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Who's making good films?
I'm interested to find out who you think is making good films? I'm also interested in what your favourite film from them is, and why you like it.
Feel free to interpret it how you like -- I'm interested in distribution as well as production companies, as well as producers, directors, writers, and actors.
Distributors?
You really can't go wrong with Criterion Collection, IMO. So much so that picking my favorite film would be an impossible task because of how incredibly stacked with masterworks their catalogue is. Although if I had to narrow it down, I would say that pretty much anything/everything in there by Akira Kurosawa, Wes Anderson, David Cronenberg, Terry Gilliam, Alfred Hitchcock, Jim Jarmusch, David Lynch, Andrei Tarkovsky, and John Woo would qualify. All the Zatoichi films as well. Okay, that was anything but narrow... but now you hopefully see my dilemma! :P
Directors (not associated with Criterion)?
Nicolas Winding Refn has consistently been pumping out excellent films, IMO. Most people will probably list Drive as their favorite film of his, but mine is actually Valhalla Rising. It's very slow but it's beautiful, stark and dark, the tension building in it a great, and I absolutely adore Mads Mikkelsen.
Denis Villeneuve is also a solid filmmaker as well, and I can't wait to see what he does with Dune (my all-time favorite scifi series). Favorite film of his? That's a really really tough call because all his films are fantastic IMO... especially Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, Incendies and Sicario.
Paul Thomas Anderson... even though I didn't like Inherent Vice all that much, There Will Be Blood, Magnolia and Punch-Drunk Love are amongst my all-time favorite films.
Coen Brothers are an easy choice. Favorite? Again really tough since I love pretty much everything they have done... but as cliche as it is, The Big Lebowski is still probably my favorite. No Country for Old Men is a close second though.
edit: Tom Tykwer too. I just watched Lola rennt (AKA Run Lola Run) for the umpteenth time the other day, and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is one of my all-time favorites as well. Honorable mention for Cloud Atlas too.
edit2: Dang, how could I forget to include Luc Besson!? The Fifth Element is probably most people's favorite for obvious reasons, and it's up there for me too... but Nikita and Léon: The Professional are just so f'n good. I also actually really liked Lucy and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets too, despite them having their issues.
edit3: Shoutout to Jonathan Glazer as well. I really, really loved Under The Skin, and Sexy Beast is a classic... so I am excited to see how his upcoming Holocaust related drama turns out.
And so many more.. but this list is already getting long enough. :P
Actors?
I genuinely can't attempt this or I would never stop. ;)
Pretty good list... but I found Perfume terrrible. I remember watching it with a friend and her friend and both of us being a little uncomfortable with how much he seemed to enjoy the movie. ha.
LOL. Yeah, Perfume is undeniably, 100%, highly disturbing... but the way it's shot, edited and narrated made even the most grotesque elements/scenes seem somehow beautiful, surreal and transcendent, as if we were truly seeing everything through Grenouille's eyes. It's a weird and incredibly uncomfortable experience for sure, so I totally understand that it's not for everyone... but I love when movies can make me strongly feel things, even if those things are a mix of revulsion and awestruck fascination, which leads to a severe case of cognitive dissonance. ;)
p.s. The TV show Hannibal was very similar in that regard, which is also why I loved it as well. The Cell had the same effect on me too.
Looks like a great list!
I wanted to share this critique of Wes Anderson’s style which I found interesting:
https://youtu.be/-Ku7PwEKTAw
Basically Wes ignores non-white people except as window dressing.
When the opportunity arises, I always feel that I have a moral duty to rant against Wes Anderson's extremely irritating addiction to symmetric shots.
OKAY, I GET IT: WHEN IT COMES TO SYMMETRIC SHOTS, YOU'RE THE FUCKING MAN! But I don't enjoy seeing an endless variation of the same composition scheme for two hours straight.
I'm probably the ONLY person in the entire world that holds that opinion, but that is an opinion I hold.
Just had to say my piece.
No harm intended.
LOL. Yeah, I totally understand why Wes Anderson's style is contentious and lots of people hate it, but I personally love it since its static nature forces you to pay attention to what's really important in his movies; the acting... which is consistently superb in every single one of them. The flat-on nature of all his framing also allows for some really surprising, magical, creative, and often literally fourth-wall breaking shots, e.g. the Play with Fire scene in Darjeeling Limited, and the ship tour in Life Aquatic.
It just get on my nerves so much I’m unable to enjoy those things you say. I have a sting suspicion Wes Anderson has q very bad case of OCD.
A24 is ushering in a new mainstream-ish, palatable *, art-house-y renaissance. I've found their stuff to be at least pretty decent so far. But, mostly good.
*I really had a better word in mind (and still do) but I'm drawing a blank for some reason.
I didn't even realize that Moonlight was an A24 film. That and Lady Bird are two of my must-see films for the past decade (though to be fair, there's a good number of movies on that list and not all of them are because they are actually good :P ).
