Hidden Gems
by scwink | created - 12 Sep 2011 | updated - 24 Oct 2011 | PublicThis is a list of movies that for some reason never really became popular but are really good movies with a good story or great acting.I highly recomend all these movies.They are in no particular order.And I will be adding to it weekly.
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1. Ginger Snaps (2000)
Not Rated | 108 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Two death-obsessed sisters, outcasts in their suburban neighborhood, must deal with the tragic consequences when one of them is bitten by a deadly werewolf.
Director: John Fawcett | Stars: Emily Perkins, Katharine Isabelle, Kris Lemche, Mimi Rogers
Votes: 52,334 | Gross: $0.00M
This is a great horror movie.It adds a new look at the werewolf tale.One of my all time favorite horro movies.
2. The Invisible (2007)
PG-13 | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
A teenager is left invisible to the living after an attack.
Director: David S. Goyer | Stars: Justin Chatwin, Margarita Levieva, Marcia Gay Harden, Christopher Rodriguez Marquette
Votes: 36,573 | Gross: $20.57M
This I just find has great acting.The female lead was Margarita Levieva which I found to be really good and was expecting so much more from her later on in life but have been disapointed so far.
3. Wendy and Lucy (2008)
R | 80 min | Drama
Over the summer, a series of unfortunate happenings triggers a financial crisis for a young woman and she soon finds her life falling apart.
Director: Kelly Reichardt | Stars: Michelle Williams, Lucy, David Koppell, Max Clement
Votes: 19,765 | Gross: $0.86M
Michelle Williams is great in this movie.I am a huge fan of hers to begin with, but this is so ggod. She really is great here.
4. Identity (2003)
R | 90 min | Mystery, Thriller
Stranded at a desolate Nevada motel during a nasty rain storm, ten strangers become acquainted with each other when they realize that they're being killed off one by one.
Director: James Mangold | Stars: John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, John Hawkes
Votes: 267,430 | Gross: $52.16M
Probably one of the most under rated mystery movies ever.Keeps you guessing to the very end.
5. The Hole (2001)
R | 102 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Four teenagers at a British private school secretly uncover and explore the depths of a sealed underground hole created decades ago as a possible bomb shelter.
Director: Nick Hamm | Stars: Thora Birch, Desmond Harrington, Daniel Brocklebank, Laurence Fox
Votes: 48,275
The acting in this is great.Very under rated psychological thriller.Thora Birch is very good in it.She is one of the most under rated actresses ever.
6. Below (2002)
R | 105 min | Action, Horror, Mystery
Strange happenings occur on a WW II submarine.
Director: David Twohy | Stars: Bruce Greenwood, David Crow, Matthew Davis, Holt McCallany
Votes: 24,152 | Gross: $0.61M
I am sure a lot of people might not agree that this movie is under rated.Some even dislike it.But I find it quite chilling at times.For the first half of the movie it leaves you guessing.And a nice twist in the plot follows.
7. May (2002)
R | 93 min | Drama, Horror
A socially awkward veterinary assistant with a lazy eye and obsession with perfection descends into depravity after developing a crush on a boy with perfect hands.
Director: Lucky McKee | Stars: Angela Bettis, Jeremy Sisto, Anna Faris, James Duval
Votes: 40,530 | Gross: $0.15M
This is a must see for true horror fans.Twist of an ending.
8. The Naked Prey (1965)
Approved | 96 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
During the 1800s, a safari guide, two elephant hunters and their crew run into trouble with the natives in the South African veld when they refuse to offer gifts to the tribesmen.
Director: Cornel Wilde | Stars: Cornel Wilde, Gert van den Bergh, Ken Gampu, Patrick Mynhardt
Votes: 5,881
Thsi movie some how got lost to the public through the years.It is a four star movie.One of the best chace scenes in film history.And some really creepy scenes.The acting is Oscar worthy.
9. Perkins' 14 (2009)
R | 95 min | Horror, Thriller
In the small town of Stone Cove, Maine, sheriff's deputy Dwayne Hopper is on the night-shift. He discovers Ronald Perkins in a holding cell. He's a local pharmacist and suspect in the ... See full summary »
Director: Craig Singer | Stars: Patrick O'Kane, Richard Brake, Michale Graves, Mihaela Mihut
Votes: 2,357
Plain and simple.A very evil gruesome movie.
