Hidden Gems, a list by Jeffrey Winkler

6.7

/21896/

67

/441/

64

/286/

3.4

/6050/

68

/145/

65

/1859/

69

/32/

3.0

Martial artist Mike Terry lives by a strict code of no competitions, for he feels that such contests weaken fighters. After saving a famous action star from a brutal attack, Mike takes a job in the film industry. He soon finds his personal beliefs and integrity on the line as circumstances force him to participate in a prize fight.

61

6.4

/26465/

68

/667/

61

/373/

3.1

/8514/

55

/31/

58

/491/

62

/20/

2.5

age 13+

Ex-policeman Rollo Lee is sent to run Marwood Zoo, the newly acquired business of a New Zealand tycoon. In order to meet high profit targets and keep the zoo open, Rollo enforces a new 'fierce creatures' policy, whereby only the most impressive and dangerous animals are allowed to remain in the zoo. However, the keepers are less enthusiastic about complying with these demands.

64

6.2

/994/

66

/32/

64

/15/

3.1

/466/

41

/22/

72

/71/

62

/10/

3.5

age 10+

In this third movie about Shiloh, Judd Travers is accused of killing a man he once fought in a bar. Everyone in the town consider Judd to be guilty except Marty Preston, but even him has some doubts. Trying to clear Judd's name Marty and his friend searches the woods to find the criminal.

78

7.3

/5376/

68

/74/

64

/57/

3.6

/2851/

91

/107/

84

/227/

75

/33/

4.0

Director Mario Van Peebles chronicles the complicated production of his father Melvin's classic 1971 film, "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song." Playing his father in the film, Van Peebles offers an unapologetic account of Melvin's brash and sometimes deceptive conduct on the set of the film, including questionable antics like writing bad checks, tricking a local fire department and allowing his son, Mario, to shoot racy sex scenes at the age of 11.

76

6.9

/27414/

68

/453/

66

/354/

3.5

/12412/

97

/30/

70

/385/

85

/25/

3.5

The lives of two struggling musicians, who happen to be brothers, inevitably change when they team up with a beautiful, up-and-coming singer.

70

6.6

/10176/

65

/319/

60

/138/

3.4

/7590/

85

/89/

62

/948/

70

/27/

3.5

Paul Aufiero, a 35-year-old parking-garage attendant from Staten Island, is the self-described "world's biggest New York Giants fan". One night, Paul and his best friend Sal spot Giants star linebacker Quantrell Bishop at a gas station and decide to follow him. At a strip club Paul cautiously decides to approach him but the chance encounter brings Paul's world crashing down around him.

69

6.5

/7399/

70

/442/

63

/174/

3.3

/4747/

82

/82/

64

/42/

68

/29/

3.0

age 17+

A drama inspired by the life of heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner.

70

54

7.4

/4068/

70

/41/

58

/41/

3.5

/537/

78

/76/

79

/98/

64

/23/

age 17+

After reuniting with his mother in Ho Chi Minh City, a family tragedy causes Binh to flee from Viet Nam to America. Landing in New York, Binh begins a road trip to Texas, where his American father is said to live.

68

6.2

/478/

54

/20/

56

/16/

3.4

/439/

93

/14/

69

/28/

67

/8/

3.0

Lyricist Harmony insists on wallowing in misery eons after being unceremoniously dumped by his girlfriend. While the members of Harmony's family are long over his antics, that doesn't stop him from milking his heartbreak and telling his tale of woe to anyone who will listen.

71

66

7.0

/9783/

69

/165/

67

/129/

3.6

/4433/

73

/22/

81

/321/

67

/9/

Rock-and-roll singer Mary Rose Foster's romantic relationships and mental health are continuously imperilled by the demands of life on the road.

55

35

5.6

/501/

55

/52/

52

/26/

3.1

/3554/

57

/28/

45

/6/

62

/7/

Mark and Mary's meet-cute happens at a neighborhood drug store, where she is busy buying a pregnancy test, and he has to make an effort to remind her they met in college. After asking her out, he accompanies her as she takes the test, and upon it showing negative, she agrees to a date. One year later, they have fallen deeply, passionately, head over heels in love, and their whirlwind romance leads to marriage. So when Mary suddenly requests they open their relationship to “ethical non-monogamy”, Mark is taken by surprise, but agrees to try it. And that's where this story really begins.

