Movies That Are a Good Time Investment
This list is ordered. W/ old, well known, and foreign language films being put at the end of the order. The films on the top are less well known and ordered based on how interesting and/or high quality I found them. So I don’t necessarily have to agree with their goals as the film’s creators to to put them at a high rank.
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- DirectorJack BenderStarsShannen DohertyJennifer Blanc-BiehnJason LondonAn emotionally disturbed and hyper-competitive young woman schemes to land a spot as the lead singer in a local rock band while her childhood girlfriend also wants the spot.
- DirectorLeslie BloomStarsWillow ShieldsMeg DeLacyTeddy Van EeTwo teen song-writers saddle up their West coast '65 Mustang convertible and head East, answering the call to Yasgur's farm, to debut their original music at the Woodstock Music Festival.
- DirectorDana LustigStarsJennifer Love HewittColin FergusonNatassia MaltheA 28-year-old ad sales exec stops at nothing to climb her way to the top of the San Francisco social ladder.
- DirectorMarcus SpiegelStarsJodi Lyn O'KeefeJsu GarciaKatherine KendallAfter escaping a mental institution, Debbie Strong steals the car, money and identity of a college co-ed and heads off to college where she becomes obsessed with Sam, a handsome writing teacher.
- DirectorCharles GuardThomas GuardStarsEmily BrowningArielle KebbelElizabeth BanksAnna returns home after a stint in a mental hospital, but her recovery is jeopardized by her father's new girlfriend and ghastly visions of her dead mother.
- DirectorIsabel CoixetStarsSophie TurnerClaire ForlaniRhys IfansA teenager finds her perfect life upended when she's stalked by a mysterious doppelganger who has her eyes set on assuming her identity.
- DirectorDoug CampbellStarsMena SuvariKarla MosleyTommi RoseWhen a cheer captain gets kicked off the squad for fake salacious videos, she must catch the culprit and prove her innocence.
- DirectorTim MathesonStarsSharon LawrenceMika BooremTamara HopeA troubled teenager's mother tries everything she can think of to control her bad behavior, even if it means sending her away to a hokey but strict nature camp.
- DirectorJohn PolsonStarsJesse BradfordErika ChristensenShiri ApplebyA high school senior with a promising swimming career has a one-night stand with consequences.
- DirectorDavis GuggenheimStarsJames MarsdenLena HeadeyNorman ReedusThree college students base their class project around gossip and how fast it spreads, which soon spirals out of control.
- DirectorMike BarkerStarsMila KunisChiara AureliaFinn WittrockA woman in New York, who seems to have things under control, is faced with a trauma that makes her life unravel.
- DirectorJess BondStarsKatrina BeginCharles ChenMelonie DiazA glimpse into the teenage wasteland of suburbia 1999 that takes place over 24 hours, and the teenagers who make their way through the last day of high school.
- DirectorJerry KramerStarsDaphne ZunigaVirginia MadsenCynthia GibbA pair of women decide to prank their roommate's nerdy blind date after she stands him up, but end up developing a friendship with him after their practical joke sends them on an all-night odyssey through the 1980s club scene.
- StarsFay RipleyBen MilesDaniel RyanA married couple decide to take their children on a camping holiday trip to France but they soon find out another couple is stalking them.
- DirectorDavid NutterStarsJames MarsdenKatie HolmesNick StahlThe new kid in Cradle Bay, Washington stumbles across something sinister about the town's method of transforming its unruly teens into upstanding citizens.
- DirectorMicael PreyslerStarsJessica RotheHannah MurrayJack FalaheeInseparable best friends struggle to make the best of their last few days together, savoring the city nightlife with an enigmatic artist one of them takes a liking for.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsRichard LinklaterRudy BasquezJean CaffeineA day in the life of Austin, Texas as the camera roams from place to place and provides a brief look at the overeducated, the social misfits, the outcasts and the oddballs.Those interested in misinformation and disinformation in communication scenarios in the past might be interested in this. Some of the movie hints at how parts of the past are lost due to lack of sources or interest too.
