10. Rubber (2010)
Rubber is a movie that you don't just pick up out of nowhere and watch for no reason. The reason you watch it is because the antagonist of the film is a tire. No, it's not tiring, the movie actually focuses on a killer tire. No I'm not joking either. It's an absolutely absurd idea, a killer tire on the loose, unable to be captured by its pursuers. But so is the idea for the film, an absolutely absurd idea is it not? What you get with Rubber is pretty much the unexpected, the irregular, and the irreverent. I can't say it's a movie with much plot, but it's definitely an interesting concept. There's a lot that happens during the movie that makes you want to keep watching it, maybe to find out something worth your while but in the end it really is just what it says it is, a movie about a killer tire. There's a lot of meta and figurative plot in this movie, so it's not for everyone. But, if you do think killer tire fare is up your alley, well I've got the movie for you! This movie is the reason that Magnet Releasing impresses me, because it's a constant stream of films that you truly will never see anywhere else. I've never seen anything like this movie and a lot of the other movies on their bill, granted I haven't seen them all and that's probably why this made the list, but it's one of the most joyfully weird movies I've ever seen.
9. Special (2006)
This is one of the films on the Magnet bill that deserve a little special recognition for being ahead of the curve. In a time in film where super heroes are completely oversaturating the market, director/writer Hal Haberman found a way to change the game. Starring Michael Rapaport, the story unfolds as Rapaport's character becomes psychotic and thinks he is a real life super hero. He starts wearing jumpsuits, he starts trying to help people and talk to people, and it's all because of his new medication. It's a haunting yet poetic vision of a real life super hero, if it were created by such a mistake as medication. Rapaport is so convincing as the psychotic Les, and this movie is a great example of his acting chops. I was mostly impressed by his role because of his acting, and I can't foresee that anyone else could have done it quite as well as him. This is definitely for fans of the super hero genre, but also if you're into the quirky dramas or sci-fi dramas like this one, this is a treat. I will also add that it's very heartbreaking, as Rapaport's acting soars towards the end into a super finale.
8. Murder Party (2007)
Probably more of a personal favorite than a quality film, Murder Party was recommended to me by my boss when I started working at Blockbuster (which is when and where I discovered Magnet Releasing). It's a horror comedy, which at the time after successes like Shaun of the Dead, was becoming a popular sub genre. Really, the film is quite silly but it just goes far past the point of that to become something horrific too. This lonely slob of a guy discovers an invitation to a Halloween party on his doorstep. No idea who it's from, where it came from, or why it was given to him. But when you're lonely, you do whatever you can not to be. So sets off our main character with a homemade tinfoil knight costume to his Halloween party which he's for sure going to have fun, right? Wrong. Just about everything you wouldn't want to happen when accepting a random invitation to a party happens. Don't expect either because it's about a Halloween party, that it's like a high school or college party comedy film. He actually walks into some real shit when he gets to the party, and it only escalates until the very end at which the Halloween party becomes a Murder Party. This is definitely a movie I recommend to horror comedy aficionados if you can still find a copy somewhere, because even at Blockbuster we only had one. But I'm so glad I'm doing this list because I forgot all about how awesome this film was, and am now currently seeking out a copy.
7. Bronson (2008)
This movie is the sole reason why when Tom Hardy was cast as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, I got super excited and knew that Christopher Nolan really knew how to cast his characters. Hardy is a brooding and brutal machine in this movie, as he portrays who you come to know as Bronson, and just puts the smack down on everyone as they try to keep him in solitary confinement. It's a wicked movie to see Tom Hardy in, as he's absolutely gargantuan in comparison to anyone in the film, and surely some camera trickery to disguise his height, or lackthereof. He displays excellent acting, and I'm not entirely sure why it wasn't praised or recognized by anyone when he was discovered by Nolan to play Bane. He really wasn't much of anyone, but recently he's been in films like Warrior, This Means War, Inception and obviously The Dark Knight Rises. All of which he is a hunky guy, but he can play nice as well as he can play mean, but Bronson is example of the far out side of mean. The mustache and the man make for a truly entertaining action, hardcore drama, and if there were any doubters of Hardy out there, this was the movie I always brought up in his defense. He's absolutely crazy and psychotic, and it has to be Tom Hardy's best work to date.
6. Hobo with a Shotgun (2011)
Living in the same realm as over-the-top revenge flicks, Hobo with a Shotgun is an action romp hardly recommendable to anyone but at the same time packs a hell of an action punch. It's over-the-top in the sense that it does just about every morally wrong bit, right, and at the same time creates a compelling enough story to live up to the title. A down on his luck hobo gets involved with a couple of criminals and decides to take justice into his own hands. It's a film that can get you excited just for the fact that it's a complete nobody taking the law into his own hands, or into his shotgun, and blowing everyone away that ever does wrong. The wrongdoers are definitely hard to like in the film, they go as crazy as lighting a school bus full of children on fire and that wasn't all they do. There's like killer rock 'em sock 'em robots or whatever too that are like the final bosses of the film. So as you can see, it's way over-the-top and I mean not even in the stupid way. This film surpasses stupid and becomes stupendous just for the heart poured into the hobo character by Rutger Hauer, though it is silly, and because of the outrageous stuff that happens in the film. It's much like Rubber in the sense that you truly will never see a revenge actioner as cartoony, wacky, yet unrelenting as this one.
