The February edition of the KGB Fantastic Fiction reading series featured readings by Laird Barron, a relative newcomer, and James Morrow, one of the field’s most-revered fantasists. First, Laird—whose dark fantasy collection The Imago Sequence & Other Stories just came out in trade paperback—graced us with a real-live work in progress, a story called “At the Hatch,” which is being raffled off as we speak in the fundraising lottery for the Shirley Jackson Awards. After the break, Jim fought through waves of uproarious laughter to read the first chapters of his two newest publications: the trade paperback release of The Philosopher’s Apprentice and the standalone historical novella, Shambling Towards Hiroshima.
Elsewhere in space, some of us are gearing up for Academy Award festivities on Sunday, while others are stewing about the Academy’s continuing lack of love for genre films (no, the animation ghetto doesn’t count). Consequently, for this month’s Ridiculous Survey, I decided to give KGBgoers the chance to talk up one of their favorite speculative fiction films that never got enough love, be it from the Academy, mainstream audiences, or even from genre watchers. Or, more succinctly:
What’s your favorite underappreciated genre film?
Check below the cut to see what everyone chose, vociferously agree (or disagree) with their choices, and add your own.
If I mistranscribed your answer—or if you’d rather I linked to a different webpage or didn’t use your full name—please let me know via my shoutbox. And if I missed you this time, please come find me at the next event!
[Image by Flickr user Anosmia, CC licensed for commercial use.]
VIEW ALL BY · Thursday February 19, 2009 06:21pm EST
VIEW ALL BY · Thursday February 19, 2009 07:36pm EST
"Kiri-kiri-kiri-kiri." I personally love the amputee drinking from the dog bowl.
Some great movie picks here. I love Pitch Black and Near Dark. And my love of all Aussie/Kiwi movies makes The Quiet Earth a great choice, too.
Is Children of Men underappreciated? It's one of the best genre movies I've seen in years. Loved Michael Caine in that so much.
VIEW ALL BY · Thursday February 19, 2009 09:50pm EST
I was originally going to write Mars Attacks! as my choice, but I'm not really sure it's an underappreciated film, so instead, I'll go for Matinee.
While not a genre film per se, it is a film about a love of genre. I sometimes see it as the PG version of Gods and Monsters, in the sense that both pay wonderful tribute to genre cinema.
And while I'm on a Joe Dante kick, I just want to say that Looney Tunes: Back in Action is another of his films I feel is underappreciated.
VIEW ALL BY · Thursday February 19, 2009 11:40pm EST
So I'll just also mention my original thought, which I discounted based on the fact that it's a cult classic, and those who've seen it usually love it: Bubba Ho-Tep, a story of Elvis (maybe) and JFK (maybe) teaming up to defend their nursing home from a soul-sucking Egyptian mummy in an inexplicable cowboy hat.
VIEW ALL BY · Friday February 20, 2009 05:39am EST
Also, the original Solaris is a truly beautiful film. So very long, and yet somehow it never lets the audience's attention be lost.
VIEW ALL BY · Friday February 20, 2009 05:44am EST
I remember asking the local video store about it a couple of years ago, and them saying that the import license had not been obtained by any store, so it couldn't be had to rent in NZ. Sigh.
VIEW ALL BY · Friday February 20, 2009 10:47am EST
There, I said it. I admit to having wanted to see it, to having seen it, to having owned it for some years now. That movie was totally funny and I'm the only one who thinks so.
VIEW ALL BY · Friday February 20, 2009 10:53am EST
It's from New Zealand and you can't rent it in New Zealand? That's awful!
I have a region-free player, so I usually buy Kiwi and Aussie movies off of eBay and stuff and just hope for the best because so many are unavailable to rent here. An expensive habit, but it's lead to great finds like The Boys (from Farscape director Rowan Woods!) and Razorback (one of China Mieville's favorite horror movies) but also to some real duds, like the sequel to Once Were Warriors.
Yes I realize the good movies I mentioned were Aussie ones. My favorite Kiwi genre movie will always, always be Peter Jackson's Dead Alive. But I'd hardly call that one underappreciated. I wouldn't want to meet the person who doesn't appreciate golden lines like "Your mother ate my dog!"
VIEW ALL BY · Friday February 20, 2009 11:09am EST
VIEW ALL BY · Friday February 20, 2009 11:16am EST
StarGate, the original film that spawned an entire franchise of made-for-cable series and standalone straight-to-DVD films (not to mention careers, if you can call it that, for Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin) doesn't get near the lovin' I think it deserves. You have the thrill of scientific revelation, some goodnatured ribbing of the military, a well-realized alien society, a chilling alien villain, and a masterful David Arnold soundtrack. StarGate is, pound-for-pound, my favorite unappreciated genre film. (I'm not saying it's /good/, just favorite.)
Friday February 20, 2009 11:24am EST
VIEW ALL BY · Friday February 20, 2009 11:27am EST
VIEW ALL BY · Friday February 20, 2009 11:28am EST
Razorback! That's heaps of fun.
Underappreciated SF movie I'd go for Primer.
VIEW ALL BY · Friday February 20, 2009 12:05pm EST
I also forgot about The Thirteenth Floor, which is like the poor man's Matrix but doesn't carry the baggage of two craptastic sequels. And I have an unreasonable affection for The Butterfly Effect, Ashton Kutcher and all, especially the Director's Cut.
VIEW ALL BY · Friday February 20, 2009 01:33pm EST
Love Dune, both the original and the TV mini series from a coupld years ago are completely awesome. Have to think Herbert himself would love em
Friday February 20, 2009 01:50pm EST
Without hesitation, my pick would be Cast a Deadly Spell. How can you go wrong with a 40s detective comedy Lovecraft pastiche with David Warner as the villain? I can't figure out why it was never released on DVD. Runners up: Westworld, Angelheart, and anything with Peter Cushing vs Christopher Lee.
VIEW ALL BY · Sunday February 22, 2009 11:09pm EST
I also quite like the two animated Discworld miniseries. Even though the animation is a bit crude, they're so good you don't even notice.
Wristcutters is a recent movie that was so inventive, funny, and just plain cool, but I had barely heard of it before I bought it.
VIEW ALL BY · Sunday February 22, 2009 11:13pm EST
Also, Darkon, which was a documentary about LARPers, not a fiction film, but was amazingly nerdy and amazingly good