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Here we go again, another attempt to rediscover cinematic gems from the past. We did our best to make this list diverse, because you, the TOC readers, have eclectic tastes that will not be easily satisfied. Hopefully this short list will offer you something to add to your already long watchlist.

1. Thieves’ Highway (1949, Jules Dassin)

The great noir master Jules Dassin has made three masterpieces in total: one in France (“Rififi”), one in the U.K. (“Night and the City”) and one in the United States (“Thieves’ Highway”). This movie is the most overlooked among the three.

Plot-wise, it’s not a typical noir as it’s not really centered on police/detective and criminals; the story runs more like “Wages of Fear” meets “On the Waterfront.” The femme fatale is also atypical, more supportive than deadly, I would say. All of these made it a unique entry in the noir genre.

2. In Cold Blood (1967, Richard Brooks)

Adapted from Truman Capote’s famous nonfiction book of the same name, “In Cold Blood” is both an exemplary docu-drama and a masterclass in filmmaking.

Director and screenwriter Richard Brooks tried to make as few changes to the book as possible, and even used the house of the real crime case as the location of the movie, so the film gives you a real sense of time and space. It’s also more than a documentary because of its exquisite black-and-white cinematography by Conrad Hall, and nonlinear narrative cleverly handled in the script. This is simply a Hollywood crime movie at its best.

3. Tampopo (1985, Juzo Itami)

Few movies have so successfully transcended its culture like Juzo Itami’s “ramen western” Tampopo. Don’t be fooled by its weird title (it’s actually the name of the female protagonist in the film) – your mouth will be watering after watching this fantastic food movie.

The plot of the film is really simple: it’s about a truck driver who falls in a love with a woman and helps her open a ramen restaurant. The comedy comes from the director’s observation of the human condition, and it’s full of smiles. The most interesting thing about the film is that it not only has these wonderful scenes of ramen-making and eating, but it also has a series of funny and sexy vignettes that complement the main story and make it much more “delicious.”

4. I Am Love (2009, Luca Guadagnino)

Last year’s awards season hit “Call Me By Your Name” and this year’s controversial horror remake “Suspiria” finally gave Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino the attention he fully deserves as a unique artist. Now it’s time to take a look at the first installment of his desire trilogy, “I Am Love,” which marks his first collaboration with acting marvel Tilda Swinton.

On the surface, this movie is about food, fashion, and the high-class family life, but deep down it’s a feminist film about social traditions and the liberation of love. If you like slow-burn art films with beautiful cinematography and strong performances, this movie is perfect for you.

5. Fox and His Friends (1975, Rainer Werner Fassbinder)

In his short yet prolific career, New German Cinema titan Rainer Werner Fassbinder made more than 40 feature films, and most of them range from great movies to masterpieces.

“Fox and His Friends” is his first film dealing with same-sex relationships, and Fassbinder played the main character Fox himself, which is a major sign of his great sympathy toward this lower-class character who was taken advantage of by all kinds of people for his wealth after a lottery win. It’s one of his most melodramatic films and a true masterpiece in every sense of the word.

6. Rumble Fish (1983, Francis Ford Coppola)

For a director who made such masterpieces as “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now,” it’s easy to overlook his other great movies. His 1983 youth rebellion film is certainly one of them.

The film is the sister film of another Coppola film that came from the same year, “The Outsiders.” Both films share almost the same cast and crew, but their styles are way different. While “The Outsiders” is more like the typical ‘80s teen films, “Rumble Fish” has visuals deeply influenced by the French New Wave and German Expressionist cinema, which made it more like an avant-garde and art film.

Though it’s filled with future acting stars, Mickey Rourke is the real show-stealer here; you will fall in love with him.

7. Babette’s Feast (1987, Gabriel Axel)

This list is destined to be a tasty one because we have another legendary food film here. “Babette’s Feast” is one of the greatest Danish films ever made, and the first Danish film to ever win the Best Foreign Language Oscar award.

While the aforementioned “Tampopo” connects food more with violence and sex, “Babette’s Feast” is more about the relationship between food and religion. It stars the late French actress Stephane Audran as the cook, and you will feel hungry no matter when you watch it. If you are looking for a beautiful and tranquil film to watch on a cozy Sunday afternoon, this is a perfect choice.

“They don’t make movies like this anymore!” How many times do we think like this deep in our heart when watching classics? Classics never let us down, but you need to find them first. That’s why we have such a list on such a website.

When is the last time you discovered a film so good that you try to track down every one of the director’s other works? The ecstasy of discovering is one of the greatest enjoyments of any cinephile. And we are living in a world where so many great home entertainment companies are doing their best to restore film classics, which made it much easier for us to get hold of a copy of some film from the last century.

Without further ado, here’s a list of movie classics from all kinds of genres. Hopefully one or several of them will meet your eclectic taste.

1. 52 Pick-Up (1986, John Frankenheimer)

“52 Pick-Up” is best known as an adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s novel with the same name, and it’s considered by the author as the best big screen adaptation of his works.

Directed by veteran crime film director John Frankenheimer, who’s responsible for classics like “Birdman of Alcatraz,” “The Manchurian Candidate” and “Seconds,” “52 Pick-Up” is a fast-paced and well-crafted thriller you should watch sooner rather than later.

