JT Spunk | Photography

Unsung Cinematic Gems

Richard Roeper did this first in his 2002 book Ten Sure Signs a Movie Character is Doomed, and Other Surprising Movie Lists. He compiled a list of movies panned by most critics but admired by him. Although glancing at the list (including such lemons as Angel Eyes, ughh) sometimes makes me wanna belch, I do find it encouraging. Since I embarked on my journey in film study and criticism, I have also found myself quite often admiring films generally disliked by the critical mass. It is reassuring to know, then, that other critics are also sole champions of booed films.

            It is universally agreed by critics and film buffs alike that no two opinions will ever be the same, but most professional film writers are too timid to admit their love of unpopular films. Gene Siskel once said that a difference of opinion can only be used as an excuse so much to forgive bad movies. At a certain point, garbage is garbage. With this, I agree and that’s why on my list you will not see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen or G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Films like those are indefensibly bad. The films on my list aren’t even guilty pleasure. A guilty pleasure is a film you like despite its obvious poorness. Nor are these titles films that I thought weren’t as bad as their reputation suggests. No, the following films are, in my eyes, good to very good movies (I will concede that there aren’t any that I consider masterpieces listed) that for one reason or another struck a sour note with most critics. Take each of my blurbs as a case, rather than a defense, of the films. Hopefully I will get some critics to reconsider or some film buffs some new rental ideas, but even if it encourages you to pick an argument with me I still will be fulfilled.

Hollywood Party (1934): None of the directors (including the legendary George Stevens) involved in this plotless musical-comedy extravaganza took credit for the finished product and, sure there are plenty of boring and corny skits and numbers but there are many fun moments and wonderful songs in this potpourri of Jimmy Durante, Laurel & Hardy, The Three Stooges, and even a dancing gorilla.

Goodbye Charlie (1964): Vincente Minnelli’s little known and criminally underrated gem. If nothing else, the weirdness of the premise is sufficient to justify a look. Before The Crying Game and Boys Don’t Cry this comedy gave us Debbie Reynolds playing a man. Well, not exactly, she plays a dead man reincarnated as Debbie Reynolds.  To add to this emotional confusion we have Tony Curtis, never more likeable, as the best pal of the dearly departed falling for the…girl? The pathos and psychological aspects of the film make for a very fun and sometimes sweet movie.

Pete’s Dragon (1977): Sure, it’s no Mary Poppins. No one ever said it was. But what a wonderful family movie it is! Certainly, this is Disney’s best film of the 70s, a charming tale of a boy and his best friend, an animated (sometimes invisible) friendly dragon named Elliott. The songs are fantastic and the cast, made up largely of veteran comedians (Mickey Rooney, Jim Dale, Red Buttons, and Jim Backus) make this an amusing family film.

Cruising (1980): Ok, this one pushes some hot buttons so I will begin with a disclaimer. I fully understand and agree with the offense many gay activists took at this film’s false and alarmist portrayal of gays. To add insult to injury, I think it was irresponsible of director William Friedkin to begin filming a year after the assassination of Harvey Milk. To be fair, however, homosexuality was a subject that most people (never mind Hollywood) was inexcusably ignorant of as late as the 1970s. Cruising tried to do the best it could with the obviously slim knowledge it had on the subject. That’s why the film’s most sympathetic portrayal of a gay man (Al Pacino’s friendly neighbor) is, at best, a stereotype. For its more dire depiction of gays, the film was at least sensible enough to stress that they are not representative of the gay community as a whole but of a small faction. Looking past the sensitivity issues (and for some, I acknowledge, this may be impossible to do) you find a tense and often exciting police thriller. Even in the scripting there are some ambiguities and too many things left unexplained that don’t work to the film’s advantage, but it shouldn’t have taken Al Pacino starring in 88 Minutes to make us realize how good Cruising is by comparison. 

Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983): This one got a bad rap before it even hit the theaters. One group of naysayers took offense at the tampering with an old TV favorite, Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone series. This is understandable and hardly surprising. Then, the tragic death of actor Vic Morrow and two children during production cast a pall over the whole production and some started asking, “was the movie worth it?” Of course not! No movie, no matter how good, is worth human lives! Judging by that yardstick, no movie will ever measure up. The death of Morrow and the children was a tragedy and the result of gross negligence and disregard for safety on behalf of the crew and director John Landis. But, the content of the movie (or, specifically, this segment as the film was an anthology of four stories) should not be judged by an external tragedy. Remember, the death of cast and crew is hardly an unusual misfortune and many films that have caused the death of someone involved (most famously, The Crow with the untimely death of Brandon Lee), have gone on to garner much acclaim. To address the first criticism; well, here they have more validity. To be fair, no remake or cinematic adaptation of a beloved series can ever live up to the source. In view of this, I must say that if one views Twilight Zone: The Movie with an open mind, one will find an effectively chilling and surprisingly loyal updating of three classic episodes plus a new story. Each director (Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, and George Miller) bring a distinctive style to their respective segments but the spooky prologue with Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks alone is worth the price of admission.

Shadows & Fog (1992): Although the late 80s-early 90s was Woody Allen’s second heyday, this obscure gem is hardly remembered in the comedian’s canon and when it is brought up, it is never favorable. But Shadows & Fog (while no one would argue that it deserves a place with Annie Hall, Manhattan, or Hannah and Her Sisters) does not deserve to be ignored. To understand the smartness of Shadows & Fog, one has to be in tune with Allen’s love for German Expressionist cinema of the 20s. In rich black and white photography, Allen recreates a visually stunning homage to the films of Fritz Lang, F.W. Murnau, and Robert Wiene set in a European village in the 1920s, that is austere, intriguing, and often funny.

In Love & War (1996): A beautiful romance based on the real-life love affair between Ernest Hemingway and Red Cross nurse Agnes von Kurowsky that inspired Hemingway’s literary masterpiece A Farewell to Arms. As always, director Richard Attenborough’s cinematography of war-torn Italy is absolutely breathtaking as is his period recreation. Best of all, though is how perfectly Chris O’Donnell captures the essence of the young Hemingway and his love for adventure, romance, cockiness, and self-pity. Particularly impressive is the recreation of the Hemingway summer home on Michigan’s Walloon Lake. I suspect Hemingway himself would have approved of O’Donnell’s performance, the creation of his world, and the film as a whole.

Fallen (1998): A police thriller with a satanic twist and a great performance from Denzel Washington. The story itself is gripping as any good thriller should be, but Fallen also has a surprisingly effective emotional core made even stronger by Washington’s sensitive performance. The ending is especially clever because it throws two surprises at us while grinning wickedly at the way its manipulating the audience.

Bamboozled (2000): By the early 2000s, Spike Lee was starting to sell-out to mainstream Hollywood and running out of critical favor, but I think Bamboozled was his last (so far) high caliber film. It’s imperfect to be sure. I took particular issue with the vilification of Damon Wayans’ character as the TV producer who loses his way when he pitches an idea for a new show reviving minstrel shows, since his intention for doing so was noble at first. He was trying to prove a valid point about the reception of African-American shows in America. That his idea backfired tragically says more about America than the producer’s intent. Still, Bamboozled is a courageous film that raises important and relevant issues. Anytime Spike Lee has something big to say, it has to be worth hearing.

Hannibal (2001): Do I really have to say that it isn’t as good as Silence of the Lambs? I hope not, because if I thought it was as good I would be the first to discredit myself as a film critic. Seen on its own, however, Hannibal is a highly entertaining film with a beautiful soundtrack and cinematography. Anthony Hopkins’ performance as everyone’s favorite cannibal is no less amazing than it was in the original and his love for art and history (hinted in the first film) is in full bloom here since the good doctor is hiding out in Florence. I love Ridley Scott’s contrasting of gothic Florence and America’s Beltway. A great cast (Julianne Moore, Giancarlo Giannini, and Ray Liotta) helps to touch on the film’s themes of corruption, character, and integrity. A movie that can actually improve upon the source novel, by the way, deserves props.

The Black Dahlia (2006): Based on the real-life murder of starlet to be Elizabeth Short, The Black Dahlia is an atmospheric thriller that was unjustly panned by the critics and ignored by the public. Brian De Palma paints the Los Angeles of 1940s as a decadent city, revealing the dirty and corrupt underbelly of Hollywood’s glamour years. This movie also features Josh Hartnett’s strongest performance and offers some great character studies of a city’s hidden dirt and creepiness.

About the Author

I was born in Dorchester, MA on January 8, 1983 and though I was raised and live in Boston. All my life, writing has been my primary sustainment. Writing, of course, and my love for reading, cinema, and travel.

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