Top 10 Forgotten Modern Classics

Sometimes a movie fails to connect with a large audience for whatever reason. It can simply be published at the wrong time or take some time to reclaim its cult status. Some movies wind up looking better in the rearview mirror than you recall. It's wonderful to be able to revisit movies that don't have the classic status they merit. Additionally, it frequently occurs that they are hard to find on both physical media and streaming. Thankfully, cult DVD/Blu-ray releases are saving more and more of these, though occasionally a plethora of rights issues can delay things along.

1. Goodfellas

Henry Hill's life in the mob is the subject of this biography, which also discusses his marriage to Karen Hill and his involvement with the Italian-American crime syndicate as partners with Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.

2. Misery

After being saved from a car accident by a reader of his books, a well-known author learns that the treatment he is receiving is simply the start of a nightmare of confinement and abuse.

3. Thelma And Louis

When two of their closest friends set out on an expedition, it quickly turns into a scary run from the police as the girls flee from the crimes they committed.

4. The Legend Of The Holy Drinker

This was well received when it premiered at festivals in the late 1980s, according to the late, great Rutger Hauer. A man in need (Hauer) receives 200 francs as a present. A story of the man rising, falling, and rising again begins as these 200 francs set off a series of interactions. All the man asks in return is for him to give the money to the local church when he can. His efforts to return the initial funds to the church despite his best intentions have always been hindered by unfavorable circumstances and poor decisions.

5. The Interview Click to look into! >> Read More...

This Oz-produced drama, which should not be confused with the more current Rogen/Franco comedy about Kim Jong Un, is a masterwork of restraint and orchestration. Hugo Weaving Hugo Weaving aka Hugo Wallace Weaving was born in >> Read More... plays the unassuming man that the police pull in for questioning in this masterfully crafted thriller. Internal affairs are in the process of keeping an eye on the cops. At first, it appears like Fleming (Weaving) is the main suspect in the car theft, but as more information becomes available, he is being questioned about a murder.

6. Cypher

This small Hitchcockian sci-fi thriller from Cube filmmaker Vincenzo Natali was something of a movie fan discovery back in 2002. Straight-to video in most major regions made it a little more challenging to locate, but it did get some popularity in the UK because Jeremy Northam starred in it (at the height of his fame), and it earned positive reviews. Cube was a wonderful method for Natali to introduce himself because he had a lot of potential for the big screen.

7. Mute Witness

It must be acknowledged that the mid-1990s wasn't the most recognizable period for horror movies. Except for one or two, the genre was having trouble recapturing the popularity it had in earlier decades. As a result, even some of the very excellent ones have suffered from the passage of time. One is Mute Witness.

8. Amsterdamned

I've loved this Dutch horror classic by master Dick Maas since I was a kid. Yes, I had a childhood like that. My dad was strongly persuaded to let my brother and I watch his rental buy with him while my mother was abroad.

9. Wake In Fright

A teacher departs for a home for the summer at a small, isolated school in rural Australia. He makes a pit stop at Bundanyabba (the "Yabba") and loses all of his money there. When stranded, the locals appear to exist for many reasons, including consuming alcohol and going room hunting.

10. Nightwatch

In the movie, Ewan McGregor plays a morgue night watchman who is charged with a string of murders. I've never really understood why this movie didn't receive more acclaim. There are some silly parts, but the idea is fun and the movie is stuffed to the gills with atmosphere and oddball people.