I do love A24. Even when I don't enjoy the film I'm glad it was made.
Speaking of A24, I can't wait for The Lighthouse to get to home release. It looks amazing but unfortunately no theaters near me are playing it. :(
I've put together these couple of examples that had a big impact over me in the past years:
Peter Greenaway - he has very peculiar films, the very definition of "cinema d'auteur" in my opinion - where renaisscentist cinematography combines with weird, mystic stories, to create a very visceral experience for the viewer.
The most impactful for me was "The baby of Macon" where almost in a single take - to underscore the "play within a play" motive of the film - he tells a very disturbing medieval story of a "virgin birth" baby and its exploitation by church and society. Another famous-ish film is "The cook, his wife and her lover" where Helen Miren and Michael Gambon give wonderful performances.
Greenaway's involvement with musicians such as Michael Nyman and Alexander Balanescu that give his films another pretty distinctive element.
Another favourite of mine is the non-narrative film "Baraka"from Ron Fricke, where we don't have a story in the traditional sense, but the visuals do a spectacular job of presenting world's beauty and misery. See this excerpt from it on the music of Dead can Dance - which is the most moving ensemble of music and images for me.
Fricke has more of these non-narrative quasi documentaries that mostly deal with the similar theme of humans impact on the planet, the follow-up to Baraka, called Samsara, and, only as a cinematographer, Koyaanisqatsi.
Baraka is such an amazing audio, visual and spiritual experience. The Kecak song/dance scene in particular is indelibly burned into my brain because of how incredibly interesting and meditative it is. And yeah, Samsara was also similarly wonderful, as was Godfrey Reggio's Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi and Naqoyqatsi as well, IMO.
p.s. I will have to check out Peter Greenaway, since I have never seen any of his films before but you make them sound very interesting and right up my alley. ;)
Content Warning: Baby of Macon contains some very heavy scenes. Be prepared to see the very worst of people.
Ah, thanks. I enjoy those kinds of super heavy, "worst of humanity" type movies (e.g. Requiem for a Dream), but can only handle them when I'm in the right mood, so I appreciate the warning.
The first Peter Greenaway film I saw was A Zed & Two Noughts, on tv in the UK in the late 80s. It was a bit full on for me at the time, but watching it later was good.
Baraka is beautiful and powerful and it's the kind of film I'd buy on DVD to just give people.
If you enjoy movies like The Room or Birdemic, I cannot recommend Fateful Findings more. It makes The Room look well made, and I am not exagerating. It is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen.
Are you a Red Letter Media fan by chance? If you haven't heard of them, you should definitely check out their Best of the Worst series, since based on your taste in "bad" movies I think you would really dig it. ;)
I have seen a few of their videos, but I haven't seen that series yet. Thanks!
It's really going to depend on what kind of movies you like, honestly.
I've been on a schlocky movie kick recently and if 70s/80s sleezy horror is your thing, you should check out Arrow Films, Something Weird and Vinegar Syndrome. They all specialize in saving "lost gems" from being lost to time.
If you like more "high class" type stuff, A24 has been putting out great movies lately.
In terms of directors, my favorite recent director is probably Jordan Peele. Both Us and Get Out were fantastic. It's been interesting to watch him transition from a comedian to serious director. I'm very excited to see what he does with the Candyman sequel he's currently working on.
I'm also want to mention Robert Zemeckis. While he's gone a bit off the deep end recently with technology, he really pushed special effects forward with movies like Who Framed Roger Rabbit and The Polar Express.
Neon is an indie distributor that's popped up in the last few years that's doing really interesting stuff imo. Ingrid Goes West, Colossal, [I, Tonya], 3 Identical Strangers, Apollo 11 (best movie of the year as far as I'm concerned). Their latest film is the US distribution of Parasite, which is fantastic. They will also be handling Portrait of a Lady on Fire later this year, which I'm extremely excited about.
Netflix has also had a good year, and is a super convenient place to go for smaller films. They released Dear Ex, Paddleton, Burial of Kojo, High Flying Bird, Tell Me Who I Am, Super Deluxe, And Breathe Normally, Dolemite is my Name, and still have The Irishman, I Lost My Body, and Marriage Story coming up.
As for filmmakers, I think Taika Waititi and Rian Johnson are making really good non-blockbuster but really engaging and accessible movies (except for their respective blockbusters of course). I'm super fond of Boy by Waititi, I think it showcases his talent for tragic comedy really well, it's hilarious but there's a real air of sadness to the atmosphere in the whole thing. Also a big fan of Hunt for the Wilderpeople, which is much more comedic and great at it. As of Johnson, I like Brick and Brothers Bloom, which feel like really satisfying and interesting examinations of their respective genres.
James Gray has really impressed me recently with The Immigrant, Lost City of Z, and Ad Astra. Terrence Malick has A Hidden Life coming out soon, he's lost me with some of his more recent structureless work but that looks intriguing. Robert Eggers and Ari Aster seem to be interesting things with horror, really enjoyed The Lighthouse this year, Midsommar less so but still found it enjoyable.
