Sleeper movies

[Ed62]

Just finished watching "Second hand lions", thanks to the replies. Very good movie. And if you liked that one, you'll probably think "The earthling" is well worth watching too.

Ed

[bhornberger]

October Sky

In 1950's mining town called Coalwood, Homer Hickam is a kid with only one future in sight, to work in the local coalmine like his father. However in October 1957, everything changes when the first artificial satellite, Sputnik goes into orbit. With that event, Homer becomes inspired to learn how to build rockets. With his friends and the local nerd, Homer sets to do just that by trial and a lot of error. Unfortunately, most of the town and especially Homer's father thinks that they are wasting their time. Only one teacher in the high school understands their efforts and lets them know that they could become contenders in the national science fair with college scholarships being the prize. Now the gang must learn to perfect their craft and overcome the many problems facing them as they shoot for the stars.

[Ed62]

Better than "The entertainer"?

Ed

Don't know what I was thinking. That was the song from the movie, "The Sting" with Robert Redford and Paul Newman. It's the only movie I ever saw where the audience in the theatre gave a standing ovation at the end.


Ed

[Tom Slick]

Another one of my favorites is Dr. Strangelove. Good 'ol slim pickins, james earl jones, peter sellars (cast as 9 differnt characters) and george c. scott.

[gerti]

Just finished watching "Second hand lions", thanks to the replies. Very good movie. And if you liked that one, you'll probably think "The earthling" is well worth watching too.

Ed

Thanks, I'll look for that movie.

Now if we could only treat tele-marketers like they handled traveling salesmen in "Second hand lions"...

[JBCrooks]

One of the best I have seen in a while is an indy film called Primer. Two guys build a time machine in their garage, but you can only travel back to the point it was turned on. Their first use of it was to start it up in the morning, go kill time all day, check to see what stocks did best that day, travel back to the morning and buy those stocks. The catch with it was that it took as long to travel back. You would have to spend 10 hours sitting in the box to travel back 10 hours. The movie really grabbed me the first time they both relived a day in side by side boxes. One guy gets out of the box, recovers from it for a few minutes, then the other guy gets out of his a few minutes later, and the first guy says "You got out too soon."

[Ed62]

Thanks, I'll look for that movie....

You're welcome.

Now if we could only treat tele-marketers like they handled traveling salesmen in "Second hand lions"...

Yeah, that would probably get their attention.

Ed

[germdoc]

OK, sorry to be nitpicky--I'm enjoying everything in this thread, but definition of a "sleeper" is a movie or book or TV series that does well despite lack of a big budget, heavy promotion or a flurry of favorable reviews. It is an underdog that comes out of left field. A good recent example is Napolean Dynamite, also The Full Monty. The first Star Wars was in fact a sleeper that no one expected to do well, also the first Rocky, although the sequels are not sleepers.

The Sting is most certainly not a sleeper--it starred the 2 most famous actors of the 70's and was heavily promoted. Some of the above, like Eraserhead which I mentioned, are not sleepers--they are cult favorites that appeal to a tiny segment of the viewing public.

See this Wikipedia page for further discussion and well-known sleeper hits: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeper_film.

Having said all that, I love good movies of any type, especially the unusual ones that not a lot of other people have seen. It makes me feel just a little bit superior to the masses!

[backpacker85]

Not sure of its original budget or release numbers, and it is a "a bit" of a cult film , but still.......I have to include The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Strange film, but has to be one of the greatest soundtracks of any movie I've seen.

[Ed62]

The Sting is most certainly not a sleeper--it starred the 2 most famous actors of the 70's and was heavily promoted.

I didn't say it was a sleeper. Only that it had a fantastic ending.


Ed

[germdoc]

Not sure of its original budget or release numbers, and it is a "a bit" of a cult film , but still.......I have to include The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Strange film, but has to be one of the greatest soundtracks of any movie I've seen.

Some of my college friend used to dress up and go to the weekly showings of RHPS in downtown Atlanta. I never understood the whole thing until I went to see it for myself, a year or so into the fad.

I still didn't understand it.

I agree, great soundtrack though. Meatloaf rules!

[isddarms]

Two hilarious movies that never got much attention are Oscar and The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human.

[lkazista]

"Miracle Mile" starring Anthony Edwards is one of the most intense films you will ever see.

After that, Chris Rocks, "Pootie Tang-Sine your Pity on the Runny Kine"

[LinuxRandal]

"Miracle Mile" starring Anthony Edwards is one of the most intense films you will ever see.

Never got to see the whole thing, but love the soundtrack.

Another much earlier Anthony Edwards one was Gotcha.

[Hoyden]

I don’t think this counts as a sleeper but "Charly" is one that really sticks out. Cliff Robertson starred in this one in 1968 and won an Oscar.