Independent Films
Okay, here's a fun meme I saw at Tom the Dog's blog...It's Empire Magazine's 50 Greatest Independent Films. So, go ahead and copy it if you want and have fun (I changed the rules because I'm not computer savvy and don't know how to strike through letters)
Blue the ones you've seen and liked.
Red the ones you've seen and which you didn't like or which are just plain overrated.
Italicize the ones you haven't seen but want to.
Underline the ones you haven't seen and don't want to.
Don't do anything to the ones you've never heard of.
1. Reservoir Dogs - Quentin Tarantino's awesome. Good choice.
2. Donnie Darko - I love this movie but it's kind of annoying how it's become such a big cult classic. Whatever. Anyway, it's too high on the list. Although this was the movie that introduced us to Jake Gyllenhaal (drool)
3. The Terminator - Okay, if Terminator's on here....where's Star Wars? This is a crappy, hastily-strewn together list, but it's still fun to do this.
4. Clerks - Ah, yes. Kevin Smith. Foul language. Jay and Silent Bob. It all started here.
5. Monty Python's Life of Brian - I don't know, comedies usually aren't my thing and Monty Python just holds no appeal for me.
6. Night of the Living Dead - A masterpiece.
7. Sex, Lies, and Videotape
8. The Usual Suspects
9. Sideways
10. Mean Streets - I actually have this movie. I'll get around to watching it someday...
11. Bad Taste
12. Eraserhead - A very disturbing experimental film by David Lynch, one of my favorite directors.
13. Memento - An obvious choice.
14. Stranger Than Paradise
15. Blood Simple
16. She's Gotta Have It
17. City of God - This was really an amazing movie. Unapologetic and brutally honest.
18. Withnail and I
19. Lone Star
20. Slacker
21. Roger and Me - I think this is the only documentary on here, which is a shame (where's Crumb and Dogtown and the Z-boys?)
22. Nosferatu - This was a great film
23. The Evil Dead - I saw this when I was really young, so I don't remember much about it, but I do recall liking it...
24. Happiness - I'm glad this is on the countdown. This is just an awesome film. I would recommend anyone reading this list to go out and rent this. You'll never have another experience like it.
25. Drugstore Cowboy
26. Lost in Translation - We own the soundtrack =)
27. Dark Star
28. In the Company of Men
29. Bad Lieutenant
30. Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
31. Pink Flamingos - Okay, I'm a gay man and I even hated this film. Completely overrated and just plain ugly to watch. Where are the good queer films like Hedwig and the Angry Inch?
32. Two Lane Blacktop
33. Shallow Grave
34. The Blair Witch Project - This was the first independent movie I actually went to the theater to see, at the Uptown theater in Minneapolis, before it went wide. It was a great experience. The theater was packed (I had to wait in line two days in advance of the screening to get the damn tickets) and was completely silent during the whole film. I loved it. It terrified me and it's one of my favorites still. And me...I was completely gullible and thought it was real. Don't ask me how I got into that frame of mind...
35. THX-1138
36. Buffalo '66
37. Being John Malkovich - A really unique, strange movie. Very enjoyable.
38. Grosse Point Blank
39. The Passion of the Christ - I'm just happy that this movie got people to watch fucking subtitles for once. It's not that hard!
40. The Descent
41. Dead Man's Shoes
42. Swingers
43. Shadows
44. Amores Perros - This should have been higher.
45. Mad Max
46. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - I just saw this again recently. The slasher film genre at its finest.
47. Blood Feast
48. Cube
49. Run Lola Run - Another obvious choice, but I love this one. I think this should have been higher too.
50. El Mariachi
Okay, this was screwed up. Where is Pi? Requiem For a Dream? Ghost World? Bottle Rocket (Wes Anderson)? Hard Eight (Paul Thomas Anderson)? And Patrick mentioned The Sweet Hereafter and Ararat by Atom Egoyan. At least the fricking Big Fat Greek Wedding wasn't in it. Might as well have been for some of the crap they have in this list....
Blue the ones you've seen and liked.
Red the ones you've seen and which you didn't like or which are just plain overrated.
Italicize the ones you haven't seen but want to.
Underline the ones you haven't seen and don't want to.
Don't do anything to the ones you've never heard of.
1. Reservoir Dogs - Quentin Tarantino's awesome. Good choice.
2. Donnie Darko - I love this movie but it's kind of annoying how it's become such a big cult classic. Whatever. Anyway, it's too high on the list. Although this was the movie that introduced us to Jake Gyllenhaal (drool)
3. The Terminator - Okay, if Terminator's on here....where's Star Wars? This is a crappy, hastily-strewn together list, but it's still fun to do this.
4. Clerks - Ah, yes. Kevin Smith. Foul language. Jay and Silent Bob. It all started here.
5. Monty Python's Life of Brian - I don't know, comedies usually aren't my thing and Monty Python just holds no appeal for me.
6. Night of the Living Dead - A masterpiece.
7. Sex, Lies, and Videotape
8. The Usual Suspects
9. Sideways
10. Mean Streets - I actually have this movie. I'll get around to watching it someday...
11. Bad Taste
12. Eraserhead - A very disturbing experimental film by David Lynch, one of my favorite directors.
13. Memento - An obvious choice.
14. Stranger Than Paradise
15. Blood Simple
16. She's Gotta Have It
17. City of God - This was really an amazing movie. Unapologetic and brutally honest.
18. Withnail and I
19. Lone Star
20. Slacker
21. Roger and Me - I think this is the only documentary on here, which is a shame (where's Crumb and Dogtown and the Z-boys?)
22. Nosferatu - This was a great film
23. The Evil Dead - I saw this when I was really young, so I don't remember much about it, but I do recall liking it...
24. Happiness - I'm glad this is on the countdown. This is just an awesome film. I would recommend anyone reading this list to go out and rent this. You'll never have another experience like it.
25. Drugstore Cowboy
26. Lost in Translation - We own the soundtrack =)
27. Dark Star
28. In the Company of Men
29. Bad Lieutenant
30. Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
31. Pink Flamingos - Okay, I'm a gay man and I even hated this film. Completely overrated and just plain ugly to watch. Where are the good queer films like Hedwig and the Angry Inch?
32. Two Lane Blacktop
33. Shallow Grave
34. The Blair Witch Project - This was the first independent movie I actually went to the theater to see, at the Uptown theater in Minneapolis, before it went wide. It was a great experience. The theater was packed (I had to wait in line two days in advance of the screening to get the damn tickets) and was completely silent during the whole film. I loved it. It terrified me and it's one of my favorites still. And me...I was completely gullible and thought it was real. Don't ask me how I got into that frame of mind...
35. THX-1138
36. Buffalo '66
37. Being John Malkovich - A really unique, strange movie. Very enjoyable.
38. Grosse Point Blank
39. The Passion of the Christ - I'm just happy that this movie got people to watch fucking subtitles for once. It's not that hard!
40. The Descent
41. Dead Man's Shoes
42. Swingers
43. Shadows
44. Amores Perros - This should have been higher.
45. Mad Max
46. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - I just saw this again recently. The slasher film genre at its finest.
47. Blood Feast
48. Cube
49. Run Lola Run - Another obvious choice, but I love this one. I think this should have been higher too.
50. El Mariachi
Okay, this was screwed up. Where is Pi? Requiem For a Dream? Ghost World? Bottle Rocket (Wes Anderson)? Hard Eight (Paul Thomas Anderson)? And Patrick mentioned The Sweet Hereafter and Ararat by Atom Egoyan. At least the fricking Big Fat Greek Wedding wasn't in it. Might as well have been for some of the crap they have in this list....
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