Kevin's Watch

I don't know what to call them. They're not "B" movies, though they rarely have top-tier stars or are made by top-tier directors. Rather, they're perfectly serviceable films that are entertaining and really have no ambition to be anything more.

Nate and Hayes is the first of these films I really became aware of. It's not a great movie, but damn if it isn't entertaining. A good old-fashioned swashbuckling pirate movie.

The Saint was fantastically entertaining (if not a little silly in the premise), but didn't take itself too seriously.

Executive Decision absolutely blew me away when I saw it in the theater.

Any more of these ignored classics?

American Psycho, The Frighteners, The Search for Bobby Fischer, Rounders, The Zero Effect, Dark City, Big Fish, Hugo Pool, My Blue Heaven, Suicide Kings, Kung Fu Hustle, City of Lost Children

Good call on The Frighteners and Dark City. Big Fish was more of a top-tier film than what I'm talking about.

Syl wrote:Dark City

Good choice. I quite enjoyed that. A colander-like number of holes, but interesting.

Well, Big Fish did have big stars and a big director, but I thought it got weak reception, much like The Saint. Val Kilmer just came off the latest Batman, even declining the role in favor of it, and Noyce coming straight off of the Clancy adaptations - ooh, he did Blind Fury? add one more to my list!

Fair point, I forgot that was just after Kilmer did the Batman thing.

Speaking of Rutger Hauer, I'd add Wanted: Dead or Alive as well as Blind Fury.

Do The Boondock Saints and Lucky Number Slevin qualify?--never nominated for an Oscar, but I love these two to death...

Straight to Hell - Fantastic for English musicians of the 80's, bad for storyline, but damn fun. Basically, they made a movie while having a big party. The incoherence of plot is a testament to how much they drank. So much fun and a great soundtrack. But not a good movie in the critical sense. And Courtney Love is in it and screams too much.

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead - based off the play, a brilliant movie that sags a bit at the end, but is still full of nuggets of wit. If you know Hamlet, and have studied it all kinds of way, there is even more joy to be found. I still want to see Gary Oldman play more roles like this.

Mystery Men - goofy funness. Might be a bit more big budget, but feels more like an indie. Tom Waits is in it, which is always a plus for me, but a good take on the superhero genre. Well worth it unless you really hate Ben Stiller, and maybe even then.

danlo wrote:Do The Boondock Saints and Lucky Number Slevin qualify?--never nominated for an Oscar, but I love these two to death...

I think both of them take themselves a bit too seriously. Both decent films (Saints far more so than Slevin), but a bit "above" what I'm looking at here.

Straight to Hell is awesome, but I think falls farther down into the "B" movie category. Never seen R&GaD, and I have no idea how anyone could possibly enjoy Mystery Men (other than the sponsor's logos on Greg Kinnear's costume).

Syl wrote:American Psycho, The Frighteners, The Search for Bobby Fischer, Rounders, The Zero Effect, Dark City, Big Fish, Hugo Pool, My Blue Heaven, Suicide Kings, Kung Fu Hustle, City of Lost Children

holy frik, Syl, that's an amazing list.
totally agree!

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead - based off the play, a brilliant movie that sags a bit at the end, but is still full of nuggets of wit. If you know Hamlet, and have studied it all kinds of way, there is even more joy to be found. I still want to see Gary Oldman play more roles like this.

Mystery Men - goofy funness. Might be a bit more big budget, but feels more like an indie. Tom Waits is in it, which is always a plus for me, but a good take on the superhero genre. Well worth it unless you really hate Ben Stiller, and maybe even then.

And two more great chices. I love R&GaD!!!!

I don't understand why you don't like Selvin-the cast was great and the dialogue between Freeman and Kingsley was hilarious, Willis was cool as hell. Are you saying that the cast was too good? I guess you're looking for B movies then-I don't really consider Dark City a B movie...

Cail wrote:and I have no idea how anyone could possibly enjoy Mystery Men (other than the sponsor's logos on Greg Kinnear's costume).

Oh no! You are one of them! Well to each his own. Mystery Men is awesome. To hear the philosophy of the sphinx is worth the price of admission alone.
IMHO of course. I admit (according to the box office take) that MM isn't universally appreciated.

Usivius wrote:

Syl wrote:American Psycho, The Frighteners, The Search for Bobby Fischer, Rounders, The Zero Effect, Dark City, Big Fish, Hugo Pool, My Blue Heaven, Suicide Kings, Kung Fu Hustle, City of Lost Children

holy frik, Syl, that's an amazing list.
totally agree!

OH MY GOD!! someone's seen Zero Effect besides ME!!!

i love that movie!! the search for bobby fischer was great too, as was rounders!!! great cast!!!

one of my "sleepers" or favorite movies that didn't get a lot of press or hoohah and one that i continually mention to pitt/redford fans is Spygame.
i LOVE that movie. i've seen it many times now (bought the dvd after the first time i saw it) and still enjoy it everytime i watch it. in fact, its the only thing i've liked redford acting in since butch cassidy and the sundance kid!!


edit:

aTOMiC wrote:

Cail wrote:and I have no idea how anyone could possibly enjoy Mystery Men (other than the sponsor's logos on Greg Kinnear's costume).

Oh no! You are one of them! Well to each his own. Mystery Men is awesome. To hear the philosophy of the sphinx is worth the price of admission alone.
IMHO of course. I admit (according to the box office take) that MM isn't universally appreciated.

oh my god again...did he really say that about Mystery Men!!!
dAN turned me on to that movie!!! I LOVED IT!!! i love stiller and
garafalo in it!!! wes studi!!! paul rubens!!!
oh dudes...i think i need to see it again...maybe i'll stop at virgin megastore on the way home and BUY it!!!

I've always been tempted to watch Mystery Men but I simply can't watch any movie will Stiller in it-the second I see him it's like fingernails on a blackboard.

danlo i used to feel the same way...but...dude, i love his parents. and he's in both Zero Effect and Mystery Men and he's GREAT in both. he does NOT do his typical ben stiller schlock in Zero Effect. straigh role for him.
he's great in it. and in Mystery Men, he like totally makes FUN of the typical ben stiller schlock!! oh my god he and garafalo are SOOOO FUNNY!!!

danlo wrote:I don't understand why you don't like Selvin-the cast was great and the dialogue between Freeman and Kingsley was hilarious, Willis was cool as hell. Are you saying that the cast was too good? I guess you're looking for B movies then-I don't really consider Dark City a B movie...

I enjoyed the Hell out of it.....But it's not what I'm talking about....Too big.

And I'm not talking about "B" movies either, that's a whole 'nother story. What I'm looking for are the 'tweener movies; no "A" list actors or directors, and no overt pretentiousness.....

Spy Game or Fight Club don't really count because of their stars....By the same token, Sneakers would count, since everyone that was in it was either a pre-star or a post-star.

Zero Effect is about the only film that Stiller is bearable in, and a truly underrated film. Definitely deserves to be on this list.

The one for me that comes to mind is :

The Big Lebowski

Zero Effect was cool.

This list could be massive. A film I saw recently which would fit would be the German resistance movie Sophie Scholl. Low-key, fairly solid, but just somehow lacked something to really elevate it.

For some weird reason the film Gridlock'd is coming to my mind. I thought that was good, though hardly anyone noticed it, I think.

Cail wrote:
Spy Game or Fight Club don't really count because of their stars....By the same token, Sneakers would count, since everyone that was in it was either a pre-star or a post-star.

oooh!!! i get it. sorry!

oh i'm so glad more people than i thought have seen Zero Effect!!! YAY!!