Subgenre Sampler
Independent: 834 Films to Buy & Rent
Essential John Sayles (Return of the Secaucus 7, Lianna, Brother From Another Planet) (1980-1984)
- Dir. John Sayles
- Three seminal films from John Sayles' formative years as a spearhead of the American independent cinema movement.
Falls, The (1980)
- Dir. Peter Greenaway
Feat. Peter Westley, Aad Wirtz, Michael Murray
- One of dir. Greenaway's more trenchantly avant–garde works (think 'A Walk Though H' crossed with DROWNING BY NUMBERS), expanding his riddling…
Permanent Vacation (1980)
- Dir. Jim Jarmusch
Feat. Chris Parker, John Lurie
- Directorial debut feature for future icon Jim Jarmusch, who made this on the cusp of graduating from film school.
Set around the wanderings of a…
Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980)
- Dir. John Sayles
Feat. Bruce MacDonald, Maggie Renzi, Adam LeFevre…
- In his feature debut, writer–director John Sayles demonstrates a wisdom way beyond his years with this ‘do–it–yourself’…
Desperate Living (1977)
- Dir. John Waters
Feat. Liz Renay, Mink Stole, Edith Massey
- The third in John Waters' unholy trilogy again succeeds in his aim to simultaneously shock and incite hysterics. No Divine this time, but Liz Renay,…
Killer of Sheep (1977)
- Dir. Charles Burnett
Feat. Henry Sanders
- A recently exhumed landmark of African–American cinema, dir. Burnett’s long–lost thesis film observes the daily hardships of an…
Opening Night (1977)
- Dir. John Cassavetes
Feat. John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara
- Intermittently fascinating, semi–improvised opus from Cassavetes (who also stars), about an aging actress (Gena Rowlands) who suffers a…
Killing of a Chinese Bookie, The (1976)
- Dir. John Cassavetes
Feat. Ben Gazzara
- Cassavetes' most personal film concerns a strip–club owner (Ben Gazzara) who becomes indebted to the mob. An acquired taste for this one as…
Welcome to L.A. (1976)
- Dir. Alan Rudolph
Feat. Keith Carradine
- A discouraged rock composer finds solace in a number of one–night stands. An arresting, provocative tale of life at the mercy of the…
Cars That Ate Paris, The (1974)
- Dir. Peter Weir
Feat. Terry Camilleri, John Meillon
- This no–budget wonder marked the auspicious debut of Peter Weir. It's a delirious black comedy in which an outback community ambush passing…