The 100 Best Movies You've Never Seen
Richard Crouse, film critic and host of television’s award-winning Reel to Real takes you on a journey through 70 years of cinema history, choosing his favorite overlooked films. From the sublime – Monsoon Wedding – to the ridiculous – Eegah! The Name Written in Blood – The 100 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen covers a wide spectrum of films from the 1930s through to 2000s. Complementing the reviews are detailed descriptions of the movie’s plots, trivia, and interviews with the actors and filmmakers.
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- DirectorW.D. RichterStarsPeter WellerJohn LithgowEllen BarkinAdventurer, brain surgeon, rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his crime-fighting team, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, must stop evil alien invaders from the eighth dimension who are planning to conquer Earth.
- DirectorStephen Peter SmithStarsRenato CortesiAngelo AlberiMichael John AngelThe first and only film to tell the story of Annigoni. From his artistic birth in Florence, to the height of his fame and fortune Annigoni pursued his own path, standing alone against the forces of modernism in art.
- DirectorZacharias KunukStarsNatar UngalaaqSylvia IvaluPeter-Henry ArnatsiaqThe telling of an Inuit legend of an evil spirit causing strife in the community and one warrior's endurance and battle of its menace.
- DirectorVincente MinnelliStarsLana TurnerKirk DouglasWalter PidgeonAn unscrupulous movie producer uses an actress, a director and a writer to achieve success.
- DirectorStanley DonenStarsPeter CookDudley MooreEleanor BronA hapless loser sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for seven wishes, but has trouble winning over the girl of his dreams.
- DirectorHenry BeanStarsRyan GoslingSummer PhoenixPeter MeadowsA young Jewish man develops a fiercely anti-Semitic philosophy. Based on the factual story of a K.K.K. member in the 1960s who was revealed to be Jewish by a New York Times reporter.
- DirectorSavage Steve HollandStarsJohn CusackDavid Ogden StiersKim DarbyAfter his girlfriend ditches him for a boorish ski jock, Lane decides that suicide is the only answer. However, his increasingly inept attempts bring him only more agony and embarrassment. Filled with the wildest teen nightmares.
- DirectorBarry W. BlausteinStarsTerry FunkMick FoleyJake RobertsA heartfelt documentary focusing on the day-to-day lives of professional wrestlers, some on the rise, some on the wane, and others fighting for their lives.
- DirectorRuss MeyerStarsDolly ReadCynthia MyersMarcia McBroomThree girls come to Hollywood to make it big, but find only sex, drugs, and sleaze.
- DirectorArliss HowardStarsArliss HowardDebra WingerPaul Le MatBarlow is a hard-drinking, heavy-smoking, long-haired, and deeply unhappy aspiring writer who pulls a dozen rejection slips out of his mailbox every day while trying to get through his life with some semblance of purpose.
- DirectorNick BroomfieldStarsThe Notorious B.I.G.Tupac ShakurNick BroomfieldDocumentary on the deaths of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls and the East Coast/West Coast, hip-hop/rap rivalry that culminated in late 1996 and early 1997.
- DirectorIrving RapperStarsMichel RayRodolfo Hoyos Jr.Elsa CárdenasA young boy named Leonardo adopts a bull after saving it during a storm, but their friendship is soon threatened by the legal owners of the animal who claim ownership of it and ship it off to the bullring to face a legendary bullfighter.
- DirectorChristophe GansStarsSamuel Le BihanMark DacascosJérémie RenierIn 18th-century France, the Chevalier de Fronsac and his Native American friend Mani are sent to the Gevaudan province at the king's behest to investigate the killings of hundreds by a mysterious beast.
- DirectorDon CoscarelliStarsBruce CampbellOssie DavisBob IvyWhen residents of their nursing home start dying of dubious causes, an aged Elvis and an African-American senior who claims to be President John F. Kennedy discover that the perpetrator is an Egyptian mummy with murderous intentions.
