# What are the best "little" movies you've seen lately? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 3, 2007, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309 "2007-07-03T01:59:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309/1 "2007-07-03T01:59:46Z")
I saw the HBO movie [Longford](http://www.hbo.com/films/longford/synopsis/) a few days ago while trying to take a nap; the nap never happened because the film was one of the most compelling I’ve seen in a long time. I knew vaguely who Myra Hindley & Ian Baker were before the movie (i.e. that they were some sort of English _[Badlands](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Starkweather)_ like duo) but I didn’t know any details (or even that Baker’s still alive) and I’d never heard of Frank Pakenham, Lord Longford before (though I’ve read books by two of his children) or know anything of his relationship with Hindley, but the entire movie was absolutely fascinating. A spoiler-free quicky synopsis: Myra Hindley was the live-in girlfriend of Ian Baker and in 1965 they began torturing/raping/murdering adolescents and children, fairly randomly picked, and were both given life sentences. ([Long Version](http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/moors/index_1.html)/[Shorter Version](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moors_Murderers) ) Lord Longford was an aging (early 60s) British politician (House of Lords), a very devout convert to Roman Catholicism who visits prisoners constantly, and he responds to Hindley’s request for a visit. The movie is the story of their 30+ year relationship and how it affects his career/family (Hindley was as hated there as Susan Atkins is here) and her life, Andy “Gollum” Serkis has a mesmerizing supporting role as Baker, and one’s led to wonder often whether Hindley’s telling the truth about her limited role in the crimes, or if Baker’s telling the truth that she was a more than willing participant, if Longford’s as pure as he seems, etc… In any case, this isn’t a review so much as just to say it’s one of the most spectacular conversation and personality/characterization movies I’ve seen in a long time. What are the best non-action/non-musical strictly-great-writing/great-acting movies you’ve seen recently (that I might add them to my Netflix)? ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309/2 "2007-07-03T02:19:26Z")
Also from HBO [Girl in the Cafe](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443518/) starring Bill Nighy and Kelly MacDonald. A May-December political romance drama. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309/3 "2007-07-03T03:07:20Z")
I love it when I catch a good unknown movie while channel surfing. I caught [Roger Dodger](http://imdb.com/title/tt0299117/) that way. I think I’ve only stayed through three full movies that I’ve caught through channel surfing. Matchstick Men, Full Metal Jacket and Roger Dodger. I’ve been trying to recreate the experience, but with no success. I try to watch random movies on HBO for about five minutes hoping they’ll pick up, but they usually never do. Anyway, Roger Dodger is about a kid who spends time with his Uncle Roger. The nephew shows up at his uncle’s door and begs Roger to teach him the art of seducing women, which Roger can do almost flawlessly. What follows is a more realistic than usual depiction of the art of seduction. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309/4 "2007-07-03T03:26:15Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] I knew vaguely who Myra Hindley & Ian Baker were before the movie [/QUOTE] I think you mean [Ian Brady](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Brady#Myra_Hindley). ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309/5 "2007-07-03T03:57:24Z")
**The Movie Hero** from 2003, starring Jeremy Sisto. Sisto plays a guy who acts like his life is a movie. It was on HBO last week (or maybe it was Showtime). I didn’t set out to watch it – I was flipping channels (like **Lakai** ), saw Sisto and stopped. He plays a totally charming, likable guy who loves movies and who thinks his life is being filmed. He talks directly to the camera, which is supposed to be imaginary but of course it’s not because we’re really watching him, aren’t we? Once I accepted the premise, it was easy to like the movie. He’s the Hero, and he has a Sidekick. His movie needsa plot so he follows a Suspicious Character (the wood chipper guy from Fargo), and his Love Interest is his therapist. I checked IMDB and the movie won a couple of awards at small film festivals. It’s very watchable. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309/6 "2007-07-03T04:48:56Z")
[_In Her Shoes_](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0388125/) is a charming little story about two sisters, one serious and responsible (Toni Collette), the other flighty and irresponsible (Cameron Diaz), and the rivalry between them. Although it’s basically a comedy, it has some very nice serious and touching moments. The acting is very good, with a good supporting cast that includes Shirley MacLaine as their grandmother. The characters are interesting and well drawn and the story never lapses into cliche or stereotype. I particularly liked a touching scene in which Cameron Diaz is exposed to the world of poetry by a former professor in the nursing home in which she works. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309/7 "2007-07-03T05:07:41Z")
