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Anyone likes what he likes, so absolutely no hate, but all these lists always look like a remix of the top 250 films. Do people here not have any childhood films or films they adore for their pure entertainment factor? Like any John Woo, Walter Hill, Paul Verhoeven, Shinja Tsukamoto, Tony Scott or anything just pure popcorn fun?
I think the only “fun” ones here are Daisies and maybe L’ascenseur pour l’échafaud. There are lots of Sight & Sound type films that are humourous or lighthearted, or stuff from the Coens or Wes Anderson for example. Not just “Disney” is fun.
He still is valid ic he doesn't like lighthearted humorous stuff. I mean there are people that only listen to angry heavy metal. And I say good for them.
I’m not saying otherwise, I’m saying your message is very reductive to say Disney and 80s action are the only “fun” films. Critics like fun movies too!
Do I like popcorn movies? Yes.
Would I rank a popcorn movie at the top of a greatest movies of all time list? Nope.
My childhood was back to back screenings of Spaceballs, on almost a daily basis. I can still quote most of the entire movie. Spaceballs is not one of the greatest movies of all time... I mean, it is... but, it's not.
There’s no such thing as an objective greatest movie of all time, let alone top 50. If you love Spaceballs more than, say, Persona, then live that life with pride.
That's such a boring conversation though.
I actually am interested in YOUR Top 50 List. I wanna see your childhood favorites, guilty pleasures, comfort movies, etc. Trying to shoehorn an objective standard on inherently subjective values just sucks sooo much. Takes all the fun out of it.
Right? I love good movies. I love memories of murder and drive my car. I would put interstellar as my favourite movie period but that's tied with love actually. Yeah I know it's trash in some parts but I love that shit. Why are film people so boring and fake high brow just enjoy shit lmao
There's plenty of movies like that I like, but simply don't like enough to actually make a Top 50 list. My all tike favorite movies always make me emotional in one way or another, and pure popcorn movies just don't give me that feeling.
I am with you. The moment I saw this list I was like, damn we would not be hanging out. I love a good artsy indie movie, but at the end of a long day give me Black Dynamite, The Gentleman, Airplane, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm street, John Wick, I mean something mindless and fun. There are many moments in life where I want dumb fun not deep depression.
I would say from my perspective, this list may be true and accurate, but feels like a list someone posts to get likes or to seem mature/smart. I am not saying the OP is doing that, but its like a person talking about whiskeys and only mentioned $300 bottles of whiskeys as their favorite. Its feels disingenuous.
if it “feels” that way isn't that a you problem since you’re the one doing the feeling/projecting? not everyone is being a try hard for liking depressive art house films and not having, idk, AIRPLANE in the top 20.
Reprise rips so hard. I'm going to prioritize a few of these I haven't seen because we have a lot of overlapping favorites.
I actually got to see Elevator to the Gallows at Le Champo in Paris. I'd seen it a few times so it didn't matter that there were no subtitles.
Joachim Trier, Celine Sciamma, Zvyagintsev, Pawlikowski , Mungiu ,Andrew Haigh , Mia hansen love, Christan Petzold, Joanna Hogg..... These are european directors of this century, these people keep cinema alive.
Idk guys, after reading these comments and seeing so many people say the list is lacking in fun versus those agreeing with the list, I want to share my thought. Yes, singular thought. Fun and art can be combined. Is this list lacking fun? yeah. Can this individual find fun movies that fit their taste? yeah. Check out these filmmakers:
Jacques Tati: All of Tati’s works (Parade aside) are wonderful, but I think you would enjoy Playtime the most. I find it rewarding to watch Playtime with the knowledge of his style that you gain from watching his three earlier works, especially Mon Oncle, which you might also enjoy. He has a very humorous approach to themes like modernism and consumption, wrapped up with just, like, absolutely mind-boggling formalist cinematography.
Sergei Paradjanov: Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a fun, vibrant, poetic film about a tragic romance. He went on to do Color of Pomegranates and two other very poetic films. He is a master, and if Mirror is your top pick, you need to know this filmmaker. Paradjanov had been making socialist realist films in the 40s and 50s, but he started to break away from that in search of a more artistic approach to film. After seeing Ivan’s Childhood he fully realized his ambition and saw that it was possible. He made a major 180 mid-career, and you can see his excitement oozing from the camera. He and Tarkovsky eventually formed a friendship, and Tarkovsky said he was inspired by Paradjanov. I think Mirror is a product of that friendship and mutual inspiration.
Werner Herzog: I find his jungle movies, like Aguirre, the Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo very fun to watch. They have very slow shots and are not as exciting as other more conventional adventure films like, you know, Tarzan or Land of the Lost, but he explores themes of ambition and nihilism through conquistador characters - sometimes they are metaphorical conquerors, other times they really are conquistadores.
Agnes Varda: She has a definite style, and the way she approaches gender on the screen, especially with films like Le Bonheur and One Sings the Other Doesn’t, is very fun and thought-provoking. She has a lot of other fun movies.
Alfred Hitchcock: I mean this one seriously. Have you seen Vertigo or Psycho? Like, really seen them? They’re not Tarkovsky, but Hitchcock’s style is ultimate. He was a master of the form, but I think people don’t really watch him the same way they watch Bergman or Godard, which is why he isn’t usually considered an “auteur.” I guess he wasn’t and auteur, but my point is that he definitely has a style, and the topics of his movies are always so much fun. He is incredible at focusing on large groups of characters and explores their nuances effortlessly. Not just Psycho or Vertigo, but also The Lady Vanishes and other earlier works.
