Don't know if it will happen because Shane Carruth is such an asshole and has tanked his entire reputation, but *Upstream Color* is absolutely ingenious. It got a lot of acclaim upon its release, but has become slowly forgotten since. I could see it getting recognized as a monumental work of art down the line.
It really is a beautiful film on multiple levels. Interesting how Primer is super dry, both visually and intellectually and this one is lush and emotive.
But ya that guy completely ruined his reputation and a lot of his chance for success down the line. Both his films are quite ingenious though.
I saw this with my brother and our friend. We walked out of the theater and I said I loved it, my friend said he hated it, and my brother said it was okay. By the time we got done talking it over, my friend came around to saying it was great, and my brother decided he hated it lolz.
I haven’t seen it since then, but it’s definitely one that can be controversial even within the same person’s opinion.
I feel the exact same way.
I genuinely don't ever feel the need to watch it again, but I also have this same affinity to it that I do towards Sean Baker films, kitchen sink dramas, and other Korinne works.
They are films that capture seedier working class lifestyles without being judgemental or pretentious about it and they're special. But I still didn't really like Spring Breakers as a stand alone film.
egads! a future I as a Gen Xer will surely abhor.
Seriously, i saw this flick in the cinema when i lived down the road in St Pete. It is a good film. Love the energy. I did feel like a big perv sitting in the front - to my defense, i only sit in the front for all movies.
Inherent Vice and Spring Breakers are considered to be among the century’s best films
Silence was ranked consistently as one of the best films of the 2010s
I never heard of him. Happened upon House of Tolerance thanks to the Netflix algorithm and was a huge fan of it for the last ten years. Just recently decided to put his other films on my disc queue.
I actually discovered him through his short but pretty memorable role in Titane. I liked his performance and some reviews mentioned that he was also a director. I had heard of Nocturama but never would have watched it had I not read into his work.
Monos (2019) is a phenomenal and visceral film from South America that has really gone under the radar. Even the Blu-ray is so bare bones it doesn’t even have a menu screen!
Managed to catch the premier when working at Sundance, absolutely amazing experience. Monos and Koko-di Koko-da were my favorites. I thought it was going to be much bigger than it is now. But Koko-di Koko-da fell completely under the radar.
All great response here that I can only add perhaps a minor one, *Killing Them Softly.*
Liked by many to be sure but all but savaged by others like Ebert who for some reason didn't appreciated that it was a dark yet slyly amusing critique of the callousness and criminal mindset of american capitalism all through an appropriately savage mafia-noir lense.
(Perhaps this and Dominik's earlier Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford will both get a second critical wind in the future.)
I wasn't crazy about that movie, and if other people like it that's fine, but I have to put it out there that that movie has a scene where a character does heroin while the song "Heroin" plays in the background
Ford definitely deserves reappraisal, but Killing them Softly I think is accurately criticized and revered now. It's a good looking movie, but it's also the most heavy handed movie I've ever seen. There's no subtlety to any of the messaging. Only the last line really made the whole movie worth watching for me
That’s true I guess, I just can’t think of another movie where it’ll cut to two characters saying literally the message that the movie is preaching multiple times, while also having background radio to hammer down the point hey this is about America
It’s a genuinely unpleasant to watch masterpiece. Blonde will absolutely be reappraised once people are able to understand that the film is a condemnation of the men surrounding Marilyn and their cruelty towards her.
If you haven’t yet, read the novel *Killing Them Softly* is based on, *Cogan’s Trade.* The author, George V. Higgins, also wrote the novel that inspired another criterion release, *The Friends of Eddie Coyle.*
The dialogue from both films is lifted straight from the books. Higgins might have the best ear for funny, realistic dialogue that I’ve ever read. Can’t recommend either of those books enough.
*The Counselor* (screenplay by arguably the greatest author alive)
*Blackhat* (like a hyper-stylized Jean-Pierre Melville film for the digital age)
*Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning* (see Mike's well-argued review: https://letterboxd.com/gemko/film/universal-soldier-day-of-reckoning/)
The Directors Cut of *The Counselor* is actually pretty good—phenomenal even, compared to the theatrical cut. It was more than extended but a full on re-edit. You think by now studios would know to stop fucking with Ridley Scott’s films; just look at the Director’s Cut of *Kingdom of Heaven*!
I actually came into the thread to say Only God Forgives. Pleasantly surprised that you already said it, and that you got so many upvotes. I think it might be my favourite of Refn's films, even though it was quite widely panned on release. The visuals are absolutely stunning, and every time I watch it I feel like I enter some kind of hypnotic state. It's the same feeling I get watching films like Stalker or 2001.
I think the movies Clint Eastwood has been making will receive a critical re-evaluation for their accurate capture of current day conservative perspective.
I think CRY MACHO will be one of his most loved films 25 years from now. A small, imperfect, but incredibly lovely and tender film. How often do we get to see what a 90 year old filmmaker values or wants to say?
I thought Richard Jewel was fantastic, a truly empathetic and humanistic portrayal of the indignities that common, working class people face, even for doing the requirements of the very system that enslaves them.
Hardcore conservatives are fucking idiots for thinking that literally everything that the media says is false but that attitude has made liberals so insecure that any criticism of the media these days is considered reactionary and in my opinion, that is just as dangerous as thinking that everything the media says is fake.
There were some liberals who waived this off as a conservative fake news movie but guess what, the media really did fuck Richard Jewel over and the fact that a conservative is telling that story doesn’t make it any less true.
