"Under the Radar" Movies

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Brazil has a huge cult following, so is not obscure. Most who are really into movies have seen this one. But if you haven't yet, or if it's been awhile, check it out. It is brilliant.
Probably inspired some ideas or tone of The Fifth Element. Which I also loved, even if it does have Bruce Willis and a sappy ending.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Wh2b1eZFUM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIDggzJ1mWc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eosrujtjJHA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z64bNZgK4GY&feature=related
 
Spankbelly;1909069; said:
Oh, so that's why big Hollywood just keeps making the same movie over and over. If it's the same Cops and Robbers movie, same basic script, same chase scenes, same top 10 actors rotating in and out...it might not break new cinematic ground, but it will make it past the censors.
Too bad, so sad. Those movies will make money because we need something to fill the void. But "art" does not come from a cookie cutter.

Anyone have suggestions for goodish sci-fi to add to my collection?
Even B grade quality. Most of it is not A+, Hard to do great sci-fi without A+ big budget.
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Try "Forbidden Planet" it's circa 1956 or so but it's amazing considering the technology they had to work with then.
 
Moontanman;1909385; said:
Try "Forbidden Planet" it's circa 1956 or so but it's amazing considering the technology they had to work with then.
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Yes! Forbidden Planet was awesome!
 
I was going to give you a list of Canadian movies, thinking they would qualify as obscure to you. But I found this site has done all the work for me.
http://www.pulpanddagger.com/movies/filmtv.html
Over 2000 entries of film and T.V. made in Canada, by Canadians. With a 5 star rating system.
But sometimes (often?) paid for with U.S. greenbacks, and with U.S. lead actors. Sometimes the line between Canada/U.S.A. gets very blurry.
You might be surprised to know how often you are watching a police chase through N.Y.C...but that ain't N.Y.
Some good stuff there. Not all good. Not even most. But it is obscure. If I have time latter on I'll pick out some good ones and try to find trailers.
And it reminded me to mention Scanners (not obscure) and Screamers (maybe obscure for you, don't know how big it was in U.S.A.)
And my favorite T.V. show LEXX (second to Battlestar Galactic, #1!) and The Trailer Park Boys. But I think both of those did well in the US.
Also I discovered Canadian films mask themselves and get re-branded as "Made in U.S.A" more because of our tax system and less because of the American propaganda machine, as I previously thought.
News to me.
And that so much of Canadian content is crap because at one time (don't know if they still can) Canadian producers could take a percentage of the operating budget as payment. Before the film was finished or made a profit. So they didn't care if the film was good enough to sell. This is illegal in the U.S.A. where produces get paid after all other expenses are covered. So they want to sell enough to get paid at the end.
And Canadian producers got a tax incentive to make movies. Not to make good movies. Just finish a cheap piece of crap, call it a movie, collect the subsidy.
All that's way of topic, I know. But the world keeps teaching me things. Even when I'm just looking for mindless entertainment.
 
Spankbelly;1910339; said:
I was going to give you a list of Canadian movies, thinking they would qualify as obscure to you. But I found this site has done all the work for me.
http://www.pulpanddagger.com/movies/filmtv.html
Over 2000 entries of film and T.V. made in Canada, by Canadians. With a 5 star rating system.
But sometimes (often?) paid for with U.S. greenbacks, and with U.S. lead actors. Sometimes the line between Canada/U.S.A. gets very blurry.
You might be surprised to know how often you are watching a police chase through N.Y.C...but that ain't N.Y.
Some good stuff there. Not all good. Not even most. But it is obscure. If I have time latter on I'll pick out some good ones and try to find trailers.
And it reminded me to mention Scanners (not obscure) and Screamers (maybe obscure for you, don't know how big it was in U.S.A.)
And my favorite T.V. show LEXX (second to Battlestar Galactic, #1!) and The Trailer Park Boys. But I think both of those did well in the US.
Also I discovered Canadian films mask themselves and get re-branded as "Made in U.S.A" more because of our tax system and less because of the American propaganda machine, as I previously thought.
News to me.
And that so much of Canadian content is crap because at one time (don't know if they still can) Canadian producers could take a percentage of the operating budget as payment. Before the film was finished or made a profit. So they didn't care if the film was good enough to sell. This is illegal in the U.S.A. where produces get paid after all other expenses are covered. So they want to sell enough to get paid at the end.
And Canadian producers got a tax incentive to make movies. Not to make good movies. Just finish a cheap piece of crap, call it a movie, collect the subsidy.
All that's way of topic, I know. But the world keeps teaching me things. Even when I'm just looking for mindless entertainment.
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You really know your movies, Spankbelly! I'm going to have to make a list before my next trip to the video store.

That's interesting about the Canadian movie production. It's hard to compare Canada's (or any other country's) film industry to the Hollywood's mega-studios...
 
Funny movie, but there were a couple scenes I couldn't watch...

onion.jpg
 
Spankbelly;1905330; said:
Frailty
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IBGiPz0heI
Low budget but high quality. Asks some interesting questions.
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I've tried a few times but could never get to the end of that one.

City of God has been mentioned but City of men was pretty good too (the film, I haven't seen the tv series).

Saints & Soldiers is a good WW2 film, and although WW2 themes have been over-saturated, this one is good in the same way band of brothers was good.

I really liked Blow, Tombstone and the 13th Warrior (yes the one with antonio banderas :eek:)too. Oh and Mystic river, although I read the book of that first-still good though.
 
I love movies. I grew up on a farm in the middle of nowhere. Movies and books were my only escape.
My first movie in a theater was Bambi. I was a little fella, barely fit in the seat. I still remember everything about that day.