Yorgos Lanthimos: This guy is the king of discomfort, but some of his films I actually did find quite fun. The Lobster is an obvious one. It’s one of those rare worlds that presents a *slight* dystopia, rather than the grandiose ones more often produced like Hunger Games or something. I also thought Dogtooth was fun, just to explore this family and its intricacies. In Dogtooth, his visual style and ability to convey the story are at their peak, and it’s really fun to focus on the details in this film. Compared with his contemporaries, I think Lanthimos has one of the strongest voices in film, especially with his common themes that create his unique mise-en-scene (I don’t think Wes Anderson even has shit on Lanthimos).
Wes Anderson: That being said, definitely watch Grand Budapest Hotel or Moonrise Kingdom if you haven’t already. I don’t usually recommend Anderson because I find his style derivative, but that also means he appeals to a more modern audience, so I’ll include him anyways. But I would recommend Tati over Anderson any day because, well, that’s a bug part of what Anderson’s style is derived from.
I would say Vera Chytilova, but you’ve already included Daisies. Her other works, at least from what I have seen, are not as fun unfortunately.
Hitchcock absolutely is an auteur. Truffaut (one of the authors of auteur film theory) was obsessed with Hitchcock's distinctive style. The problem is that Hitchcock, being a genius as he was, knew how to make films for everyone. It doesn't matter if you're an academic or a casual movie-watcher, you will find something interesting and meaningful in his films. That's why people take him for granted nowadays. You won't look cool on reddit if you say "The Birds is my favourite film", because anyone can enjoy watching The Birds. Makes you feel less superior.
You probably know about this, but there's an excellent book of interviews with Hitchcock, done by Truffaut. Among many other things, they talk about this wrong perception critics have on Hitchcock's films, thinking that they're only "films for masses". The book is called "Hitchcock/Truffaut".
Do you actually think this person has never heard of Hitchcock? Or Yorgos or Herzog or Wes fucking Anderson?? Dude, this guy has made his choices. Stop insisting his list isn’t right because it doesn’t have something you think it should have. His list is fun for him. Don’t be insecure about your tastes.
Woah, sorry there, just got high and lost in the moment talking about film. Obviously, people can have their tastes, but that doesn’t rule out having an open mind. Just watch more and learn
That's probably his best film in my opinion (and it's even more devastating on a second watch, which can imagine won't be a problem for you!). Edge of Heaven and In the Fade are also well worth looking at.
Your list is very similar to mine, except I have Lars Von Trier all over the place. Definitely check out all of his films if you haven't yet. 3 recs for ya: Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters, The Piano Teacher, and Chocolat by Claire Denis.
Im planning to watch all of trier's films although i have to say im kinda afraid to see Antichrist lol. I've seen piano teacher, Haneke is just top. Will check the rest, thanks.
Understandable! Willem Dafoe said Trier made the cast watch the Mirror before filming Antichrist for inspiration - so it should be right up your alley.
By far the best of those "what do you think of my favourites" lists even if you didn't exactly ask that. Definitely follow worthy for me, whats your user?
I would love for you to explain what you like about mirror to me if that’s even possible. I love tarkovskys other films but mirror is just impenetrable to me.
Its true that mirror is very complex since it depicts three different chronological periods and also 2 actors play double roles. If i tell you that i understand the film completely i would be lying but its just such an impressive film. It brings out many different emotions. Its basically a poem with color and sound with spectacular cinematography.
> Its basically a poem with color and sound with spectacular cinematography.
Wait till you watch The Color of Pomegranates. If you think about Mirror in that way then this film gonna make you orgasm.
I like Mirror, but yeah, Paradjanov is one filmmaker I see missing from this list. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is the shit, and so is Color of Pomegranates. I think anyone who really enjoys to form should be familiar with all titles mentioned here
Also, checkout these filmmakers too if you haven't already - Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Tsai Ming Liang(I suggest to watch The River first), Lav Diaz & Bela Tarr(The Turin Horse, Satantango, Damnation). Also, Festen & The Idiots(both very important films of the Dogme 95 movement.
https://preview.redd.it/sfrsc6tljjbd1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=baebeb66b77422c2c42dbf434587325fb219eac6
*my current rough top 16*
Great taste. It’s funny how some of your favourites I didn’t resonate with whatsoever and yet we have many similarities.
As a caveat, I’d like to extend an invitation for anybody who has any films they want to discuss with me :)
Thanks you. It’s hilarious you said this as it’s one of the films that didn’t resonate with me in OPs list. I watched last year I believe and since that point I’ve certainly become better equipped and probably should give it a rewatch sooner rather than later. I’m far better at discerning and writing out my thoughts and feelings on a particular work than I ever was back then. I suppose I’ve grown to be a little more “honest” with myself rather than assuming because something is revered I should love and fully understand it. I now relish in the fact that not everything works for me. It makes watching films and reading etcetera far more interesting and useful to my own personal growth. I’ll usually return to these works with a new eye and hope to find something I missed the first time around. As i said, It allows me to track how I develop and that is my favourite thing about art- the art doesn’t change but the viewer does.
