Movies everyone should see but few people have

Thanks to the internet more people are learning about movies that aren't part of the typical Hollywood machine. Movies like Ichi the Killer, Battle Royale and Dead Man have gained popularity and more than just a cult following thanks to the 'net but there are so many movies out there that no one can be aware of all of them. Older movies, foreign films not from Japan that aren't classics, and indie films that don't get big name stars or backers often still get over looked. That said here's a few movies that few people know about but that really need to be seen:

Curdled: This movie is a clever little dark comedy/serial killer flick. A young Colombian woman living in Miami, played wonderfully by Angela Jones, is so intrigued with death and murder that she takes a job with a cleaning company that specializes in "post forensic" cleanup of murder scenes. Her obsession with a particular killer leads her to accept a job that lands her in direct line with the killer, played by William Baldwin. If you like dark humor and don't mind a little blood this movie is for you. A short was made in 1991 and Quentin Tarantino liked the main character so much that he adapted her into Pulp Fiction as taxi driver Maria Villalobos.

Man Bites Dog (aka It happened in Your Neighborhood): Another serial killer movie with some dark humor. This is a French film that highly influenced the Blair Witch Project. A film crew tags along with a serial killer, Andre, filming his murders and learning his methods of murder and of disposing of bodies. They are also exposed to the killer's personal life, meeting his family and friends. In one brilliant scene the crew meets another camera crew following another serial killer and are coaxed into a gun fight with them by Andre. There is also the Spinal Tap like death of several sound techs who get replaced constantly. This movie is well done and clever, what's interesting is that the star's actual family is in the film but don't know what its about so when they visit him in jail their reactions are real.

Natural City: A Korean Sci fi film set in a post apocalyptic world there are androids who have become rogue and the main character's job is to hunt them down and destroy them the catch is, he's in love with an android. Wait a minute I just described Bladerunner but while the general plot is the same the movies are drastically different, where Bladerunner is a sci fi noir Natural City is more of an action flick and really plays a lot like a big budget Hollywood film in its predictability and special effects, which are really good and, to be honest, in a moment of xenocentrism never expected from a Korean film. This isn't a great piece of "film" but it is a really fun movie, lots of action, blood and a few laughs. In, what seems common to Korean films, there is an odd sense of sentimentality.

Chan Woo Park's Vengeance Trilogy: Chan Woo Park has been compared to Quentin Tarantino for both his style and themes so if you're a QT fan then you'll probably love Park's work. His "Vengeance Trilogy" are three movies related by the common theme of vengeance but not by character or story so it really is irrelevant in which order you watch them. The first is Sympathy for Mr Vengeance a story about a deaf man who's sister needs a kidney transplant and after being laid off decides to kidnap his former boss's daughter. Of course things quickly go wrong leading to blood and violence. Second is Oldboy, in some ways this movie is already an internet favorite. Oldboy tells the story of a man who is kidnapped and locked in a room for 15 years then suddenly released and given five days to discover who his captor was and why he was the victim of the kidnapping. He is aided by beautiful young woman who as the movie plays out we learn is not who she seems. The twist and turns and final resolution of the film are shocking to say the least. Rumor has it that this movie is being remade in America, I can only imagine half the story will be changed and the movie will lose most of its power. The final film Lady Vengeance, while not bad at all, is the weakest of the three. A little more predictable than the first two Lady Vengeance tells the story of a woman who is imprisoned for killing a six year old boy, after 13 years in prison she sets out to reunite with her daughter and then seek revenge on the man who was responsible for the boy's death.

The Devil's Backbone: Guillermo Del Toro's movies are really hit or miss with me, Pan's Labyrinth was not only my favorite movie of 2006 but quickly became one of my favorites while Hellboy is one of my least favorite movies ever, then again with Hellboy Del Toro didn't have much to work with and my dislike of the movie probably really stems from my disdain for the comic and its writer. Anyway The Devil's Backbone, like Pan's Labyrinth, is a Spanish language film that takes place during the Spanish Revolution, centers around a child (this time a young boy) who's father died in the revolution and was written in part by Del Toro but those are the only similarities. The boy is sent to an orphange which is not only haunted but has an unexploded bomb in its courtyard. The ghost, a former resident of the orphanage, tells the boy that "many of you will die" and as the story plays out the ghost's prediction becomes more ominous. This is not exactly a straight ahead ghost story but its not unintelligible either. Typical of nonAmerican horror films this movie is about atmosphere and a general air of creepiness.

Murder Set Pieces: This is a low budget American slasher flick set in Las Vegas that has something of a following. A German photographer has pretty American girlfriend, the girlfriend's little sister suspects that he is more than what he seems to be, of course she's right, he's really a Hitler obsessed psycho killer. It definitely won't be confused with an Oscar winner but its not the kind of movie you watch for the acting. The violence and gore are shocking to the point of being almost ridiculous at times but that's the whole point. With brief appearances by Gunnar Hansen (the original Leatherface) and Tony Todd (Candyman) there is a lot for horror movie buffs to enjoy beyond just gore. Be sure that you watch the "director's cut" and not the edited rated version that was release this year.