Movies that make you go.. huh?

[Jason Menard]

What are some plain off the wall movies you have seen that maybe some of us would be interested in seeing or avoiding? Or maybe just a fairly obscure movie that might be worth seeing?
Here's a few that come to mind for me, in no particular order:

Pink Flamingos - John Waters at his most bizarre and disgusting. I had an opportunity to speak with John Water's right hand man (can't remember his name, but he also worked on the television show Homicide) who confirmed that there was nothing faked during the making of the movie (like Divine eating dog poop, ugh!). Warning, extreme sexual content.

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls - Russ Meyer, Roger Ebert, 1960's. If you've seen the first Austin Powers movie, you've seen part of this film. The part at the beginning where Austin goes into the Electric Pussycat Swinger's Club (or whatever) is lifted out of this film, right down to the song playing, the Andy Warhol look-a-like and the line "This is my happening and it freaks me out!"

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! - Another Russ Meyer film (1960's). Tura Satana starred. Big leather clad women driving fast cars and beating up men.

City of Lost Children - French film very much in the style of Terry Gilliam. So if you liked Brazil you would probably like this.

Tetsuo the Iron Man - Japanese horror flick I think. This one really does make you go "huh?". Very bizarre flick about a guy who turns into scrap metal. There is a scene with him and his girlriend that is particularly freaky.

Funny Games - Austrian film. In many ways this may be the most disturbing film I have ever seen, but mostly due to one particularly scene. It's about two well-spoken young Austrian gentlemen who go around the countryside asking vacationer's if they can borrow some eggs and then proceeding to terrorize them.

Run Lola Run - Strange German film about some couple trying to raise some quick cash. Has that common Germanic plot device where a scene you just watched is repeated with a different outcome that can also be seen in Funny Games.

Anatomy - German horror flick about some people at a German medical school. The DVD has a music video which is very much remeniscient of the Sprockets! skits Mike Meyer's used to do on Saturday Night Live of a character named Dieter.

Underground - Serbian film about two friends after the same woman. While the country is subject to German attack during WW2, one of the guys convinces his friend and many other people to hide out in the basement and not come up until after the war is over. He neglects to ever tell them that the war was over. Very bizarre stuff.

Pretty Village, Pretty Flame - Serbian film about a Muslim and a Serb who were boyhood friends but now fight on opposite sides of the Bosnian war. So-so film that bothered me mostly because of the non-chalant, unappologetic view of ethnic cleansing during the war. Mostly interesting for it's view into the Serb psyche during the Bosnian war.

Welcome to Sarajevo - Outstanding film (American I believe) about reporters covering the Bosnian war in Sarajevo. One reporter gets a little too close a story he is doing on an orphanage. Woody Harrelson plays a small role. Extremely realistic film of events in Sarajevo that still chokes me up whenever I watch it.

Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies - Directed by and starring Ray Dennis Steckler. This one is unintentionally hillarious. I'm pretty sure it was even done on Mystery Science Theater 3000 at some point. Also starring some girl you've never heard of and some Greek guy whose acting ability is even worse than his ability to speak English.

Romper Stomper - Australlian film about a gang of skin-heads who clash with local Vietnamese immigrants and each other. Early Russel Crow.

Hard Core Logo - Canadian. Similar to This is Spinal Tap, but not meant to be a comedy. Mockumentary about a punk band who re-unites for one last tour.

Best in Show - American. Another mockumentary, this time about a dog show. This is one seriously funny flick.

The Innocents - American, 1961. Eerie film about a nanny and her two young charges, who she believes are possessed. I get the impression that this is where the film The Others came from.

Bandit Queen - Indian film about bandit turned politician, Phoolan Devi. This film highlights the caste struggles which were apparently common during the period this film takes place in.

Caligula - X-Rated film about insane Roman Emperor Caius Caligula. Starred Malcolm McDowell, with Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole, and John Gielgud. Quite the cast for an X-rated flick. Disturbing and graphic stuff here, but still a fascinating movie. Warning, extreme violence and sexual content.