From memory and this perhaps isn’t an accurate depiction of how I felt when watching it but I found it to be ever so slightly anticlimactic. I didn’t hate it or anything I just felt a great deal of indifference towards it. I, as a viewer, felt numb and static during its entire runtime. I remember some shots being nice but that was about it.
Sorry for the lengthy reply haha- happy viewing :)
Beau Travail hits the same part of my brain as the ballet sequence in The Red Shoes. No worries for not connecting with it, though! We all experience art differently as you said, which is what makes it cool.
Petite Maman is a nice pick too, I saw that for the first time last week.
That is really interesting to hear. The ballet sequence is arguably my favourite 25ish minutes of film. The second time I watched it I rewound it and watched it again 😂. Petite Maman is something I’m dying to rewatch with my girlfriend and hopefully one day my future children- I have a preference towards films that explore character relationships especially children. Petite Maman is a quiet and quaint film but in that quaintness I get something that I couldn’t ask anything more from. Not to mention its visual appeal.
I say that I like films that focus on children and I recently watched The 400 Blows which I thought was decent but not something I loved.
I’d argue that, assuming I agree with your comparison, Beau Travail is like the ballet sequence dressed in Aftersun’s atmosphere to me. Beau Travail character wise and theme wise didn’t take me to the emotional heights Aftersun did, however. I think that’s simply because I didn’t feel invested in any of what was going on in Beau Travail. It felt much more like a dreamscape where. I as the viewer, floated around but didn’t necessarily exist within if that makes sense. I felt like I was a distance away from what was going on in Beau Travail is what I’m trying to say.
That makes a lot of sense! I really need to watch Aftersun. That ballet sequence is truly mind-blowing, I've rewatched it several times on YouTube.
I also have weirdly specific life experiences that connect me to Beau Travail, so it sounds like there is a personal element that isn't there for other people. There is a certain detachment to the storytelling.
I do the same with the ballet sequence on my criterion 4K or YouTube 😂 just sit there when I need a pick me up a reminder of how good cinema can be.
Yeah it’s well worth the watch. Even if you don’t like it I think you’ll still be glad you watched it once but I’m fairly sure you’ll at least like it if you like Beau Travail. They aren’t much alike other than maybe the atmosphere at times though just so you know.
That makes sense, glad one of us gets to enjoy Beau Travail 😂. Thanks for humouring me and my ramblings anyway, I appreciate it.
Can I get your Letterboxd username just to give you a follow as a thanks and what not by any chance?
Having the Oslo trilogy in their is a thumbs up from me. I agree Mirror is Tarkovsky's best as well. Out of the films that I have seen, I like the most of them. Personally I feel Phantom Thread is one of DDL weaker films, and LiT is very overrated. I'd also add in some Kubrick as generic as the pick is.
Im new as well, i only used imdb and i just transferred all my ratings on letterbox lol. You go to to your profile--lists--start a new list and you have to tick the box that says (Ranked list).
Definitely the most obscure top 50 I've seen. Yesterday, someone else posted their top 50 and I'd only seen 10 movies. I've only seen 3 of your top 50 and of the 47 I haven't, only 2 are familiar to me.
I'm not a cinephile and I've seen 19 of them, what do you mean obscure ? It's, like, the basics of artistic cinema.
Your comment is kinda giving "I just discovered an underground band named The Cure"
Someone who is a cinephile should be familiar with most of my picks but its fine that you dont. But i recommend that you see as many as you can of these, really great films.
Good list! If you haven't seen any already you may like Von Trier or Gallo stuff. I know it's memed to death but Brown Bunny is a great movie in line with the tone of a lot of these
To each their own, obvisously amazing movies. But my list of favourite movies would be entirely different.
Whenever I see a list like this I ask myself: Am I just too dumb or am I just not pretentious enough? Don‘t get me wrong, I don‘t mean it that negative but still: Where is the fun in this? What do you watch to wind down? No Naked Gun? No Superbad? No The Thing? No Tha Apartment? I get that everyone‘s taste is different and with my suggestions I just wanna point out: Where is the fun in a list like that? A list like this screams: Oh look, I am a cinephile, I am not like the rest of you mainstream movie watchers…
As a person with a similar taste to OP (my top 100 would be filled predominantly with serious more art house leaning films) I always find it strange how such a taste is incomprehensible to some. I enjoy fun movies, but is it hard to understand that a film that impacts me greatly either emotionally or thematically is something I might generally prefer over a film that is just fun (especially if we’re talking about a top 100 list)? I don’t think I’m trying to look different when films trying to impact me on a deeper level than the average film end up doing so.
It‘s not necessarily incomprehensible to me. I own a few hundred Criterions and explore art house quite a bit as well. I just wouldn‘t fill an entire top 50 with it.
Also, by „fun movie“ I don‘t necessarily mean movies that make me laugh. I meant „fun“ more as in „more mainstream, less art house“. Movies like Alien(s), Jaws, Jurassic Park, Lord of the Rings etc. Sometimes I just like to kick back and watch a movie to wind down and just use a few percent of my brain while watching it. I do get that everyone gets enjoyment from different things and it is highly subjective… but yeah, in that sense a list like this is in fact a bit incomprehensible to me after all
When we talk about something like a top 50 or top 100 we’re not talking about films one enjoys but films one enjoys the most. None of the films you listed would make a top list of mine but I still like them and there’s times where I’d be more in a mood for them. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the films you’re talking about, but that I generally enjoy films that go deeper and require more from me to a greater degree. It’s this matter of degree that I feel you’re not getting. I enjoy the films you listed for similar reasons as you do, but I happen to generally enjoy these other films more. I hope this clarifies my taste.
