Audience.
"There are films that cost a lot of money that might be decent films. But if they don't perform in that first weekend or two, they're gone." (actor, producer, director, Grant Heslov)
That's a sad thought. Life gets busy and I often don't make it to the cinema within the first few weeks of a movie's release. Movies need an audience, and certainly voting with my pocketbook is one way to promote quality, decent, films.
Referencing films which failed to find a large audience, film critic Leonard Maltin wrote 151 Best Movies You've Never Seen. "I see more bad films than good, but the best part of my job is leading people to worthwhile movies they might otherwise overlook." The book gives insights to a wide range of unfamiliar films, but Maltin states, "I don't present these as forsaken masterpieces: they're just good movies that I'm glad I saw."
I was amazed how many titles I'd never heard of! There were only three movies I'd seen (and loved, by the way).
- Matchstick Men (2003), with Nicholas Cage
- October Sky (1999), with Jake Gyllenhaal
- One Fine Day (1996), Michelle Pfeiffer, and George Clooney
I'm half way through the book, researching each film, checking parent guides, and so far I've added the following titles to my Want To See list.
- Disney's Teacher's Pet (2004) (Nathan Lane, Kelsey Grammer, David Ogden Stiers, and other well known voices)
- The Great Buck Howard (2008), with Colin Hanks, John Malkovich, Tom Hanks
- The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005), with Shia LaBeouf
- Island in the Sky (1953). This has John Wayne! How did my John Wayne-loving dad allow me to miss this?
- The World's Fastest Indian (2005), with Anthony Hopkins, and Diane Ladd
I am not the audience for a majority of the films Maltin recommends, but hopefully, as I continue combing through his book, my list will grow.
Do you have a favorite little-known film? I'd love to hear about it!
