Complex's 50 Indie Movies You Need To See Before You Die
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Today, June 21 2013, is the official start of summer, a technical bit of information Hollywood's studio execs have never given a damn about. For them and their expensive beach-season tentpole movies, summer officially begins once May calendars are introduced—meaning, since Iron Man 3, moviegoers have been steadily bombarded with gargantuan flicks the likes of Man of Steel and Fast & Furious 6, and, with World War Z opening, that's not about to stop anytime soon.
What's a cinema buff to do? As always, seek out the nearest independent theater and/or art-house venue and drop cash on the latest no-budget films worthy of such concerted efforts. Without that kind of open-mindedness, DIY moviemaking would cease to exist, robbing cinephiles of flicks that could potentially rival the hallowed likes of Reservoir Dogs, The Terminator, and Night of the Living Dead. All of which, yes, were initially inconspicuous, independently made passion projects.
Need some palate cleansers to help you fall back from seeing Man of Steel for the third time? Please consult our list of the 50 indie movies you need to see before you die, because, you know, a terrible, tragic accident could happen while you're en route to watch Channing Tatum save the world next week in White House Down. Use this to avoid any afterlife regrets. (complex.com)
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1 new
Mean Streets
1973, in 22 top lists Check -
2 new
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
1971, in 12 top lists Check -
3 new
Reservoir Dogs
1992, in 26 top lists Check -
4 new
Sex, Lies, and Videotape
1989, in 11 top lists Check -
5 new
Eraserhead
1977, in 20 top lists Check -
6 new
Donnie Darko
2001, in 21 top lists Check -
7 new
Short Cuts
1993, in 9 top lists Check -
8 new
Night of the Living Dead
1968, in 20 top lists Check -
9 new
Bad Lieutenant
1992, in 6 top lists Check -
10 new
The Terminator
1984, in 24 top lists Check -
11 new
The Evil Dead
1981, in 8 top lists Check -
12 new
Shadows
1958, in 12 top lists Check -
13 new
She's Gotta Have It
1986, in 6 top lists Check -
14 new
Blood Simple
1984, in 10 top lists Check -
15 new
Lost in Translation
2003, in 19 top lists Check -
16 new
Memento
2000, in 27 top lists Check -
17 new
Primer
2004, in 6 top lists Check -
18 new
Clerks
1994, in 9 top lists Check -
19 new
Pi
1998, in 6 top lists Check -
20 new
THX 1138
1971, in 5 top lists Check -
21 new
Blue Velvet
1986, in 27 top lists Check -
22 new
Easy Rider
1969, in 17 top lists Check -
23 new
The Usual Suspects
1995, in 24 top lists Check -
24 new
Killer of Sheep
1978, in 14 top lists Check -
25 new
Being John Malkovich
1999, in 14 top lists Check -
26 new
Happiness
1998, in 8 top lists Check -
27 new
Two-Lane Blacktop
1971, in 13 top lists Check -
28 new
Dazed and Confused
1993, in 7 top lists Check -
29 new
The Blair Witch Project
1999, in 14 top lists Check -
30 new
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
1974, in 15 top lists Check -
31 new
The Last House on the Left
1972, in 4 top lists Check -
32 new
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
1999, in 7 top lists Check -
33 new
In the Company of Men
1997, in 5 top lists Check -
34 new
Swingers
1996, in 1 top list Check -
35 new
Requiem for a Dream
2000, in 21 top lists Check -
36 new
Kids
1995, in 5 top lists Check -
37 new
Gummo
1997, in 4 top lists Check -
38 new
Friday the 13th
1980, in 3 top lists Check -
39 new
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2004, in 28 top lists Check -
40 new
My Own Private Idaho
1991, in 10 top lists Check -
41 new
Annie Hall
1977, in 34 top lists Check -
42 new
Metropolitan
1990, in 5 top lists Check -
43 new
Before Sunrise
1995, in 14 top lists Check -
44 new
Safe
1995, in 8 top lists Check -
45 new
The Crying Game
1992, in 11 top lists Check -
46 new
Shivers
1975, in 3 top lists Check -
47 new
Drugstore Cowboy
1989, in 7 top lists Check -
48 new
Bottle Rocket
1996, in 3 top lists Check -
49 new
Beasts of the Southern Wild
2012, in 4 top lists Check -
50 new
This Is Spinal Tap
1984, in 22 top lists Check
Last updated on Jul 29, 2015; source