2. The Driver (1978, Walter Hill)

Fans of recent popular driver movies like Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive” and Edgar Wright’s “Baby Driver” should really see this one. This is the one that started it all, and is arguably the best.

Walter Hill, the director of this crime caper, is responsible for some of the greatest cult films in the ‘70s and ‘80s, including “Streets of Fire,” “Southern Comfort” and “The Warriors.” This film is no exception. It features some of the greatest car chase scenes in cinema history, and when there are no big action sequences, the cat-and-mouse game between the police officer (Bruce Dern) and the driver (Ryan O’Neal) is also full of tension. Did I mention that Isabelle Adjani played the femme fatale here?

3. Stalag 17 (1953, Billy Wilder)

For anyone who would like to appreciate the charm of the Hollywood cinema of the Golden Age, Billy Wilder’s movies always feel like the perfect examples. Even his minor works are better than most of the movies made today. And “Stalag 17,” often overlooked, is among his top-tier efforts.

Unlike most of the war camp movies made before and after, “Stalag 17” is actually a suspenseful undercover movie, with more comic elements than you would imagine in these type of films. William Holden, who had worked with Wilder in his noir masterpiece “Sunset Boulevard,” is perfect as the anti-hero here. If you are looking for an intense movie with great plot and characters, this is your best choice.

4. Sisters (1973, Brian de Palma)

Often misunderstood as poor man’s Hitchcock, Brian De Palma is now celebrated as one of the greatest auteurs in the New Hollywood era. “Sisters” is a cornerstone of his prolific yet controversial career as it marks his departure from political comedies and his first foray into a long list of masterful psychological thrillers.

While the concept of the story is reminiscent of Hitchcock classics like “Psycho” and “Rear Window,” the technique of telling the story is pure de Palmian. No one has used split-screen to pack information and tension more effectively than De Palma; the nightmare scene at the end is both chilling and surreal, and the ending is just brilliant black humor. Anyone who’s interested in twisted thrillers should not miss this one.

5. Ashik Kerib (1988, Sergei Parajanov & Dodo Abashidze)

There are filmmakers who are great at storytelling, like Billy Wilder or Brian De Palma mentioned above. There are also filmmakers who made movies that do not rely on traditional narrative, like Andrei Tarkovsky and Terrence Malick. Soviet director Sergei Parajanov belongs to the latter group.

When you watch a Sergei Parajanov film, it’s like entering a completely different world. The music score, the costume, the art direction, and the symbols dominate his films instead of plot and character. You will be so absorbed in his cinematic world that you won’t care about stories anymore.

“Ashik Kerib” is probably his most accessible film because it does have a plot, unlike his masterpiece “The Color of Pomegranates,” which is hard to follow if you’re a regular movie watcher. If you are a brave cinephile who’s willing to try anything good cinema can offer, give this film a chance.

6. The Driller Killer (1979, Abel Ferrara)

There is this mainstream image of the Big Apple in the cinema of Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese, and there’s also this underground image of the city in the cinema of Abel Ferrara. The truth is, you should not miss any of them.

Notorious for its inclusion in the infamous Video Nasty list, “The Driller Killer” is Abel Ferrara’s first film, and probably his most fearless work. It’s a film full of anxiety and anger, where the action is brutal and the music is loud.

You can feel what the painter (played by Ferrara himself) feels toward life and society, as the director was able to deliver that kind of emotion to the audiences. If you like gritty films with excessive violence, or if you are a fan of “Taxi Driver,” try Abel Ferrara’s version of New York.

7. The Addiction (1995, Abel Ferrara)

Made at the height of vampire moviemaking, “The Addiction” in a unique addition to this beloved subgenre of horror.

Shot in gorgeous black-and-white cinematography, the film is more about the philosophical side of the vampirism than the horror aspect of it. Are we sinners because we sin, or do we sin because we are sinners? If you are interested in profound and intelligent horror movies, this movie can offer you a special taste.

Too many great movies, too little time. That’s the universal problem for all cinephiles all around the world. There is no shortcut in terms of picking good movies to watch, but one thing you can do is to avoid Hollywood major productions, keep your mind open, set your eyes on other parts of the world and most of all, not be afraid of subtitles.

The sole purpose of this list is to help you find world cinema gems you otherwise won’t know exist. So here we are, and let’s take a look at these carefully chosen movies by the author.

1. The Fool (Yuri Bykovm, 2014, Russia)

The Locarno Film Festival held in Locarno, Switzerland every year is the perfect place to find great small indie movies from around the world. You can find familiar names like Jim Jarmusch, Lav Diaz and Hong Sangsoo on their list of Golden Leopard Award winners (the highest award of the film festival).

This Russian film we are going to introduce today won the Best Actor award at the Locarno Film Festival in 2014, and it is so much more than just good acting. It tells the story of a plumber who discovers a building is going to collapse in 24 hours when he is out there for his daily task of checking pipelines. So he seeks the help of the town leader, who’s having a party celebrating her work achievements over the past few years. Of course, the endeavor proves to be futile, even dangerous, since every government officer had one piece of the pie from the construction of that building.