- DirectorMicael PreyslerStarsAli MichaelCharlie HimmelsteinOlivia LuccardiAlienated dancer Cecilia returns to New York City to reconnect with juvenile high school friends and her crude DJ ex-boyfriend.
- DirectorJoseph SargentStarsSally FieldEleanor ParkerLane BradburyAfter finding out that the hippie lifestyle isn't as glamorous as the media makes it look, Dennie comes home to find disapproval and judgment at every turn, and her sister Susie wanting to follow in her footsteps.Propaganda film from the 1970s. Alot of young Americans were running away, experimenting with drugs, disobeying authority figures, etc. They hoped to make the target audience conform to more traditional lifestyles and help in the controlling of those portions of the youth population which were marked as deviant through social and legal pressures. While many youths were harming themselves through their own actions, the film has clear bias. Interestingly, I would argue that the film painted a more sympathetic picture, in some interesting ways, of those aforementioned portions of the population the films makers marked as deviant than other examples from more recent points in time as a means of not turning away youth audiences from the film and persuading them. However, one would have to more throughly compare propaganda with the same communicative aims over time to be sure.
- DirectorJohn KortyStarsWilliam ShatnerRuth RomanWendell BurtonA 15-year-old girl in late-1960s America is sucked into an odyssey of sex and drugs and eventually seeks help.*See Maybe I'll Come Home in the Spring*
- DirectorJason HrenoStarsMiriam McDonaldShawna WaldronRyan KennedyDaisy starts college and meets Blake. She finds herself up against a secret sisterhood, The Ivies, that maybe was involved in a student's death 6 months earlier.
- DirectorLeah MeyerhoffStarsNatalia DyerPeter VackJulia GarnerA road trip through the stunning and complex landscape of troubled young love.
- DirectorDavid Lowell RichStarsPamela FranklinKate JacksonLloyd BochnerA young woman investigating her sister's suicide at a private girls' school finds herself battling a Satanic cult.
- DirectorLéa PoolStarsPiper PeraboJessica ParéMischa BartonAfter starting at an upmarket boarding school, a teenage girl forms close friendships with her two older roommates. However, when she discovers that her new friends are lovers she finds herself caught in a complicated situation.
- 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.
- DirectorHerk HarveyStarsCandace HilligossFrances FeistSidney BergerAfter a traumatic accident, a woman becomes drawn to a mysterious abandoned carnival.
- DirectorAllan MoyleStarsChristian SlaterSamantha MathisAnthony Luke LuceroMark runs a pirate radio station and causes an uproar when he speaks his mind and enthralls fellow teens.
- DirectorDrew BarrymoreStarsElliot PageDrew BarrymoreKristen WiigIn Bodeen, Texas, an indie-rock-loving misfit finds a way of dealing with small-town misery after discovering a roller-derby league in nearby Austin.(Amazon Prime)
- DirectorAndy FickmanStarsAmanda BynesLaura RamseyChanning TatumWhen her brother decides to ditch for a couple weeks, Viola heads over to his elite boarding school, disguised as him, and proceeds to fall for his school's star soccer player, and soon learns she's not the only one with romantic troubles.
- DirectorDavid MackenzieStarsLuke TreadawayNatalia TenaRebecca BensonTwo feuding rock stars get handcuffed together for 24 hours at a music festival where they are both due to perform.
- DirectorGreg MottolaStarsJesse EisenbergKristen StewartRyan ReynoldsIn the summer of 1987, a college graduate takes a 'nowhere' job at his local amusement park, only to find it's the perfect course to get him prepared for the real world.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEthan HawkeJulie DelpyAndrea EckertA young man and woman meet on a train in Europe, and wind up spending one evening together in Vienna. Unfortunately, both know that this will probably be their only night together.
