Dart’s Next 20 Favorite Cult Films Of The Internet Age (1996-) 13-32

I got an e-mail from someone saying that there's no way I could list 100 of my favorite cult movies off the top of my head that most other people haven't already written about before. I told him that I'd bang it out by the end of this week. I then spent yesterday compiling the list and I'll post it up all this week. I'm not the one to challenge, son. Let's get it started:


Infernal Affairs (2002)
This Hong Kong crime drama was so impressive that Hollywood decided to make their own version called “The Departed”. It won a bunch of awards...the original (and it’s subsequent franchise) was way better in my personal opinion.


District B13 (2004)
This is one of those word of mouth/messageboard flicks that has become a legend onto itself. Just this month it made itself to regular rotation on digital cable through Comcast. Elements of Kung Fu/Wushu mixed with parkour sequences by some of the best traceurs/fight choreographers in the world make this a cult/ hood classic.


Pusher (1996)
One of the most influential indie films worldwide to be heavily slept on (in North America at least). This movie inspired waves of young fillmakers all over Europe and even in India while it was almost 4 years before anyone in America or Canada even paid it any attention at all. Great first feature for visionary director Nicolas Winding Refn about the drug trade in Europe.


13 Tzameti (2005)
When I first put people onto this film in my Dartflix posts, I wanted to tell them nothing about it so they’ll be surprised and that would make the film that much better to go in with no expectations...unfortunately, that doesn’t work with 80% of American movie fans. This movie poster should motivate those of you that haven’t seen it yet to rent it or at least check it out.


Amores Perros (2000)
This is one of the grittiest, gulliest international flicks to come out in the 00’s. It raised the bar as far as storytelling went high as fuck. It’s playing on Comcast digital cable right now.


Sleepers (1996)
This dark, brooding film had a great ensemble cast and a great story. It tended to be so somber and depressing in parts that even by the end you felt hurt rather than relieved. This film had mad quotables and classic moments that made it a highly influential and unforgetabble piece of cinema.


Time And Tide (2000)
Tsui Hark did it again. One of the greatest directors of our times managed to make another film that influenced the new batch of films being created in Hollywood. Films are still being released today that echo the exact stroty and plot elemnent Hark used in this film...See it to understand what I’m talking about.


Lucky Number Slevin (2006)
If you saw this film then you probably began to refer to related things that can be manipulated in the big picture as the “Kansas City Shuffle”. This film was a little too smart for the room and ended up a favorite rental of many film fans. Expect this film to become even more of a classic as the years go on.


Versus (2000)

A bunch of hitmen and organized crime goons are in the forest one day and the dead that they buried there over the years suddenly crawl out of the ground and began attacking them. Instead of panicking, they cooly draw their guns and start blasting...they don’t even begin to ask questions until all of the first wave of bodies are down. Hollywood execs and filmmakers saw this sequence and the zombie film genre has never been the same since. Watch it if you haven’t already.


Serenity (2005)
Based on the cult sci fi series “Firefly”, the biggest mistake Joss Whedon made was by naming this film “Serenity” when only the series’ diehard fans understood why...too inside. Great movie, though. Don’t sleep on it.


Ichi The Killer (2001)
Hold up...You’ve never seen this shit? You never even HEARD of it? You ain’t ready for this joint, then. Takashi Miike is known for his off the wall films and incredibly vilolent scenes. This flick features one of the most unforgettable antagonists in recent film history (Yeah, that’s him on the cover of the box). Not for everyone.


Irreversible (2002)
This joint will blow your mind for real (ask Combat Jack). Also not for everyone. If you’re squemish, aversed to knee jerk reactions and don’t like reading subtitles then leave this one alone. If you’re a film head like myself Netflix it immediately if you ain’t up on it.


Gangster No. 1 (2000)

This British crime drama is on beast mode for real. We go from the 1960’s to the 21st Century in London’s underworld in this one. Expect to see some brutal, gory scenes and a little bit of the ultraviolence. So many people have slept on this one over The years that it’s scary to me. How can this film go unnoticied while trash movies sell DVD’s by the case. The world is upside down for real.


Equilibrium (2002)
What the fuck is a Grammaton Cleric? Is it possible for Taye Diggs to ever be hardbody in a flick (did you even see “The Way Of The Gun”)? How come more people don’t talk about this joint? I don’t know either.


The Believer (2001)
One of the most powerful and well acted films I’ve seen in a long ass time. Ryan Gosling is a beast and Summer Phoenix did her thing once again. It rarely gets better than this as far as pure acting is cncerned. Mad intense, this knocked “American History X” out the box.


Slam (1998)
Let’s see...Great story and great acting by a great cast featuring Saul Williams, Bonz Malone and Sonja Sohn. If you’ve slept on this joint until now then it’s time for the sleeper to awaken.


The Jacket (2005)
Adrien Brody comes with it once again and “The Jacket” becomes yet another cult film favorite that he’s featured in as he plys a modern day Billy Pilgrim-esque character. Add in a war movie with time travel and a psycho ward and you have a unique film that you can’t possibly pigeonhole. Oh yeah, Keira Knightley’s in it, too.


Gattaca (1998)
Imagine in the future racism is a thing of the past...instead people just discriminate against you based on your genetic makeup. This is the textbook definition of a cult film.


Running Scared (2006)
There was no way in hell this flick wasn’t going to make this list. This is the first film in a lomg time that convinced me that maybe Paul Walker could actually carry a whole film. I’m almost surprised that this was an American film (that’s a compliment).


Brick (2005)
Damn, this was good. I can’t wait to see these cats come out with a new script/project. Damn that writer’s strike! Give the writers what they want already and get themtback to making art again. If you haven’t seen this one you know what to do...Put on the subtitles just to be safe (trust me on this one).

32 down..68 more to go.

One.