I completely get what you mean. I used to watch 'fun' movies in the past but when i discovered all the great directors of the past and present i just lost interest. There are so many great directors to discover that im feeling like i waste my time by watching 'fun' movies. France alone has like 15 great directors of the 20th century and i feel the need to spend my time on the more ''heavy'' cinema. Also i prefer dark and bleak films but thats just me.
Personally, I can't stand a sense of fun in my films. Even the slightest whiff of optimism makes me retch. The world is hell and I want art that reflects that.
Ok, I am not being totally serious. But I do connect more with art that acknowledges the melancholy aspects of life.
Also, this is just one film from OP's list, but I consider Beau Travail to be a "fun" watch. Sure there are deep themes et cetera, but there's so little dialogue that all you have to do is look at the images on screen. Which are mostly of beautiful scantily clad men. It has some banger dance tunes as well.
And that's very weird. Have you ever seen L'Eclisse, or The Passenger, or Zabriskie Point, or Il Grido, or literally anything else by Antonioni?
Also how exactly A Hidden Life (#16) is better than Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line or The Tree of Life?!
Ive seen all his popular films up until the passenger and honestly la notte struck me the most but its just preferences i guess. Now about a hidden life i know that its not considered his strongest film but i personally found it to be his most emotionally powerful film + every frame is like a painting.
Is it weird? La Notte is a pretty popular and well liked film from Antonioni (certainly more so than Zabriskie Point or Il Grido). Even if you personally think La Notte is the weakest Antonioni film (which is fine), you should be aware that you have a minority opinion, and as such, shouldn’t be surprised when you see someone think differently.
not sure why you’re coming off so condescending…
for example: i love knight of cups more than days of heaven. my reasons are intensely personal to me. why should i or OP care what’s “weird” to like if other films are known to be better by critics or ppl who aren’t us?
with film preferences we have the permission to go intensely personal vs. relying on universally agreed-upon ranking lists, no? i can’t believe i even have to say this
i love art. Mirror is your favourite movie, I regret wasting my time watching it. Can I have some insight as to why it’s so loved by some people? What did i miss?
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Bro, no disrespect, great movies but like... Do you like fun ? Lol
If we liked fun we wouldn’t be on the Letterboxd Reddit
Nope! i actually love watching depressing and bleak films, i have a lot more on my watchlist. Im a weirdo ig.
Do you have any favorites from when you were a kid that are less serious?
Not op but my favorite movies by age 5 were Donnie Darko and Brick 😂
Yes! I loved A Serbian Film as a kid /s
Maybe I’m crazy but lots of these movies are fun.
Well then how should I get my Karma points if this what this sub eats up every single day
Dude is an antinatalist. He doesnt like life.
Where's Freddy Got Fingered though?
That would be the perfect palate cleanser after some of these! Dadddddy would you like some sauuusage?
Anyone likes what he likes, so absolutely no hate, but all these lists always look like a remix of the top 250 films. Do people here not have any childhood films or films they adore for their pure entertainment factor? Like any John Woo, Walter Hill, Paul Verhoeven, Shinja Tsukamoto, Tony Scott or anything just pure popcorn fun?
Kung pow Is a 5/5 movie and I'm not changing my score
The problem is that I'm not a child anymore
Is illegal to watch something that is not Disney or an 80s action film? Who cares let the man enjoy his films
I think the only “fun” ones here are Daisies and maybe L’ascenseur pour l’échafaud. There are lots of Sight & Sound type films that are humourous or lighthearted, or stuff from the Coens or Wes Anderson for example. Not just “Disney” is fun.
He still is valid ic he doesn't like lighthearted humorous stuff. I mean there are people that only listen to angry heavy metal. And I say good for them.
I’m not saying otherwise, I’m saying your message is very reductive to say Disney and 80s action are the only “fun” films. Critics like fun movies too!
Of course you are right on that.
Do I like popcorn movies? Yes. Would I rank a popcorn movie at the top of a greatest movies of all time list? Nope. My childhood was back to back screenings of Spaceballs, on almost a daily basis. I can still quote most of the entire movie. Spaceballs is not one of the greatest movies of all time... I mean, it is... but, it's not.
There’s no such thing as an objective greatest movie of all time, let alone top 50. If you love Spaceballs more than, say, Persona, then live that life with pride.
That's such a boring conversation though. I actually am interested in YOUR Top 50 List. I wanna see your childhood favorites, guilty pleasures, comfort movies, etc. Trying to shoehorn an objective standard on inherently subjective values just sucks sooo much. Takes all the fun out of it.
Right? I love good movies. I love memories of murder and drive my car. I would put interstellar as my favourite movie period but that's tied with love actually. Yeah I know it's trash in some parts but I love that shit. Why are film people so boring and fake high brow just enjoy shit lmao
Most people care much more about what your favorite 50 movies are rather than what you think the 50 greatest movies are
Yeah dude? Why not 80s slop? Why don’t you like action movies with the same recycled plot? You HAVE to like them!
