MOVIE LONERS
Only the lonely: A movie loners list.
(Definition from Wikipedia): A loner is a person who avoids or does not actively seek human interaction or prefers to be alone. There are many reasons for solitude, intentional or otherwise, and 'Loner' does not imply a specific cause. Intentional reasons include spiritual and religious considerations or personal philosophies. Unintentional reasons involve temperament, being highly sensitive, having more extreme forms of shyness, deep seated guilt, or various mental disorders.
There are different types of loner, including individuals that prefer solitude and are content to have very limited social interaction. The second type includes individuals that are forced to be isolated because they are rejected by society (or, by circumstances beyond their control). This individual typically experiences loneliness. The first type does not feel lonely even when they are alone, at least, not in the same way as would a social person who found themselves isolated. However, these are very broad generalizations and it is not uncommon for loners to experience both of these dimensions at some point.
The concept of a lonely hero (or antihero) is a recurring theme in film and is often the subject in popular culture.
Listed below are a number of films, supported by quotes, with special emphasis on specific characters that I feel encompass, reflect, and explore characteristics of the loner's condition.
(Definition from Wikipedia): A loner is a person who avoids or does not actively seek human interaction or prefers to be alone. There are many reasons for solitude, intentional or otherwise, and 'Loner' does not imply a specific cause. Intentional reasons include spiritual and religious considerations or personal philosophies. Unintentional reasons involve temperament, being highly sensitive, having more extreme forms of shyness, deep seated guilt, or various mental disorders.
There are different types of loner, including individuals that prefer solitude and are content to have very limited social interaction. The second type includes individuals that are forced to be isolated because they are rejected by society (or, by circumstances beyond their control). This individual typically experiences loneliness. The first type does not feel lonely even when they are alone, at least, not in the same way as would a social person who found themselves isolated. However, these are very broad generalizations and it is not uncommon for loners to experience both of these dimensions at some point.
The concept of a lonely hero (or antihero) is a recurring theme in film and is often the subject in popular culture.
Listed below are a number of films, supported by quotes, with special emphasis on specific characters that I feel encompass, reflect, and explore characteristics of the loner's condition.
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- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroJodie FosterCybill ShepherdA mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action.Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle:
"Loneliness has followed me my whole life. Everywhere. In bars, in cars, sidewalks, stores, everywhere. There's no escape. I'm God's lonely man..." - DirectorSydney PollackStarsRobert RedfordWill GeerDelle BoltonA mountain man who wishes to live the life of a hermit becomes the unwilling object of a long vendetta by the Crow tribe and proves to be a match for their warriors in single combat on the early frontier.Robert Redford as Jeremiah Johnson.
Jeremiah Johnson lyrics by John Rubenstein and Tim McIntire:
"Jeremiah Johnson made his way into the mountains, bettin' on forgettin' all the troubles that he knew.
The trail was wide and narrow, the eagle or the sparrow
showed the path he was to follow, as it flew.
A mountain man is a lonely man and he leaves a lot behind.
It ought to have been different, but you often times will find, that the story doesn't always go the way you had in mind.
Jeremiah's story was that kind
Jeremiah's story was that kind... " - DirectorDavid FincherStarsBrad PittEdward NortonMeat LoafAn insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.Edward Norton as The Narrator:
"Everywhere I travel, tiny life. Single-serving sugar, single-serving cream, single pat of butter. The microwave Cordon Bleu hobby kit. Shampoo-conditioner combos, sample-packaged mouthwash, tiny bars of soap. The people I meet on each flight? They're single-serving friends." - DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsGene HackmanJohn CazaleAllen GarfieldA paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered.Gene Hackman as Harry Caul.
[Harry Caul listening to a couple's conversation about a bum on a park bench]
Ann: "Every time I see one of those guys, I always think the same thing."
Mark: "What do you think?"
Ann: "I always think that he was once somebody's baby boy. Really, I do. I think he was once somebody's baby boy, and he had a mother and a father who loved him, and now there he is, half dead on a park bench, and where are his mother or his father, all his uncles now?" - DirectorVittorio De SicaStarsCarlo BattistiMaria Pia CasilioLina GennariAn elderly man and his dog struggle to survive on his government pension in Rome.Carlo Battisti as Umberto Domenico Ferrari:
"I have no one, no son or brother, to help me out. I'm just a good for nothing old man. Who can live on 18,000 lire these days? My landlady charges me 10,000. She even raised my rent, that old... " - DirectorMark RomanekStarsRobin WilliamsConnie NielsenMichael VartanA mentally unstable photo developer targets an upper middle-class family after his obsession with them becomes more sick and disturbing than any of them could imagine.Robin Williams as Seymour Parrish:
"And if these pictures have anything important to say to future generations, it's this: I was here. I existed. I was young, I was happy, and someone cared enough about me in this world to take my picture." - DirectorJoel CoenStarsBilly Bob ThorntonFrances McDormandMichael BadaluccoA laconic, chain-smoking barber blackmails his wife's boss and lover for money to invest in dry cleaning, but his plan goes terribly wrong.Billy Bob Thornton as Ed Crane:
"I was a ghost. I didn't see anyone. No one saw me. I was the barber." - DirectorJessica SharzerStarsKristen StewartElizabeth PerkinsRichard HagermanAfter a blurred trauma over the summer, Melinda enters high school a selective mute. Struggling with school, friends, and family, she tells the dark tale of her experiences, and why she has chosen not to speak.Kristen Stewart as Melinda Sordino:
"There is no point talking to my ex-friends. Our clan the plain Janes has been absorbed by rival groups. Nicole hangs out with the jocks. Rachel went all Euro. Ivy straddles two crowds: the Goths and the Marthas. And then there's me. I'm clanless." - DirectorMichael AptedStarsJodie FosterLiam NeesonNatasha RichardsonIn a remote woodland cabin, a small-town doctor discovers Nell - a beautiful young hermit-woman with many secrets.Jodie Foster as Nell.
