21st Century Films That Remind You Just Why You Fell In Love With Cinema
by kosmikino | created - 14 Mar 2015 | updated - 8 months ago | Public21st Century cinema and television that still has the power to remind you exactly why you fell in love with the magical medium of film in the first place...
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1. Northern Soul (2014)
R | 102 min | Drama, Music
Set in 1974, an authentic and uplifting tale of two friends whose horizons are opened up by the discovery of black American soul music.
Director: Elaine Constantine | Stars: Elliot James Langridge, Steve Coogan, Antonia Thomas, James Lance
Votes: 4,292 | Gross: $0.01M
Perhaps the most authentic depiction of the transformative and liberatory potential of the dancefloor yet made.
2. Pride (I) (2014)
R | 119 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
U.K. gay activists work to help miners during their lengthy strike of the National Union of Mineworkers in the summer of 1984.
Director: Matthew Warchus | Stars: Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Paddy Considine
Votes: 61,667
A reminder of a time when the collective imagination still held sway and history was something more than what happened last week.
3. Never Let Me Go (2010)
R | 103 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
The lives of three friends, from their early school days into young adulthood, when the reality of the world they live in comes knocking.
Director: Mark Romanek | Stars: Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Izzy Meikle-Small
Votes: 153,338 | Gross: $2.43M
We are all born and we all complete...
4. Frank (II) (2014)
R | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Jon, a young wanna-be musician, discovers he's bitten off more than he can chew when he joins an eccentric pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank.
Director: Lenny Abrahamson | Stars: Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Moira Brooker
Votes: 82,388 | Gross: $0.64M
5. Son of Rambow (2007)
PG-13 | 96 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
During a long English summer in the early 1980s, two schoolboys from differing backgrounds set out to make a film inspired by First Blood (1982).
Director: Garth Jennings | Stars: Bill Milner, Will Poulter, Jessica Hynes, Anna Wing
Votes: 32,974 | Gross: $1.78M
6. Tomorrowland (2015)
PG | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Family
Bound by a shared destiny, a teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor embark on a mission to unearth the secrets of a place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory.
Director: Brad Bird | Stars: George Clooney, Britt Robertson, Hugh Laurie, Raffey Cassidy
Votes: 191,468 | Gross: $93.44M
7. Storytelling (2001)
R | 87 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
College and high school serve as the backdrop for two stories about dysfunction and personal turmoil.
Director: Todd Solondz | Stars: Selma Blair, Leo Fitzpatrick, Robert Wisdom, Maria Thayer
Votes: 18,336 | Gross: $0.91M
8. Life During Wartime (2009)
R | 98 min | Comedy, Drama
Friends, family, and lovers struggle to find love, forgiveness, and meaning in an almost war-torn world riddled with comedy and pathos.
Director: Todd Solondz | Stars: Shirley Henderson, Allison Janney, Ally Sheedy, Michael Kenneth Williams
Votes: 7,855 | Gross: $0.28M
9. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
R | 118 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A look at a few chapters in the life of Poppy, a cheery, colorful, North London schoolteacher whose optimism tends to exasperate those around her.
Director: Mike Leigh | Stars: Sally Hawkins, Alexis Zegerman, Samuel Roukin, Elliot Cowan
Votes: 41,066 | Gross: $3.49M
10. A Brilliant Young Mind (2014)
PG-13 | 111 min | Drama, Romance
A socially awkward teenage maths prodigy finds new confidence and new friendships when he lands a spot on the British squad at the International Mathematics Olympiad.
Director: Morgan Matthews | Stars: Asa Butterfield, Rafe Spall, Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan
Votes: 30,322 | Gross: $0.14M
11. This Is England (2006)
Not Rated | 101 min | Crime, Drama
A young boy becomes friends with a gang of skinheads. Friends soon become like family, and relationships will be pushed to the very limit.
Director: Shane Meadows | Stars: Thomas Turgoose, Stephen Graham, Jo Hartley, Andrew Shim
Votes: 128,776 | Gross: $0.33M
12. The Year I Became a Liar (2009)
Not Rated | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Filmmaker Ricardo Trogi recalls the events surrounding his family moving to a new neighborhood when he was 11 years old.