There's plenty of movies like that I like, but simply don't like enough to actually make a Top 50 list. My all tike favorite movies always make me emotional in one way or another, and pure popcorn movies just don't give me that feeling.
I am with you. The moment I saw this list I was like, damn we would not be hanging out. I love a good artsy indie movie, but at the end of a long day give me Black Dynamite, The Gentleman, Airplane, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm street, John Wick, I mean something mindless and fun. There are many moments in life where I want dumb fun not deep depression.
This sub gets so mad when someone posts their film bro top 10 but as soon as someone posts something different it's all "lol do you hate fun bro?"
Surely not people getting mad at something 😂
I would say from my perspective, this list may be true and accurate, but feels like a list someone posts to get likes or to seem mature/smart. I am not saying the OP is doing that, but its like a person talking about whiskeys and only mentioned $300 bottles of whiskeys as their favorite. Its feels disingenuous.
if it “feels” that way isn't that a you problem since you’re the one doing the feeling/projecting? not everyone is being a try hard for liking depressive art house films and not having, idk, AIRPLANE in the top 20.
Reprise rips so hard. I'm going to prioritize a few of these I haven't seen because we have a lot of overlapping favorites. I actually got to see Elevator to the Gallows at Le Champo in Paris. I'd seen it a few times so it didn't matter that there were no subtitles.
Joachim Trier, Celine Sciamma, Zvyagintsev, Pawlikowski , Mungiu ,Andrew Haigh , Mia hansen love, Christan Petzold, Joanna Hogg..... These are european directors of this century, these people keep cinema alive.
Assayas is on that list for me. If I would add two films to this list it would be Summer Hours and Kiarostami's Close Up.
Idk guys, after reading these comments and seeing so many people say the list is lacking in fun versus those agreeing with the list, I want to share my thought. Yes, singular thought. Fun and art can be combined. Is this list lacking fun? yeah. Can this individual find fun movies that fit their taste? yeah. Check out these filmmakers: Jacques Tati: All of Tati’s works (Parade aside) are wonderful, but I think you would enjoy Playtime the most. I find it rewarding to watch Playtime with the knowledge of his style that you gain from watching his three earlier works, especially Mon Oncle, which you might also enjoy. He has a very humorous approach to themes like modernism and consumption, wrapped up with just, like, absolutely mind-boggling formalist cinematography. Sergei Paradjanov: Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a fun, vibrant, poetic film about a tragic romance. He went on to do Color of Pomegranates and two other very poetic films. He is a master, and if Mirror is your top pick, you need to know this filmmaker. Paradjanov had been making socialist realist films in the 40s and 50s, but he started to break away from that in search of a more artistic approach to film. After seeing Ivan’s Childhood he fully realized his ambition and saw that it was possible. He made a major 180 mid-career, and you can see his excitement oozing from the camera. He and Tarkovsky eventually formed a friendship, and Tarkovsky said he was inspired by Paradjanov. I think Mirror is a product of that friendship and mutual inspiration. Werner Herzog: I find his jungle movies, like Aguirre, the Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo very fun to watch. They have very slow shots and are not as exciting as other more conventional adventure films like, you know, Tarzan or Land of the Lost, but he explores themes of ambition and nihilism through conquistador characters - sometimes they are metaphorical conquerors, other times they really are conquistadores. Agnes Varda: She has a definite style, and the way she approaches gender on the screen, especially with films like Le Bonheur and One Sings the Other Doesn’t, is very fun and thought-provoking. She has a lot of other fun movies. Alfred Hitchcock: I mean this one seriously. Have you seen Vertigo or Psycho? Like, really seen them? They’re not Tarkovsky, but Hitchcock’s style is ultimate. He was a master of the form, but I think people don’t really watch him the same way they watch Bergman or Godard, which is why he isn’t usually considered an “auteur.” I guess he wasn’t and auteur, but my point is that he definitely has a style, and the topics of his movies are always so much fun. He is incredible at focusing on large groups of characters and explores their nuances effortlessly. Not just Psycho or Vertigo, but also The Lady Vanishes and other earlier works. Yorgos Lanthimos: This guy is the king of discomfort, but some of his films I actually did find quite fun. The Lobster is an obvious one. It’s one of those rare worlds that presents a *slight* dystopia, rather than the grandiose ones more often produced like Hunger Games or something. I also thought Dogtooth was fun, just to explore this family and its intricacies. In Dogtooth, his visual style and ability to convey the story are at their peak, and it’s really fun to focus on the details in this film. Compared with his contemporaries, I think Lanthimos has one of the strongest voices in film, especially with his common themes that create his unique mise-en-scene (I don’t think Wes Anderson even has shit on Lanthimos). Wes Anderson: That being said, definitely watch Grand Budapest Hotel or Moonrise Kingdom if you haven’t already. I don’t usually recommend Anderson because I find his style derivative, but that also means he appeals to a more modern audience, so I’ll include him anyways. But I would recommend Tati over Anderson any day because, well, that’s a bug part of what Anderson’s style is derived from. I would say Vera Chytilova, but you’ve already included Daisies. Her other works, at least from what I have seen, are not as fun unfortunately.