“The Fool” is a great social realism film that not only satirizes the dark side of the corrupted government, but also sings the praises of human courage in pursuit of social justice. The most precious thing about the movie is how it values human lives from the perspective of the protagonists. In the government officials’ eyes, the people living in the building are just some lowlives who have criminal records, but our hero doesn’t think so. He values human lives more than anything else, and that’s the light of humanism shining through the dark skies throughout the film.

2. Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem (Ronit Elkabetz & Shlomi Elkabetz, 2014, Israel)

The cinema about women in the Middle East is always fascinating, since women from those countries still have a much lower social status compared to men. This movie, “Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem”, is co-written and co-directed by Israeli female filmmaker Ronit Elkabetz, who’s also the star of the movie.

The story of the film is really simple; you can almost sum it up in one sentence. A woman goes to a religious court to asks for a divorce after 20 years of marriage while the husband refuses so and forces her to come back. Under the strict religious laws of Israel and other strange circumstances, it takes five years for the woman to finally have the permission of divorce from her husband.

The story takes place in a courtroom almost throughout the entire film. While it’s not as intense as classics like “12 Angry Men”, it manages to keep your attention by making you laugh at the ridiculous law, sympathizing with the wife, and thinking about the true nature of love and marriage.

We are not given the backstory of the couple, so we really have little idea what happened to the couple that made the wife want a divorce. We get some clues from the witnesses, but that’s still not enough to judge the case. You can view this film as a mystery of love: When does it go? What causes the cracks between the couple? What makes matter worse? Maybe only the couple has the answer – maybe even they don’t know.

3. The Hidden Face (Andrés Baiz, 2011, Colombia)

If you only watch the first half of Colombian director Andrés Baiz’s thriller, you might want to give up as it looks so much like a mediocre supernatural thriller that plays with the cliched concepts of ghosts and a haunted house. But keep on with your enthusiasm and you will be paid off by a first class psychological thriller that will clear up all your doubts during the first half.

The story is about a young orchestra conductor who has recently broken up with his girlfriend, who suddenly disappears after the breakup. After several days of remorse, the man finds another girl at a bar and brings her back, and soon the girl becomes his new girlfriend. Then weird things happen; when the girl is alone at home while her boyfriend is out working, she hears a strange sound from the pipeline, and sees small waves in the bathtub. Sounds like a supernatural thriller, right? You will have to go on, as the end result is rather rewarding.

“The Hidden Face” is full of twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat all the way to the end. If you are looking for an erotic thriller with young adults in the lead roles, this is a nice choice.

4. Chinese Roulette (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1976, Germany)

Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s career lasted less than 15 years, the shortest among the famous auteurs of the New German Wave, yet he was the most prolific, having completed 40 feature length movies and two television film series. Highly influenced by the melodramas of legendary Hollywood director Douglas Sirk, Fassbinder’s movies often have great stories and magnificent mise-en-scene.

“Chinese Roulette” has a very interesting story. Ariane and Gerhard Christ tell each other that they are going to spend the weekend abroad; however, things do not turn out that way. Gerhard picked up his lover at the airport and brings her to his private castle, only to find his wife is having an affair with his assistant there. Strangely, they deal with this awkward situation peacefully and decide to spend the time together.

Things get worse with the arrival of their crippled daughter Angela, who finds it the perfect time to avenge her parents by proposing a game called Chinese Roulette. Like many Fassbinder movies, tragedy is inevitable at the end of the film.

“Chinese Roulette” might be the most complex Fassbinder movie in terms of camera movement, and it offers a great study of the Brechtian alienation effect in the cinema of Fassbinder. It has a great ensemble cast featuring all the Fassbinder regulars including Ulli Lommel, Brigitte Mira and Macha Méril, you will also be surprised to find a Fassbinder outsider, Anna Katrina, who is the face of The French New Wave.

5. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne (Walerian Borowczyk, 1981, France)

Polish filmmaker Walerian Borowczyk was once described by film critics as a “genius who also happened to be a pornographer.” Some of his most famous movies like “Immoral Tales” and “The Beast” have many bold, even shocking sex scenes, but from another angle, you can see how he managed to express human desire in the most honest way possible.

This movie, as you can see from the title, is a variation on Robert Louis Stevenson’s story “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. The story takes place at the engagement party of Dr. Henry Jekyll and Miss Fanny Osborne. After a meal, Henry Jekyll transforms to his alter ego, Mr. Hyde, and sexually attacks some of the guests, men and women.

When you watch a Borowczyk movie, you know it would be highly sexually charged, and this one is no exception. It’s a visually stunning horror movie that opens the gate of imagination. Even if you have watched the classic Universal version of the movie, it is highly possible that you will like this one because it feels so different, and so unique in its own.

One of the really annoying things about cinema today is that too many Hollywood blockbusters are overexposed in the media, and small, indie movies from other countries of the world get almost no credit at all.

The major mission of this list is to bring such gems to the limelight and introduce movie buffs the best cinema can offer. Please note that these are not boring arthouse flicks, but rather interesting and exciting films you may long to see but haven’t had the chance to. Let’s see if any of these look appealing to your cinematic taste.

