I've moved from doing a lot of these ranking lists on my blog to just doing it in Facebook since I have no real viewership of my blog. But, back in August, my Facebook account was hacked and deleted, so I have several years worth of lists and things that I put some effort into writing about that are just gone now. I probably won't transfer every little list idea into the blog but I like this one a lot so I'm going to transfer it over.
Top Ten Obscure Movies
Obscure movies. Hidden gems. Movies that got lost in the shuffle of pop culture. Movies that it's seems nobody has seen but you. This is a list of 10 obscure movies that have reached you in your own little world and very few or none of the other people in your circle.
Day 1
The Sting
I'm starting with a movie that isn't actually "obscure." It won 7 Oscars. So why has nobody I've come into contact with since leaving home seen it? A lot of people say they may have heard of it or vaguely remember it. But this movie appears to be my own private party. It's such a unique crime adventure. A lower class grifter teams up with a washed out con artist to pull a big con on a well off crime boss. But it's not as dark as it sounds. It's quick, smart, and energetic with a lot great misdirection and feints that leave the audience glued to their seats. I love this movie so much but when you mention Redford and Newman, the first thing people think of is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid which, to me, was uneven and over-hyped. No, this is the superior movie and so worth a watch.
Day 2
Watership Down
I'll get this one out of the way early too. It's not well known but it turns up in video articles about cartoon violence so more people may, at least, be aware of it. But if that's the only way many know of it, it's supremely unfair. It was made in the 70s before adult animation was a viable market and it follows as truly to the book as I've seen a movie try. And the book is centered on themes of societal structure and war with an honest portrayal of rabbit behavior in the way they fight each other and the damage done to them by man and other natural predators. The animation is done realistically apart from the opening sequence that depicts the primary story of the rabbits' religion. Even though the author said it was for his daughters and it was marketed to kids, I'd say it's much more suited to adults or at least more mature children (which probably don't exist anymore.) I wasn't damaged by it and it's one of the movies that I loved all through my childhood and continued to get more out of it as an adult and after reading the book. This is a real hidden treasure in my opinion.
Day 3
Near Dark
Ah, now here's an underrated little movie that may have a cult following among horror enthusiasts, but is mostly unknown. Before zombies became all the rage, vampires had a good, long run as the most popular supernatural creatures in cinema and even television. I always liked them better than zombies. What makes this a remarkable movie is that it was useful in molding vampire lore. At this point, the vampire bite had to be lethal to make another person a vampire while a partial bite caused enslavement and madness. This one changed that rule and made an incomplete bite the way a person would be turned into a vampire which makes more sense anyway if you follow the other way out to its natural conclusion. It also examines a gang of modern day vampires and how they interact with normals when not hunting, inventing ways for them to travel in the daytime if necessary, and employing the blood transfusion method of turning someone back into a normal person which had been toyed with since Dark Shadows and is still a standard cure in most stories today. Admittedly it's a B movie with lots of blood and gore, but the strong and charismatic supporting cast of Lance Henrickson, Bill Paxton, and Jenette Goldstein gives it a lot credibility and A movie quality in that respect. Very much a lost gem in my opinion.
Day 4
Midnight Madness
What should I group this comedy with ... College humor? That's pretty accurate. It appeals to the same compartmentalizing that attracts me to classic anime as well as the obstacle course/puzzle solving pacing that I'm naturally drawn to. The set up is that a weirdo genius kind of guy - not really sure what his purpose is on the campus is... prof? student? no idea, and no one likes him - anyway he sets up a game called The Great All Nighter, an all night scavenger hunt following the clues that he's arranged around the town at various locations ending at a final destination. I can't remember what the prize was.. probably money. But mostly bragging rights because he pits groups of college stereotypes against each other. The nice, fair-play kids. The lazy, bullying, cheating types. The meat-headed jocks. The ambitious sorority women. And the nerds. Grouped by color! 
... I'm a dork.. It's a fun movie that can employ adult humor without being as bawdy as, say, "Porky's" because of that game element which makes for some damn clever riddling along the way. There's also a heart element with the screen debut of Michael J. Fox as the kid brother of the main good guy character (who was also the Dr Pepper kid in those old commercials that nobody seems to remember but me.) And seeing how the game master keeps track of everyone is also a fascinating tech point for 1980. Naturally the fair-play kids win, but everyone is accepted at the party at the end except the bullies who get their comeuppance. It's a feel good obscure flick.
