ROCKSTAR

I guess we could define "indie" as independently or privately financed (instead of being the product of the studio system). But there are also indie/art house types of movies that even if they’re not technically independent, they still have that indie spirit and storytelling tone to it.

I googled a few indie lists (Indie Films, Best Indie Movies) and found some of my all time favorite movies listed.

Before Sunrise and Before Sunset are two of my favorite movies ever. Then there's the brilliance of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Memento, with their unique concepts and fascinating character studies. And 21 Grams, a brutal yet fascinating movie about the shared tragedy of some people's lives.

I recently watched Sugar. It's a movie about a Dominican baseball prospect that travels to the US to play in the minor league system. It's such a reflective, quiet movie. I love how real it feels, how honest the lead actors performance was.

An indie I didn't like so much was The Virgin Suicides. I found it tedious. A movie I didn't find tedious was The Painted Veil with Edward Norton and Naomi Watts. It was beautiful and devastating. The slow burn pace only made it more so.

Anyone have any indie or art house favorites to recommend or discuss?

Heartattack&Vine

I could go on for hours, but a few that spring to mind:

Mike Leigh's Naked
In Bruges
Synechoche, New York (or anything written by Charlie Kaufman, really)
The Vicious Kind
Withnail & I (one of my all-time favorite comedies and also one of my most quoted)
Werner Herzog's Stroszek

taovande

Looking at the list for the Best Indie Movies made me realize I should dust off some of these movies and watch them again because I loved them so much!

Clay Pigeons---I went on this HUGE Vince Vaughn kick a long time ago (around Psycho) and I loved this movie! I rewatched it when I had a little Joaquin kick...still a great black comedy!

One on the list I couldn't stand was Thirteen. Ugh! Everything about that movie was so annoying.

I own Once and have yet to even take it out of the wrapper!


My two absolute favorites are on the list--Eternal Sunshine and Trainspotting. Both are fabulous movies.

ROCKSTAR

Clay Pigeons is such a crazy movie. lol I liked it a lot.

I tried watching Thirteen but couldn't manage more than 2 minutes. Ugh. Once... For some reason, I don't really want to watch it even though I'm sure I'd like it just fine. Hee.

Agreed with Eternal Sunshine. I found Trainspotting so somber and fatalistic, but still enjoyable. (Sort of like Requiem for a Dream, but Requiem is legitimately depressing and somewhat unwatchable as a result.) I watched it a looooong time ago, though. So it may be better than I remember.

Wonderful recs! In Bruges is a particular movie, and it's fantastic. I started but never finished Synecdoche, New York. I have to DVR it again! I liked what I saw. I have to check out the rest of the list. Thanks so much!

ETA: Watching the Tonys this past Sunday, and Scarlett Johansson winning an award, reminded me of Girl with a Pearl Earring. I loved that movie. It was also one of the first instances of Cillian Murphy breaking out; he has made some really good smaller movies like Breakfast on Pluto and Intermission. Well, Intermission wasn't great but it had its moments.

Heartattack&Vine

In Bruges is definitely one of my favorite movies ever. I've yet to find many finer black comedies.

The Wind That Shakes the Barley is a damn good, smaller movie that Cillian Murphy did a few years back about the IRA. I recommend it.

mukooh

ROCKSTAR....when i first noticed this thread....i thought to myself oh great another thread.......name an actor or a film...another post to one's name, another step closer to a higher fanforum ranking.....i don't roll that way and i don't play that way either....so i was pleasantly surprised to read that there was a discussion going on here....which is the purpose of a forum....at least in my mind.....the exchange of thoughts, ideas and information.....

i like that you've taken the time to define your terms indie/art house....that will work for alot of people....at one time i would have called these type of movies "alternative films"...as opposed to "mainstream" films......but now that term doesn't work for me.....what is "altermative" music, lifestyle, clothes, etc suppose to mean anyway?....i guess what ended that terms usage for me was a couple of years ago when i read a book by sonny barger, a former president of the hells angels outlaw motorcycle club expressing his philosophies of life...one of them being to paraphrase..."that what's the alternative of today will be the normal of tomorrow"........

today i call these types of movies "smaller" films.......and by that i mean films that are normally not released to thousands of theaters....but to perhaps as little as 20 in the united states...alot of these films are not rated, rated "r" or perhaps in a language other than english....and they can be either animated or non-animated......all of these films are normally shown in what i call "art house" theaters...where the majority of the filmgoers who frequent these theaters, imo, are more astute, better read and more intelligent than those that frequent multiplexes........