If a foreign movie that grossed $3 million in the US counts as small, I’d vote for **Black Book**. It’s the story of Rachel Stein, a Jewish woman hiding out from the Germans in 1944 Holland. After the family who hides her is killed, she eventually meets up with the Resistance. She also meets a Gestapo officer, and the Resistance decides to have her start working for the Gestapo as a mole. The terrific thing about the movie is although it’s as well-paced and action packed as a really good Hollywood thriller, it has the moral ambiguity and willingness to have unhappy outcomes you seem to only get these days in indie movies. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309/8 "2007-07-03T05:34:28Z")
I finally saw _The Station Agent_ a couple of weeks ago, and really liked it. Enough that I might have to go see the _Underdog_ movie, just because Peter Dinklage is playing Simon bar Sinister. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309/9 "2007-07-03T06:07:40Z")
I was surprised that a serach found no discussion of [The Dead Girl](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0783238/) on the Dope, I would have thought it was a natural here. We saw it last week. Fairly original and very well done indeed, a quiet movie about a murder but for once not focusing on it; it’s about how strangers’ lives intersect and are changed in the aftermath. It tells the story from the PoV of 5 different characters, one segment of the film each. Great acting from pretty much the whole cast, and a good job of direction too. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309/10 "2007-07-03T14:29:11Z")
It may not be what you’re looking for, but I just watched very low-budget independent film called _Primer_. It’s a sci-fi movie about some guys who invent a time travel machine in their garage, but it’s a different take on time travel than you usually see in movies. There’s a lot of dialogue and no special effects. I had to watch the last 20 minutes twice to figure out what was going on, but I really enjoyed it. It starts off slow but becomes enthralling. Here’s the wikipedia [site](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primer_%28film%29), but if you read very far into it there are spoilers trying to explain the complex plot. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309/11 "2007-07-03T14:33:14Z")
[Film bio of Edith Piaf](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0450188/). Grim but very, very good. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309/12 "2007-07-03T14:38:03Z")
Not too long ago, I happened to flip onto HBO late one night and catch the film [Freeway](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116361/) starring Kiefer Sutherland and Reese Witherspoon. I even started a thread about it and found that quite a few Dopers also liked this quirky, sick little film. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309/13 "2007-07-03T15:19:15Z")
[QUOTE=Askance] I was surprised that a serach found no discussion of [The Dead Girl](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0783238/) on the Dope, I would have thought it was a natural here. We saw it last week. Fairly original and very well done indeed, a quiet movie about a murder but for once not focusing on it; it’s about how strangers’ lives intersect and are changed in the aftermath. It tells the story from the PoV of 5 different characters, one segment of the film each. Great acting from pretty much the whole cast, and a good job of direction too. [/QUOTE] Just saw this last week myself. I thought it was an excellent movie. All the things you said, with an added “Bravo!” to Toni Collette, who did a really good job. _Mysterious Skin_ with Joseph Gordon-Levitt was excellent. Extremely difficult to watch, but very good. _Little Children,_ although one of the stars was an academy award nominee, is still considered “little” because as far as I can tell, few people have seen it. The subject matter is just too taboo for general consumption. Great movie. ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309/14 "2007-07-03T15:51:24Z")
I agree with Miller; _The Station Agent_ is a lovely movie. I also thoroughly enjoyed _Breakfast on Pluto_. It’s about a transsexual teenager coming of age during Ireland’s troubles with Britain in the 1970s. That description makes it sound tediously earnest and dull, but it’s really a sweet and funny film. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309/15 "2007-07-03T16:02:49Z")
