I read a post on underrated movies on another forum and it caused me to check out some interesting recommendations such as Wonder Boys, The Contender, 24 Hour Party People, Igby Goes Down ... I remember wanting to see these when they came out but they flew away from my radar and I forgot about them. It feels awesome to discover gems... This year one film I appreciated that came and went was Harsh Times with Christian Bale, no real story but the characters are well-drawn and it's fun in an over-the-top way.

So maybe we can list some foreign/indie/or mainstream movies that are well-done but under-the-radar for those of us in a dry-spell to consider.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Underrated or Underappreciated? One going from a critical stand point, the other going from not getting enough recognition. Hedwig certainly isn't underrated from a critical standpoint.

Sorry, I meant from an 'under-the-radar' standpoint.

Rob

Some fairly big releases, but generally haven't really achieved big audiences. Not really underrated, but maybe under the radar of some:

25th Hour (probably my favorite of the decade so far)
Panic (fantastic William H. Macy movie, blew me away, also check out The Cooler, though not as good, still entertaining)
Yi Yi
Brick
District B-13 (best action movie I've seen in years)
Grosse Pointe Blank (though has a semi cult following)
Your Friends and Neighbors
U-Turn
Intermission
Wonderland (1999)
Bringing Out the Dead
Go
Out of Sight
Gattaca (though popular on this forum, like many of these)
Bottle Rocket
Croupier
Flirting with Disaster (so much better than Meet the Parents, etc.)
The Rules of Attraction
Dr. T and the Women (I'm a HUGE Altman fan, not sure why this got trashed so much, preferred it to Prarie Home Companion and even Gosford Park)

Yi-Yi is absolutely terrific.

The Cowboy Bebop Movie: Not just a good anime movie, qualifies as a funny and exciting movie of any variety. A great movie to introduce you to anime

The Limey: I think this is Soderburg's best movie. Terence Stamp's performance is terrific, so is Nicky Katt's.

Oldboy- ick. Great movie, visually amazing, great performances but ick.

Monument Ave.- Dennis Leary can act. A better depiction of Southie/Charlestown than Mystic River, IMO

Kontroll- exciting, bizarre story about ticket-checkers on the Budapest subway. Hasa great ending and an excellent soundtrack made just for the movie.

Dark City- a bit of a cult classic but may be the best true sci-fi movie of the past few years.

Barcelona (more than 10 years old) - wry, mannered Whit Stillman comedy about Americans abroad. A little preppy but features great performances (Chris Eigeman should be a big star) and is surprisingly poignant. Stillman's older "Metropolitan" is just as good if not better.

Fallen Angels- if you've never seen a Kar Wai Wong movie, this one and the more widely seen Chungking Express are must sees. 2046 and In the Mood For Love are also damned good, but Fallen Angels is my favorite.

Yeah, I re-read the original post and should have canceled my last one.

One that comes to mind that hardly anyone knows about is "The Rapture." Great movie with Mimi Rogers and David Duchovney. She should have won an award for that movie.
Two comedies that come to mind are "Drop Dead Gorgeous," and "Dick."

By the time 2010 approaches, this will still likely be in my top 5 favorites.

Still my most favorite Wong Kar Wai movie as well.

Other picks of mine:

9 Souls
Eve's Bayou
The Kid Stays In The Picture
Throwdown
Frailty
Perfect Blue
Whale Rider
Love and Basketball
Feast
Maelstrom
Rainy Dog
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Hav Plenty
Oasis
Little Dieter Needs to Fly

Well, since the OP mentioned foreign. Some I don't hear referenced too often ...

Amores Perros
Atomik Circus (just a weird, whacky ride)
I Not Stupid
Isle, The
Malena - Uncut
Nabi (The Butterfly)
Series 7

others ...

American Splendor
Machinist, The
Simple Plan, A
Skin Deep (John Ritter in his glory days)
War Within, The

[editted to remove titles older than 10yrs]

Unfortunate that most of the best action sequences were over in the first 20 minutes of the film. But I do agree with your inclusion of it. The casino fight and the Parkour chase were both top notch stuff!!!! .. highlighting each of these guys abilities well. Should definately be seen...

Cheats was hilarious. I really enjoyed it.
Other suggestions are Session 9, Frailty, and The Machinist.

"Kiss Kiss Bang Bang"
"Return to Paradise" (i knew Vince Vaughn when he did these smaller, really good dramas back in the day. Also see "A Cool, Dry Place", "Prime Gig", "Clay Pigeons")

These are so underrated that I can't even remember even hearing the name for 95%+. Of the 5%, I've only seen Grosse Point Blank & the Batman movie.

agreed.

"Night at the Museum"

Equilibrium

The first movie I thought of was Dark City. One of the best Sci-Fi flicks in along time. Didn't have much success at the box office, but did get some critical success (Ebert mainly)

I always thought 'Love and Death on Long Island ' was underrated......great performance by John Hurt...


-Paul Jacobi-

The Village.

Manic- amazing charecter driven movie
The Believer-Great movie about a jew who is a neo nazi

Strange Days - Very underrated IMHO.
The Last Castle - I see this movie in the cheap bins all the time. I thought it was great.
Last Night - Excellent movie filmed in Toronto.
Oldboy - Not underrated on here, but no one else I know has ever heard of it.
Pi - I love this movie.
The Score - Great performance by De Niro and Norton.

The Thirteenth Floor

Cheats.
Series 7: The Contenders
Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Maelstrom.
Eight Days a Week.
100 Girls.
The Girl Next Door.
The Machinist.
Camp.
Heights.
Dark City.
Below.
Gattaca.
The Fountain.
Brick.
Intermission.
United 93.
Rent.
Serenity.

And so on and so on...