Cashing in on the success of er, I mean hot on the heels of the Bad Movie Night thread, here's another idea - movies that fly completely below the radar.

We're talking the surprisingly good low budget films here - the ones which never saw a cinema release, which you caught one night by accident and really enjoyed, but couldn't remember what the hell it was called for years.

We're not even talking cult classics here - we're talking films that if you mention them by name, only one in a thousand people are likely to know what you're talking about, if that.

They could be foriegn language films, indie gold or directorial debuts; but the ones which left an impression. The films that you think deserve a wider audience.

To start us off, an eerie little psychological thriller: Paperhouse

The day the clown cried.

Ok ok I cheated with that last one. I didn't see The day the clow cried. (Mostly because it's actualy in some guys vault aparantly)

It was just the rarest most obscure film (short of London after dark) I could think of.

But here's one I did see:

Definatly under appreciated and I'm pretty sure not many of you have seen it:

84 Charlie Mopic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgWPFfHASuU

Vietnam war movie designed to look like a documentary. (Sorta like the blair witch meets platoon, but without any supernatural stuff.) One day I was watching TV at my grandma's and this thing comes on. Never had heard of it before, and when I mention this one nobody goes " oh yeah that one !".

But it's one of my fave 'nam films. Right there with "Hamburger Hill" and "Apocalypse now."

Dark City

Ok now for some shameless Belgium promotion:

This one had a theatrical release but it gets on this list because it's foreign language (well to most of you guys ) and it's not like it had a world wide release.

Cub (or Welp as it's original title goes)

You know how in most slasher films the victims are a bunch of anoying teenagers? Now imagine Friday the 13th... with Cub scouts... yeah. We don't pull punches around here.

There was even some debate if the child actors should be allowed to see the movie they are in, because none of them are 16+.

Dark City

seen it!

Un long dimanche de fiançelles.

Drama set around ww1 with much of the same cast and director of Amelie.

With Valentine's Day coming up, keep that in mind.

Great older movies are often under appreciated as well. Lion in Winter for instance.

One I saw that I'd never heard of and enjoyed so much that I went out and bought on DVD the next day is Tucker and Dale vs Evil staring Alan Tudyk.

It probably doesn't meet all criteria, but I highly recommend the Japanese movie Zebraman.

Ok ok I cheated with that last one. I didn't see The day the clow cried. (Mostly because it's actualy in some guys vault aparantly)

It was just the rarest most obscure film (short of London after dark) I could think of.

But here's one I did see:

Definatly under appreciated and I'm pretty sure not many of you have seen it:

84 Charlie Mopic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgWPFfHASuU

Vietnam war movie designed to look like a documentary. (Sorta like the blair witch meets platoon, but without any supernatural stuff.) One day I was watching TV at my grandma's and this thing comes on. Never had heard of it before, and when I mention this one nobody goes " oh yeah that one !".

But it's one of my fave 'nam films. Right there with "Hamburger Hill" and "Apocalypse now."

Wow if that's a screen shot from the movie the props department really messed up. They're all wearing gear from the 2000s

Not a movie as such, but a mini-series (5hrs): Edge of Darkness http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090424/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2

No not the terrible pseudo remake with Mel Gibson from a few years ago.

This is a very, very intelligent piece of filmmaking - it explores an incredibly interesting array of intersecting themes: conspiracies, the fear of nuclear armageddon in the mid-80s, eco-terrorism, climate change (no the other way!), and unconventional relationships, among others.

If your curiosity is piqued I can't recommend it highly enough.

EDIT - PS forgot to mention that it also has a very good edgy (no pun intended) and haunting soundtrack by Eric Clapton

Ok ok I cheated with that last one. I didn't see The day the clow cried. (Mostly because it's actualy in some guys vault aparantly)

It was just the rarest most obscure film (short of London after dark) I could think of.

But here's one I did see:

Definatly under appreciated and I'm pretty sure not many of you have seen it:

84 Charlie Mopic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgWPFfHASuU

Vietnam war movie designed to look like a documentary. (Sorta like the blair witch meets platoon, but without any supernatural stuff.) One day I was watching TV at my grandma's and this thing comes on. Never had heard of it before, and when I mention this one nobody goes " oh yeah that one !".

