Best Indie Sci-Fi: Watchlist #1
This list is a companion to Best Indie Sci-Fi 1997-2021 V2.0.
It is followed by Best Indie Sci-Fi: Watchlist #2 and Best Indie Sci-Fi: Watchlist #3.
Every year the cost of making an sf film of a given quality goes down, which means that every year more films worth checking out appear. I periodically hunt down the new ones, and in the process I invariably find older ones that are just now gaining attention (or have finally been classified as sci-fi at IMDB).
I divide all unseen films into three tiers by apparent quality and promise. Tier A has films that seem likely to be a should-see film or better, tier B has films with roughly a 50-50 chance, and tier C is the films that seem unlikely but need to be checked out. (Many of those that fall short will qualify as "could-see" films and eventually appear in the main list.)
As of the completion of the current V3.0 (formerly V2.1), the three tiers will contain upwards of 155, 72, and 86 films respectively (I'm still looking). Yes, that's 313+ films. When you include the films I've already rated, and the 78 films I've examined and decided weren’t worth a look, 53% of all the films I'm aware of are in the top tier! Obviously there are more second- and third-tier films made than first-tier, but the former are also much less likely to be picked up for streaming or distribution.
Worthy of note: at the completion of V2.0 the three tiers contained 129, 56, and 67 films respectively. Since I'll have watched 43 films for this update, that meant that 313 - 252 + 43 = 104 films were added, basically a third of the watchlist! It would seem that new films are far outpacing my ability to watch them, but the simple fact is that I'm doing a concerted conscientious effort to track down everything missing. I think the number of interesting new films per year is in the neighborhood of 40, and I also suspect that the streaming services are getting close to running out of interesting old ones to unearth. It should be possible to keep up once I get caught up ... which is why I've decided to try and average two films per week.
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As you may have guessed, each Watchlist corresponds to a tier. Because this first tier is so populous, it has itself been subdivided onto three groups, more or less by their likelihood of becoming must-see films.
First up are the 39 films for V3.1 (which will also include 15 rewatches). Target date is the end of August 2022.
The 42 films for 4.0 are next (together with 18 rewatches). The goal here is to finish by the end of September 2023. V 4.0 will at long last include an update of the very interesting "popularity" scores, and should have a "last word" ranking of all but the newest of the best films, as all will have been watched at least twice.
Finally, there are 73 films to be split between V4.1 and V 5.0 (along with 34 re-watches, to fine-tune the rankings of the next-best films). The goal is to finish by the end of 2024.
After that? I have a list of 64+ indie-ish sci-films from 1968 to 1996, but I've only seen 18, nearly all of which need to be rewatched. That looks like a year-long project, when you include keeping up with new films.
Now, if I can become wealthy enough to hire people to do things--not just all the time-consuming aspects of real life, but the more rote elements of running this list -- I may be able to accelerate this timetable significantly. And I actually have a plan for that!
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In the notes, a + is a film appearing for the first time on the watchlist, and ^ is one bumped up a category from the last list, while < is a bump down.
A * indicates a film that direct-to-DVD or VOD release, when movie theaters were open.
The notes also include availability for those that aren't free on Amazon Prime. These are up-to-date only as far V3.1. "NFS" is Netflix Streaming and "DN" is DVD.Netflix. "A$" indicates the Amazon rent or purchase appears to be the best bet. All disks are Blu-Rays unless noted. An @ indicates availability from the Minuteman Library System in Eastern MA.
First, 32 mostly older films for V3.1, in chronological order by U.S. release.
It is followed by Best Indie Sci-Fi: Watchlist #2 and Best Indie Sci-Fi: Watchlist #3.
Every year the cost of making an sf film of a given quality goes down, which means that every year more films worth checking out appear. I periodically hunt down the new ones, and in the process I invariably find older ones that are just now gaining attention (or have finally been classified as sci-fi at IMDB).
I divide all unseen films into three tiers by apparent quality and promise. Tier A has films that seem likely to be a should-see film or better, tier B has films with roughly a 50-50 chance, and tier C is the films that seem unlikely but need to be checked out. (Many of those that fall short will qualify as "could-see" films and eventually appear in the main list.)
As of the completion of the current V3.0 (formerly V2.1), the three tiers will contain upwards of 155, 72, and 86 films respectively (I'm still looking). Yes, that's 313+ films. When you include the films I've already rated, and the 78 films I've examined and decided weren’t worth a look, 53% of all the films I'm aware of are in the top tier! Obviously there are more second- and third-tier films made than first-tier, but the former are also much less likely to be picked up for streaming or distribution.
