10 Amazing Movies You Probably Haven't Seen (And Why)

9. Jiro Dreams Of Sushi

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Magnolia Films

Why You Probably Haven't Seen It: Despite the film's ludicrous 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a documentary about sushi is still probably the type of thing you'd throw on in the background during a long bout of insomnia to make your brain try to knock itself unconscious.

And not even a perfect score on a review aggregator is going to convince someone without a passion for the culinary arts to sink an hour and a half of their day into an old man and his raw fish.

Why You Should: An octogenarian restauranteur from Tokyo, Jiro Ono is a man who constantly seeks perfection. To be a good chef is not good enough. Even to be great isn't really worth getting out of bed for.

The documentary serves as much more than 90 minutes of food porn, although it's almost impossible to watch scene after scene of beautifully-prepared nigiri without feeling your stomach trying to eat itself.

The real story here is a meticulous routine can often yield transcendent results. Jiro is not a flashy man, nor is he particularly interested in presenting himself to the audience with pizzazz. He's a man who will spend two hours massaging an octopus if that's what it takes to make an impeccable dish. And there's something very beautiful and oddly hypnotizing about immersing yourself into that world.

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Jacob is a part-time contributor for WhatCulture, specializing in music, movies, and really, really dumb humor.