- DirectorBrian DannellyStarsJena MaloneMandy MooreMacaulay CulkinWhen a girl attending a Christian high school becomes pregnant, all of her former friends turn on her and she is ostracized and demonized.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEthan HawkeJulie DelpyVernon DobtcheffNine years after Jesse and Celine first met, they encounter each other again on the French leg of Jesse's book tour.
- DirectorSteve CohenStarsRose McGowanAlex McArthurPeg ShirleyShe's young, sexy and dangerous. Debbie is the new girl in class with a skill for turning heads. From the moment she arrives in town following her parents' untimely death, Debbie sets her sights on her teacher, the high school heartthrob.
- DirectorBrad AndersonStarsDavid CarusoStephen GevedonPaul GuilfoyleTensions rise within an asbestos cleaning crew as they work in an abandoned mental hospital with a horrific past that seems to be coming back.
- DirectorMary HarronStarsSarah BolgerSarah GadonLily ColeRebecca is suspicious of Ernessa, the new arrival at her boarding school. But is Rebecca just jealous of Ernessa's bond with Lucie, or does the new girl truly possess a dark secret?
- DirectorJohn Llewellyn MoxeyStarsPatricia JesselDennis LotisChristopher LeeA young college student arrives in a sleepy Massachusetts town to research witchcraft; during her stay at an eerie inn, she discovers a startling secret about the town and its inhabitants.
- DirectorBryan GordonStarsFrank WhaleyJennifer ConnellyDermot MulroneyJim is the dorky son of a local cement contractor who lives at home and has no direction. Josie is the gorgeous daughter of a wealthy businessman who dreams of leaving town. They find they have a lot in common.
- DirectorNeil JordanStarsBrad PittTom CruiseAntonio BanderasA vampire tells his epic life story: love, betrayal, loneliness, and hunger.
- DirectorKatt SheaStarsDrew BarrymoreSara GilbertTom SkerrittA seductive teen befriends an introverted high school student and schemes her way into the lives of her wealthy family.
- DirectorDavid GreeneStarsEli WallachJulie HarrisDeborah WintersComfortable New York suburbanites Arthur and Gerrie Mason learn that their seemingly innocent teenage daughter Maxie is a drug addict.
- DirectorAnne GoursaudStarsAlyssa MilanoJohnathon SchaechXander BerkeleyFirst time out of Michigan, Lily starts art school in LA and shares a house with other young artistic people. Both her teacher and a roomie/classmate show interest in her.
- DirectorKurt VossStarsJaime PresslyMegan EdwardsMichael Des BarresA sinister seductress vows to destroy a suburban family.
- DirectorRy Russo-YoungStarsZoey DeutchHalston SageCynthy WuFebruary 12 is just another day in Sam's charmed life, until it turns out to be her last. Stuck reliving her last day over and over, Sam untangles the mystery around her death and discovers everything she's losing.
- DirectorJonathan KaplanStarsMatt DillonMichael Eric KramerPamela LudwigA group of bored teenagers rebel against authority in the community of New Granada after the death of one of their own.
- DirectorJamie BabbitStarsNatasha LyonneClea DuVallMichelle WilliamsA naive teenager is sent to rehab camp when her straitlaced parents and friends suspect her of being a lesbian.
- DirectorWill BakkeStarsAlejandro Rose-GarciaJohanna BraddyJacob ArtistA Friday night house party is shown through the eyes of a post-grad misfit, her slacker Uber passenger, his long lost love, and her neurotic boyfriend struggling to propose.
- DirectorEmily LapeStarsEmily LapeAlison HixonRainee DenhamA closeted gay woman, Mercy (Emily Lape), meets an attractive, sexual and loving college student named Jesse (Alison Hixon) that challenges her to explore her own beliefs on sexuality and religion.
- DirectorToshio MatsumotoA lone figure sitting outdoors and wearing a Hannya mask is seen from different angles in a succession of crash zooms and encircling jump cuts.
- DirectorRoger AvaryStarsJames Van Der BeekIan SomerhalderShannyn SossamonThe incredibly spoiled and overprivileged students of Camden College are a backdrop for an unusual love triangle between a drug dealer, a virgin and a bisexual classmate.
