Declaration of (Favorite) Independents

July 4th obviously marks America's Independence Day. To celebrate the occasion, I would like to share with you my four favorite independent movies. Enjoy!

4.) Nightcrawler

Jake Gyllenhaal gives his best performance to date in this creepy, stylistic thriller. He plays Louis Bloom, a motivated sociopath who takes up guerilla journalism inside the L.A. crime scene. Louis later becomes a little too involved in his own work as he strives to build a television news empire. Nightcrawler is a dark, captivating character study that takes you deep into the black heart of its protagonist and examines the morally grey underbelly of modern news and human relations. This movie will suck you in and stay with you long after it's over.
 
3.) Drive
Drive is another stylistic thriller set in the backdrop of the L.A. crime scene. Instead of journalism, however, Director Nicolas Winding Refn examines the neon nightlife of organized crime and male brutality. Ryan Gosling leads a stellar cast as a quiet stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver. Driver (as he's named in the credits) finds himself mixed in with a mobster after saving the lives of his neighbors. Bryan Cranston, Ron Pearlman, Albert Brooks, Oscar Isaac, and Carey Mulligan also star in this intense masterpiece. It also boasts some of the most memorizing cinematography in movie history.

2.) Ex Machina

Far from the crime-riddled streets of Los Angeles, within the confines of a secluded mountainous retreat, a young programmer named Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) is selected to participate in a groundbreaking study that examines the human-like qualities of an unprecedented artificial intelligence called Ava. Oscar Winner Alicia Vikander is enchanting as Ava, who may or may not be the victim of a domestic abuse by her mysterious creator, played by the tremendously talented Oscar Isaac. This drama begs the question "What is it to be human?" and will likely become even more relevant as we progress towards walking, talking robots. Ex Machina is the most enthralling science fiction films in years and will keep you guessing through each and every dark twist.

1.) (500) Days of Summer
My favorite indies list ends back in L.A. but on a lighter note with what is coincidentally my all-time favorite movie. (500) Days of Summer is the feature film debut for music video Director Marc Web (The Amazing Spider-Man films) and chronicles the fleeting romance between Tom and Summer, portrayed by the equally delightful Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel respectfully. It is the undeniably viable chemistry between Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel (who are good friends off screen as well) that highlights this film. They feel like two very real people going through a very real relationship. This makes it easy to invest in them as the two continue to mismanage their feelings and expectations going forward. In the end, (500) Days of Summer does not settle for being your run-of-the-mill romantic comedy; rather, it aspires to reflect the realistic struggles of grounding a long-lasting romance. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will hit all the other feels in between.

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