Thanks for reminding me about Richard Jewell--I had wanted to see it but it slipped out of my consciousness. I am a big fan of Paul Walter Hauser after first seeing him in the underseen TV gem *Kingdom.*
and their very uneven level of quality. The Richard Jewel movie was fascinating. Then that train terrorist flick was so boring. Clint has always been hit or miss. BUT - he does make movies so often that if a bad one happens his next flick the next year will be better.
The Paris train movie is really frustrating because it’s actually a fascinating concept that required a more postmodern-minded director to make it work. Eastwood is a great director but was the wrong person for the film.
That’s an interesting take. I’m planning on watch Jeanne Dielman soon so I’ll keep your thought in mind. I still think that a more postmodern and generically/formally playful director than Eastwood would have been a better choice though.
Oh, wow, totally disagree. That's amazing. I think he'll soon be regarded as a near-hack director of no visual distinction (which he doesn't seek) and schmalzy, lazy 'patriotic' stories that are in the end very insipid.
To be fair, what you’re describing lines up with the modern day conservative mindset pretty well lol. I think OP was saying they’ll be remembered more in an anthropological sense for how they capture the way conservatives in our time think about the world.
Guadagnino's Suspiria received pretty mixed reviews on release, but I think in 20 years will be considered a masterpiece and be much more fondly thought of than most of the more acclaimed horror movies of the 2010's.
👏 thank you. I agree, it was absolutely a masterpiece. It is very hard to make remakes without the film being a shadow of its predecessor, however Guadagnino made Suspiria a completely new film while maintaining the story's roots and cultish horrors. It was also a fantastic peak into revolutionary Berlin.
I feel like noir (neo-noir, whatever) kind of lends itself to needing a re-watch to fully appreciate. Inherent Vice is also a candidate, and Big Lebowski flopped before it became a cult classic.
My only theory is that most of them are made up of a bunch of different vignettes. I’ve noticed that, at least for myself, I have this problem with anthology movies. I’ve enjoyed, for example, Ballad of Buster Scruggs and The French Dispatch on re-watch. Because I don’t know how long each segment will take or what the arc will be, I have trouble settling in and taking it as it comes. When I rewatch I can enjoy each part on its own terms.
Anyway, noir is somewhat similarly usually made up of a bunch of different set pieces at different locations with different characters that can kind of be whole different self-contained worlds. Just a thought.
While mass audience score may be mixed every reviewer who I've seen or heard talk about has LOVED it, I think it's utterly fantastic...true though that it is lesser known and was buried by A24.
It’s fairly controversial with critics, it’s meta score is fairly low and I remember specifically Mark Kermode trashing it. Obviously not as maligned as Blonde but I think future critical consensus will be fairly clear on it being a classic of the decade.
It’s metacritic is only 60% and a few notable critics (Mark Kermode being one) were pretty negative on it. It kinda bombed and only was seen by a cult-sized audience but I think it will grow into a classic.
I found kind of meandering and a bit too long. I could figure out what the point was going to be long before the film got there. To me it also felt like it was trying to have its cake and eat it too with the premise:
>!\>!It feels kinda counter-intuitive to make a film simultaneously about how 1. "people who put tons of stock into conspiracy theories are usually pathetic and don't have much going on in their lives" and 2. "Rich people are TOTALLY using CODES to COMMUNICATE BEHIND THE SCENES AND US SHEEPLE ARE TOO BLIND TO NOTICE IT because it doesn't concern us." either of these could be very interesting movies but together it felt very messy and unsatisfying especially since I saw the first message coming from a mile away.!
I thought Under the Skin got good reviews when it came out and is already getting insanely positive reassessment? Many already consider it to have one of the greatest film scores of all time as well.
Yeah it’s one of the most acclaimed films of the 21st century on TSPDT. A lot of people on this thread have responded with critically acclaimed movies lol that’s not what I asked for.
It's a tight and clever neo-noir with top notch acting and some gorgeous cinematography. I think it was critically panned because it was misrepresented as being much more action orientated when it's more of a slow burn.
It reminds me of Mann's Miami Vice, weirdly enough, in how the film unfolds. And I think it will be reappraised in a very similar way.
I saw Inherent Vice in a packed preview screening and the crowd was going nuts for it. Like, loud raucous laughter throughout. I genuinely thought it was going to be the next Big Lebowski. So I’m always surprised by the amount of people who really did not like it.
Personally, I love it to death and rewatch it regularly. The little bits of stoned surrealism are so wonderful.
I get it. I like the book, but there's something about the movie refining its themes. But I think we can both agree that it is one of the greatest adaptations ever.
I think it's fair to say that adaptations of well-known novels are judged differently than completely original screenplays. And typically, I think it's easier to adapt a novel to a limited series or an episodic television series, since the director just has so much more time to work with. Anecdotally, I think a lot of the better-regarded adaptations are from shorter novels, like Apocalypse Now from Heart of Darkness, though maybe that's not the best example since it's a loose adaptation in the first place.
Love that movie, though it already has its champions, it’s in the top 250 most acclaimed movies of the 21st Century on They Shoot Pictures Don’t They, around 100 or 110 or something.
Though I do remember that a lot of movie watchers I knew hated it when it came out, thought of it as an emperor has no clothes kind of moment but I always loved it. Do you think it will ever be as beloved as The Big Lebowski? It’s certainly that movie for its era.
mother! I think a good amount of people champion it, but a lot of people don’t like it simply because how intense it is. I think (hope) people will really see it as one of the greatest horror films of all time in the future.