10. Devil (2010)
PG-13 | 80 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A group of people are trapped in an elevator and the Devil is mysteriously amongst them.
Director: John Erick Dowdle | Stars: Chris Messina, Caroline Dhavernas, Bokeem Woodbine, Logan Marshall-Green
Votes: 157,046 | Gross: $33.58M
Good horror movie.Very good mystery.I liked it because it kept me guessing the whole movie.
11. The Reaping (2007)
R | 99 min | Horror, Thriller
A former Christian missionary, who specializes in debunking religious phenomena, investigates a small town which seems to be suffering from the 10 biblical plagues.
Director: Stephen Hopkins | Stars: Hilary Swank, David Morrissey, AnnaSophia Robb, Idris Elba
Votes: 44,653 | Gross: $25.12M
Lot of people consider this to be a huge flop.But I enjoyed it.Good acting,good story, and some great effects.
12. The United States of Leland (2003)
R | 108 min | Drama
A young man's experience in a juvenile detention center that touches on the tumultuous changes that befall his family and the community in which he lives.
Director: Matthew Ryan Hoge | Stars: Ryan Gosling, Don Cheadle, Kevin Spacey, Chris Klein
Votes: 24,283 | Gross: $0.34M
The acting in this movie is amazing.The story is awesome.When you watch this, you can actually feel like it could happen in your neighborhood.
13. The Life of David Gale (2003)
R | 130 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A man against capital punishment is accused of murdering a fellow activist and is sent to death row.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, Laura Linney, Cleo King
Votes: 126,146 | Gross: $19.59M
How this was not up for an Oscar is amazing.This is one of those movies that you don't want to end.
14. Duel (1971 TV Movie)
PG | 90 min | Action, Thriller
A business commuter is pursued and terrorized by the malevolent driver of a massive tractor-trailer.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Dennis Weaver, Jacqueline Scott, Eddie Firestone, Lou Frizzell
Votes: 78,469
Speilberg's first movie.And this is a truely great movie.Keeps you on the edge of your seats the whole time.
15. See No Evil (1971)
GP | 89 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A young blind woman is pursued by a maniac while staying with family in their country manor.
Director: Richard Fleischer | Stars: Mia Farrow, Dorothy Alison, Robin Bailey, Diane Grayson
Votes: 4,105 | Gross: $1.32M
This is the first movie that scared me.I seen it with my babysitter when I was about 7 years old.It is one of my favorite stalker/slasher movies.
16. Hold That Ghost (1941)
Passed | 86 min | Comedy, Crime, Horror
After inheriting a fortune from a gangster, two dim-witted service station attendants find themselves stranded in a haunted house.
Director: Arthur Lubin | Stars: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Richard Carlson, Joan Davis
Votes: 4,269
Thsi was a block buster when it came out.But over the years people have not scene it.Unless it is on the Late Late Movie.So I am putting it on here.It to me is one of the funniest movies ever made.Abbott and Costello are hilarious spending the night in a haunted house.
17. Sucker Punch (2011)
PG-13 | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A young girl institutionalized by her abusive stepfather retreats to an alternative reality as a coping strategy and envisions a plan to help her escape.
Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone
Votes: 252,915 | Gross: $36.39M
Now I know people are wondering why I put this on here.I added this one because I love this movie.I didn't see it till it was out on DVD for months.And then I got it cuz the movie I wanted was checked out.But this is very under rated,it is action packed,the visuals are mind blowing.The cast is better than I thought they would be.And the story is interesting.If you haven't seen it.Check it out.
18. Deadgirl (2008)
R | 101 min | Horror
Two high school boys discover an imprisoned woman in an abandoned mental asylum who cannot die.
Directors: Marcel Sarmiento, Gadi Harel | Stars: Shiloh Fernandez, Noah Segan, Candice King, Eric Podnar
Votes: 19,853
A really good horror/thriller.The acting is very good.
19. The Machinist (2004)
R | 101 min | Drama, Thriller
An industrial worker who hasn't slept in a year begins to doubt his own sanity.
Director: Brad Anderson | Stars: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, John Sharian
Votes: 415,820 | Gross: $1.08M
This is probably Christian Bale's very best movie.
