I watched a really good little movie this weekend called The Dish. it's based on the true story of a giant radio telescope in Australia that was solely responsible for relaying television footage of the 1969 moon walk to the rest of the world. but never mind that, it's a warm, funny flick about everything that went wrong with the dish and how the Aussie crew scrambled to correct the problems. it has quirky characters, humor in every scene and NASA footage woven seamlessly into the film. plus a truly unique rendition of America's national anthem. if you liked Gregory's Girl, Local Hero, Northern Exposure, etc., I highly recommend it. which brings me to the point of this post. what other films now available on DVD do you find to be hidden treasures that don't get the press that Star Wars or Spider-Man do? maybe we can use this thread to shine a light on movies that have more to do with well-drawn characters and plot and less to do with special effects.
GREAT movie! Very charming. Another one I love is Mean Machine, a British version of The Longest Yard with soccer instead of football.....it's basically the same movie....very well done and funny as hell! Brassed Off is another good British film about a group of coal miners who have a brass band and the hardships they encounter while trying to keep the mine from closing.
32 Short Films About Glenn Gould. Very interesting biopic, a friend of mine described it as the sort of movie broadcast on late night TV. He was from London, though.
thanks for the suggestions, guys. I definitely want to check out Mean Machine. it sounds right up my alley. just to throw another one into the mix: Wonder Boys. I run hot and cold on both Michael Douglas and Tobey McGuire, but I think they really clicked in this movie. it's a neat story about a writer who once was king of his craft (Douglas) and an up-and-coming hot shot who's his student and biggest fan (McGuire). but never mind that, it has nice subplots about baseball and Marilyn Monroe, well-drawn characters, a good message without being preachy, and it's funny as hell. oh, and a great soundtrack. Dylan won an Oscar for Things Have Changed. definitely worth a rental.
Another good rental, especially for us nostalgic types, is Frequency which is about a grown-up son who is a cop today in Brooklyn. He digs out the old tube shortwave radio that belonged to his late Dad, a fireman who died in 1969. Because of solar radiation from the aurora borealis, that was also active that year, the son can tune the shortwave to time travel and talk with his Dad. There is a murder mystery, the 1960 world series, and lots of other cool elements. Also one of the better DVD packages.
