1. Adaptation.
Nicolas Cage is Charlie Kaufman, a confused L.A. screenwriter overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy, sexual frustration, self-loathing, and by the screenwriting ambitions of his freeloading twin brother Donald. While struggling to adapt "The Orchid Thief," by Susan Orlean, Kaufman's life spins from pathetic to bizarre. The lives of Kaufman, Orlean's book, become strangely intertwined as each one's search for passion collides with the others'.
It has an average vote of 7.4 on TMDB.
2. Synecdoche, New York
A theater director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play.
It has an average vote of 7.561 on TMDB.
3. The Sixth Sense
Following an unexpected tragedy, child psychologist Malcolm Crowe meets a nine year old boy named Cole Sear, who is hiding a dark secret.
It has an average vote of 7.953 on TMDB.
4. Dogville
A mysterious woman named Grace hides in a small mountain town from criminals who pursue her. The town is two-faced and offers to harbor Grace as long as she can make it worth their effort, so Grace works hard under the employ of various townspeople to win their favor. Tensions flare, however, and Grace's status as a helpless outsider provokes vicious contempt and abuse from the citizens of Dogville.
It has an average vote of 7.77 on TMDB.
5. Where the Wild Things Are
Max imagines running away from his mom and sailing to a far-off land where large talking beasts—Ira, Carol, Douglas, the Bull, Judith and Alexander—crown him as their king, play rumpus, build forts and discover secret hideaways.
It has an average vote of 6.483 on TMDB.
6. High Fidelity
When record store owner and compulsive list-compiler Rob Gordon gets dumped by his long-time girlfriend, Laura, because he hasn't changed since they met, he revisits his top five breakups of all time in order to figure out what went wrong. As he examines his failed attempts at romance and happiness, the process finds him being dragged, kicking and screaming, into adulthood.
It has an average vote of 7.137 on TMDB.
7. Pi
A mathematical genius discovers a link between numbers and reality, and thus believes he can predict the future.
It has an average vote of 7.1 on TMDB.
8. Kalifornia
A journalist duo go on a tour of serial killer murder sites with two companions, unaware that one of them is a serial killer himself.
It has an average vote of 6.6 on TMDB.
9. Her
In the not so distant future, Theodore, a lonely writer, purchases a newly developed operating system designed to meet the user's every need. To Theodore's surprise, a romantic relationship develops between him and his operating system. This unconventional love story blends science fiction and romance in a sweet tale that explores the nature of love and the ways that technology isolates and connects us all.
It has an average vote of 7.857 on TMDB.
10. Magnolia
An epic mosaic of many interrelated characters in search of happiness, forgiveness, and meaning in the San Fernando Valley.
It has an average vote of 7.731 on TMDB.
11. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr. Gonzo drive a red convertible across the Mojave desert to Las Vegas with a suitcase full of drugs to cover a motorcycle race. As their consumption of drugs increases at an alarming rate, the stoned duo trash their hotel room and fear legal repercussions. Duke begins to drive back to L.A., but after an odd run-in with a cop, he returns to Sin City and continues his wild drug binge.
It has an average vote of 7.21 on TMDB.
12. They Live
A lone drifter stumbles upon a harrowing discovery -- a unique pair of sunglasses that reveals that aliens are systematically gaining control of the Earth by masquerading as humans and lulling the public into submission.
It has an average vote of 7.293 on TMDB.
13. By the Sea
Set in France during the mid-1970s, Vanessa, a former dancer, and her husband Roland, an American writer, travel the country together. They seem to be growing apart, but when they linger in one quiet, seaside town they begin to draw close to some of its more vibrant inhabitants, such as a local bar/café-keeper and a hotel owner.
It has an average vote of 5.6 on TMDB.
14. 21 Grams
Paul Rivers, an ailing mathematician lovelessly married to an English émigré; Christina Peck, an upper-middle-class suburban housewife and mother of two girls; and Jack Jordan, a born-again ex-con, are brought together by a terrible accident that changes their lives.
It has an average vote of 7.335 on TMDB.
15. The Machinist
Trevor, an insomniac lathe operator, experiences unusual occurrences at work and home. A strange man follows him everywhere, but no one else seems to notice him.
It has an average vote of 7.525 on TMDB.
16. L.A. Confidential
Three detectives in the corrupt and brutal L.A. police force of the 1950s use differing methods to uncover a conspiracy behind the shotgun slayings of the patrons at an all-night diner.
It has an average vote of 7.791 on TMDB.
17. The Gift
Annie Wilson, young widow and mother of three, makes her living foretelling others' futures—though her own has become cloudier than even she can see. Threatened by a client's violent husband and plagued by visions of a missing local woman, Annie finds herself pulled into a thicket of lies and deception in which her extraordinary gift may ultimately get her killed.
It has an average vote of 6.408 on TMDB.
18. Con Air
Newly-paroled former US Army ranger Cameron Poe is headed back to his wife, but must fly home aboard a prison transport flight dubbed "Jailbird" taking the “worst of the worst” prisoners, a group described as “pure predators”, to a new super-prison. Poe faces impossible odds when the transport plane is skyjacked mid-flight by the most vicious criminals in the country led by the mastermind — genius serial killer Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom, and backed by black militant Diamond Dog and psychopath Billy Bedlam.
It has an average vote of 6.746 on TMDB.
19. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
An African-American Mafia hit man who models himself after the samurai of ancient Japan finds himself targeted for death by the mob.
It has an average vote of 7.3 on TMDB.
20. Babel
In Babel, a tragic incident involving an American couple in Morocco sparks a chain of events for four families in different countries throughout the world.
It has an average vote of 7.181 on TMDB.
