50 Underrated Gems
by Danofthewoods | created - 07 Feb 2015 | updated - 01 Feb 2016 | PublicBeing a film buff, you make it a point to see both the pop mainstays and obscurities. Some films are lesser known for a reason; they're just no good. However, there is also the sad situation when a very good or even great film goes unwatched by the general population. Here are a few films that I just don't think get the love they deserve.
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1. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
R | 118 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A look at a few chapters in the life of Poppy, a cheery, colorful, North London schoolteacher whose optimism tends to exasperate those around her.
Director: Mike Leigh | Stars: Sally Hawkins, Alexis Zegerman, Samuel Roukin, Elliot Cowan
Votes: 41,055 | Gross: $3.49M
2. The Deep End (2001)
R | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A woman spirals out of control while trying to keep her son from being found culpable in a murder investigation.
Directors: Scott McGehee, David Siegel | Stars: Tilda Swinton, Goran Visnjic, Jonathan Tucker, Peter Donat
Votes: 11,989 | Gross: $8.82M
3. Old Joy (2006)
Unrated | 76 min | Drama
Two old pals reunite for a camping trip in Oregon's Cascade Mountains.
Director: Kelly Reichardt | Stars: Daniel London, Will Oldham, Tanya Smith, Robin Rosenberg
Votes: 8,826 | Gross: $0.26M
4. Something Wild (1986)
R | 114 min | Comedy, Crime, Romance
A free-spirited woman "kidnaps" a yuppie for a weekend of adventure. But the fun quickly takes a dangerous turn when her ex-convict husband shows up.
Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith, George 'Red' Schwartz, Leib Lensky
Votes: 21,076 | Gross: $8.36M
5. Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)
R | 91 min | Comedy, Drama
A lonely shoe salesman and an eccentric performance artist struggle to connect in this unique take on contemporary life.
Director: Miranda July | Stars: John Hawkes, Miranda July, Miles Thompson, Brandon Ratcliff
Votes: 37,427 | Gross: $3.89M
6. Human Nature (2001)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Drama
A woman is in love with a man in love with another woman, and all three have designs on a young man raised as an ape.
Director: Michel Gondry | Stars: Tim Robbins, Patricia Arquette, Rhys Ifans, Ken Magee
Votes: 18,968 | Gross: $0.70M
7. Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
R | 92 min | Drama, Horror
The filming of Nosferatu (1922) is hampered by the fact that its star Max Schreck is taking the role of a vampire far more seriously than seems humanly possible.
Director: E. Elias Merhige | Stars: John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Udo Kier, Cary Elwes
Votes: 44,167 | Gross: $8.29M
8. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)
R | 116 min | Crime, Drama
An African-American Mafia hit man who models himself after the samurai of old finds himself targeted for death by the mob.
Director: Jim Jarmusch | Stars: Forest Whitaker, Henry Silva, John Tormey, Cliff Gorman
Votes: 96,930 | Gross: $3.31M
9. Look Both Ways (2005)
PG-13 | 100 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
During one unusually hot and tragic weekend, four people struggle after hearing some life-changing news. This, in turn, brings them together.
Director: Sarah Watt | Stars: Mary Kostakidis, Justine Clarke, Daniela Farinacci, Robbie Hoad
Votes: 3,081 | Gross: $0.10M
10. Hard Eight (1996)
R | 101 min | Crime, Drama
Professional gambler Sydney teaches John the tricks of the trade. John does well until he falls for cocktail waitress Clementine.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson
Votes: 54,873 | Gross: $0.22M
11. Ghost World (2001)
R | 111 min | Comedy, Drama
Two eccentric best friends graduate high school and respond to a man's romance-seeking newspaper ad as a gag, only to find their lives becoming increasingly complicated.
Director: Terry Zwigoff | Stars: Steve Buscemi, Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Brad Renfro
Votes: 126,815 | Gross: $6.22M
12. Snowpiercer (2013)
R | 126 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
In a future where a failed climate change experiment has killed all life except for the survivors who boarded the Snowpiercer (a train that travels around the globe), a new class system emerges.
Director: Bong Joon Ho | Stars: Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, Tilda Swinton, Ed Harris
Votes: 388,897 | Gross: $4.56M
13. Scotland, Pa. (2001)
R | 104 min | Comedy, Crime
In a modernized retelling of "MacBeth" set in 1970s suburban Pennsylvania, Joe McBeth, an unambitious hamburger stand employee, is driven to success by his scheming wife.
Director: Billy Morrissette | Stars: James Le Gros, Maura Tierney, Christopher Walken, Kevin Corrigan
Votes: 4,807 | Gross: $0.38M
14. Bottle Rocket (1996)
R | 91 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Three friends plan to pull off a simple robbery and go on the run.
Director: Wes Anderson | Stars: Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Ned Dowd, Shea Fowler
Votes: 83,495 | Gross: $0.56M
15. The Box (I) (2009)
PG-13 | 115 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
With the press of a button, a wooden box bestows riches and death.
Director: Richard Kelly | Stars: Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella, James Rebhorn
Votes: 95,322 | Gross: $15.05M
16. Secretary (2002)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A young woman, recently released from a mental hospital, gets a job as a secretary to a demanding lawyer, where their employer-employee relationship turns into a sexual, sadomasochistic one.
