Upgrade (Cyberpunk movie from Australia)

Jacob’s Ladder.

A largely forgotten psychological horror film from 1990 with Tim Robbins and Macaulay Culkin.

Saw it on TV once by chance and loved it ever since.

I’d say it’s must-watch for being influential despite its moderate success and being incredibly gripping as you try to get your head around what’s actually going on.

A decent number of folks have still never seen “Primer”, since it was kind of an indie classic before it got a cult following.

It’s a a must watch because:

A. It’s just really well made. B. It’s delightfully mind bending.

I want to say Kin-Dza-Dza. It’s a very silly and memorable work of Soviet science fiction.

Tomorrowland

Snatch mighhhhht be well known? It is hilarious and just fun to watch!

It’s a Guy Ritchie movie that follows a few groups of people and how they all come to be involved in either chasing or having been in the presence of a diamond that was stolen. It’s a lot of fun to see the interaction between the different groups they follow and some of the lines are absolutely hilarious.

Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em

Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em is a 1988 Australian short feature about an underground party held in post-apocalyptic Melbourne. The film is a product of nuclear anxiety at the height of the Cold War.

Director: Ray Boseley. Cast: Rob Howard, Nique Needles, Polly Croke, Daniel Lillford, Fred Dugina, Maddog Bott, George Huxley, Chris Windmill, Ian ‘Quinsy’ Maclean, Lindsay Brundson, Clayton Jacobson, Adam Learner, Myrtle Woods, Bill Johnston, Smiley Rowe, John F. Howard, Claire Bordas, John Flaus, Wayne ullman, Dennis Tupicoff, Peter Lane, Wain Fimo, Bruce Barnes, Angus Algie, Loretta Bell, Grant Barling, Claire Boseley, Julian Faull, Zlatko Kasumovic, Anthony Kay, Ollie Martin, Penny McKimm, Dennis Prosser, Adrian Scully, Aleksi Vellis.

Iceman is a 2017 German-Italian-Austrian adventure drama film written and directed by Felix Randau. It is a fictional story about the life of Ötzi, a natural mummy of a man discovered on 19 September 1991 in the Ötzal Alps.

The film, which was filmed in the Tyrolean and Bavarian Alps features almost no dialogue, with a minimal amount in untranslated language based on reconstructed Rhaetian, created for the film by a linguist.

Cashback I feel is pretty unknown. Maybe not but still very good. Also Gentleman Broncos is fantastic if you’re into the napoleon dynamite style of comedy, same creators.

Oh goodness, too many to count: Boy Kills World, I Saw The TV Glow, American Fiction, Kalki 2898-AD, Leave The World Behind, Dirty Girls, and I didn’t love it but I think The Beast/La Bete is worth watching as well for its stunningly accurate depiction of what it’s like to be lonely while in love and how that affects both men and women over time.

Sir! No, Sir! (2005, 1080p)

Sir! No Sir! is a documentary film about the anti-war movement within the ranks of the United States Military during the Vietnam War. It consists in part of interviews with Vietnam veterans explaining the reasons they protested the war or even defected. The film tells the story of how, from the very start of the war, there was resentment within the ranks over the difference between the conflict in Vietnam and the “good wars” that their fathers had fought. Over time, it became apparent that so many were opposed to the war that they could speak of a movement.

Pecker 1998

A talented young photographer, who enjoys snapping photos of his satirical, perverted Baltimore neighborhood and his wacky family, gets dragged into a world of pretentious artists from New York City and finds newfound fame.

Written and directed by John Waters.

Starring Edward Furlong, Christina Ricci and Bess Armstrong.

In no particular order (and yes some are more well known in film circles, maybe I should’ve ommited them, but you never know what the reader hasn’t seen):

Jojo Rabbit, 2019 - a comedic coming of age in Nazi Germany. Jojo and his imaginary friend, Hitler, face a complicated and rapidly changing world.

The Mitchells versus the Machines, 2021 - animated family adventure for fun with the whole family.

Rise of Leslie Vernon, 2006 - mocumentary following slasher killer Leslie Vernon.

Bunny and the Bull, 2009 - an, in my opinion, gorgeously set film about two friends on a road trip in Spain.

Parallel Mothers (Madras Paralelas), 2021 - not a hidden gem if you know anything about Spanish cinema, but maybe you don’t. Penolpe Cruz is a new mother whose life becomes intertwined with another women’s when they give birth in the same hospital.

Hero (英雄), 2002 - again, if you know Wuxia film then this isn’t a hidden gem. A pinnacle of the genre, a Chinese Rashomon with wire fights.

Blow Up, 1966 - British New Wave classic. A photographer used to a free and casual 60s life becomes certain he has accidentally photographed evidence of a murder.

Berberian Sound Studio, 2012 - exploration of sound and feeling. A mild mannered amateurish British sound technician gets a big job working on the sound effects for a giallo film in Italy.

Martyrs, 2008 - the pinnacle of French New Extreme movement. It made a big name for itself at the time for being the sort of torture porn film that really gave it a point beyond vouyerism. Not for the faint of heart.

Rye Lane, 2023 - a romcom love letter to London.

The Day Shall Come, 2019 - an eccentric black preacher gets caught up in a web of madness that runs deep.

@original_reader I feel like no one talks about Deerskin, which was an excellent low-key comedy/horror/satire/weird-ass film from a few years back.

Here are a few movies from my Jellyfin server that I loved and that seem less popular:

• Blow the Man Down
• The Holdovers
• Jojo Rabbit
  • This movie made me shriek at points. Like, not because I was scared, but just from… I dunno, delighted outrage?
• Me and You and Everyone We Know
  • ))<>((
  • If you haven’t seen the movie, don’t look this up.