Do You Prefer To Share Underrated Movies?
 

More than the very recognizable ones?



Every movie fan has probably seen "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest", so I don't mention that as much considering there are many great movies that received very little attention.... I guess I'm this way with everything - giving credit for those unlucky but talented types.

In contrast with a widely unknown yet great movie, If practically everybody knows about a movie and are also in agreement about this movie being great then it doesn't make much sense notifying other people about it now does it? So yes, I prefer recommending movies that it is likely that others have not seen or heard of.

Also, if by chance they have indeed happened to have seen the movie in question, it often makes for a more interesting conversation than what would typically be the case for Schindlers List, Shawshank Redemption or whatever. (Did you like it too? Why? Why is it so underrated etc.)

I guess the real question is why you'd think anyone would see things the other way around(?) :)

There's no such thing as a movie that everybody knows and thinks is great. I guarantee there's tons of people who've not seen the well known greats.

There's plenty of films I haven't seen yet or that I just got around to watching including Schindler's List, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and The Godfather. I only recently seen those well known greats for the first time.

Well that's perfectly fine and probably is the case for most of us including myself. I don't really see how it's relevant to my comment though. I said practically everybody, and I thought it was pretty obviously just an exaggerated example to illustrate my point.

All's cool, it wasn't a complaint, I was just saying that people very greatly in movie taste and in what they have watched.

Alrighty then!

I'd say yes, but with a slight caveat.

There are certain films that are responding specifically to other films or to certain film tropes.

I'm struggling to think of a better example, but Down With Love is a parody of 60s sex comedy/romances. I wouldn't want to recommend it to someone if they hadn't seen enough films to understand those references.

So for someone who is more of a beginner in film watching, there is something valuable about seeing a certain number of "classics" so that they understand common references.

It's not that someone can't appreciate a film without watching a whole roster of classics, but something like Shaun of the Dead is probably a sight more enjoyable if you've already seen Romero's Night/Dawn/Day of the Living Dead trilogy.

That said, if there are films that I like but feel are underseen, I will recommend them constantly. I think I recommended Short Term 12 to one friend like ten times.

Typically yes

It's good? I thought Manic wasn't too bad. How would you compare the two?

To put it as quantitatively as possible, I'd give Manic a 7/10 and Short Term 12 a 9/10.

The entire cast is incredibly strong, anchored by Brie Larson in the lead role, but down to actors like Rami Malek and LaKeith Stanfield in supporting roles.

The portrayal of working with children who have mental health issues or emotional disabilities is really spot on (or, I guess I should say very in line with my own anecdotal experiences). The film resists the urge to make any of the kids into punchlines or give them outlandish quirks. There are funny moments (as there always will be when you work with kids), but the film never loses sight of the fact that these children are in pain and dealing with serious issues.

I thought that it was an incredibly well-made film that manages to pull off multiple satisfying character and plot arcs while at the same time acknowledging the messiness and lasting impact of trauma and mental health struggles.

The friend I recommended it to hesitated because he thought it would be a joyless 90 minutes of misery porn, but he ended up loving it.

Sounds interesting. I'm putting in my short list. Thanks for the detailed answer! :up:

To answer the original question: Do You Prefer To Share Underrated Movies?

I don't usually share any movie suggestions with people. If anything I've found that people's taste are so different than my own that I don't even bother anymore with giving movie suggestions to others. People can find their own damn movies!:p

I love finding movies that are not that popular, but good. I love to share little known movies, music, etc.

I think like most people it depends on who you're recommending them to and why. I'd say I get as much joy or satisfaction from recommending a classic to someone who hasn't heard of it or being the person who recommends something to someone when they finally see it as I do a little known or silly film. Mostly it's about matching films with people. When you do that successfully it's such a satisfying feeling.

I almost get as much satisfaction from a successful recommendation as watching it myself!

Almost :)

I absolutely LOVE Down with Love...I think the film is severely underrated,,,no one on this site ever talks about it, for the longest time I thought I was the only person around here who had seen it.

Hey you suggest movies to me all the time, and I'm almost always grateful for every suggestion.

I think that it's kind of niche (a parody of older sex romps), and I also remember that the critical consensus when it came out was "Yeah, it's okay", so I don't think it ever built a passionate following.

Have you seen They Came Together? It's a similar construction but with 80s/90s romance tropes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laLoeVDX_0A

"You like fiction books?! I've never met anyone who likes fiction. That's too funny!"

Yes, I saw They Came Together a similar lampoon to a similar movie genre...here's a link to my review:

https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/...-together.html

I liked it a spot more than you (probably a 3.5/5 for me). I mean, the "trying to get out of the costume to use the bathroom" scene made me laugh incredibly hard for such a simple piece of (literal) toilet humor.