- DirectorGary P. CohenStarsGary SchwartzChick KaplanRobin LeedsA husband and wife open a video store in a new town, and come to find out that the locals only rent horror films and the "occasional triple X'er", and make their own snuff videos.While showing many gruesome and, arguably, gross scenes, this film allows the world to enter the world of stores in the past which would sell physical copies of movies, tv shows, and other videos. The physical space created the possibility for social activity which could become significant in some cases. It also allowed one to enter space where their viewing history seemed desirable or acceptable simply by virtue of the business existing and thus it had a powerful impact on individuals' worldviews, beliefs, attitudes, and values at numerous points in time in ways of some notable significance in many cases. The plot of the film leads to the characters not acting in typical ways that store patrons would and the store as a space for customer focused and socially focused activity being seen as realistic is not a large focus of the film. Still, I think the experience can have notable effects on one's mind and behavior by offering this glimpse into a world that is easy to overlook and quickly being forgotten in important ways.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEllar ColtranePatricia ArquetteEthan HawkeThe life of Mason, from early childhood to his arrival at college.
- DirectorCameron CroweStarsBilly CrudupPatrick FugitKate HudsonA high-school boy in the early 1970s is given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone magazine about an up-and-coming rock band as he accompanies them on their concert tour.
- DirectorGregory DarkStarsWings HauserAlex CordG. Gordon LiddyJohn Miller is an politician wanting to become mayor. He founds a group called S.Q.U.A.D. whose mission is to get rid of all street scum by any means necessary.
- DirectorChristopher LandonStarsJessica RotheIsrael BroussardRuby ModineA college student must relive the day of her murder over and over again, in a loop that will end only when she discovers her killer's identity.
- DirectorSean S. CunninghamStarsShannon PresbyLori LoughlinJames SpaderA brother and sister arrive in a small town to help their relatives run an amusement park, and they find the town is terrorized by a local street gang.
- DirectorKyle WilamowskiStarsKaitlyn DeverPablo SchreiberTye SheridanAfter a summer prank goes awry, a teenage boy falls in love while grappling with his guilty conscience.(Amazon Prime)
- DirectorJosh BooneStarsGreg KinnearJennifer ConnellyLily CollinsAn acclaimed writer, his ex-wife, and their teenaged children come to terms with the complexities of love in all its forms over the course of one tumultuous year.
- DirectorMichael GoldbachStarsKat DenningsReece ThompsonAndie MacDowellA city girl who moves to a small town and becomes entangled in a love triangle between her high school teacher and a stoner classmate.
- DirectorLarry ClarkStarsLeo FitzpatrickJustin PierceChloë SevignyA day in the life of a group of teens as they travel around New York City skating, drinking, smoking and deflowering virgins.
- DirectorElijah BynumStarsTimothée ChalametMaika MonroeAlex RoeIn 1991, a sheltered teenage boy comes of age during a wild summer he spends on Cape Cod getting rich from selling pot to gangsters, falling in love for the first time, partying and eventually realizing that he is in over his head.
- DirectorMark WatersStarsReese WitherspoonMark RuffaloDonal LogueA lonely landscape architect falls for the spirit of the beautiful woman who used to live in his new apartment.
- DirectorShatifah CarterStarsEric AtkinsAaron BadieRenee Baisten
- DirectorDavid GreenwaltStarsC. Thomas HowellLori LoughlinKelly PrestonAn anonymous love letter left in Michael Ryan's locker on the last day of school wreaks havoc on his life and the lives of everyone who come in contact with it.
- DirectorMelanie MayronStarsPiper PeraboJane McGregorMichael McKeanA French foreign-exchange student comes to a small Texas high school, befriends a classmate, and practically takes over her life.
- DirectorJonathan KahnStarsDominique SwainSean Patrick FlanerySummer PhoenixA straight-A teen explores Portland's rock scene.