... I'm a dork.. It's a fun movie that can employ adult humor without being as bawdy as, say, "Porky's" because of that game element which makes for some damn clever riddling along the way. There's also a heart element with the screen debut of Michael J. Fox as the kid brother of the main good guy character (who was also the Dr Pepper kid in those old commercials that nobody seems to remember but me.) And seeing how the game master keeps track of everyone is also a fascinating tech point for 1980. Naturally the fair-play kids win, but everyone is accepted at the party at the end except the bullies who get their comeuppance. It's a feel good obscure flick.
Day 5
Runaway
This one is buried so deep I had to look it up because it's been a long time since I've seen it. All I remembered clearly was the robotic spiders. But I discovered why I liked this movie so much as a kid - it's the work of Michael Crichton. I wasn't as aware of him in 1984 but since I've discovered him, I'm not at all surprised that I was drawn to his fantastical style of science fiction. It's a future where robots are a common household tool. If they get loose they become pests and a division of the police is dedicated to dispatching them. They're not taken seriously until a robot commits murder. But it's not about machines coming to life. It's about the bad guy played by Gene Simmons from KISS (which, I confess, is why I first watched) weaponizing the robots which is kind of an obvious consequence in this scenario. But his ambitions aren't just local. He wants to get defence contracts and such. Perhaps the plot was overly complex and it clashed with the aforementioned spider type robots which, admittedly cheesy, would be more suited to suspense/thriller plots rather than governmental arms systems. But State of Fear was the same way so it has my willing suspension of belief. Like I said, it's been years since I've seen it, so there are gaps. Unfortunately, as good as I remember it being and starring the likes of Tom Selleck and Kirstie Alley, it came out in a golden year of box office smashes and ended up being smashed into obscurity itself and it's kind of a shame because it really was a cool little movie.
Day 6
The Last Unicorn
Second and final animated entry. Second of the triad of animated movies that I watched with rapt attention growing up. The third, The Secret of NIMH, is a little more well known. But from what I understand it was vastly different from the book it was taken from, which I haven't read yet. The Last Unicorn, on the other hand, was another extremely good adaptation of the book. It's like the less known it is, the harder the filmmakers try. At least back in the day. This is a fairy tale, but not a cutsie, musical Disney type (although there two short songs which were awful because they let the voice actors sing them.) Songs notwithstanding, it's more adult, along the lines of Grimm, though not overly dark. A lone unicorn sets out on a quest to free all the other unicorns from the sea prison of a mad king (my first introduction to the voice of Christopher Lee.) Along the way she's forced to become human to disguise herself and nearly loses her identity as she begins to fall in love with the prince. But in the end she is returned to her true form and saves her kindred. It's definitely a movie for girls with the two female characters being the strongest presence, driving the narrative. I liked the songs that the band America recorded for the theme and background "traveling" music. It enhanced the beautiful sadness that coupled with a happy, but bittersweet ending. I know there are at least a couple of people in my friends list that know this movie, but that doesn't make it well known. It just means I have some kindred spirits with this one.
Day 7
The Cat From Outer Space
First of two family movies. This is a a Disney movie. They cranked out a ton of high budget blockbusters that have enjoyed world wide acclaim. They also turned out a ton of cheaper productions that were put out in the meantime. Kind of like the B sides of records. The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, The Ugly Dachshund, That Darn Cat, etc. Probably enough to fill their own list. But my pick is this wonderful movie I haven't seen in light years. The Cat From Outer Space is about a spaceship making an emergency landing and being taken by the government. Since the alien is a cat, he's not noticed. He finds an employee to help him fix his ship, able to talk to him with a special glowing collar. They need gold to fix the ship. Since the collar makes him telekinetic too, they try manipulating different gambling ventures to raise the money to get the gold. Jake ends up staying and getting American citizenship. And I named my first cat after him. 
There's lots of conflict and dicey situations and Jake is as helpless as a regular cat without his collar. I wish I could remember more, but it's been a long, long time. And the quality was really great for being on the low end of the scale and not getting much reach. I really need to find this movie and watch it again. It was always one of my very favorite children's movies.
There's lots of conflict and dicey situations and Jake is as helpless as a regular cat without his collar. I wish I could remember more, but it's been a long, long time. And the quality was really great for being on the low end of the scale and not getting much reach. I really need to find this movie and watch it again. It was always one of my very favorite children's movies.
