A small mandatory watchlist based on some redeeming quality
A list of films which I believe should be watched without hesitation, based on some redeeming quality - whether it's feel-good, enlightening, mind-bending, full of heart and soul, or just sheer originality. You can't please everyone all the time, so try not to be a hater. Hopefully there's something on here that you haven't seen.
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- DirectorChris EyreStarsEric SchweigGraham GreeneGary FarmerAn inspirational tale about the relationship between two Sioux brothers living on the Pine Ridge reservation.A powerful Native, brother, redemption film from the great Chris Eyre.
- DirectorMichael AptedStarsVal KilmerSam ShepardGraham GreeneA young mixed-blood FBI agent is assigned to work with a cynical veteran investigator on a murder on a poverty-stricken Sioux reservation.A Hollywood production, but they get it right, tell a good story, and respect Natives while doing so.
- DirectorChris EyreStarsAdam BeachEvan AdamsIrene BedardArnold rescued Thomas from a fire when he was a child. Thomas thinks of Arnold as a hero, while Arnold's son Victor resents his father's alcoholism, violence and abandonment of his family.Feel good story about the power of fathers.
- DirectorMike FlanaganStarsKatie ParkerCourtney BellDave LevineA woman and her sister begin to link a mysterious tunnel to a series of disappearances, including that of her own husband.Low budget indie horror with a griping story and spooky feel.
- DirectorShin'ya TsukamotoStarsTomorô TaguchiKei FujiwaraNobu KanaokaA businessman accidentally kills The Metal Fetishist, who gets his revenge by slowly turning the man into a grotesque hybrid of flesh and rusty metal.What can I say? This film just has to be experienced. It's crazy addictive fun.
- DirectorHenry JoostAriel SchulmanStarsNev SchulmanAriel SchulmanHenry JoostYoung filmmakers document their colleague's budding online friendship with a young woman and her family which leads to an unexpected series of discoveries.I saw this long before the TV show ever came out and wasn't sure if it was a horror movie even while I was watching it. That's the power of it.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsRichard LinklaterRudy BasquezJean CaffeineA day in the life of Austin, Texas as the camera roams from place to place and provides a brief look at the overeducated, the social misfits, the outcasts and the oddballs.Exemplifies the phrase "Keep Austin weird." In this early film of his, you can see the groundwork Linklater will lay in his upcoming films as both a philosopher and a voice of his generation.
- DirectorDon CoscarelliStarsBruce CampbellOssie DavisBob IvyWhen residents of their nursing home start dying of dubious causes, an aged Elvis and an African-American senior who claims to be President John F. Kennedy discover that the perpetrator is an Egyptian mummy with murderous intentions.Original all the way. If you can go in with an open mind, you will be richly rewarded with humor and one of the most touching, albeit out there, tributes to the King.
- DirectorJamin WinansStarsChristopher Soren KellyQuinn HuncharJessica DuffyA mysterious creature, known as Ink, steals a child's soul in hopes of using it as a bargaining chip to join the Incubi - the group of supernatural beings responsible for creating nightmares.One of my favorite films of all time. Come for the independent and original spirit, stay for the heart and soul.
- DirectorRobert KennerStarsMichael PollanEric SchlosserRichard LobbAn unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.Will make you re-think what you do everyday.
- DirectorColin TrevorrowStarsAubrey PlazaMark DuplassJake JohnsonThree magazine employees head out on an assignment to interview a guy who placed a classified advertisement seeking a companion for time travel.An independent and original love story.
- DirectorRolf de HeerPeter DjigirrStarsCrusoe KurddalJamie GulpililRichard BirrinbirrinIn Australia's Northern Territory, a man tells us a story of his people and his land. It's about an older man, Minygululu, who has three wives and realizes that his younger brother Dayindi may try to steal away the youngest wife.Highly original and moving story about Australian Aborigines. Unfortunately, I can't tell you of any other film where Australian Aborigines are shown pre-contact. But I can't imagine a film done better, depicting their sadly lost world.