75

70

7.1

/5415/

67

/133/

66

/70/

3.6

/3597/

93

/137/

79

/469/

82

/26/

Like many young men in the Dominican Republic, 19-year-old Miguel "Sugar" Santos dreams of winning a slot on an American baseball team. Indeed, his talents as a pitcher eventually land him a slot on a single-A team in Iowa, but culture shock, racism and other curveballs threaten to turn Sugar's dream sour.

63

41

5.8

/943/

60

/77/

53

/40/

3.2

/1045/

87

/15/

53

/6/

71

/5/

age 15+

An NYC Professor spends the week reconnecting with his family while defending his reputation over controversial behavior at his college. Meanwhile, his family is determined to make an around-the-clock effort to support their matriarch when she’s admitted to New York’s Presbyterian Hospital and is expected to die within a few days.

65

6.5

/7713/

63

/310/

64

/203/

3.1

/8050/

66

/97/

63

/28/

63

/24/

3.0

age 16+

John Peterson lives with his partner Eric and their adopted daughter in Southern California. When he is visited by his aging father Willis from Los Angeles who is searching for a place to retire, their two very different worlds collide.

66

6.2

/23892/

63

/415/

60

/385/

3.1

/9196/

79

/33/

45

/248/

71

/19/

3.5

Wayne Dobie is a shy cop whose low-key demeanor has earned him the affectionate nickname "Mad Dog." After Mad Dog saves the life of Frank Milo, a crime boss and aspiring stand-up comedian, he's offered the company of an attractive young waitress named Glory for a week. At first both are uneasy about the arrangement, but they eventually fall in love. However, the situation becomes complicated when Milo demands Glory back.

77

7.1

/2065/

70

/60/

68

/31/

3.8

/9063/

96

/52/

75

/38/

85

/4/

3.0

Two cabbies search San Francisco's Chinatown for a mysterious character who has disappeared with their $4000. Their quest leads them on a humorous, if mundane, journey which illuminates the many problems experienced by Chinese-Americans trying to assimilate into contemporary American society.

69

44

6.4

/1100/

60

/40/

64

/19/

3.4

/322/

88

/33/

70

/70/

72

/8/

Davy is a 28-year-old writer on a road trip to promote his unpublished collection of short stories. A random phone call in Davy's motel room from a mysterious, sexy woman named Nicole leads to a series of phone sex sessions that surprisingly over time become emotionally and sexually satisfying for the shy writer. Later, when he meets a former girlfriend, he must try to choose between them - but only if he can arrange a meeting with his reclusive phone mate.

55

25

5.5

/373/

60

/9/

43

/12/

3.1

/359/

53

/15/

60

/14/

A single mother and her 10-year-old son motor around the country as she makes ends meet and enters various relationships that her son has yet to understand.

81

69

7.7

/1981/

76

/78/

73

/53/

4.0

/8075/

97

/88/

91

/98/

79

/17/

Jimmy Arnaud eulogizes his mother.

62

5.8

/3049/

58

/107/

54

/59/

3.2

/7011/

85

/27/

43

/31/

76

/13/

2.5

14-year-old Lila spends a languid South Brooklyn summer playing third wheel to her promiscuous friend Chiara and Chiara’s boyfriend Patrick. Eager for her own sexual awakening, Lila gamely decides to pursue the older, thuggish Sammy, rumored to sleep with anyone.

77

51

6.5

/878/

68

/35/

65

/24/

3.5

/2579/

100

/15/

79

/11/

93

/5/

age 13+

A man is trapped in a mine shaft by his vengeful brother while his daughter embarks on a magical journey to rescue him.

68

44

6.7

/1242/

66

/54/

63

/35/

3.6

/1989/

75

/20/

72

/6/

61

/9/

Rod and Cherri are the unmistakable king and queen of Echo High. When new kid Spud arrives, he makes a faux pas so bad that Rod forces him to be his girl's slave. What unfolds is the tale of Cherri and Spud's blossoming relationship behind Rod's back, and their untimely demise on the night of the prom. A tale of tragedy that could only be as irreverent and sensational through the pen (or pencils, if you will) of Bill Plympton.

70

6.9

/1632/

65

/35/

53

/21/

3.4

/557/

90

/10/

85

/48/

61

/11/

3.0

Based on the life of rock promoter/producer Bob Marucci, who discovered, among others, Frankie Avalon and Fabian.

