Oddball movies that go onto being favourites

[Starbeast]

Originally Posted by Rosemary Fryth

I have to admit that I like a lot of the funny little oddball movies that generally slip by unnoticed by the general public.

So do I, in fact, I search for them. This is a fantastic thread idea Rosemary.

Creation of the Humanoids (1962)

Decades before films like The Terminator came out, this B-Movie hit the theaters.

The Story: Thousands of years after an apocalypse, humans develope androids with emotions to serve people, but humankind treat them like inferior beings and eventually decide to destroy them. The gentle androids which are programmed not to harm humans secretly build a humanoid robot prototype that can kill, in effort for the peaceful androids to survive.

Side Note: Artist, Andy Warhol was a big fan of this film.

[Toby Frost]

In the UK at least, Tom G, Mythago Wood seems to be out of print. I gather they're bringing a new version out and collecting some of Holdstock's other stuff together (which I've never read).

I should also mention a small British film called Mirrormask, which involves Stephen Fry and Neil Gaiman, IIRC. It has an incredibly sinister version of Close to You by the Carpenters, performed by robots.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Toby Frost

I should also mention a small British film called Mirrormask, which involves Stephen Fry and Neil Gaiman, IIRC. It has an incredibly sinister version of Close to You by the Carpenters, performed by robots.

I immediately need to see that. Where can I?


One film I like but know that I shouldn't is Napoleon Dynamite.

[Toby Frost]

It should be available on DVD. It's not perfect, and pretty cheaply-made (and it does go on a bit), but the visuals are interesting and the lead actress is pretty good. In a funny way, given that it's a PG, it feels more grown-up than might be expected.

[JunkMonkey]

Salute of the Juggers, and Creation of the Humanoids are both great films. Weirdly flawed, both of them, neither of them should work at all but they do.

Here are a couple suggestions:

Young Einstein (1988) which plays the audaciously weird idea of 'what if Albert Einstein had been a Tasmanian apple farmer who came up with a formula for splitting beer atoms'.

Thunderpants (2002) - a ten year old boy with chronic flatulence dreams of becoming an astronaut and, after a brief spell as an opera singer where he gets to 'sing the high bit with my arse', he succeeds.

Mirrormask is available on a region 2 disc. I watched it recently. And rather good it is too.

[Wiggum]

Originally Posted by Snowdog

A few:
The Wanderers (1979) with Ken Wahl

That is such a great movie.

Never considered Excalibur as a oddball movie.

Big Trouble In Little China would be my contribution.

And anything that involves the undead, Bruce Campbell, his chin, and a shotgun.

Otherwise known as a Boomstick.

[Mouse]

Spookily, I bought Mirrormask on Amazon the other day for about £4. Had to hold off buying Labyrinth and Dark Crystal.

Anyway, I love Funny Bones. Starring Jerry Lewis, Oliver Platt and a young Lee Evans. Set in Blackpool. The music's brilliant and all the complete weirdness is excellent. If anybody used to watch TFI Friday with Chris Evans and remembers Freak or Unique? will recognise a whole load of people in this film!

[JunkMonkey]

You are Frelling Kidding me! I just came back to this thread to add Funny Bones! I came across my VHS copy today and thought 'aha! now that's a real oddball favourite.'

It's a real pity Chelsom's career then went so horribly wrong with Town and Country.

[Mouse]

Yay! Someone else who's even heard of it! I adore that film. One of my favourites ever. (Also, excellent use of 'frell!')

[JunkMonkey]

It is wonderful little film. I saw it in the cinema back in 1995. There were three people in the audience.

[Starbeast]

Creature From the Haunted Sea (1960)

Filmed in Puerto Rico, Roger Corman produced and directed this very strange crime/comedy/horror B-movie. This film is so weird-good for me, because it has silly acting, odd dialogue, a character that does animal sounds, a chain-smoking mobster/sea captain, a secret agent, the Cuban revolution, stolen gold, a jazzy cartoon credit sequence at the beginning of the movie and.....a big hokey looking monster (and more).
I love it.

[Diggler]

Survive Style 5+ (2004)

This went from oddball, to just plain bizarre. The story revolves around separate groups of weird people who's lives are all intertwined through an existentialist Hitman (Vinnie Jones).



Bangkok Loco (2004)

Off the wall Thai oddball extravaganza. The story follows a young musician who has been trained in the mystical drumming style "Drums of the Gods". He must avoid the police, stay alive and beat the forces of evil in a drumming contest.

[JunkMonkey]

Just remembered another candidate: The Independent. A mockumentary about a prolific maker of schlock independent low budget films called Morty Feinman (director of such classics as Twelve Angry Men and a Baby (1987), The Man with Two Things (1988), The Harlem Globetrotters Meet the Black Panthers (1974) and the world's first all-midget beach party movie, Teenie Weenie Bikini Beach (1972). Feinman's complete fictional filmography is on Wkipedia here.

It's a messy, bitty film that really can't make its mind up what it really wants to be (mocumentary or straight narrative) but it is consistently funny. and stands repeated watching.

[Toby Frost]

Brazil by Terry Gilliam. It's basically 1984 with jokes.

[JunkMonkey]

Originally Posted by Toby Frost

Brazil by Terry Gilliam. It's basically 1984 with jokes.

Agreed it's a good film. but hardly one of those 'funny little oddball movies that generally slip by unnoticed by the general public' though.