Worthy of note: at the completion of V2.0 the three tiers contained 129, 56, and 67 films respectively. Since I'll have watched 43 films for this update, that meant that 313 - 252 + 43 = 104 films were added, basically a third of the watchlist! It would seem that new films are far outpacing my ability to watch them, but the simple fact is that I'm doing a concerted conscientious effort to track down everything missing. I think the number of interesting new films per year is in the neighborhood of 40, and I also suspect that the streaming services are getting close to running out of interesting old ones to unearth. It should be possible to keep up once I get caught up ... which is why I've decided to try and average two films per week.
---
As you may have guessed, each Watchlist corresponds to a tier. Because this first tier is so populous, it has itself been subdivided onto three groups, more or less by their likelihood of becoming must-see films.
First up are the 39 films for V3.1 (which will also include 15 rewatches). Target date is the end of August 2022.
The 42 films for 4.0 are next (together with 18 rewatches). The goal here is to finish by the end of September 2023. V 4.0 will at long last include an update of the very interesting "popularity" scores, and should have a "last word" ranking of all but the newest of the best films, as all will have been watched at least twice.
Finally, there are 73 films to be split between V4.1 and V 5.0 (along with 34 re-watches, to fine-tune the rankings of the next-best films). The goal is to finish by the end of 2024.
After that? I have a list of 64+ indie-ish sci-films from 1968 to 1996, but I've only seen 18, nearly all of which need to be rewatched. That looks like a year-long project, when you include keeping up with new films.
Now, if I can become wealthy enough to hire people to do things--not just all the time-consuming aspects of real life, but the more rote elements of running this list -- I may be able to accelerate this timetable significantly. And I actually have a plan for that!
-----
In the notes, a + is a film appearing for the first time on the watchlist, and ^ is one bumped up a category from the last list, while < is a bump down.
A * indicates a film that direct-to-DVD or VOD release, when movie theaters were open.
The notes also include availability for those that aren't free on Amazon Prime. These are up-to-date only as far V3.1. "NFS" is Netflix Streaming and "DN" is DVD.Netflix. "A$" indicates the Amazon rent or purchase appears to be the best bet. All disks are Blu-Rays unless noted. An @ indicates availability from the Minuteman Library System in Eastern MA.
First, 32 mostly older films for V3.1, in chronological order by U.S. release.
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- DirectorDon McKellarStarsDon McKellarSandra OhRoberta MaxwellA group of very different individuals with different ideas of how to face the end come together as the world is expected to end in six hours at the turn of the century.(US 1999). Available in the correct aspect ratio only as an out of print U.K. DVD.
- DirectorKiyoshi KurosawaStarsHaruhiko KatôKumiko AsôKoyukiTwo groups of people discover evidence that suggests spirits may be trying to invade the human world through the Internet.(US 2005). Possibly not sci-fi, but an arthouse horror classic. Kanopy.
- DirectorChristopher SmithStarsMelissa GeorgeJoshua McIvorJack TaylorFive friends set sail and their yacht is overturned by a strange and sudden storm. A mysterious ship arrives to rescue them, and what happens next cannot be explained.(US 2010). Kanopy.
- DirectorKanji NakajimaStarsMitsuhiro OikawaEri IshidaHiromi NagasakuThe Clone Returns Home is a compelling meditation on the paradox of life and death, and the meaning of love and family. Set in an imaginary - yet utterly imaginable - future, this quietly provocative film skillfully transposes complex emotional drama into the realm of science fiction by exploring the influence of technology on human memory and experience. Filled with stunning imagery and haunting stillness, The Clone Returns Home deftly combines subtly nuanced sci-fi with a uniquely Japanese perspective on the universal themes of family, life, love, and death.+ (US 2011). DVD, libraries.
- DirectorHuân VuStarsPaul DorschJürgen HeimüllerIngo HeiseA boy, looking for his missing father, travels to Germany and uncovers a haunting legacy that a meteorite left behind in the area. Based on H.P. Lovecraft's short novel "The Color Out of Space."(US 2012*). Because another version was made in 2020. That one will be done last in this set. Kanopy.
- DirectorHenry BarrialStarsRudolf MartinHeather AnkenyKeith DiamondA man wakes up alone in the middle of the desert with a black hood on his head and his hands tied behind his back. At death's door, he is discovered by a woman living alone in the desert and is nursed back to health. Upon regaining consciousness, the man realizes he has amnesia, and has no idea who he is. His only clue, a piece of paper in his pocket with the name "Manny Elder" on it, sends him on a journey to Los Angeles to discover his past. But things and people are not what they seem and clues lead to something bigger and more unusual than the man could have ever imagined.(US 2014*). Kanopy.