Glenn or Glenda - Ed Wood. Strange film about a guy with a thing for dressing up in women's clothes, particularly angora sweaters. Since Wood was also into this kinda thing, this was a sort of coming out piece for him.

Well, that's enough for now I guess. Anyone else?
[ January 10, 2002: Message edited by: Jason Menard ]
[ January 10, 2002: Message edited by: Jason Menard ]

[Andy Ceponis]

Pink Floyd's "The Wall"

[Anonymous]

That's quite a list. I have not seen any of them, but I have some questions that I need to ask.

Tetsuo the Iron Man - There is a scene with him and his girlriend that is particularly freaky.

If it isn't freaky in a sexual way, can you elaborate?

Funny Games - In many ways this may be the most disturbing film I have ever seen, but mostly due to one particularly scene.

Well, don't hold out on me! What was the scene about?

Best in Show - American. Another mockumentary, this time about a dog show. This is one seriously funny flick.

If you liked this film, you should also check out "Waiting for Guffman". Best in Show is supposed to be sort of a follow-up to this earlier and similarly directed film.
Finally,

Caligula - X-Rated film about insane Roman Emperor Caius Caligula. Starred Malcolm McDowell, with Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole, and John Gielgud. Quite the cast for an X-rated flick. Disturbing and graphic stuff here, but still a fascinating movie. Warning, extreme violence and sexual content.

Yes, that is a surprising cast for an x-rated film. I have heard of this film before but have not seen it (and probably won't because I don't even watch R-rated films). Does it have a plot or is it just extreme violence and gratuitous sex?
OK, here are some of my favs. Nowhere near as obscure as your extensive list, but I like them just the same:

• Strange Brew - Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas as Bob and Doug McKenzie. Watch this one after midnight and your sides will hurt from laughing.
• Better Off Dead - Early John Cuzak film. It has a couple really corny parts, but some of the gags are pretty funny. I especially like the part where the neighbor blows up her face and , "can't eat spicy food for a while."[/li]
• 
  The Fisher King - Not so obscure maybe, but a little wierd. I saw this one on TV ( it was R ), so I'm not sure what was clipped. I liked it anyway.



[ January 11, 2002: Message edited by: Bodie Minster ]

[Randall Twede]

i cant think of any specific titles, but in general i have found that short films are often strange. we have a cable channel here called the sci-fi channel and they have something called "exposure" where they play several shorts back to back. some of them leave me wondering what they were supposed to be about

[Thomas Paul]

We can't forget Ed Wood's masterpiece, "Plan 9 from Outer Space" which has been voted as one of the worst movies ever made.

[Jim Yingst]

> We can't forget Ed Wood's masterpiece, "Plan 9 from Outer Space"
What if we try really, really hard?

[Jason Menard]

If it isn't freaky in a sexual way, can you elaborate?

It is freaky in a horrifically sexual way. Did I mention this scrap metal man can sprout machine-like appendages (or maaybe power tools would be a better description)?

Well, don't hold out on me! What was the scene about?

That would pretty much kill any of the shock value for anyone who may want to see the film. I will say that the actors do a very good job playing their roles and it is easy to accept the family dynamic portrayed as a real one. So when something happens to one of the characters (which happens out of camera view), many people who have watched this film (according to reviews I have read) as well as myself find it disturbing, particularly since the protagonists are so easy to identify with I think.

Yes, that is a surprising cast for an x-rated film. I have heard of this film before but have not seen it (and probably won't because I don't even watch R-rated films). Does it have a plot or is it just extreme violence and gratuitous sex?

It's more of a view of the depravity of Caligula's reign I guess. So I guess the plot, if there is one, is more or less about the rise and fall of an insane emperor. To quote from amazon.com, "All the details of his cruel, bizarre reign are revealed right here: his unholy sexual passion for his sister, his marriage to Rome's most infamous prostitute, his fiendishly inventive means of disposing of those who would oppose him, and more." As it was produced by Penthouse, others would dismiss it as a $15 million porno flick.

