5 MORE Awesome Films that (almost) no one has heard of before (PART 2)

5 MORE Awesome films that (almost) no one has heard of before (PART II)

By: Brian Cotnoir

We’ve all been in this scenario before:  You’re talking to a group of friends or people about some film and then one person says “They’ve never heard of (or seen)” and then another person goes “Oh My God! You have to see it, it’s amazing!”.  Yes, we’ve all been in that conversation before.  Now here are 5 More Awesome films that(almost) no one has heard of before.

1.) Tokyo Gore School

Not to be confused with the film of the similar name “Tokyo Gore Police”, “Tokyo Gore School” has elements of Horror, Action, and Suspense.  Don’t let the title of this film fool you, it’s surprisingly not that gory.  The premise of “Tokyo Gore School” is actually one of the best I’ve ever heard of for a film: groups of students in Tokyo are beating up their classmates and taking their cellphones, so they can text their phone number to an unknown source, who then releases some of that person’s most personal and darkest secrets to everyone in their contact list.  The films primary focus is on popular high school boy named Fujiwara, and how he becomes the primary target of most of the students at his school.  When it starts off, only one boy is trying to take Fujiwara’s cellphone, but as the film progresses larger and larger groups of students do battle with Fujiwara.  “Tokyo Gore School” is an action packed thrill ride that features wonderful cinematography, a completely unique and original story, and some awesome fight choreography as well.  “Tokyo Gore School” is ideal for fans of Asian Cinema and fans of films like “Battle Royale” and “Grotesque”. 

2.) Ed Wood

Unless you’ve spent your entire life living under a rock, you’ve more than likely heard of writer/animator/director Tim Burton.  Burton is a figure beloved by many, and some of his films like “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Beetlejuice” have gone on to become cult classics and have developed loyal followings.  Burton is even known for his creative re-imagining’s of classic works of literature such as his adaptations of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” and Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, so it might seem strange to you that I’d be including one of Burton’s films on a list of unknown films (considering how well known he is).  However, I find that most people haven’t heard of or seen his film “Ed Wood”; a bio-pic on notorious director Edward D. Wood Jr.  The film was released in 1994 and is shot entirely in Black & White.  The film features in an All-Star Cast including Johnny Depp, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Martin Landau (who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Horror Icon Bela Lugosi).  I actually consider “Ed Wood” to be one of—if not the—Best film Tim Burton has made to date, so if you truly consider yourself a fan of Tim Burton, then you must see “Ed Wood”.

3.) Five Minutes of Heaven

“Five Minutes of Heaven” is an excellent TV movie that you can usually find on Netflix Instant.  It’s a film that focusses on the long lasting conflict in Northern Ireland between Protestant members of the Ulster Volunteer Force and the Catholic Irish Republican Army and stars Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt.  It’s the story of a man named Aleister Little (Neeson) who seeking forgiveness from Joe Griffin (Nesbitt), the younger brother of a man he murdered years earlier.  Unbeknownst to Neeson’s character, Joe has been waiting for the day he can meet Aleister Little so he can kill him and finally have his vengeance.  “Five Minutes of Heaven” has so much great build up and drama, and probably the best movie climax I have seen (so far).  Not to mention, Nesbitt and Neeson both give phenomenal performances.  If you have a chance to see, I highly recommend you check out “Five Minutes of Heaven”.

4.) Death Machine

The Oldest film on this list; “Death Machine” is a 1994 Sci-Fi Action film that can only be described as FanBoy Catering at its best.  Set in the distant future of 2003, the story follows a heroine Hayden Cale as she tries to stop an evil killer robot created by a disgruntled former employee (played by Brad Dourif).  The film was written and directed by Stephen Norrington, who worked on the first “Alien” film.  The film makes numerous references to “Alien”, “RoboCop”, and “Evil Dead”.  I wrote an article about “Death Machine” a few years back for another blog I am Chief Editor for, so if you’d like some more details on why this is a great film then I highly recommend you click the link below and check it out.

Confessions of a Film Junkie: A review of "Death Machine"

5.) Cherry

“Cherry” is a 2010 Indie/Romance starring Kyle Gallner, Laura Allen, and Britt Robertson.  It’s the story of a boy named Aaron who is trying to escape the high expectations of his mother and form a new identity as an Ivy League Freshman.  Kyle ends up developing a crush on an older woman at one of his art classes at school named Linda.  The two quickly become friends, but things get a little complicated when Linda’s 14-year-old daughter Beth develops a crush on Aaron.  This film is fun and witty.  It’s a story we’ve seen time and time again, but with so many memorable and likeable characters, it’s almost impossible to enjoy the quirkiness and charm of “Cherry”.

5 Awesome Films that (almost) nobody has heard of before (PART 1)