Jerry: "It's like... there's no one else in the world. Like she doesn't need anybody. Can you live your whole life that way, or does it drive you crazy in the end?" - DirectorSean PennStarsEmile HirschVince VaughnCatherine KeenerAfter graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.Emile Hirsch as Chris McCandless:
"Some people feel like they don't deserve love. They walk away quietly into empty spaces, trying to close the gaps of the past." - 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.Peter Dinklage as Finbar McBride:
"It's funny how people see me and treat me, since I'm really just a simple, boring person." - DirectorRian JohnsonStarsJoseph Gordon-LevittLukas HaasEmilie de RavinA teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Brendan Frye:
[in flashback] "You're the only thing I love! You're the only thing I love." - DirectorJim JarmuschStarsBill MurrayJessica LangeSharon StoneAs the extremely withdrawn Don Johnston is dumped by his latest woman, he receives an anonymous letter from a former lover informing him that he has a son who may be looking for him. A freelance sleuth neighbor moves Don to embark on a cross-country search for his old flames in search of answers.Bill Murray as Don Johnston.
The Kid: "So, as just a guy who gave another guy a sandwich, you have, like, any philosophical tips or anything, for a guy on a-kind-of road trip?"
Don Johnston: "You asking me?"
The Kid: "Yeah."
Don Johnston: "Well, the past is gone, I know that. The future, isn't here yet, whatever it's going to be. So, all there is, is, is this. The present. That's it."
The Kid: "Are you a Buddhist?" - DirectorSpike JonzeStarsJoaquin PhoenixAmy AdamsScarlett JohanssonIn a near future, a lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with an operating system designed to meet his every need.Joaquin Phoenix as Theodore.
Samantha: "You know, I can feel the fear that you carry around and I wish there was... something I could do to help you let go of it because if you could, I don't think you'd feel so alone anymore."
Theodore: "You're beautiful."
Samantha: "Thank you, Theodore." - DirectorCraig GillespieStarsRyan GoslingEmily MortimerPaul SchneiderA delusional young man strikes up an unconventional relationship with a doll he finds on the Internet.Ryan Gosling as Lars Lindstrom:
[to Bianca, after she is given flowers]
"Those are nice, huh? And they're not real, so they'll last forever." - DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsTom HanksHelen HuntPaul SanchezA FedEx executive undergoes a physical and emotional transformation after crash landing on a deserted island.Tom Hanks as Chuck Noland:
"We live and die by time. And we must not commit the sin of losing our track of time." - DirectorMichael MannStarsAl PacinoRobert De NiroVal KilmerA group of high-end professional thieves start to feel the heat from the LAPD when they unknowingly leave a verbal clue at their latest heist.Robert De Niro as Neil McCauley:
"I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. I know life is short, whatever time you get is luck. You want to walk? You walk right now. Or on your own... on your own you choose to come with me. And all I know is... all I know is there's no point in me going anywhere anymore if it's going to be alone... without you." - DirectorJeremy SimsStarsMichael CatonNingali LawfordMark Coles SmithWhen Rex, a Broken Hill cab driver, is told he doesn't have long to live, he sets out on an epic journey to Darwin in a bid to die on his own terms.Michael Caton as Rex.
"To live your life, you've got to learn to share it first..." - DirectorPaul SchraderStarsRichard GereLauren HuttonHector ElizondoA Los Angeles escort is accused of a murder which he did not commit.Richard Gere as Julian Kaye.
"I don't like playing the same numbers too often. They get possessive. I can't be possessed."
______________
Michelle Stratton: "Where are you from?"
Julian Kaye: I don't know. I'm not from anywhere. I'm from this bed. Anything worth knowing about me you can learn from letting me make love to you.
Michelle Stratton: "That's not true." - DirectorRobert BressonStarsMartin LaSalleMarika GreenJean PélégriMichel passes the time by picking pockets, careful to never be caught despite being watched by the police. His friend Jacques may suspect, while both men may have their eyes on Jeanne, the pretty neighbor of Michel's ailing mother.Martin LaSalle as Michel:
"Oh, Jeanne, to reach you at last, what a strange path I had to take." - DirectorRon HowardStarsRussell CroweEd HarrisJennifer ConnellyA mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.Russell Crowe as John Nash:
"I've made the most important discovery of my life. It's only in the mysterious equation of love that any logic or reasons can be found. I'm only here tonight because of you. You are the only reason I am... you are all my reasons." - DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsRyan GoslingCarey MulliganBryan CranstonA mysterious Hollywood action film stuntman gets in trouble with gangsters when he tries to help his neighbor's husband rob a pawn shop while serving as his getaway driver.Ryan Gosling as Driver:
[On the phone with Irene] "Can I talk to you? I won't keep you long. I have to go somewhere and I don't think I can come back. But I just wanted you to know. Getting to be around you and Benicio was the best thing that ever happened to me." - DirectorWalter HillStarsRyan O'NealBruce DernIsabelle AdjaniA getaway driver becomes the latest assignment for a tenacious detective.Ryan O'Neal as 'The Driver'.
