Under the Radar

For me Netflix is great. My local video store might have 50 DVDs of The Departed and Borat, and maybe one copy of the film I really want to see (out). What follows is a list of films- many suggested by my students, who evidently have too much free time- that perhaps flew under your radar but you should see. The list has something for everyone- documentary, foreign, comedy, shoot-em ups. None were released before 2004 and the total gross box office receipts are probably less than 300's first weekend. Feel free to add your own suggestions. One soon to be released film to see is a new documentary called Sharkwater. It's in Dallas and NYC in April on DVD later. Thanks to ViceZilla http://vicezilla.com/ for this one. You can see his story and the trailer at his site.

Finally, a not so insignificant note, eight of these films were directed (or co-directed) by women. As The Tom Tom Club sang, "Girls can do it, too."

PeterH

Dramadies
Stranger than Fiction- A nice Will Farrell performance and for the guitar geeks out there he plays The Whole Wide World by Wreckless Eric. E and A are the only chords. Easy. Shot entirely in Chicago.

Upside of Anger- Joan Allen and Kevin Costner play two depressed drinking buddies. It will make you want to have a drink or not, I am not sure.

You, Me and Everyone We Know- by Miranda July. Great and Quirky.

Friends with Money- Also great and quirky as is any film directed by Nicole Holofcener.

The Squid in the Whale-The first half of a great dysfunctional family double feature when combined with Little Miss Sunshine.

SherryBaby- Maggie Gyllenhaal is excellent as a recently paroled convict who wants to reunite with her daughter.

Documentary Film

Shut Up and Sing- The Dixie Chick's film. Great. You get to see how their new record came about and how they were really right.

My Architect- About the architect Louis Kahn who lived a double or triple life. Made by the son of his third wife.

Grizzly Man- Great music, great bears, real and scary. Music by Richard Thompson.

The Lost Boys of Sudan- Sudanese young men come to this country and have to adapt or die. Tons of memorable scenes- including when one "boy" catches a bird to give as a gift to a date.

Wordplay- Devotees of the NYT crossword must see this.

Spellbound- even better than Wordplay. About the national spelling bee.

Foreign

Earth, Fire, Water- Three separate films by Deepa Mehta. Three different versions of life in Indian in the last half of the 20th century.

Oldboy-Korean thriller. Not for everyone, pretty violent but very well made.

Best of Youth- Originally a mini-series for Italian TV. Shown in two 3 hour parts in theaters here. We get a 20th century Italian History lesson.

I'm Not Scared-Also Italian about a boy who finds a man hiding in a hole.

Nobody Knows- Japanese. 14 year old Yuya Yagira one best actor at Cannes in 2005. Based on a true story it's about 4 siblings each with a different father, who have to fend for themselves in a small apartment after their mother leaves.