Films that got under my skin
by detloff | created - 18 Jan 2012 | updated - 09 Feb 2016 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. The Exorcist (1973)
R | 122 min | Horror
When a young girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair, Lee J. Cobb
Votes: 454,436 | Gross: $232.91M
2. The Visitors (1972)
R | 88 min | Crime, Drama
Bill, Martha and their little child Hal are spending a quiet winter Sunday in their house when they get an unexpected visit from Mike Nickerson and Tony Rodriguez.
Director: Elia Kazan | Stars: Patrick McVey, Patricia Joyce, James Woods, Steve Railsback
Votes: 1,579
3. WUSA (1970)
PG-13 | 115 min | Drama, Romance
A radio station in the Deep South becomes the focal point of a right-wing conspiracy.
Director: Stuart Rosenberg | Stars: Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Anthony Perkins, Laurence Harvey
Votes: 1,373
4. Diary of a Country Priest (1951)
Not Rated | 95 min | Drama
A young priest taking over the parish at Ambricourt tries to fulfill his duties even as he fights a mysterious stomach ailment.
Director: Robert Bresson | Stars: Claude Laydu, Nicole Ladmiral, Jean Riveyre, Adrien Borel
Votes: 12,702
5. Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
Not Rated | 147 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A surly convicted murderer held in permanent isolation redeems himself when he becomes a renowned bird expert.
Director: John Frankenheimer | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Karl Malden, Thelma Ritter, Neville Brand
Votes: 19,280
6. Arna's Children (2004)
84 min | Documentary
Juliano Mer Khamis' documentary on his mother, Arna, an activist against the Israeli occupation who founded an alternative education system for Palestinian children.
Directors: Danniel Danniel, Juliano Mer-Khamis | Stars: Arna Mer Khamis, Juliano Mer-Khamis
Votes: 261
7. Easy Rider (1969)
R | 95 min | Adventure, Drama
Two bikers head from L.A. to New Orleans through the open country and desert lands, and along the way they meet a man who bridges a counter-culture gap of which they had been unaware.
Director: Dennis Hopper | Stars: Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson, Antonio Mendoza
Votes: 116,866 | Gross: $41.73M
8. Lunacy (2005)
Not Rated | 118 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
A man takes up residence with a mysterious marquis and is soon persuaded to enter into an asylum for preventative therapy. Things are not what they seem, and the marquis may be even more sinister than what the young man may've predicted.
Director: Jan Svankmajer | Stars: Jan Tríska, Pavel Liska, Anna Geislerová, Martin Huba
Votes: 3,947 | Gross: $0.05M
9. The War Zone (1999)
R | 98 min | Drama, Thriller
An alienated teenager, saddened that he has moved away from London, must find a way to deal with a dark family secret.
Director: Tim Roth | Stars: Ray Winstone, Annabelle Apsion, Kate Ashfield, Lara Belmont
Votes: 11,175 | Gross: $0.25M
10. L'histoire du garçon qui voulait qu'on l'embrasse (1994)
95 min | Drama, Romance
Raoul is a 20 years old student in Paris. Girls are not interested in him, though he is good-looking. He wonders why. Raoul does not look for a great passion, he only wants to be kissed. We will follow his love tribulations.
Director: Philippe Harel | Stars: Julien Collet, Marion Cotillard, Hélène Médigue, Marie Pailhes
Votes: 131
11. Le Havre (2011)
Not Rated | 93 min | Comedy, Drama
When an African boy arrives by cargo ship in the port city of Le Havre, an aging shoe shiner takes pity on the child and welcomes him into his home.
Director: Aki Kaurismäki | Stars: André Wilms, Blondin Miguel, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Kati Outinen
Votes: 23,533 | Gross: $0.61M
12. Kaspar Hauser (1993)
139 min | Drama, History, Mystery
Kaspar Hauser is the son of the duke of Baden. At the age of one he was swapped by another baby that has been killed right after the change. The real Kaspar Hauser grew up in prison without... See full summary »
Director: Peter Sehr | Stars: André Eisermann, Udo Samel, Jeremy Clyde, Katharina Thalbach
Votes: 505
13. Hamilton (I) (2006)
Not Rated | 65 min | Drama
Chronicles two summer days in the life of a young recent family: Lena, 17, and Joe, 20, two recent and accidental parents residing in a diverse suburban neighborhood in northeast Baltimore City.
Director: Matthew Porterfield | Stars: Christopher H. Myers, Stephanie Vizzi, Sarah Seipp-Williams, Gina Christine Mooers
Votes: 144
14. Petites révélations (2006)
55 min
Director: Marie Vermillard | Stars: Marilyne Canto, Antoine Chappey, Simon Abkarian, Hiam Abbass
Votes: 20
15. The Man Who Loved Yngve (2008)
90 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A teenage boy loses his footing when he finds himself drawn to the new boy in class.