20. Speak (2004)
PG-13 | 89 min | Drama
After a blurred trauma over the summer, Melinda enters high school a selective mute. Struggling with school, friends, and family, she tells the dark tale of her experiences, and why she has chosen not to speak.
Director: Jessica Sharzer | Stars: Kristen Stewart, Elizabeth Perkins, Richard Hagerman, Allison Siko
Votes: 29,454
This is a sad movie.I was suprised how good the acting was.Check it out.
21. The Descent (2005)
R | 99 min | Adventure, Horror, Thriller
A caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.
Director: Neil Marshall | Stars: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder
Votes: 247,178 | Gross: $26.02M
One of the scariest movies ever.And some real good acting.
22. Babel (I) (2006)
R | 143 min | Drama
Tragedy strikes a married couple on vacation in the Moroccan desert, which jump starts an interlocking story involving four different families.
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Stars: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael García Bernal, Mohamed Akhzam
Votes: 317,255 | Gross: $34.30M
This is to me, one of the most under rated movies ever.The acting is top notch and the story is great.
23. Boy A (2007)
R | 106 min | Drama
The story of a young Jack, newly released from serving a prison sentence for a violent crime he committed as a child.
Director: John Crowley | Stars: Andrew Garfield, Peter Mullan, Shaun Evans, Siobhan Finneran
Votes: 38,864 | Gross: $0.11M
Story of a child who got locked up for murder.Now he is grow up and faces the challenges and troubles of adulthood and the guilt.Fine acting and very moving story.
24. The Alphabet Killer (2008)
R | 98 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Based on the true story of the double initial killings in Rochester, NY.
Director: Rob Schmidt | Stars: Eliza Dushku, Cary Elwes, Timothy Hutton, Tom Malloy
Votes: 8,882 | Gross: $0.03M
Eliza Dushku is so good in this movie.The story is o.k. but her performance is great.
25. Drop Dead Fred (1991)
PG-13 | 103 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A young woman finds her already unstable life rocked by the presence of a rambunctious imaginary friend from childhood.
Director: Ate de Jong | Stars: Phoebe Cates, Rik Mayall, Marsha Mason, Tim Matheson
Votes: 31,460 | Gross: $43.88M
This movie just cracks me up.
26. White Oleander (2002)
PG-13 | 109 min | Drama
A teenager journeys through a series of foster homes after her mother goes to prison for committing a crime of passion.
Director: Peter Kosminsky | Stars: Michelle Pfeiffer, Renée Zellweger, Robin Wright, Alison Lohman
Votes: 34,091 | Gross: $16.35M
How this movie didn't get an Oscar, or at lead best Lead Actress.
27. Hard Candy (2005)
R | 104 min | Drama, Thriller
Hayley's a smart, charming teenage girl. Jeff's a handsome, smooth fashion photographer. An Internet chat, a coffee shop meet-up, an impromptu fashion shoot back at Jeff's place. Jeff thinks it's his lucky night. He's in for a surprise.
Director: David Slade | Stars: Patrick Wilson, Elliot Page, Sandra Oh, Odessa Rae
Votes: 168,161 | Gross: $1.01M
This is a really good movie about Child molesters and what should happen to them. Acting is solid and story is great.
28. Chasing Amy (1997)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Holden and Banky are comic book artists. Everything's going good for them until they meet Alyssa, also a comic book artist. Holden falls for her, but his hopes are crushed when he finds out she's a lesbian.
Director: Kevin Smith | Stars: Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Ethan Suplee, Scott Mosier
Votes: 143,851 | Gross: $12.02M
One of the greatest love stories of all time.
29. Let the Right One In (2008)
R | 114 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Oskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl.
Director: Tomas Alfredson | Stars: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl
Votes: 226,893 | Gross: $2.12M
Far superior to it's American remake.This is one of the best vampire movies ever made.I give it 4 1/2 stars out of 5.
30. Ghost World (2001)
R | 111 min | Comedy, Drama
Two eccentric best friends graduate high school and respond to a man's romance-seeking newspaper ad as a gag, only to find their lives becoming increasingly complicated.
Director: Terry Zwigoff | Stars: Steve Buscemi, Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Brad Renfro
Votes: 126,889 | Gross: $6.22M
Cult classic.
31. Osama (2003)
PG-13 | 83 min | Drama
After the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the restriction of women in public life, a pre-teen girl is forced to masquerade as a boy in order to find work to support her mother and grandmother.
