The Best Movies You’ve Never Heard Of

Over the last few years, it seems that some of the best films have been the ones that enjoyed quiet critical and moderate monetary success, but for the most part were missed completely by those waiting in suspense for the next big Tom Cruise or Will Smith blockbuster. Even though not many have heard of these movies, most of them enjoy loyal cult following, and because so many of them were cheap to make, they made a huge profit. These films, more than any big budget summer movies, are why I keep heading back to the theater.

16. Dark City- A sci-fi movie directly responsible for the Matrix and several other movies that followed, Dark City follows a man who awakens in an unfamiliar hotel room to find that he's wanted for several murders. As he explores the mystery of his identity, he slowly realizes that everyone, even the city he lives in, may not be what it appears. Dark and compelling, Dark City explores what really determines who a person is and the hold destiny has over our lives.

15. Star Wars: The Clone Wars Animated Series-While not a theatrical release, nor technically a movie, the Clone Wars was a two season cartoon show commissioned by George Lucas and executed by the creator of Samurai Jack. The first season was comprised of twenty episodes, each three minutes apiece. On the DVD it has been edited into a full hour feature. Original and fun, the first season returned energy and excitement back to the franchise with awesome animation, great action and Jedi that act as powerful as they claim. Apparently they did something right, as it won an Emmy for best animated work an hour or longer. The show was so successful that they commissioned a second season of five episodes each 12 minutes apiece, which leads directly into episode three (one again released to DVD as an hour feature). The show was a little more refined with tighter storyline this time around, and once again brought home the Emmy. I mention these cartoons because amazingly they outshone the new trilogy in almost every way. The script, voice acting, and story were all flawless, and felt more like Star Wars than anything featured in the new movies.

14. Kung Fu Hustle- Best described as a loony tune on Asian drugs, Hustle is odd, bizarre, disturbing, funny, inspiring, sad, exciting, thrilling, and just a hoot to watch. Featuring your basic "chosen one" storyline, it goes places you'd never guess and features some of the coolest martial arts fights you've ever seen.

13. Equilibrium- Another movie that fed off the Matrix, the film features Christian Bale as a member of enforcers in a world where emotion is illegal. A smooth blend of 1984, Fahrenheit 451 and The Matrix, this is the movie that helped me believe that Bale could pull off being Batman. With a killer performance and AWESOME action scenes, including what can only be described as a knife fight with handguns, this movie please both the action nuts and those looking for something to think about.

12. Stardust- A fairly recent release, Stardust has a killer cast, with Michelle Phifer, Clair Danes and Robert Deniro, a rousing storyline reminiscent of "The Princess Bride" and world unique in vision and execution.

11. Sky Captain and The world of Tomorrow- If you don't like this film, you just don't like movies. A throwback to the sci-fi serials of the late fifties and early Sixties, Sky Captain was one of the first of the latest trend of movie shot almost exclusively on green screen. With a wonderful cast, a fun adventure of a plot and
fun and witty Dialogue, this one's fun for the family.

10. Mirror Mask- A quiet release from the Jim Henson Company, the film was meant to form a loose thematic trilogy with "Labyrinth" and "The Dark Crystal." Featuring the classic story of a girl lost in a strange dreamlike world, Mirror Mask is unique in vision, creating a world both familiar and frighteningly alien.

9. Bubba Ho-Tep- The most unlikely story line, Bruce Campbell plays a dying Elvis, still alive in a nursing home somewhere in Texas. When a mummy attacks the facility and begins picking off the residents, Elvis teams up with his best friend, an old black man who believes he's JFK. Unique, hilarious, and unexpectedly inspiring, the movies explores the most ridiculous of concepts with a dignified tongue in cheek approach that will make you wonder if Bruce Campbell may have been born for the distinct purpose of playing this role.

8. Shoot 'em Up- Basically the same idea as "King Fu Hustle," but instead of amping up the Kung Fu movie, this one take your standard shoot 'em up movie and increasing the stunt and classic clichés by about a million percent. Clive Owen may be the coolest action hero ever, carrots and all.

7. Wasabi- Perhaps the most unexpected movie I'd ever seen, Wasabi is a comedic action flick about France's toughest cop traveling to Japan to save his long lost daughter from mobsters. Completely subtitled (probably for effect) and featuring cool fights and down right hilarious situations, Wasabi is an unknown treasure trove of fun.

6. A Very Long Engagement- Another Foreign film, Engagement is the story of a young lady gradually finding the truth about what happened to her fiancé when he disappeared during World War One. A touching love story, engagement basically celebrates the idea that true love will eventually find a way.

5. Serenity- The movie continuation of Joss Whedon's "failed" TV show "Firefly," Serenity had the energy, originality, and emotional punch to rival "Empire Strikes Back." Throw in Joss's witty dialog and an amazing cast, and you have a fun space western unlike anything you've seen before.

4. Stranger Than Fiction- This was perhaps the most heavily advertised movie on this list, but still pretty unknown. Featuring Will Farrell in the only performance of his that I can stand, he plays boring IRS agent Harold Crick who begins to hear a narrator telling his life story. When the narrator foreshadows Harold's' death, he begin to search for a reason to live and the writer of his life.

3. Children of Men- Once again featuring Clive Owen, "Children" explores a dark, gritty, and completely believable future in which mankind has seemingly lost the ability to reproduce. When Owen's ex-wife entrusts a pregnant young woman to him, he must fight to keep her and her child safe in a dying world. Intriguing, engaging, and immensely pertinent to the current state of the world.

2. August Rush- A small movie who's biggest name is Robin Williams, the film is about a boy who is a musical prodigy, and feels that if he is able to play music, his long lost parents will hear him and find him. Inspiring, touching, and moving, August Rush succeeds due to an amazing sound track and phenomenal acting.

1. Brick- You know those old black and white detective flicks, featuring the private eye in trench coat and hat tracking down the bad guy? Now picture the same thing, but in a grungy and dangerous L.A. High School and featuring a young detective trying to solve his girlfriend's murder. With dialogue sharp as a razor and dead on performances from the actors, a possibly cheesy concept comes across smooth and engaging.