Empire, a British film magazine, published their 50 greatest independent films. It’s pretty good list, though I would like to think there are a few others that probably belong on the list. On the other hand, their films span decades and I have only been watching indie films for a couple years now. Still, here are some of my thoughts:

• Backwards I have a hard time agreeing that last year’s Sideways belongs even in the top 50 independent movies every made, surely not in the top 10. That’s not that I didn’t like the film, I just don’t think it was very classic or innovative.
• Hasta La Vista Though I like Reservoir Dogs for the #1 spot, I think The Terminator is probably worthier. A sci-fi, action blockbuster on a small budget? That’s an accomplishment. The film also made Arnold the star and politician he is today. Ok, maybe that’s why it got knocked down to #3.
• The Brothers Who? I think a list of independent films without a single Coen Brothers movie is pretty lacking. I am not sure exactly how many of their films have been produced by studios, but I know they have certainly done at least one independently.

Those are the thoughts that stick out in my head right now. I think there were others that were probably missed, but thats how these things go. I have seen 11 of the 50, not too bad. I got a long way to go though, I want to check out some of the others I haven’t seen now. Anyone got a copy of Bad Taste?