Director: Ricardo Trogi | Stars: Jean-Carl Boucher, Claudio Colangelo, Sandrine Bisson, Gabriel Maillé
Votes: 2,044
13. The Lady in the Van (2015)
PG-13 | 104 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
A man forms an unexpected bond with a transient woman living in her van that's parked in his driveway.
Director: Nicholas Hytner | Stars: Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings, Jim Broadbent, Clare Hammond
Votes: 32,003 | Gross: $10.02M
14. Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
R | 121 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In 1990, to protect his fragile mother from a fatal shock after a long coma, a young man must keep her from learning that her beloved nation of East Germany as she knew it has disappeared.
Director: Wolfgang Becker | Stars: Daniel Brühl, Katrin Sass, Chulpan Khamatova, Florian Lukas
Votes: 152,754 | Gross: $4.06M
15. Persepolis (2007)
PG-13 | 96 min | Animation, Biography, Drama
A precocious and outspoken Iranian girl grows up during the Islamic Revolution.
Directors: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi | Stars: Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Gena Rowlands, Danielle Darrieux
Votes: 100,221 | Gross: $4.45M
16. Taxi (III) (2015)
Not Rated | 82 min | Comedy, Drama
Banned from making movies by the Iranian government, Jafar Panahi poses as a taxi driver and makes a movie about social challenges in Iran.
Director: Jafar Panahi | Stars: Jafar Panahi, Nasrin Sotoudeh
Votes: 16,550 | Gross: $0.32M
17. Nói albinói (2003)
PG-13 | 93 min | Comedy, Drama
Is he the village idiot or a genius in disguise? 17 year old Noi drifts through life on a remote fjord in the north of Iceland. In winter, the fjord is cut off from the outside world, ... See full summary »
Director: Dagur Kári | Stars: Tómas Lemarquis, Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson, Elín Hansdóttir, Anna Friðriksdóttir
Votes: 9,618 | Gross: $0.06M
18. Virgin Mountain (2015)
94 min | Drama
Fusi, a 43 year old man, still lives with his mother. His daily life is characterized by monotonous routine. The appearance of vibrant Sjöfn and young neighbour Hera will upset his old bachelor habits.
Director: Dagur Kári | Stars: Gunnar Jónsson, Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir, Sigurjón Kjartansson, Margrét Helga Jóhannsdóttir
Votes: 9,739
19. Destination Planet Negro (2013)
Not Rated | 98 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi
In 1939, African American leaders respond to Jim Crow segregation by building a rocket to colonize Mars. The three person crew blasts off, but time travel instead, arriving in present-day America revealing much about race today.
Director: Kevin Willmott | Stars: Tosin Morohunfola, Danielle Cooper, Kevin Willmott, Trai Byers
Votes: 177
20. Temple Grandin (2010 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 107 min | Biography, Drama
A biopic of Temple Grandin, an autistic woman who has become one of the top scientists in the humane livestock handling industry.
Director: Mick Jackson | Stars: Claire Danes, Julia Ormond, David Strathairn, Catherine O'Hara
Votes: 32,592
21. Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (2005)
Not Rated | 120 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A dramatization of the final days of Sophie Scholl, one of the most famous members of the German World War II anti-Nazi resistance movement, The White Rose.
Director: Marc Rothemund | Stars: Julia Jentsch, Fabian Hinrichs, Alexander Held, Johanna Gastdorf
Votes: 28,677 | Gross: $0.68M
22. The Brand New Testament (2015)
Not Rated | 114 min | Comedy, Fantasy
Did you know that God is alive and lives in Brussels with his daughter?
Director: Jaco Van Dormael | Stars: Pili Groyne, Benoît Poelvoorde, Catherine Deneuve, François Damiens
Votes: 35,018 | Gross: $0.09M
23. Adam & Paul (2004)
83 min | Comedy, Drama
2 heroin addicts negotiate their way through Dublin's city centre, encountering friends and family as they search for their next fix.
Director: Lenny Abrahamson | Stars: Tom Murphy, Mark O'Halloran, Gavin Dowdall, Luke Keeler
Votes: 3,302
24. WALL·E (2008)
G | 98 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
In the distant future, a small waste-collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind.
