A Glean movie guide
Short & Sharp
Maximum impact, minimum runtime.
Great movies that respect your time, all under 90 minutes.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Run Lola Run
A kinetic, high-stakes race against time that unfolds in a series of breathless, repeating sequences.
Lola receives a phone call from her boyfriend Manni. He lost 100,000 DM in a subway train that belongs to a very bad guy. She has 20 minutes to raise this amount and meet Manni. Otherwise, he will rob a store to get the money. Three different alternatives may happen depending on some minor event along Lola's run.
- 02
Before Sunset
A masterclass in dialogue and intimacy that captures a fleeting, real-time reunion in Paris.
Nine years later, Jesse travels across Europe giving readings from a book he wrote about the night he spent in Vienna with Celine. After his reading in Paris, Celine finds him, and they spend part of the day together before Jesse has to again leave for a flight. They are both in relationships now, and Jesse has a son, but as their strong feelings for each other start to return, both confess a longing for more.
- 03
What We Do in the Shadows
This hilarious mockumentary finds endless humor in the mundane domestic squabbles of ancient vampires.
Vampire housemates try to cope with the complexities of modern life and show a newly turned hipster some of the perks of being undead.
- 04
Frances Ha
A charming, black-and-white portrait of navigating adulthood and friendship in New York City.
An aspiring dancer moves to New York City and becomes caught up in a whirlwind of flighty fair-weather friends, diminishing fortunes and career setbacks.
- 05
Primer
A dense, mind-bending puzzle that remains one of the most grounded and intelligent takes on time travel.
A group of fledgling inventors discover a complex method to manipulate reality. At first, they successfully game the stock market with it, but the consequences of the invention start to catch up with them.
- 06
Stand by Me
An essential coming-of-age story that perfectly captures the intensity and bond of childhood friendship.
After learning that a boy their age has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four boys decide to go see the body. Gordie, Vern, Chris, and Teddy encounter a mean junk man and a marsh full of leeches, but they also learn more about one another and their very different home lives. Just a lark at first, the boys' adventure evolves into a defining event in their lives.
- 07
Paths of Glory
Stanley Kubrick’s taut, powerful courtroom drama remains a searing indictment of military bureaucracy.
A commanding officer defends three scapegoats on trial for a failed offensive that occurred within the French Army in 1916.
- 08
Shiva Baby
A masterclass in sustained tension, turning a simple social gathering into a claustrophobic comedy of errors.
College student Danielle must cover her tracks when she unexpectedly runs into her sugar daddy at a shiva - with her parents, ex-girlfriend and family friends also in attendance.
- 09
The Nightmare Before Christmas
A visually stunning stop-motion classic that brings a unique, gothic charm to the holiday genre.
Tired of scaring humans every October 31 with the same old bag of tricks, Jack Skellington, the spindly king of Halloween Town, kidnaps Santa Claus and plans to deliver shrunken heads and other ghoulish gifts to children on Christmas morning. But as Christmas approaches, Jack's rag-doll girlfriend, Sally, tries to foil his misguided plans.
- 10
Crank
An adrenaline-fueled, unapologetically wild ride that never lets its foot off the gas.
Chev Chelios, a hit man wanting to go straight, lets his latest target slip away. Then he awakes the next morning to a phone call that informs him he has been poisoned and has only an hour to live unless he keeps adrenaline coursing through his body while he searches for an antidote.