Underrated Movies

"The President's Analyst" (1967). Theodore J. Flicker's Panavision classic starring the eminently underrated James Coburn is a hilarious sixties time capsule. Originally intended as a cold war parody, a lot of the paranoid fantasies, such as surgically implanted wireless communications, don't seem all that over-the-top in retrospect. The plot foreshadows a lot of the current debate over civil liberties concerns on a government controlled I-Way.
"Pat Garret and Billy the Kid" (1973). Everybody raves about The Wild Bunch, but this Peckinpah film is the last great western. Kris Kristofferson and James Coburn star. This melancholy story of the gritty truth behind legends and the closing of the American West is a metaphor for the death of America's innocence during the Vietnam era. Don't miss the scene with Bob Dylan reading labels out loud in the General Store.
"The American Friend" (1976). Underrated director Wim Wenders' German/American existential murder movie. Starring Dennis Hopper & Bruno Ganz w/ cameos by directors Sam Fuller & Nick Ray.
"American Heart" (1992). Underrated actor Jeff Bridges gives a stunning performance as Jack Kelson an ex-con forging a relationship with his son Nick played by Edward Furlong.
"Buckaroo Banzai" (1984). "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension" is a goofy sci-fi satire of our media crazed corporate culture. I remember practically falling down laughing in the movie theater while the rest of the audience just stared blankly. While the rest of America didn't immediately get it,"Buckaroo Banzai" went on to become a cult cable classic. It foreshadowed such later more successful efforts as "Max Headroom" and "Robocop." Directed by W.D. Richter, "Buckaroo" stars Peter Weller as Buckaroo, the Rock Star-Brain Surgeon-Super Hero, and Jeff Goldblum as his side kick, New Jersey. All Alien invaders are named John. The white aliens are evil and the Rastafarian ones are good. You get the rest.
"An Object of Beauty" (1991). Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg ("Let It Be") this is a very British comedy starring two Americans: John Malkovich and Andie MacDowell. This is the type of movie I wish I could make: a sophisticated but not snobbish comedy that leaves viewers pondering the nature of human relationships. I used to think that I disliked Malkovich as an actor. I found him self-centered and irritating. I've now come to appreciate his art. He is an extremely effective actor at playing self-centered and irritating charactors. (There is a difference. Alan Alda, on the other hand, would be an example of a self-centered and irritating actor.) The real surprise of this film, however is Andie MacDowell. Despite some of her previous efforts, she does a fine job of acting in this film.
Buster Keaton. One of the great comedic talents of all time, Joseph Frank Keaton was born in Piqua, Kansas in 1895. Having made a name for himself as a child in his family's vaudeville act, Buster turned to the silent screen in 1917. He soon became a star and remained so until the beginning of the talkies. Years of personal and career troubles left him bitter and forgotten. His career rebounded in the 1950's and he continued to do top notch work until his death in 1966.