The Bus

There's movies that years down the road turn into cult films, like Rocky Horror Picture Show. Or filmmakers or actors that years later get a lot of critical acclaim after being missed or ignored by critics (like M. Night Shyamalan pre-Sixth Sense). Have you found any of these before they reached wide acclaim or popularity?

I can only think of a few. The first would be Wes Anderson (and, by extension, Luke and Owen Wilson). I remember seeing Bottle Rocket on video and loving it, then being a bit dismayed that this guy had made no other films (yet).

As it happens, when I went to see Rushmore in theatres, I snuck into another movie afterwards. The movie was Office Space. I was there on on opening night and the theatre was nearly empty. I liked it but had no idea it would turn into such a big phenomenon years later.

I also remember wanting to go see The Matrix because I had really liked Bound. It opened on a Wednesday night and I called every single one of my friends, who all said it "looked stupid" and they would never see it. While the Matrix isn't the apex of cinema, these guys couldn't get enough of it after they saw it.

What about you?

Groucho

I remember seeing The Killer at a special screening shortly after it was released in Hong Kong. I started following John Woo's career at that point, long before he became "known" in the US. At the time, I was hopeful he'd come stateside and make films here. Be careful what you wish for, eh?

Kudama

After I first saw Cronos, I bought the VHS (later the laserdisc and obviously the DVD) and when I saw Guillermo del Torro's name on the advance poster for Mimic, I went bat shit.

I don't know when he actually became "well known", but at that time none of my friends could understand why I was so excited.

GuessWho

I'm still waiting for Rock Star's popularity to kick in.

wendersfan

I've been a fan of the Coen brothers, Spike Lee, and Steven Soderbergh since their respective first films.

FantasticVSDoom

Ive been a big fan of Kate Winslet when I inadvertenly rented Heavenly Creatures thinking it was a different movie...

BigDan

I discovered Wes Anderson at the same time the OP did. I have essentially the same story with regard to Kevin Smith, having rented Clerks soon after it was released on video.

I don't know if Richard Linklater counts as someone who is popular now, but I bought a copy of "Slacker" when it was a new video release based solely on the fact that it was shot in Texas.

I can't think of any movies I discovered before anyone else, really.

RichC2

I was always a big fan of Spike Jonez, and was happy when his two movies came out to great acclaim.

Memento, Requiem for a Dream, and Donnie Darko also come to mind as movies I sought out when they were first released (they all interested me, and I was a fan of Pi).

The only recent movie though, has been Survive Style 5. It isn't really widely popular, but I love it .

Joe Molotov

There are alot of movies I've liked before they became widely popular. Most of them still haven't made it.

AnonomusBob15

I rented Donnie Darko the day it came out. None of my friends had heard of it.

I also saw Fight Club twice in the theater. Not quite the same, but it didn't get popular for at least another 2 years or so.

Yeah, while Bottle Rocket isn't my favorite Wes Anderson film (I saw it when I was really young), it still convinced me enough to check out Rushmore.

Alan Smithee

I worked at a theater for 10 years; Leonardo DiCaprio's first big role was in "This Boy's Life" which played to an average of 5 people per showing, I liked the movie though and thought he might go far.

I thought Bound was stupid but I liked The Matrix.

Dash

I saw matrix opening day, if memory serves me correctly the theater was quite empty. I guess I also help start the trend of Boondock Saints among some of my friends.

MahatmaPetey

i'm still waiting for Psycho Beach Party to become widely popular so i can rub that one in people's faces. for whatever reason, its not yet a hit.

Cinemaddiction

Hmm, I had seen "Dead Alive" when it first dropped on video when I was working for Mooooovies, then followed it up with "Meet the Feebles". Fast forward a few years later, we get the LOTR Trilogy, helmed by the same fat Kiwi, one Mr. Peter Jackson. That said, I'd love for him to do another bizzarre horror flick.

B.A.

I have been on board w/ The Goonies from day one.

I've followed Christian Bale's career since Empire of the Sun.

NatrlBornThrllr

Napoleon Dynamite
Buffalo 66
Garden State
Memento
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
David Gordon Green
Adaptation

I saw a lot of advanced screenings and fell in love with movies long before the general public got a chance to see them. I ranted and raved to anybody who would listen (online, friends, family...whoever). There are a lot of movies that fit this bill. Ong-Bak. Layer Cake. Hostel. King Kong. V for Vendetta. A Scanner Darkly. Etc, etc. Not sure which will break out into lasting hits, but there's a very small fraction of that list.

-JP

lordwow

I had probably 10 friends over one day who I insisted sit down and watch Memento when it first came out on DVD. They were reluctant, but ended up loving it.

The Bus

That reminded me. Back in the college days, I *ahem* saw Memento before it was in theatres. (Fear not MPAA, I bought the movie too!)

BigDan

I didn't think about Memento. I remember wanting so much to see that movie before it was released. Watching the first 7 minutes that was posted on iFilm or whatever and being incredibly disappointed to find out when it opened that the closest theater in which it was playing was about a 9 hour drive from where I lived.

It eventually came to my city, but it took a few more months.

Donnie Darko was another I wanted to see before it came out. It played in my city, but for some reason, I didn't go see it during the single week it played.

GeorgeP

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Somewhere in Time

Mondo Kane

Pulp Fiction-I went to go see this on it's first theatrical run with my dad. Actually if it weren't for E-Weekly and Premier magazine, I wouldn't have no idea what this movie was.
There was absolutely no advertisements for it to be seen anywhere and the only way I could convince my dad to go see this with me was because "John Travolta, is in it. Remember him?" (But I did know what to expect from Tarantino since I rented Res-Dogs earlier that Spring) On what seemed like MANY months later after going to the movies to see Pulp for the first time, it soon swept the world.

I guess I can throw Heat in here. Even though the theater was quite packed when I went to see this, I don't remember hearing any buzz about it the way I do now. It must've been HUGE on video.

Add another for John Woo. Only it was Hard Boiled that I saw first before his jump to America.

Actors:
Benecio Del Toro-Been following him since the "Kiki Camerena story")
Terrence Howard-Since big-screen debut in Dead Presidents)

Groucho

Thought of a another one: Peter Jackson. First film I saw of his was Meet the Feebles, but I was aware of him even earlier.

shaggy

Good thread idea.

I saw Clerks when it first came to video because I had a girlfriend who worked in a video store and a customer told her to check it out. I was a fan right away.

I also saw Mallrats right away, and unlike most people I loved it. After that I told everyone I met to check out Jason Lee and predicted he would be a star.

Wes Anderson is my favorite director, I wasn't as early with him I saw Rushmore the day it came on video. I saw the trailer for it in theaters and really wanted to see it but it never came to my city. I then rushed out to get bottlerocket. I had to go out of town to see The Royal Tennenbaums. I was also an instant fan of Luke and Owen.

I saw Office Space in the theater because I loved Beavis and Butthead, and it was a classic for my small group of friends right away. Its always nice to see a movie get a second chance on video.

The other really early one was Tim Burton. At the time of its release Pee Wee's Big adventure was my favorite movie. I then continued to watch all his movies as they came out.

This one might not fit because he still isn't that popular but I have been a huge fan of Ed Burns since Brothers McMullen I have all his films as a director and an actor and I think he is just fantastic at both. He deserves a much bigger audience.