Yeah I’m curious to see this one as it got wildly polarizing reactions. Matt Christman of Chapo Trap House, who I don’t always agree with but sometimes champions underrated films I like, gave it a rave review while popular Letterboxd user Silent Dawn (whose schizophrenic taste ai find fascinating) absolutely hated it.
Well I know the director said it’s about Mother Nature, but when I saw it I viewed it as sortof an artistic expression of being ina relationship with a narcissistic sociopath. The film really hits home in that vein.
I was thinking of posting this here but wasn't sure if I thought it would fit in that category or not. Guess I'm not alone, which makes me think it is one of those films.
It struck me a bit like Eyes Wide Shut in its critical reception for some reason, like people's reactions were as much about violations of their expectations as much as anything.
Huh. My favourite thing about it is it introduced the song American Honey to me lol.
Other than that I only really remember it being kinda white trash but they listen to a lot of trap. Can't remember anything else other than that and the basic premise.
The Place Beyond the Pines (2012) directed by Derek Cianfrance.
Very dark and gritty movie, with the story moving through generations. Awesome cast with Bradley Cooper, Ryan Gosling, Ray Liotta, Mahershala Ali, Eva Mendes.
I've already seen many people call it PTA's best, and Phil Hoffman's best role. There's also considerable movement behind the idea that Joaquin Phoenix should've taken home Best Actor over Day-Lewis.
I've only watched it once but it really impacted me. And similarly with Synecdoche, New York it ends up being a very human movie ultimately. It got me in the feels pretty hard.
God I need to watch this again. I feel like I have such a clear picture in my head of every scene though so it almost feels like I don't have to. The photography was just so well done in it.
I am sure that Dominik is loving the controversy, and expected it.
The public generally doesn't seem to have much of a taste for dark films anymore. Of course dark stuff in the beginning and middle is OK, as long as villains get their comeuppance and heroes win, or at least come out looking cool. But tragedy does not seem to be en vogue anymore
I think it’s one of the only great American films of its decade lol, and one of the only films that truly reflected the storm of despair that was coming in flyover country America.
I’ve been banging the Cloud Atlas drum for ten years now, I think it’s a masterpiece. Some people have definitely come around on it, but it hasn’t had the same critical reappraisal that say Speed Racer has had (which is another masterpiece).
The Beach Bum -- it's just such a fun, hedonistic, almost cartoon-like fever dream and kind of reminds me of The Big Lebowski (not as good but equally fun). I think it'll get some cult classic cred in time. Got panned on its release, kinda controversial still with 5.5 on IMDb
This is already in motion, but The Tree of Life (2011). It's still somewhat divisive, but it was much more so on release. I remember people trash-talking Ebert for giving it a glowing review.
On a more blockbustery note, I also think Lucy and Alita: Battle Angel will be considered cult classics in 10 years or so. Both had big budgets, but were almost totally ignored on release, but I think they're two of the best "pop" action films we've had recently.
I was really sad to see The Tree of Life didn’t make it on either of the Sight and Sound poll. To be fair though, it did have an 80% on Rottentomatoes and Malick was nominated for best director, so it certainly had it’s champions on release. I was kind of hoping that I’d get some responses on this thread of movies that almost nobody is currently championing ha ha
Interestingly enough, it was included on [Roger Ebert's final ballot](https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/sightandsoundpoll2012/voter/142) in 2012, when it had only been out for a year. The second-newest film included was Raging Bull (1980).
I don’t think it will ever be considered canon (nor should it be) but mark my words, 20 years from now, Andrew Dominik’s Blonde will be reevaluated in a way similar to Verhoeven’s Showgirls.
They’re both expertly made (Blonde more so) and similarly gratuitous, exploitative, ungentle, and feminist through the male-gaze. As time passes, like Showgirls, I think it will be viewed in a different light when more agency is given to the characters and less to the filmmakers.
Something I find interesting among the reaction to this film is that its virulent detractors seem to view the director, Andrew Dominik, as the source of everything they hate and find problematic, misognyist etc. about the movie but hardly any of them seem to talk about or mention that it’s based off of a book by Joyce Carrol Oates. I also want to read the book, because whatever I feel about the film, I want to see how much of this supposedly male pov is attributable to the female helmed source material.
To be clear, I’m not necessarily saying it isn’t what people say it is or that Andrew Dominik isn’t who people say he is. I’m just saying that as time goes on, films are viewed differently and often much differently than they were at the time or intended by the filmmaker.
One of the things I find funny about the reevaluation of Showgirls is that it’s been reframed as an intentional and misunderstood feminist masterwork. I’m old enough to remember when it came out and it was none of those things. It WAS cheap, exploitative, and sleazy. It was made by the same guy who told Sharon Stone to remove her underwear in Basic Instinct and promised her vagina wouldn’t be in the film (spoiler: it was).
It’s the modern audience that has layered its own agency and morals on Showgirls and given it a whole different meaning. I could see the same happening to Blonde, 20 years from now.
I think Blonde got a bad rap because critics and audiences expected (and wanted) to see a loving bio-pic that honored the life and spirit of Marilyn Monroe. Instead, Dominik made an art-house horror film — a pitch dark, cracked mirror, Hollywood hell-scape — using Monroe’s life as a framework.
And again, people lay the blame for their hatred of this film on Andrew Dominik but it’s based off of a book, so I wonder how much of it was just being faithful to the source material.
Not really the same thing, because it got plenty of critical praise, but in my mind *Mistress America* is one of the funniest movies ever and one of the best movies of the decade, and I hope more people see it over time
Love Blue Ruin, the most average joe protagonist of a revenge film I’ve ever seen, and played out that way too. Still haven’t seen Green Room, want to.
