Under-seen movies from the new millenium
Under-seen (or underrated) movies from the new millennium, presented in chronological order.
+ Recommendations and comments are welcome.
- All movies from 2000 onwards
- All movies in the English language
- All movies with less than 40,000 imdb user votes
- No Oscar nominees listed
+ Recommendations and comments are welcome.
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46 titles
- DirectorLarry ClarkStarsBrad RenfroNick StahlBijou PhillipsA pack of naïve teenagers conspire to murder a mutual friend, whose aggressive demeanour has proven too much.Larry Clark's films are extremely polarising but you cannot consider yourself a film fan without checking out at least one of his movies.
- DirectorRay LawrenceStarsAnthony LaPagliaGeoffrey RushRachael BlakeThe relationships of four couples unravel after the discovery of a young woman's body in Lantana bush in suburban Sydney.One of the top 10 or so Australian movies of all time.
- DirectorDanny DeVitoStarsRobin WilliamsEdward NortonCatherine KeenerA kids' show host, Rainbow Randolph, is fired in disgrace while his replacement, Sheldon Mopes, A.K.A. Smoochy the Rhino, finds himself a rising star. Unfortunately for Sheldon, the business of kids' television isn't all child's play.A wide release and much derided box office bomb. You'll often hear Jon Stewart poke fun at the film and his own performance but Death to Smoochy is actually a decent black comedy. Shhhh!
- DirectorD.J. CarusoStarsVal KilmerVincent D'OnofrioAdam GoldbergAfter a tragic incident, a man drifts into a world populated by thugs and speed junkies.A good movie that sometimes reaches the rare levels of genuine greatness. Someone get Vincent D'Onofrio better roles.
- DirectorSteven ShainbergStarsJames SpaderMaggie GyllenhaalJeremy DaviesA young woman, recently released from a mental hospital, gets a job as a secretary to a demanding lawyer, where their employer-employee relationship turns into a sexual, sadomasochistic one.Maggie Gyllenhaal's breakout film should have made James Spader an A-lister. Instead, he remains one of cinema's best kept secrets. Watch this movie and see why.
- DirectorTod WilliamsStarsJeff BridgesKim BasingerJon FosterA writer's young assistant becomes both pawn and catalyst in his boss's disintegrating household.One of the many roles Jeff Bridges should have won an award for. He elevates the already good material into something better.
- DirectorBernardo BertolucciStarsMichael PittLouis GarrelEva GreenA young American studying in Paris in 1968 strikes up a friendship with a French brother and sister. Set against the background of the '68 Paris student riots.Bernardo Bertolucci, ever the provocateur. No-one gets "the butter" in The Dreamers but they get a lot more. Recommended for all ages.
- DirectorJacob EstesStarsRory CulkinRyan KelleyScott MechlowiczWhen a teen is bullied, his brother and friends lure the bully into the woods to seek revenge.It's like "Deliverance" without 'the locals'. And without rape. Alright, so it's not like Deliverance. Except it kind of is.
- DirectorGregg ArakiStarsBrady CorbetJoseph Gordon-LevittElisabeth ShueTwo pre-adolescent boys both experienced a strange event and later it affects their lives in different ways. One becomes a reckless, sexually adventurous prostitute, while the other retreats into a reclusive fantasy of alien abduction.Joseph Gordon-Levitt is blowing up big time. See why people hold him in such high regard. His performance here is fearless.
- DirectorPawel PawlikowskiStarsNatalie PressEmily BluntPaddy ConsidineIn the Yorkshire countryside, working-class tomboy Mona meets the exotic, pampered Tamsin. Over the summer season, the two young women discover they have much to teach one another, and much to explore together.World, meet Emily Blunt. A lesbian Emily Blunt? Yes. And a good movie too.
- DirectorRebecca MillerStarsDaniel Day-LewisCatherine KeenerCamilla BelleA father and daughter isolated on an island off the East Coast and living on a once-thriving commune grapple with the limits of family and sexuality.Daniel-Day Lewis is an acting god. Here he undergoes a Christian Bale-like physical transformation for this small film directed by his wife.