The Detective: "A friend of yours told me where to find you in the middle of the day."
The Driver: "I don't have any friends."
The Detective: "That's right. No friends. No steady job. No girlfriend. You live real cheap, you never ask any questions... boy, you got it down real tight. So tight that there's no room for anything else. And that's a real sad song. Only trouble is, eh, sad songs ain't sellin' this year. Maybe I'm your friend." - DirectorMichael MannStarsJames CaanTuesday WeldWillie NelsonAn ace safe cracker wants to do one last big heist for the mob before going straight.James Caan as Frank.
Joe Gags: "Look, uh, these people wanna meet you."
Frank: "What?"
Joe Gags: "They're stand-up guys."
Frank: "If I wanna meet people, I'll go to a f*ckin' country club." - DirectorMichael CurtizStarsHumphrey BogartIngrid BergmanPaul HenreidA cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine:
"Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine." - DirectorJohn HustonStarsHumphrey BogartKatharine HepburnRobert MorleyIn WWI East Africa, a gin-swilling Canadian riverboat captain is persuaded by a strait-laced English missionary to undertake a trip up a treacherous river and use his boat to attack a German gunship.Humphrey Bogart as Charlie Allnut:
"It's a great thing to have a lady aboard with clean habits. It sets the man a good example. A man alone, he gets to living like a hog." - DirectorJun IchikawaStarsIssei OgataRie MiyazawaShinohara TakahumiWhen technical illustrator Tony Takitani asks his wife to resist her all-consuming obsession for designer clothes, the consequences are tragic.Issei Ogata as Tony Takitani, Shozaburo Takitani.
Haruki Murakami (Author): "There was something odd for him about not feeling lonely. The very fact that he had ceased to be lonely caused him to fear the possibility of becoming lonely again." - DirectorBill CondonStarsIan McKellenLaura LinneyHiroyuki SanadaAn aged, retired Sherlock Holmes deals with dementia, as he tries to remember his final case, and a mysterious woman, whose memory haunts him. He also befriends a fan, the young son of his housekeeper, who wants him to work again.Ian McKellen as Sherlock Holmes.
Sherlock Holmes: "I have been alone. All my life. But with the compensations of the intellect."
Ann Kelmot: "And is that enough?"
Sherlock Holmes: "It can be. If one is so fortunate as to find a place in the world. And another soul with whom one's loneliness can reside." - DirectorGarry MarshallStarsAl PacinoMichelle PfeifferHector ElizondoJohnny has just been released from prison, and gets a job in a café beside waitress Frankie. Frankie is a bit of a loner, but Johnny is determined their romance will blossom.Al Pacino as Johnny & Michelle Pfeiffer as Frankie.
Johnny: "You don't have to be afraid anymore.
Frankie: "I am. I'm afraid. I'm afraid to be alone, I'm afraid not to be alone. I'm afraid of what I am, what I'm not, what I might become, what I might never become. I don't want to stay at my job for the rest of my life but I'm afraid to leave. And I'm just tired, you know, I'm just so tired of being afraid."
Frankie: "Why do you want to kill yourself sometimes?"
Johnny: "I want to kill myself sometimes when I think that I'm the only person in the world and that part of me that feels that way is trapped inside this body, that only bumps into other bodies, without ever connecting to the only other person in the world trapped inside of them. We have to connect. We just have to." - DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsTom CruiseJason RobardsJulianne MooreAn epic mosaic of interrelated characters in search of love, forgiveness and meaning in the San Fernando Valley.Melora Walters as Claudia Wilson Gator & John C. Reilly as Officer Jim Kurring:
[To Claudia] "I can't let this go. I can't let you go. Now, you... you listen to me now. You're a good person. You're a good and beautiful person and I won't let you walk out on me. And I won't let you say those things - those things about how stupid you are and this and that. I won't stand for that. You want to be with me... then you be with me. You see?"
[Claudia smiles] - DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsJack NicholsonFaye DunawayJohn HustonA private detective hired to expose an adulterer in 1930s Los Angeles finds himself caught up in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder.Jack Nicholson as J.J. 'Jake' Gittes.
Ida Sessions: "Are you alone?"
Jake Gittes: "Isn't everybody?" - DirectorAlexander PayneStarsJack NicholsonHope DavisDermot MulroneyA recently retired man embarks on a journey to his estranged daughter's wedding, only to discover more about himself and life than he ever expected.Jack Nicholson as Warren Schmidt:
"Relatively soon, I will die. Maybe in 20 years, maybe tomorrow, it doesn't matter. Once I am dead and everyone who knew me dies too, it will be as though I never existed. What difference has my life made to anyone. None that I can think of. None at all." - DirectorJim JarmuschStarsIsaach De BankoléAlex DescasJean-François StéveninThe story of a mysterious loner, a stranger in the process of completing a criminal job.Isaach De Bankolé as the Lone Man.
Creole: "He who thinks he's bigger than the rest must go to the cemetery. There he will see what life really is... a handful of dust." - DirectorMichael RadfordStarsJohn HurtRichard BurtonSuzanna HamiltonIn a totalitarian future society, a man, whose daily work is re-writing history, tries to rebel by falling in love.John Hurt as Winston Smith:
"Does Big Brother even exist?"