[QUOTE=Lakai] I love it when I catch a good unknown movie while channel surfing. I caught [Roger Dodger](http://imdb.com/title/tt0299117/) that way. I think I’ve only stayed through three full movies that I’ve caught through channel surfing. Matchstick Men, Full Metal Jacket and Roger Dodger. I’ve been trying to recreate the experience, but with no success. I try to watch random movies on HBO for about five minutes hoping they’ll pick up, but they usually never do. Anyway, Roger Dodger is about a kid who spends time with his Uncle Roger. The nephew shows up at his uncle’s door and begs Roger to teach him the art of seducing women, which Roger can do almost flawlessly. What follows is a more realistic than usual depiction of the art of seduction. [/QUOTE] You should definitely check out [_P.S_.](http://imdb.com/title/tt0380609/) , also by **Dylan Kidd**. It stars Laura Linney and Topher Grace and is a really great little film. Hard to describe decently without making it sound ridiculous, but Linney plays a professor who becomes enamored w/ art student Grace and believes he may be the reincarnated soul of her deceased past love. Sounds weird, but it really works. The chemistry between the two is seriously amazing. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309/16 "2007-07-03T16:29:51Z")
I’m not sure if it’s considered “little”, but last year I loved _The World’s Fastest Indian_ starring Anthony Hopkins. It’s the story of Burt Munro, a New Zealand motorcycle enthusiast who dreamed of racing his home-tinkered Indian motorcycle at Bonneville’s Speed Week. Despite not having much money, he crosses the Pacific, bargains for a used car, and talks his way around the Speed Week paperwork to accomplish his dream. Anthony Hopkins, as usual, was terrific. I’ve never spoken to anyone IRL who has even heard of this film. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309/17 "2007-07-03T17:00:54Z")
The Hopkins movie was screened at a local biker rally a couple weeks ago. Once a month the Harley dealership shows a movie, outdoors, projected onto the warehouse doors. I didn’t go, but my husband did, and he said the movie was a big hit. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309/18 "2007-07-03T17:07:24Z")
[QUOTE=Eleanor of Aquitaine] It may not be what you’re looking for, but I just watched very low-budget independent film called _Primer_. It’s a sci-fi movie about some guys who invent a time travel machine in their garage, but it’s a different take on time travel than you usually see in movies. There’s a lot of dialogue and no special effects. I had to watch the last 20 minutes twice to figure out what was going on, but I really enjoyed it. It starts off slow but becomes enthralling. Here’s the wikipedia [site](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primer_%28film%29), but if you read very far into it there are spoilers trying to explain the complex plot. [/QUOTE] One of my all-time favorite movies. I would suggest **Brick** , starring Joseph Gordon-Leavitt, who was in Third Rock from the Sun, of course, but also in Mysterious Skin, mentioned earlier in this thread. A hard-boiled detective thriller, delivered in a thoroughly enjoyable, intense language all its own. And everyone is in high school or thereabouts - but trust me, it works. Has anyone see that new small musical **Once**? Looks fascinating… ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309/19 "2007-07-03T17:10:02Z")
[QUOTE=installLSC] If a foreign movie that grossed $3 million in the US counts as small, I’d vote for **Black Book**. It’s the story of Rachel Stein, a Jewish woman hiding out from the Germans in 1944 Holland. After the family who hides her is killed, she eventually meets up with the Resistance. She also meets a Gestapo officer, and the Resistance decides to have her start working for the Gestapo as a mole. The terrific thing about the movie is although it’s as well-paced and action packed as a really good Hollywood thriller, it has the moral ambiguity and willingness to have unhappy outcomes you seem to only get these days in indie movies. [/QUOTE] Second ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309/20 "2007-07-03T17:23:01Z")
[QUOTE=teela brown] I’m not sure if it’s considered “little”, but last year I loved _The World’s Fastest Indian_ starring Anthony Hopkins. It’s the story of Burt Munro, a New Zealand motorcycle enthusiast who dreamed of racing his home-tinkered Indian motorcycle at Bonneville’s Speed Week. Despite not having much money, he crosses the Pacific, bargains for a used car, and talks his way around the Speed Week paperwork to accomplish his dream. Anthony Hopkins, as usual, was terrific. I’ve never spoken to anyone IRL who has even heard of this film. [/QUOTE] We rented it a while back. I must confess it didn’t grab me or Mr. K, but I didn’t give it a fair chance, either. I’ll have to give it another try. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-little-movies-youve-seen-lately/410309.md?page=2)