A very obscure 1973 film, but very good, is The Paper Chase. This movie follows a 1st year undergraduate at Harvard Law School. Sounds really dry on the face of it, but it becomes a really interesting study on success versus failure in life. It also has the mighty John Houseman as the eminent professor of law.
Speaking of paper... Paper Moon. Excellent story and award winning performances by father and daughter team the O'Neals.
One of the films directed by the legendary writer Paul Schrader is Auto Focus, which he also directs. It tells the true life story of Bob Crane (played by Greg Kinnear), the star of US sitcom Hogan's Heroes and his descent into an addiction to sex and filming pornography. A wonderfully creepy performance from Willem Dafoe as his co-deviant. Never got much publicity this one (unsurprising in the US, to be honest, in view of its dissection of a much-loved actor), but is a very good film.
Quote: Tim Walker @ September 1 2009, 6:39 PM BSTA very obscure 1973 film, but very good, is The Paper Chase. This movie follows a 1st year undergraduate at Harvard Law School. Sounds really dry on the face of it, but it becomes a really interesting study on success versus failure in life. It also has the mighty John Houseman as the eminent professor of law.
Personal favourite...good pick! 
Quote: AndreaLynne @ September 1 2009, 6:48 PM BSTPersonal favourite...good pick!
We have such good taste. 
My favourite movies as a teenager was Glorydaze.
I LOVED Glorydaze its probably tied with Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Army of Darkness for the most times I've seen a movie. It's a funny movie about having to finally grow up and leave behind the party days.
Even if the plot doesn't interest you the movie has first staring movie roles for Ben Affleck's, Sam Rockwell (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Galexy Quest, The Assassination of Jesse James), French Stewart (3rd Rock from the Sun), Alyssa Milano and a walk rolls for yet unknowns like Matthew McConaughey and Matt Damon (who doesn't even speak in the movie he just looks stoned and gets made fun of).
It's funny and fun. I highly recommend watching it.
And if you're into mid 90's punk the soundtrack is awesome. Chalk full of stuff like NOFX, Bouncing Souls and Sublime.
It also has Brendan Fraser and John Rhys-Davies.
Quote: Tim Walker @ September 1 2009, 6:39 PM BSTA very obscure 1973 film, but very good, is The Paper Chase. This movie follows a 1st year undergraduate at Harvard Law School. Sounds really dry on the face of it, but it becomes a really interesting study on success versus failure in life. It also has the mighty John Houseman as the eminent professor of law.
I haven't seen that, but I did watch the TV series that spun off from it, back in the late 70s. Houseman was also in it.
As for another obscure film, how about The Final Programme, based on Michael Moorcock's novel, featuring his Jerry Cornelius character at the end of the world. I remember reading about it in a sci-fi mag circa 1973 and hoped I would one day see it, and lo and behold it's available on DVD. Weird and obscure it is.
Toto le Héros
Directed by Jaco van Dormael
The Triple Echo
Directed by Michael Apted.
Monsieur Hire
Directed by Patrice Leconte
Nothing But the Best
Directed by Clive Donner
Something to Hide
Directed by Alastair Reid
Out of the Blue
Directed by Dennis Hopper
Tracks
Directed by Henry Jaglom
Quote: Tim Walker @ September 1 2009, 4:25 PM BSTThe Good Girl
A very funny small-town comedy featuring an excellent lead performance from Jennifer Aniston as a bored make-up counter supermarket worker. Shows that she really can act. A excellent cast features Jake Gyllenhaal, John C Reilly and Tim Blake Nelson. It also has a really good soundtrack.
I loved this one too and it pushed me to finally read Catcher in the Rye which I'd not got round to before so it was a double bonus. My only criticism as with another favourite (soppy) film of mine Frankie and Johnny is that the female lead is too attractive to convincingly play the role. OK F&J is not obscure but what's not to love when they're brushing their teeth listening to that song?
Does The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou count? I'm all for the quirky films and those Bowie covers didn't hurt either.
