The Little Theatre, 240 East Ave. in Rochester, has planned a six-day celebration of its 85th birthday with a hand-picked screening schedule of eight films, each representing a different decade. The retrospective, which begins Friday, Aug. 8, includes a broad collection of undeniably classic films including Annie Hall (1997), Fargo (1996) and Citizen Kane (1941). (You can find the whole list here.) To be sure, these films fit within the theater’s mission to showcase thought-provoking, independent-minded cinema.

And yet … is it me, or does their list not really feel like it belongs to The Little? When I think of that mighty community resource I think of other landmark movies – perhaps not as timeless as Orson Welles’ masterpiece, but features that startled us and set the pace for a generation of filmgoers. In keeping with the Little’s alternative status, here’s my utterly subjective list of movies that would make up my own Little Theatre retrospective. Your art-house mileage may vary:

• Smithereens(1982) – The debut feature from director Susan Seidelman (who went on to make Desperately Seeking Susan and She-Devil) is a true early indie, the low-budget story of a punk-music devotee who gives up everything to embrace that subculture.
• The Return of Martin Guerre (1982) – This classic French identity-theft mystery (right), which would be remade 11 years later as the Civil War drama Somersby, starred Gérard Depardieu in his first role to find traction in America.
• The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) – Loopy fun in this South African comedy (whose major U.S. exposure came with a 1986 re-release), which depicted the chaos resulting from a Coke bottle, thrown from an airplane, landing amid a modern-day Kalahari tribe.
• Sex, Lies and Videotape(1989) – Steven Sodebergh’s debut film also served as a kinda-sorta kickoff to the independent film movement of the 1990s. It was also brave, subversive filmmaking in its own right.
• The Crying Game (1992) – There’s nothing like a genuine word-of-mouth phenomenon, and Neil Jordan’s film (right) – about an IRA soldier who falls for the former paramour of a dead British soldier – had people talking for months.
• Reservoir Dogs(1992) – Quentin Tarantino’s first film felt like a best-kept secret when it came to the Little in February 1993: Equal parts grim and reverent, with chaotic humor and a lived-in authenticity that spawned a generation of indie imitators.
• Much Ado About Nothing(1993) – A list like this feels sacrilegious without Shakespeare, and Kenneth Branagh’s joyous, fun-filled adaptation was like sunshine on a cloudy day.
• Pi (1996) – A gritty, trippy and exhilarating first feature from writer/director Darren Aronofsky, who somehow blended advanced mathematics with religion and philosophy, and still managed to end his film with a guy pointing a power drill at his own head.
• Clerks(1994) – Another first film, this time from Kevin Smith, who has never come close to besting the anarchic vitality of his debut effort.
• Four Weddings and a Funeral(1994) – British comedies and the Little go together like chocolate and peanut butter. This one (right) charmed Little audiences — no matter what one may think of Andie MacDowell — and set a bar Hugh Grant wouldn’t clear again.
• Lone Star(1996) – From writer/director John Sayles – whose on-screen “relationship” with the Little dated back as far as Return of the Secaucus Seven – came this modern-day Western mystery that was as thick, tart and satisfying as Texas BBQ.
• Happiness(1998) – Savage, candid and illuminating drama from Todd Solondz: When an early role from a self-loving Philip Seymour Hoffman isn’t the most incendiary element in your movie, you’re onto something.

That’s my list. What’s yours?