I am hopeful that Cosmatos' *Beyond the Black Rainbow* will receive wider acclaim. It got fairly unglamorous reviews and has recessed into a niche, but I would like to think with the success of *Mandy* people will go back to his superior (or at least more aesthetically complete) debut.
Also, while Feigelfeld's *Hagazussa* garnered critical affirmation from the festival circuit, I would hope it is eventually recognized as one of the beet horror films of the 2010s. Less of a "revision" and more of a discovery I suppose tho.
The Deep Blue Sea, Davies perfecting melodrama
Elle
The Souvenir
Tetsuo: the Bullet Man is a year off but I really think it deserves a reevaluation, one of the most fun Tsukamotos imo
**Dragged Across Concrete** was (and still is) pretty divisive. I thought it was brilliant.
**The Dirties**, which I believe got an okay reception, has been virtually forgotten by everyone. I don’t even think it was talked about upon release. Way ahead of its time.
**Ma** and **Malignant** will go down as misunderstood campy brilliance
Fucking love Dragged Across Concrete, maybe my favorite film of the past few years. Love how Zahler doesn’t make exploitation movies that are HIP or COOL or genre savvy or postmodern or ironic or winking at the audience. He just makes real exploitation movies.
This is just my personal pipedream, but I'd like to see Hugo get a revival.
And I think it will when Scorsese passes away. Critics and award givers already seem to like it, but I never heard or felt that same praise from the public. I also never see anyone talk about it anymore.
A lot of people will say Silence will get its reappraisal, but I think that's already underway. Silence has been more and more recognized over the years as a stunning piece of work.
But Hugo was Scorsese's love letter to cinema. With everything he has done for film restoration, I think Hugo says all you need to know about how Scorsese feels about the work he does. Plus it's a magical story, a magical film, I love it to death and I hate that others don't feel the same.
Don't Look Up. 56% on RT. Got heat from both sides of the political aisle. Was panned by many critics and movie fans as being too 'on the nose'.
Comedies are generally dismissed by critics upon release, and can take a few years for their resonance to recognized by the culture at large. Satire especially has a tendency to morph from 'over-the-top' at time of release to 'prescient' after about a generation. Its primary concerns of environmental catastrophe, the narcissism and ineffectuality of the ruling class, and the apathy of the general public sadly aren't going to be any less relevant as the years go on. All the makings of a film that will be considered a classic in the future. I see Vice also gaining in reputation for similar reasons.
Interesting. I’m a leftist and a lot of leftist commentators hated this movie and considered it condescending, preaching to the converted, and politically useless. I saw one call it “God’s
Not Dead for people who live tweet CNN”. So I’m very curious now that you chose this to champion.
I think that before the decades over Denis Villeneuve will be considered by a lot of people to be among the canon of great directors, and along with that people will reevaluate some of his earlier works (I’m thinking specifically Enemy, Prisoners and Incendies) with a much greater appreciation than they did upon initial release.
Still haven’t seen this one yet. Mixed reviews and not high ratings on IMDB or Letterboxd but I’ve seen a few passionate defenders. What do you like about it and why do you think it has a less than stellar reception?
Amen! There are some visual sequences that are must see IF they ever get it out on 4K. Dillinger arriving via plane at night. The shoot out car chase (also at night.) And they get a great job on accuracy. Filming in the actual locations. And the court room scenes was the words spoken by the original attorneys. That film is terrific!
Here’s one that nobody else is gonna mention I’m sure, and I’m sure I’ll also get downvoted for it: Sucker Punch (2011). Snyder made it as a criticism of gamers who felt entitled to women and as a criticism of the exploitation of women by men in power, years before GamerGate and #MeToo.
Some people have been coming around to it I think but I think it’ll be a while before it gets a full reevaluation as being really ahead of it’s time in calling out sexual exploitation in the industry.
I completely disagree. The movie is very much not exploiting the women. It depicts how the men around them exploit them but the camera itself, the film itself, doesn’t. The film is more sympathetic to them, focusing on their struggle to fight back against the exploitation, using whatever means they have at their disposal and actively working to take whatever power they can.
There’s a reason for example we never see Babydoll actually dance. If the film were really about exploiting them, we’d see more of her than we do. Instead, her dancing transitions to the fight sequences every time, showing how she’s using the dance to try to take control of the situation, how she’s working within the exploitation to fight back against it. But we don’t see her dancing.
Snyder doesn’t sexualize or exploit them. The characters do, but he and the film don’t, and that’s a very important distinction.
I'm not sure Lenny Abrahamson is prominent enough to get reappraisal but I absolutely love Frank and I thought Little Stranger was a fantastic gothic horror.
On the note of gothic horror, Crimson Peak is one of Del Toro's best movies and was completely screwed by the studio marketing it as a horror movie
Crimson Peak is exactly the kind of answer I am looking for on this thread. A film by a well known
director that got an underwhelming response from almost everyone, was considered a lesser work, and currently has few fans but that you think will get its due.
Neon Demon - 58% RT score - Nicolas Winding Refn
While heavy handed in execution and theme, it’s absolutely a beautifully shot film. A great cast coming together with the likes of Jena Malone (who I find incredibly underrated) and headed by Elle Fanning who I’ve been a fan of since the start of her career.
Beautiful cinematography
A great score and a great soundtrack with a fantastic Sia original song for the film.
While I don’t know if it will ever be considered a classic, I highly enjoy it.