- DirectorMark LewisStarsTip ByrneH.W. KerrGlen IngramA documentary detailing the spread of Hawaiian sugar-cane toads through Australia in a botched effort to introduce them as counter pests.
- DirectorHerk HarveyStarsCandace HilligossFrances FeistSidney BergerAfter a traumatic accident, a woman becomes drawn to a mysterious abandoned carnival.
- DirectorPaul MorrisseyAndy WarholStarsBrigid BerlinRandy BorscheidtChristian PäffgenLacking a formal narrative, Warhol's art house classic follows various residents of the Chelsea Hotel in 1966 New York City, presented in a split screen with a single audio track in conjunction with one side of screen.
- DirectorFinn TaylorStarsRobin TunneyTim Blake NelsonBrad HuntAfter a martini-induced rampage, a fantasy-prone young woman is placed under house arrest.
- DirectorRobert FrankStarsTruman CapoteDick CavettMarshall ChessFollow the Rolling Stones on their 1972 North American Tour and their first return to the States since the tragedy at Altamont.
- DirectorRoman CoppolaStarsJeremy DaviesAngela LindvallÉlodie BouchezA young filmmaker in 1960s Paris juggles directing a cheesy sci-fi debacle, directing his own personal art film, coping with his crumbling relationship with his girlfriend, and realizing that he's infatuated with the sci-fi film's starlet.
- DirectorPeter LynchStarsSteve MannWilliam GibsonJeff EleveldDocumentary on the work of Steve Mann, Univeristy of Toronto Associate Professor in Computer and Electrical Engineering, who wears computers to collect and process the images he sees. He encounters misunderstanding from peers and opposition from business owners who refuse cameras into their places of business.
- DirectorRobert StevensonStarsAlbert SharpeJanet MunroSean ConneryA wily old codger matches wits with the King of the Leprechauns and helps play matchmaker for his daughter and the strapping lad who has replaced him as caretaker.
- DirectorPeter CareStarsKieran CulkinJena MaloneEmile HirschA group of Catholic school friends, after being caught drawing an obscene comic book, plan a heist that will outdo their previous prank and make them local legends.
- DirectorMarc CaroJean-Pierre JeunetStarsMarie-Laure DougnacDominique PinonPascal BenezechPost-apocalyptic surrealist black comedy about the landlord of an apartment building who occasionally prepares a delicacy for his odd tenants.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsWilliam CampbellLuana AndersBart PattonA scheming widow hatches a bold plan to acquire her late husband's inheritance, unaware that she is being targeted by an ax murderer who lurks in the family's estate.
- DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsMarisa ParedesEduardo NoriegaFederico LuppiAfter Carlos - a 12-year-old whose father has died in the Spanish Civil War - arrives at an ominous boys' orphanage, he discovers the school is haunted and has many dark secrets which he must uncover.
- DirectorRob SitchStarsSam NeillBilly MitchellRoz HammondA remote Australian community, populated by quirky characters, plays a key role in the first Apollo moon landing.
- DirectorJames NeilsonStarsPatrick McGoohanGeorge ColeTony BrittonIn eighteenth century England, the mysterious masked rider known as the Scarecrow (Patrick McGoohan) leads a rebel band to save the town of Romney Marsh from King George III's (Eric Pohlmann's) oppression and Naval press gangs.
- DirectorStacy PeraltaStarsSean PennJay AdamsTony AlvaDocumentary about the pioneering 1970s Zephyr skating team.
- DirectorPaul BartelStarsMary WoronovPaul BartelRobert BeltranA relatively boring Los Angeles couple discovers a bizarre, if not murderous, way to get funding for opening a restaurant.
- DirectorArch Hall Sr.StarsArch Hall Jr.Marilyn ManningRichard KielTeenagers stumble across a prehistoric caveman, who goes on a rampage.