1. The Brand New Testament (2015, Jaco Van Dormael, Belgium)

If “Inglourious Basterds” is a brilliant rewrite of the history of World War II, then ”The Brand New Testament” is an even crazier retelling of the New Testament. If you are a fan of “Mr. Nobody”, then you know that this movie, made by the same director, will be a mind-blowing fantasy that one cannot easily forget.

God is a middle-aged man living in an apartment in Brussels and he has a computer to create everything on earth. He has a meek wife who’s often abused by her bad-tempered husband. Their rebellious daughter can’t take it anymore, and decides to find six apostles to write the Brand New Testament. The task becomes more challenging after his father finds her escaping and tries to prevent her plan from happening.

“The Brand New Testament” is a celebration of the human imagination and the amazing special effects really give wings to it. Movie buffs will love it because it constantly pays homages to classic movies like “The Shining”, “Max My Love”, “Caroline”, and others. One of the many fun things of watching this movie is spotting these nicely placed tricks that will put a smile on your face.

2. The Distinguished Citizen (2016, Gastón Duprat & Mariano Cohn, Argentina)

This Argentinian gem is one of the few movies that have 100 percent ‘fresh’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it’s the official selected entry for Oscar Best Foreign Language Film this year. That should give you a good first impression.

The movie tells the story of Nobel Prize winner Daniel Mantovani, who has been living in Europe for 40 years, as he accepts the invitation from his hometown in Argentina to receive the “Distinguished Citizen” prize. He will soon regret the trip as a series of weird and funny things happen to him during his 4-day stay. Consider anything you would expect from such a story about the homecoming of small-town celebrity.

The story looks absurd at times, but everything that takes place in the film makes perfect sense. It’s shot in documentary style, and the events have roots in everyday reality so you totally believe what you see, and it’s such an universal story that it could happen at anytime, anywhere. What’s so good about the movie is it not only satirizes the small town citizens and bureaucrats, but also the writer himself. Anyone who likes black comedy should see this one.

3. A Man Called Ove (2015, Hannes Holm, Sweden)

In a world full of dark dramas, we need more heartwarming movies like “A Man Called Ove”, a comedy-drama reminiscent of Aki Kaurismaki’s fairy-tale-like “Le Havre”.

Ove Lindahl, a 59-year-old widower, is the kind of neighbor you might have in your community. He is stubborn, a little bit weird, and full of responsibilities of keeping the order of the community. After being fired by the company where he has worked for 43 years, he decides to commit suicide. But his several attempts are interfered by his new neighbors, and during every attempt, we see flashbacks of his past, how he loses his father and meets his love of life.

The movie is not only a well-structured slice-of-life drama, but also an excellent character study. It digs into the history of the protagonist to add layers to his complex character, so we understand why Ove became the man he is as we see him in the beginning, and why he behaves like that. It is the best kind of comedy that makes you laugh hard, and then cry harder. Perfect for a family watch during the weekends.

4. The Invisible Guest (2016, Oriol Paulo, Spain)

Look no further, “The Invisible Guest” could probably be the best crime thriller in recent years.

A young man wakes up in a hotel room next to his dead love, and he tries to get the best lawyer to defend him. They only have one night to sort out things, and then the story is told by the young man in flashbacks. One day, he and his lover hit a car by accident, and the driver is dead. They get rid of the body and pretend nothing has happened. When they think everything is back to normal, a grand scheme is waiting for them…

Like the recent Park Chan-wook thriller “The Handmaiden”, the movie is told in Rashomon style; we don’t really see what really happened, we only see what the characters tell us, and that is very effective in storytelling, especially with a genre like this. It’s not easy to pull off as it often has many plot holes, but the screenplay is very clever and cautious so they keep the plot holes to a minimum. The intense plot will make you sweat all the time and the twist and turns will satisfy any real thriller lover.

5. Perfect Strangers (2016, Paolo Genovese, Italy)

This Italian gem can resonate with everyone, as it deals with two of the most important things in our daily lives – mobile phones and relationships.

Seven close friends decide to play a game during a dinner party. They all place their mobile phones on the table, and make every text message and phone call public. The purpose of the game is to show that they have nothing to hide from their closest companions, but the party soon turns into a nasty mess.

“Perfect Strangers” is one of those movies you wouldn’t want to watch with your significant other. Like the characters say in the movie, “the mobile phone has become our black box, all the important information is in it.” Everyone has privacy and secrets, and relationships are very vulnerable when these secrets are revealed. Do you dare play the game?

Movie recommendation lists are never easy to make, as famous movies don’t need introductions, particularly on a website like Taste of Cinema. Obscure movies sound more appealing, but sometimes you just can’t take the risk of watching a movie you have never even heard of before.

So the best way to do it is to recommend lesser-known movies that have already gained trustworthy statuses in the world of movie nerds, but still haven’t received enough attention from a wider audience. With that in mind, here are 15 21st century movies, handpicked by the author, that should give you some suggestions for your next movie night.

1. Paradise trilogy

We pick the whole controversial ‘Paradise’ trilogy by Austrian filmmaker Ulrich Seidl as one entry, because: 1.) They are all official selections of the big three European film festivals (Cannes, Berlin and Venice), and 2.) Together they offer a better look at Seidl’s mad genius.

