my favourite most influential films
by polydinaflynt | created - 01 Jul 2012 | updated - 30 Nov 2022 | Publicby a 40 year old male indie/comics/horror fan and writer.
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1. Henry Fool (1997)
R | 137 min | Comedy, Drama
An introverted garbageman writes his thoughts in a notebook after Henry Fool, writer and ex-con, rents the basement and gives him a notebook and the idea. He writes poetry and Henry helps him along.
Director: Hal Hartley | Stars: Thomas Jay Ryan, James Urbaniak, Parker Posey, Maria Porter
Votes: 7,868 | Gross: $1.34M
2. Labyrinth (1986)
PG | 101 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Sixteen-year-old Sarah must solve a labyrinth to rescue her baby brother when he is taken by the Goblin King.
Director: Jim Henson | Stars: David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Toby Froud, Shelley Thompson
Votes: 149,431 | Gross: $12.73M
3. A History of Violence (2005)
R | 96 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A mild-mannered man becomes a local hero through an act of violence, which sets off repercussions that will shake his family to its very core.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, William Hurt
Votes: 252,638 | Gross: $31.49M
4. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
PG | 124 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
After the Rebel Alliance are overpowered by the Empire, Luke Skywalker begins his Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett.
Director: Irvin Kershner | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams
Votes: 1,378,219 | Gross: $290.48M
5. Night of the Demons 2 (1994)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
High school students throw a Halloween party in a mansion haunted by a young demon.
Director: Brian Trenchard-Smith | Stars: Cristi Harris, Darin Heames, Bobby Jacoby, Merle Kennedy
Votes: 6,480
6. The Langoliers (1995)
PG-13 | 90 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Most of the passengers on an airplane disappear, and the remainder land the plane in a mysteriously barren airport.
Stars: Patricia Wettig, Dean Stockwell, Tom Holland, Kate Maberly
Votes: 31,866
7. eXistenZ (1999)
R | 97 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A game designer on the run from assassins must play her latest virtual reality creation with a marketing trainee to determine if the game has been damaged.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ian Holm, Willem Dafoe
Votes: 107,102 | Gross: $2.84M
8. Spider (2002)
R | 98 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A mentally disturbed man takes residence in a halfway house. His mind gradually slips back into the realm created by his illness, where he replays a key part of his childhood.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Miranda Richardson, Gabriel Byrne, Lynn Redgrave
Votes: 41,100 | Gross: $1.64M
9. The Idiots (1998)
R | 117 min | Comedy, Drama
The group of people gather at the house in Copenhagen suburb to break all the limitations and to bring out the "inner idiot" in themselves.
Director: Lars von Trier | Stars: Bodil Jørgensen, Jens Albinus, Anne Louise Hassing, Troels Lyby
Votes: 33,936 | Gross: $0.01M
10. Kids (1995)
Unrated | 91 min | Drama
A day in the life of a group of teens as they travel around New York City skating, drinking, smoking and deflowering virgins.
Director: Larry Clark | Stars: Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Chloë Sevigny, Sarah Henderson
Votes: 84,563 | Gross: $7.42M
11. Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
PG-13 | 88 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Aliens who look like clowns come from outer space and terrorize a small town.
Director: Stephen Chiodo | Stars: Grant Cramer, Suzanne Snyder, John Allen Nelson, John Vernon
Votes: 45,399 | Gross: $15.63M
12. Oldboy (2003)
R | 120 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
After being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must track down his captor in five days.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jeong, Kim Byeong-Ok
Votes: 634,797 | Gross: $0.71M
13. Unforgiven (1992)
R | 130 min | Drama, Western
Retired Old West gunslinger William Munny reluctantly takes on one last job, with the help of his old partner Ned Logan and a young man, The "Schofield Kid."
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris
Votes: 435,744 | Gross: $101.16M
14. Tremors (1990)
PG-13 | 96 min | Comedy, Horror
Natives of a small isolated town defend themselves against strange underground creatures which are killing them one by one.
