I love movies but sometimes get tired of the loud blockbusters that get thrown at us in such increased amounts these days. When I suffer from over exposure to the big Hollywood flick I turn to the unheralded gem. These are the movies that I cherish most, some of them are misunderstood box office failures, some are cult classics and some are big budget movies that I feel are under-appreciated. Compiled using no criteria other than my gut feeling that the film should get more credit and that you may not have heard of it, it is an eclectic list with its fair share of sci-fi and, hopefully, intelligence and imagination. I encourage you to seek them out as they are all beautiful in their own different and eccentric ways. These are my 10 movie gems that you need to see but may never have heard of
10. Capricorn One
A taut 70s thriller based on the premise that the first manned mission to Mars was faked. The astronauts for said mission are unaware of this fraud and fully believe they are going to Mars. When they refuse to go along with this government cover up they are pursued in a deadly man hunt. Starring Elliot Gould, James Brolin and OJ Simpson this is an excellent piece of 1970s cinema, and like many films of this era (Dog Day Afternoon, Dont Look Now) it has a tense claustrophobia. There is a terrible inevitability as the astronauts realise that they are expendable and their very lives depend on running and getting the truth out. Every last drop of tension is wrung out of each scene and Brolin is terrific. Many movies from his period (The Deer Hunter, Invasion of The Body Snatchers) clearly reflect the paranoia of government cover ups brought on by Watergate and the feeling of being disenfranchised fostered by the Vietnam War. In Capricorn One not even the embodiment of the American Dream, the space exploration programme, is safe from the corrupt clutches of shady government interests. It is a marvellous premise and gripping from start to finish.