Best Movies No One Knows About

From Tarsem Singh, starring Lee Pace, Catinca Untaru, Justine Waddell, Kim Uylenbroek
Rated R

The Fall is a visually stunning 2006 fantasy adventure film directed by Tarsem Singh, starring Lee Pace and Catinca Untaru. It tells the story of a Hollywood stuntman, Roy (Pace), who is confined to a hospital bed after a dangerous stunt goes wrong. To escape the pain of his physical suffering, Roy begins to tell a bedtime story to a young girl, Alexandria (Untaru). The story is filled with swashbuckling adventure and magical realism, as the two embark on a journey to far-away lands, accompanied by a colorful cast of characters. In the end, the film explores the power of the imagination and how it can help us cope with life's difficulties.

From Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, starring John Turturro, John Goodman, Judy Davis, Michael Lerner
Rated R

Barton Fink (1991) is a dark comedy-drama film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The film follows Barton Fink (John Turturro), a successful New York playwright who moves to Hollywood to write a screenplay for a major film studio. Once in Hollywood, Fink is overwhelmed by the culture, and he struggles to write a script that satisfies his demanding producer. Fink's mental state slowly begins to unravel as he slowly becomes entranced in the strange and often dangerous underworld of the city. He is befriended by a mysterious fellow tenant, Charlie Meadows (John Goodman), and he finds himself roped into a dark and twisted plot involving murder and deceit. Throughout the film, Fink struggles to write his script, maintain his sanity and identity, and confront the increasing danger that threatens him and those he holds dear. In the end, Fink is forced to confront his own inner demons and make a difficult choice.

From David Lynch, starring Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, John Roselius, Louis Eppolito
Rated R

Lost Highway is a psychological thriller directed by David Lynch that follows the story of Bill Pullman's character, Fred Madison, a jazz saxophonist who is accused of a crime he has no recollection of committing. After receiving a strange videotape at his home, he begins to experience flashes of a double life that may or may not be real. As the story progresses, Fred Madison morphs into a younger man, Pete Dayton, and is released from prison. His newfound freedom leads him on a mysterious journey that begins to unravel the truth about his past and introduces a new set of characters, including a gangster, a femme fatale, and a mysterious figure known as "The Mystery Man." By the film's climax, the audience is presented with a surreal, dream-like exploration of identity, reality, and the power of the subconscious.

From Michael Haneke, starring Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Mühe, Arno Frisch, Frank Giering
Rated Not Rated

Funny Games is a 1997 Austrian psychological thriller film written and directed by Michael Haneke. It follows a family of three—Anna, George, and their son Georgie—as they spend their vacation in an isolated holiday home in the Austrian countryside. The family is then terrorized by two young men who take them hostage and torture them for their own sadistic amusement. Anna, George and Georgie must struggle to survive their ordeal and find a way to escape the two men. Through its critique of the superficiality and brutality of media violence, Funny Games raises questions about the audience's relationship to on-screen violence and examines the effects of violence on its victims.

From Walter Hill, starring Michael Beck, James Remar, Dorsey Wright, Brian Tyler
Rated R

The Warriors is a 1979 cult classic directed by Walter Hill and based on the 1965 novel of the same name by Sol Yurick. The film is set in a post-apocalyptic New York City and follows a street gang known as the Warriors who are framed for a murder of a rival gang leader. With a city-wide manhunt on their heels, the Warriors must find a way to make it back to their home turf in Coney Island before the night is out. Along the way, the Warriors come across a variety of strange and interesting characters as they struggle to survive and make it back home.

From Gary Ross, starring Tobey Maguire, Jeff Daniels, Joan Allen, William H. Macy
Rated PG-13

Pleasantville is a 1998 comedy-drama directed by Gary Ross. The film follows two modern-day teenagers, David and Jennifer, who are transported into a 1950s sitcom, Pleasantville, where everyone is stuck in a seemingly perfect, but static world. As they become part of the town, they slowly introduce the idea of change and progress as they experience a range of emotions, friendships, and conflicts. They also bring color to a black and white world, which symbolizes the changes in the town. In the end, the townspeople embrace the change and growth that David and Jennifer have brought, and the town is changed forever.