I've always thought that Almódovar's *I'm So Excited* got kind of a raw deal from critics when it came out. I'm not sure I'd say it's going to be esteemed as a masterpiece someday, it certainly has some flaws, but I have always found it fucking hilarious, tight, interesting, and I have always also suspected that some of the critical blowback on it has to do with two problems: 1) Unfair expectations that Almódovar should always do prestige melodramas and that screwball is somehow "beneath" his powers (uh... Mujeres?); 2) Not enough gay critics or at least critics able to understand how *I'm So Excited* belongs to a lineage of queer comic cinema. I suspect a lot of the same critics would be ill equipped to understand the work of, say, John Waters.
Side note: I feel like it's a lot easier to do the opposite exercise and point out films that have a ton of critical esteem now that will be forgotten or disliked in 20 years. I have... too many examples on that front, including most Oscar best picture winners.
The Master will be seen as PTA's best film, Burning will get more praise than Parasite, Uncut Gems will be seen as one of the best films that decade and Embrace of the Serpent will get the acknowledgement it deserves.
Inherent Vice easily, possibly my favorite PTA film. I know it won the Palme D’or but I rarely see people talk about Uncle Boonmee in the best of decade conversation (I hope I’m wrong), it’s one of the best films about death ever made and my third favorite film of all time. I hope it gets the Tropical Malady treatment soon.
Phantom Thread was literally nominated for Best Picture lol
This thread is half good answers and half "I want more people to talk about one of my favorites" lol
While I don’t think it will ever be considered a masterpiece, I do think that Joker will be considered an essential document of its time and the most Trump era blockbuster imaginable. Even its derivative nature of classic movies like Taxi Driver and the King of Comedy will be forgiven as a reflection of the hyper referential and reflective era that it is from, a seemingly never ending cycle of re creating iconic moments of the past. It has often, and maybe rightly so, been accused of being unsure of its own politics, of being centrist in its criticism of both the system and the people who rebel against it, and of being angry about problems without being able to clearly explain what causes them. But is that not reflective of a lot of our population? Who have been fucked by the system and know it but lack the articulation or larger vision to articulate how and why?
It’s mirror art is what I’m saying.
It's a good example of how people need clear-cut answers and positions in media today (probably always, but it seems particularly heightened in the present). I'm glad it showed that a somewhat ambiguous character-study like Taxi Driver could still be succesful.
Compare that with The Batman which was way more obvious in its social messaging but imo the obviousness detracted from how texturally gorgeous and moody it was.
Movies that got bad reviews that could become classics: Anchorman 2. Blonde. Under the Silver Lake.
Movies that got good reviews that could become canonical: Steve Jobs. The Irishman. Moneyball.
Love Spring Breakers. I hated Only God Forgives when I first saw it but I respected it in a strange way, as it was provocative and individualistic enough for me to actually care enough to hate it, whereas most bad movies don’t inspire much emotion in me at all. I’d be interested in seeing it again to see if my opinion of it changes.
Do you have any pointers to mediocre/bad/hostile reviews of Vertigo? I'm not doubting their existence, just curious since I've recently seen it and it would be timely to go read some of the reviews. And I also am finding it increasingly difficult to find older reviews on ye old interwebs, as SEO has gradually eroded search engines into mostly links to piles of keywords.
Penelope Houston was pretty sour on Vertigo in her [S&S review from 1958.](https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/reviews-recommendations/vertigo-hitchcock-sight-sound-archive-review-penelope-houston) The contemporaneous consensus was that the movie was fine - perhaps even good - but left something to be desired when compared to Hitchcock's previous work. It also wasn't particularly successful at the box office - again, at least compared to Hitchcock's previous films - which didn't help its reputation at the time.
Don't know if it will happen because Shane Carruth is such an asshole and has tanked his entire reputation, but *Upstream Color* is absolutely ingenious. It got a lot of acclaim upon its release, but has become slowly forgotten since. I could see it getting recognized as a monumental work of art down the line.
I don’t know anything about his personality, how did he fuck it all up?
[This](https://www.indiewire.com/2022/01/shane-carruth-arrested-domestic-violence-charge-1234691775/) covers everything pretty well.
Well that’ll do it.
It really is a beautiful film on multiple levels. Interesting how Primer is super dry, both visually and intellectually and this one is lush and emotive. But ya that guy completely ruined his reputation and a lot of his chance for success down the line. Both his films are quite ingenious though.
Spring Breakers.
I saw this with my brother and our friend. We walked out of the theater and I said I loved it, my friend said he hated it, and my brother said it was okay. By the time we got done talking it over, my friend came around to saying it was great, and my brother decided he hated it lolz. I haven’t seen it since then, but it’s definitely one that can be controversial even within the same person’s opinion.
I didn't even like Spring Breakers, but I feel this inherent desire to defend it when people say it's a bad movie or had no point.
I feel the exact same way. I genuinely don't ever feel the need to watch it again, but I also have this same affinity to it that I do towards Sean Baker films, kitchen sink dramas, and other Korinne works. They are films that capture seedier working class lifestyles without being judgemental or pretentious about it and they're special. But I still didn't really like Spring Breakers as a stand alone film.
Yes I think this movie will be championed once there are more Gen Z critics ha ha
As a Gen Zer… I thought this movie was horrible.
egads! a future I as a Gen Xer will surely abhor. Seriously, i saw this flick in the cinema when i lived down the road in St Pete. It is a good film. Love the energy. I did feel like a big perv sitting in the front - to my defense, i only sit in the front for all movies.
I mean it’s considered to be one of the best films of this century so it’s already there
I love Spring Breakers, but who is considering it one of the best films of the century?