- DirectorRichard AyoadeStarsJesse EisenbergMia WasikowskaWallace ShawnThe unenviable life of a government-agency clerk takes a horrific turn with the arrival of a new co-worker who is both his exact physical double and his opposite otherwise--he's a confident, charismatic ladies' man.+ (US 2014).
- DirectorLeigh JaniakStarsRose LeslieHarry TreadawayBen HuberA newlywed couple finds their lake-country honeymoon descend into chaos after Paul finds Bea wandering and disoriented in the middle of the night.+ Kanopy.
- DirectorAleksey GermanStarsLeonid YarmolnikAleksandr ChutkoYuriy TsuriloIn the distant future, a space traveler from Earth breaks a special law and interferes with the history of another, Medieval-like planet.(US 2015*). Kanopy
- DirectorBenjamin DickinsonStarsBenjamin DickinsonNora ZehetnerDan GillIn near future Brooklyn, an ad executive uses a new Augmented Reality technology to conduct an affair with his best friend's girlfriend...sort of.(US 2016).
- DirectorAnders Thomas JensenStarsDavid DencikMads MikkelsenNikolaj Lie KaasThrough getting to know their unknown family, two outcast brothers discover a horrible truth about themselves and their relatives.(US 2016). A$. Jensen co-wrote Oscar winner In a Better World.
- DirectorBen WheatleyStarsTom HiddlestonJeremy IronsSienna MillerLife for the residents of a tower block begins to run out of control.(US 2016). NFS. Wheatley did A Field in England and Free Fire. Kanopy.
- DirectorMark SawersStarsPatrick GilmoreBronwen SmithTara PrattIn a world where women have become able to "self-fertilise" and are no longer giving birth to males, a quiet, unassuming housekeeper named Andrew Myers finds himself at the center of a battle to keep men from going extinct.(US 2016*).Prime and not yet moved to IMDB, it seems.
- DirectorDrake DoremusStarsNicholas HoultKristen StewartVernetta LopezIn an emotionless utopia, two people fall in love when they regain their feelings from a mysterious disease, causing tensions between them and their society.(US 2016). Distributed by top indie A24. Doremus did Like Crazy. Kanopy.
- DirectorPatricia RozemaStarsElliot PageEvan Rachel WoodMax MinghellaAfter a massive power outage, two sisters learn to survive on their own in their isolated woodland home.(US 2016). Also from A24. Kanopy.
- DirectorClaire CarréStarsJason RitterIva GochevaGreta FernándezAfter a global neurological epidemic, those who remain search for meaning and connection in a world without memory.(US 2016*). Gone from Prime. Kanopy.
- DirectorWilliam EubankStarsGunner WrightCorey RichardsonBradley HorneA man spends years alone on a space station orbiting Earth after losing communication with Houston/Earth. He spends time on maintenance, exercise, watching old messages, and reading a journal by a soldier in the American Civil War.+ (US 2017 VOD). Hoopla.
- DirectorCharlie McDowellStarsRobert RedfordMary SteenburgenBrian McCarthyTwo years after the afterlife is scientifically proven, a man attempts to help a young woman break away from her dark past.* NFS. McDowell did The One I Love (main list #62).
- DirectorKeir BurrowsStarsYaiza FigueroaPhilippa CarsonTom Barber-DuffyA scientist faces the question of what makes us whole and if there is a part of us that is not part of this physical world when she discovers how to travel through a worm hole.(US 2017). Hoopla.
- DirectorJohn Cameron MitchellStarsElle FanningAlex SharpNicole KidmanAn alien touring the galaxy breaks away from her group and meets two young inhabitants of the most dangerous place in the universe: the London borough of Croydon.(2018 US). Mitchell did Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and Shortbus. Kanopy.
- DirectorReed MoranoStarsPeter DinklageElle FanningCharlotte GainsbourgThe apocalypse proves a blessing in disguise for one lucky recluse--until a second survivor arrives with the threat of companionship.Morano did the first three episodes of The Handmaid's Tale. DN.
- DirectorRichard StanleyStarsNicolas CageJoely RichardsonMadeleine ArthurA secluded farm is struck by a strange meteorite which has apocalyptic consequences for the family living there and possibly the world.DN.
- CreatorAlex GarlandStarsSonoya MizunoNick OffermanJin HaA computer engineer investigates the secretive development division in her company, which she believes is behind the disappearance of her boyfriend.
