We’ve all been there. We sit on our couch for minutes on end trying to find something to watch. Heck, one time I was on Netflix looking for something to watch and before I knew it, 40 minutes had passed. Well we here at Way Too Indie recognize this issue and are looking to alleviate any future headaches. Welcome to a new feature where I recommend 4-5 under watched, under-appreciated or just films that I personally love. All the films featured in this column will be available on many of the streaming sites that populate the internet.

Immortals

Indian director Tarsem made his debut feature with the psychological thriller The Cell before stunning audiences worldwide with his two hour moving painting of a film, The Fall. Immortals, his third feature, is an effects heavy “swords and sandals” epic that is heavily inspired (aesthetically) by 300. The story of Theseus (Henry Cavill), a mortal man who is plucked by the almighty god Zeus, to take on King Hyperion who is looking to end humanity as we know it. I’ll be completely honest; the film is utter garbage. I’m recommending it strictly on how gorgeous the film is. Tarsem paints in all the corners of the frame. Everywhere you look there is something sensational to look at. The film is also loaded to the brim with excessive blood and guts as well as some cheesy, groan inducing performances. It will be difficult, however, to find more dazzling beauty than this brutal fantasy flick. – Watch the trailer

Graceland

This thriller from the Philippines will take your soul and in 90 minutes completely crush it. When the chauffeur of a corrupt official in Manila has his own daughter kidnapped instead of the official’s (they’re best friends and together when the kidnapping happens), he tries desperately to get her back from a group of thugs who are holding her for ransom. The film is very intense for the final hour as Marlon frantically flies through the Asian capital doing anything in his power to save his daughter’s life. A word of warning, Graceland does feature some questionable material involving underage children. But the film is easily one of the best thrillers of the year and rightfully deserves a wider audience. – Watch the trailer

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

I had heard a lot of good things about David Gelb’s film before watching it. Bored one night I placed my cursor over the film, left-clicked it and threw any doubt under the rug. I think it took me about 10 minutes to fall in love with Gelb’s film. Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a mesmerizing documentary about the life of Jiro Ono, a sushi master, whose restaurant is quietly tucked away underneath Tokyo’s massive subway system. What I loved about the film was how beautiful it looked, how delicate the film was handled (the cinematography and slow motion photography combined with the lush classic music are devastating on the eyes and ears) and the tiny details of Jiro’s life that Gelb features. For foodies, it’s a full 90 minutes of food heaven, while film geeks will get the beautiful story of one man’s life dedication to his art exquisitely captured in high definition. – Watch the trailer

Run Lola Run

We all remember this incredibly fun and inventive German film from the late 1990’s about a young red haired Lola, the undeniably cute Franka Potente (in a breakout role), who only has 20 minutes to deliver 100,000 Deutschmarks to her boyfriend (who owes some nasty thugs) before he robs a supermarket. Tom Tykwer’s film literally never stops for a second as you try to keep up with Lola. Run Lola Run is told 3 different times each with different outcomes. Aided by an electronic score that will pulsate through you, Tykwer’s film is kinetic from beginning to end. Tykwer and Potente would team up again in the even better (yet completely different) The Princess and the Warrior. This is one of the most entertaining movies I think I’ve ever seen. – Watch the trailer

Goon

Goon, I’ll admit, isn’t a great film. It’s barely a good one. But it’s very rare that I have a grin on my face for the entire duration of a film and Goon managed to do just that. Seann William Scott (in easily his best film role to date) plays Doug, a loner who is going nowhere in life. One night he happens to catch the eye of a coach of a semi pro hockey team in Canada when he is seen kicking the crap out of a guy. Doug is terrible at hockey, but he excels at causing mayhem. Picked up essentially be an enforcer on the ice, Doug ends up leading the team to glory against a former hockey pro (Liev Schreiber) who made a career out of being a mercenary on the ice; he as the missing teeth to prove it too. The film contains a lot of great moments that will please both genders. Girls will get a fuzzy romance subplot as guys will get their sports fix. Goon is an under-appreciated sports comedy that is a must see. – Watch the trailer

It has been said that the history of sushi is so long that nothing new could be invented but that is where the passionate Jiro Ono comes in. Just as the title suggests, Jiro literally dreams of sushi. David Gelb’s documentary is about a man who has dedicated his entire life to the art behind sushi making. While it certainly convinces you that all other sushi is inferior to his, from a documentary stand point it stayed a little too close to the surface.

We are introduced to Jiro Ono who is an 85 year-old sushi master who runs his sushi bar appropriately named Jiro. A prolific food writer explains that of all the sushi places he has been to in Tokyo, Jiro’s place is by far the best. Other culinary professionals agree that Jiro is one of the greatest sushi masters in the world. Which makes sense as to why reservations to eat at his $300-a-plate restaurant must be made one month in advance.

Jiro explains that once you have figured out what you want to do for a living you must immerse yourself into it and dedicate your life to mastering it. That is his secret to success. He practices what he preaches as he has been working at the same job for over 70 years now. Jiro is a perfectionist who is constantly trying to improve his product as he thinks he still has not reached the peak of his skills.

At the age of nine Jiro left home and was told that he has no home to come back to. Because he had to work in order to survive before he was even a teenager, it is undoubtedly the reason why he is such a hard worker today. He practically breathes passion and it shows in his work.

Each vendor that they buy from specializes in what they sell, so they have a different vendor that they buy their tuna from than the one they buy their shrimp from. Some of the most interesting footage is when they visit these vendors. Of course, each vendor has good relationships with Jiro. They hold high standards when they buy fish because they know he expects the highest quality.

The documentary gives a brief background on The Michelin Guide. The guide first began in France in 1900 and is considered one of the highest honors to receive in the culinary world. Inspectors look for the quality of the food first, then originality and finally consistency. Jiro received a perfect three star rating even though the restaurant only seats 10 and the bathroom was located outside the premises.

It is not until the last 15 minutes of Jiro Dream of Sushi that any kind of conflict arises in this documentary. It touches on the subject of over-fishing and how the governments should be regulating the catching of young fish (specifically tuna). Because sushi is getting so popular the demand for fish is rising more and more each day. He pleas for businesses to balance profit with preserving natural resources.

The other issue I had with the documentary is that it could have expanded a little more on Jiro’s personal life. Sure, it did touch on his past and on his sons that are set to take over the business when he passes away. But it was too busy focusing on his current status than it did showing how he achieved it. And although he mentions his wife once or twice, we are never see her or told anything about her.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi preaches on more than one occasion that one should constantly be pushing themselves to work harder every day. The biggest fault is that it did not show what makes Jiro Ono tick. Also, it chose to focus more on his success than how he got there. The documentary was shot similar to how the cuts of sushi were shown, precise and well presented. One thing after watching the documentary is certain; you will walk away feeling hungry.