O'Brien: "Of course he exists."
Winston Smith: "No, I mean... does he exist like you or me?"
O'Brien: "You do not exist." - DirectorSam MendesStarsKevin SpaceyAnnette BeningThora BirchA sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.Kevin Spacey as Lester Burnham:
"My name is Lester Burnham. This is my neighborhood; this is my street; this is my life. I am 42 years old; in less than a year I will be dead. Of course I don't know that yet, and in a way, I am dead already." - DirectorJason ReitmanStarsGeorge ClooneyVera FarmigaAnna KendrickRyan's job is to travel around the country firing off people. When his boss hires Natalie, who proposes firing people via video conference, he tries to convince her that her method is a mistake.George Clooney as Ryan Bingham:
"Starting when I was 12, we moved each one of my grandparents into a nursing facility. My parents went the same way. Make no mistake, we all die alone." - DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesJoseph CottenDorothy ComingoreFollowing the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'Orson Welles as Charles Foster Kane.
Susan: "I don't know many people."
Charles Foster Kane: "I know too many people. I guess we're both lonely." - DirectorFrank A. CappelloStarsChristian SlaterElisha CuthbertWilliam H. MacyAn unhinged office worker who planned to go on a shooting spree at his workplace struggles with his newfound status as a hero after he ends up stopping a shooting spree instead.Christian Slater as Bob Maconel:
"You may ask why I did what I did. But what choice did you give me? How else could I get your attention? All I wanted to do is exist in your world. Just one person, would take time to actually see me. Help me find a way out." - DirectorHarold RamisStarsBill MurrayAndie MacDowellChris ElliottA narcissistic, self-centered weatherman finds himself in a time loop on Groundhog Day.Bill Murray as Phil Connors:
"You want a prediction about the weather, you're asking the wrong Phil. I'll give you a winter prediction: It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be grey, and it's gonna last you for the rest of your life." - DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsDenzel WashingtonNadine VelazquezDon CheadleTroubling questions arise after airline pilot Whip Whitaker makes a miracle landing after a mid-air catastrophe.Denzel Washington as Whip Whitaker.
Hugh Lang: "I'm trying to save your life!"
Whip Whitaker: "What life?" - DirectorMel StuartStarsGene WilderJack AlbertsonPeter OstrumA poor but hopeful boy seeks one of the five coveted golden tickets that will send him on a tour of Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory.Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka:
"I can't go on forever, and I don't really want to try. So who can I trust to run the factory when I leave and take care of the Oompa Loompas for me? Not a grown up. A grown up would want to do everything his own way, not mine. So that's why I decided a long time ago that I had to find a child. A very honest, loving child, to whom I could tell all my precious candy making secrets." - DirectorDavid LynchStarsJack NanceCharlotte StewartAllen JosephHenry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.Jack Nance as Henry Spencer.
Mr. X: "Well Henry, what do you know?"
Henry Spencer: "Oh, I don't know much of anything." - DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsRoman PolanskiIsabelle AdjaniMelvyn DouglasA bureaucrat rents a Paris apartment where he finds himself drawn into a rabbit hole of dangerous paranoia.Roman Polanski as Trelkovsky:
"These days, relationships with neighbors can be... quite complicated. You know, little things that get blown up out of all proportion? You know what I mean?" - DirectorWim WendersStarsHarry Dean StantonNastassja KinskiDean StockwellTravis Henderson, an aimless drifter who has been missing for four years, wanders out of the desert and must reconnect with society, himself, his life, and his family.Harry Dean Stanton as Travis Henderson:
"All he wanted to do was... sleep. And for the first time, he wished he were far away. Lost in a deep, vast country where nobody knew him. Somewhere without language, or streets. He dreamed about this place without knowing its name." - DirectorJan-Ole GersterStarsTom SchillingKatharina SchüttlerJustus von DohnányiAn aimless university dropout attempts to make sense of life as he spends one fateful day wandering the streets of Berlin.Tom Schilling as Niko Fischer:
"Do you know what it's like... to have the feeling that all the people around you are honestly kind of weird? But when you think it over, then it becomes clear that the problem is with yourself." - DirectorDan GilroyStarsJake GyllenhaalRene RussoBill PaxtonWhen Louis Bloom, a con man desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.Jake Gyllenhaal as Lou Bloom:
"What if my problem wasn't that I don't understand people but that I don't like them?" - DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsDaniel Day-LewisPaul DanoCiarán HindsA story of family, religion, hatred, oil and madness, focusing on a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business.Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview:
"Well, if it's in me, it's in you. There are times when I look at people and I see nothing worth liking. I want to earn enough money that I can get away from everyone." - DirectorDavid FincherStarsMichael DouglasDeborah Kara UngerSean PennAfter a wealthy San Francisco banker is given an opportunity to participate in a mysterious game, his life is turned upside down as he begins to question if it might really be a concealed conspiracy to destroy him.Michael Douglas as Nicholas Van Orton:
"You don't know anything about society, Marie; you don't have the satisfaction of avoiding it." - DirectorBob RafelsonStarsJack NicholsonKaren BlackBilly Green BushA dropout from upper-class America picks up work along the way on oil rigs when his life isn't spent in a squalid succession of bars, motels, and other points of interest.Jack Nicholson as Robert Eroica Dupea:
"I move around a lot, not because I'm looking for anything really, but 'cause I'm getting away from things that get bad if I stay." - DirectorSam PeckinpahStarsWarren OatesIsela VegaRobert WebberAn American barroom pianist and his prostitute girlfriend go on a trip through the Mexican underworld to collect the bounty on the head of a dead gigolo.Warren Oates as Bennie:
"I've been no place I wanna go back to, that's for damn sure." - DirectorGavin O'ConnorStarsTom HardyNick NolteJoel EdgertonThe youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament - a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother.Tom Hardy as Tommy Conlon.
