephen MendilloWhen the skeleton of his murdered predecessor is found, Sheriff Sam Deeds unearths many other long-buried secrets in his Texas border town.
- DirectorDavid MametStarsJoe MantegnaWilliam H. MacyVincent GuastaferroA Jewish homicide detective investigates a seemingly minor murder and falls in with a Zionist group as a result.A minor David Mamet movie that is an understated masterpiece of a script. Its a movie about what can go wrong, about identity and character study like almost no other. A movie that requires a lot of attention and patience.
- DirectorAlex ProyasStarsRufus SewellKiefer SutherlandJennifer ConnellyA man struggles with memories of his past, which include a wife he cannot remember and a nightmarish world no one else ever seems to wake up from.Yes it does have almost 200,000 votes, yet it doesn't get the credit it deserves for being a masterpiece of science fiction with few parallels.
- DirectorCarroll BallardStarsKelly RenoMickey RooneyTeri GarrAfter being shipwrecked with a magnificent horse off the coast of Africa in the 1940s, a boy bonds with the stallion, and trains him to race after their rescue.A beautiful family movie dealing with loss, friendship and and our relationship with nature. It will stay with you for a long time.
- DirectorNicholas RayStarsHumphrey BogartGloria GrahameFrank LovejoyA potentially violent screenwriter is a murder suspect until his lovely neighbor clears him. However, she soon starts to have her doubts.After watching Casablanca and the Maltese Falcon, give this movie a shot. Great script, well directed and another great performance by Bogard. A timeless classic!
- DirectorChristian AlvartStarsNorman ReedusChristian von AsterAndré HennickeWanted for a long time, serial killer Gabriel Engel gets arrested in a spectacular police raid. Small town cop Michael Martens travels to the big city to interrogate him and finds out more than he is looking for.
- DirectorNimród AntalStarsSándor CsányiEszter BallaZoltán MucsiA tale about a strange young man, Bulcsú, the fellow inspectors on his team, all without exception likable characters, a rival ticket inspection team and racing along the tracks - and a tale about love.
- DirectorAleksandar ManicStarsJasar DestaniBajram SeverdzanA documentary about bizarre residents of Shutka, a Macedonian village built on the former city dump area.Speechless!!! A must see... The fact this has less than one thousand votes makes me think there are plenty of amazing movies I will never find :(
- DirectorRichard BrooksStarsHumphrey BogartEthel BarrymoreKim HunterWith his newspaper about to be sold, crusading editor Ed Hutcheson tries to complete an exposé on gangster Rienzi.
- DirectorHenry KosterStarsJames StewartWallace FordWilliam H. LynnDue to his insistence that he has an invisible six foot-tall rabbit for a best friend, a whimsical middle-aged man is thought by his family to be insane - but he may be wiser than anyone knows.
- DirectorAlexander MackendrickStarsBurt LancasterTony CurtisSusan HarrisonPowerful but unethical Broadway columnist J.J. Hunsecker coerces unscrupulous press agent Sidney Falco into breaking up his sister's romance with a jazz musician.
- DirectorJohn FarrowStarsRay MillandMaureen O'SullivanCharles LaughtonA magazine tycoon commits a murder and pins it on an innocent man, who then tries to solve the murder himself.
- DirectorKirill SokolovStarsAleksandr KuznetsovVitaliy KhaevEvgeniya KregzhdeAndrei, a detective and the world's most horrible father, brings together a terrible group of people in his apartment: his resentful actress daughter, an angry thug, and a cheated cop. Each one of them has a reason to want revenge..
- DirectorStanley TucciStarsOliver PlattStanley TucciWalker JonesWrongly accused of physically abusing a fellow actor, starving thespians Arthur and Maurice find themselves pursued by the law aboard a cruise ship.Slapstick comedy. Great cast puts on an excellent performance.