- DirectorJenny GageTom BettertonStarsDusty Rose RyanDelia CunninghamLena M.Shot over a three-year period with unparalleled intimacy and access, ALL THIS PANIC is a feature length documentary that takes an intimate look at the interior lives of a group of teenage girls as they come of age in Brooklyn. A potent mix of vivid portraiture and vérité, we follow the girls as they navigate the ephemeral and fleeting transition between childhood and adulthood.
- DirectorAllison BurnettStarsSamantha HanrattyPeter GadiotPaul RushElle a student, becomes obsessed with Katie, the heroine of a novel she's just finished reading. When Elle, battling depression, becomes convinced that Katie is actually a human being, it sets her on a reckless and terrifying course.
- DirectorBob ClarkStarsDan MonahanMark HerrierWyatt KnightIn 1954, a group of Florida high-school guys try to help their buddy lose his virginity, which leads them to seek revenge on a sleazy nightclub owner and his redneck sheriff brother for harassing them.
- DirectorMichael LewenStarsJordan FisherTalia RyderAyo EdebiriAfter making a pact to break up before college, Claire and Aidan retrace the steps of their relationship on one last epic date, revisiting familiar and unexpected places as they question: stay together or say goodbye forever?
- DirectorRic ForsterStarsMadelyn SheahanGeorgia Crisfield SmithHolly MonksStill hurting after their breakup, Tabby's stunned when she comes face to face with ex girlfriend Heidi at a friend's sleepover. Forced to spend the night together - can they put the past behind them? Or will they fall in love again?
- DirectorAlexandra SwarensStarsAlexandra SwarensEmily GateleyJennifer GalardiComing of age story, not a coming out story. An English teen has her life uprooted Sr. Year of High School. This small American town holds past memories from years spent there as a child & the uncertainties of teenagehood.
- DirectorPaul LynchStarsLeslie NielsenJamie Lee CurtisCasey StevensAt a high-school senior prom, a masked killer stalks four teenagers who were responsible for the accidental death of a classmate six years previously.
- DirectorFritz KierschStarsRichard Joseph PaulDanielle von ZerneckKeith CooganNick Rainwood and Allie Yorpin are a modern day Romeo and Juliet living in southern California, separated by the unbridgeable gulf of their backgrounds and torn between loyalty to their "gangs" and their real desires.
- DirectorTheodore GershunyStarsPatrick O'NealJames PattersonMary WoronovA man inherits a mansion which once was a mental home. He visits the place and begins to investigate some crimes that happened in old times, scaring the people living in the region.
- DirectorBeth SchacterStarsAmber TamblynAshton HolmesKelli GarnerWendy and her friends avoid the heartless world of random hookups and friends-with-benefits by spending all their time together. When she meets Sean, Wendy is torn between her genuine affection and desire for him and her commitment to her friends, especially her best friend Billie: and Billie isn't interested in losing her friends.
- DirectorClare KilnerStarsMandy MooreTrent FordDylan BakerA teenager (Moore), disillusioned by too many examples of love gone wrong, refuses to believe that true love exists. Then this new guy (Ford) comes along...
- DirectorIan SamuelsStarsKathryn NewtonKyle AllenJermaine HarrisTwo teens live the same day repeatedly, enabling them to create a map of things to remember.
- DirectorKaren MaineStarsNatalia DyerTimothy SimonsWolfgang NovogratzAfter an innocent AOL chat turns racy, a Catholic teenager in the early 2000s discovers masturbation and struggles to suppress her new urges in the face of eternal damnation.
- DirectorNat FaxonJim RashStarsSteve CarellToni ColletteAllison JanneyShy 14-year-old Duncan goes on summer vacation with his mother, her overbearing boyfriend, and her boyfriend's daughter. Having a rough time fitting in, Duncan finds an unexpected friend in Owen, manager of the Water Wizz water park.
- DirectorDaniel WatersStarsBrad RenfroDominique SwainKeram Malicki-SánchezWhen a summer camp director gets injured, the diverse group of college freshmen counselors take charge and spice up the everyday routine of the camp.