Paddy Conlon: "I'm really trying here, Tommy."
Tommy Conlon: "You're trying? Now? Where were you when it mattered? I needed this guy back when I was a kid. I don't need you now. It's too late now. Everything's already happened. You and Brendan don't seem to understand that. Let me explain something to you: the only thing I have in common with Brendan Conlon is that we have absolutely no use for you." - DirectorBrian Desmond HurstStarsAlastair SimJack WarnerKathleen HarrisonEbenezer Scrooge, a curmudgeonly, miserly businessman, has no time for sentimentality and largely views Christmas as a waste of time. However, this Christmas Eve, he will be visited by three spirits who will show him the error of his ways.Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge.
Charles Dickens (Author): "Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster." - DirectorMarek KoterskiStarsMarek KondratJanina TraczykównaAndrzej Grabowski24 hours in the bitter life of a frustrated divorced teacher who stays in the vicious circle of his numerous obsessions.Marek Kondrat as Adam Miauczynski (Adas):
"My dear friend on this journey. You built this dark mound to lead the life of a termite. Protected from the sunlight. Closed in your sad rigid rituals. Even if they make you mad, these rituals became your shield against the winds, the waves, against stars and feelings. Every day you struggle to forget your human condition. The clay you are molded from has dried out and hardened. No one will ever find in you an astronomer, musician, altruist, poet or human who lived for even one day." - DirectorJoel SchumacherStarsMichael DouglasRobert DuvallBarbara HersheyAn ordinary man frustrated with the various flaws he sees in society begins to psychotically and violently lash out against them.Michael Douglas as William 'D-Fens' Foster: [In the Whammy Burger]
"Why am I calling you by your first names? I don't even know you. I still call my boss 'Mister', and I've been working for him for seven years, but all of a sudden I walk in here and I'm calling you Rick and Sheila like we're in some kind of AA meeting... I don't want to be your buddy, Rick. I just want some breakfast."
Sheila: "You can call me Miss Folsom if you want." - DirectorNicholas RayStarsJames DeanNatalie WoodSal MineoA rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies.James Dean as Jim Stark:
"If I had one day when I didn't have to be all confused and I didn't have to feel that I was ashamed of everything. If I felt that I belonged someplace. You know?" - DirectorSteve McQueenStarsMichael FassbenderCarey MulliganJames Badge DaleA sex addict's carefully cultivated private life falls apart after his sister arrives for an indefinite stay.Michael Fassbender as Brandon Sullivan.
Sissy Sullivan: "I'm trying, I'm trying to help you."
Brandon Sullivan: "How are you helping me, huh? How are you helping me? How are you helping me? Huh? Look at me. You come in here and you're a weight on me. Do you understand me? You're a burden. You're just dragging me down. How are you helping me? You can't even clean up after yourself. Stop playing the victim."
Sissy Sullivan: "I'm not playing the victim. If I left, I would never hear from you again. Don't you think that's sad? Don't you think that's sad? You're my brother." - DirectorFrank MillerQuentin TarantinoRobert RodriguezStarsMickey RourkeClive OwenBruce WillisAn exploration of the dark and miserable Basin City and three of its residents, all of whom are caught up in violent corruption.Mickey Rourke as Marv.
Lucille: "Prison was hell for you Marv, it's gonna be life this time."
Marv: "Hell's waking up every goddamn day and not even knowing why you're here. But I'm out now. It took someone who was kind to me getting killed to do it. But I'm out. And I know exactly what I'm gonna do." - DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsMickey RourkeMarisa TomeiEvan Rachel WoodA faded professional wrestler must retire, but finds his quest for a new life outside the ring a dispiriting struggle.Mickey Rourke as Randy 'The Ram' Robinson:
"I just want to tell you, I'm the one who was supposed to take care of everything. I'm the one who was supposed to make everything okay for everybody. It just didn't work out like that. And I left. I left you. You never did anything wrong. I used to try to forget about you. I used to try to pretend that you didn't exist, but I can't. You're my girl. You're my little girl. And now, I'm an old broken down piece of meat... and I'm alone. And I deserve to be all alone. I just don't want you to hate me." - DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsBrendan FraserSadie SinkTy SimpkinsA reclusive, morbidly obese English teacher attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter.Brendan Fraser as Charlie:
"Who would want me to be part of their life?" - DirectorJohn FrankenheimerStarsBurt LancasterKarl MaldenThelma RitterA surly convicted murderer held in permanent isolation redeems himself when he becomes a renowned bird expert.Burt Lancaster as Robert Stroud:
"Now, listen to me. Listen carefully. You fought your heart out for me. You fought your heart out for me, but the sun's gone down. And don't look for it to rise again. I want you to pretend that I'm a dead man. I want you to pretend... that you're standin' on my grave." - DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsKurt RussellLee Van CleefErnest BorgnineIn 1997, when the U.S. president crashes into Manhattan, now a giant maximum security prison, a convicted bank robber is sent in to rescue him.Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken.