66

6.6

/16597/

65

/244/

60

/221/

3.3

/3547/

67

/140/

64

/496/

67

/38/

3.0

The lives of Ted and Marion Cole are thrown into disarray when their two adolescent sons die in a car wreck. Marion withdraws from Ted and Ruth, the couple's daughter. Ted, a well-known writer, hires as his assistant a student named Eddie, who looks oddly similar to one of the Coles' dead sons. The couple separate, and Marion begins an affair with Eddie, while Ted has a dalliance with his neighbor Evelyn.

76

7.1

/29965/

78

/3641/

72

/825/

3.3

/13150/

86

/104/

82

/295/

66

/25/

3.5

age 13+

The true story of Marine Corporal Megan Leavey, who forms a powerful bond with an aggressive combat dog, Rex. While deployed in Iraq, the two complete more than 100 missions and save countless lives, until an IED explosion puts their faithfulness to the test.

72

65

7.1

/4441/

72

/128/

69

/58/

3.7

/5385/

82

/11/

75

/39/

65

/7/

age 12+

Three kindly old men decide to light up the dimming twilight of their lives with a last blaze of glory – by sticking up a Manhattan bank in broad daylight.

70

6.7

/32592/

64

/593/

62

/405/

3.4

/14499/

87

/118/

71

/4515/

67

/30/

3.0

age 16+

Marion and Jack try to rekindle their relationship with a visit to Paris, home of Marion's parents — and several of her ex-boyfriends.

69

6.9

/22565/

70

/637/

67

/439/

3.5

/12702/

81

/26/

66

/215/

60

/8/

When relatively healthy patients begin having 'complications' during simple operations and ending up in comas, a concerned doctor defies her male superiors when she suspects a secret plot.

65

6.3

/12600/

64

/337/

59

/249/

3.2

/12039/

77

/26/

48

/217/

64

/8/

3.5

A New York City cop and an expert criminologist trying to solve a series of grisly deaths in which the victims have seemingly been maimed by feral animals discover a sinister connection between the crimes and an old legend.

74

71

7.4

/11038/

72

/234/

71

/188/

3.9

/12664/

82

/11/

83

/178/

64

/9/

After being released on parole, a burglar attempts to go straight, get a regular job, and just go by the rules. He soon finds himself back in jail at the hands of a power-hungry parole officer.

66

6.6

/22575/

74

/1944/

66

/558/

3.1

/14184/

72

/269/

71

/622/

69

/50/

2.0

age 17+

Nat Turner, a former slave in America, leads a liberation movement in 1831 to free African-Americans in Virginia that results in a violent retaliation from whites.

71

7.0

/17741/

70

/227/

65

/193/

3.4

/5606/

80

/49/

74

/451/

69

/25/

3.0

After the death of her father, Little Voice or LV becomes a virtual recluse, never going out and hardly ever saying a word. She just sits in her bedroom listening to her father's collection of old records of Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe and various other famous female singers. But at night time, LV sings, imitating these great singers with surprising accuracy. One night she is overheard by one of her mother's boyfriends, who happens to be a talent agent. He manages to convince her that her talent is special and arranges for her to perform at the local night club, but several problems arise.

70

38

6.5

/456/

58

/20/

72

/4/

3.4

/1361/

91

/32/

67

/4/

Brainy scientist Sarah, a doctoral student at Columbia University, is weeks away from following her very married boyfriend to Ohio when her mother dies suddenly, leaving Sarah the owner of a small but beloved Christian bookstore in the Bronx. Tasked with planning a culturally respectful funeral befitting the family matriarch, Sarah must juggle the expectations of her loving yet demanding family while navigating the reappearance of her estranged father all while grappling with what to do with the bookstore. Aided by an only-in-New York ensemble of Eastern European neighbors, feisty African aunties and a no-nonsense ex-con co-worker, Sarah faces her new responsibilities while figuring out how to remain true to herself.

67

58

6.9

/7659/

64

/197/

61

/128/

3.4

/926/

70

/33/

72

/381/

65

/12/

An investigation of the massacre of 24 men, women and children in Haditha, Iraq allegedly shot by 4 U.S. Marines in retaliation for the death of a U.S. Marine killed by a roadside bomb. The movie follows the story of the Marines of Kilo Company, an Iraqi family, and the insurgents who plant the roadside bomb.