Director: Andrew Stanton | Stars: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard
Votes: 1,201,216 | Gross: $223.81M
25. A Quiet Place (2018)
PG-13 | 90 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
A family struggles for survival in a world where most humans have been killed by blind but noise-sensitive creatures. They are forced to communicate in sign language to keep the creatures at bay.
Director: John Krasinski | Stars: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe
Votes: 584,041 | Gross: $188.02M
26. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
R | 164 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
Young Blade Runner K's discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former Blade Runner Rick Deckard, who's been missing for thirty years.
Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, Dave Bautista
Votes: 666,029 | Gross: $92.05M
27. Ex Machina (2014)
R | 108 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment in synthetic intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a highly advanced humanoid A.I.
Director: Alex Garland | Stars: Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Sonoya Mizuno
Votes: 590,266 | Gross: $25.44M
28. Arrival (II) (2016)
PG-13 | 116 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A linguist works with the military to communicate with alien lifeforms after twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world.
Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg
Votes: 772,053 | Gross: $100.55M
29. I banchieri di Dio (2002)
Not Rated | 125 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
This movie attempts to reconstruct the bankruptcy of the Banco Ambrosiano and its liaisons with the Vatican and the Masonry through the story of its President Roberto Calvi (Omero Antonutti... See full summary »
Director: Giuseppe Ferrara | Stars: Omero Antonutti, Pamela Villoresi, Giancarlo Giannini, Rutger Hauer
Votes: 494
30. Sorry to Bother You (2018)
R | 112 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a universe of greed.
Director: Boots Riley | Stars: LaKeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler, Omari Hardwick
Votes: 88,270 | Gross: $17.49M
31. The Endless (I) (2017)
Not Rated | 111 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
As kids, they escaped a UFO death cult. Now, two adult brothers seek answers after an old videotape surfaces and brings them back to where they began.
Directors: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead | Stars: Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson, Callie Hernandez, Tate Ellington
Votes: 49,466 | Gross: $0.27M
32. Sightseers (2012)
Not Rated | 88 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
Chris wants to show girlfriend Tina his world, but events soon conspire against the couple and their dream caravan holiday takes a very wrong turn.
Director: Ben Wheatley | Stars: Alice Lowe, Kenneth Hadley, Steve Oram, Eileen Davies
Votes: 30,280 | Gross: $0.04M
33. Growing Up Smith (2015)
PG-13 | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
In 1979, an Indian family moves to America with hopes of living the American Dream. While their 10-year-old boy Smith falls head-over-heels for the girl next door, his desire to become a "good old boy" propels him further away from his family's ideals than ever before.
Director: Frank Lotito | Stars: Jason Lee, Anjul Nigam, Brighton Sharbino, Hilarie Burton Morgan
Votes: 1,431 | Gross: $0.01M
34. Stockholm (2018)
R | 92 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime
Based on the absurd but true 1973 bank heist and hostage crisis in Stockholm that was documented in the New Yorker as the origins of the 'Stockholm Syndrome'.
Director: Robert Budreau | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Noomi Rapace, Mark Strong, Christopher Heyerdahl
Votes: 14,722 | Gross: $0.30M
35. Eddie the Eagle (2015)
PG-13 | 106 min | Adventure, Biography, Comedy
The story of Eddie Edwards, the notoriously tenacious British underdog ski jumper who charmed the world at the 1988 Winter Olympics.
Director: Dexter Fletcher | Stars: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Tom Costello, Jo Hartley
Votes: 100,303 | Gross: $15.79M
36. The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)
R | 111 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A scientist and a teacher living in a dystopian future embark on a journey of survival with a special young girl named Melanie.
Director: Colm McCarthy | Stars: Sennia Nanua, Fisayo Akinade, Dominique Tipper, Paddy Considine
Votes: 64,453
37. The Duke (2020)
R | 95 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime
In 1961, Kempton Bunton, a 60 year old taxi driver, steals Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London.
Director: Roger Michell | Stars: Jim Broadbent, Heather Craney, Stephen Rashbrook, James Wilby
Votes: 13,205
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