Recently, during a discussion with friends of what we had done over the weekend, I mentioned that I had once again watched one of my favorite films, ‘Stardust’. This news was met with question marks, as no one else had seen the film, and I realized that actually happens a lot when I bring up ‘Stardust’. In my head I began compiling a list of other films I really love that most people haven’t seen when I bring them up, and that’s how this list came about.

I ended up going through my top rated films on IMDb, and pulling out the ones that a) I absolutely love and would recommend to most people, and b) had a low total number of votes that surprise me. So basically this list is full of fantastic movies that you’ve probably not seen, but you should definitely take the time to check out!

(Now keep in mind, there’s no actual science behind my methods, but I do recognize that depending on the release year, voting numbers can actually be misleading, so I tried to address that a little in my notes for each movie by presenting the number of votes for the top movie of that release year. For example, movies released in the last ten to twenty years have garnered waaaaaaay more votes in general than movies released prior to the 1980’s. Additionally, the number of votes can drastically decrease between the first and second films of a certain year if, for instance, we’re talking about a year when an absolute classic was released, like ‘The Godfather’. So I tried to keep that in mind when picking my films. Final little disclaimer - the vote totals aren’t perfectly accurate, as they tend to change daily, so there was rounding involved. And if you have no idea what I mean by number of votes on IMDb, get thine ass over to that website and enjoy some quality movie nerd time as I have clearly done.)

Contact (1997) / 212,700 votes

Top movie that year has 841,955 votes (Titanic)
‘Contact’ was #19 for that year by votes

Watch if: You enjoyed ‘Arrival’, or other such sci-fi movies that are more of a character study of those who search the stars for answers.

Don’t watch if: You only want your sci-fi to be action/adventure space odysseys with galactic gunfights and the like.

So I have to put a plug in for ‘Contact’ because it’s my favorite sci-fi movie ever. (And that’s saying something, because I ADORE Star Wars. But that’s another story altogether.) Recently, ‘Arrival’ reminded me of this film, because it’s similar in the way that it focuses on a smart, strong woman who believes in what she is doing, against all the doubters and opposition. Plus it is played as a much more introspective sci-fi film, even in the moments of extreme tension. Jodie Foster is spectacular in this, and there are so many great filmic moments that take this film past the typical ‘search for ET’ film and into something really lovely and expansive. It also has one of my favorite exchanges in film dialogue ever, but I don’t want to tell you what it is because it would spoil things. So just go see it, and then come back and ask me.

Pirate Radio (2009) / 94,300 votes

Top movie that year has 956,385 votes (Inglorious Basterds)
‘Pirate Radio’ was #68 for that year by votes

Watch if: Your dream decade of music is the pirate radio era, those glory days of the mid ’60s. The soundtrack is gold.

Don’t watch if: You’re looking for a heavy-hitting, historically accurate depiction of the years that Britain cracked down on rock and roll music on the airwaves.

I grew up listening to this era of music. My parents played it at home on records, and in the car on the radio (Oldies 99.1!), and besides musical theater soundtracks, this was the music of my childhood. And this movie is about a bunch of dudes who loved this music so much that they took to the sea to broadcast it when they were banned from playing it on the radio in Britain. It’s fantastically funny too, with some great actors (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, and Chris O’Dowd, to name a few), and the whole things works well as a tight-knit ensemble feature. But honestly, I also put this movie on just when I want to enjoy the great music.

Sunshine Cleaning (2008) / 63,000 votes

Top movie that year has 1,787,719 votes (The Dark Knight)
‘Sunshine Cleaning’ was #100 for that year by votes

Watch if: You enjoy quirky comedies with a bit of a dark side.

Don’t watch if: The idea of crime scene cleanup makes you queasy.

The quirky feel of this film reminds me of ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ - indeed, Alan Arkin is in both, so maybe that’s why. It features great performances from Amy Adams and Emily Blunt as two sisters who team up for their own separate reasons to form a crime scene cleanup company. It’s written with heart, and despite the icky subject matter (and it’s really not all that graphic, I promise) ends up coming across as a sweet (if at times dark) comedy about family.

Spy Game (2001) / 125,700 votes

Top movie that year has 1,317,796 votes (LotR: The Fellowship of the Ring)
‘Spy Game’ was #38 for that year by votes

Watch if: You enjoy a more down-to-earth spy thriller, or you just enjoy watching Robert Redford be crafty as hell.