- DirectorArati KadavStarsVikrant MasseyShweta TripathiNandu MadhavA young female astronaut, who joins a reclusive astronaut aboard a spaceship, struggles with her job as she interacts with mysterious Cargos that appear on the ship.
- DirectorGabriel MascaroStarsDira PaesJulio MachadoAntonio PastichA woman uses her bureaucratic job to convince divorcing couples to stay together and is utterly committed to getting pregnant by her husband in a future of dance parties, ritualistic orgies and fundamentalist Christianity.(US 2020) TBD.
- DirectorSteven KostanskiStarsNita-Josée HannaOwen MyreMatthew NinaberAfter unearthing a gem that controls an evil monster looking to destroy the Universe, a young girl and her brother use it to make him do their bidding.+ Hoopla.
- DirectorLav DiazStarsJoel LamanganPiolo PascualShaina MagdayaoMadmen control Manila in 2034 after massive volcanic eruptions have plunged Southeast Asia into darkness.+ Mubi.
- DirectorMatthew Butler-HartStarsTori Butler-HartIan McKellenConleth HillAn experimental film shot with just one crew member. Jane is trapped in a parallel universe and is forced to find a way to alter her reality before it is too late.+ DVD, via Libraries.
- DirectorMaria SchraderStarsMaren EggertDan StevensSandra HüllerIn order to obtain research funds for her studies, a scientist accepts an offer to participate in an extraordinary experiment: for three weeks, she is to live with a humanoid robot, created to make her happy.+ Hulu.
- DirectorJulia DucournauStarsVincent LindonAgathe RousselleGarance MarillierFollowing a series of unexplained crimes, a father is reunited with the son who has been missing for ten years.+ TBD.
- DirectorSandra WollnerStarsLena WatsonDominik WartaIngrid BurkhardElli is an android programmed with memories that mean everything to her owner but nothing to her. The story of a machine and the ghosts we all carry within us.+ (US 2020). Mubi.
- DirectorApichatpong WeerasethakulStarsTilda SwintonAgnes BrekkeDaniel Giménez CachoA woman from Scotland, while traveling in Colombia, begins to notice strange sounds. Soon she begins to think about their appearance.+ In theaters.
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7 films for V3.1 promoted from V4.0 because of availability issues (again in chronological order) - DirectorSteve WangStarsMark DacascosKadeem HardisonJohn Pyper-FergusonA prototype enhanced human, on the run from Chinese-hired hit men, hooks up with a dread-locked bystander, and the two of them elude their pursuers narrowly each time.(US 1998 VOD). Hoopa. The superior director's cut is available only as a U.K. DVD.
- DirectorJosh FeldmanStarsZach EulbergLauren TaylorTaylor LambertCharles Dickens meets Arthur C. Clarke--A lowly factory worker is delivered from a world of misery and discovers his destiny via an ancient object on the other side of the stars.(US 2014*). Hoopla.
- DirectorSophia CacciolaMichael J. EpsteinStarsAllix MortisChris BernardiRachel Leah BlumenthalOn December 31st, the Earth will be destroyed. Everything you know will become nothing. Maybe it already has.(US 2016*) Hoopla.
- DirectorIsaac EzbanStarsGustavo Sánchez ParraCassandra CiangherottiFernando BecerrilOn the rainy night of October 2, 1968, eight characters waiting on a remote bus station for a bus heading to Mexico City start experiencing a strange phenomenon.(US 2016*). Ezban earlier did #64 on the main list. Hoopla.
- DirectorGary WalkowStarsKate Lyn SheilEric GorlowJonas BallIn the elevator a man touches Mary's shoulder and talks to her telepathically. From that day everything changes in Mary's life, she starts reading people's mind becoming a sort of living radio and soon is pushed toward a bloody path.+ Mubi.
- DirectorScott PerlmanStarsJonathan SilvermanJennifer FinniganRichard KindA genetics professor clones his dead wife, over and over, in a desperate attempt to get her back exactly as she was.(2018 US). Hoopla.
- DirectorMike P. NelsonStarsKate BosworthTyler HoechlinSonoya MizunoIn the weeks following an apocalyptic event, a husband and wife venture across the countryside inhabited by deadly factions in search of safety, and must work together as they are pushed to the breaking point in order to survive.Hoopla.
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7 films for V4.0 demoted from V3.1 because of lack of free availability - DirectorHugh SullivanStarsJosh McConvilleHannah MarshallAlex DimitriadesA man's attempt to construct the ultimate romantic weekend backfires when his quest for perfection traps his lover in an infinite loop.(US 2015*).