Thanks for the tip on "Waiting for Guffman", I will check it out. Also I wholeheartedly agree with you on "Better Off Dead". That movie is classic.
For those of you who prefer DVD to VHS, I strongly recommend Netflix as an outstanding means of renting DVDs over the internet. Twenty bucks a month gets you unlimited rentals, although you can only have three out at any one time. Dpending on what part of the country you live in and how often you watch films, you can probably get almost three a week, although I find that I average 6-9 a month depending on how busy I am. Their selection exceeds by leaps and bounds anything you would find in Blockbuster or Hollywood Video, although brand new movies can sometimes take awhile to get if they are popular. I'm pretty sure they have a free trial to their service so it costs you nothing to see whether or not you like it. I'm in no way way getting paid by anyone to say this, I just wanted to mention it as an outstanding resource to movie lovers.

[Jason Menard]

Originally posted by Thomas Paul:
We can't forget Ed Wood's masterpiece, "Plan 9 from Outer Space" which has been voted as one of the worst movies ever made.

Particularly noteworthy for it's inclusion of the work done by a very stoned (it was morphine I think) Bela Legosi. "Pull the strings! Pull the strings!" Yeah watever, Bela.

[Nanhesru Ningyake]

>Run Lola Run
I loved the movie. And the soundtrack is awesome!
>Caligula
I assume they've kept Peter O'Toole out of the sex scenes , probably confined him to the bacchanalian orgies...
[ January 12, 2002: Message edited by: Nanhesru Ningyake ]

[Jason Menard]

Originally posted by Nanhesru Ningyake:

I assume they've kept Peter O'Toole out of the sex scenes

How do you think he got his monicker? (sorry, couldn't resist)

[Jason Menard]

Here's a couple that I forgot. They are both by Peter Jackson (the guy who did Lord of the Rings), but would appeal to different audiences.

Heavenly Creatures - Peter Jackson, New Zealand. Outstanding film, co-starring a young Kate Winslet, that would appeal to almost any audience. It's the tragic story of two ninth-grade girls, outsiders to their peers, who form an inseparable bond, sharing a fantasy world of their creation. When it seems that one of them may be forced to move away, they decide that they only way to avoid this is to kill one of the girls' mothers. Even more interesting is that this is based on the true life story of bestselling mystery writer Anne Perry.

Dead Again - Peter Jackson, New Zealand. Put this one in the so bad it's good catagory. Low budget zombie movie that is apparently one of Jackson's earlier efforts. Our hero's mother is bitten by a rare monkey while on an outing at the local zoo. Seems this monkey's bite is deadly and on top of that turns the victim into a flesh-eating zombie. The bodycount rises and the zombies multiply. You know how some movies like this use chainsaws to hack people up? This is the first movie I've seen to use a lawnmower. If you like Sam Raimi's Evil Dead movies, you would probably appreciate this. It shares the same tongue-in-cheek style.

[Daniel Dunleavy]

I can back Jason's claims about Funny Games. It was very well acted, and I for one could not watch the entire film. What makes it so scary is that it could happen. This is one of those films where the tension is so high that you cannot enjoy the experience. Its one of those films I wish I could erase from my memory.
Dan

[Nathan Pruett]

There are currently two movies out in limited release that might fall into this category. I want to go see them, but I think my area is one they are limited from. If anyone has seen them, could you please leave out any plot spoilers, just general impression of the films (so I can decide to see them if they ever make it to my neck of the woods, or rent them later if they don't... )

One is Brotherhood of the Wolf ( Le Pacte des Loups ). French (subtitled) action film described variously as "Merchant Ivory meets John Woo", "a combination of Sleepy Hollow and Gladiator", and "a period costume horror martial-arts werewolf movie". Sounds cool, huh?

The other is Donnie Darko... here's the blurb from imdb : "Donnie Darko is a disturbed adolescent from a semi-functional upper-middle class family. After escaping from near death because he hears the voice of a 6 foot tall bunny, Donnie is led by the bunny to create havoc that is both destructive and creative." Looks very Tim Burton-esqe... It's been in the Sundance Film Festival, and it has some popular names attached to it, so I don't see why the release is so limited... though it looks like it might reach my area in a few months...

Anyone seen either of these movies? Were they good?

Thanks,
-Nate