Jia Zhangke is someone I try to recommend often because I'm a huge fan, but his glacial pace isn't for everyone. He had Ash is Purest White release this year, but that's sort of a self examination swansong of a film, so I'd start somewhere else. Personally a big fan of Platform and The World (2004).
Noah Baumbach is making great stuff imo, he has the aforementioned Marriage Story coming on Netflix, and Meyerowitz Stories is also on there.
On directors side, I always pay attention to movies made by Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve.
Franchise wise, Marvel is reliable enough so far to provide good entertainment, although the genre itself (superhero movies) is no longer as exciting as it used to.
My movie taste is indistinguishable from the most basic of bushes, but Taika Waititi got my attention for his comedy that is really funny, but also pretty damn serious when he wants to make a point. Same with the Lord and Miller Duo, and while it's a damn shame we never got to see their version of Solo, if it means they got to make Spiderverse, totally worth it. More into TV stuff to be honest, but that is who I noticed there.
EDIT: I guess Jordan Peele if I have to get out of the Marvel wheelhouse, he can do funny into scary, into scary that it's funny.
I loved his films!
And Jordan Peele is doing some amazing work at the moment. His Weird City tv series is, I think, under-rated and misunderstood. And his horror work is great too.
I don't usually feel confident in responding to questions of taste like these, but seeing as how I can't find any of the people I'm about to mention listed here yet, I thought it might be helpful.
I am a close follower of several filmmakers from countries in Southeast Asia, particularly Japan and the Philippines. Hirokazu Koreeda is a masterful director of "social issue" films. His slow style and treatment of families have drawn many comparisons of him to Ozu, but he's much more similar to Ken Loach. Nobody Knows is my favorite film of his, which deals with the lives of four children after they are abandoned by their mother in a Japanese apartment complex. Other ones to note are Maboroshi, Like Father, Like Son, and Still Walking. I'm excited to see his new film The Truth, which is his first not to be filmed in Japanese.
Somewhat related to Koreeda but less well-known in the West is Shunji Iwai, whose melodrama Love Letter was a breakout hit in Japan and South Korea. Most of his films are melodramas in a certain sense, but are not what I would call melodramatic. He is very sincere as an author and filmmaker, and takes his time in laying the situation bare. This causes his movies to often be very long, like The Bride of Rip van Winkle, which is close to four hours in length. His films usually originate as novels that he either publishes before or after the film, and it's very interesting to read those in comparison with the movie. Unfortunately, I don't know that they've ever been translated. He has an upcoming movie that's somewhat ironically titled Last Letter, and which interestingly stars the Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno in a dramatic role.
Moving away from Japan, I think it's important to highlight the incredible work of Lav Diaz and the circle of Filipino filmmakers around him like Khavn. For the most part, all of his movies are variations on the same movie: they're all in black and white, letterboxed, and six to twelve hours long. Along with Tsai Ming-liang, he's one of the progenitors of the "slow cinema" style, although he would probably object to that term. Melancholia is my favorite of his. It's unfortunate that it shares a title with a movie that is much worse.
Roberto Minervini is by far my favorite director who is active in the West; while Italian by birth, most of his films are focused on small towns in Texas, Louisiana, and the American South. The first three, which form a loose trilogy about Texas, are my favorites: The Passage, Low Tide, and Stop the Pounding Heart. Each is a documentary that is partially fictionalized, with certain scenes coming from the real lives of his subjects and others being loosely improvised on the spot. I would recommend them to anyone who has a chance to see them.
You should watch everything Clint Eastwood put out. Best director alive. I could say more but I gotta go. I’m actually a film major. I’ll get back to you.
I've quite literally answered this question before. Enjoy.
I get your point of having provided this answer before, and the implicit annoyance of someone asking the same question that’s been asked before.
That being said, searching for topics/specifics is limited on Tildes (today) and this current thread is hitting some commonality of our userbase that resonates enough to elicit comments.
I personally learned about more movies than I thought I was aware of (despite knowing the directors for a film or two): I plan on looking into these films/directors mentioned, and I may not have been made aware if it wasn’t made present in this thread.
@mrbig I know the annoyance for asking something already been asked/solved, but I gained something real from this thread. I want Tildes to help it’s users gain knowledge. We need to find a way to prevent reposts and the like (they can drain the information from being relevant), but balance it against encouraging OC above botnet fakenews. It’s the world we live in. Tildes is luckily immune (for now) to the problems of every social media platform.
Oh I’m not annoyed at all! Sorry if I gave that impression! @DanBc
For what it's worth, I didn't read any annoyance in your original comment. But in the future, I would definitely recommend copy-pasting the contents from any older comments you reference in newer comments, just to potentially help avoid these sorts of misunderstanding in the future... and to save people time having to follow the link to read what you previously wrote. ;)
I figured repeating content is not an efficient way to do things but I’ll consider your POV. Thanks ;)