<p>Take advantage of the Netflix preferences system - it does a really great job of guessing what you would like based on ratings that you gave previous movies and genres that you enjoy. Take some time to fill those out…I’ve found so many films that I otherwise never would have seen simply through the recommendations that Netflix doles out!</p>
<p>Lives of Others
Motorcycle Diaries</p>
<p>AZK mom–based on your movie list, we may be twins separated at birth. I love “The Illusionist.”</p>
<p>I also recommend:</p>
<p>“The Piano”
“The Winslow Boy” (recent Mamet version)
and we rewatch “Fargo” probably twice a year, for the sheer brilliance of all, especially the great Steve Buscemi.</p>
<p>OP, maybe I’ll forward my Netflix history to you via PM.</p>
<p>idad - I added Farewell My Concubine; couldn’t bear the Kill Bill movies (sorry), and have see the others.</p>
<p>hyperJulie - Loved Dan in Real Life, Pan’s Labyrinth & Persepolis - added Mail Order Bride, sounds right up my alley. ;)</p>
<p>toneranger: Added: Motorcycle Diaries…saw Lives of Others</p>
<p>I liked “Curious Case of Ben. Button”, but it might be wierd for some. Out of old staff I like all Meg Ryan , Andie MacDowell and Molly Ringwal (I probably misspell every name) movies. I can watch them repeatedly over and over. My favorites are Grease, Flash Dance, Dirty Dancing and some with young Travolta. And I love “Jesus Christ Superstar” filmed in Israel with original Broadway crew probably some 30+ years ago.</p>
<p>I’ll just reiterate my warning, it is definitely not for everyone; when I say dark humor, I mean pitch black. People seem to either despise the movie or think it is amazing. I hope you enjoy though!</p>
<p>Shoot, I also realized I got the title wrong! It’s Mail Order Wife, not Bride. My bad!</p>
<p>MiamiDAP - Loved Benjamin Button, saw Dirty Dancing in its entirety for the first time last fall, loved every moment of it, saw JC Superstar not less than 10 times in the theater when it came out, my friends and I danced and sang every piece of it for a year! Not a fan of Meg Ryan, liked Andie MacDowell in Michael (with John Travolta) & Four Weddings and a Funeral otherwise, eh…Molly Ringwald in Sixteen Candles & Pretty in Pink was wonderful but nothing lately is up my alley. I re-ordered Flashdance, I remember liking it when it came out. </p>
<p>hyperJulie - ok, I changed to the Mail Order Wife & watched the trailer. I liked what I saw.</p>
<p>Dan in Real Life is one of my favorites as well as other movies written and/or directed by Peter Hedges. I recommend What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (with a young Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio), About a Boy (Hugh Grant) and Pieces of April (Katie Holmes and Derek Luke). The characters in these films are incredible and stay in your head for a long time.</p>
<p>A couple of really great thrillers set in London: “Eastern Promises” and “Match Point”</p>
<p>I have to agree with others that “Frozen River” and “Man on Wire” were 2 of the best I’ve seen in the past few years.</p>
<p>Another vote for “Millions.” One of the few movies I own on DVD that I also watch over and over.</p>
<p>GhostTown
A second vote for Young at Heart…inspirational but have tissues ready
The Yes Men (an absolute riot…not for conservative types though)</p>
<p>You probably have already seen it - Forrest Gump - best movie ever.</p>
<p>Here are a few relatively recent films that I think would be considered indies:</p>
<p>Brick (2005) - starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, directed by Rian Johnson (who also did the recent “Brothers Bloom”) - very cool, offbeat high school murder mystery, with a neat modern take on the hero detective</p>
<p>21 Grams (2003) - really sad film made bearable by superlative performances from Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, and Benicio del Toro, and an original story structure; directed by the same guy who did Babel</p>
<p>Memento (2000) - I love this movie! One of Christopher Nolan’s (The Dark Knight) first films - he directed and wrote the screenplay, adapted from his brother’s short story. About a guy with no short-term memory looking for his wife’s killer, it’s told backwards in short vignettes. Very original, great cast (Guy Pearce, Joe Pantoliano).</p>
<p>I also really liked The Constant Gardener (2005, Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz) and Blood Diamond (2006, Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Honsou) - both more than thrillers with interesting portrayals of modern Africa.</p>
<p>You’d never believe it from this list, but what I really like are screwball comedies…</p>
<p>HeartArt - Adore What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (have you seen Benny & Joon, also a young Johnny Depp), thought About a Boy was good, and just added Pieces of April, I’d forgotten I wanted to see that.</p>
<p>giddey_up- Saw Yes Man Xmas day, surprisingly good. Saw both Eastern Promises and Match Point - I liked Match Point.</p>
<p>TrixieAnn - I own Forrest Gump, so good. Love Tom Hanks anyway.</p>
<p>frazzled1 - Saw Brick; 21 Grams got me on a Benicio del Toro film watching kick; loved Memento, liked The Constant Gardener and just added Blood Diamond.</p>
<p>"just"aMom,
Andie MacDowell in “Green Card”? I loved it.
I agree, Molly does not cut it for me any more. I liked her when she was young. How about “Breakfast Club”?</p>
<p>I didn’t see either of these two fine movies mentioned yet:</p>
<p>Gran Torino - Great plot, I really connected with it.
Doubt- One of the best-written movies I have ever seen. The acting is also incredible, and so is the cinematography. And the actual plot of the movie itself is riveting (very touchy subject though). Basically this movie is incredibly good.</p>
<p>“Moonstruck”, but I love Nick Cage and most of his movies. I even liked Cher there, she is not my favorite at all.</p>
<p>I am Southeast Asian (originally from India, emigrated about 30 years ago to this country). I definitely think there were better movies that deserved Best Picture than Slumdog Millionaire this year. This is not a bashing of Slumdog Millionaire which is a very appealing story, very well presented on film. I thought ‘Doubt’ was just great this year. ‘Gran Torino’ was fantastic too. I thought ‘Milk’ or ‘Frost/Nixon’ should have won the Best Picture. It is great to celebrate Bollywood and the emergence of Bollywood - but did it deserve Best Picture? I thought not.</p>
<p>And I’m not with Indian celebrities and other people who think Slumdog Millionaire was just poverty porn. Many people in Mumbai and other cities do live the way it was depicted in the film.</p>
<p>Runaway Jury -a bit formulaic but fun
Really loved Doubt…and also The Visitor.</p>
<p>If you like offbeat films, try a couple of Werner Herzog movies like Grizzly Bear (bizarre) or Encounters at the End of the World (enjoyed that one almost as much as Man on Wire).</p>