Lost Gems

[Jurassicalien]

We've all had those moments in life where we come across something, a book, movie, tv show, actor, whatever. And you just fall in love with it. And for whatever reason, it's not really popular or well known, perhaps just under the rader, and you make it your "duty" to tell people about it.

For you, what are some of the lost gems you have found and love to tell people about?

For me:
The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (Movie): I love Gene Wilder, and this film has many MANY great Wilder moments. Also it starts Madeline Kahn, and Marty Feldman. This was made right after Young Frankenstien, and though this is of course not the masterpiece that Frankenstien is, it is still very very enjoyable. If you like Gene Wilder, and funny word play (Pretty vace) you should see this.

[sonnylarue]

as a kid, i loved the alfred hitchcock, and the three investigators mysteries.

i thought these were better written than the hardy boys books.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Three_Investigators

[wjm1138]

Zardoz by John Boorman.
A truly great sci-fi film bursting with ideas and beautifully histrionic dialogue.
It doesn't seem to be taken seriously by the majority of sci-fi fans or cinephiles, which I find perplexing. There's some great photography, a bare-chested Sean Connery, and plenty of social commentary, principally our society's celebration of violence but denigration of sexuality. I also recommend Boorman's commentary on the DVD.

[ryfun]

Love Among the Mashed Potatoes by the late Gregory McDonald.


And I chase after my non-geek friends to watch Free Enterprise, but I'm assuming most everyone here already has.

SR

[NeverWanderer]

The Legend of Billy Jean, and...

(...and I know I'll catch concentrated hell for this, but...)

The Last Dragon.

Do I try to get people to watch it? No. Because, unless I know the person has the same interests and/or sense of humor that I do (and you HAVE to have a sense of humor to appreciate this movie), I'm pretty certain they wouldn't enjoy it -- at least, not on the same level I do.

For me, The Last Dragon is everything that is fun about movies. It's a coming of age tale, it has romance, it has comedy, it has kung-fu, heroics, philosophy, a GREAT over the top villain (Julius Carry, RIP), a great soundtrack (if you appreciate 80s music), and one of the most kick-ass final showdowns out of any movie I've ever seen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBlTsHsr5Ig).

It's the reason I love music, it's the reason I love action, it's the reason I love heroes' journeys and love stories, and it's the reason I love superheroes! Look at that final battle! Tell me that ain't a superhero showdown of the highest order.

Most influential flick I've ever seen.