These aren't for every taste, but if you've got something of the same twisted sensibilities as I do, you'll like them.

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension (1984):  This is a love-it-or-hate-it movie, and I happen to love it.  It's wacky comic-book nonsense with a demented John Lithgow stealing the show and bit parts for Jeff Goldblum and Ellen Barkin before they were famous.

Army of Darkness (1993):  Gory but goofy horror film/spoof.  Bruce Campbell is the jut-jawed Ash (this is the third movie in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series) who gets transported back to medieval times and has to fight evil so he can get back to his modern-day job as a hardware-store clerk.  Lots of great one-liners.  Not one to see on TV (though they often run it on USA and Sci-Fi) because they cut all the best stuff out.

An Awfully Big Adventure (1995--England):  Bizarre but engaging study of a young girl in wartime England who dreams of being an actress and gets corrupted in various ways by the head of a theater company (Hugh Grant in a nicely despicable performance) and its star actor (Alan Rickman, looking tragically romantic).  Very well-done and off-beat material, though ultimately depressing.  The novel, by Beryl Bainbridge, is also worth your time.

Being John Malkovich (1999):  You know what it's about.

The Big Lebowski (1998):  Wacky fare from the Coen Brothers.  You have to see it, because a description just doesn't do it justice.

Bound (1996):  What the Wachowski Brothers were doing before The Matrix.  Sexy, stylish film noir that happens to put a woman (Gina Gershon, redeeming herself from Showgirls) in a traditionally male role, a ne'er do well handywoman seducing gangster moll Jennifer Tilly.  Also features one of my favorite character actors, Joe Pantoliano.

The Celebration (1998--Denmark):  Grippingly realistic look at a family gathering where unsavory secrets are revealed.

Cemetery Man (1995):  The sort of movie Ed Wood would make if he were alive today.  Rupert Everett is the caretaker of a cemetery where you just can't keep a dead man down.  And he's naked sometimes.  It's a bizarre, howlingly bad movie that I've watched over and over (and not just because I'm trying to get a glimpse of Little Rupert).  The first sign that the movie is cheesy is in the opening credits, which abruptly switch from Italian to English.

The Devil's Backbone (El Espinazo del Diablo) (2001--Mexico/Spain):  Haunting, creative film about a child abandoned to a boarding school who sees a ghost and uncovers disturbing secrets.  Beautiful, elegant, and lingers with you for days.

Fight Club (1999):  Though it gets stomach-churningly violent, the first half of this film is brilliant and hilarious.  Edward Norton is perfect, and Brad Pitt reminds us that he can be more than just a pretty face.

Funny Bones (1995):  Another quirky winner from Peter Chelsom.  Oliver Platt, who's never been better, plays a terrible stand-up comic who can't live up to his famous father (Jerry Lewis, in an amazingly good performance).  He travels to England to find a new act and discovers secrets about his father.  British comic Lee Evans, best known here for There's Something About Mary and Mouse Hunt, is amazing as the brilliantly funny Jack.

Ghost World (2001):  Fantastic movie, witty, sarcastic, original.  Thora Birch is great as the alienated (and glad to be) girl in a corporate-ruled world who's no longer sure of her fiercely isolationist stance.

Happiness (1998):  A bitterly funny portrait of the ultimate dysfunctional extended family.  Definitely not for all tastes, but I loved it.

Jesus' Son (2000):  Extremely off-beat, haunting film about a young fuck-up who drifts aimlessly through life.  Billy Crudup is amazing; also see his work in Waking the Dead.

Lawn Dogs (1998):  A lot of critics disliked this movie, but it won me over, and not just because Sam Rockwell gets naked early on.  It's a sweet story of a preternaturally mature little girl who befriends the town outcast (Rockwell).  Directed by John Duigan, who also did The Year My Voice Broke and Flirting, both worth watching.

Midnight Run (1988):  One of my all-time favorite comedies.  The interplay between Robert DeNiro and Charles Grodin takes the mismatched-buddy genre to a new level.  A little too long, but great supporting performances from Joe Pantoliano and Yaphet Kotto.  Don't watch it on TV--most of the good lines have profanities in them and get cut up.

Nurse Betty (2000):  Off-beat, charming story about a woman (Renee Zellweger) so obsessed with a soap opera that, when she's tramautized into blocking out reality, she believes she actually works in the hospital where it's set and is involved with one of the doctors there (Greg Kinnear, getting to do both the suave romantic and arrogant jerk).

O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000):  The Coens' most visually beautiful movie, very, very loosely based on The Odyssey; includes plenty of their idiosyncratic humor but also the terrific soundtrack.  George Clooney and Tim Blake Nelson are great.

One (2000):  Unpolished but immensely engaging film about two childhood friends who find their paths diverge as they deal differently with the challenges in their adult lives.

One False Move (1992):  A modern noir, written by Billy Bob Thornton (who also plays one of the bad guys) and directed by Carl Franklin (who also did Devil in a Blue Dress).  Bill Paxton is great as a small-town sheriff antsy for the big time, who gets involved in apprehending a gang of seriously bad guys headed his way.  Excellent movie.

The Opposite of Sex (1998):  Bitingly funny, bitter and dark, this was one of my top movies of the year.  Christina Ricci is pitch-perfect as the amoral Dede.  Lisa Kudrow stands out in a terrific supporting cast.

Out of Sight (1998):  Sexy and smart crime story.  George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez are perfect, and Ving Rhames and Steve Zahn add great supporting performances.

Proof (1992--Australia):  Russell Crowe's first notable Australian film; he plays a young, amiable dishwasher who becomes friends with a bitter, blind photographer (Hugo Weaving, who would go on to star in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and The Matrix).  Lovely, thought-provoking little film about trust.

Ridicule (1996--France):  Proof that words are mightier than the sword.  A young engineer goes to the royal court in 18th-century France to get help for his village and finds that the only way to rise in the estimation of the courtiers is through vicious wit.  Very funny.

Say Anything (1989):  As some guy I met put it, this has to be on my list because I'm female and in my late twenties.  Regardless, it's one of my favorites, with one of my Perfect Men, John Cusack, in a role that breaks my heart every time.  And that scene at the Gas'n'Sip is a classic for all time.

Sleepy Hollow (1999):  A goofy gothic murder mystery.  Johnny Depp is hilarious as Ichabod Crane.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999):  A stunning performance from Matt Damon in a challenging and unglamorous role; another excellent adaptation of a difficult novel from Anthony Minghella; unsettling and haunting.

Three Kings (1999):  High-energy, smart, and electric, this movie is probably too violent for some, but the violence isn't gratuitous or glamorous.  One of the slew of really different movies that came out in 1999.

Tremors (1990):  I love this movie!  Fred Ward and Kevin Bacon are dim-witted handymen (who solve all dilemmas with "rock, paper, scissors") battling giant underground worms who are smarter than they are.  Hilarious homage to cheesy '50s monster flicks.  Don't watch the chopped-up version they show on TV -- rent it.  Or borrow my copy.

True Stories (1986):  Another one that some people just don't get.  David Byrne takes us on a tour of an odd little town in Texas populated with tabloid-esque stories, like the guy advertising on TV for a wife (John Goodman) and the woman who hasn't gotten out of bed in years (Swoosie Kurtz).  Great karaoke scene to "Wild Wild Life."

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