Director: Siddiq Barmak | Stars: Marina Golbahari, Zubaida Sahar, Khwaja Nader, Mohammad Arif Herati
Votes: 9,534 | Gross: $1.13M
The little girl in this movie is so talented.And it's about the horrible way women are treated in the Middle east.
32. The Station Agent (2003)
R | 89 min | Comedy, Drama
When his only friend dies, a man born with dwarfism moves to rural New Jersey to live a life of solitude, only to meet a chatty hot dog vendor and a woman dealing with her own personal loss.
Director: Tom McCarthy | Stars: Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson, Bobby Cannavale, Paul Benjamin
Votes: 73,469 | Gross: $5.74M
Thsi is one of my faves also.Great acting,great story. a man inherits an abandoned train station and it's freaky neighbors.
33. The Woodsman (2004)
R | 87 min | Drama
A child molester returns to his hometown after 12 years in prison and attempts to start a new life.
Director: Nicole Kassell | Stars: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Yasiin Bey, David Alan Grier
Votes: 35,401 | Gross: $0.04M
This is one of the most under rated ever.Not a flaw in this movie.
34. Lost in Translation (2003)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama
A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.
Director: Sofia Coppola | Stars: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris
Votes: 489,656 | Gross: $44.59M
I know a lot of people watched this.But it is truely under rated.Scarlette Johansson should have won the oscar for this.
35. Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)
R | 98 min | Drama
A mother and daughter find their lives adversely affected when a new man enters the picture. Will their family ever be what they expect?
Director: Anjelica Huston | Stars: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ron Eldard, Glenne Headly, Lyle Lovett
Votes: 4,816
I still cry to this one.
36. The Magdalene Sisters (2002)
R | 114 min | Drama
Three young Irish women struggle to maintain their spirits while they endure dehumanizing abuse as inmates of a Magdalene Sisters Asylum.
Director: Peter Mullan | Stars: Eileen Walsh, Dorothy Duffy, Nora-Jane Noone, Anne-Marie Duff
Votes: 28,469 | Gross: $4.89M
It doesn't just happen to alter boys.
37. Life as a House (2001)
R | 125 min | Drama
When a man is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he takes custody of his misanthropic teenage son, for whom quality time means getting high, engaging in small-time prostitution, and avoiding his father.
Director: Irwin Winkler | Stars: Hayden Christensen, Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jena Malone
Votes: 45,624 | Gross: $15.65M
About a man and his mortality.Great flick.
38. Empire Records (1995)
PG-13 | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Twenty-four hours in the lives of the young employees at Empire Records when they all grow up and become young adults thanks to each other and the manager. They all face the store joining a chain store with strict rules.
Director: Allan Moyle | Stars: Anthony LaPaglia, Debi Mazar, Maxwell Caulfield, Rory Cochrane
Votes: 61,944 | Gross: $0.30M
Most people wouldn't put it on a list like this.But I love this movie.Some of the scenes are hilarious (the couch arrest) (ac/dc scene). And of course the sound track is great.Worth a look.
39. The Night Stalker (1972 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 74 min | Horror, Mystery
An abrasive Las Vegas newspaper reporter investigates a series of murders committed by a vampire.
Director: John Llewellyn Moxey | Stars: Darren McGavin, Carol Lynley, Simon Oakland, Ralph Meeker
Votes: 7,392
One of the greatest Made For TV movies ever.And actually is kinda scary.
40. A Perfect Getaway (2009)
R | 98 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Two pairs of lovers on a Hawaiian vacation discover that psychopaths are stalking and murdering tourists on the islands.
Director: David Twohy | Stars: Milla Jovovich, Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant, Kiele Sanchez
Votes: 76,403 | Gross: $15.48M
This is a great mystery/slasher movie.Twist ending you don't see coming.I thought this would have been a block buster but it wasn't.
41. My Father the Hero (1994)
PG | 90 min | Comedy, Romance
A teenage girl on vacation in the Bahamas with her divorced father tries to impress a potential boyfriend by saying that her father is actually her lover.
Director: Steve Miner | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Katherine Heigl, Dalton James, Lauren Hutton
Votes: 11,725 | Gross: $25.48M
This movie is hillarious (the piano scene is a must see)and has a couple tear jerking scenes.
