The Barbarian Invasions, a French language film about a dying man being reunited with figures from his past - funny, moving and very clever.
Everything is Illuminated - I watched this in the cinema and was completely captivated.
My first recommendation, In Bruges, was taken within the first five posts, as I was pretty certain it would be.
So instead, I’ll throw out Stranger Than Fiction. If you hate Will Ferrell moves in general, watch this for a pleasant surprise. No slapstick comedy, just a clever little story.
I came into this thread to recommend Spiral, but I see that was mentioned in the first reply, so I’ll second it. I’ll mentionThe Sea Inside, Please Vote for Me, and Lagaan.
If I like a movie’s tone and sensibility, I’ll seek out others by the same director. Since I always liked Clueless, I waited for more from Amy Heckerling. She hasn’t made many movies, so a couple of years ago I looked forward to renting I Could Never Be Your Woman, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd. I liked it a lot. (And given that it was never released in theaters in the US, I think it’s safe to consider it mostly unseen.)
I was going to recommend The Castle, even though it’s from 1997, but I see that the OP is Australian, and likely has seen it. But it’s a cute, funny movie for anyone who hasn’t yet seen it.
I’ve seen this too and agree it was fantastic, shame it didn’t get more press (but as you say, direct to DVD and all).
I could second many of these movies (lots of great recommendations) but the one I’ll single out is “Waltz with Bashir”. That movie knocked me on my ass.
Thirding this one.
One of the funnier parts of it was that they skewered Hollywood’s habit of casting older actors to play younger roles by casting Paul Rudd and Michelle Pfeiffer to play 4-5 years younger than they actually are. And then it sat on the shelf for like 4-5 years before going direct to cable, so you watch this and wonder how the hell they expect us to believe they’re 10 years younger than we know them to be.
I thought Saoirse Ronan was a fantastic in this, and I especially liked when she did the song parodies. I was so impressed, in fact, that I looked up how to pronounce her name. Apparently it’s “sair-sha”, like Sarah but the last syllable starts with a “sh”. I look forward to seeing her in The Lovely Bones.
Mary and Max
It’s a charming stop-motion film about an Australian girl and her friendship with a rather odd man from New York.
Full disclosure, small independent movies made since 2000 perfectly describes my favorite kind of movie, and I watch a crapload of movies. So I keep thinking of more and more movies to recommend, but have been holding off so as not to post like 30 times. Here’s a download of the ones that have come to mind, many of which are currently in rotation on cable.
I usually watch two movies at a time, preferring that the double feature has either a common plot or actor. So here’s another 38 new recommendations, grouped by commonality. Note that in some groups the common actor only has minor roles.
Jay Baruchel: Fetching Cody / I’m Reed Fish
Fetching Cody stands alone in its awesomeness. I fell in love with Sarah Lind even though her part is small. I can’t recommend this movie enough. Reed Fish is quirky and kind of drags now and then, but it’s watchable.
John C. Reilly: Criminal / The Promotion
Criminal is exceptional. Reilly is really in his element and surrounded by a great supporting cast. I included The Promotion even though the rating is in the 5s because as far as I’m concerned John C. Reilly is solid gold in dramatic parts. It’s listed as a comedy but Reilly plays it straight, much like in Boogey Nights.
Sarah Polley: The Weight of Water / Don’t Come Knocking
Sarah Polley is movie gold as far as I’m concerned. Almost every movie on her imdb page would qualify for this thread. Fun fact: Polley turned down the Kate Hudson role in Almost Famous to do The Weight of Water, causing Brad Pitt to also drop out. I’m assuming Jason Lee sent her a nice fruitbasket by way of thanks.
Jessie Eisenberg: The Squid and the Whale / The Education of Charlie Banks
Eisenberg is a bit of a one-note actor, but I love his one note. Both are good, but unlike the imdb ratings I think Charlie Banks is the better movie. Or you could pair Squid & Whale with Smart People and save Charlie Banks for a Jason Ritter double feature with the previously recommended Good Dick. (The contrast between Ritter’s two characters in Good Dick and Charlie Banks is striking.)
Paul Dano: Gigantic / The Ballad of Jack and Rose
Gigantic is a bit weird, and I’m not entirely convinced it hung together. But I like the cast a lot, and kept thinking about it long after I saw it so that gives it an edge. Dano is only a minor player in Jack & Rose, a coming of age tale starring Camille Belle and Daniel Day Lewis.