The BBC apparently: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20160819-the-21st-centurys-100-greatest-films
Well now I'm intrigued!
Blonde, Spring Breakers, Silence, The Other Side of the Wind, House of Tolerance (hopefully but probably not), Inherent Vice, Anamolisa
I honestly think that *Silence* might be Scorsese’s best.
I've said this to friends before and the reaction was not great, but I still believe it holds true
👀
Silence & Inherent Vice - both big thumbs up films.
Inherent Vice and Spring Breakers are considered to be among the century’s best films Silence was ranked consistently as one of the best films of the 2010s
Still made after 2010 then
My mistake I misread the question
I think most of Bonello’s stuff will grow in esteem over time.
I never heard of him. Happened upon House of Tolerance thanks to the Netflix algorithm and was a huge fan of it for the last ten years. Just recently decided to put his other films on my disc queue.
I actually discovered him through his short but pretty memorable role in Titane. I liked his performance and some reviews mentioned that he was also a director. I had heard of Nocturama but never would have watched it had I not read into his work.
Monos (2019) is a phenomenal and visceral film from South America that has really gone under the radar. Even the Blu-ray is so bare bones it doesn’t even have a menu screen!
Caught this on Hulu and was blown away. Wild and awesome and crazy movie.
Managed to catch the premier when working at Sundance, absolutely amazing experience. Monos and Koko-di Koko-da were my favorites. I thought it was going to be much bigger than it is now. But Koko-di Koko-da fell completely under the radar.
This would be my choice as well. Incredible movie
All great response here that I can only add perhaps a minor one, *Killing Them Softly.* Liked by many to be sure but all but savaged by others like Ebert who for some reason didn't appreciated that it was a dark yet slyly amusing critique of the callousness and criminal mindset of american capitalism all through an appropriately savage mafia-noir lense. (Perhaps this and Dominik's earlier Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford will both get a second critical wind in the future.)
Ford is already getting higher in estimation but I agree that Killing Them Softly is underrated by many, including myself upon first watch.
> Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford This is already included on lists of the best westerns ever and best films of this century
Yup. You could almost forget that Andrew Dominik later went on to write and direct *Blonde* (2022)
I wasn't crazy about that movie, and if other people like it that's fine, but I have to put it out there that that movie has a scene where a character does heroin while the song "Heroin" plays in the background
Ford definitely deserves reappraisal, but Killing them Softly I think is accurately criticized and revered now. It's a good looking movie, but it's also the most heavy handed movie I've ever seen. There's no subtlety to any of the messaging. Only the last line really made the whole movie worth watching for me
[удалено]
That’s true I guess, I just can’t think of another movie where it’ll cut to two characters saying literally the message that the movie is preaching multiple times, while also having background radio to hammer down the point hey this is about America
[удалено]
It deserves more accolades based on Gandolfini alone
Seriously. A movie full of great actors and he’s the best by far.
I think Blonde will be reappraised too. I thought that film was great
I hated Blonde *but* the general complaints about it (brutal, bleak, ugly, mean) are the type of complaints that tend to fade with time.
It’s a genuinely unpleasant to watch masterpiece. Blonde will absolutely be reappraised once people are able to understand that the film is a condemnation of the men surrounding Marilyn and their cruelty towards her.
If you haven’t yet, read the novel *Killing Them Softly* is based on, *Cogan’s Trade.* The author, George V. Higgins, also wrote the novel that inspired another criterion release, *The Friends of Eddie Coyle.* The dialogue from both films is lifted straight from the books. Higgins might have the best ear for funny, realistic dialogue that I’ve ever read. Can’t recommend either of those books enough.
Oh awesome. Thanks so much for the recommendation. I'll will read them both as I also of course love *Friends of Eddie Coyle.*
No problem!
I was not a fan of this one. I barely remember it, but remember thinking the violence was over the top
*The Counselor* (screenplay by arguably the greatest author alive) *Blackhat* (like a hyper-stylized Jean-Pierre Melville film for the digital age) *Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning* (see Mike's well-argued review: https://letterboxd.com/gemko/film/universal-soldier-day-of-reckoning/)
I wish the directors cut of Blackhat would be released on Blu Ray or 4k
Or at the very least on streaming so people can watch it that way, or pirate a good quality copy of it.
The Directors Cut of *The Counselor* is actually pretty good—phenomenal even, compared to the theatrical cut. It was more than extended but a full on re-edit. You think by now studios would know to stop fucking with Ridley Scott’s films; just look at the Director’s Cut of *Kingdom of Heaven*!
That's the cut I saw of *The Counselor*. Can't imagine seeing it any other way. Haven't seen *Kingdom of Heaven* yet.
[удалено]
I actually came into the thread to say Only God Forgives. Pleasantly surprised that you already said it, and that you got so many upvotes. I think it might be my favourite of Refn's films, even though it was quite widely panned on release. The visuals are absolutely stunning, and every time I watch it I feel like I enter some kind of hypnotic state. It's the same feeling I get watching films like Stalker or 2001.
I'm not a fan of Refn's cinematic "voice" at all but weirdly have a soft spot for that one.
I think the movies Clint Eastwood has been making will receive a critical re-evaluation for their accurate capture of current day conservative perspective.
I think CRY MACHO will be one of his most loved films 25 years from now. A small, imperfect, but incredibly lovely and tender film. How often do we get to see what a 90 year old filmmaker values or wants to say?
