So the hobbits have rocked the Oscars. Not exactly a shocker. Now hopefully we’re all ready for a little bit of filmic exploration. After the glitz, million-dollar wardrobes and constant Billy Crystal cracks of Oscar night, a dose of whacked-out goofball flops and funky indie flicks is as good a palette-cleaner as ginger at a sushi joint.

A perfect way to begin would be to hustle out to the nearest theater and see two refreshing films that will never be in danger of winning any kind of non-MTV award, “Club Dread” and “Eurotrip.” There is hardly any thinking involved here and these fleshfest freakouts are sure to generate a smile on any grief-stricken, tear-plastered face that has subjected itself to repeat viewings of uppers like “21 Grams,” “The House of Sand and Fog” and “Monster.” “Eurotrip” is a step in the right direction for teen-skin flicks, with its heart and soul on visible display. And “Club Dread” is a potent mix of horror and comedy that will keep any “Evil Dead” devotee delighted. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to get decapitated, this is the movie for you.

For those of you with piles of Four Star coupons or Blockbuster gold cards, there is no excuse why you shouldn’t be out broadening your cinematic horizons. James Merendino’s 1999 masterpiece (nominated for a 2000 Independent Spirit Award and winner of a Silver Ombu and a FIPRESCI prize) “SLC Punk.” Matthew Lillard acts like none other in his finest (and pre-Shaggy) role as Stevo, one of the very few hardcore punks in 1980s Salt Lake City. Equal parts tragedy and humorous ear-splitting epic, this film breaks into a whirlwind of styles without ever losing its balance. Driven by a furiously tight punk soundtrack (from Fear to Generation X to “Amoeba”) and some of the funniest pink Mohawk rebellion and angst ever, “SLC Punk” is a can’t-miss.

For those of us that wax the punk fantastic in spirit rather than body, “Yeah Right!: A Girl Skateboard Company Movie” is a perfect excursion into the impossible world of pro skaters. Directed in part by the rampaging genius of Spike Jonz, “Yeah Right!” feasts upon slow-mo nut-shattering (a good time for all) and asks the all-important question, “What exactly rocks the most about green-screen technology?” You haven’t seen a skate vid like this. The opening titles alone are worth a rental, as an incredibly sped-down close-up of a kickflip blows away any CKY installment. The sheer cinematic qualities place this vid in an entirely different realm of existence. And the fun really gets started when Jonz edits out ramps and skateboards (with that funky green-screen technology) and slaps on layers of old Bowie tracks and indie-hop for a unique take on the extreme-sports soundtrack.

For a real slap in your little anti-Hollywood face, go check out the earlier works of one of my favorite over-the-top, super-stylized directors, Gregg Araki. His most famous film “The Doom Generation” is a nice place to start and stars Rose McGowan (“Scream”) and Johnathon Schaech (“That Thing You Do”). And watch for countless cameos by Perry Farrel, Parker Posey, Heidi Fleiss, Margaret Cho and industrial gods Skinny Puppy (Puppy cEvin Key even broke his arm rolling out of a car in one scene). Sure, it’s numb and ultraviolent and irreverent, but where else would you get dialogue like, “Who pissed in your fruitloops?” or “I feel like a gerbil smothered in Richard Gere’s butthole”?

Araki may distance himself from the smut he glorifies, but his take on disaffected youth is comically malignant and his mise-en-scene can be utterly ferocious. His later work, most notably “Splendor,” found him flashing back to classical Hollywood conventions and his next feature, “Mysterious Skin” (based on Scott Heim’s novel) is now in post-production and may signal Araki’s full immersion into a more mainstream style. We’ll have to wait and see. “Skin” will star Brady Corbet (“Thirteen”), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“10 Things I Hate About You”) and Michelle Trachtenberg (WB’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”).

Also, if you’re starting to get bored at the video store, learn about auteur theory and develop a love of style by renting a few movies by one director. For horror and sci-fi fans, try David Cronenberg. I’d suggest chronologically traveling from “Shivers” and “Scanners” through “Naked Lunch,” “Crash” and “eXistenZ.” For those that dig on weirdness and beautifully directed psychotic episodes, turn to ex-Monty Python originator Terry Gilliam. You cannot allow yourself to miss out on the surrealistic perfection of “Brazil” (his “1984”-styled masterpiece), “Twelve Monkeys” or “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” Gilliam’s non-stop, swaggering-motion camera in “Fear and Loathing” is immensely powerful and makes for one of the most brilliantly original films of the ’90s. Gilliam’s upcoming “The Brothers Grimm” (starring Matt Damon and Heath Ledger as the brothers) will be his first film in six years and hopefully should prove itself worth the wait. There is no need to see only what the academy tells you to, so go find your own new favorites.