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Yes, lesbian sex scenes, kooky cabaret singing, and, oh, by the way, Billy Ray Cyrus in a cameo as a horny blue-collar worker. Did I mention that this is a David Lynch movie? What is most fascinating is that, originally, Lynch intended Mulholland Dr. to be a TV pilot for ABC, much like his initially successful TV show Twin Peaks. ABC passed on this, so Lynch added some material onto the end and turned it into the riveting classic it now is. Most of the movie doesn't make sense, because it's really not supposed to; I can't really explain the significance of the scenes with the hip young film director (played by Justin Theroux) who has to deal with a shifty-eyed and taciturn cowboy who seems to be in control of the movie business, but they're awful cool. If only for the convergence of Theroux and Watts meeting during her audition for his film, the film director's subplot is worth existing. If you have not seen Mulholland Dr., a movie so odd that Lynch demanded no chapters to split scenes up on the DVD, prepare yourself for a unique experience.

4. The Royal Tenenbaums

Yes, Wes Anderson is a divisive figure; some people love his quirk-filled work, and some people hate it. Moreover, having The Royal Tenenbaums on this list, while also acknowledging that I think it's far better than his critically loved Rushmore, may surprise more of you. It's hard to put into words what made this movie work for me, as I saw it during the 2001 holiday season; I was only 17, but something about the meeting of such elements as Robert Yeoman's cinematography, the instantly memorable soundtrack, and Gene Hackman's performance as Royal Tenenbaum, all worked wonders for me. Hackman has delivered great performances before, but in The Royal Tenenbaums, he's as good as he could ever be, as a prickly and selfish patriarch who tries to get his family back together, using his impending death as an excuse. But he might not be dying. Or he might be.

Whatever the truth of that is, the Tenenbaum family is fascinating, and fascinatingly described by narrator Alec Baldwin. There's Richie, the ex-tennis pro (Luke Wilson); Margot, the adopted daughter who's a would-be literary genius (Gwyneth Paltrow); Chas, the neurotic widower (Ben Stiller); and the matriarch, Etheline (Anjelica Huston). Other memorable supporting roles come from Bill Murray, Danny Glover, and co-writer Owen Wilson. Despite being fast-moving, throwing tons of random references at the audience, The Royal Tenenbaums is also fiercely moving, with a truly emotional finale. Here, as in few films of its kind, the tears are deserved. Wes Anderson hasn't hit the same highs since (though I did think The Darjeeling Limited was very underrated), but for The Royal Tenenbaums, he's got an eternal fan in this writer.

3. Pan's Labyrinth

When I first saw Pan's Labyrinth, the 2006 fairy tale/war film from Guillermo Del Toro, I was surprised, to say the least. I knew some of what to expect, mostly revolving around the fairy tale aspects of the movie. A girl named Ofelia, having moved with her pregnant mother to live with her stepfather, a harsh and forbidding captain in the Spanish Civil War, discovers a fantasy world right outside her door. It sounds cheesy, but then, if you're going into this movie expecting something suitable for children, you better run and run fast. Not only is Pan's Labyrinth not just about Ofelia's possibly real, possibly not fantasy world, but it takes a long and compelling look at the rebellion on the other side of the civil war. Pan's Labyrinth is a film of wonder, but it's also a film that remembers how scary and visceral the Grimm Brothers tales can be.

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