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Monday, March 18, 2013

Top Ten Sleepers


If you know me then you know I didn't have to think twice about signing up for this blogfest, because I LOVE movies. But, because there are so many great movies in so many genres, I'm going to offer up a few movies you may not have heard of, or if you did you wrote them off.

Kick Ass directed by Matthew Vaughn, starring Nicholas Cage, Chloe Moretz, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. I remember seeing the previews and thinking, yeah, right, another horrible Nicholas Cage movie (and don't get me wrong, I actually like Nicholas Cage; I just think he makes poor choices). But guess what? This is a kick-ass movie. 
Memento directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Guy Pierce, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Joe Pantoliano (interesting pairing, eh?). This is the kind of movie you have to pay attention to. Blink and you'll miss something important. It's also the kind of movie you can watch again because you probably did miss something even if you were paying attention.
Punch Drunk Love directed by Paul Tomas Anderson, starring Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. One of my favorite love stories and the only Adam Sandler movie I like. Best line: "Take that Mattress Man!"
Shallow Grave, directed by Danny Boyle (we do Like Danny Boyle, btw), starring Kerry Fox, Christopher Eccleston, and Ewan McGregor. The premise is this: Three people living together in a four bedroom flat are looking for a house mate. The interviews they conduct are very unorthodox and very funny. Eventually the three agree on one prospective tenant. He moves in, locks his door, and is not seen again. (from IMDb)
District 9 directed by Neill Blomkamp, starring Sharlto Copley and David James. With the help of Peter Jackson I heard. Regardless. I own this movie now. And I don't purchase movies lightly.
Primer directed by Shane Carruth, starring Shane Carruth and David Sullivan. If you like moves that mess with time like I do, then you may like this. I wish this was in my collection.
Payback directed by Brian Helgeland, starring Mel Gibson, Lucy Liu, Maria Bello, and Gregg Henry. This is one of my favorite Mel Gibson movies, and based on the simplest of plots: a man is betrayed by his wife and partner, and survives to take revenge. Gibson is ruthless as Porter, and Lucy Liu is fabulous alongside Gregg Henry. I own this movie, too.
Donnie Darko directed by Richard Kelly, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a troubled teenager who narrowly escapes death and what happens after. It's also got the saddest song ever. I wish I owned this movie.
Leon: The Professional directed by Luc Besson, starring Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, and 12-year-old Natalie Portman in her first movie ever. Reno plays an assassin who  takes in the orphaned Portman whose parents are killed in a Police Raid.
The Grudge directed by Takashi Shimizu, starring Sarah Michelle Geller and Jason Behr (from Roswell, one of my most fave shows ever). This was my kind of scary movie, the kind that makes you shudder thinking about it after.

Seen any of these movies? Do tell...

61 comments:

  1. Donnie Darko is a wonderful film, it is on the cult status... and the confusion of the giant rabbit still makes it the best "why is there a giant rabbit in the film"...

    Jeremy [Retro-Z]
    Howlin' Wolf

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  2. Ooooh great choices!! District 9, Donnie Darko.. wonderful films!!!

    Take care
    x

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  3. Great choices. You're giving me lots of new movies to check out. Thanks.

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  4. Memento is just pure genius. And Donnie Darko was a good film until the end - then it became a great film.
    Excellent choices! Thanks for participating in my blogfest.

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  5. Of course you mentioned some movies that I never even heard of. 'Shallow Grave' sounds interesting. I have got to get out more.

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  6. Haha! You had Kick Ass first. LOL

    Punch Drunk Love...I forgot about that one. Great list!

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  7. Some of your faves I love, too, like Kick Ass and Leon: The Professional. I haven't seen Shallow Grave, but your description really makes me want to find out what happened!
    Fun list! :-)

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  8. What's crazy is that I've heard of practically all these movies but haven't seen any of them, yet. Memento, District 9 and Punch Drunk Love are certainly on my list to see.

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  9. I tried watching Momento, but I couldn't handle all the rewinds to show the story again and again. Very unique list. And I really like District 9 as well.

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  10. Half these movies I love, and the other half I sadly haven't seen it, but keep meaning to. And now I have to check out Shallow Grave because I've never heard of it and it sounds very interesting.

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  11. oh, you have a very dark taste, dear! KICK-ASS has a sequel coming out this year :) I had a book giveaway for the first film :)

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    1. wow. you're right Dez. I didn't see it til you pointed it out.

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  12. You have a number of movies listed that I want to see but haven't.