Joseph Gordon Levitt: Manic / The Lookout
Manic is notable for being the first pairing of Levitt with Zooey Deschanel, before they reteamed last year in (500) Days of Summer. The Lookout has a bit of a similar feel to Memento. Bonus points for an Isla Fisher sighting.
Zooey Deschanel: The Go-Getter / Flakes
These are both fluffy, frothy vehicles for Deschanel. If you like her, you’ll like these.
Radha Mitchell: Feast of Love / Henry Poole Is Here
I really like Mitchell but I get the sense that not everybody agrees. Henry Poole is clearly the better of these two, a compelling drama starring Luke Wilson. Feast of Love is cloying and manipulative at times, but not overly so and it still lands some emotional hits. Plus tons of nudity.
Will Ferrell: Winter Passing / Melinda and Melinda
I know what you’re thinking, but these aren’t comedies and Ferrell is only a supporting character in both. Winter stars Zooey Deschanel and Melinda stars Radha Mitchell, if that helps to sell them. These are both good flicks.
Evan Rachel Wood: Down in the Valley / Pretty Persuasion
Toss in the previously recommended King of California for a triple play. Edward Norton does a fantastic job in Down in the Valley. Pretty Persuasion doesn’t fully come together but works well enough to be worth watching.
Isla Fisher: Dallas 362 / London
This connection is tenuous at best, since Fisher only has bit parts in both. Dallas 362 is a solid debut by Scott Caan as a writer and director. London tries very hard to be an edgy drug movie and largely succeeds. Jasaon Statham looks like he’s having fun chewing the scenery.
Ben Kingsley: You Kill Me / The Wackness
You Kill Me has one of my all-time favorite scenes. See if you can guess which one. The Wackness was a little draggy but not a bad film.
Jon Favreau: Love & Sex / Made
Love & Sex is a sweet modern love story. Favreau wrote and directed Made, writing in a small part for Famke Janssen, his Love & Sex costar. And of course a big part for Vince Vaughn.
Rachael Leigh Cook: Stateside / The Big Empty
The Big Empty stars Jon Favreau, so if you didn’t like Swingers you should toss out Made and pair Love & Sex with Empty. Stateside is a very good albeit bleak story about trying to love someone who may not be mentally capable of loving you back.
Ryan Phillipe: The I Inside / The Way of the Gun
I really like Phillipe, but I think I’m in the minority on that. These two are my favorites of his. The I Inside has Sarah Polley so that’s major bonus points. The Way of the Gun is jam-packed with original touches that make it both worth watching and memorable.
Sam Rockwell: Snow Angels / Choke
Choke is based on another novel from Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk. Snow Angels…honestly I don’t really remember it. I think it’s kind of bleak. But hey, Kate Beckinsale, so that helps. I remember thinking it was good.
Intertwined stories: The Air I Breathe / American Gun
These would go well with 11:14.
The Amateurs (aka The Moguls)
Town pulls together to shoot a porno. Great A-List cast.
Towelhead (aka Nothing Is Private)
Coming of age tale about a highly sexualized Arab girl. Dark and powerful.
First Snow
I like both Guy Pearce and Piper Perabo, and I remember liking this movie, but for the life of me I don’t remember the movie itself.
Agreed on the original touches, but years later (and two rewatches), I still can’t decide if I like Way of the Gun. Maybe it needs a third rewatch…
I knew I liked it as soon as Sarah Silverman started word-raping them in the opening scene. heh. I also really liked their sperm-donation interviews. I could go on and on, but I’ll limit my open spoilers to the first 10 minutes of the movie.
What really clinched it for me was the director’s commentary, where he was commenting about all the original touches. I particularly liked[spoiler]the low speed chase, but even better was how they showed the real actual size of that sum of money. Each giant person-sized bag held $5m, if I recall correctly. I recently rewatched it, and then a few days later I saw a Fringe episode where a normal size briefcase held $2m in cash. Yeah, okay.
Jumping in the fountain at the end during the shootout only to land in a pile of broken bottles? Where else do you get that kind of attention to detail?
Plus I loved how Juliette and Geoffrey Lewis were both in it. (Real life father and daughter.) His final scene was concentrated awesome.[/spoiler]
We Don’t Live Here Anymore, 2004
Mark Rufalo, Laura Dern
(Don’t see if you’re about to get married!)
