When I talk about "forgotten" films, I do not necessarily mean these films are classics. Classics are, by definition, unforgettable. In order for something to stand the test of time someone must remember it. Nor are these cult movies; films that most have forgotten but some won’t give up. These are the movies whose video boxes tend to get bleached out from sitting in the same spot by the window in the video store without ever being moved. So if you’re feeling adventurous enough to leave the new release rack of Blockbusters or you're in the mood for something you’ve never heard of, rent using my list of my five favorite forgotten flicks.

Hotel New Hampshire
One of the few films Jodie Foster made in college between being a talented child star (Taxi Driver, Bugsy Malone) and a pretentious adult (Nell, Little Man Tate). It's probably the only film to feature not only Jodie, but oatmeal pitchman Wilford Brimley as a body builder, playwright Wallace Shawn as someone else named Freud, not one but two Matthew Modines, a young Seth Green (from Austin Powers and TV’s Buffy), supermodel Natasha Kinski hiding her looks in a giant bear suit, and a dead flatulent dog. Fans of the John Irving novel may be disappointed to find that nothing from the 600+ page book has been left out of this 90 minute movie. This movie is dense. Not in the sense of being stupid, but like a heavy French desert. There is enough plot packed into this movie to stretch over several miniseries. Plane crashes. Pornographic terrorists. Several blindings. An exploding opera house. Rape. Incest. Homosexuality. A teenager who hasn’t physically matured since age ten. Pet bears. If you haven’t already, watching this movie will make you want to check out the book to see if there’s something in there you’re missing that would tie all this together.

Don’t bother. There isn’t. It’s hard to say how good this movie really is, but you’ve got to be impressed with the sheer amount of stuff that happens in it.

Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam
First off, let me start by saying I hate movies about stupid people; everything from Forrest Gump to the oeuvre of Adam Sandler. I don’t find stupid people funny, I find them sad and aggravating. Think of all the stupid people you have to deal with at your job. Would you pay an $7 to spend an extra hour and a half with one? That being said, I will admit a certain fondness for the works of Ernest P. Worrell, the idiot character played by the late, rubber-faced actor Jim Varney. I wouldn’t say I like Ernest Joins The Army by any stretch, but I’d rather watch that than, say, Wayne’s World. Unlike the frantic flailings of Jim Carrey (whose antics seem to scream, "Look at me! No, really, I’m funny!"), Varney is truly gifted. It is only in "Dr. Otto" that he truly gets to shine. Not really an Ernest movie per se (he appears only briefly in the prologue and denouement), Varney plays a dazzling array of seven or eight supervillains including the title character, who -- for some inexplicable reason -- has a hand growing out of his head. The protagonist, played by some guy I’ve never heard of and one of the few characters not played by Varney, is a Dan Quayle type you almost start to root against, even if that meant the end of the world. Or does it? For those who really like to figure out what’s going on in a movie, avoid this flick. The plot gleefully makes no sense. Logistical holes develop that you could drive "Plan 9 From Outer Space" through. However, it does contain such classic lines as, "Cincinnati - the financial capital of southern Ohio", "There is not an ounce of fat on my body - I’m on the metric system", and "Franc collapses!" You’ve got to see this one to believe it.

Ginger Ale Afternoon
What can you say about any movie where one third of all the characters are nine months pregnant and wearing a bikini? Well, that’s not so odd when you consider that there are only three characters in this film. Much like The Designated Mourner, anything with this few people and settings is based on a stage play. Unlike The Designated Mourner, there’s not much in this whiny, white trash, claustrophobic mess to elicit a recommendation, other than the largest role (and most screen time) given to the cinema’s most undervalued actress: Yeardley Smith (the voice of Lisa on The Simpsons). I’m only mentioning this flick in the vain hope that it will lead to more substantial parts for Yeardley. Hopefully in something a little better.

Sweethearts
The most recent of the films on this list, it’s hard to believe this one never even got a theatrical release. The incomparable Janeane Garofalo turned down a role in Scream to star in this flick as a woman who meets her blind date from the personal ads. When the guy is less than impressed with her physical appearance he attempts to gracefully bow out. Her response? Pull a gun on him and force him to finish the date. Co-starring Bobcat Goldthwait and Margaret Cho, you’d think you'd have the recipe for comedic brilliance, but at heart it’s not really a comedy. What you get is the most compelling, revelatory "love story" since Nabokov wrote Lolita. I would hate to say more about the plot and ruin the surprising dramatic twists, but you’ll be amazed by Garofalo’s heretofore untapped dramatic acting abilities. This one’ll definitely make you think.

Fear, Anxiety and Depression
I saved the best for last. This one is definitely a "forgotten" film. Even its writer/director/star has disavowed any knowledge of it. After it’s commercial and critical failure, Todd Solondz (Welcome To The Dollhouse, Happiness) gave up a promising film career to teach English to Russian immigrants. When after five years he returned to filmmaking, he claimed that Dollhouse was his first feature. Unlike his other two movies which explore the usually hip depths of how dark and bleak a black comedy can be, Solondz’s neglected firstborn attempts a whole new texture in film. It’s about as light and wacky as a film about fear, anxiety and depression can be. There’s even a couple of musical numbers between the existential despair and human suffering. It’s also one of the few films to expose the lack of real genius that, by simple odds, either you or most of the people you know must possess. There’s a bad playwright, a bad mime, a bad singer, a bad painter, a bad performance artist. In fact the only character whose work we don’t get to see in the film (so we have no idea how good or bad he really is) is the only character who’s even slightly successful.

Odd side note: that character was played by the only actor from this movie to gain any kind of acclaim; Stanley Tucci. I often use this film as a barometer for my potential friends. Those who understand this odd juxtaposition of heart-breaking sadness and goofy context are the kind of people I tend to get along with best. So if you love this film like I do, drop me a line -- I’d love to hear from you. And find out what your favorite forgotten films are.