- DirectorSøren Kragh-JacobsenStarsLine KruseBörje AhlstedtErik WedersøeEmma (Line Kruse) is an eleven-year-old only child from a wealthy Danish family. Emma's parents seem more interested in their own interests than in her. One evening when Emma overhears her mother talking about how tragic it must be to have your child kidnapped, Emma decides to stage her own kidnapping. She soon meets Malthe, a kindhearted, child-like, naïve sewer cleaner who literally stumbles on to her. She convinces Malthe that she is a Russian princess whose family is being chased by Bolsheviks, so Malthe lets Emma stay with him in his very modest abode. After being "kidnapped" for a few days, Emma decides to return home. But, just as she is about to return, she overhears a couple of servants talking about how her parents don't seem to be very upset over her dilemma. She then returns to Malthe, and a close bond soon develops between Emma and Malthe. Meanwhile, the police are finally called and begin their investigation. Emma writes a ransom note for $2,000, and her father pays it. Emma uses the money to buy Malthe some new clothes and to treat him to a "Russian" feast at the Grand Hotel. Just as they are leaving the hotel, the police finally catch up with them. Malthe believes the police want to return Emma to the Bolsheviks so he flees with her into the sewers.
- DirectorOliver HirschbiegelStarsMoritz BleibtreuChristian BerkelOliver StokowskiFor two weeks, 20 male participants are hired to play prisoners and guards in a prison. The "prisoners" have to follow seemingly mild rules, and the "guards" are told to retain order without using physical violence.
- DirectorElia KazanStarsAndy GriffithPatricia NealAnthony FranciosaA female radio reporter turns a folk-singing drifter into a powerful media star.
- DirectorRoy RowlandStarsPeter Lind HayesMary HealyHans ConriedA young boy dreams that he is in an imaginary world where, assisted by his family's plumber, he must save other piano-playing kids like himself from the dungeons of his dictatorial piano teacher who also mind-controls his mother.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJoel McCreaLaraine DayHerbert MarshallOn the eve of World War II, a young American reporter tries to expose enemy agents in London.
- DirectorBill PaxtonStarsBill PaxtonMatthew McConaugheyPowers BootheA mysterious man arrives at the offices of an FBI agent and recounts his childhood: how his religious fanatic father received visions telling him to destroy people who were in fact "demons."
- DirectorMichael DowseStarsPaul SpenceDavid LawrenceGordon SkillingHeadbangers Terry and Dean explore the depths of friendship, and the art and science of drinking beer like a man.
- DirectorRafal ZielinskiStarsRenée HumphreyAlicia WittWilliam R. MosesHillary and Bonnie meet one morning by the side of the road. They become fast friends, share their secrets, and on a rising wave of frenzy later that afternoon, murder an old woman. They did it, they say later, for fun.
- DirectorMichael HanekeStarsSusanne LotharUlrich MüheArno FrischTwo violent young men take a mother, father, and son hostage in their vacation cabin and force them to play sadistic "games" with one another for their own amusement.
- DirectorPaul McGuiganStarsMalcolm McDowellDavid ThewlisPaul BettanyChronicles the rise and fall of a prominent, and particularly ruthless English gangster.
- DirectorJim JarmuschStarsForest WhitakerHenry SilvaJohn TormeyAn African-American Mafia hit man who models himself after the samurai of old finds himself targeted for death by the mob.
- DirectorJohn FawcettStarsEmily PerkinsKatharine IsabelleKris LemcheTwo death-obsessed sisters, outcasts in their suburban neighborhood, must deal with the tragic consequences when one of them is bitten by a deadly werewolf.
- DirectorJulien TempleStarsMalcolm McLarenSid ViciousSteve JonesFilmmaker Julien Temple chronicles the Sex Pistols' tumultuous rise to fame, as told by their manager, Malcolm McLaren.
- DirectorMark IllsleyStarsJeremy NorthamSteve ZahnWilliam H. Macy3 prisoners escape. 2 end up in Happy, Texas, where they're mistaken for a gay couple expected there to help with the small girls beauty pageant. As the 2 are paid $1000, they decide to stay until the heat is gone.