Director: Ron Underwood | Stars: Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross
Votes: 150,300 | Gross: $16.67M
15. The Goonies (1985)
PG | 114 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A group of young misfits called The Goonies discover an ancient map and set out on an adventure to find a legendary pirate's long-lost treasure.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman
Votes: 298,053 | Gross: $61.50M
16. Monster in a Box (1992)
PG-13 | 87 min | Comedy, Drama
This is the story of Spalding Gray and his attempt to write a novel. It is a first person account about writing and living, and dealing with success while trying to be successful.
Director: Nick Broomfield | Star: Spalding Gray
Votes: 874 | Gross: $0.31M
17. Rush (1991)
R | 120 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Two small-town Texas cops go undercover to catch a major drug dealer and are sucked into the drug culture, compromising their assignment.
Director: Lili Fini Zanuck | Stars: Jason Patric, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sam Elliott, Max Perlich
Votes: 9,877 | Gross: $7.24M
18. Tombstone (1993)
R | 130 min | Biography, Drama, History
A successful lawman's plans to retire anonymously in Tombstone, Arizona are disrupted by the kind of outlaws he was famous for eliminating.
Directors: George P. Cosmatos, Kevin Jarre | Stars: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton
Votes: 165,998 | Gross: $56.51M
19. Chasing Amy (1997)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Holden and Banky are comic book artists. Everything's going good for them until they meet Alyssa, also a comic book artist. Holden falls for her, but his hopes are crushed when he finds out she's a lesbian.
Director: Kevin Smith | Stars: Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Ethan Suplee, Scott Mosier
Votes: 143,725 | Gross: $12.02M
20. The Boondock Saints (1999)
R | 108 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Two Irish Catholic brothers become vigilantes and wipe out Boston's criminal underworld in the name of God.
Director: Troy Duffy | Stars: Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, David Della Rocco
Votes: 250,465 | Gross: $0.03M
21. Batman Returns (1992)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Crime, Fantasy
While Batman deals with a deformed man calling himself the Penguin wreaking havoc across Gotham with the help of a cruel businessman, a female employee of the latter becomes the Catwoman with her own vendetta.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken
Votes: 327,167 | Gross: $162.83M
22. True Romance (1993)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
In Detroit, a pop-culture nerd steals cocaine from his new wife's pimp and tries to sell it in Hollywood, prompting the mobsters who own the drugs to pursue the couple.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer
Votes: 242,274 | Gross: $12.28M
23. The City of Lost Children (1995)
R | 112 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
A scientist in a surrealist society kidnaps children to steal their dreams, hoping that they slow his aging process.
Directors: Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet | Stars: Ron Perlman, Daniel Emilfork, Judith Vittet, Dominique Pinon
Votes: 71,622 | Gross: $1.51M
24. The NeverEnding Story (1984)
PG | 102 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
A troubled boy dives into a wondrous fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book.
Director: Wolfgang Petersen | Stars: Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Tami Stronach, Gerald McRaney
Votes: 156,753 | Gross: $20.16M
25. Sunshine (1999)
R | 181 min | Drama, History, Romance
The fate of a Hungarian Jewish family throughout the 20th century.
Director: István Szabó | Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Rosemary Harris, Rachel Weisz, Jennifer Ehle
Votes: 15,786 | Gross: $5.10M
26. Hard Candy (2005)
R | 104 min | Drama, Thriller
Hayley's a smart, charming teenage girl. Jeff's a handsome, smooth fashion photographer. An Internet chat, a coffee shop meet-up, an impromptu fashion shoot back at Jeff's place. Jeff thinks it's his lucky night. He's in for a surprise.
Director: David Slade | Stars: Patrick Wilson, Elliot Page, Sandra Oh, Odessa Rae
Votes: 167,999 | Gross: $1.01M
27. Audition (1999)
R | 115 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki, Jun Kunimura
Votes: 89,112
28. Search and Destroy (1995)
R | 90 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
A satire about desperate hustling, pop philosophy and big money.