Pushing the boundaries of what can be discussed and shown on screen, the trilogy dives to the lowest depths of love, faith and hope. What’s appalling is that all three movies are told in bright colors and almost forced symmetrical composition, making the filmgoing experience even more uncomfortable.

2. YiYi

One of the greatest films coming from the New Taiwan Cinema movement, ”YiYi” is an epic drama about life in 173 minutes. Beginning with a wedding and ending with a funeral, the film doesn’t waste a single minute to tell the truth of human life at different stages.

“I can only see what’s in front, not what’s behind. So I can only know half of the truth, right?” Try to taste this line from the movie and you will get a glimpse of the philosophical wisdom of this profound film.

3. Mad Detective

Hong Kong cinema is responsible for some of the best crime movies ever made, and ”Mad Detective” from Johnnie To’s Milky Way Image Company is probably the best detective movie you’ve never seen.

It stars Lau Ching Wan as the titular detective who can see the different personalities of any criminals; this ability also gives him troubles as he clearly has illusions of his dead wife. The clever script makes it a unique crime movie and a must-see.

4. An Inspector Calls

There are many classic movies set mostly in one room, and ”An Inspector Calls” is one of those that doesn’t get the recognition it fully deserves.

A movie made for television, this 2015 version, starring the marvelous David Thewlis (there is also a 1954 version which is also superb), is a dark drama that plays like a mini version of Robert Altman’s “Gosford Park”. It will keep you on the edge of your seat during its 87-minute runtime, and the final plot twist is just the cherry on top of the cake.

5. Election

One of the many things that made Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather” such a masterpiece is its masterclass storytelling that manages to hold all these characters together and make them unforgettable.

If there is one movie from the 21st century that could be the answer to this classic, it should be Johnnie To’s two-part gangster epic “Election”. It’s one of the greatest Asian genre filmmakers at the top of his game, and it will be no surprise that you marvel at its greatness after watching it – it’s that good.

6. Borgman

One of the best home invasion movies that will certainly remind you of Pier Paolo Pasolini’s classic film “Theorem”, ”Borgman” tells an allegorical story of a man who can corrupt the minds of other people, and how he and his teammates destroy the life of an upper-class family by turning them against each other. It’s a weird and slow-paced movie that will reward those who have the patience to sit to the end.

7. The Yellow Sea

If you are a fan of South Korean cinema, you probably already know that the name Na Hong-jin equals top quality thrillers. The three movies he has made so far are all great to watch, but “The Yellow Sea” is his true masterpiece that every thriller fan should see.

It’s dark and gritty, and filled with relentless action scenes and great suspense. It should be up there with “Oldboy” and “I Saw the Devil” as one of the must-see South Korean movies.

One might say that 2016 is one of the weaker film year of this decade, and I have to agree to that. But that doesn’t mean the year lacks cinematic gems that are worth discovering. If you are a film buff who pays attention to new films around the world, it’s not difficult to find some really awesome movies that are not often talked about on mainstream movie sites.

The following 10 movies are carefully handpicked by the author, and some of them are personal favorites of 2016. They are not featured on any “best of 2016” lists you may have read, and hopefully the recommendations are intriguing enough to bring some new fans to these great underseen movies.

1. The Unknown Girl (The Dardenne Brothers, France | Belgium)

When you are a two-time Palme d’Or winner, people expect you to get the third with your new film. So when the Belgian Dardenne Brothers took their latest film, ”The Unknown Girl”, to compete in last year’s Cannes Film Festival, the expectations were high.

However, the film didn’t win anything and even worse, it became the Dardenne Brothers’ worst reviewed film to date. The criticism focused on the over-the-top performance from Jeremie Renier and the abrupt third act. But you can’t deny the fact that it’s still a top-quality drama.

Like every other film from the brothers, the story draws you in from the get-go, and the camera stays so close to the main character that it puts you in her shoes and invites you to join a investigation full of guilt and redemption.

Adele Haenel, the young actress who plays the leading role, is able to deliver a nuanced performance that make it easy for the audience to see her thoughts and feel her emotions.

A thought-provoking film on the immigration issues in Europe and the untold truth, “The Unknown Girl” is a fine Dardenne Brothers offering you don’t want to miss.

2. I’m Not a Serial Killer (Billy O’Brien, UK)

In a nutshell, “I’m Not a Serial Killer” could be one of the coolest and most unconventional serial killer movie you’ve never seen. Take a look at the plot: a teenager who works in his mother’s funeral home is diagnosed as a sociopath and suffers homicidal impulses. He’s fascinated by serial killer cases, and actually witnesses someone being killed by the serial killer that has been around in the town lately. He suspects his neighbor, an old man who looks weak and is very good to his wife, and starts stalking him.

What’s really cool about the movie is the teenager whose obsession with death might remind you of the character Harold in the cult classic “Harold and Maude”. The foggy atmosphere and heavy metal score totally work in such an unsettling thriller. It’s also full of typical British black humor. If you are into serial killer movies, and are looking for something dark and different, “I’m Not a Serial Killer” is perfect movie to watch.

3. Graduation (Cristian Mungiu, Romania)

Romanian auteur Cristian Mungiu, who won the Palme d’Or for his outstanding drama “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days”, deservedly shared the Best Director award last year with his latest film ”Graduation”. It chronicles the events after a young girl was attacked and her scholarship to a prestigious British university was jeopardized by that.