Director: Stian Kristiansen | Stars: Rolf Kristian Larsen, Arthur Berning, Ida Elise Broch, Ole Christoffer Ertvaag
Votes: 5,025
16. The Ninth Configuration (1980)
R | 118 min | Comedy, Drama, Horror
An ex-marine psychiatrist attempts to rehabilitate his patients by indulging their fantasies, and seeks to prove the existence of a loving God to one especially troubled inmate.
Director: William Peter Blatty | Stars: Stacy Keach, Scott Wilson, Jason Miller, Ed Flanders
Votes: 8,946
17. La haine (1995)
Not Rated | 98 min | Crime, Drama
24 hours in the lives of three young men in the French suburbs the day after a violent riot.
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz | Stars: Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, Saïd Taghmaoui, Abdel Ahmed Ghili
Votes: 196,116 | Gross: $0.31M
18. The Serpent's Kiss (1997)
R | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In England, during the 17th-century, a Dutch garden architect (Ewan McGregor, "Moulin Rouge!") is drawn into a web of passion and treachery after being hired by a wealthy merchant.
Director: Philippe Rousselot | Stars: Ewan McGregor, Greta Scacchi, Pete Postlethwaite, Richard E. Grant
Votes: 1,828
19. On the Waterfront (1954)
Approved | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
An ex-prize fighter turned New Jersey longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses, including his older brother, as he starts to connect with the grieving sister of one of the syndicate's victims.
Director: Elia Kazan | Stars: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger
Votes: 164,698 | Gross: $9.60M
20. Kurtlar Vadisi: Irak (2006)
122 min | Action, Drama, War
The film covers through fiction real-life events like the occupation of Iraq, the execution of Daniel Pearl, the Hood event and the Abu Ghraib torture scandal.
Director: Serdar Akar | Stars: Necati Sasmaz, Billy Zane, Ghassan Massoud, Bergüzar Korel
Votes: 18,419
21. Withnail & I (1987)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Drama
In 1969, two substance-abusing, unemployed actors retreat to the countryside for a holiday that proves disastrous.
Director: Bruce Robinson | Stars: Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths, Ralph Brown
Votes: 47,850 | Gross: $1.54M
22. Ultrà (1991)
95 min | Drama, Sport
The "Brigatte Veneno" is a fan group from the soccer club "AS Roma". The next match is against "Juventus Turin", the classic prestige duel. Principe, the former leader of the group, has been dismissed from jail a few days before.
Director: Ricky Tognazzi | Stars: Claudio Amendola, Ricky Memphis, Gianmarco Tognazzi, Giuppy Izzo
Votes: 952
23. Armadillo (2010)
Not Rated | 105 min | Documentary, War
Danish soldiers are sent to Afghanistan in 2009 for 6 months, to help stabilize the country against the Taliban. They're stationed on Armadillo military base in Helman province. Unlike other war movies, this is the real deal - no actors.
Director: Janus Metz
Votes: 10,327 | Gross: $0.01M
24. Taxi to the Dark Side (2007)
R | 106 min | Documentary, Crime, History
Alex Gibney exposes the haunting details of the USA's torture and interrogation practices during the War in Afghanistan.
Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: Alex Gibney, Brian Keith Allen, Moazzam Begg, Christopher Beiring
Votes: 16,799 | Gross: $0.27M
25. Surviving Life (2010)
109 min | Animation, Comedy, Fantasy
The film uses a mix of cut-out animation from photographs and live-action segments, and tells the story of a married man who lives a double life in his dreams, where he is married to another woman.
Director: Jan Svankmajer | Stars: Václav Helsus, Klára Issová, Zuzana Krónerová, Daniela Bakerová
Votes: 1,479
I am unable to assess whether psychoanalysis works as a type of therapy. I have never been to a psychoanalyst. For me, psychoanalysis is, most of all, an amazing system for the interpretation of man and the world that works with traditional symbols – therefore, I consider it trustworthy. ~Jan Švankmajer
26. Hole in the Paper Sky (2008)
TV-G | 34 min | Short, Drama
A brilliant, misanthropic math genius is inexplicably drawn into an unusual friendship with a laboratory dog.
Director: Bill Purple | Stars: Jason Clarke, Jessica Biel, Garry Marshall, Stephen Collins
Votes: 174
27. Michael (II) (2011)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Thriller
Five months in the life of a pedophile who keeps a 10-year-old boy locked in his basement.
Director: Markus Schleinzer | Stars: Michael Fuith, David Rauchenberger, Christine Kain, Ursula Strauss
Votes: 5,111 | Gross: $0.02M
28. Made in Ash (2012)
84 min | Drama
A poignant story about a young girl named Dorotka, who hails from eastern Slovakia. Full of determination and naive expectations regarding her new life; she takes on the job of a seamstress... See full summary »
Director: Iveta Grofova | Stars: Dorotka Billa, Maria Billa, Jarka Bucincova, Jan Cina
Votes: 86
29. House of Tolerance (2011)
Not Rated | 122 min | Drama
At an elegant Parisian bordello at the dawn of the 20th century exists a cloistered world of pleasure, pain, hope, rivalries--and, most of all, slavery.
