Out of Distribution
by abarber6 | created - 22 Jan 2015 | updated - 25 May 2015 | PublicMasterpieces that are difficult to find
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1. Sexy Beast (2000)
R | 89 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Brutal gangster Don Logan recruits "retired" safecracker Gal for one last job, but it goes badly for both of them.
Director: Jonathan Glazer | Stars: Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, Ian McShane, Amanda Redman
Votes: 69,359 | Gross: $6.95M
This film is beautiful in it's style, acting and creative cinematography. Though the dvd is common, getting your hands on a blu-ray edition can run you as much as $50
2. Chungking Express (1994)
PG-13 | 102 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Two melancholic Hong Kong policemen fall in love: one with a mysterious female underworld figure, the other with a beautiful and ethereal waitress at a late-night restaurant he frequents.
Director: Kar-Wai Wong | Stars: Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Faye Wong
Votes: 95,931 | Gross: $0.60M
Along with other discontinued criterion releases like The Third Man, Last Year at Marienbad and Army of Shadows, this movie must be experienced in HD.
3. Perfect Blue (1997)
R | 81 min | Animation, Crime, Drama
A pop singer gives up her career to become an actress, but she slowly goes insane when she starts being stalked by an obsessed fan and what seems to be a ghost of her past.
Director: Satoshi Kon | Stars: Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shinpachi Tsuji, Masaaki Ôkura
Votes: 95,753 | Gross: $0.78M
I discovered Satoshi Kon only this year and have been desperately trying to find all of his films. Perfect Blue is an amazing film but has received very limited distribution in the states. Average price of the dvd is around $30
4. The Devils (1971)
R | 111 min | Biography, Drama, History
In 17th-century France, Father Urbain Grandier's protection of the city of Loudun from the corrupt Cardinal Richelieu is undermined by a sexually repressed nun's accusation of witchcraft.
Director: Ken Russell | Stars: Vanessa Redgrave, Oliver Reed, Dudley Sutton, Max Adrian
Votes: 18,687 | Gross: $1.13M
Never released in the US, The Devils is only available on region B dvd.
5. Playtime (1967)
Not Rated | 155 min | Comedy
Monsieur Hulot curiously wanders around a high-tech Paris, paralleling a trip with a group of American tourists. Meanwhile, a nightclub/restaurant prepares its opening night, but it's still under construction.
Director: Jacques Tati | Stars: Jacques Tati, Barbara Dennek, Rita Maiden, France Rumilly
Votes: 25,971
Criterion has managed to regain distribution rights for all of Tati's films making this somewhat irrelevant, but it needs to be said that anyone who has not seen this film needs to immediately. Every frame is a demonstration of perfect composition.
6. Dancer in the Dark (2000)
R | 140 min | Crime, Drama, Musical
An Eastern European US immigrant with a love for musicals has to cope with the gradual loss of her vision.
Director: Lars von Trier | Stars: Björk, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, Peter Stormare
Votes: 116,864 | Gross: $4.18M
Before Antichrist there was Dancer in the Dark.
7. Gummo (1997)
R | 89 min | Comedy, Drama
Lonely residents of a tornado-stricken Ohio town wander the deserted landscape trying to fulfill their boring, nihilistic lives.
Director: Harmony Korine | Stars: Nick Sutton, Jacob Sewell, Lara Tosh, Jacob Reynolds
Votes: 38,272 | Gross: $0.02M
Springbreakers was my introduction to Harmony Korine and though I enjoyed the film, I can't say it's as good as gummo.
8. Planetes (2003–2004)
TV-14 | 25 min | Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi
Ai Tanabe joins the Debris Section of the Technora Corporation as they work to remove the debris left around Earth. As Ai tries to accommodate to space life, she learns more about her crew on the dilapidated 'Toy Box'.
Stars: Kazunari Tanaka, Satsuki Yukino, Ai Orikasa, Kirk Thornton
Votes: 3,931
One of the first animes I have seen all the way through, this show made me cry hard at the end. It's a prototypical anime that grows on you over time. Unfortunately, it is no longer being distributed in the United States making it hard to come by.
9. Paranoia Agent (2004–2005)
TV-MA | 25 min | Animation, Drama, Horror
Seemingly unconnected citizens of Tokyo are targeted for bludgeoning by a boy with a golden baseball bat. As detectives try to link the victims, they discover that following the assaults, the victims' lives have improved in some way.
Stars: Shôzô Îzuka, Toshihiko Seki, Mamiko Noto, Michael McConnohie
Votes: 14,243
Likewise, Paranoia Agent has lost it's distribution within the US along with all of Satoshi Kon's other films save for Paprika. Some boxsets are going for upwards of $1000
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