- DirectorMartin VilleneuveStarsJacques LanguirandCaroline DhavernasPaul AhmaraniBased on an acclaimed graphic novel, Mars & Avril is set in Montreal of the future, at the dawn of the first human landing on Mars, and tells the story of a musician who becomes obsessed with his muse.+ (2017 US*).
- DirectorRuss EmanuelStarsRobert PicardoBriana WhiteAva JustinA documentarian named Annie has roped her husband into a project that involves setting up cameras throughout their house. Complications arise when the cameras start showing that same couple in an alternate universe.(US 2017*).
- DirectorCaroline LabrècheSteeve LéonardStarsDiego KlattenhoffCharlotte SullivanBrett DonahueA man wakes up with no memory of who he is, and finds that everyone who comes within a certain distance of him suddenly dies.*
- DirectorJames MorrisonStarsIvan SandomireJamie JacksonAndrew SensenigThe survivor of a deadly virus is given the chance to reclaim his lost life by stopping the man responsible for the disease.(2018 US*).
- DirectorBlake Williams+ (US 2018). 3D integral.
- DirectorAntonio TublenStarsZoë TapperEd SpeleersAntonia Campbell-HughesA couple try to save their marriage during a zombie apocalypse.(US 2019)
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34 films for Version 4.0
(again in chronological order) - DirectorAbel FerraraStarsChristopher WalkenWillem DafoeAsia ArgentoTwo businessmen are hired to steal secrets from a rival, and decide to use a beautiful call girl to do so.
- DirectorHilary BrougherStarsTerumi MatthewsNicole ZarayBelinda BeckerA writer, Tucker Harding, is hired to cover an article on the hydrogen-bomb test, Nevada, 1952. While there, radiation mutates her code/soul, spawning in her the ability to travel through time by force of will. Not long after she is murdered by a woman from the future, Ofelia, intent on securing her own ability to time travel. However, before her death Tucker travels to the year 1997 where she meets Drew, a failed writer who has been infected with Tuckers original mutation since birth.(US 2001*). DVD$
- DirectorCampbell ScottStarsDenis LearyHope DavisJ.C. MacKenzieWhen Bill (Denis Leary) wakes up in the psychiatric wing at Sumer Hospital, he has trouble distinguishing his dreams from reality.
- DirectorShin'ya TsukamotoStarsShin'ya TsukamotoKirina ManoTatsuya NakamuraA man sees his life changed forever when his fiancee shoots herself. Baffled, he wants by all means to obtain such a weapon of destruction and he finds himself caught in the middle of a violent group of young vicious punks. They first beat him severely and then he seeks revenge with his fist, then with a gun. Everything from then on is a complete downward spiral.+ (US 2005 DVD)
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsBrad DourifDonald WilliamsEllen BakerAn alien narrates the story of his dying planet, his and his people's visits to Earth and Earth's man-made demise, while human astronauts attempt to find an alternate planet for surviving humans to live on.+ (US 2006).
- DirectorJuan Carlos FresnadilloStarsJeremy RennerRose ByrneRobert CarlyleSix months after the rage virus was inflicted on the population of Great Britain, the US Army helps to secure a small area of London for the survivors to repopulate and start again. But not everything goes according to plan.+ Missed that it qualified by budget.
- DirectorCory McAbeeStarsCory McAbeeCrugieDavid Hyde PierceA dangerous mission reunites STINGRAY SAM with his long lost accomplice, The Quasar Kid. Follow these two space convicts as they earn their freedom in exchange for the rescue of a young girl who is being held captive by the genetically designed figurehead of a very wealthy planet.(US 2010*). A$
- DirectorAbel FerraraStarsWillem DafoeShanyn LeighNatasha LyonneA look at how a painter and a successful actor spend their last day together before the world comes to an end.+
- DirectorJan NemecStarsJan PotmesilLucie RejchrtováCestmír RandaThis controversial feature blends documentary, archival footage and fiction into an elliptical narrative in which two young people in Prague, an ancient seat for the practice of alchemy, follow the trail for the mystical philosopher's stone. History and future blend as brilliant montage sequences and fanciful leaps of the imagination work to posit questions about the legacy of the past and how it influences the individual's personal freedom and responsibility.+ (US 2013 DVD, now OOP$)
- DirectorTimothy LanzoneStarsDanny BarclayEric BloomDavid John ColeFour mathematicians are hired by the US government to solve the most powerful problem in computer science history.(US 2013).