70

52

6.4

/1500/

71

/47/

68

/20/

3.6

/5321/

69

/51/

83

/59/

65

/25/

Chantel Mitchell, a hip, articulate, black high-school girl in Brooklyn, is determined not to become "just another girl on the IRT" (the IRT is one of NYC's subway lines). She dreams of medical school, a family, and an escape from the generational poverty and street-corner life her friends seem to have accepted as their lot. But personal and sexual challenges confront Chantel on her way to fulfilling these dreams.

60

5.9

/11139/

65

/314/

58

/200/

3.0

/5235/

50

/16/

42

/232/

61

/15/

3.5

age 13+

A mysterious oriental skull transforms a father into his son, and vice versa.

74

7.0

/23856/

70

/521/

65

/311/

3.5

/11748/

83

/36/

79

/577/

76

/18/

3.5

age 15+

Gib, a beer-guzzling slob, and Alison, an uptight Ivy-Leaguer, are an unlikely duo stuck together on a cross-country trip during Christmas break. At first they get on each other's nerves but, as time passes, they find their divergent natures complement each other. Now they need to realize what they've already found before it's too late.

71

6.7

/18379/

66

/574/

65

/298/

3.4

/11444/

83

/106/

68

/359/

71

/32/

3.5

age 17+

Kate and Charlie like to have a good time. Their marriage thrives on a shared fondness for music, laughter… and getting smashed. When Kate’s partying spirals into hard-core asocial behavior, compromising her job as an elementary schoolteacher, something’s got to give. But change isn’t exactly a cakewalk. Sobriety means she will have to confront the lies she’s been spinning at work, her troubling relationship with her mother, and the nature of her bond with Charlie.

63

30

6.0

/564/

58

/26/

56

/13/

3.2

/394/

93

/14/

56

/3/

60

/5/

When Shelly meets Rachel, two dysfunctional girls from radically opposed backgrounds set off on a collision course that will leave one of them shattered, the other re-born. Set in the forsaken wastelands of Cheshire's little-seen urban overspill, The Violators charts a teenage girl's path from battle-hardened cynicism to the hope of a better life.

70

6.6

/3808/

65

/79/

62

/53/

3.2

/1960/

81

/89/

65

/102/

76

/31/

3.5

Meg is a gifted but emotionally scarred 18-year-old who finds solace in writing poetry. Mr. Auster, her English teacher, recognizes her talent and encourages her to enter a national poetry contest. As tension at home escalates and Meg struggles to find a way to get to the poetry finals in Florida, Auster's role in her life becomes increasingly complex.

69

6.6

/2963/

66

/71/

60

/47/

3.3

/8997/

85

/40/

65

/110/

62

/14/

3.5

Waking from a one-night stand that neither remembers, Micah and Joanne find themselves wandering the streets of San Francisco, sharing coffee and conversation and searching for a deeper connection.

65

6.6

/9740/

66

/170/

60

/108/

3.2

/3071/

72

/36/

71

/281/

71

/22/

2.0

The world of a young housewife is turned upside down when she has an affair with a free-spirited blouse salesman.

72

7.0

/22271/

70

/723/

67

/367/

3.5

/12642/

88

/32/

72

/408/

69

/13/

Writer H. G. Wells pursues Jack the Ripper to modern day San Francisco after the infamous serial killer steals his time machine to escape the 19th century.

62

6.3

/12360/

63

/267/

59

/181/

3.1

/13620/

65

/20/

51

/118/

63

/20/

3.0

Wimpy young executive Michael is about to get pulverized by a jealous boyfriend in a bar when a handsome, mysterious stranger steps in—and then disappears. Later that night, Michael runs into a stranger on a pier, who wheedles his way into Michael's life and turns it upside down.

64

6.2

/4996/

61

/278/

60

/109/

3.5

/12295/

86

/81/

53

/100/

74

/26/

2.0

At the American Computer Chess Convention, enthusiasts gather to pit their programs against other computer chess programs and human players in a tournament for a grand prize of $7500.

62

60

6.5

/14142/

63

/321/

59

/212/

3.1

/3385/

66

/35/

47

/424/

71

/10/

Two childhood friends from South Boston turn to crime as a way to get by, ultimately causing a strain in their personal lives and their friendship.

70

6.7

/4887/

69

/61/

59

/64/

3.3

/1541/

79

/90/

64

/167/

72

/27/

3.5

A grandmother has a passionate affair with a man half her age, who is also sleeping with her daughter.

65

40

6.2

/948/

60

/66/

56

/34/

3.3

/381/

87

/15/

59

/20/