12 Great Movies You Might Have Missed

5. Secretary

While it’s not the first time that James Spader’s played a sexual deviant ( vis, Crash, sex and lies and videotape), this is the only time we’ve been allowed to laugh at it. Featuring a delicious Maggie Gyllenhall as a submissive secretary to Spader’s domineering boss, it’s a bright, sexy, and darkly funny movie that takes on sadomasochism in a way you won’t find in 50 Shades of Grey. And it’s all the better for it- the film received a great critical reception when it was released, but wound up at the back of everyone’s cupboards (along with goodness knows what else, after watching this movie) despite Gyllenhall’s rise to prominence in the following years (with roles in The Dark Knight, Sherrybaby and Crazy Heart). Carefully treading the line between dreadfully bad taste and guiltily hilarious, it’s a sharp, illuminating look into a fascinating alternative lifestyle.