Director: David Salle | Stars: Griffin Dunne, Dennis Hopper, Jason Ferraro, Robert Knepper
Votes: 1,386 | Gross: $0.39M
29. Oleanna (1994)
Not Rated | 89 min | Drama, Thriller
When a student visits her professor to discuss how she failed his course, the discussion takes an awkward turn.
Director: David Mamet | Stars: William H. Macy, Debra Eisenstadt, Diego Pineda, Scott Zigler
Votes: 3,609 | Gross: $0.12M
30. The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
R | 118 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
Three single women in a picturesque village have their wishes granted, at a cost, when a mysterious and flamboyant man arrives in their lives.
Director: George Miller | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer
Votes: 77,112 | Gross: $63.77M
31. Star Wars Uncut (2012 Video)
124 min | Action, Sci-Fi
In 2009, Casey Pugh asked thousands of Internet users to remake "Star Wars: A New Hope" into a fan film, 15 seconds at a time. Contributors were allowed to recreate scenes from Star Wars ... See full summary »
Director: Casey Pugh | Star: Constance Watkins
Votes: 190
32. Shallow Grave (1994)
R | 89 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Three friends discover their new flatmate dead but loaded with cash.
Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: Kerry Fox, Christopher Eccleston, Ewan McGregor, Ken Stott
Votes: 66,182 | Gross: $2.88M
33. Demonlover (2002)
R | 129 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A French corporation goes head-to-head with an American web media company for the rights to a 3-D manga pornography studio, resulting in a power struggle that culminates in violence and espionage.
Director: Olivier Assayas | Stars: Connie Nielsen, Gina Gershon, Chloë Sevigny, Charles Berling
Votes: 6,394 | Gross: $0.23M
34. Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)
PG | 143 min | Drama, Music
A frustrated composer finds fulfillment as a high school music teacher.
Director: Stephen Herek | Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas, Olympia Dukakis
Votes: 41,670 | Gross: $82.57M
35. Gun Shy (2000)
R | 101 min | Comedy, Crime, Romance
An undercover agent relies on the support of an unstable therapy group while working a sting operation.
Director: Eric Blakeney | Stars: Liam Neeson, Sandra Bullock, Oliver Platt, José Zúñiga
Votes: 7,847 | Gross: $1.63M
36. Galaxy Quest (1999)
PG | 102 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
The alumni cast of a space opera television series have to play their roles as the real thing when an alien race needs their help. However, they also have to defend both Earth and the alien race from a reptilian warlord.
Director: Dean Parisot | Stars: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub
Votes: 177,943 | Gross: $71.58M
37. Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
R | 111 min | Drama, Romance
Ben Sanderson, a Hollywood screenwriter who lost everything because of his alcoholism, arrives in Las Vegas to drink himself to death. There, he meets and forms an uneasy friendship and non-interference pact with prostitute Sera.
Director: Mike Figgis | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue, Julian Sands, Richard Lewis
Votes: 134,491 | Gross: $32.03M
38. Upstream Color (2013)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives.
Director: Shane Carruth | Stars: Amy Seimetz, Frank Mosley, Shane Carruth, Andrew Sensenig
Votes: 34,945 | Gross: $0.44M
39. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
PG | 76 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy
Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion.
Director: Henry Selick | Stars: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey
Votes: 374,832 | Gross: $75.08M
40. Umbilical World (2018)
79 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
13 years worth of animated madness, stitched together to form a single stream of nightmare consciousness. With a wealth of unseen material as well as familiar classics and remastered, rejigged, reanimated nuggets.
Director: David Firth | Stars: David Firth, Paul MacKenzie, Christian Webb
Votes: 121
41. Tromeo and Juliet (1996)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Romance
Tromeo, a filmmaker, falls in love with Juliet, the daughter of a former partner who tried to steal his business from him.