Ooh and Once - "A modern-day musical about a busker and an immigrant and their eventful week in Dublin, as they write, rehearse and record songs that tell their love story"
Reading back I appear to favour films where there's a good blend of music too. One last example - the lovely Mr Eastwood writing the song for Gran Torino.
ps I nearly always go to the cinema rather than watch DVDs. Does anyone else go into a kind of trance after a film or is it just me? It's one of the reasons I usually go on my own as if I'm with someone and they talk to me I have to come back into the real world too soon! On the plus side it is cheaper than drugs and has no known side effects. 
Quote: Jane P @ September 1 2009, 10:38 PM BST?
Does The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou count? I'm all for the quirky films and those Bowie covers didn't hurt either.
Good call.
Quote: Jane P @ September 1 2009, 10:38 PM BSTDoes anyone else go into a kind of trance after a film or is it just me? It's one of the reasons I usually go on my own as if I'm with someone and they talk to me I have to come back into the real world too soon! On the plus side it is cheaper than drugs and has no known side effects.
Jane P = 
Only joking, it really depends on the film and what emotional reaction it's brought out of the viewer. As I've got older, I've begun to loathe the cinema experience, mainly because people lack manners nowadays and won't shut the hell up or turn off their phones.
When the first Jurassic Park came out, a group of us went including a mate of mine who went to Cambridge University. Big mistake, as the rest of us were revelling in the wonderment of it all, he said in a loud nerdy voice, 'they really should have called it Triassic Park as most of those dinosaurs didn't exist until several million years after the Jurassic period'.
To which I replied 'Shut the hell up and let us enjoy the friggin' cartoon dinosaur movie Poindexter!' (I didn't really, but I wish I had said that).
EDIT: I've just spoken to him and he denies saying that, he actually said Cretaceous.
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ September 1 2009, 10:53 PM BSTJane P =
EDIT: I've just spoken to him and he denies saying that, he actually said Cretaceous.
I'm impressed that you took the time to check the facts on your own post there. Or are you simultaneously researching your autobiography for when you're famous? Talking of which get back to your emails and sitcom writing!
Should I assume your friend is the type who loves to point out all inaccuracies in films? Those people bug me - I think you'll find Walkers crips weren't around in 1974. Who cares!? Shouldn't be allowed unless they've made a decent film themselves. Grrr.
Quote: Jane P @ September 1 2009, 11:06 PM BSTShould I assume your friend is the type who loves to point out all inaccuracies in films? Those people bug me - I think you'll find Walkers crips weren't around in 1974. Who cares!? Shouldn't be allowed unless they've made a decent film themselves. Grrr.
To be fair, he's not the only one. My brother is a Health and Safety Executive and an electrician, so any time someone gets electrocuted, knocks out the power in a building or uses electricity to blow a lock or whatever, he goes off on one.
I know quite a lot about firearms, so I do the same when people don't reload, shoot car petrol tanks or get shot in the arm and shake it off like a bee sting.
And I'm pretty sure there are snowmobile manufactures who watch Bond films and go 'never happen, wouldn't blow up like that if you hit a tree'.
There's an exciting Forum Thread title - 'What is your area of expertise and how do you ruin films for others with it?'
Quote: RubyMae - Glamourous Snowdrop at Large @ September 1 2009, 5:00 PM BSTOne film I saw the other day I haven't seen in ages was The Phantom Tollbooth! I loved the book as a kid as well. It's made by Chuck Jones and stars Butch Patrick of Munsters fame. But when I mention it, people look at me like I'm mad!
Looks at Roo as if she is mad. Nah, just kidding - loved it when I was a kid; no idea what I would make of it now.
Excellent calls from Tim on Electra Glide in Blue, The Draughtsman's Contract and The Man Who Would Be King.
Don't know here to start on this, but the other night I saw Eulogy which I had never heard of, and enjoyed.
Lots of scope for sub-title options, but again will nominate something seen recently, The Horseman on the Roof
For a really obscure pick try The Navigator, about medieval miners escaping the black death by burrowing through to 20th century New Zealand.
Ooh, ooh, another French one - The Brotherhood of the Wolf.
And keeping on the werewolf theme - Ginger Snaps.