- DirectorSam EsmailStarsJustin LongEmmy RossumKayla ServiSet in a parallel universe, Comet bounces back and forth over the course of an unlikely but perfectly paired couple's six-year relationship.Blu$; DN@
- DirectorSion SonoStarsRyohei SuzukiYoung DaisNana SeinoIn an alternate Japan, territorial street gangs form opposing factions collectively known as the Tokyo Tribes. Merra, leader of the Wu-Ronz tribe of Bukuro crosses the line to conquer all of Tokyo. The war begins.+
- DirectorHooroo JacksonStarsAllisyn SnyderCrispin GloverTerry MooreA teenage delinquent orphan rebels against her evil family during a global virus outbreak.(US 2016). Tubi
- DirectorRania AttiehDaniel GarciaStarsRobin BartlettRebecca DayanWill JanowitzTwo women descend into madness after an alleged meteor strike sets off a series of strange events in their town of Troy, N.Y.(US 2016*). iTunes
- DirectorPhilip T. JohnsonStarsAaron GrahamKirby O'ConnellKenneth HughesString theory and the afterlife collide as researcher Brayden Taylor embarks on a quest to contact another dimension. An "American Doctor Who", this underground sci-fi film is the first of a series of adventures based on real science.
- CreatorZal BatmanglijBrit MarlingStarsBrit MarlingJason IsaacsScott WilsonHaving gone missing seven years ago, the previously blind Prairie returns home, now in her twenties with her sight restored. While many believe she is a miracle, others worry that she could be dangerous.The first season reportedly constitutes a complete story, so this qualifies as a multi-part film from Britt Marling and Zal Batmanglij, the creators of #75 on the main list.
- DirectorGeoffrey OrthweinAndrew SullivanStarsMaika MonroeMatt O'LearyArnar JónssonOn a romantic getaway to Iceland, a young American couple wake up one morning to discover every person on earth has disappeared.NFS
- DirectorTravis MilloyStarsChristopher Soren KellyCassandra ClarkCajardo LindseyA man trapped in an automated prison must outsmart a computer in order to escape.(US 2017).
- DirectorMateo GilStarsTom HughesOona ChaplinBarry WardMarc will die of cancer and chooses cryogenic freeze and hopes to be thawed, when there's a solution to his condition. He's the first human brought back 68 years later. Can he adapt mentally and physically?(US 2017). DVD$@; SyFy OD
- DirectorKiyoshi KurosawaStarsMasami NagasawaRyûhei MatsudaHiroki HasegawaThree aliens travel to Earth in preparation for a mass invasion, taking possession of human bodies.(2018 US). Kurosawa did Pulse. Hulu, Kanopy.
- DirectorDaniel CockburnStarsTracy WrightR.D. ReidAnand RajaramA fantasy about a reclusive woman who searches for meaning in the mysterious documents that keep appearing to her, turning her home into an archive. As realities collapse and intersect around here, she must make a final choice: is she a free agent, or just a tool of the archive?+ (US 2018 DVD).
- DirectorYeon Sang-hoStarsRyu Seung-ryongShim Eun-kyungPark Jeong-minAfter drinking water from a mountain spring, a bank security guard gains telekinetic superpowers, which he must use to save his estranged daughter from an evil construction company, as a superhero.Actual U.S. title Psychokinesis (I've asked IMDB twice to change it back.) * NFS. Yeon did Train to Busan (main list #17).
- DirectorIvan ZucconStarsEmanuele CermanAlessio CherubiniRita RuscianoAfter the loss of his daughter Eleanor, a famous scientist, Dr. Herbert West, experimenting with a special serum invented by him, desperately tries to bring her back to life.(2018 US*).
- DirectorBen HowlingYolanda RamkeStarsSimone LandersMartin FreemanMarlee Jane McPherson-DobbinsAfter an epidemic spreads all over Australia, a father searches for someone willing to protect his daughter.(US 2018). NFS.
- DirectorPete OhsAndrea SissonStarsJulia GarnerC.S. LeeJoseph CrossA guy, a girl, and a robothead hike across a desert planet in search of a mythical lake.(2018 US*). Hulu; Hoopla; DVD$
- DirectorTobias NölleStarsGeorg FriedrichTilde von OverbeckKamil KrejcíA lonely private investigator is contacted by a mysterious woman who pulls him into a mind game known as 'telephone walking'. Fascinated by her voice, Aloys discovers an imaginary universe that allows him to break out of his isolation.(US 2018*).