- DirectorPerry HenzellStarsJimmy CliffJanet BartleyCarl BradshawWishing to become a successful reggae singer, a young Jamaican man finds himself tied to corrupt record producers and drug pushers.
- DirectorJohn Cameron MitchellStarsJohn Cameron MitchellMiriam ShorStephen TraskA gender-queer punk-rock singer from East Berlin tours the U.S. with her band as she tells her life story and follows the former lover/band-mate who stole her songs.
- DirectorAlexander HallStarsRobert MontgomeryClaude RainsEvelyn KeyesBoxer Joe Pendleton dies 50 years too soon due to a heavenly mistake, and is given a new life as a millionaire playboy.
- DirectorJack ArnoldStarsRuss TamblynJan SterlingJohn Drew BarrymoreA tough kid comes to a new high school and begins muscling his way into the drug scene. This is a typical morality play of the era, filled with a naive view of drugs, nihilistic beat poetry, and some incredible '50s slang.
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsPaul MuniGlenda FarrellHelen VinsonWrongly convicted James Allen serves in the intolerable conditions of a Southern chain gang, which later comes back to haunt him.
- DirectorLeslie StevensStarsWilliam ShatnerAllyson AmesEloise HardtOn a strange island inhabited by demons and spirits, a man battles the forces of evil.
- DirectorErle C. KentonStarsCharles LaughtonBela LugosiRichard ArlenA mad doctor conducts ghastly genetic experiments on a remote island in the South Seas, much to the fear and disgust of the shipwrecked sailor who finds himself trapped there.
- DirectorDon ChaffeyStarsTodd ArmstrongNancy KovackGary RaymondThe legendary Greek hero leads a team of intrepid adventurers in a perilous quest for the legendary Golden Fleece.
- DirectorNanette BursteinBrett MorgenStarsRobert EvansEddie AlbertPeter BartDocumentary about legendary Paramount producer Robert Evans (the film shares the same name as Evans's famous 1994 autobiography).
- DirectorStephen ChiodoStarsGrant CramerSuzanne SnyderJohn Allen NelsonAliens who look like clowns come from outer space and terrorize a small town.
- DirectorRobert HamerStarsDennis PriceAlec GuinnessValerie HobsonA distant poor relative of the Duke D'Ascoyne plots to inherit the title by murdering the eight other heirs who stand ahead of him in the line of succession.
- DirectorPeter MedakStarsGary KempMartin KempBillie WhitelawThis fact-based movie follows the life of the twin crime-lords in London's '60s underworld.
- DirectorRobert MontgomeryStarsRobert MontgomeryAudrey TotterLloyd NolanThe lady editor of a crime magazine hires Phillip Marlowe to find the wife of her boss. The private detective soon finds himself involved in murder.
- DirectorMarleen GorrisStarsJohn TurturroEmily WatsonGeraldine JamesTwo worlds collide when an eccentric genius falls in love with a strong-willed society beauty.
- DirectorFritz LangStarsPeter LorreEllen WidmannInge LandgutWhen the police in a German city are unable to catch a child-murderer, other criminals join in the manhunt.
- DirectorJules BassStarsBoris KarloffAllen SwiftGale GarnettOn the Isle of Evil, Baron Boris von Frankenstein reveals his imminent retirement and that he has refined the secret of total destruction, only to be upset when the other monsters try to steal the secret and kill his nephew, Felix Flanken.
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsMarie-Josée CrozeJean-Nicolas VerreaultStephanie MorgensternAfter plunging her car into a river, a woman encounters a man who helps her come to terms with her life.
- DirectorNicolas RoegStarsDavid BowieRip TornCandy ClarkAn alien must pose as a human to save his dying planet, but a woman and greed of other men create complications.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsDanny MulheronDonna AkerstenStuart DevenieMultiple animals and insects experience the sleazier side of show business while working on a variety show.
