It’s Friday, and maybe you’re thinking about watching a movie this weekend. Or maybe you need some fuel for your Netflix queue. Here are ten movie recommendations for films that may have missed your radar. A few of them are older or more obscure, but that just means they’ve held up so they’re all the more worth tracking down.

1. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. Due to the popularity of Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio, maybe everybody’s seen this one by now. If you haven’t and you’re at all a fan of either of these actors, it’s must-see. If you have a grudge against DiCaprio for appearing in that awful Titanic dreck, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape will show you why he deserves to be acting. (Note: If you’re in the mood for something darker, Basketball Diaries also proves DiCaprio’s acting chops.)

2. Waking Ned Devine. A gentle, lovely comedy that cleanses the palate and proves that, despite what Hollywood would have you believe, comedy and crassness do not have to go hand in hand.

3. Waiting for Guffman. Best in Show is the better-known of Christopher Guest’s ensemble comedies, but for my money, Waiting for Guffman is actually the better film. Intelligent, goofy, farcical.

4. Spellbound. There are a lot of people who wouldn’t watch a documentary unless you tied them to a chair. Even then, they’d try to avoid looking at the screen. So to the documentary-averse, I say this: Spellbound, a documentary about kids entered in a national spelling bee, will change your mind. Even though it’s a documentary, it’s funny, inspiring and amazing. If it helps, you can pretend it isn’t a true story.

5. Shall We Dansu? Those aren’t typos. That’s the title for the original Japanese film that the Richard Gere film pissed all over. If you watched the American version and thought it was remotely good, pick up the Japanese original. If you shied away from the American version, well done. Now watch the Japanese original and see why they thought it was worth remaking. Notice the important role Japanese culture plays in the premise of the film. That’s part of the reason why the American version sucks.

6. Flirting. A coming-of-age film set at a boarding school in 1960′s Australia. This one might be tough to track down outside of Netflix, but it’s worth the effort. It’s one of the best movies in this genre.

7. Rushmore. I’m not particularly fond of Wes Anderson’s other movies, but Rushmore is pitch-perfect, quirky, and hilarious. Bill Murray and Jason Shwartzman are excellent. If you only see one movie about a teenager fighting a middle-aged man for the affections of a teacher, Rushmore must be that movie.

8. Sneakers. Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, and Ben Kingsley all in the same movie? It’s one part caper, one part thriller, with some humor sprinkled in (thanks, in part, to Dan Aykroyd). Kingsley is a convincing villain, the writing is sharp, and while the movie may not be 100% realistic, it does a better job of staying grounded in reality than most films in this genre.

9. Say Anything. Because Cameron Crowe’s career did not start (or stop) with Jerry McGuire. The film is a little rough around the edges compared to some of Crowe’s later films, but it stars John Cusack and it has one of the quintessential 80s-movie scenes – John Cusack, arms lifted, holding a boombox that’s playing “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel. If this film puts you in the mood for more Crowe, check out the also-excellent Almost Famous.

10. Grosse Pointe Blank. Because Say Anything now has me thinking of John Cusack, I’m going to recommend Gross Pointe Blank, but with a warning: This is not the best film ever made. It is far from perfect. But the movie does some clever things with music and the film’s soundtrack has a lot of great tunes. And there are two lines in this movie that Jaime and I still quote to each other. We might have to watch this one again to re-evaluate it, but if you haven’t seen it, it’s at least worth a rental.