Best 'jewel in the rough' movie I have ever seen! Any others?
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Lawn Dogs
StarsInSight — 21 years ago(July 09, 2004 03:05 AM)
I saw this last night for the second time and it was just as good as it was the first time i saw it. What was your best jewel in the rough movie?
Twenty-eight days. six hours. forty-two minutes. twelve seconds. That..is when the world will end -
pinky_thumb — 21 years ago(August 28, 2004 05:19 PM)
Leon (as I mentioned in the other thread!) is another fantastic movie which shows how unlikely friendship can develop between a young girl and a much older man. It really is a fantastic movie - The girl is just as kick-ass as Devon - if not more!I suggest all those who havn't seen it to go watch it - NOW!
Yes - Donnie Darko is amazing - I like it so much that I "save it" - you know, so that I don't get bored of watching it too many times! I've only seen it three times, and Lawn Dogs I've only seen twice. -
sth1979 — 21 years ago(November 23, 2004 07:30 PM)
This is my all-time favorite film. Weird, maybe, but true. I first saw it on the Sundance channel back in '98. I had no way of looking into it further at the time, but when I saw The Sixth Sense a few months later I immediately recognized Mischa Barton, though I did not yet know her name. As a character, Devon is simply incredible. Although "kick-ass" is probably one of the last terms I would use to describe her, she has a fantastic way of switching back and forth between the insightful dreamer and the naive child.
I can't really describe why this film seems so powerful to me. At first I thought it was Mischa, but after watching several of her other films, I decided that she's only a mediocre actress (don't flame me!) who only really shines while playing someone way out in left field. I guess the thing that makes it a real stand-out is the storytelling. The ending is uhmagical (I feel like a pansy for saying that, but it's true) and it fits the story's mood like no traditional ending ever could. -
Pyramid_Head666 — 20 years ago(November 13, 2005 10:14 AM)
There's another Sam Rockwell Movie called 'Box of Moonlight' Definitely one of those 'diamond in the rough' movies. I think I saw it on cable one night while I was trying to sleep, and I was an instant fan. Much the same way I became a fan of Lawn Dogs.
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guineastar — 20 years ago(November 22, 2005 12:16 PM)
There's another Sam Rockwell Movie called 'Box of Moonlight' Definitely one of those 'diamond in the rough' movies. I think I saw it on cable one night while I was trying to sleep, and I was an instant fan. Much the same way I became a fan of Lawn Dogs.
Hey thats exactly how i began to love Lawn Dogs, it was on late and the music seemed cool and unuasual for a girl scout walking down the road -
apathetic — 20 years ago(November 23, 2005 07:57 PM)
I saw this on tv the other night for the first time, excellent film! wish I'd taken the plunge and bought the DVD a lot sooner, ah well I'll have to buy it now.
Another 'diamond in the rough' movie I thought would be appropriate to this thread is "Ghost World", one film I did take the chance on buying the DVD and loved it. -
xcountry_us — 18 years ago(August 20, 2007 06:45 AM)
I really enjoyed "Little Children." It is kinda quirky and most of it takes place in suburbia, so it has a couple of things in common with "Lawn Dogs." But it might not be considered a jewel in the rough because it was nominated for a few Oscars.
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Wild_Kat208 — 13 years ago(November 13, 2012 01:22 AM)
Lawn Dogs is a movie I take out and watch when I'm alone and feeling nostalgic. And I bring it out to show to people I am very close to. It reflects social discrimination in our society which is something that has always prevailed, yet the faces of which are always changing as new waves of immigrant populations and "undesirables" appear. I can't even count how many movies I've seen Sam Rockwell in that have made me cry.
These are some of my favorites that I'd recommend:
The King of Hearts (French) - Set in WWI about a Scottish soldier on a one man mission to disable explosives in a french town where the only people left are mentally insane, all posing as particular town characters. It is charming and witty, with some kind of absurdist slapstick humor throughout, but also empowering. This film has a similar theme where societies outcasts are shown to be the ones who truly value the world.
Au Revoir Les Enfants (also in French) - If subtitles deter you, I strongly suggest you get over it if you want to watch one of the best movies ever made. My comment on this one is just watch it because it is beautiful. Also, the director, Louis Malle, wrote it based on an experience he had as a child during WWII.
Harold and Maude - but probably, like, everyone you know has seen that movie so that might make me dumb for even suggesting it
Trust (1990) - with Adrienne Shelly when she was really young (the gal that wrote Waitress and then was murdered not long after). If you like dark humor and sarcasm you will like this
Factotum- I'm personally not a real admirer of Bukowski's writing, but his stories are pathetically amazing. I know that is a bit of an oxymoron, but I don't quite know what else to call it. Also, not a huge fan of Matt Dillon, but I can forget the roles he played that annoyed me because he gets the cake for this.
A Love Song for Bobby Long- John Travolta, another actor who surprised me. Try to picture him as a washed up alcoholic William Faulkneresque character. Filmed just before Katrina, beautiful shots of New Orleans that make me sad I never went because that city will probably never be the same again
and also:
Birdman of Alcatraz
The Reader
Monsters
Badlands
Everything is Illuminated -
grinwithoutteeth — 18 years ago(October 17, 2007 07:01 PM)
Easily the best 'jewel in the rough' type movie out there. Some of my other favorites: Dream With The Fishes, Henry Fool and Broken Vessels (Best movie about drug addiction, period (Less Than Zero can kiss my ass)).
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vailrulestheworld — 18 years ago(November 07, 2007 11:14 PM)
I reminded me a lot of Edward Scissorhands, which is totally underrated! This movie was AMAZING!!!
I am on a great run here, thanks to Leonard Maltin and Netflix recommendations. This is what I have watched recently: The World's Fastest Indian, Find Me Guilty, and finally Lawn Dogs. Three of the best I have seen in a long time! -
elkfazer — 18 years ago(November 11, 2007 07:48 AM)
I'm with you on the Edward Scissorhands comparison, very similar in style especially the fairytale endings.And Worlds Fastest Indian is an awesome underated film that deserves to be watched by many more people.
Btw, the only reason I found Lawn Dogs was through someone in the Leon forum.They recommended it as they both have young lead roles played brilliantly too and also both are debut performances which makes them even more hard hitting. -
asiawall — 17 years ago(June 27, 2008 12:51 PM)
these are some great suggestions. 'lawn dogs' is definitely one of my favorite movies, it has such a great fantasy element, along with the harsh portrayal of class struggle. i can't really think of anything like it, but my other personal favorites that i think are somewhat overlooked are 'harold and maude' (dark humor, frienship b/w a young man and much older woman, counter-culture), 'wonder boys,' and 'you can count on me.' another film which i think has a great ambiance and really captures the feel of the south to me is 'all the real girls' by david gordon green, it's a bleak look at first love. i will definitely check out the other films suggested here, so thanks!