i've watched hundreds of these films in theaters...including most if not all of the films that have been mentioned in this thread already......when i watch a film i'm looking for something different....something that i haven't seen before......most importantly i want to get "off".....i want to feel something that makes me feel alive, that causes me to react......there was a five year period of my life that i prescreened and judged films for the inclusion to a film festival that's held in the city that i live in....i had to give up that commitment this year....because i was tired of seeing the same ideas over and over again in the films that were submitted......i'm afraid we, the americans, are not quite the great innovators that we used to be....whether it be in technology or films....that why so many of the movie companies in this country are remaking the orginal fresh ideas from other countries, becuase their either just plain lazy or unimaginative......

to add to this thread.....some of the "smaller" films that i've liked in recent and past years...films that tend to stand out in my mind......

last year's foreign film academy award winner from argentina...'the secret in their eyes' a classic tale of undying love and unforgiving revenge...

another foreign film academy award winner from a few years back...from germany...'the lives of others'....an undercover policeman secretly observes and listens to a couple and discovers how much of living he's missing.....

from japan...'shall we dansu' (remade in the english language as 'shall we dance').....ballroom dancing inappropriate or not proper?...in japan it is....where any form of public display or affection is considered bad manners....it's a feel good movie...everyone's a winner in this film.....and it stars one of my favorite actors, kôji yakusho who also stars in another one of my favorites listed below....

'kyua' (cure) 1997....this film deals with short term memory loss....and it was made 3 years before 'memento'....a brief snyposis.....when a man or woman comes into contact with a amnesiac young man they unexplainably go on killing sprees with no remeberance of them later.....

wow.....i beginning to see a trend here.....all of these films were made outside of the united states.....and in my opinion their "smaller" films.....don't get me wrong i have favorites from the united states...and perhaps the next time i post to this thread i'll mention them as well.....but as it i've posted way too long as it is.......

Heartattack&Vine

I try not to be one of those people who contends that all mainstream movies are crap and the only good movies to come out are independently made, but the recent shift in the Hollywood movie-making landscape is beginning to make it extremely difficult to maintain my idealism. I've found that the list of films that have resonated with me lately is made up almost entirely of movies which are independent and/or foreign. Stroszek is a perfect example of an entirely un-flashy, foreign film which really punched me in the gut. I had to take a few minutes to collect my thoughts after viewing that one. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is another such film for me.

I just watched The Lives of Others recently and found it absolutely enthralling. Every character was written and played in a very human way; one could really read every internal conflict on the actors' faces. It was really phenomenal, if perhaps a tiny bit overlong.

I always try to catch the Best Foreign Language film winners, but I've yet to see The Secret in Their Eyes. Among its group of fellow nominees, I'm looking forward to seeing A Prophet much more, though. The White Ribbon was also fantastic; it has some of the most spellbinding cinematography I've ever seen.

mukooh

i've seen many "smaller" films that have been truly horrible....i can only remember walking out of a few films during my life.....2 of them fall into the classification of this thread....1 of them was in the last month....a critically acclaimed german film called 'everyone else'....a relationship film revolving around the breakup of girl and guy......it was like watching grass grow.....so slow.....i kept wondering why they even together in the first place....i lasted about an hour into that one.....another "walkout" within the first 20 minutes.....gus van sant's 'gerry'....another grass grower...and this starred matt damon and casey affleck....

it's a great film......a sad footnote to that film is that ulrich mühe...."the listener" died of stomach cancer shortly before or after the movie was honored at the academy awards....it's kind of ironic that i just recently watched a film where one of that character's superior is the lead in 'john rabe'....which i talk about in the "what was the last movie you saw" thread.......

i do to and i don't even watch the academy awards anymore...i don't like the newer format or the presentation of the show....i also try to watch the other films that have been nominated in that category if i haven't already seen them.........

'the secret in their eyes' is one of my favorite films of recent years and the movie that i keep on telling friends to see.....i watched 'the prophet' a few months back.....i thought the story line was kind of generic....but it's an ok film....perhaps a taste too long....and 'the white ribbon' as you state is really beautiful film to watch......

this morning i was going to come into the thread and read what was posted and leave....instead i've stayed much too long again....and not contributed anything new....i was going to write about some american films, that i like, that would fall into the scope of this thread discussion....my family and i keep lists that go back 10 years as to all the films that we've watched in theaters.......hopefully, later on today, i'll have time to at least go over the one from this year......

