Independent flicks tell complex, international tales outside of the spotlight of big productions
The big blockbuster hits are plastered on billboards and you really can’t escape their ever-running previews in between any hour of television. But there’s a smaller field of movies that seemingly fly under the mainstream eye, and don’t get the viewership they deserve. This is a list of ten movies worth seeing that skipped the big screen hype.
1. “Once Upon a Time in Anatolia” (now on DVD, Blu-ray and Netflix streaming)
It’s a 157-minute Turkish film about policemen, detectives and criminals trying to find a corpse — but that sounds much more exciting than the actual film. It’s so beautiful, but so slow. You really feel like you’ve spent an entire night with these guys, and it is the best foreign film of the year.
2. “Bernie” (now on DVD, Blu-ray and Netflix streaming)
Richard Linklater’s howlingly funny, true crime black comedy features Jack Black’s best performance to date. The film captures a small Southern town perfectly. Even the costumes and set design are laugh-out-loud funny.
3. “The Deep Blue Sea” (now on DVD, Blu-ray and Netflix streaming)
This marvelously acted British period drama is based on a play by Terence Rattigan. Rachel Weisz should be nominated for best actress for her heart-wrenching performance as a suicidal housewife who marries a man she doesn’t love and falls for a man who doesn’t return her love.
4. “Damsels in Distress” (now on DVD and Blu-ray)
I was the only person in the theater when I saw this film about a group of smart college girls — Whit Stillman’s first feature since 1998 — but I still embarrassed myself by laughing like an idiot. Some people will hate this comedy and not laugh at all, but if you understand the humor, it’s gold.
5. “The Kid with a Bike” (no set release date)
The latest no-frills French film from the Dardenne Brothers follows the life of a young boy who’s abandoned by his father and taken in by a hairdresser. There are so few films these days that feel this real.
6. “Dark Horse” (released on DVD and Blu-ray today)
Todd Solondz (“Welcome to the Dollhouse,” “Happiness”) makes comedies so dark that you don’t know if you should be laughing or crying. His newest film follows the pathetic life of Abe, a 30-something in a state of arrested development who still lives with his parents (played by Christopher Walken and Mia Farrow). Selma Blair is uproariously funny as his catatonic girlfriend. This film is Solondz’s answer to the Judd Apatow man-child films. But instead of, let’s say, having a child with Katherine Heigl like in “Knocked Up,” Abe just continues to be a fat loser. The soundtrack is full of hilariously hideous American Idol-like pop songs, and the opening shot of the film is my favorite of the year.
7. “Holy Motors” (now in select theaters)
The French — they are funny people. “Holy Motors” is Leos Carax’s first feature film since 1999, and it is the weirdest and most original film of the year. Monsieur Oscar (Denis Lavant) is an actor (or is he?) who travels in a white stretch limousine through Paris to different “appointments” each day in which he disguises himself as a character and acts out a scene. I’m at a loss of words to accurately describe this insane, wonderful film. If you care about cinema, it is a must see.
8. “Cosmopolis” (will be released on DVD and Blu-ray Jan. 1)
Another strange film following a man in a limousine, “Cosmopolis” is based on the novel by Don DeLillo. It’s the newest film by David Cronenberg (“The Fly,” “A History of Violence”) and stars Robert Pattinson of “Twilight” fame as a member of “the 1 percent” in a role radically different from what he’s used to. All of the dialogue is off-putting and bizarre, but often funny. When I saw this film in theaters, an elderly couple walked out after the man loudly said, “All they’re doing is talking, and I can’t understand what they’re saying.” This is a hard film to like, but, like all of Cronenberg’s films, it’s a thinkpiece worth seeing and discussing.
9. “This is Not a Film” (will be released on DVD Jan. 31)
Jafar Panahi is an Iranian filmmaker who was put under house arrest and given a 20-year ban on making films. He shot this documentary in his apartment with a small video camera and his cellphone. This tiny film is more enthralling than all of this summer’s blockbusters combined.
10. “Compliance” (will be released on DVD and Blu-ray Jan. 8)
This disturbing, but masterfully directed film is based on a true story about a regular man who calls a fast food restaurant and convinces the manager (Ann Dowd) that he’s a policeman. He then convinces her that one of her young female employees has stolen some money from a customer (which she didn’t). You won’t believe how far it goes, but it actually happened. The whole cast in excellent, but Dowd especially deserves an Oscar nomination.