Bob Hauk: "Remember, once you're inside you're on your own."
Snake Plissken: "Oh, you mean I can't count on you?"
Bob Hauk: "No."
Snake Plissken: "Good!" - DirectorDon SiegelClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodAndrew RobinsonHarry GuardinoWhen a man calling himself "the Scorpio Killer" menaces San Francisco, tough-as-nails Police Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan is assigned to track down the crazed psychopath.Clint Eastwood as Harry Callahan.
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsClint EastwoodGian Maria VolontèMarianne KochA wandering gunfighter plays two rival families against each other in a town torn apart by greed, pride, and revenge.Clint Eastwood as Joe (the 'Man with No Name'):
"Why? I knew someone like you once. There was no one there to help. Now get moving." - DirectorSergio LeoneStarsClint EastwoodLee Van CleefGian Maria VolontèTwo bounty hunters with the same intentions team up to track down a gang of outlaws led by a psychotic Mexican bandit, who is plotting an audacious bank robbery.Clint Eastwood as Monco (the 'Man With No Name').
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsClint EastwoodEli WallachLee Van CleefA bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.Clint Eastwood as Blondie (the 'Man With No Name').
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WayneJeffrey HunterVera MilesAn American Civil War veteran embarks on a years-long journey to rescue his niece from the Comanches after the rest of his brother's family is massacred in a raid on their Texas farm.John Wayne as Ethan Edwards:
"Figure a man's only good for one oath at a time; I took mine to the Confederate States of America." - DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodVerna BloomMarianna HillA gun-fighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago and is hired to bring the townsfolk together in an attempt to hold off three outlaws who are on their way.Clint Eastwood as The Stranger.
- DirectorKevin ReynoldsStarsKevin CostnerJeanne TripplehornDennis HopperIn a future where the polar ice-caps have melted and Earth is almost entirely submerged, a mutated mariner fights starvation and outlaw "smokers," and reluctantly helps a woman and a young girl try to find dry land.Kevin Costner as the Mariner.
Enola: "He doesn't have a name, so death can't find him. He doesn't have a home or people to care for. He's not afraid of anything, men least of all. He's fast and strong like the big wind. He can hear 100 miles and see 100 miles underwater. He can hide in the shadow of the noon sun. He can be right behind you and you won't even know it till you're dead." - DirectorGeorge StevensStarsAlan LaddJean ArthurVan HeflinA weary gunfighter in 1880s Wyoming begins to envision a quieter life after befriending a homestead family with a young son who idolizes him, but a smoldering range war forces him to act.Alan Ladd as Shane:
"I gotta be going on."
Joey: "Why, Shane?"
Shane: "A man has to be what he is, Joey. Can't break the mould. I tried it and it didn't work for me."
Joey: "We want you, Shane."
Shane: "Joey, there's no living with... with a killing. There's no going back from one. Right or wrong, it's a brand. A brand sticks. There's no going back. Now you run on home to your mother, and tell her... tell her everything's all right. And there aren't any more guns in the valley." - DirectorSergio CorbucciStarsFranco NeroJosé CanalejasJosé BódaloA coffin-dragging gunslinger and a prostitute become embroiled in a bitter feud between a Klan of Southern racists and a band of Mexican Revolutionaries.Franco Nero as Django.
Tagline: "Django, have you always been alone? Django, you must face another day." - DirectorShane MeadowsStarsPaddy ConsidineGary StretchToby KebbellA disaffected soldier returns to his hometown to get even with the thugs who brutalized his mentally-challenged brother years ago.Paddy Considine as Richard:
"God will forgive them. He'll forgive them and allow them into Heaven. I can't live with that." - DirectorGeorge MillerStarsMel GibsonBruce SpenceMichael PrestonIn the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline-rich community escape a horde of bandits.Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky.
Pappagallo: "What is it with you, huh? What are you looking for? C'mon, Max, everybody's looking for something. You're happy out there, are you? Eh? Wandering? One day blurring into another? You're a scavenger, Max. You're a maggot. Did you know that? You're living off the corpse of the old world. Tell me your story, Max. C'mon. Tell me your story. What burned you out, huh? Kill one man too many? See too many people die? Lose some family?" - DirectorGeorge MillerStarsTom HardyCharlize TheronNicholas HoultIn a post-apocalyptic wasteland, a woman rebels against a tyrannical ruler in search for her homeland with the aid of a group of female prisoners, a psychotic worshiper and a drifter named Max.Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky:
"I am the one that runs both from the living and the dead. Hunted by scavengers, haunted by those I could not protect. So I exist in this wasteland, reduced to one instinct: survive." - DirectorLuc BessonStarsPierre JolivetJean BouiseJean RenoIn a post-apocalyptic future where no one is able to speak, the few remaining humans fight over resources in order to survive.Pierre Jolivet as 'The Man'.
- DirectorPaddy ConsidineStarsPeter MullanArchie LalJag SangheraJoseph, a man plagued by violence and a rage that is driving him to self-destruction, earns a chance of redemption that appears in the form of Hannah, a Christian charity shop worker.Peter Mullan as Joseph.
Hannah: "I feel safe with you."