- DirectorAndrew CurrieStarsMichael RileyConnor WiddowsSabrina GrdevichMile Zero is a story about a father with a remarkable capacity to love.
- DirectorHampton FancherStarsOwen WilsonSheryl CrowDwight YoakamAimless Vann Siegert takes a bizarre turn in life and becomes a serial killer, tracking down the miserable, the self-destructive and those who otherwise seem willing to die.
- DirectorMira NairStarsNaseeruddin ShahLillete DubeyShefali ShahA stressed father, a bride-to-be with a secret, a smitten event planner, and relatives from around the world create much ado about the preparations for an arranged marriage in India.
- DirectorCurtis HarringtonStarsDennis HopperLinda LawsonGavin MuirA young sailor is attracted to a mysterious mermaid performing at a carnival, but soon suspects that the girl is actually a siren who draws men to their watery deaths during the full moon.
- DirectorBoris SagalStarsCharlton HestonAnthony ZerbeRosalind CashDr Robert Neville has developed an experimental vaccine which makes him the only immune survivor of a biological catastrophe. A gang of homicidal mutants blame science for their condition and attempt to kill him.
- DirectorMichael PowellStarsKarlheinz BöhmAnna MasseyMoira ShearerA young man murders women, using a movie camera to film their dying expressions of terror.
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsPaul WilliamsWilliam FinleyJessica HarperA disfigured composer sells his soul for the woman he loves so that she will perform his music. However, an evil record tycoon betrays him and steals his music to open his rock palace, The Paradise.
- DirectorDavid TwohyStarsRadha MitchellCole HauserVin DieselA transport ship crashes and leaves its crew stranded on a desert planet inhabited by bloodthirsty creatures that come out during an eclipse.
- DirectorStuart RosenbergStarsEric RobertsMickey RourkeDaryl HannahTwo cousins unknowingly rob the mob and face the dangerous consequences.
- DirectorScott J. GillStarsRon JeremyWilliam MargoldAl GoldsteinA light-hearted look at the life and career of porn star Ron Jeremy, from his devoted fanbase to his unlikely status as a sex symbol and his goal to achieve mainstream success.
- DirectorTom TykwerStarsFranka PotenteBenno FürmannJoachim KrólTwo enamoured strangers look for a warm place in a cold world.
- DirectorRay Dennis StecklerStarsCarolyn BrandtRon HaydockTitus MoedeAfter stopping three crooks from robbing an innocent woman, two dimwits become crime fighters.
- DirectorNicholas WebsterStarsJohn CallLeonard HicksVincent BeckThe Martians kidnap Santa Claus because there is nobody on Mars to give their children presents.
- DirectorHoward HawksRichard RossonStarsPaul MuniAnn DvorakKaren MorleyAn ambitious and nearly insane violent gangster climbs the ladder of success in the mob, but his weaknesses prove to be his downfall.
- DirectorGeorge PalStarsTony RandallBarbara EdenArthur O'ConnellA mysterious circus comes to a western town bearing wonders and characters that entertain the inhabitants and teach valuable lessons.
- DirectorAndrew NiccolStarsAl PacinoCatherine KeenerRachel RobertsA producer's film is endangered when his star walks off, so he decides to digitally create an actress to substitute for the star, becoming an overnight sensation that everyone thinks is a real person.
- DirectorGregory La CavaStarsKatharine HepburnGinger RogersAdolphe MenjouA chronicle of the ambitions, dreams, and disappointments of aspiring actresses who all live in the same boarding house.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsRichard FarnsworthSissy SpacekJane Galloway HeitzAn old man makes a long journey by lawnmower to mend his relationship with an ill brother.