From Jim Jarmusch, starring Forest Whitaker, Henry Silva, John Tormey, Cliff Gorman
Rated R

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is a 1999 crime-comedy-drama film directed by Jim Jarmusch. The film follows a solitary and mysterious African-American hitman, Ghost Dog (played by Forest Whitaker), who follows the ancient code of the samurai as outlined in the book of Yamamoto Tsunetomo's Hagakure. The film follows Ghost Dog as he meets and interacts with a variety of people in his urban surroundings while trying to stay true to the samurai code and honor his commitments. He reflects upon his life and the code of the samurai, while trying to evade the authorities and the mobsters who hired him. He also develops a strong friendship with an ice cream truck driver, Raymond (Isaach de Bankole). In the end, Ghost Dog must choose between his loyalty to the code and his newfound friendships.

From Alan Parker, starring Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, Laura Linney, Cleo King
Rated R

The Life of David Gale is a 2003 drama film directed by Alan Parker. The film follows the story of professor David Gale (Kevin Spacey) who has been wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of a fellow activist, Constance Harraway (Laura Linney). As days pass, Gale meets with a reporter, Bitsey Bloom (Kate Winslet), in hopes of clearing his name before his execution. Bloom uncovers a series of secrets and conspiracies as she investigates the case, and as a result, exposes the truth behind Gale's conviction. In the process, she discovers the ugly side of the death penalty system and how it is used to cover up the wrongdoings of powerful people. The film is a powerful exploration of the death penalty, and its implications on those who are wrongfully convicted.

From Joel Schumacher, starring Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey
Rated R

A Time to Kill is a 1996 courtroom drama directed by Joel Schumacher and based on the novel of the same name by John Grisham. The film follows the story of Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L. Jackson), a black man in Mississippi who takes the law into his own hands when his daughter is brutally raped. He hires Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey), a white lawyer, to represent him in his trial for murder. The trial becomes a race-based media sensation, causing tensions in the town to boil over as the jury must decide Hailey's fate. Ultimately, Brigance is able to successfully prove his client's innocence, saving him from the death penalty.

From Adrian Lyne, starring Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Peña, Danny Aiello, Matt Craven
Rated R

From Ric Roman Waugh, starring Stephen Dorff, Marisol Nichols, Vincent Miller, Anne Archer
Rated R

From Patty Jenkins, starring Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Lee Tergesen
Rated R

From Werner Herzog, starring Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies, Zach Grenier
Rated PG-13

From Sidney Lumet, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei
Rated R

From Jeff Nichols, starring Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham, Tova Stewart
Rated R

From Robert Altman, starring Maggie Smith, Ryan Phillippe, Michael Gambon, Kristin Scott Thomas
Rated R

From David Lynch, starring Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe, J.E. Freeman
Rated R

From Emir Kusturica, starring Johnny Depp, Jerry Lewis, Faye Dunaway, Lili Taylor
Rated R

From Gavin Hood, starring Presley Chweneyagae, Mothusi Magano, Israel Matseke-Zulu, Terry Pheto
Rated R

From John Carpenter, starring Sam Neill, Jürgen Prochnow, Julie Carmen, David Warner
Rated R

From Greg Marcks, starring Henry Thomas, Colin Hanks, Ben Foster, Patrick Swayze
Rated R

From John Maybury, starring Adrien Brody, Keira Knightley, Daniel Craig, Kris Kristofferson
Rated R

From J.C. Chandor, starring Zachary Quinto, Stanley Tucci, Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany
Rated R

From Nick Cassavetes, starring Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Willis
Rated R

From Mike Cahill, starring Brit Marling, William Mapother, Matthew-Lee Erlbach, DJ Flava
Rated PG-13