This one is obscure for sure.
I’m positive nobody outside of Canada has even heard a rumour of it.
This might be preachy, sorry I do that allot, but it is obscure.
And explains one of the many reasons why Canadians have little chip on their shoulder. But we won't go into that here.

The Arrow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlrfGx4ncgI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93v8FSOGvF8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWuZtk8uPP0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8lTGTPQlDE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG7X_kJ7KtI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbnlfIE9H-A
The true story of the most advanced long range fighter/interceptor of the 1950s.
The Canadian Avro Arrow.
With performance specs rivalling or bettering modern F15, F16, F18,. In terms of range, climb, altitude, speed and turn radius. (But not roll rate.) The Arrow was gigantic by fighter standards of the day. Built for very long range, very high speed interception of soviet bombers over the high artic. From bases in central and northern Alberta.
And not modern computerized weapon systems of course. But those modern weapons owe their ancestry to the Arrow.
Unheard of risky and expensive, multiple simultaneous development of next generation airframe, engines, radar and weapon systems.
Pioneering fly by wire hydraulic control, gyroscopic auto pilot, all weather radar guidance, fire and forget radar guided missiles, internal missile bays and engines of unheard of power.
Iroquoi engines that were later further refined and used under another name in the British supersonic passenger airliner, the Concord. And for other supersonic bombers.
The airframe so efficient it set speed and climb records with weaker McDonald Douglas (or was it Boeing? Think it was MD) engines. Before the installation of the much more powerful Iroquois, with which the Arrow never officially flew. Test data was falsified to not give too much credit to American engines. Avro was waiting to give glory to the Iroquoi, and win supply contracts for itself. They waited one day too long. The program was cancelled just hours before the Iroquois were to take to the sky.
The pilots and the test group claim the Arrow easily hit mach 2.2+ in a climb, even with the weak McDonald Douglas engines. At a time when most fighters were limited to mach 1+, in a steep dive.

The program was cancelled, and all prototypes scrapped and schematics burned. (or did they go to the U.S.A.? Why would we burn the design? A roll of paper takes up too much space?) After interference and pressure from the American government. Who feared any other country having obvious air superiority. Literally decades in advance of their own.
Look at the then operational American F-86 Saber and compare the CF-105 Arrow.

In exchange for scrapping the program, America installed and maintains to this day, missile defence systems in the Canadian north.
For relinquishing sovereignty, Canadian citizens despise both governments.
Whatever the truth is behind the mystery, our government deserves most of the blame.
The amount of American interference is in debate, and can never be proven. America may just be a convenient scapegoat.
But it seams telling that as soon as the Arrow program ended, Canada signed agreements with America to the effect that Canada can never again develop it’s own defence systems.
Never.
Why would we agree to that?
Canada can never develop it’s own weapon systems for self defence!
Canada can never develop it’s own weapons for sale to other countries, because we cant justify the cost if we can’t buy them to support the contract.
Canada can not develop weapons.
HUH???

The cancellation crushed the once giant Avro corporation. Laying off 14000 employees in a single day. (some say as retaliation against the Canadian government) And decimated the Canadian aerospace industry. After American head-hunters picked Avro clean.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZGlOqOHcHs&feature=related (this list is not complete, many Avro personnel went to the U.S.A)
Avro engineers and technicians joined American aircraft manufacturers. And NASA. Helping leapfrog American technology decades beyond Russian. And took a leading role in putting the American flag on the moon. (that’s not taking credit from the Americans who helped too, or from all the Germans NASA got after the war)

After the day of butchery, Black Friday, a single Arrow remained. To be scrapped by torches the following day. (Photos show 4 out of 5 Arrows being chopped, where is #5? The one with operational Iroquois vanished!)
But local witnesses claim to have been woken late that night, by the distinctive Iroquoi engines. Known to them by months of testing, strapped to the test bench. The plane lifted off and headed due south across the American border. Never to be seen again.
This Arrow, perhaps a little too conveniently, was the only Arrow that had been fitted with fully operational Iroquois.
Some theorize it was stolen for or sold to the American government.
Or given to America by Canada as part of the new mutual defence agreements that prevent Canada from developing it’s own defence program.
Or that the pilot ditched it in the great lakes, to prevent it from being scrapped. (Which makes no sense. He destroyed it to prevent it from being destroyed?)
But the Canadian pilot, second most senior test pilot in the program, was a renegade. Known for insubordination and risk taking. It is possible he chose the lesser of two evils. And “defected” with the last Arrow. Choosing to give it to America, rather than see the last of his dream butchered.
I hope this is the case. That somewhere, the last great Arrow remains.
Even if it is blanketed by the Stars and Stripes.

To Canada, this is not just a story of one airplane. It is destiny robbed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbKy2ZHd5Lw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8YzVGeJfIE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i84wjrnpLzY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39hhkVRPi4g&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEeaomG32Dc&feature=related
Mr. Gordon may have been Avro’s handicap. He was an alcoholic with no tact.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yyKqygjDbQ




Sorry about the repetitive footage. It’s all that remains.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ-_R2xXxlI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OUf4TMT6kY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45nthV3cJqs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkQ9S1ko5N4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM6FwQi902w&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af5NOLdQJkg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u11WkWV7lwM&feature=related

The scale mock up used for stationary and low speed rolling ground shots in the movie, was made a few blocks from my house. By the same hobby shop that sold me my R/C airplane. (that’s not my voice)
And they built the R/C Arrow used for in flight shots that are not stock footage. Yes, we are now limited to making toys.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJdKf0EuZjQ&feature=related

Forgive the over played, and in this case ironic music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R3SJsa1ia8
 
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