- DirectorMark LevinStarsJosh HutchersonCharlotte Ray RosenbergBradley WhitfordA 10-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl find love in New York City.What an absolutely sweet picture. Probably the best film about young love (or first love) that I've ever seen. You'll be smiling days after seeing this.
- DirectorMiranda JulyStarsJohn HawkesMiranda JulyMiles ThompsonA lonely shoe salesman and an eccentric performance artist struggle to connect in this unique take on contemporary life.Some like Miranda July and some want to stab her in the eye with a fork. I'm in both camps. But, the movie has John Hawkes! Everyone should poop back and forth with him, forever ))<>((
- DirectorJohn HillcoatStarsRay WinstoneGuy PearceEmily WatsonA lawman apprehends a notorious outlaw and gives him nine days to kill his older brother, or else they'll execute his younger brother.If you have not seen The Proposition you should stop reading this and do so now.
- DirectorAnand TuckerStarsSteve MartinClaire DanesJason SchwartzmanA film adaptation of Steve Martin's novel about a complex love triangle between a bored salesgirl, a wealthy businessman and an aimless young man.Shopgirl is a lovely little drama when Steve Martin (who wrote the script and novella it was based on) and Clare Danes are together. Jason Schwartzman almost ruins it though.
- DirectorTommy Lee JonesStarsTommy Lee JonesBarry PepperDwight YoakamRanch foreman Pete Perkins looks to fulfill the promise to his recently deceased best friend by burying him in his hometown in Mexico.Hey! Tommy Lee Jones can direct. He can really direct. So, why doesn't he direct more?
- DirectorCraig BrewerStarsChristina RicciSamuel L. JacksonJustin TimberlakeA God-fearing bluesman takes to a wild young woman who, as a victim of childhood sexual abuse, looks everywhere for love, never quite finding it.Samuel L. Jackson chains Christina Ricci to a radiator. WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?!?
- DirectorSean EllisStarsSean BiggerstaffEmilia FoxMichelle RyanAfter a painful breakup, Ben develops insomnia. To kill time, he starts working the late night shift at the local supermarket, where his artistic imagination runs wild.Cashback is a good feature that deserves an audience but I cannot help but wonder if it should have remained as a short.
- DirectorJody HillStarsDanny McBrideBen BestMary Jane BosticAn inept tae kwon do instructor struggles with marital troubles and an unhealthy obsession with fellow tae kwon do enthusiast Chuck "The Truck" Wallace."Meditation is terrific and all, but I've never heard of it saving anyone from a gang rape type situation. Meditate on that. Rape."
- DirectorTony GoldwynStarsZach BraffJacinda BarrettRachel BilsonMichael, at 30, has a great job, still have his four best friends, and has a beautiful girlfriend, but his life seems predictable. Until he meets a college girl. It seems that everybody's having relationship problems.Another failed studio picture that is better than it has any business being. That's down to the excellent cast, even if it is a little too 'Braffy'.
- DirectorLaurie CollyerStarsMaggie GyllenhaalRyan SimpkinsSam BottomsSherry tries to integrate again into society and become a good mother.SherryBaby is like 'Rachel Getting Married', just more depressing and not quite as good. But, almost.
- DirectorJames GunnStarsNathan FillionElizabeth BanksMichael RookerA small town is taken over by an alien plague, turning residents into zombies and all forms of mutant monsters.Horror-comedies are so difficult to do well. Slither does it well. Keep your eyes on James Gunn y'all.
- DirectorJohn CrowleyStarsAndrew GarfieldPeter MullanShaun EvansThe story of a young Jack, newly released from serving a prison sentence for a violent crime he committed as a child.While watching The Social Network you probably wondered who this amazing Andrew Garfield guy was and where they found him. This is where they found him and he's even better as the lead in Boy A. For reals.
- DirectorRamin BahraniStarsAlejandro PolancoIsamar GonzalesRob SowulskiAlejandro, a resourceful street orphan on the verge of adolescence, lives and works in an auto-body repair shop in a sprawling junkyard on the outskirts of Queens, New York. In this chaotic world of adults, Alejandro struggles to make a better life for himself and his sixteen-year-old sister.Roger Ebert thought it one of the best of the decade. Roger Ebert is a little crazy. It is a very good movie though.
