1. Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)
Steven Soderbergh kick-started the revolutionary indie movement with his instant classic, Sex, Lies and Videotape. Soderbergh's debut was entered into the Cannes Film Festival in 1989 and it won the Palm D'Or, and at 26, he became the youngest director to ever win the award. An Oscar nomination followed and Soderbergh, along with Quentin Tarantino led the way for the independent revolution of the 1990's. It was written in just eight days and Soderbergh's intimately psychological script portrays complex relationships and the nature of sexuality with a mature sophistication that was well beyond his tender years. The film feels low-budget and the plain settings add a sense of voyeurism to the film, which is exactly what Soderbergh intended. Above all else, Sex, Lies and Videotape is an examination of sexual inhibition with precise attention focused on human thought processes with subtle delicacy. It is excellently acted, with the movie showing a new side to James Spader and the writing is superb - Soderbergh's script and in particular his dialogue is absorbing and caring. The film is controlled, never too cold and never too explicit as Soderbergh shows the workings of a genius - it never looks or feels like a debut feature - it is directed with an authority most directors never reach. Sex, Lies, and Videotape is a movie about anxiety, sexuality, human nature and desire. It is thought provoking and intriguing to the end and long after the credits have rolled. Soderbergh has come close, but has never reached quite reached the same brilliance of his debut masterpiece.
Which films have we missed? Let us know in the comments section below.