Heartattack&Vine

I'm not saying every independent film is great-- that would be ontologically impossible-- just that the films which tend to strike an emotional chord with me aren't big-budget Hollywood films. I've seen more than a few indie stinkers in my time as well.

I'll be sure to keep The Secret in Their Eyes in mind next time I'm deciding which movie I want from Netflix next.

I'll contribute a few of mine, then.

Drugstore Cowboy: Directed by Gus Van Sant, starring Matt Dillon. This is the story of a group of junkies who knock over pharmacies to get their next fix. It's by no means an upbeat film, it's in fact very bleak at times, but it's gritty and a very interesting watch.

The Fisher King: Directed by Terry Gilliam, starring Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams. Probably not strictly indie, but Gilliam's films tend to have that vibe to them. This is the story of a down-and-out radio DJ who befriends a functionally mentally ill homeless man. Touching, funny, and often surreal.

In the Loop: Quite possibly my favorite political satire of all time.

Brick: About as dark as you could make a high school detective story. This movie is steeped in film-noir ethos and filled with clever dialogue, though sometimes the lingo gets hard to follow.

Down by Law: A prison break film directed by Jim Jarmusch. Jarmusch's style isn't for everyone, but he really does put a fresh spin on the prison break genre, which I can very much appreciate. He also directed a great surrealist western called Dead Man, which I highly recommend.

Wristcutters: A Love Story: Quirky story about a sort of purgatorial world where suicide victims go after they die. A young man living in this world finds out the girlfriend he left behind also committed suicide after his death, and he sets out to find her. A road trip movie in the best sense.

Days of Heaven: Directed by Terrence Malick. This has become the benchmark by which I compare all other films' cinematography. It's also a good film about a love triangle and its consequences.

More later...

ROCKSTAR

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was a fantastic movie, IMO. I felt drained when it ended.

mukooh I entirely agree about "smaller" films. I think it's a great description and goes to the heart of the matter really.

(I haven't seen many new movies lately, but the ones that have been coming out look atrocious. Heartattack&Vine, I couldn't agree more about the lack of mainstream commitment, or even quality, regardless if it's following a formula or not.)

I though Brick was a strange deal, and certainly one of the more interesting movies about high school. Hee. I did love the 'moments' here and there, where something bizarre would happen in this really muted way. Hee.

I REALLY want to see In the Loop! Thankfully, Showtime is showing it so I don't have to go out of my way to catch it.

I need to see this. I don't think I've heard of it before. I love movies that deal with some type of memory loss mystery, because it kind of forces the writer and director to create some type of character study to explain what personality, traits, etc, *could* be missing along with the character's memory. I do love a good mystery.

Oh man! The Secret in Their Eyes and The White Ribbon are on my must watch list for sure - they sound so good. I love most 'foreign' movies because they don't have that glossy fake texture of so many mainstream American films have, where it feels like every set piece is sparkling. The French movie The Class was outstanding in this sense. My goodness, I felt like I was sitting with the rest of those kids! It was that realistic and well acted.

One art house movie I didn't like was Cache. I didn't get it at all.

The only Terrence Malik film I've seen is The New World, which I adore. I know it's not considered his best work, and I hear he wasn't exactly happy with the result, but I couldn't have loved it more. So I really to see Days of Heaven, because I really loved his style.

Heartattack&Vine

Caché is definitely a strange animal. I liked a lot of things about the film, but the ending is so unfulfilling that I couldn't bring myself to genuinely like it as a film.

I've only seen parts of The New World, but it seems like something I'll have to check out in full in the near future. The story seems interesting and what I saw of it had Malick's flair all over it.

mukooh

lately i've been having a hard time getting myself motivated to go out to the theaters........why?....maybe it's "burn out" caused by the disappointment in the movies that i'm choosing to see......but what keeps me going to theaters is the thing that has happened in the past...that i might discover a little "treasure"......

yesterday a little "nugget"......just enough to keep me searching for more....and it's made in america......

