Love & Basketball combines romance and sports in a way that feels fresh, avoiding the usual clichés of either genre. With its heartfelt story and strong performances, it’s as much about love, ambition, and identity as it is about the game itself. | © New Line Cinema
Devil in a Blue Dress is a sharp neo-noir with Denzel Washington as Easy Rawlins, a private investigator who proves he’s every bit as clever as the world around him. Don Cheadle nearly steals the film as the unpredictable Mouse, and director Carl Franklin delivers a stylish, overlooked crime classic. | © Sony Pictures Releasing
Love and Other Disasters is a light, charming rom-com that avoids the usual clichés and keeps things playful. Brittany Murphy is delightful in the lead, making you root for her happiness and leaving the whole movie with an easy, feel-good vibe. | © EuropaCorp
Safe stars Julianne Moore as a suburban housewife who develops mysterious symptoms no doctor can explain. Todd Haynes leaves the cause deliberately unclear, turning the film into a haunting study of fear, illness, and the desperate search for comfort. | © Sony Pictures Classics
The Sweet Hereafter is a haunting drama about a town coping with tragedy after a school bus accident. Told in fragments, Atom Egoyan’s film avoids sentimentality and focuses on grief, guilt, and the faint hope of moving forward, with strong performances from Ian Holm and Sarah Polley. | © Alliance Communications
The Iron Giant is more than just a beautifully animated film — it tells a heartfelt story about friendship, fear, and sacrifice. With smart writing, tender moments, and one of the most moving endings in animation, it’s a modern classic that still feels timeless. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Team America: World Police is a wild puppet-driven satire from South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, skewering Hollywood, politics, and action-movie clichés. It was a big hit in 2004, and while some of its humor hasn’t aged well, the over-the-top songs and chaotic comedy still make it memorable. | © Paramount Pictures
The Ninth Gate is a slow-burn thriller that follows Johnny Depp as a rare book dealer hunting down a volume rumored to be linked to the Devil. With its eerie atmosphere, striking European settings, and a strong supporting cast, it’s a moody occult mystery that still pulls you in. | © Summit Entertainment
A Little Princess is a visually stunning fairy tale, with gorgeous sets, rich costumes, and heartfelt performances from the entire cast. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón before his Harry Potter fame, it’s a beautifully overlooked family film that resonates with both kids and adults. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Down by Law follows three oddball cellmates – played by Tom Waits, John Lurie, and Roberto Benigni – as they form an unlikely bond in a Louisiana prison. Benigni steals the show with his playful energy, turning this Jim Jarmusch classic into a strange but charming story of friendship. | © Universal Studios
Garden State was a breakout indie hit in the early 2000s, with Zach Braff making his directorial debut and Natalie Portman embodying the now-famous “manic pixie dream girl” trope. It hasn’t aged perfectly, but it still captures the mood of its time and the charm that made it so beloved on release. | © Miramax Films
Wolf has Jack Nicholson playing an aging editor whose life takes a wild turn after a werewolf bite, and it might be one of his most overlooked performances. With Michelle Pfeiffer and James Spader alongside him, it blends horror, romance, and drama in a way that still feels unusual today. | © Columbia Pictures
Waking Life is an animated journey through big questions about life, death, and dreams, carried by wandering conversations instead of plot. It’s not for everyone, but for those who love to think and wonder, it can feel like a rare, eye-opening experience. | © Searchlight Pictures
Punch-Drunk Love is a strange little romance that captures all the awkward, funny, and tender moments of falling in love. Adam Sandler and Emily Watson play two people who stumble, giggle, and get nervous around each other, making it feel honest and oddly sweet. | © Sony Pictures Releasing
Kung Fu Hustle is pure fun, packed with over-the-top fights, cartoonish humor, and wild imagination. From the unforgettable knife scene to the outrageous landlady, it’s a movie that makes you laugh, cheer, and forget about realism for two hours. | © Sony Pictures Entertainment
Mystic River brings together an incredible cast – Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, and more – under Clint Eastwood’s direction. It’s a gripping, tragic crime story with one of the most haunting endings you’ll ever see, which might explain why it isn’t talked about as much today. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Pi is indie filmmaking at its best, a tense story about obsession, math, and mystery. Shot in gritty black-and-white, Darren Aronofsky’s debut mixes Wall Street, religion, and number theory into something truly unforgettable. | © Artisan Entertainment
Man with a Movie Camera captures ordinary Soviet life with extraordinary power, especially when paired with The Cinematic Orchestra’s moving score. Shot with a hand-cranked camera in 1929, it remains a groundbreaking experiment in film language and a poetic snapshot of a world on the verge of change. | © Amkino Corporation
Amélie is pure cinematic joy, filled with whimsical touches and some of the most beautiful cinematography you’ll see. Audrey Tautou shines as the quirky heroine who finds magic in the everyday, making this a funny, romantic, and heartwarming celebration of life and love. | © Miramax Films
Requiem for a Dream is a brutal look at how addiction destroys lives. The performances, especially Ellen Burstyn’s, are incredible, but the story is so raw and painful that it’s tough to ever watch twice, an unforgettable film you’ll only want to experience once. | © Summit Entertainment
American Beauty cleaned up at the Oscars, winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay. Beyond the awards, it still stands out as a sharp, stylish look at suburban life, carried by strong performances and striking visual flair. | © DreamWorks Pictures
Akira mixes explosive action with a sharp look at society’s darker side, backed by groundbreaking animation and an unforgettable score. The plot can feel overwhelming, but its scale and influence cemented it as a landmark in animation history. | © Streamline Pictures
The Believer features Ryan Gosling in one of his most powerful early roles, playing a Jewish man who becomes a violent neo-Nazi. It’s a disturbing, layered performance that’s as compelling as it is unsettling, and it showed just how much range Gosling had from the start. | © Roadside Attractions
Run Lola Run throws you into a frantic 20-minute race through Berlin, replayed three different ways with wildly different outcomes. Fast, stylish, and powered by Franka Potente’s fearless performance, it’s a kinetic ride that proves even the smallest choices can change everything. | © Sony Pictures Classics
Memento flips the story on its head, running scenes backward to put you inside the fractured mind of its main character. It’s a rare thriller that makes confusion its strength, with sharp direction, strong performances, and a puzzle worth revisiting. | © Summit Entertainment
Some movies make a huge splash when they first hit theaters, then slowly fade from the spotlight. This list looks back at 25 great films that may not be talked about much anymore, but are still absolutely worth revisiting.