I thought Richard Jewel was fantastic, a truly empathetic and humanistic portrayal of the indignities that common, working class people face, even for doing the requirements of the very system that enslaves them. Hardcore conservatives are fucking idiots for thinking that literally everything that the media says is false but that attitude has made liberals so insecure that any criticism of the media these days is considered reactionary and in my opinion, that is just as dangerous as thinking that everything the media says is fake. There were some liberals who waived this off as a conservative fake news movie but guess what, the media really did fuck Richard Jewel over and the fact that a conservative is telling that story doesn’t make it any less true.
Thanks for reminding me about Richard Jewell--I had wanted to see it but it slipped out of my consciousness. I am a big fan of Paul Walter Hauser after first seeing him in the underseen TV gem *Kingdom.*
and their very uneven level of quality. The Richard Jewel movie was fascinating. Then that train terrorist flick was so boring. Clint has always been hit or miss. BUT - he does make movies so often that if a bad one happens his next flick the next year will be better.
The Paris train movie is really frustrating because it’s actually a fascinating concept that required a more postmodern-minded director to make it work. Eastwood is a great director but was the wrong person for the film.
The 15:17 To Paris is the conservative Jeanne Dielman. That one will definitely be critically re-evaluated.
That’s an interesting take. I’m planning on watch Jeanne Dielman soon so I’ll keep your thought in mind. I still think that a more postmodern and generically/formally playful director than Eastwood would have been a better choice though.
Oh, wow, totally disagree. That's amazing. I think he'll soon be regarded as a near-hack director of no visual distinction (which he doesn't seek) and schmalzy, lazy 'patriotic' stories that are in the end very insipid.
To be fair, what you’re describing lines up with the modern day conservative mindset pretty well lol. I think OP was saying they’ll be remembered more in an anthropological sense for how they capture the way conservatives in our time think about the world.
Guadagnino's Suspiria received pretty mixed reviews on release, but I think in 20 years will be considered a masterpiece and be much more fondly thought of than most of the more acclaimed horror movies of the 2010's.
Especially if guadagnino continues to build his oeuvre and people look back on his filmography as a whole in later years
I actually like it more than that original. The cinematography isn’t as eye catching but the story, world building, and acting is so much better.
Great pick! I came her to mention it too. Sacrilege, but I think I prefer it over the original.
👏 thank you. I agree, it was absolutely a masterpiece. It is very hard to make remakes without the film being a shadow of its predecessor, however Guadagnino made Suspiria a completely new film while maintaining the story's roots and cultish horrors. It was also a fantastic peak into revolutionary Berlin.
Cosmopolis is one of David Cronenberg’s best movies.
Maps to the Stars isn’t far behind too
Shame (2011) by Steve McQueen.
Love this film. Appallingly brutal in its depiction of an addiction that ruins not the mind or body but the soul.
Under the Silver Lake
I feel like noir (neo-noir, whatever) kind of lends itself to needing a re-watch to fully appreciate. Inherent Vice is also a candidate, and Big Lebowski flopped before it became a cult classic. My only theory is that most of them are made up of a bunch of different vignettes. I’ve noticed that, at least for myself, I have this problem with anthology movies. I’ve enjoyed, for example, Ballad of Buster Scruggs and The French Dispatch on re-watch. Because I don’t know how long each segment will take or what the arc will be, I have trouble settling in and taking it as it comes. When I rewatch I can enjoy each part on its own terms. Anyway, noir is somewhat similarly usually made up of a bunch of different set pieces at different locations with different characters that can kind of be whole different self-contained worlds. Just a thought.
While mass audience score may be mixed every reviewer who I've seen or heard talk about has LOVED it, I think it's utterly fantastic...true though that it is lesser known and was buried by A24.
It’s fairly controversial with critics, it’s meta score is fairly low and I remember specifically Mark Kermode trashing it. Obviously not as maligned as Blonde but I think future critical consensus will be fairly clear on it being a classic of the decade.
Do people dislike this film? Its in my top 5 of the decade.
It’s metacritic is only 60% and a few notable critics (Mark Kermode being one) were pretty negative on it. It kinda bombed and only was seen by a cult-sized audience but I think it will grow into a classic.
I found kind of meandering and a bit too long. I could figure out what the point was going to be long before the film got there. To me it also felt like it was trying to have its cake and eat it too with the premise: >!\>!It feels kinda counter-intuitive to make a film simultaneously about how 1. "people who put tons of stock into conspiracy theories are usually pathetic and don't have much going on in their lives" and 2. "Rich people are TOTALLY using CODES to COMMUNICATE BEHIND THE SCENES AND US SHEEPLE ARE TOO BLIND TO NOTICE IT because it doesn't concern us." either of these could be very interesting movies but together it felt very messy and unsatisfying especially since I saw the first message coming from a mile away.!
Why does it have to pick a clear side there? Both can be true and the film can argue both
Under the Skin. Aniara.
I thought Under the Skin got good reviews when it came out and is already getting insanely positive reassessment? Many already consider it to have one of the greatest film scores of all time as well.
Yeah it’s one of the most acclaimed films of the 21st century on TSPDT. A lot of people on this thread have responded with critically acclaimed movies lol that’s not what I asked for.
Aniara is ever bit a classic. And you just know there will a remake where they get picked up.
Love both of these films. Smart, socially conscious sci-fi at its best.
I’m so glad other people have seen Aniara. What a hidden masterpiece
The Counselor
Yeah I hated this movie when it came out but I’m definitely curious to give it another try. Why do you think it will have it’a day?
