I'm on catch-up mission this year, to watch movies that I think I should have, but for one reason or another, never got around to.
So far I've done Gangs of New York, Black Hawk Down and City of God; all were excellent, but City of God was absolutely outstanding - a (based on a) true story of gang culture in a Brazilian shanty-town (favella?) focussing on the arc of three very different characters; meant to watch it in two sittings, but ended up utterly engrossed and up til 2am to watch the whole thing.
Next up - There Will be Blood; I know what to expect from Daniel Day-Lewis (scenery chewing method) but really enjoyed Paul Dano in Little Miss Sunshine, so hoping for good things from him too.
If anyone cares to suggest any under-the-radar type gems that I might have missed, I'm happy to expand the list!