A Glean movie guide
Short & Sharp
Big stories, small runtimes.
Great movies that respect your time and clock in under 90 minutes.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Run Lola Run
A kinetic, high-stakes thriller that races against the clock to save a life.
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
An intimate, dialogue-driven masterpiece about two people reconnecting 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
A hilarious mockumentary that finds the mundane humor in the lives of vampire roommates.
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
Primer
A brilliant, complex puzzle of a film that explores the consequences of accidental 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.
- 05
Toy Story
The quintessential animated adventure that proves great storytelling doesn't need extra time.
Led by Woody, Andy's toys live happily in his room until Andy's birthday brings Buzz Lightyear onto the scene. Afraid of losing his place in Andy's heart, Woody plots against Buzz. But when circumstances separate Buzz and Woody from their owner, the duo eventually learns to put aside their differences.
- 06
Following
Christopher Nolan’s lean, gripping debut about a writer who gets pulled into a dangerous underworld.
Bill, an idle, unemployed aspiring writer, walks the crowded streets of London following randomly chosen strangers, a seemingly innocent entertainment that becomes dangerous when he crosses paths with a mysterious character.
- 07
Shiva Baby
A masterclass in tension, set entirely during an increasingly awkward funeral gathering.
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.
- 08
Duck Soup
A fast-paced, anarchic comedy that remains one of the funniest films ever made.
Rufus T. Firefly is named president/dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of wealthy Mrs. Teasdale.
- 09
Paths of Glory
A powerful and concise war drama that stands as a timeless critique of military injustice.
A commanding officer defends three scapegoats on trial for a failed offensive that occurred within the French Army in 1916.
- 10
The Nightmare Before Christmas
A visually stunning, musical journey into a world where Halloween meets Christmas.
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.