Hitchcock absolutely is an auteur. Truffaut (one of the authors of auteur film theory) was obsessed with Hitchcock's distinctive style. The problem is that Hitchcock, being a genius as he was, knew how to make films for everyone. It doesn't matter if you're an academic or a casual movie-watcher, you will find something interesting and meaningful in his films. That's why people take him for granted nowadays. You won't look cool on reddit if you say "The Birds is my favourite film", because anyone can enjoy watching The Birds. Makes you feel less superior.
Exactly what I was trying to communicate here, but I never knew he really was considered an auteur
You probably know about this, but there's an excellent book of interviews with Hitchcock, done by Truffaut. Among many other things, they talk about this wrong perception critics have on Hitchcock's films, thinking that they're only "films for masses". The book is called "Hitchcock/Truffaut".
I did not know that, but I’m gonna order a copy
Do you actually think this person has never heard of Hitchcock? Or Yorgos or Herzog or Wes fucking Anderson?? Dude, this guy has made his choices. Stop insisting his list isn’t right because it doesn’t have something you think it should have. His list is fun for him. Don’t be insecure about your tastes.
Woah, sorry there, just got high and lost in the moment talking about film. Obviously, people can have their tastes, but that doesn’t rule out having an open mind. Just watch more and learn
Have you seen Head-On (2004)? Given your taste I think you would love it.
Fatih Akin is one of the directors i was planning to check out, thank you.
That's probably his best film in my opinion (and it's even more devastating on a second watch, which can imagine won't be a problem for you!). Edge of Heaven and In the Fade are also well worth looking at.
Love all the Joachim Trier. Did you like Thelma? Also, I love Elevator to the Gallows, and you don't see it on many top lists.
thelma is the only one i havent seen yet but i will in the following days
Personally I loved it but less grounded than his other films.
Bela Tarr would make this list complete.
Lmao
What is so funny?
You trying your hardest to impress people with your top 50 only to see it’s some poser bleak bs
If you say so...
Apparently you have to be a film bro. No other type of movie viewer exists.
i have a lot of theses movies on my watchlist, but i know that they are too cult for me
Your list is very similar to mine, except I have Lars Von Trier all over the place. Definitely check out all of his films if you haven't yet. 3 recs for ya: Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters, The Piano Teacher, and Chocolat by Claire Denis.
Im planning to watch all of trier's films although i have to say im kinda afraid to see Antichrist lol. I've seen piano teacher, Haneke is just top. Will check the rest, thanks.
Understandable! Willem Dafoe said Trier made the cast watch the Mirror before filming Antichrist for inspiration - so it should be right up your alley.
Antichrist is not that shocking tbh. It's nothing compared to Irreversible, which is in your top 50.
Nice list! Not a Tarkovsky fan myself but Persona and Beau Travail are excellent picks.
Someone’s favorites list doesn’t have a superhero movie and everyone freaks out lol
By far the best of those "what do you think of my favourites" lists even if you didn't exactly ask that. Definitely follow worthy for me, whats your user?
I would love for you to explain what you like about mirror to me if that’s even possible. I love tarkovskys other films but mirror is just impenetrable to me.
Its true that mirror is very complex since it depicts three different chronological periods and also 2 actors play double roles. If i tell you that i understand the film completely i would be lying but its just such an impressive film. It brings out many different emotions. Its basically a poem with color and sound with spectacular cinematography.
> Its basically a poem with color and sound with spectacular cinematography. Wait till you watch The Color of Pomegranates. If you think about Mirror in that way then this film gonna make you orgasm.
I like Mirror, but yeah, Paradjanov is one filmmaker I see missing from this list. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is the shit, and so is Color of Pomegranates. I think anyone who really enjoys to form should be familiar with all titles mentioned here
idk why you’re being downvoted. there’s sequences and scenes in mirror i have never forgotten, just for the pure poetry of the images themselves.
Its fine i dont mind. The scene i have as profile picture is just something out of this world. Tarkovsky was really special.
Also, checkout these filmmakers too if you haven't already - Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Tsai Ming Liang(I suggest to watch The River first), Lav Diaz & Bela Tarr(The Turin Horse, Satantango, Damnation). Also, Festen & The Idiots(both very important films of the Dogme 95 movement.
Like this list.
Great list. I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks Mirror is the best Tarkovsky film.
Post like these make me think maybe im not that into movies, ive heard of like 15 of these lol
Bro’s obviously never seen Anchorman 2
Pretty good list. Not the biggest fan of Tartovsky. You should check out more earlier films of the 20th century.
Holy shit. Someone that actually watches something other than american cinema in this sub? Fucking great list, brother
I've heard of 2 movies on this list and seen none of them
What are the two you had heard of? I imagine your top 50 list would be quite different haha
Lost in Translation and Call Me By Your Name I don't have a top 50 but my top 4 should give you a good idea haha https://letterboxd.com/ShadowShine57/
Helluva list 🤌🏻
https://preview.redd.it/sfrsc6tljjbd1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=baebeb66b77422c2c42dbf434587325fb219eac6 *my current rough top 16* Great taste. It’s funny how some of your favourites I didn’t resonate with whatsoever and yet we have many similarities. As a caveat, I’d like to extend an invitation for anybody who has any films they want to discuss with me :)
https://preview.redd.it/6mwghf8dkjbd1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c924e887b550a2c9ace3982ade69b232b4ac9caa
Your top three are among my favorite movies. Good stuff. Have you seen Beau Travail? You might like it.
