Top Ten Indie Movies
Whether they were sleeper hits or just small budget gems, these are some often overlooked, sometimes popular, quirky and character driven favourites.
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- DirectorJonathan DaytonValerie FarisStarsSteve CarellToni ColletteGreg KinnearA family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.Whilst Little Miss Sunshine found major success at the box office and sported an A List cast, this movie was a breath of fresh air in it's quirk, borderline dark humour and unexpected climax.
- DirectorTom McCarthyStarsPeter DinklagePatricia ClarksonBobby CannavaleWhen his only friend dies, a man born with dwarfism moves to rural New Jersey to live a life of solitude, only to meet a chatty hot dog vendor and a woman dealing with her own personal loss.Starring a pre-Game of Thrones Dinklage, The Station Agent tells the story of three very different characters forming a very unlikely friendship in a small town. Likable cast, refreshing movie.
- DirectorPeter HedgesStarsKatie HolmesOliver PlattPatricia ClarksonA wayward daughter invites her dying mother and the rest of her estranged family to her apartment for Thanksgiving dinner.A movie as heartwarming and funny as it was low budget and overlooked, Pieces of April had lots of heart and somehow managed to avoid being too saccharine (possibly because of Katie Holmes playing a skanky goth).
- DirectorBrian CranoStarsJason RitterJake SandvigChandler CanterburyBen and Alan, two misfit best friends incapable of growing up, find direction for their lives by taking in an abandoned child and creating the family they've always needed.Two small time crooks and best friends unexpectedly have to decide whether or not they are ready to become fathers. This is an insanely fresh take on an insanely cliched premise. It confronts big issues whilst still remaining light hearted and quirkily attractive.
- DirectorMax WinklerStarsMichael AngaranoUma ThurmanReece ThompsonTwo friends are off on a weekend outing. Marshall thinks the trip is to re-establish their friendship, but Sam has ulterior motives in mind as he crashes the wedding of a woman he still loves.Perhaps the most underrated actor of his time, Michael Angarano shines alongside Uma Thurman as a lovesick and self-absorbed writer, intent on claiming a cougar wife (who is engaged to a douche satchel).
Ceremony tried its best to be a Wes Anderson movie, but succeeded in finding its own voice. - DirectorBaltasar KormákurStarsHilmir Snær GuðnasonVictoria AbrilHanna María KarlsdóttirWill the 30 y.o. Hlynur ever move out of his mother's apartment in Reykjavík? Social welfare keeps him passive but things change when his mother's Spanish friend, Lola, arrives and stays through Xmas and New Year's Eve.An Icelandic gem. Set against the boredom, disillusionment and hopelessness Iceland bring, 101 Reykjavik is the funniest, most charming movie. Centering the story on a young man falling in love with his mother's lesbian lover Lola, this movie is well worth sitting through subtitles to enjoy.
- DirectorEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsOscar IsaacCarey MulliganJohn GoodmanA week in the life of a young singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961.Apparently based on a real life musician, this movie is a sudden blast of very fresh air, despite the langour and frustration of it's lead character. Great music, soulful performances and a cat that steals the show, Inside Llewyn Davis is an absolute classic.
- DirectorRichard AyoadeStarsCraig RobertsSally HawkinsPaddy Considine15-year-old Oliver Tate has two objectives: to lose his virginity before his next birthday, and to extinguish the flame between his mother and an ex-lover who has resurfaced in her life.Richard Ayoade's first time behind the camera yielded a movie so subtle, quirky, likable and intelligent that it couldn't be anything other than an indie classic. A soundtrack from Arctic Monkey's Alex Turner didn't hurt either.
- DirectorNat FaxonJim RashStarsSteve CarellToni ColletteAllison JanneyShy 14-year-old Duncan goes on summer vacation with his mother, her overbearing boyfriend, and her boyfriend's daughter. Having a rough time fitting in, Duncan finds an unexpected friend in Owen, manager of the Water Wizz water park.Featuring Steve Carrel as a douchebag of epic proportions and a sad, basset eyed mopey kid lead, The Way Way Back would have been unbearable were it not for the tour de force Sam Rockwell's character brought. Equal parts light hearted, funny and real.
- DirectorMark WebberStarsMark WebberAlia ShawkatShannyn SossamonWhen the mother of his infant son unexpectedly passes away, struggling actor Mark grapples with fatherhood and his inability to grow up. And when he sparks with a single mother, he learns how his choices have real-life consequences.Mark Webber's behind and in front of the camera for this one. Starring his real life son and based loosely on the demise of his marriage, Webber's starkly honest portrayal of a father in need of growing up is powerful. This is how you do true life drama.
- DirectorTaika WaititiStarsLoren TaylorJemaine ClementCraig HallThe tale of two socially-awkward misfits and the strange ways they try to find love: through revenge on high-school bullies, burgers, and video games.