42. Whiteout (2009)
R | 101 min | Action, Crime, Mystery
U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko tracks a killer in Antarctica as the sun is about to set for six months.
Director: Dominic Sena | Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Tom Skerritt, Columbus Short
Votes: 40,868 | Gross: $10.28M
Very under rated mystery.
43. Eden Lake (2008)
R | 91 min | Horror, Thriller
Refusing to let anything spoil their romantic weekend break, a young couple confront a gang of loutish youths with terrifyingly brutal consequences.
Director: James Watkins | Stars: Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender, Tara Ellis, Jack O'Connell
Votes: 94,944 | Gross: $0.01M
great acting and the ending is worth it.
44. High Tension (2003)
R | 91 min | Horror
Best friends Marie and Alexia decide to spend a quiet weekend at Alexia's parents' secluded farmhouse. But on the night of their arrival, the girls' idyllic getaway turns into an endless night of horror.
Director: Alexandre Aja | Stars: Cécile de France, Maïwenn, Philippe Nahon, Franck Khalfoun
Votes: 77,918 | Gross: $3.68M
This is a very tense movie.
45. Dog Soldiers (2002)
R | 105 min | Action, Horror, Thriller
A routine military exercise turns into a nightmare in the Scottish wilderness.
Director: Neil Marshall | Stars: Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd, Emma Cleasby, Liam Cunningham
Votes: 65,683
One of the better werewolf movies.
46. Defendor (2009)
R | 101 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Arthur Poppington, a regular man who adopts a superhero persona, known as "Defendor", combs the city streets at night, in search of his archenemy, Captain Industry.
Director: Peter Stebbings | Stars: Woody Harrelson, Kat Dennings, Sandra Oh, Elias Koteas
Votes: 37,533 | Gross: $0.04M
I know a lot of people may not like this,but I found it funny and enetertaining.
47. Felon (2008)
R | 104 min | Crime, Thriller
Locked up for killing an intruder in self-defense, a family man must cope with life in the violent penal system.
Director: Ric Roman Waugh | Stars: Stephen Dorff, Marisol Nichols, Vincent Miller, Anne Archer
Votes: 83,596 | Gross: $0.04M
Val Kilmer was so good in this.I almost didn't reconize him.
48. The Visitor (I) (2007)
PG-13 | 104 min | Drama
A college professor travels to New York City to attend a conference and finds a young couple living in his apartment.
Director: Tom McCarthy | Stars: Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Gurira, Hiam Abbass
Votes: 44,538 | Gross: $9.42M
This is such an amazing movie.
49. The House of the Devil (2009)
R | 95 min | Horror, Mystery
In 1983, financially struggling college student Samantha Hughes takes a strange babysitting job that coincides with a full lunar eclipse. She slowly realizes her clients harbor a terrifying secret, putting her life in mortal danger.
Director: Ti West | Stars: Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, Greta Gerwig
Votes: 51,317 | Gross: $0.10M
Actually very scary at times.
50. Trust (I) (2010)
R | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A teenage girl is targeted by an online sexual predator.
Director: David Schwimmer | Stars: Clive Owen, Catherine Keener, Liana Liberato, Jason Clarke
Votes: 44,039 | Gross: $0.12M
Who would believe "Ross" from "Friends" directed this.
51. Acolytes (2008)
Not Rated | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
Three teenagers blackmail a serial killer.
Director: Jon Hewitt | Stars: Joel Edgerton, Michael Dorman, Sebastian Gregory, Hanna Mangan Lawrence
Votes: 2,488
I was so impressed with the acting in this one.And the story was great.
52. The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (1995)
PG | 99 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
When an English cartographer must tell a Welsh village that their mountain is only a hill, the offended community sets out to change that.
Director: Christopher Monger | Stars: Hugh Grant, Tara Fitzgerald, Colm Meaney, Ian McNeice
Votes: 18,710 | Gross: $10.90M
I know a lot of people seen this one, but it just does not get the credit it deserves.
53. Tenderness (2009)
R | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A policeman works to figure out whether a violent teen murdered his family.
Director: John Polson | Stars: Russell Crowe, Jon Foster, Sophie Traub, Laura Dern
Votes: 8,205
Such a good story.You actually start feeling sympathy for the bad guy.And "Sophie Traub put on such a great performance.
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