But it's one of my fave 'nam films. Right there with "Hamburger Hill" and "Apocalypse now."

Wow if that's a screen shot from the movie the props department really messed up. They're all wearing gear from the 2000s

I did wonder myself about that. There is a spot of 'woodland' pattern camo there but even that did not get issued til about 81.

Do

you mean its in the 'style' of a vietnam war movie or did you mean 'afghanistan'?#

edit: the 'still' we see is misleading, they are all wearing 70s gear in the movie. I only flicked through. A lot of tigerstripe going on, is it about a LRRP unit as the 82nd AA didnt wear that outside of the recce units and one guy seems to be wearing a USMC 'cover' which is odd in an airborn unit.

I probably should watch this. BTW insignia on tiger stripes was rare, they didnt last long enough in the bush to make it worth sewing on, you see some 'base shirts' with it but on the whole people didnt bother as the uniforms were privately made and tended to rot after a few weeks in the field.

edit 2: It is about a LRRP unit, fair enough, i may watch it at some point but i will insist on my 'tropic thunder' style 'vietnam film cliche bingo' card being out.

I probably should watch this. BTW insignia on tiger stripes was rare, they didnt last long enough in the bush to make it worth sewing on, you see some 'base shirts' with it but on the whole people didnt bother as the uniforms were privately made and tended to rot after a few weeks in the field.

edit 2: It is about a LRRP unit, fair enough, i may watch it at some point but i will insist on my 'tropic thunder' style 'vietnam film cliche bingo' card being out.

Yeah you should, I'd be intrested on your opinion about it. It's definatly waaaay more realistic than tropic thunder. But I'm no expert on the 'nam war. (I actually did know the long range recon patrols used camo and I've seen a psa about helicopter doorgunners getting their training, but that's about it.)

Wow if that's a screen shot from the movie the props department really messed up. They're all wearing gear from the 2000s

The guy who uploaded this to youtube is an idiot, but it is the better quality version I could find so...

Ok now for some shameless Belgium promotion:

This one had a theatrical release but it gets on this list because it's foreign language (well to most of you guys ) and it's not like it had a world wide release.

Cub (or Welp as it's original title goes)

You know how in most slasher films the victims are a bunch of anoying teenagers? Now imagine Friday the 13th... with Cub scouts... yeah. We don't pull punches around here.

There was even some debate if the child actors should be allowed to see the movie they are in, because none of them are 16+.

THIS close to making a bad, tasteless and well known joke about belgians and kids in the garden.. phew.. glad I could restrain myself

thematically, it would fit perfectly^^

I probably should watch this. BTW insignia on tiger stripes was rare, they didnt last long enough in the bush to make it worth sewing on, you see some 'base shirts' with it but on the whole people didnt bother as the uniforms were privately made and tended to rot after a few weeks in the field.

edit 2: It is about a LRRP unit, fair enough, i may watch it at some point but i will insist on my 'tropic thunder' style 'vietnam film cliche bingo' card being out.

Yeah you should, I'd be intrested on your opinion about it. It's definatly waaaay more realistic than tropic thunder. But I'm no expert on the 'nam war. (I actually did know the long range recon patrols used camo and I've seen a psa about helicopter doorgunners getting their training, but that's about it.)

When i'm at a loose end i'll watch it. I actually wrote a magazine article recently about LURP/LRRP units in airborne divisions in vietnam. Hence my being picky

Not sure Joyeux No ë l meets all the criteria, but if it does, I highly recommend it. Excellent foreign language film (i.e., for English speakers) about the Christmas Truce in WWI.

Ok more disturbing Belgian cinema!

C'est arrivé près de chez vous or the easier to pronounce Man bites dog.

Its like A Clockwork Orange if Alex was followed around by a camera crew.

THIS close to making a bad, tasteless and well known joke about belgians and kids in the garden.. phew.. glad I could restrain myself

thematically, it would fit perfectly^^

As they say in Dutch, "zand erover".

Underappreciated is also Chappie, which ends up being a bit of a mix between Short Circuit and Robocop.

Ex Machina and Automata are two more movies dealing with AI's that've been made recently and are surprisingly good while not being very well known.