Thanks you. It’s hilarious you said this as it’s one of the films that didn’t resonate with me in OPs list. I watched last year I believe and since that point I’ve certainly become better equipped and probably should give it a rewatch sooner rather than later. I’m far better at discerning and writing out my thoughts and feelings on a particular work than I ever was back then. I suppose I’ve grown to be a little more “honest” with myself rather than assuming because something is revered I should love and fully understand it. I now relish in the fact that not everything works for me. It makes watching films and reading etcetera far more interesting and useful to my own personal growth. I’ll usually return to these works with a new eye and hope to find something I missed the first time around. As i said, It allows me to track how I develop and that is my favourite thing about art- the art doesn’t change but the viewer does. From memory and this perhaps isn’t an accurate depiction of how I felt when watching it but I found it to be ever so slightly anticlimactic. I didn’t hate it or anything I just felt a great deal of indifference towards it. I, as a viewer, felt numb and static during its entire runtime. I remember some shots being nice but that was about it. Sorry for the lengthy reply haha- happy viewing :)
Beau Travail hits the same part of my brain as the ballet sequence in The Red Shoes. No worries for not connecting with it, though! We all experience art differently as you said, which is what makes it cool. Petite Maman is a nice pick too, I saw that for the first time last week.
That is really interesting to hear. The ballet sequence is arguably my favourite 25ish minutes of film. The second time I watched it I rewound it and watched it again 😂. Petite Maman is something I’m dying to rewatch with my girlfriend and hopefully one day my future children- I have a preference towards films that explore character relationships especially children. Petite Maman is a quiet and quaint film but in that quaintness I get something that I couldn’t ask anything more from. Not to mention its visual appeal. I say that I like films that focus on children and I recently watched The 400 Blows which I thought was decent but not something I loved. I’d argue that, assuming I agree with your comparison, Beau Travail is like the ballet sequence dressed in Aftersun’s atmosphere to me. Beau Travail character wise and theme wise didn’t take me to the emotional heights Aftersun did, however. I think that’s simply because I didn’t feel invested in any of what was going on in Beau Travail. It felt much more like a dreamscape where. I as the viewer, floated around but didn’t necessarily exist within if that makes sense. I felt like I was a distance away from what was going on in Beau Travail is what I’m trying to say.
That makes a lot of sense! I really need to watch Aftersun. That ballet sequence is truly mind-blowing, I've rewatched it several times on YouTube. I also have weirdly specific life experiences that connect me to Beau Travail, so it sounds like there is a personal element that isn't there for other people. There is a certain detachment to the storytelling.
I do the same with the ballet sequence on my criterion 4K or YouTube 😂 just sit there when I need a pick me up a reminder of how good cinema can be. Yeah it’s well worth the watch. Even if you don’t like it I think you’ll still be glad you watched it once but I’m fairly sure you’ll at least like it if you like Beau Travail. They aren’t much alike other than maybe the atmosphere at times though just so you know. That makes sense, glad one of us gets to enjoy Beau Travail 😂. Thanks for humouring me and my ramblings anyway, I appreciate it. Can I get your Letterboxd username just to give you a follow as a thanks and what not by any chance?
https://preview.redd.it/gr71b18mkjbd1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5b81b9b386c016bd3f1c6e9166df018f24d3b2a7
Great list! Just out of curiosity, why do you like distant voices more than the long day closes? I like both but I like the long day closes a lot more
Great taste.
Nice to see Reprise get the love it deserves
What's the lowest average rating on these?
Where do I see this
Barbara isn’t my favorite Petzold, but it’s great to see one of his on your list! (And next to The Great Beauty, another banger).
I genuinely believe Stalker may be one of the worst films i’ve ever seen.
Love to see someone with Tree of Life. That movie is wild.
Beau Travail is one of my absolue favorite as well
I find your lack of animation disturbing
I know 7, possibly 8 of these films. They are all excellent.
Having the Oslo trilogy in their is a thumbs up from me. I agree Mirror is Tarkovsky's best as well. Out of the films that I have seen, I like the most of them. Personally I feel Phantom Thread is one of DDL weaker films, and LiT is very overrated. I'd also add in some Kubrick as generic as the pick is.
Brenda Blethyn is unbelievable in “Secrets and Lies”.
Big Bergman fan (BBF)
Where is the link?
I haven't even seen one of these movies 😬
I’m not here for ‘fun’ movies and love so many of these films - drop your account man! I’d love to follow and depresso out with you
Tasteful. I respect it
how do you add numbers to the ranking? I’m new to the app.
Im new as well, i only used imdb and i just transferred all my ratings on letterbox lol. You go to to your profile--lists--start a new list and you have to tick the box that says (Ranked list).
Definitely the most obscure top 50 I've seen. Yesterday, someone else posted their top 50 and I'd only seen 10 movies. I've only seen 3 of your top 50 and of the 47 I haven't, only 2 are familiar to me.
I'm not a cinephile and I've seen 19 of them, what do you mean obscure ? It's, like, the basics of artistic cinema. Your comment is kinda giving "I just discovered an underground band named The Cure"
Anyone who has a criterion subscription would know all of these films
Someone who is a cinephile should be familiar with most of my picks but its fine that you dont. But i recommend that you see as many as you can of these, really great films.
Nobody 'should' be familiar with your picks. There's no requirements for being a cinephile, it's not a job lol.