In the hands of other directors, the story might be told from the young girl’s perspective, and how her future was affected by this accident. This was not the way Mungiu told it; the director chose to navigate the plot from the girl’s father’s perspective, how he handles this situation by using all the social relationships he has, and how he goes through all mid-life crisis problems during the whole movie. This wise choice of shifting perspective brings us a bigger picture of the whole Romanian society and the dark side of it.

It also asks the ultimate question every parent will have to face someday: when you teach your children the lessons of survival in the society, do you tell them to obey social codes when sometimes it means you can not remain 100 percent honest? The static camera and its deliberate distance from the characters give you the time and space to think these questions.

4. Childhood of a Leader (Brady Corbet, UK | France)

Judging from the visual style of the film, one would hardly believe this is actor-turned-director Brady Corbet’s directorial debut. But when you think from another angle, the aesthetic audacity can only come from someone who’s young and ready for something ambitious. It also comes as no surprise that this dark and twisted family drama comes from someone who’s worked with Michael Haneke, who’s so good at making such films.

The film chronicles the childhood of a fascist leader in a period closely following the end of World War I. It’s a great study of how evil is born and in what environment, both political and family, could give birth to dictatorship. It has arguably the best opening and ending of any 2016 movie. The exquisite cinematography and Psycho-like score, aided by superb performances of an ensemble cast (especially the double performance of Robert Pattinson), make the film one of the biggest surprises of 2016.

5. The Wailing (Na Hong-jin, South Korea)

South Korean cinema has had this big boom since the beginning of the century, and one of the genres that helped its growth of popularity is the thriller. Though the director Na Hong-jin only made two movies (“The Chaser” and “Yellow Sea”) before this one, both are classics that already gained cult followings. His third film, “The Wailing”, won four major Blue Dragon Film Awards including Best Director, and still holds 99 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

The movie takes place in a small village where a series of sudden deaths occur after a mysterious Japanese man arrived there. Police officer Jong-goo, who is responsible for the case, gradually finds that his daughter is also in danger.

Like all great horror films, “The Wailing” knows how to build up suspense. It introduces characters that constantly give you confusing messages and you are easily affected to make false judgement. In the last 20 minutes, the director uses parallel editing to push this confusion to the highest level, and it’s probably the tensest last 20 minutes you will see in any movie. And boy, isn’t the final reveal of the villain horrifying!

This is a running series that aims to introduce some of the gems of cinema in each decade. These recommended movies are by no means obscure, and most of them are quite popular among seasoned movie buffs.

However, we think it’s not enough – these brilliant films definitely deserve to be on every cinephile’s radar. We begin this series with the incredible 1970s.

1. Le Cercle Rouge (1970, Jean-Pierre Melville)

If you have seen “Le Samourai”, the quintessential French crime film directed by Jean-Pierre Melville and starring Alain Delon, you know how cool this could be. With its intense dialogue-free half-hour heist scene, this is a tour de force made by a master director at his most powerful, and it should never be overshadowed by ”Le Samourai”.

2. Gimme Shelter (1970, David Maysles, Albert Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin)

Even you don’t know much about cinema verite and the Maysles brothers, you should check out this landmark documentary about one of the greatest rock bands ever. What made it special was that while most rock documentaries only recorded the cheering atmosphere of the concerts, this one focused more on the tragedy that happened backstage.

3. Investigation of a Citizen above Suspicion (1970, Elio Petri)

An Italian gem that won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film that year, “Investigation of a Citizen above Suspicion” is a classic crime drama directed by the genre master Elio Petri. Made 45 years ago, the theme of the movie is still relevant, and the style contemporary.

4. Valerie and Her Week of Wonder (1970, Jaromil Jireš)

One of the pearls of the dynamic Czech New Wave, “Valerie and Her Week of Wonder” found its new life first on Second Run DVD, and then Criterion Collection Blu-ray. It’s a visually stunning fairy tale about female coming-of-age and sexuality.

5. Straw Dogs (1971, Sam Peckinpah)

One of the most controversial movies of the 1970s because of the infamous rape scene, “Straw Dogs” is a perfect study of violence and character arc in film. You will be shocked by Dustin Hoffman’s jaw-dropping transforming performance.

6. A Touch of Zen (1971, King Hu)

The first Chinese-language movie that ever won an award at the Cannes Film Festival, “A Touch of Zen” is a fantastic combination of wuxia action filmmaking and Oriental philosophy. The climatic bamboo scene directly influenced Ang Lee’s award-winning “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”.

7. Roma (1972, Federico, Fellini)

Often overshadowed by “Amarcord”, Fellini’s semi-autobiographical film about the life of Rimini in 1930s Fascist Italy, “Roma” is an equally poetic and comedic film where the city itself becomes the protagonist.

8. Maîtresse (1973, Barbet Schroeder)

A gem that explores the secret world of BDSM, “Maîtresse” is a film you will secretly fall in love with. Starring the young Bulle Ogier and Gérard Depardieu, the film discusses the relationship between love and desire, control and being controlled.