'solitary man'.....a reprehensible former car dealership owner is given one last chance to open another dealership......i liked this film...it's got some great acting by michael douglas and the ending of the movie wasn't all wrapped up in a ribbon and a bow, in one neat pretty package with no loose ends.....it could have gone one way or the other.....sort of like life....




very cool word....

brief thoughts on things mentioned in last couple of posts.....coming from nowhere, going and ending nowhere.......random and scattered....

it's heartening to read other posters who are willing to take their time to express their thoughts about the films they love and why they love them......hopefully will be joined by others that feel the same way and will take the time to post their feelings.....

jim jarmusch... no not for everyone.....i really didn't care for his last film 'the limits of control'.....2 others not previously mentioned that i did like are 'broken flowers' with bill murray....and 'ghost dog: the way of the samurai' with forest whitaker as a hit man who reads "the art of war" and receives his next assignments by carrier pidgeon...

'wristcutters: a love story'.....what an original concept.....loved that film....(with a small cameo by tom waits as well....a musician/songwritter/actor....i recently read a biography on him...he's a fascinating guy even if i can't say that i like his music very much....but he's a talented writer...and he's the best thing about, imo, 'the imaginarium of doctor parnassus'....he played "mr. nick")

cinematographers.....one of my favorites is christopher doyle....another fascinating guy to read about...wow....long time collaborator of chinese director wong kar wai....'in the mood for love'...'fallen angels'....'chungking express'...'2046'....and he's also worked with m. night shyamalan, jim jarmusch gus van sant and on neil jordan's newest film 'ondine'......

i also like the work of roger deakins.....'no country for old men'...'a serious man'...'the valley of elah'.....'the reader'.......'the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford'........

these are just some of the films that i watched by these 2 cinematographers....

to be continued.........

Heartattack&Vine

I've heard good things about Solitary Man. Not living in a major market, though, I'll probably have to wait for DVD.

Tom Waits is probably my favorite musician of all time; I can't think of more than a couple other musicians who could usurp him from my top spot. He actually has a starring role in Jarmusch's Down By Law playing a radio DJ who becomes one of the three prison escapees. I haven't seen Broken Flowers or Ghost Dog yet, but they're on the docket. Criterion also recently reissued Mystery Train, so I look forward to seeing that one.

I have to admit I'm not well-versed in cinematographers, but based on No Country for Old Men, A Serious Man, and The Reader, I'm apparently a fan of Roger Deakins as well. Haven't seen the other two you mentioned... yet.

taovande

I also am apparently a fan of Deakins as well and just wasn't aware...gotta love this thread!

the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford is one of my all time favorite movies...it's one of the most beautifully shot films I've ever laid eyes on. I'd much rather sit through a film that looks like that than an Avatar type up film.

I don't live in a huge market (the closest art house theatre is a 45 minute drive) so it's hard to catch a small film for me. I should invest in netflix, seriously!

Another movie I was thinking about the other day was The Believer. It's the movie that introduced me to Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson was another good one--slow going but still good).

mukooh

in a way this thread reminds me of a old old thread on this board called "the movie board club" or something like that.....it was a free flowing type of thread...the posts started on one idea or thought and ended up somewhere else....unfortunately that thread was a long time ago...and sadly everyone else that use to post to it is now gone....

i'm in total agreement on that....a freind brought over a bluray copy of 'avatar' to the house for us to watch.....and instead we did something else......we did make a copy of it though....and while i've seen bits and pieces of it....i still haven't watched all of it....nor do i chose to....it's really not that good a film to begin with imo....

the good news is most of the "smaller" films are now available from netflix or even from alot of video stores if you ask and look.....one of my favorite places to rent from is my local library....new releases for $1 dollar a day.....older films are 7 day free rentals....such a deal....libraries are such a commnuity resource....

i've seen both of them as well in theaters....i thought the ending of 'the believer' was a little bit too metaphysical for me....and if i remember right....he "sold out" on what he believed in......however reprehensible that might been....his sudden conversion just didn't make sense....of course it's been many years since i've watched the film and those are my thoughts now...

criterion puts out such a great product....wong kar wai's 'in the mood for love'...akira kurosawa's 'the hidden fortress' and one of my all time favorites 'la belle et la bête' (beauty and the beast) by jean cocteau....it's stars his lover, jean marais as the "beast"....it's from 1946....it's filmed in black and white.....and it's not like the disney film of later years.....it was recommended to me by one of the original members of the movie board club.....and so i'm recommending here....because imo it's too good a film not to watch.....