- DirectorAssaf BernsteinStarsIndia EisleyJason IsaacsMira SorvinoMaria, an alienated high-school student, has her life turned upside down when she switches places with her sinister mirror image.
- DirectorJoseph CrossStarsLio TiptonLana CondorVictoria JusticeA coming-of-age story about the complexities of young romantic relationships.
- DirectorBud TownsendStarsDebra BleeVal KlineJeana KeoughTwo young women convince their reluctant friend to open up her rich uncle's beach house for the summer to party, and invite all their friends.
- DirectorJason WilesStarsJason WilesMichael BeachLonnie ChavisA life-altering friendship is formed between a man and 11 year old child after the passing of the boy's father.
- DirectorErnest ThompsonStarsRobert Downey Jr.Kiefer SutherlandBruce DernTwo friends living in a small town during the 1960s, run away to enjoy their freedom during the Vietnam War, thus disappointing the father of one of them. When they return to town, they realize the importance of family unity.
- DirectorSophie BrooksStarsZosia MametMatthew ShearDeirdre O'ConnellA young woman is forced to reflect on her first relationship when she inadvertently moves into her boyfriend's apartment building.(Hulu)
- DirectorMichael DowseStarsTopher GraceAnna FarisDan FoglerFour years after graduation, an awkward high school genius uses his sister's boyfriend's Labor Day party as the perfect opportunity to make his move on his high school crush.
- DirectorElliott LesterStarsJohn Patrick AmedoriLizzy CaplanD.J. CotronaScholarship student Jonah struggles considerably to make friends at his wealthy private school. As graduation draws near, Jonah grows infatuated with Sara Weller, a wealthy drug user and part of an elite social group at school.
- DirectorStephen SuettingerStarsBryan GreenbergClaire van der BoomT.R. KnightAn all-star cast headlines this critically-acclaimed story about a young man who, after falling off a roof at a New Year's party, decides it's time to make some changes in his life, such as reconnecting with his son and falling in love.(Amazon Prime)
- DirectorAnthony AbramsAdam Larson BroderStarsChristina RicciHank HarrisBrenda BlethynA sorority girl finds her life falling apart after she develops romantic feelings for a mentally-challenged man.
- DirectorJon LucasScott MooreStarsMiles TellerJustin ChonJonathan KeltzThe night before his big medical school interview, a promising student celebrates his 21st birthday with his two best friends.
- DirectorDave FrancoStarsAlison BrieJay EllisKiersey ClemonsOn a trip to her hometown, workaholic Ally reminisces with her ex Sean and starts to question everything about the person she's become. Things only get more confusing when she meets Cassidy, who reminds her of the person she used to be.
- DirectorTodd KesslerStarsElisabeth HarnoisJesse McCartneyMargo HarshmanNatalie, head of her curriculum activities in high school and riding on a tennis scholarship for college, gets Keith as her Chemistry lab partner. As Natalie can be uptight, Keith proves to be the opposite, even while hiding a secret.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsJason LondonWiley WigginsMatthew McConaugheyThe adventures of high school and junior high students on the last day of school in May 1976.
- DirectorBlake EdwardsStarsAudrey HepburnGeorge PeppardPatricia NealA young New York socialite becomes interested in a young man who has moved into her apartment building, but her past threatens to get in the way.
- DirectorStephen ChboskyStarsLogan LermanEmma WatsonEzra MillerCharlie, a 15-year-old introvert, enters high school and is nervous about his new life. When he befriends his seniors, he learns to cope with his friend's suicide and his tumultuous past.
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsNaomi WattsMartin HendersonBrian CoxA journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone one week to the day after they view it.
- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsNatalie PortmanMila KunisVincent CasselNina is a talented but unstable ballerina on the verge of stardom. Pushed to the breaking point by her artistic director and a seductive rival, Nina's grip on reality slips, plunging her into a waking nightmare.