This is my list of a couple of my must sees. But my taste is probably different from yours. Don't worry -- no craptastic movies here.
Persepolis - - As an Iranian-American, I think you NEED to see this film. A poignant and beautiful animation about a girl who grew up during the revolution, went to boarding school in France, then returned to Iran. It is a tearjerker at times, and occasionally graphic. Wonderful animation, but definitely for adults.
Pan's Labyrinth - - In my opinion, the greatest of all of Del Toro's mind trippy fantasies, this is the story of a girl who is growing up in war-torn Spain, and is taken into the estate of her very abusive step father. While exploring her new house, she meets a mysterious Pan, who offers her the opportunity to become a princess if she proves herself worthy by solving a number of puzzles. Like Persepolis, while this is a fantasy film, it is VERY graphic, and for adults only. Be prepared, it IS a war movie.
Shaun of the Dead - - Ok, there's nothing great about this movie. I'm only listing it because you like Hot Fuzz, and haven't seen Shaun. Pretty much featuring the same cast, this semi-parody of zombie movies shows two kindly but bumbling friends trying to pragmatically escape from a zombie apocalypse. At times it is scary, but features a good amount of sly British humour.