Good list! If you haven't seen any already you may like Von Trier or Gallo stuff. I know it's memed to death but Brown Bunny is a great movie in line with the tone of a lot of these
you have exquisite taste.
To each their own, obvisously amazing movies. But my list of favourite movies would be entirely different. Whenever I see a list like this I ask myself: Am I just too dumb or am I just not pretentious enough? Don‘t get me wrong, I don‘t mean it that negative but still: Where is the fun in this? What do you watch to wind down? No Naked Gun? No Superbad? No The Thing? No Tha Apartment? I get that everyone‘s taste is different and with my suggestions I just wanna point out: Where is the fun in a list like that? A list like this screams: Oh look, I am a cinephile, I am not like the rest of you mainstream movie watchers…
As a person with a similar taste to OP (my top 100 would be filled predominantly with serious more art house leaning films) I always find it strange how such a taste is incomprehensible to some. I enjoy fun movies, but is it hard to understand that a film that impacts me greatly either emotionally or thematically is something I might generally prefer over a film that is just fun (especially if we’re talking about a top 100 list)? I don’t think I’m trying to look different when films trying to impact me on a deeper level than the average film end up doing so.
It‘s not necessarily incomprehensible to me. I own a few hundred Criterions and explore art house quite a bit as well. I just wouldn‘t fill an entire top 50 with it. Also, by „fun movie“ I don‘t necessarily mean movies that make me laugh. I meant „fun“ more as in „more mainstream, less art house“. Movies like Alien(s), Jaws, Jurassic Park, Lord of the Rings etc. Sometimes I just like to kick back and watch a movie to wind down and just use a few percent of my brain while watching it. I do get that everyone gets enjoyment from different things and it is highly subjective… but yeah, in that sense a list like this is in fact a bit incomprehensible to me after all
When we talk about something like a top 50 or top 100 we’re not talking about films one enjoys but films one enjoys the most. None of the films you listed would make a top list of mine but I still like them and there’s times where I’d be more in a mood for them. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the films you’re talking about, but that I generally enjoy films that go deeper and require more from me to a greater degree. It’s this matter of degree that I feel you’re not getting. I enjoy the films you listed for similar reasons as you do, but I happen to generally enjoy these other films more. I hope this clarifies my taste.
I completely get what you mean. I used to watch 'fun' movies in the past but when i discovered all the great directors of the past and present i just lost interest. There are so many great directors to discover that im feeling like i waste my time by watching 'fun' movies. France alone has like 15 great directors of the 20th century and i feel the need to spend my time on the more ''heavy'' cinema. Also i prefer dark and bleak films but thats just me.
Personally, I can't stand a sense of fun in my films. Even the slightest whiff of optimism makes me retch. The world is hell and I want art that reflects that. Ok, I am not being totally serious. But I do connect more with art that acknowledges the melancholy aspects of life. Also, this is just one film from OP's list, but I consider Beau Travail to be a "fun" watch. Sure there are deep themes et cetera, but there's so little dialogue that all you have to do is look at the images on screen. Which are mostly of beautiful scantily clad men. It has some banger dance tunes as well.
Some people don’t watch movies at all to wind down so they don’t enjoy lighter movies as much
That's exactly how I feel. Like....does a person like this hate fun films? And what about serious well made blockbusters like terminator 2 or aliens?
You ever heard of Marvel, bro?
Mirror, really ?
You know you cant argue against it tho....
I found Red kinda underwhelming
La Notte is #14?! It is the weakest Antonioni movie!
Well, thats your opinion tho, for me its his best one.
And that's very weird. Have you ever seen L'Eclisse, or The Passenger, or Zabriskie Point, or Il Grido, or literally anything else by Antonioni? Also how exactly A Hidden Life (#16) is better than Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line or The Tree of Life?!
Ive seen all his popular films up until the passenger and honestly la notte struck me the most but its just preferences i guess. Now about a hidden life i know that its not considered his strongest film but i personally found it to be his most emotionally powerful film + every frame is like a painting.
Is it weird? La Notte is a pretty popular and well liked film from Antonioni (certainly more so than Zabriskie Point or Il Grido). Even if you personally think La Notte is the weakest Antonioni film (which is fine), you should be aware that you have a minority opinion, and as such, shouldn’t be surprised when you see someone think differently.
not sure why you’re coming off so condescending… for example: i love knight of cups more than days of heaven. my reasons are intensely personal to me. why should i or OP care what’s “weird” to like if other films are known to be better by critics or ppl who aren’t us? with film preferences we have the permission to go intensely personal vs. relying on universally agreed-upon ranking lists, no? i can’t believe i even have to say this
where is the perfect days!!!! if u dont want fun! kiddin. decent list!
how can one enjoy irreversible
This list is giving me anxiety but respect. My fav on here is probably Lost in Translation and There Will Be Blood. I’ve heard Irreversible is crazy.
Irreversible is brutal, Gaspar Noe has no limits.
i love art. Mirror is your favourite movie, I regret wasting my time watching it. Can I have some insight as to why it’s so loved by some people? What did i miss?
this is the heart of someone that smokes American Spirit Blacks, also you'd probably like the Human Condition or Mishima
Solid list and all, but I would challenge you to dig deeper. Also, check out soviet cinema beyond Tarkovsky. That’s some of the best shit out there
Daring today, aren’t we?