- DirectorDavid DodsonMark DodsonStarsCindy Lou AdkinsWarren FarinaDon HannahAn investigation into the tragic end of Apollo 18, the last US mission to the moon in 1973. In interviews conducted in 1998, on the 25th anniversary of the incident, witnesses and participants peel back the layers of mystery surrounding the events that nearly destroyed an American institution.(US 2018)
- DirectorJohnny KevorkianStarsSam GittinsNeerja NaikAbigail CruttendenA family's Christmas takes a strange turn when they awake to find themselves trapped inside and begin receiving mysterious instructions through the television.^ NFS
- DirectorPerry BhandalStarsLuke GossFlynn AllenPeter GuinnessWith the world's end imminent, a dying mother sends her young son on a journey to the place which grants wishes. The film's inspired by the works of 13th century Sufi mystic and poet, Rumi.^ A$
- DirectorSonny MarlerStarsClayne CrawfordChristian KaneWilmer CalderonA hermit farmer discovers his late father's secret journal containing plans to a magnetic powered machine that could change the world, while unexpectedly becoming custodian of his gifted 6 year old nephew, after his mom's untimely death.* NFS
- DirectorAntonin BaudryStarsFrançois CivilOmar SyMathieu KassovitzIn the near future, a French submarine finds itself in a crisis situation.Actual US title The Wolf's Call. * NFS
- DirectorJon LucasScott MooreStarsAdam DevineAlexandra ShippRose ByrnePhil makes top 10 pop lists at work. His only "friend" is cellphone Siri. His new phone includes AI helper Jexi, who improves/controls his social life.+
- DirectorTony Dean SmithStarsAdrian Glynn McMorranMagda ApanowiczJohn CassiniA man afflicted with clairvoyance tries to change his fate when a series of events leads to a vision of his own imminent murder.(US 2020)
- DirectorJ.D. DillardStarsKiersey ClemonsEmory CohenHanna Mangan LawrenceA woman washes ashore a small uninhabited island after an accident. The situation turns from bad to worse when she realizes there is a mysterious creature hunting at night.
- DirectorNobuhiko ÔbayashiStarsTadanobu AsanoTakuro AtsukiMickey CurtisThe story centers on a group of young people who travel back in time when they are in a movie theater just before closing time. They witness deaths during the closing days of Japan's feudal times and on the battlefront in China before they are sent to Hiroshima just before the Aug. 6, 1945, atomic bombing of the city.+ (US 2021 VOD). Mubi.
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73 Films for V4.1 and V5.0
These are in chronological order by U.S. release except for six which took a long while to be available: the first two of Craig Baldwin's unique films, and the four Russian entries. - DirectorGakuryû IshiiStarsYoshiki ArizonoTadanobu AsanoMasakatsu FunakiA violent, guitar-playing, electrically charged boxer faces off against an electronic wizard half-merged with a metallic Buddha.+ (US 2006 DVD).
- DirectorCraig BaldwinStarsMaurice BishopJimmy CarterFidel CastroIn the year 1000, aliens from the planet Quetzalcoatl flee their dying planet and take refuge under the Earth's surface. Disturbed by 1950s American atomic testing, the aliens strike back at the USA in such varied schemes as the replicant Castro, the psychic vampire regime in Grenada and the Allende plot to alter the Earth's axis. Only covert action by the CIA can stop the dreaded Quetzals.(US 2006*). Fandor. The first of three unique borrowed-footage films by Baldwin.
- DirectorCraig BaldwinStarsSean KilkoyneCaroline KoebelBeth LisickSet in 2007, a father and daughter try to discover why the planet has ended up as a polluted cesspool of toxic, corrupting transmissions where its citizens expend terrific energy pursuing the most base rewards of a vacuous consumer culture.(US 2005*). Fandor. More borrowed footage.
- DirectorEvgeniy YufitStarsAleksandr AnikeyenkoSergey ChernovStanislav IlyukhinAn entomologist and painter who moves into an old house with his family discovers the work of a mysterious scientist. He finds a cinematography archive with a completely new theory on the reasons why humans became bipedal.+ Russian at https://sovietmoviesonline.com The first of four Russian films in this group that were released at https://sovietmoviesonline.com sometime within the last few years.
- DirectorRussell MulcahyStarsArmand AssanteRachel WardBryan BrownAfter a global nuclear war, the residents of Australia must come to terms with the fact that all life will be destroyed in a matter of months.Available only as an OOP DVD.