Director: Bertrand Bonello | Stars: Noémie Lvovsky, Hafsia Herzi, Céline Sallette, Jasmine Trinca
Votes: 7,783 | Gross: $0.02M
30. Nothing Bad Can Happen (2013)
Not Rated | 110 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
Inspired by horrifying true events, Nothing Bad Can Happen follows Tore, a young lost soul involved with an underground Christian punk movement who falls in with a dysfunctional family who test his seemingly unwavering faith.
Director: Katrin Gebbe | Stars: Julius Feldmeier, Sascha Alexander Gersak, Annika Kuhl, Gro Swantje Kohlhof
Votes: 2,120 | Gross: $0.00M
31. Mangal Pandey (2005)
Not Rated | 150 min | Biography, Drama, History
This is a film about the leader of the 1857 mutiny and his fight against the British rule.
Director: Ketan Mehta | Stars: Aamir Khan, Rani Mukerji, Toby Stephens, Coral Beed
Votes: 10,496 | Gross: $0.87M
32. Bastards (2013)
Unrated | 100 min | Drama, Romance
Marco returns to Paris after his brother-in-law's suicide, where he targets the man his sister believes caused the tragedy - though he is ill-prepared for her secrets as they quickly muddy the waters.
Director: Claire Denis | Stars: Vincent Lindon, Chiara Mastroianni, Julie Bataille, Michel Subor
Votes: 3,739 | Gross: $0.01M
33. Le Quattro Volte (2010)
Not Rated | 88 min | Drama
An old shepherd lives his last days in a quiet medieval village perched high on the hills of Calabria, at the southernmost tip of Italy. He herds goats under skies that most villagers have ... See full summary »
Director: Michelangelo Frammartino | Stars: Giuseppe Fuda, Bruno Timpano, Nazareno Timpano, Artemio Vallone
Votes: 4,268 | Gross: $0.15M
34.
Play for Today (1970–1984)
Episode:
Traitor
(1971)
61 min | Comedy, Drama
Dishillusioned by his rich, aristocratic upbringing in Britain, top foreign office diplomat Adrian Harris became a spy for the Russians. He escaped to Moscow after being found out and it is... See full summary »
Director: Alan Bridges | Stars: John Le Mesurier, Jack Hedley, Vincent Ball, Neil McCallum
Votes: 62
35.
Screen Two (1985–1998)
Episode:
Aimée
(1991)
TV-14 | 90 min | Drama
A white Mercedes, the English countryside, a cathedral city, a haunted figure at the wheel with an overnight bag in the boot. Frank Summers has run away from a career as a fabulously ... See full summary »
Director: Pedr James | Stars: Donald Sumpter, Juliet Stevenson, Simon Chandler, Christine Rose
Votes: 36
36. The City Below (2010)
105 min | Drama
Steve recently moved to Frankfurt for work. His wife is a stranger in the new city, bored and vulnerable. She meets her husband's boss who is going through some big events in his life as well. They start to have an affair.
Director: Christoph Hochhäusler | Stars: Nicolette Krebitz, Robert Hunger-Bühler, Mark Waschke, Corinna Kirchhoff
Votes: 742
37. Schläfer (2005)
99 min | Drama
A story of rivalry and treachery set in a triangle of love, science and politics
Director: Benjamin Heisenberg | Stars: Bastian Trost, Mehdi Nebbou, Loretta Pflaum, Gundi Ellert
Votes: 402
38. Revanche (2008)
Not Rated | 121 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Ex-con Alex plans to flee to the South with his girl after a robbery. But something terrible happens and revenge seems inevitable.
Director: Götz Spielmann | Stars: Johannes Krisch, Irina Potapenko, Andreas Lust, Ursula Strauss
Votes: 15,934
39. Lost Boundaries (1949)
Not Rated | 99 min | Drama
This story is a true account of the lives of Scott and Marsha Carter. Having graduated from medical school, Scott Carter, a fair-skinned African American, marries Marsha Mitchell and moves ... See full summary »
Director: Alfred L. Werker | Stars: Beatrice Pearson, Mel Ferrer, Susan Douglas Rubes, Robert A. Dunn
Votes: 496
40. Lili Marleen (1981)
R | 120 min | Drama, Music, Romance
In 1938, a German singer falls in love with a Jewish composer in Zurich, who helps Jews flee Nazi Germany. She wants to help but is forced back to Germany. Her song "Lili Marleen" becomes a hit with soldiers and the Nazi top brass.
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder | Stars: Hanna Schygulla, Giancarlo Giannini, Mel Ferrer, Karl-Heinz von Hassel
Votes: 4,284
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