5. Monsters (2010)
I have a review of this film somewhere from my old website, but I was unable to find it to put it on here. This is a movie that not a lot of people liked because you never really see the monsters all that much in the film. It's more of a drama, and a film of beauty in the sense of the picture it paints of a post-apocalyptic, alien-invaded world. It's an outstanding story in such a different kind of world, and I remember really praising the film after seeing it the first time. It was a pleasant sci-fi surprise after the hit District 9, which I loved so much, and it lived up to its name as far as I'm concerned. Gareth Edwards, the director, did impress enough from this film however that he's landed the directing job for the new reincarnation of Godzilla. Hopefully Matthew Broderick isn't the first guy that comes to mind for him when casting the main roles for the film. However, I believe Edwards could have the knack for monster film as he did a great job at making this monster story compelling even though it hardly features the monsters it was appropriately named after.
4. Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil (2010)
Another relentless horror comedy from Magnet Releasing, Tucker & Dale does something that was surprisingly never done as well as it was done here. Tucker and Dale are two guys just bumbling about in the woods, trying to live their lives. But when a group of rowdy teenagers go out to find a fun getaway, they are greeted by evil in all the wrong forms. As the teenagers are quickly being offed left and right by two backwoods guys, Tucker and Dale are trying to figure out why they are so misunderstood by the group. It's a truly hilarious film, as Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk star side by side as the duo of unintelligent everymen. This was probably one of the best horror comedies I've seen since my obvious favorite Shaun of the Dead, and it's amazing to me that something like this had never been attempted before, at least in this fashion. It's really a three way movie as the teenagers are being offed by what they think are the two guys, and the two guys are seemingly finding themselves at the scene of the crime everytime. The two groups both fight evil, and despite all of the blood and guts, the movie is laugh-out-loud funny.
3. Goon (2011)
Another great example of Magnet Releasing's eye for the mixing of genres, this sports comedy is about the character of the goon in hockey. Probably a bit of a lost art now, but the goons were the bouncers on the ice. They would check, punch, and smash their way into victory and rarely do a whole lot else. Seann William Scott plays Doug, an inspiring and heartwarming character who is labeled as a tough guy and isn't as successful as his family wishes he was. In the end, he comes out on top and it's a really great but violent story of his rise to fame in the semi-pro hockey world. His rival, is played by Liev Schrieber who has been known to turn in a funny role or two, and this is definitely one of them. Rocking a handlebar mustache from hell, he's out on the warpath to prove that he is the ultimate goon and Doug is just a failure. Doug's buddy played by Jay Baruchel, who also co-wrote the script, is so dumb but funny. He's crude in all of the right ways, and probably gives Doug more dimension as a character in comparison. If you're a fan of hockey, sports, or The Mighty Ducks, this might be the movie for you.
2. Let the Right One In (2008)
This is how a vampire love story should be, post-Twilight. Let the Right One In is such a compelling tale of a boy who meets a vampire in his home yard one day, and slowly discovers her secrets. Surely, they fall in love with each other as they're both growing older in their respective cultures, one a little further along than the other however. Where the boy learns from the vampire, the vampire learns from the boy, and in the end they are there for each other. This probably has one of the most heartwarming endings for a vampire film, as I particularly love the vampire's actions towards the boy at the end of the film. It's such a dark and dreary movie to watch, and it is in another language, but the experience is so rewarding compared to a lot of the vampire garbage we see today. It's a great story, with great characters, and the kids are amazing actors in the film too, extremely convincing. This film was received so well that it was eventually remade in America, titled Let Me In and despite being a shot for shot remake of this original, it was equally as entertaining and excellent which goes to show the power of the original.
1. Timecrimes (2007)
I still maintain that this is the best movie about time travel I have ever seen. The only film I can think of that even comes close is Primer, in terms of the usage of the concept of time travel. There are obviously much more entertaining films that revolve around the concept, and bigger films too, but those two exemplify the use of the actual concept itself and not just the environment. Timecrimes is an eerie display of the power and misuse of time travel, but at the same time shows the complexities and such of time travel as a concept. It's a mind-boggling film that begs to be watched twice, and is easily my favorite time travel movie beside Primer. An example of how great this movie is, at least in terms of myself, is when I brought it home, it was solely for the cover. It looked like a creepy horror film with a scary looking killer, but I was so wrong when I discovered it was more about time travel. After I finished watching it, I was immediately wowed and begged my roommate at the time, with whom I did movie podcasting and had our old website, to watch the movie again with me. He was against it at first, but after watching it he was impressed as well and still refers to it often as one of his favorite time travel movies. Magnet Releasing has been putting out genre gems like this for a long time now, and to think myself or my roommate never would have seen this movie had I not picked it up at Blockbuster. How do these films go so unnoticed by people? Timecrimes is the perfect example of a diamond in the rough.
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