Director: Lloyd Kaufman | Stars: Jane Jensen, Will Keenan, Valentine Miele, William Beckwith
Votes: 6,857
42. Naked Lunch (1991)
R | 115 min | Drama, Mystery
After developing an addiction to the substance he uses to kill bugs, an exterminator accidentally kills his wife and becomes involved in a secret government plot being orchestrated by giant bugs in a port town in North Africa.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Peter Weller, Judy Davis, Ian Holm, Julian Sands
Votes: 56,601 | Gross: $2.54M
43. Crash (1996)
NC-17 | 100 min | Drama
After getting into a serious car accident, a TV director discovers an underground sub-culture of scarred, omnisexual car-crash victims who use car accidents and the raw sexual energy they produce to try to rejuvenate his sex life with his wife.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: James Spader, Holly Hunter, Elias Koteas, Deborah Kara Unger
Votes: 66,282 | Gross: $2.04M
44. Duel (1971 TV Movie)
PG | 90 min | Action, Thriller
A business commuter is pursued and terrorized by the malevolent driver of a massive tractor-trailer.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Dennis Weaver, Jacqueline Scott, Eddie Firestone, Lou Frizzell
Votes: 78,295
45. The Trip (II) (1967)
Approved | 82 min | Drama
A disillusioned TV-commercial director is guided by his friend through an LSD trip, during which he evaluates his identity and his relationships with women.
Director: Roger Corman | Stars: Peter Fonda, Susan Strasberg, Bruce Dern, Dennis Hopper
Votes: 5,386
46. First Blood (1982)
R | 93 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A veteran Green Beret is forced by a cruel Sheriff and his deputies to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.
Director: Ted Kotcheff | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Brian Dennehy, Richard Crenna, Bill McKinney
Votes: 275,199 | Gross: $47.21M
47. Rope (1948)
Approved | 80 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two men attempt to prove they committed the perfect crime by hosting a dinner party after strangling their former classmate to death.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: James Stewart, John Dall, Farley Granger, Dick Hogan
Votes: 153,490
48. Crumb (1994)
R | 119 min | Documentary, Biography, Comedy
An intimate portrait of controversial cartoonist Robert Crumb and his traumatized family.
Director: Terry Zwigoff | Stars: Robert Crumb, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Charles Crumb, Maxon Crumb
Votes: 21,578 | Gross: $3.17M
49. The Omen (1976)
R | 111 min | Horror, Mystery
Mysterious deaths surround an American ambassador. Could the child that he is raising actually be the Antichrist? The Devil's own son?
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, Harvey Stephens, David Warner
Votes: 132,024 | Gross: $4.27M
50. Shut Up Little Man (2011)
Unrated | 90 min | Documentary, Comedy, Drama
When two friends tape-recorded the fights of their violently noisy neighbors, they accidentally created one of the world's first 'viral' pop-culture sensations.
Director: Matthew Bate | Stars: Eddie Lee Sausage, Mitch Deprey, Daniel Clowes, Ivan Brunetti
Votes: 1,329 | Gross: $0.02M
51. From Bedrooms to Billions (2014)
150 min | Documentary
'From Bedrooms to Billions' is a 2 and a half hour feature length documentary movie telling the remarkable, true story of the British Video Games Industry from 1979 to the present day. ... See full summary »
Directors: Anthony Caulfield, Nicola Caulfield | Stars: Shahid Ahmad, Nigel Alderton, Nick Alexander, Chris Anderson
Votes: 552
52. Cartoon College (2012)
Not Rated | 75 min | Documentary
Every fall The Center for Cartoon Studies invites 20 aspiring cartoonists to White River Junction, Vermont for a no-holds-barred education in comics. Those who complete the two-year program... See full summary »
Directors: Josh Melrod, Tara Wray | Stars: Lynda Barry, Steve Bissette, Casey Bohn, Charles Burns
Votes: 31
53. Game Loading: Rise of the Indies (2015)
92 min | Documentary, Biography, History
GameLoading Rise of the Indies is a feature documentary exploring the world of indie game developers, their craft, their games, their dreams, and how they have forever changed the landscape of games culture.
Directors: Anna Brady, Lester Francois | Stars: Shawn Allen, Robin Arnott, Mark Backler, Kathryn Barrett
Votes: 316
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