The Most Exceptional Motion Pictures of the 21st Century
Movies that you may find unconventional; have unfamiliar, and peculiar elements. You can say they are the most original ones out of the common bunch. The movies listed have started new trends and revitalized cinema. Any of these movies would likely be a unique watching experience for you!
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- DirectorDavid LynchStarsNaomi WattsLaura HarringJustin TherouxAfter a car wreck on Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesiac, she and a Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality.-Complex Storytelling (unusual cuts and transitions)
-Beautiful Surrealness - DirectorChristopher NolanStarsGuy PearceCarrie-Anne MossJoe PantolianoA man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer.
- Complex Storytelling (linear, shown in reverse, interchaging scenes from two time lines, as indicated with color and black and white going to a point where two timelines finally meet)
- DirectorKar-Wai WongStarsTony Leung Chiu-waiMaggie CheungSiu Ping-LamTwo neighbors form a strong bond after both suspect extramarital activities of their spouses. However, they agree to keep their bond platonic so as not to commit similar wrongs.
- Visual > Vocal Narrative
- Exceptional Cinematography that captures the naturalness of domestic setups, street pavements and alleys from a past era in all their glorious yet simple beauty
- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsEllen BurstynJared LetoJennifer ConnellyThe drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep..
- Appropriate use of quick cuts (hip-hop montage) to depict the rash/ automatic-like manner of substance intake by the characters ridden with drug addiction/ dependency.
- Delivers the "Drugs kill Dreams" slogan and sends all the message about other disadvantages of taking illegal drugs effectively.
- All of the above being achieved with a limited budget (independent film)
- DirectorGaspar NoéStarsMonica BellucciVincent CasselAlbert DupontelEvents over the course of one traumatic night in Paris unfold in reverse-chronological order as the beautiful Alex is brutally raped and beaten by a stranger in an underpass tunnel.
- story unfolds in reverse order (beginning to end)
- imagery that intentionally cause the viewer to feel nauseated
- realistic and graphic depiction of rape and the subsequent ( or shall we say a prologue that contains) grisly and violent depiction of violence as a form of revenge
- 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.
- A meta film: The characters portrayed in the movie are the real people behind the making of the movie. The adaptation of the writings of Susan Orlean to a movie became troublesome to Charlie Kaufman ( screenwriter) . In the end, his troubles over coming up with the screenplay for the movie became the story of the screenplay he wrote to be used in the movie "Adaptation (2003)"
- DirectorLars von TrierStarsNicole KidmanPaul BettanyLauren BacallA woman on the run from the mob is reluctantly accepted in a small Colorado community in exchange for labor, but when a search visits the town she finds out that their support has a price.
- Similar to a Brechtian stage play which uses minimalist stage sets and focuses on the acting of the players.
- DirectorGuy MaddinStarsIsabella RosselliniMark McKinneyMaria de MedeirosA musical of sorts set in Winnipeg during the Great Depression, where a beer baroness organizes a contest to find the saddest music in the world. Musicians from around the world descend on the city to try and win the $25,000 prize.
- graphics, editing, and sound-mix similar to early motion pictures (circa 1920-30s)
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsUma ThurmanDavid CarradineDaryl HannahAfter awakening from a four-year coma, a former assassin wreaks vengeance on the team of assassins who betrayed her.-Story presented in chapters
-#1 of 2 volumes - DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsUma ThurmanDavid CarradineMichael MadsenThe Bride continues her quest of vengeance against her former boss and lover Bill, the reclusive bouncer Budd, and the treacherous, one-eyed Elle.-Story presented in chapters
-#2 of 2 volumes - 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.
- DirectorLarry CharlesStarsSacha Baron CohenKen DavitianLuenellKazakh TV talking head Borat is dispatched to the United States to report on the greatest country in the world.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsKarolina GruszkaKrzysztof MajchrzakGrace ZabriskieAs an actress begins to adopt the persona of her character in a film, her world becomes nightmarish and surreal.
- DirectorCharlie KaufmanStarsPhilip Seymour HoffmanSamantha MortonMichelle WilliamsA theatre director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he creates a life-size replica of New York City inside a warehouse as part of his new play.
- DirectorBen StillerStarsBen StillerJack BlackRobert Downey Jr.Through a series of freak occurrences, a group of actors shooting a big-budget war movie are forced to become the soldiers they are portraying.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsChristian BaleHeath LedgerAaron EckhartWhen the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsSam WorthingtonZoe SaldanaSigourney WeaverA paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.
- DirectorTodd PhillipsStarsZach GalifianakisBradley CooperJustin BarthaThree buddies wake up from a bachelor party in Las Vegas, with no memory of the previous night and the bachelor missing. They make their way around the city in order to find their friend before his wedding.
- DirectorMichel HazanaviciusStarsJean DujardinBérénice BejoJohn GoodmanWhen George, a silent movie superstar, meets Peppy Miller, a dancer, sparks fly between the two. However, after the introduction of talking pictures, their fortunes change, affecting their dynamic.
- DirectorTerrence MalickStarsBrad PittSean PennJessica ChastainThe story of a family in Waco, Texas in 1956. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence and struggles with his parents' conflicting teachings.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEllar ColtranePatricia ArquetteEthan HawkeThe life of Mason, from early childhood to his arrival at college.
- DirectorAndrew AdamsonVicky JensonStarsMike MyersEddie MurphyCameron DiazA mean lord exiles fairytale creatures to the swamp of a grumpy ogre, who must go on a quest and rescue a princess for the lord in order to get his land back.
- ShortDirectorRobert RodriguezStarsJohn MalkovichMarko ZarorShuya ChangThe content of this film is currently a secret, due to be revealed only when the title is released in 2115.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsKim Ki-dukOh Yeong-suJong-ho KimA boy is raised by a Buddhist monk in an isolated floating temple where the years pass like the seasons.