- DirectorHeather RaeStarsRobert RedfordKris KristoffersonSam ShepardA chronicle of legendary Native American poet/activist John Trudell's travels, spoken word performances and politics.Riveting and sad. This guy is truly a Renaissance man, and it's cool as hell that he's a Native.
- DirectorJoss WhedonStarsNathan FillionGina TorresChiwetel EjioforThe crew of the ship Serenity try to evade an assassin sent to recapture telepath River.Coupled with the Firefly series, of which it's based, this sci-fi world is refreshingly original and very much needed. Ranks with Alien and Blade Runner in quality, vision, character development, and story.
- DirectorGuy RitchieStarsJason FlemyngDexter FletcherNick MoranEddy persuades his three pals to pool money for a vital poker game against a powerful local mobster, Hatchet Harry. Eddy loses, after which Harry gives him a week to pay back 500,000 pounds.Great British gangster film in the style of Tarantino. Still manages to find it's own voice with loads of humor and clever twists.
- DirectorNicholas StollerStarsKristen BellJason SegelPaul RuddDevastated Peter takes a Hawaiian vacation in order to deal with the recent break-up with his TV star girlfriend, Sarah. Little does he know, Sarah's traveling to the same resort as her ex - and she's bringing along her new boyfriend.An original modern love story. Hilariously heartfelt.
- DirectorOliver HirschbiegelStarsBruno GanzAlexandra Maria LaraUlrich MatthesTraudl Junge, the final secretary for Adolf Hitler, tells of the Nazi dictator's final days in his Berlin bunker at the end of WWII.Gritty, realistic, and utterly involving.
- DirectorTomas AlfredsonStarsKåre HedebrantLina LeanderssonPer RagnarOskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl.This film came out of nowhere. It's subtle but unrelenting all at the same time.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsAnthony HopkinsJohn HurtAnne BancroftA Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, intelligence and sophistication.Part tear-jerker, part historical drama, all Lynch.
- DirectorVincenzo NataliStarsNicole de BoerMaurice Dean WintDavid HewlettA group of strangers awaken to find themselves placed in a giant cube. Each one of them is gifted with a special skill and they must work together to escape an endless maze of deadly traps.Smart and fun low budget sci-fi.
- DirectorNeil MarshallStarsShauna MacdonaldNatalie MendozaAlex ReidA caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.A fast paced and refreshing little horror film that's both fun and scary.
- DirectorRob McKittrickStarsRyan ReynoldsAnna FarisJohn Francis DaleyYoung employees at ShenaniganZ restaurant collectively stave off boredom and adulthood with their antics.Hilariously low budget comedy.
- DirectorChuck HartsellChance ShirleyStarsChuck HartsellMichael SheltonKyle HolmanResidents of a small Southern town contend with bloodthirsty zombies, a mysterious flying saucer, and bad television reception.This movie has heart in spades. You can tell the ones involved all love and respect the zombie genre, even though they didn't have two dimes to rub together. Proves that it's not funding that makes a great movie.
- DirectorKaneto ShindôStarsNobuko OtowaJitsuko YoshimuraKei SatôTwo women kill samurai and sell their belongings for a living. While one of them is having an affair with their neighbor, the other woman meets a mysterious samurai wearing a bizarre mask.I had no expectations for this film going in and was blown away. It's haunting, eerily erotic, and captivating to the end.
- DirectorJean-Pierre JeunetStarsDany BoonAndré DussollierNicolas MariéA man and his friends come up with an intricate and original plan to destroy two big weapons manufacturers.An incredibly fun foreign film with eccentric characters and a good story.
- DirectorJ.A. BayonaStarsBelén RuedaFernando CayoRoger PríncepA woman brings her family back to her childhood home, which used to be an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend.A creepy and emotional horror film with one hell of an ending.
- DirectorKiah Roache-TurnerStarsJay GallagherBianca BradeyLeon BurchillA talented mechanic prepares to battle his way through hordes of flesh-eating monsters after his sister is kidnapped on the eve of a zombie apocalypse.Great Aussie take on the zombie apocalypse. Loads of fun.