Don’t watch if: Your idea of spy films is all gadgets and half-naked women.

This is the best spy movie that no one has seen. (In my opinion, at least.) I don’t want to say too much about the film, because it really does unfold perfectly so spoiling parts of it would be a disservice, but basically it’s a race against the clock to get Brad Pitt out of a fatal situation in China - but as a veteran of the CIA, Redford has a few tricks up his sleeve, even with the deck stacked against him.

Elvis and Anabelle (2007) / 4,200 votes

Top movie that year has 658,715 votes (No Country for Old Men)
‘Elvis and Anabelle’ was #401 for that year by votes

Watch if: The weird premise I describe below intrigues you. Or you just feel like watching an off-beat, almost gothic romance that has seriously flown under the radar.

Don’t watch if: You don’t like dark, weird little films (AKA the gothic romance genre is completely lost on you).

So I started making this list right around the time that I started watching ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ on Hulu, and I was pleasantly surprised to see Max Minghella pop back up on my screen! He immediately brought to mind this movie, which clearly no one has seen, and I think that’s a shame. It’s a bit of a dark comedy, considering the whole premise is a beauty queen (Blake Lively) who dies on stage, gets taken to a funeral home, and on the embalming table is resurrected by the son of the funeral home director (played by Minghella). Not knowing exactly how she was revived, she chooses to stay away from her old life, and a romance blossoms between the two. I know, it sounds… weird, to say the least, but in a dark, twisty way it’s also whimsical and evocative, and if that intrigues you, then you should check it out.

Much Ado About Nothing (2012) / 14,400 votes

Top movie that year has 1,220,004 votes (The Dark Knight Rises)
‘Much Ado About Nothing’ was #219 for that year by votes

Watch if: You enjoy Shakespeare, especially well-crafted Shakespeare done in a modern setting yet retaining all the gorgeous language and subtlety of the original play. Or you’re just a huge Joss Whedon fan.

Don’t watch if: You don’t like Shakespeare. Or black and white films. Or dialogue-heavy films. Basically, if you like ‘Transformers’, don’t watch this.

Joss Whedon got a bunch of his friends together to make this film in a little over a week at his own house as a decompression from filming the first Avengers movie. It’s a really beautiful Shakespearean adaptation that captures the nature of the play while putting it in an updated setting, and it’s executed wonderfully by a cast full of Whedon regulars.

Stardust (2007) / 220,800 votes

Top movie that year has 658,715 votes (No Country for Old Men)
‘Stardust’ was #26 for that year by votes

Watch if: You enjoy lighter fantasy fare with a twist on tropes, or you’re just a Neil Gaiman fan who has missed this adaptation.

Don’t watch if: You only like “gritty” fantasy films. (This is not LotR. Seriously, it’s not.)

Sword fights, witches, true love, cross-dressing pirate captains, fallen stars who are beautiful women… okay, so not all of that is standard fantasy fare, but it’s a good snapshot of what you can expect from this fantastical film. As I mentioned before, it’s one of my favorites, and the source material is a short book from Neil Gaiman, so I’m surprised that so many of the people I mention this film to have not seen it.

Spellbound (1945) / 34,800 votes

This is the top movie for that year
BUT ‘Spellbound’ is #17 by votes for Hitchcock films

Watch if: You’re a Hitchcock fan and you haven’t gotten around to this one yet, or just if the idea of a dream sequence designed by Salvador Dali intrigues you.

Don’t watch if: This would be your first Hitchcock film. Or, god forbid, if you just don’t like Hitchcock.

By votes on IMDb, this is the top film for the year it was released (1945, with 34,600 votes). However, it’s seventeenth by votes when you look at Hitchcock films overall, so it’s still highly possible that you haven’t seen it. Which is a shame, really, because it’s one of my favorite Hitchcock films. It’s a psychological thriller (of course) but in a deliciously literal sense, as Ingrid Bergman plays a psychoanalyst opposite Gregory Peck, who doesn’t quite know who he is. It features fantastic moments of suspense, and a fabulous dream (well, more of a delusion, but still) sequence created by Salvador Dali full of surrealistic imagery.