Day 8
The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (trilogy)
To quote an online reviwer: "A couple of hippies living in Los Angeles who were forced to grow up and get jobs when they had kids, decide they've had enough of the smoggy city and pack up their family to move to the Rocky Mountains." He was poking fun at it a little because there were a lot of" back to nature" kids films in that era. (1975) But this movie was one of the the very best. They went completely off the grid, as we would now say it, and the movie explores their challenges like building their home from scratch, homeschooling the kids, and teaching survival. But it also adds an element of danger with the large grizzly bear the wife and kids are left to defend their new home against while the daughter is gravely ill and the dad is off getting medicine. Lots of melodrama and some corn, but also so much real heart, good acting, and a memorable soundtrack. I put trilogy in parenthesis because there were two others but they almost aren't necessary. The second is basically the same as the first only it's winter, they're facing wolves, and the mom is sick. In the third one the government is the enemy, trying to get them off the land. I can't remember much about that one because the plot was too heavy for me as a child. Though I'd like to see it again and judge it with adult eyes. But I always loved them, especially the first one and there are a lot worse movies to impress upon young children.
The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (trilogy)
To quote an online reviwer: "A couple of hippies living in Los Angeles who were forced to grow up and get jobs when they had kids, decide they've had enough of the smoggy city and pack up their family to move to the Rocky Mountains." He was poking fun at it a little because there were a lot of" back to nature" kids films in that era. (1975) But this movie was one of the the very best. They went completely off the grid, as we would now say it, and the movie explores their challenges like building their home from scratch, homeschooling the kids, and teaching survival. But it also adds an element of danger with the large grizzly bear the wife and kids are left to defend their new home against while the daughter is gravely ill and the dad is off getting medicine. Lots of melodrama and some corn, but also so much real heart, good acting, and a memorable soundtrack. I put trilogy in parenthesis because there were two others but they almost aren't necessary. The second is basically the same as the first only it's winter, they're facing wolves, and the mom is sick. In the third one the government is the enemy, trying to get them off the land. I can't remember much about that one because the plot was too heavy for me as a child. Though I'd like to see it again and judge it with adult eyes. But I always loved them, especially the first one and there are a lot worse movies to impress upon young children.
Day 9
Blind Fury
I saved the best two for last. A pair of Rutger Hauer movies. I was on a Rutger Hauer bender trying to find everything he ever made and much of it is obscure. This is one of the best, in my opinion. A Vietnam vet, Nick, who was blinded in the war goes to visit an old friend, Frank, who happens to be in trouble, blackmailed into cooking designer drugs for a high level crime boss. It was Frank who had abandoned Nick in the battle that left him blind. However he's is not a helpless disabled person. He mastered the samurai sword from villagers that rescued him and he's not returning for revenge but closure. After Frank's ex-wife is killed Nick promises to take his son to him and so the adventure begins. An American take on a samurai swordsman story as he rescues his friend, kills the bad people he's fallen in with, and reuniting father and son. His friend even gets to redeem himself for his cowardice back in the war. Instead of a mystical ancient Japanese setting, it modern day Reno, Nevada. None of this is legally plausible, of course, but that was the beauty of the 80's. Real life scenarios were optional. It's a fun adventure film and Hauer plays the character Nick as gentle, calm, and charming. A really low-key kind of badassery that makes it unique. It's just good popcorn fun in the same vein as They Live, only it never acquired the same cult status. Probably because it wasn't a typical story with a clearly defined motive like revenge or saving the world. But I enjoy things that are different and if you do too, you should give this one a watch.
Day 10
Ladyhawke
I'm not sure how obscure this one is. It has some big names, but it didn't recover its budget at the box office. If not obscure, it's certainly forgotten. And I don't see how.... This is a fine piece of fantasy. It's a fairy tale of sorts, as well. An evil bishop desires the lady Isabeau but her heart belongs to his captain of the guard, Etienne Navarre, so he curses them. She can only exist in the day time as a hawk and he can only exist at night as a wolf, so even though they're always together, they're eternally apart. Ah, my heart! I'm an abject sucker for unrequited love stories! Plot twist: killing the bishop won't break the curse, which complicates things. But with the help of an escape thief they work out the riddle of how to break the curse during a solar eclipse and it comes down to the nail biting final moments. This is a great movie. Rutger Hauer, again, as Navarre and Michelle Pfeifer as Isabeau are so believably, beautifully tragic that the audience's hearts can't help but break for them. It's almost a shame that Hauer's best known work is as the heavy from Blade Runner. I kind of wasn't happy with Matthew Broderick as the thief, but it wasn't enough ruin the vibe of the movie. I know I have some overlap with my list partner on this one. Has anyone else seen this hidden gem of a movie?