9. Sisters (1973, Brian De Palma)

This is where all of Brian De Palma’s suspense thrillers began. Inspired by a piece of news in Life magazine, this movie is a direct homage to Hitchcock’s “Psycho” and “Vertigo”, with De Palma’s own twist of sexuality and dark humor.

10. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974, Rainer Werner Fassbinder)

The magnum opus of prolific German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, “Ali: Fear Eats the Soul” is a great romance film that transcends race, age, and social class. Deeply influenced by Douglas Sirk’s timeless classic “All That Heaven Allows”, this movie was able to tell a story of impossible love in its own German setting.

On a recent show with Conan O’Brien, legendary German filmmaker Werner Herzog shared some thoughts on filmmaking. “There are too many things you cannot teach in school, and it’s way too long. Young people waste three, four years of their lives on the basics of filmmaking. You can learn in a week,” says Herzog, who founded the Rogue Film School (where he teaches students how to pick locks and forge shooting permits).

This list shares Herzog’s spirits that filmmaking technique is not the only thing an aspiring filmmaker should learn; to be a great filmmaker, you also need to have vision, determination, ambition, creativity, and many other merits. That’s why on this list we are not mentioning films from directors you might expect like Bergman, Hitchcock, Tarkovsky, Fellini, or Anderson.

Instead, we pick the most relevant and more interesting examples of movies that will potentially help you become a great filmmaker. Hopefully this list will provide some food for thought, and offer something different than other similar lists.

1. Citizen Kane (1941, Orson Welles)

Probably the most obvious choice on the list, “Citizen Kane” takes our No.1 spot. It had topped Sight & Sound’s Critics’ Top Ten Lists for four decades, and was only beaten by Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” in the most recent poll. French critic Andre Bazin called it “a discourse on method” because of its encyclopedic technical range.

It is fair to say that everything you need to learn about filmmaking, you can learn it from “Citizen Kane”. If you have ever used Louis Giannetti’s “Understanding Movies” as your film study guide, you might know that there is a chapter called “Synthesis”, and they dedicated the entire chapter to “Citizen Kane”, to demonstrate every aspect of filmmaking discussed in previous chapters.

It’s unnecessary to go into more detail, and you probably have seen it several times, but make sure you watch it a couple of times more.

2. This is Not a Film (2011, Jafar Panahi)

If you are an aspiring filmmaker, you will watch a lot of indie films, because that is what you are going to make as your feature debut. Every great director starts small; most of the greatest current directors in Hollywood started their career by making outstanding indie films. But here, we are not going to talk about famous indie debuts made for less than $1 million. Instead, we introduce a no-budget film from Iran.

The director, Jafar Panahi, was banned by the Iranian government for 20 years. Even dire situations like this didn’t stop him making films; he managed to use an iPhone or DV to make three films, including Golden Bear winner “Taxi Tehran” from last year.

The first film of the three, “This is Not a Film”, was shot entirely at his own home with an iPhone. It could be viewed as a documentary of a day in the life of a director who lost his freedom, but even with such restraint, Panahi still made a film that was interesting and thought-provoking.

After finishing the film, he restored it in a flash drive and took it to the Cannes Film Festival. The lesson here is that there is nothing, not the budget, not the script, not even personal freedom, that can stop you making films as long as you are creative and passionate enough.

3. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1969, Stanley Kubrick)

It’s no surprise to see a Kubrick film on this list. He is arguably one of the greatest filmmakers who’s ever lived on the face of this planet. What is left to say about his genius? Everyone knows his cinematic innovations, his obsessive attention to detail, and his unpromising way of filmmaking. He is a true auteur in every sense of the word.

What really sets him apart from other great cinema auteurs is his unique vision. This point has never been made more clear than in his 1969 sci-fi masterpiece ”2001: A Space Odyssey”. Arthur C. Clark’s book is already great and covers all the important themes Kubrick’s film discussed, but what Kubrick did with his cinematic transformation is simply incredible.

How imaginative is using classical music to accompany the space scenes? Or using abstract graphics to show the stargate scene? Or using practical effects to show a floating pen? Or making the moon landing scenes so real that there were conspiracies that Kubrick himself helped NASA fake the real event?

Apart from being in full control of every department of the movie production, you need that cinematic eye, that vision to transform words into cinematic wonder. And ”2001: A Space Odyssey” can teach you exactly that.

4. Burden of Dreams (1982, Les Blank) / Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (1991, Eleanor Coppola, George Hickenlooper, Fax Bahr) 

“Fitzcarraldo” and “Apocalypse Now” are both renowned masterpieces of world cinema. Behind these two masterpieces, there are two incredible documentaries called “Burden of Dreams” and “Heart of Darkness”, which are considered the twin peaks of “making-of” documentaries in cinema history.

What made them so great are not the technique or narrative structure, but rather was the crazy stories behind the two of the most ambitious yet difficult movie projects of all time. You could even argue that these stories are more appealing than the movies themselves.

I won’t go into detail about what obstacles the two directors faced during filming, as that might take another thousand words, but the best way for you to see is to watch both documentaries yourself.

You probably won’t encounter hurricanes, or have to drag a ship over a mountain, but the message here is that as a filmmaker, you must have determination, to finish your film, and you should never give up no matter the circumstances. When you have big problems during your filmmaking, think of Herzog or Coppola, and their stories will keep you going.