- DirectorAllison AndersKurt VossStarsJade GordonJohn TaylorMichael Des BarresUnimpassioned look at the lives of struggling L.A. scene rock stars follows main character, Gwen, on her quest for the top. Working as an assistant to a film production designer, she tries to steal her boy friend who is a music producer by offering sexual favors. The producer meanwhile is trying to orchestrate a comeback for a former glam band played by Michael Des Barres (of Power Station fame), John Taylor (from Duran Duran), and Martin Kemp (from Spandau Ballet). Rosanna Arquette plays the former movie star wife of the lead singer, who is fretting because she has just been offered the role as the mother of one of the new ingenious. Beverly D'Angelo also shows up as a millionairess who agrees to bankroll the group, but only if she gets a roll in the hay with the lead singer. All of the career problems, including drug proclivity, are represented in this film.
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsJessica HarperStefania CasiniFlavio BucciAn American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders.
- DirectorJill SprecherStarsAlan ArkinJohn TurturroMatthew McConaugheyIn New York City, the lives of a lawyer, an actuary, a house-cleaner, a professor and the people around them intersect as they ponder order and happiness in the face of life's cold unpredictability.
- DirectorGary WinickStarsSigourney WeaverAaron StanfordKate MaraComing-of-age story about a suave 15-year-old prep school student who falls in love with his stepmother. When her best friend responds to his advances, he suddenly finds himself in way over his head.
- DirectorPeter BogdanovichStarsTim O'KellyBoris KarloffNancy HsuehAn aging horror star questions his place in modern Hollywood, while a disturbed young man goes on a shooting spree.
- DirectorSam NewfieldStarsBilly CurtisYvonne Moray'Little Billy' RhodesAn evil gunslinging midget comes to terrorize the good little people of Tiny Town. The townspeople organize to defeat him, and zany antics ensue.
- DirectorAnthony HarveyStarsGeorge C. ScottJoanne WoodwardJack GilfordIn a Manhattan psychiatric hospital, a man convinced that he is Sherlock Holmes is treated by a female doctor who happens to be named Watson.
- DirectorErnst LubitschStarsCarole LombardJack BennyRobert StackDuring the German occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy.
- DirectorMichael HerzLloyd KaufmanStarsAndree MarandaMitch CohenJennifer BabtistTromaville has a monstrous new hero. The Toxic Avenger is born when meek mop boy Melvin falls into a vat of toxic waste. Now evildoers will have a lot to lose.
- DirectorWilliam PhillipsStarsDavid HewlettAaron AshmoreClé BennettAn advertising executive, trapped in a tree by a gang of would-be muggers, manipulates them into fighting to save his life.
- DirectorSteve BuscemiStarsSteve BuscemiCarol KaneMark Boone JuniorTommy is an unemployed mechanic who spends most of his time in a bar (Trees Lounge) in a small blue collar town. He seems to always be thinking, "If only X then I could stop drinking".
- DirectorRon MannStarsCholly AtkinsHank BallardBetty BeggThe history of post-World War II popular dance up to the mid-sixties is explored with the focus being on the Twist.
- DirectorRaymond De FelittaStarsMichael RispoliKelly MacdonaldKathrine NarducciA dreamer finds that his wife and friends are binding him to his mediocre existence.
- DirectorSofia CoppolaStarsKirsten DunstJosh HartnettJames WoodsA group of male friends become obsessed with five mysterious sisters who are sheltered by their strict, religious parents in suburban Detroit in the mid 1970s.
- DirectorGary BurnsStarsFab FilippoDon McKellarMarya DelverA group of young employees bet a month's salary, winner takes all, on who can last the longest without going outside.
- DirectorVictor HalperinStarsBela LugosiMadge BellamyJoseph CawthornA young man turns to a witch doctor to lure the woman he loves away from her fiancé, but instead turns her into a zombie slave.
- DirectorBarry ShearStarsChristopher JonesShelley WintersDiane VarsiA young man gains significant political influence as the leader of a counterculture rock band with his rallying cry of voting rights for teenagers.
- DirectorJohn BoormanStarsSean ConneryCharlotte RamplingSara KestelmanIn the late 23rd century, a savage trained only to kill finds a way into the community of bored immortals that alone preserves humanity's achievements.