What’s Up, Doc? (1972) / 15,100 votes

Top movie that year has 1,234,276 votes (The Godfather)
‘What’s Up, Doc?’ is #22 for that year (it takes only 5 films to get under 40,000 votes - a very steep difference due to the status of ‘The Godfather’ in the zeitgeist)

Watch if: You love screwball comedies, especially ‘Bringing Up Baby’. Or you just fancy staring at young Ryan O’Neal for two hours.

Don’t watch if: You don’t like fun. Seriously, it’s just a fun movie.

So when people say they love ‘Bringing Up Baby’, I always ask them if they’ve seen ‘What’s Up, Doc?’ Because it’s not quite a remake, but it’s definitely an homage - especially Ryan O’Neal’s character as it compares to Cary Grant’s. It’s true madcap, screwball comedy at its finest, and no, even though Barbara Streisand is in it, it’s not a musical. (She does sing a song though, and it’s fabulous - laying atop a canvas-covered piano in a rooftop bar under construction. You’ll understand when you watch it.) It also has my all-time favorite last line, which you will only fully appreciate if you have also seen ‘Love Story’, and, like me, you think it has a ridiculous tagline.

August Rush (2007) / 91,300 votes

Top movie that year has 658,715 votes (No Country for Old Men)
‘August Rush’ was #80 for that year by votes

Watch if: You’re mesmerized by music, but you’re not picky about how music-making is portrayed. (AKA if you can accept the idea of an incredible child prodigy.) Or if you enjoy films that hold a little bit of magic in them.

Don’t watch if: The idea of a child prodigy drives you nuts, or you dislike watching Robin Williams play the role of the villain.

I have watched this movie so many times. It has such beautiful music (and a beautiful actor - man, Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ eyes…) that I used to fall asleep to it playing in the background. But besides music, it’s a story about belief and family - the desire for family, really, to the point that a young boy “follows the music” to the city in search of his real parents, believing that if he can make music, they’ll hear it and come find him. It’s a really sweet film. Also, Robin Williams is fantastic in it, even though he does essentially play a villain.

Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964) / 3,600 votes

Top movie for that year has 363,980 votes (Dr. Strangelove)
‘Robin and the 7 Hoods’ was #56 for that year by votes

Watch if: A musical with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Bing Crosby makes you say ‘sign me up!’

Don’t watch if: You’re looking for a musical with crazy dancing. These are amazing singers, but not exactly the best hoofers.

This is a musical that has kind of flown under the radar, but I think it is a genuine treat. Rival gangsters are vying for their own piece of the pie after the head honcho gets knocked off, and one of them, Robbo (Frank Sinatra), becomes the toast of the town when he donates money to the local boy’s home (run by Bing Crosby). This is a very very thin summation of the plot, but it’s got gangsters, speakeasies, singing, pool players, and a good chunk of the Rat Pack. So what’s not to like?

Kedi (2016) / 1,200 votes

Top movie for that year has 630,095 votes (Deadpool)
‘Kedi’ hasn’t actually been out long, so it’s super low on the votes list, and I don’t feel like scrolling that far. Sorry.

Watch if: You like cats.

Don’t watch if: You don’t have a soul.

It’s the cats of Istanbul! They’re adorable! Look at these fluffy kittens! …‘Kedi’ is actually a wonderfully crafted documentary that is, yes, full of cats, but also about the people who live with the stray cats on a daily basis, and for whom the cats have become a cherished part of their lives. It’s on YouTube Red right now (does anyone actually subscribe to that service?) but will be available on other streaming services later this fall.

Victoria (2015) / 34,500 votes

Top movie of this year has 658,992 votes (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
‘Victoria’ was #119 for the year by votes

Watch if: You enjoy thrillers, AND you enjoy foreign films. Oh also, if you are interested in watching a film that is over two hours and was done all in one shot.

Don’t watch if: You can’t stand reading subtitles. And if that’s you, broaden your horizons, sheesh!

So most of the time if you heard that a film was done in one shot, you’d think ‘well, that’s its gimmick, it must not have much else in it.’ But you would be wrong, good sir! ‘Victoria’ is fantastic - a young woman living in Berlin meets some local boys, and a fun night suddenly turns bloody when they rope her into helping them with a bank heist. It’s energetic and engaging, and once the action gets going you really are swept along on the edge of your seat. Add to that the fact that they shot in the streets of Berlin for a little over two hours in the early morning, without stopping, in one single shot… it’s a pretty freakin’ cool movie.