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  13. Seen them all, and like all except the grudge, found it okay, but Buffy is better stabbing vampires haha

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  14. I loved Payback. Hubba Hubba Hubba. Excellent picks. :)

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  15. Interesting to see the Grudge on this list.

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  16. Memento was an awesome and very well written film.

    Nice list! :)

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  17. Oh, I did like District 9 - but they played the h**l out of it on cable, it ran its course.

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  18. I loved Kick Ass and District 9! great list!
    Nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

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  19. I still need to see Donnie Darko

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  20. LOL - I don't know a single one of these movies. My list is completely different.
    Rhonda
    Laugh-Quotes.com

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  21. Huzzah for Sleepers! Good category. The Professional is definitely my favorite on this list. :)

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  22. Oh, I love Kickass. I totally forgot about that one. Definitely a fun one.

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  23. The only two I haven't seen are Primer and Shallow Grave. Will have to check them out! Memento was so well done that movies have been trying (and failing) to copy it ever since. Donnie Darko is twisted and fascinating, and The Professional is heart wrenching. Love that you did sleepers for your list!

    Shannon at The Warrior Muse

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    1. Primer is an independent film, I think, and it shows a bit, but I still loved it.

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  24. I'm not familiar with most of these...will have to add some to my list of things to watch.

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  25. Excellent movie choices!

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  26. I've always wanted to see District 9.

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    1. It's very good, and not what I expected at all.

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  27. This is the first stop so far where I haven't seen any of the movies listed. Off to Netflix I go.

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    1. Yay! I 'm glad to be able to recommend some you haven't seen :)

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  28. I almost made a sleepers list. Sneakers and Tremors were two that would have been on it. :)

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    1. Tremors is another movie that's on my NTO list (need to own). Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward are perfect together in that movie.

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  29. Oh wow, I haven't seen any of these but now I have 10 films to check out- very cool! :)

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  31. The Professional! - I remember loving that movie. I haven't seen it in years!
    Great picks!!!

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    1. I saw it once a long time ago and then I watched it again with my brother and it reminded me how could it was as well as how amazing Natalie Portman was - as a kid, no less!

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  32. I actually hate Nicolas Cage's work, but he did do amazing in Kick Ass. The whole film was really just fantastic. Donnie Darco is another good one, though if you haven't seen the sequel, I would say don't bother.

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    1. yeah, no plans on seeing the sequel.

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  33. Awww, how can you not love THE WEDDING SINGER? :P I am actually pretty sure the only movie on your list that I've seen is DONNIE DARKO. Wow, I need to get watching! :)

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    1. sorry, I'm not a big comedy fan to begin with and Adam Sandler just does nothing for me.

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  34. kick ass!! yes!
    most of the rest are great too, but i loved kick ass! shes my hero!

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    1. Chloe Moretz was awesome in that movie.

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  35. LOVED Shallow Grave!!! And District 9...the last time I was pregnant I watched it and I think it was the reason behind my complete aversion to meat!

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  36. Oh my gosh, I loved Donnie Darko - what a dark, trippy, just strange movie. Great choices!

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  37. The only one on your list I've seen is "Payback", but I DID enjoy it. I don't think I could come up with a "top ten" movie list, because my favorites are likely to change, depending on my mood. Just like music. Sometimes, I want to listen to classical or opera... and sometimes I listen to Nine Inch Nails. (Blame that one on my kids.)

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    1. You are too funny! I often listen to the opera on NPR on Saturdays - but I'm equally happy listening to NIN, but you're right, it totally depends on my mood. And I blame my son, too, for my love of NIN, lol.

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  38. omgosh i could never watch The Grudge again it freaked me out too badly. lol
    The Professional! Love it! Gary Oldman is my all time fave actor and he is stellar in that one!

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    1. Gary Oldman is seriously under rated. And I agree that the Grudge was freaky as hell which is why I loved it!

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  39. the only one on your list that I have seen is District 9

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    1. Really? You have got to get out more, Al!

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  40. Hey, stranger! How's the new year treating you? Yeah, sadly, it has been that long since I've visited. You know, I don't care for genres like The Professional, but that film is brilliant! I have the poster in my library. Thanks for sharing! *waves*

    -Jimmy

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    1. I'm not a huge fan of assassination films but The Professional was an exception for me, too, as was The American.

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  41. wow, the grudge was like the last movie that was a horror movie i ever watched because it freaked me out!! :D newest follower from the hop! hi

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    1. It was a wicked creepy movie which was why I liked it so much.

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  43. I LOVED Leon: The Professional. While it didn't make my top 10 it certainly makes my top 20. :3

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