Director: Steven Shainberg | Stars: James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeremy Davies, Lesley Ann Warren
Votes: 98,568 | Gross: $4.06M
17. The World of Henry Orient (1964)
Approved | 106 min | Comedy, Drama
A mischievous, adventuresome fourteen-year-old girl and her best friend begin following an eccentric concert pianist around New York City after she develops a crush on him.
Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Peter Sellers, Tippy Walker, Merrie Spaeth, Paula Prentiss
Votes: 3,847
18. Fish Tank (2009)
Not Rated | 123 min | Drama
Everything changes for 15-year-old Mia when her mum brings home a new boyfriend.
Director: Andrea Arnold | Stars: Katie Jarvis, Michael Fassbender, Kierston Wareing, Rebecca Griffiths
Votes: 65,031 | Gross: $0.37M
19. Submarine (2010)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
15-year-old Oliver Tate has two objectives: to lose his virginity before his next birthday, and to extinguish the flame between his mother and an ex-lover who has resurfaced in her life.
Director: Richard Ayoade | Stars: Craig Roberts, Sally Hawkins, Paddy Considine, Noah Taylor
Votes: 96,509 | Gross: $0.47M
20. The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2003)
G | 83 min | Documentary
A homeless musician finds meaning to his life when he starts a friendship with dozens of parrots.
Director: Judy Irving | Stars: Mark Bittner, Maggie McCall, Ivan Stormgart, Gary Thompson
Votes: 3,103 | Gross: $3.06M
21. Sound of My Voice (2011)
R | 85 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Two documentary filmmakers attempt to penetrate a cult who worships a woman who claims to be from the future.
Director: Zal Batmanglij | Stars: Christopher Denham, Nicole Vicius, Brit Marling, Davenia McFadden
Votes: 22,961 | Gross: $0.41M
22. Breakfast on Pluto (2005)
R | 128 min | Comedy, Drama
In the 1970s, a young trans woman, Patrick "Kitten" Braden, comes of age by leaving her Irish town for London, in part to look for her mother and in part because her gender identity is beyond the town's understanding.
Director: Neil Jordan | Stars: Cillian Murphy, Morgan Jones, Eva Birthistle, Liam Neeson
Votes: 24,520 | Gross: $0.83M
23. Cropsey (2009)
Not Rated | 84 min | Documentary, Crime, Horror
Realizing that the urban legend of their youth has actually come true, two filmmakers delve into the mystery surrounding five missing children and the real-life boogeyman linked to their disappearances.
Directors: Barbara Brancaccio, Joshua Zeman | Stars: Joshua Zeman, Barbara Brancaccio, Bill Ellis, Dorothy D'Eletto
Votes: 9,187 | Gross: $0.05M
24. Ravenous (1999)
R | 101 min | Adventure, Drama, Horror
In a remote military outpost in the 19th century, Captain John Boyd and his regiment embark on a rescue mission which takes a dark turn when they are ambushed by a sadistic cannibal.
Director: Antonia Bird | Stars: Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle, David Arquette, Jeremy Davies
Votes: 43,235 | Gross: $2.06M
25. Requiem (2006)
93 min | Drama, Horror
An epileptic girl suffers a breakdown during her first year at university, then decides to seek help from a priest in battling the troubles associated with her strict upbringing.
Director: Hans-Christian Schmid | Stars: Sandra Hüller, Burghart Klaußner, Imogen Kogge, Anna Blomeier
Votes: 6,345 | Gross: $0.01M
26. The Science of Sleep (2006)
R | 105 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A man entranced by his dreams and imagination is love-struck with a French woman and feels he can show her his world.
Director: Michel Gondry | Stars: Gael García Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Miou-Miou, Alain Chabat
Votes: 70,886 | Gross: $4.66M
27. Duel (1971 TV Movie)
PG | 90 min | Action, Thriller
A business commuter is pursued and terrorized by the malevolent driver of a massive tractor-trailer.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Dennis Weaver, Jacqueline Scott, Eddie Firestone, Lou Frizzell
Votes: 78,362
28. L.I.E. (2001)
R | 97 min | Crime, Drama
A 15-year-old Long Island boy loses everything and everyone he knows, soon becoming involved in a relationship with a much older man.
Director: Michael Cuesta | Stars: Brian Cox, Paul Dano, Bruce Altman, Billy Kay
Votes: 10,447 | Gross: $1.14M
29. Barfly (1987)
R | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Based on the life of successful poet Charles Bukowski and his exploits in Hollywood during the 60s, 70s, and 80s.
Director: Barbet Schroeder | Stars: Mickey Rourke, Faye Dunaway, Alice Krige, Jack Nance
Votes: 21,973 | Gross: $3.22M
30. The Yakuza (1974)
R | 112 min | Action, Crime, Drama
American private-eye Harry Kilmer returns to Japan to rescue a friend's kidnapped daughter from the clutches of the Yakuza.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Robert Mitchum, Ken Takakura, Eiji Okada, Herb Edelman
Votes: 10,444
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