- DirectorJustin TherouxStarsBilly CrudupMandy MooreTom WilkinsonThe romantic comedy follows a misogynistic children's book author who is forced to work closely with a female illustrator instead of his long-time collaborator and only friend.A movie that I have wildly overrated due to seeing it at the perfect time. Still, it's pretty damn good in for the most part.
- DirectorScott PrendergastStarsScott PrendergastLisa KudrowTeri GarrA loser moves in with his brother's (in Iraq) wife to look after her two evil sons. She gets him a job wearing a Kabluey costume.Indie dramedies go wrong real fast. This one doesn't. Quite the opposite. It goes right.
- DirectorRichard SchenkmanStarsDavid Lee SmithTony ToddJohn BillingsleyAn impromptu goodbye party for Professor John Oldman becomes a mysterious interrogation after the retiring scholar reveals to his colleagues he has a longer and stranger past than they can imagine.One of the most interesting science fiction scripts in the history of cinema. A must-see if you love the genre. Disappointingly directed though.
- DirectorClark GreggStarsSam RockwellAnjelica HustonKelly MacdonaldA sex-addicted con-man pays for his mother's hospital bills by playing on the sympathies of those who rescue him from choking to death.You'd think that Fight Club set the bar so high for Chuck Palahniuk adaptations that Choke wouldn't come close. Unbelievably, it's one of the best black-comedies of the decade.
- DirectorNina PaleyStarsAnnette HanshawAseem ChhabraBhavana NagulapallyAn animated version of the epic Indian tale of Ramayana set to the 1920s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw.There aren't too many movies animated as beautifully as this one. Better yet, you can see it for FREE! It's all legal. Check the movie's official website for a number of download/streaming links. No DRM, no catches. Just a free movie. A really, really good free movie.
- DirectorDavid MametStarsChiwetel EjioforTim AllenEmily MortimerA fateful event leads to a job in the film business for top mixed-martial arts instructor Mike Terry. Though he refuses to participate in prize bouts, circumstances conspire to force him to consider entering such a competition.I wish that David Mamet would cast Chiwetel Ejiofor in all his movies. Chewie is the perfect instrument for delivering Mamet's dialogue.
- DirectorNash EdgertonStarsDavid RobertsClaire van der BoomJoel EdgertonA man's life begins to unravel when his mistress brings him a bag of cash.Think a cross of a Coen Brothers movie and A Simple Plan, though not quite as good as either. Really close though.
- DirectorBrad AndersonStarsWoody HarrelsonEmily MortimerBen KingsleyA Transsiberian train journey from China to Moscow becomes a thrilling chase of deception and murder when an American couple encounters a mysterious pair of fellow travelers.Dear imdb member,
You've seen The Machinist. It's a decent movie anchored by a fantastic performance. Transsiberian contains no such performance. It's a better movie though. Why aren't you watching it? - DirectorJames GrayStarsJoaquin PhoenixGwyneth PaltrowVinessa ShawA Brooklyn-set romantic drama about a bachelor torn between the family friend his parents wish he would marry and his beautiful but volatile new neighbor.Joaquin Phoenix's wacky "real-life" acting garnered all the attention while he was doing press for this movie's release. That's a shame because Two Lovers is a great film and among the very best of 2008.
- DirectorTom SixStarsDieter LaserWinter WilliamsAshlynn YennieA mad scientist kidnaps and mutilates a trio of tourists in order to reassemble them into a human centipede, created by stitching their mouths to each others' rectums.Don't believe the hype! Or...believe the hype? The Human Centipede is rather vile but it rarely shows anything. Most of the disgusting scenes are left to your imagination. It also has a fine leading performance and is frequently funny. In decades they'll remember this movie the way we remember The Texas Chain Saw Massacre now.
- DirectorAlejandro AmenábarStarsRachel WeiszMax MinghellaOscar IsaacA historical drama set in Roman Egypt, concerning a slave who turns to the rising tide of Christianity in the hope of pursuing freedom while falling in love with his mistress, the philosophy and mathematics professor Hypatia of Alexandria.I was excited about Agora prior to its release but it fell a little short of expectations. Still, it's a good film and an important one. And, it's so under-seen. So, see it!