- DirectorGeorge A. RomeroStarsJohn LeguizamoAsia ArgentoSimon BakerThe living dead have taken over the world, and the last humans live in a walled city to protect themselves as they come to grips with the situation.+
- DirectorAleksey FedorchenkoStarsBoris VlasovViktoriya IlyinskayaAnatoliy OtradnovBy means of archival footage, this mockumentary "reconstructs" how the Russians secretly realised the first manned flight to the moon as early as the 1930s.(US 201x*). Russian.
- DirectorJames BaiStarsStephen GalaidaRobbie ShapiroMark JanisPost apocalyptic Frankenstein-ish fantasy(US 2006). DN (DVD), Fandor
- DirectorIlya KhrzhanovskiyStarsYuriy LagutaMarina VovchenkoSergey ShnurovTwo men and a woman happen to meet in a bar. We learn from their conversations both the intriguing and banal details of their lives. But is anyone really telling the truth? From the meat market, to the president's drinking habit or the soviet cloning project, this allegory opposes different aspects of contemporary Russian society.(US 2006*). DVD@
- DirectorKonstantin LopushanskiyStarsGregory HladyLeonid MozgovoyAleksey KortnevThe writer is invited to the town of Tashlinsk by the mutants who emerged after an unnatural and constant rain causing the evacuation of the city, and by the children who are studying the unearthly knowledge of mutants.(US 201x*). Russian.
- DirectorNikolay KhomerikiStarsFyodor LavrovKlavdiya KorshunovaYekaterina Golubeva977 is a code number associated with an attempt to "verify the algebra of harmony", to find mathematical regularities of emotional and spiritual human.+ Also Russian.
- DirectorEduardo SánchezStarsAdam KaufmanCatherine ManganBrad William HenkeFifteen years ago, a group of men's lives were forever changed by a strange occurrence. Now, the same group of men will spend a night together ... in terror.+
- DirectorJim FinnStarsDean DeMatteisJim FinnNandini KhaundInterkosmos is a musical documentary-style film about the East German space program-a program with the energy and creativity of the Soviet arts scene of the 1920s and a bit of the hippie sensibility from West Germany of the early 1970s. The story is about a failed space colonization mission called "wundertüte" and is told through narration, dialogue, letters, and period songs.(US 2007*). DN; Fandor
- DirectorJim MickleStarsNick DamiciKim BlairRon BriceA deadly infection breaks out in Manhattan, causing humans to develop into blood-thirsty rat creatures.+
- DirectorDavid BrucknerDan BushJacob GentryStarsAnessa RamseyJustin WelbornScott PoythressA horror film told in three parts, from three perspectives, in which a mysterious transmission that turns people into killers invades every cell phone, radio, and television.+
- DirectorJohn RossStarsCourtney HalversonLydia MilnerCarly HayesWhen she was 11, young Faron Hallowell was sent away to a mental institution for shooting and nearly killing a local weatherman--a secret mission she claimed was assigned to her by alien beings. Now, five years later, released and rehabilitated, all she wants is a normal life. But when the events of her dark past return to haunt her, she'll have to use her uncanny abilities once again to protect her hometown and uncover the secret of her own identity.
- DirectorAlec JolerEthan ShaftelStarsScott CordesAnnie TedescoCaroline VinciguerraDaniel loses his wife and son in a car accident. While slowly recovering from his injuries, he rebuilds his son's video camera that was destroyed in the crash. Infused with power from the moment of the crash, the camera develops the ability to stop time when Daniel presses the pause button. This discovery restores Daniel's purpose, and he fills the vacuum in his life by taking responsibility for another victim, Sarah, a newlywed who lost her husband in the same accident. At first Daniel only watches her, then tries to improve her life in small ways. But using his power to "help" becomes an addiction, and the vastness of Daniel's power can do only one thing...corrupt him.
- DirectorOle BornedalStarsPaprika SteenUlrich ThomsenJonas WandschneiderA group of sixth-graders is convinced their new substitute teacher is actually a menacing alien.(US 2008*). DN (DVD)
- DirectorJames KerwinStarsKipleigh BrownChase MastersonJohn NewtonHoyle, a girl with a sharp mind and a weakness for bourbon, finds herself on the trail of a reclusive genius. But her work takes a series of unforeseen twists as events around her grow increasingly fragmented... disconnected... surreal. With an ethereal lounge singer and her loyal partner as her only allies, Hoyle is plunged into a dark world of intrigue and earth-shattering cosmological secrets. Haunted by an ever-present shadow whom she is destined to face, Hoyle discovers that the most powerful force in the universe -- the power to bend reality, the power to know the truth -- lies within the depths of the human heart.(US 2009). DN.