Primer remains one of my all-time favorite movies. IMHO it’s the best movie ever made about time travel.
Ink was a weird little movie. I wasn’t even really sure what it was about for at least the first 30 minutes, but it’s very well made, well acted and comes together in the end very powerfully.
Bubbe Ho-tep was funny and oddly touching at times. Great cast too: Ossie Davis (as JFK) and Bruce “The Chin” Campbell (as Elvis).
Whale Rider is a profoundly moving tale of a young Maori girl’s coming of age.
The Machinist is a bizarre thriller about an emaciated machine shop worker who hasn’t slept in over a year. Amazing performances from all involved, including Christian Bale. A really amazing performance from Aitana Sánchez-Gijón considering she really doesn’t speak English.
The American Astronaut is a weird little low-budget sci-fi musical who’s plot I could not sum up in 10 words if I wanted to. Very enjoyable. And I noticed when I grabbed the link that it has less than 1300 reviews, so I don’t just think most people haven’t seen it, I know most people have’t seen it.
Rize is an amazing and touching documentary about the origins of krump dancing. I really can’t say enough good things about this film. Just over 2000 reviews, too.
Groove was made in 2000, so I know I’m skirting the OP’s line here, but it’s a very entertaining movie set within the rave subculture.
The Anarchist Cookbook is a cool little movie about a bunch of self-styled anarchists in Texas. Lots of fun but also has some really tense moments. Less than 1000 reviews on IMDB.
49 Up is easily the most fascinating documentary project ever undertaken. If you haven’t ever heard of this UK series, they met a bunch of children back in the 1960s who were all 7 years old. Then, every 7 years, the filmmakers locate and interview them again. Every 7 years. The changes that people can go through over the years is ASTOUNDING.
Ritana (known in the US as The Returner is a great Japanese sci-fi action film about a woman from the future who comes back here to try and avert an Earth-shattering disaster.
Spider is one of David Cronenberg’s best films. It’s about a mentally disturbed man who is released to a halfway house and his struggles. Not so much a exploration of a character as it is a mystery. This movie is a completely different experience the 2nd time you watch.
Sexy Beast is a UK gangster movie. Who knew Gandhi could be so terrifying?
Immortal is from famed artist/writer Enki Bilal (if you ever read Heavy Metal magazine back in the '80s you prolly saw some of his work there). He brings the same unique, odd style of his comics to this film. It so strange both in content and in aesthetics that it takes a while to get into, but it’s very worth the time.
2009: Lost Memories is a buddy cop story set in South Korea, only one of the cops is Japanese. It explores the tensions between the 2 nations and these 2 partners. Oh, and there’s time travel involved.
Tae Guk Gi is another excellent Korean movie about brothers fighting on opposite sides during WW2. Korea has a really strong film industry; I have more than a few movies from there and for the most part they are all excellent. TGG stands out tho.
24 Hour Party People is a great movie from the UK, about the birth of rave culture in Manchester.
In The Realms Of The Unreal is a great documentary about the life and work of Henry Darger, the most amazing artist and writer that you never knew about, ever. The term “underground art” doesn’t even begin to cover this man’s accomplishments. Also a very sad story of a man who simply could not connect with the rest of the world.
Why We Fight is a great look at the US’s #1 export: military might.
That’s a brief list from my collection. I knocked a few out because other people listed them, but I did want to say that Frailty was an very scary, very disturbing movie.
And I also wanted to say thanks to the other posters; I found a bunch of stuff to add to my own “watch it when I can get it” list. 
I loved all of these.
I just saw and also loved Kinky Boots.
Snowboard Bo - great list. I saw 4 of your first 5, which I loved, so I’ll be adding quite a few from your list to my Netflix queue.
Thanks! I’m going to guess that the odd one out is Ink.
I have two to recommend which both languish in the ghetto of art cinema. Yes, they are art films, but they deserve to be watched over and over…
Atanarjuat - The Fast Runner. Trailer NSFW (because of shots of a naked man running across the ice floes in the high arctic) here
Great film; everyone I’ve recommended it to loves it.
(untitled). Good luck finding it, though.
The Ritchie Boys.
Off the Map.
The Rape of Europa.