- DirectorLars von TrierStarsWillem DafoeCharlotte GainsbourgStorm Acheche SahlstrømA grieving couple retreat to their cabin in the woods, hoping to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage, but nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse.Antichrist is another film that fell victim to the argument of whether things go too far. You will be shocked, but you will also be enthralled if you love cinema. Easily one of the bravest, most ambitious and best films of 2009.
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsSasha GreyChris SantosPhilip EytanA drama set in the days leading up to the 2008 Presidential election, and centered on a high-end Manhattan call girl meeting the challenges of her boyfriend, her clients, and her work.One of Steven Soderbergh's most interesting experimental films, The Girlfriend Experience will remain a good example of the time period it was made in.
- DirectorTim Blake NelsonStarsEdward NortonKeri RussellHenry Max NelsonAn Ivy League professor is lured back to his Oklahoma hometown, where his twin brother, a small-time pot grower, has concocted a scheme to take down a local drug lord.The premise promises a jokey comedy but Leaves of Grass is equal parts tragedy. That's by design. Very heavy on philosophy and takes the whole duality thing very seriously. Much smarter than you give it credit for.
- DirectorSean ByrneStarsXavier SamuelRobin McLeavyJohn BrumptonWhen Brent turns down his classmate Lola's invitation to the prom, she concocts a wildly violent plan for revenge.Saying too much would only spoil things. Rest assured that The Loved Ones is one of the most fun horror movies I have seen in years. A Princess was never more deadly.
- DirectorAdam ElliotStarsToni CollettePhilip Seymour HoffmanEric BanaIn 1976 Melbourne, a lonely 8-year-old girl strikes up a correspondence with an unlikely pen pal: a severely obese 44-year-old New Yorker with Asperger's syndrome.An animated movie for adults. That doesn't mean it's naughty (it never is), but the themes are far too dark for most children to handle. Among the best animated films I have ever seen.
- DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsMads MikkelsenMaarten StevensonAlexander MortonForced for some time to be a fighting slave, a pagan warrior escapes his captors with a boy and joins a group of Crusaders on their quest to the Holy Land.Don't let the imdb rating fool you, Valhalla Rising is a fantastic piece of cinema. Mis-marketed as an action, Valhalla Rising is actually a meditative art film that most resembles Herzog's Aguirre. Doesn't hurt that Mads Mikkelsen is one of the best working actors.
- DirectorSpencer SusserStarsJoseph Gordon-LevittDevin BrochuNatalie PortmanA young boy has lost his mother and is losing touch with his father and the world around him. Then he meets Hesher who manages to make his life even more chaotic.Joseph Gordon-Levitt is being fearless, again. Hesher has so many opportunities to turn into a mawkish film, but it never does. Instead, it's one of the more refreshingly unpredictable films you'll come across.
- DirectorChristopher MorrisStarsWill AdamsdaleRiz AhmedAdeel AkhtarFour incompetent British terrorists set out to train for and commit an act of terror.The funniest movie you will ever see about suicide bombers!
- DirectorJames GunnStarsRainn WilsonElliot PageLiv TylerAfter his wife falls under the influence of a drug dealer, an everyday guy transforms himself into Crimson Bolt, a superhero with the best intentions, but lacking in heroic skills.Read the description and you'll think it's the same as "Kick-Ass". No. This is different. And better. Super is the rare film where you think "Oh no, it won't go there". And then it goes there.
- DirectorEli CraigStarsTyler LabineAlan TudykKatrina BowdenAffable hillbillies Tucker and Dale are on vacation at their dilapidated mountain cabin when they are mistaken for murderers by a group of preppy college students.Do NOT read the plot description. Do NOT watch the trailer. Trust me.
Do you like Shaun of the Dead? Yes? Watch this film. Just trust me. - DirectorKelly ReichardtStarsMichelle WilliamsBruce GreenwoodPaul DanoSettlers traveling through the Oregon desert in 1845 find themselves stranded in harsh conditions.Kelly Reichardt's film may not be consistently brilliant but does offer a minor masterclass in the subtle way power-dynamics can shift.