Joseph: "Nobody's safe with me." - DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodBee VangChristopher CarleyAfter a Hmong teenager tries to steal his prized 1972 Gran Torino, a disgruntled, prejudiced Korean War veteran seeks to redeem both the boy and himself.Clint Eastwood as Walt Kowalski:
"Ever notice how you come across somebody once in a while you shouldn't have f..ked with? That's me." - DirectorJames McTeigueStarsHugo WeavingNatalie PortmanRupert GravesIn a future British dystopian society, a shadowy freedom fighter, known only by the alias of "V", plots to overthrow the tyrannical government - with the help of a young woman.Hugo Weaving as V:
[Speaking to Evey Hammond]: "That's it! See, at first I thought it was hate, too. Hate was all I knew, it built my world, it imprisoned me, taught me how to eat, how to drink, how to breathe. I thought I'd die with all my hate in my veins. But then something happened. It happened to me... just as it happened to you." - DirectorRupert JulianLon ChaneyErnst LaemmleStarsLon ChaneyMary PhilbinNorman KerryA mad, disfigured composer seeks love with a lovely young opera singer.Lon Chaney as Erik / The Phantom:
[title card] "If I am the Phantom, it is because man's hatred has made me so... If I shall be saved, it will be because your love redeems me." - DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsJoaquin PhoenixPhilip Seymour HoffmanAmy AdamsA Naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future - until he is tantalized by the Cause and its charismatic leader.Joaquin Phoenix as Freddie Quell.
Lancaster Dodd: "Free winds and no tyranny for you, Freddie, sailor of the seas. You pay no rent, free to go where you please. Then go, go to that landless latitude and good luck. If you figure a way to live without serving a master, any master, then let the rest of us know, will you? For you'd be the first in the history of the world." - DirectorMilos FormanStarsJack NicholsonLouise FletcherMichael BerrymanIn the Fall of 1963, a Korean War veteran and criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rallies up the scared patients against the tyrannical nurse.Jack Nicholson as Randle P. McMurphy:
"I must be crazy to be in a loony bin like this." - DirectorStuart RosenbergStarsPaul NewmanGeorge KennedyStrother MartinA laid-back Southern man is sentenced to two years in a rural prison, but refuses to conform.Paul Newman as Luke.
Arletta: "Why, we always thought you was strong enough to carry it. Was we wrong?"
Luke: "I don't know. Well, things are just never the way they seem, Arletta, you know that. A man's just gotta go his own way." - DirectorSam PeckinpahStarsSteve McQueenRobert PrestonIda LupinoAce Bonner returns to Arizona several years after he abandoned his family, Junior Bonner is a wild young man. Against the typical rodeo championship, family drama erupts.Steve McQueen as Junior 'JR' Bonner.
Curly Bonner: "Junior, you're my brother, and I guess I love you. Well, we're family. I don't care what you do. You can sell one lot or a hundred lots. I'm just tryin' to keep us together."
Junior 'JR' Bonner: "I gotta go down my own road."
Curly Bonner: "What road? I mean, I'm workin' on my first million, and you're still workin' on eight seconds." - DirectorMartin RittStarsPaul NewmanMelvyn DouglasPatricia NealHonest, hard-working Texas rancher Homer Bannon has a conflict with his unscrupulous, selfish, arrogant, egotistical son Hud, who sank into alcoholism after accidentally killing his brother in a car crash.Paul Newman as Hud Bannon.
Homer Bannon: "You don't care about people Hud. You don't give a damn about 'em. Oh, you got all the charm goin' for ya. And it makes the youngsters want to be like ya. That's the shame of it because you don't value anything. You don't respect nothing. You keep no check on your appetites at all. You live just for yourself. And that makes you not fit to live with." - DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsCatherine DeneuveIan HendryJohn FraserA sex-repulsed woman who disapproves of her sister's boyfriend sinks into depression and has horrific visions of rape and violence.Catherine Deneuve as Carole Ledoux.
Hélène Ledoux: "Why did you throw Michael's things away?"
Carole Ledoux: "I don't like them there." - DirectorJohn McNaughtonStarsMichael RookerTracy ArnoldTom TowlesArriving in Chicago, Henry moves in with ex-con acquaintance Otis and starts schooling him in the ways of the serial killer.Michael Rooker as Henry.
Otis: "Where are you going?"
Henry: "Nowhere - you wanna come?" - DirectorTerry ZwigoffStarsSteve BuscemiThora BirchScarlett JohanssonTwo eccentric best friends graduate high school and respond to a man's romance-seeking newspaper ad as a gag, only to find their lives becoming increasingly complicated.Thora Birch as Enid & Scarlett Johansson as Rebecca.
