We've just started 2025 and while I was brainstorming episode ideas for upcoming podcasts in the new year, we decided to discuss our favorite cult classics from  the year 2000! Hard to believe these films are 25 years old! There's so many films from the year 2000 that I love like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", Christopher Nolan's breakthrough film, "Memento", Steven Soderbergh's Oscar winning, "Traffic" (His "Erin Brockovich" film was also released in 2000), the overrated but still entertaining "Gladiator" (which would go on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards), etc. 

Here are my picks of some underrated cinema from the year 2000 (even though in the US we didn't get to see some of these films until 2001) that you should try watching:

1. "Shadow Of The Vampire" starring John Malkovich & Willem Dafoe (In an Oscar nominated performance). This is a fictional account of the making of F.W. Murnau's 1922 masterpiece, "Nosferatu". The film isn't a complete success but with the latest "Nosferatu" playing in theatres (also featuring Willem Dafoe) this should be watched at least once! You can rent it now off of Amazon Prime. Click Here to watch the preview. 

2. "Versus"  starring Japanese actor, filmmaker, fight choreographer, stuntman and martial artist, Tak Sakaguchi. An interesting blend of fantasy, action, sci-fi, horror, zombie (even a dash of vampire) film! Even if the film is a bit uneven and too long, it sure is a fun ride! If you're a fan of any of these genres, it's a must watch for you! Available to rent across multiple platforms. Click here to see the preview. 

3. "Sexy Beast" starring Ray Winstone & Ben Kingsley (in an Oscar nominated performance). So this is seemingly another run of the mill heist film where the protagonist is "retired" and is talked back into "one last job". The difference is the focus is mainly on trying to get the protagonist to take the job (or in this case forcing). Ben Kingsley lights up the screen and steals the show so much that when he's not in the film, it becomes less interesting. Still, the film is less than 90 minutes and it's still an above average film. Available to rent across multiple platforms. Click here to see the preview.

4. "American Psycho" starring Christian Bale (in his unforgettable breakthrough performance)! The film is a satire, psychological horror, dark comedy and was a box office success and cult classic. I keep forgetting that this film is getting a remake with rising star, Austin Butler set to star. Most likely this will be a grittier and focus more on the controversial aspects of the 1991 novel. This film focused more on the satire. Available to watch or rent across multiple platforms. Click here to watch a preview. 

5. "In The Mood For Love" starring Tony Leung ("Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings") & Maggie Cheung ("Hero") in a subtle, yet haunting and tragic masterpiece about two neighbors who are drawn together because their spouses cheat on them with each other. This is one of the greatest films I've ever seen! The film is surreal and at the same time bucks a lot of clichés that you typically find in romantic dramas. This film is labeled a cult classic even though it's now widely considered to be one of the greatest. Available to watch or rent across multiple platforms. Click Here to watch a preview. 

If you want to listen to our in depth discussion of these films & more, then click here!