5. To Each His Own Cinema (Various filmmakers, 2007)

At the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival, the festival committee invited 36 internationally-acclaimed directors and gave each of them three minutes to express “their state of mind of the moment as inspired by the motion picture theater.”

You can find names such as Theo Angelopoulos, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Joel and Ethan Coen, Aki Kaurismäki, Lars von Trier, Raoul Ruiz, David Cronenberg, and many other familiar names on the list, which made the anthology film extremely appealing to those who haven’t seen it yet.

How to use three minutes, a length less than a complex long take, to tell your own stories, showcasing both your style and theme at the same time, is no easy task for young filmmakers. But for those world-famous veterans, you could tell which short film is from whom in less than 30 seconds, because they have established both their style and theme in your minds so you know exactly what their films look like.

It certainly takes time to form and mature your own style, but at the beginning, you have to know that in order to make others distinguish your film from others, you must have your own style of telling stories.

All great auteurs have consistent and distinct visual language that sets them apart from other filmmakers, and if you want to be one of them, you’ve got to be special.

Who doesn’t like a good visually stunning film? Last month, we made a list of 15 lesser-known visually stunning films, and it was warmly welcomed by Taste of Cinema readers.

Unfortunately, we had to drop a number of great films when compiling the list, so we decided to make it a running series on the site. Without further ado, these are 15 more visually stunning films that deserve to be seen by everyone.

1. The Fall (2006, Tarsem Singh)

Indian-American director Tarsem Singh’s film “The Fall” gained a cult following due to its otherworldly visuals. The film was mostly self-financed by the director in order to realize his vision, and it was shot in 20 countries, including India, Indonesia (Bali), Italy, France, Spain, Namibia, China (PRC), and numerous others.

With a background in MVS and TV commercials, Singh made a film that could be somewhat called a wallpaper film, which means every frame of the film is worthy of a wallpaper. Just watching the opening scene alone will make your jaw drop.

2. Three Times (2005, Hou Hsiao-Hsien)

“Three Times” is not only one of Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s most beautiful films, but is also one of the most visually stunning films in the history of Asian cinema. It consisted of three romantic stories about the same couple through almost a century’s time.

Each segment has its own unique visual approach. The first one is mostly slow-mo scenes while two slow-tempo songs play in the background; the second one is a silent period piece; and the third is a modern tale with some interesting lighting techniques. Roger Ebert loved the film and said that it’s “all photographed with such visual beauty that watching the movie is like holding your breath so the butterfly won’t stir.”

3. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985, Paul Schrader)

American screenwriter / director Paul Schrader is famous for writing the screenplay for Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece “Taxi Driver”, but his films as a director were often overlooked, although “American Gigolo” and “Cat People” both became cult classics.

Then there is this forgotten gem called ”Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters”, a gorgeous biopic about famous Nobel-winning Japanese author Yukio Mishima, who is famous for his ritual suicide by seppuku after a failed coup d’état attempt.

The film interweaves episodes of his life with fictionalized segments of his novels; the set design and cinematography of the latter part is absolutely stunning, making one mistake it for a late Suzuki or Oshima film. A bonus point is Philip Glass’s iconic score.

4. Orpheus (1950, Jean Cocteau)

French avant-garde filmmaker Jean Cocteau was famous for his exquisite adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast” and experimental wonder “The Blood of a Poet”.

This film, ”Orpheus”, is the second film in his Orphic trilogy and the most beautiful one. It was based on the tragic love story of legendary musician and poet Orpheus from the ancient Greek myth. The scene where Orpheus has to go through a mirror to the underworld is pure magic.

5. Europa (1991, Lars von Trier)

As the leading figure of the innovative Dogme 95 movement and one of the most talked-about filmmakers nowadays, Danish auteur Lars von Trier is famous for making experimental and controversial films. Though his Dogme 95 films look raw due to the rules of the movement, his early film “Europa” is an absolute visually-stunning knockout.

It’s a black and white film with the perfect blend of color in key scenes, and von Trier’s uses of superimpose and background projection in some scenes are unforgettable. The voice-over from Max von Sydow has this hypnotic quality that brilliantly convey the nightmarish feeling of the film.

6. Woman in the Dunes (1964, Hiroshi Tashigahara)

Hiroshi Teshigahara and Kōbō Abe are among some of the greatest director-writer teams in cinema history. Their most outstanding collaborations include their existential trilogy with “Woman in the Dunes” as the central chapter and the most famous one.

The cinematography of the sand looks incredible; it’s so crystal that you can almost feel the sand grains. If you are unfamiliar with the Japanese New Wave, this could be your introduction.

7. My Own Private Idaho (1991, Gus van Sant)

Gus van Sant’s iconic indie film ”My Own Private Idaho” was mostly remembered for its star River Phoenix’s incredible performance, but the cinematography by John J. Campbell and Eric Alan Edwards deserve the same level of praise here.

Anyone who has seen the film cannot forget the time-lapse scenes, the clouds, the fish jumping out of the water, and the long and winding road. Eric Edwards shot these scenes on his own, and van Sant originally had the screen go black when Mike passed out. He later decided to use Edwards’ footage as a way of showing “an altered sense of time” from Mike’s perspective.