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsJohn TurturroJohn GoodmanJudy DavisA renowned New York playwright is enticed to California to write for the movies and discovers the hellish truth of Hollywood.John Turturro as Barton Fink:
"I gotta tell you, the life of the mind... There's no roadmap for that territory... And exploring it can be painful." - DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsSean GulletteMark MargolisBen ShenkmanA paranoid mathematician searches for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature.Sean Gullette as Maximillian Cohen:
"9:13, Personal note: When I was a little kid my mother told me not to stare into the sun. So once when I was six I did. The doctors didn't know if my eyes would ever heal. I was terrified, alone in that darkness. Slowly, daylight crept in through the bandages, and I could see. But something else had changed inside of me. That day I had my first headache." - DirectorAnton CorbijnStarsSam RileySamantha MortonCraig ParkinsonA profile of Ian Curtis, the enigmatic singer of Joy Division whose personal, professional, and romantic troubles led him to die by suicide at the age of 23.Sam Riley as Ian Curtis:
"I don't want to be in the band anymore. Unknown Pleasures was it. I was happy. I never meant for it to grow like this. When I'm up there, singing, they don't understand how much I give and how it affects me. Now they want more. They expect me to give more. And I don't know if I can. It's like it's not happening to me, but... someone pretending to be me, someone dressed in my skin. Now we're going to America. I have no control anymore. I don't know what to do." - DirectorBent HamerStarsMatt DillonLili TaylorMarisa TomeiThis drama centers on Hank Chinaski, the fictional alter-ego of "Factotum" author Charles Bukowski, who wanders around Los Angeles, CA trying to live off jobs which don't interfere with his primary interest, which is writing. Along the way, he fends off the distractions offered by women, drinking and gambling.Matt Dillon as Hank Chinaski:
[Voice over] "If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives, jobs, and maybe your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery, isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance. Of how much you really want to do it. And you'll do it, despite rejection in the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods. And the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It's the only good fight there is." - DirectorBarbet SchroederStarsMickey RourkeFaye DunawayAlice KrigeBased on the life of successful poet Charles Bukowski and his exploits in Hollywood during the 60s, 70s, and 80s.Mickey Rourke as Henry Chinaski:
[Voice over] "And as my hands drop the last desperate pen, in some cheap room, they will find me there and never know my name, my meaning, nor the treasure of my escape."
Wanda: "I can't stand people, I hate them."
Henry: "Oh yeah?"
Wanda: "Do you hate them?"
Henry: "No, but I seem to feel better when they're not around." - DirectorTrent HarrisStarsCrispin GloverHoward HessemanKaren BlackAn unsuccessful, nervous businessman gradually comes to befriend an eccentric, asocial nerd on a trip to Utah to bury a deceased cat.Crispin Glover as Rubin Farr.
Rubin's Mother: "Why don't you go out and make yourself a friend?"
Rubin: "No!"
Rubin's Mother: "Yes!"
Rubin: "No!"
Rubin's Mother: "Well then take out the trash." - DirectorTim BurtonStarsPaul ReubensElizabeth DailyMark HoltonWhen eccentric man-child Pee-wee Herman gets his beloved bike stolen in broad daylight, he sets out across the U.S. on the adventure of his life.Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman:
"There's a lotta things about me you don't know anything about, Dottie. Things you wouldn't understand. Things you couldn't understand. Things you shouldn't understand."
Dottie: "I don't understand."
Pee-wee: "You don't wanna get mixed up with a guy like me. I'm a loner, Dottie. A rebel. So long, Dott." - DirectorJean-Pierre JeunetStarsAudrey TautouMathieu KassovitzRufusDespite being caught in her imaginative world, Amelie, a young waitress, decides to help people find happiness. Her quest to spread joy leads her on a journey where she finds true love.Audrey Tautou as Amélie Poulain.
Narrator: "Amélie still seeks solitude. She amuses herself with silly questions about the world below, such as 'How many people are having an orgasm right now?'"
[scenes of various orgasms taking place]
Amélie: "Fifteen." - DirectorRichard KellyStarsJake GyllenhaalJena MaloneMary McDonnellAfter narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie Darko:
"I made a new friend."
Dr. Lilian Thurman: "Real or imaginary?"
Donnie: "Imaginary." - DirectorSpike JonzeStarsNicolas CageMeryl StreepChris CooperA lovelorn screenwriter becomes desperate as he tries and fails to adapt 'The Orchid Thief' by Susan Orlean for the screen.Nicolas Cage as Charlie Kaufman & Donald Kaufman:
Charlie Kaufman: "How could you have somebody held prisoner in a basement and... and working at a police station at the same time?"
Donald Kaufman: [Pause] "Trick photography." - 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.Philip Seymour Hoffman as Max Jerry Horovitz:
"When I was young, I invented an invisible friend called Mr. Ravioli. My psychiatrist says I don't need him anymore, so he just sits in the corner and reads." - DirectorTim BurtonStarsJohnny DeppWinona RyderDianne WiestThe solitary life of an artificial man - who was incompletely constructed and has scissors for hands - is upended when he is taken in by a suburban family.Johnny Depp as Edward Scissorhands.
Psychologist: "The years spent in isolation have not equipped him with the tools necessary to judge right from wrong. He's had no context. He's been completely without guidance. Furthermore, his work - the garden sculptures, hairstyles and so forth - indicate that he's a highly imaginative... uh... character. It seems clear that his awareness of what we call reality is radically underdeveloped." - DirectorRobert HarmonStarsRutger HauerC. Thomas HowellJennifer Jason LeighA young man who escapes the clutches of a murderous hitchhiker is subsequently stalked by the hitcher and framed for his crimes.Rutger Hauer as John Ryder.
Interrogation Sergeant: "What's your name? Come on. What's your name? Do you have a name? Do you have a police record? Where are you from?"
John Ryder: "Disneyland." - DirectorAki KaurismäkiStarsMarkku ToikkaAino SeppoEsko NikkariA slaughterhouse worker and former law student, takes vengeance on the man who killed his fiancée in a hit and run accident.Author Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Quote from Crime and Punishment):
"He was so immersed in himself and had isolated himself so much from everyone that he was afraid not only of meeting his landlady but of meeting anyone at all. He was crushed by poverty; but even his strained circumstances had lately ceased to burden him."