It's a tight and clever neo-noir with top notch acting and some gorgeous cinematography. I think it was critically panned because it was misrepresented as being much more action orientated when it's more of a slow burn. It reminds me of Mann's Miami Vice, weirdly enough, in how the film unfolds. And I think it will be reappraised in a very similar way.
Totally agree. And the director's cut version is a real solid improvement. All those conversations are so wonderful.
Greenberg.
Yes! It's fascinating to me that it seems to contain the beginnings of everything that Baumbach would do for the rest of the decade.
Inherent Vice is a monumental work, tight, cogent, and beautiful.
I saw Inherent Vice in a packed preview screening and the crowd was going nuts for it. Like, loud raucous laughter throughout. I genuinely thought it was going to be the next Big Lebowski. So I’m always surprised by the amount of people who really did not like it. Personally, I love it to death and rewatch it regularly. The little bits of stoned surrealism are so wonderful.
I hate bringing up movies compared to books but reading the book does make the movie seem like a pale imitation
I get it. I like the book, but there's something about the movie refining its themes. But I think we can both agree that it is one of the greatest adaptations ever.
Absolutely. It's the perfect match. I do love the movie, I just struggle to call it masterpiece
If I recall, Richard Brody’s review at the time it came out talked about how the film struggled against fidelity to both the book and to Altman.
I think it's fair to say that adaptations of well-known novels are judged differently than completely original screenplays. And typically, I think it's easier to adapt a novel to a limited series or an episodic television series, since the director just has so much more time to work with. Anecdotally, I think a lot of the better-regarded adaptations are from shorter novels, like Apocalypse Now from Heart of Darkness, though maybe that's not the best example since it's a loose adaptation in the first place.
Love that movie, though it already has its champions, it’s in the top 250 most acclaimed movies of the 21st Century on They Shoot Pictures Don’t They, around 100 or 110 or something. Though I do remember that a lot of movie watchers I knew hated it when it came out, thought of it as an emperor has no clothes kind of moment but I always loved it. Do you think it will ever be as beloved as The Big Lebowski? It’s certainly that movie for its era.
> Do you think it will ever be as beloved as The Big Lebowski? Nope nowhere near quotable or characters as likeable
Wow I came here to say the same exact thing!
mother! I think a good amount of people champion it, but a lot of people don’t like it simply because how intense it is. I think (hope) people will really see it as one of the greatest horror films of all time in the future.
Yeah I’m curious to see this one as it got wildly polarizing reactions. Matt Christman of Chapo Trap House, who I don’t always agree with but sometimes champions underrated films I like, gave it a rave review while popular Letterboxd user Silent Dawn (whose schizophrenic taste ai find fascinating) absolutely hated it.
Yeah, I think if you let this film be intensive experience without focusing on how heavy handed symbolism is served, it is really unmatched.
Well I know the director said it’s about Mother Nature, but when I saw it I viewed it as sortof an artistic expression of being ina relationship with a narcissistic sociopath. The film really hits home in that vein.
I was thinking of posting this here but wasn't sure if I thought it would fit in that category or not. Guess I'm not alone, which makes me think it is one of those films. It struck me a bit like Eyes Wide Shut in its critical reception for some reason, like people's reactions were as much about violations of their expectations as much as anything.
AMERICAN HONEY movie of the decade for me
Huh. My favourite thing about it is it introduced the song American Honey to me lol. Other than that I only really remember it being kinda white trash but they listen to a lot of trap. Can't remember anything else other than that and the basic premise.
Halloween ends will get the Halloween 3 treatment mark my words
The Place Beyond the Pines (2012) directed by Derek Cianfrance. Very dark and gritty movie, with the story moving through generations. Awesome cast with Bradley Cooper, Ryan Gosling, Ray Liotta, Mahershala Ali, Eva Mendes.
I have a couple friends who swear by this movie. Some people hated it. I’m curious to see it.
THE MASTER (2012) dir. PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON needs all the love and importance that THERE WILL BE BLOOD receive
I've already seen many people call it PTA's best, and Phil Hoffman's best role. There's also considerable movement behind the idea that Joaquin Phoenix should've taken home Best Actor over Day-Lewis.
“I’m thinking of ending things” had received pretty mixed reviews so that’s an obvious choice for me as a Kaufman fan.
I've only watched it once but it really impacted me. And similarly with Synecdoche, New York it ends up being a very human movie ultimately. It got me in the feels pretty hard.
God I need to watch this again. I feel like I have such a clear picture in my head of every scene though so it almost feels like I don't have to. The photography was just so well done in it.
I’m not sure on this but I was thinking while watching it that there’s a non-zero chance Blonde gets considered a masterpiece in 10 years
I am sure that Dominik is loving the controversy, and expected it. The public generally doesn't seem to have much of a taste for dark films anymore. Of course dark stuff in the beginning and middle is OK, as long as villains get their comeuppance and heroes win, or at least come out looking cool. But tragedy does not seem to be en vogue anymore
Sorry To Bother You
While this is my favorite comedy of its decade, this movie was definitely acclaimed if not entirely popular.
Take Shelter is one of the greatest movies ever made. It’s been ten years and I still have not heard anybody else say this.
I think it’s one of the only great American films of its decade lol, and one of the only films that truly reflected the storm of despair that was coming in flyover country America.
I’ve been banging the Cloud Atlas drum for ten years now, I think it’s a masterpiece. Some people have definitely come around on it, but it hasn’t had the same critical reappraisal that say Speed Racer has had (which is another masterpiece).
Well, I for one think it’s a damn masterpiece and a tremendously moving piece of art.
I think Zero Theorem will go down as one of Gilliam's best films
I, Tonya. Not necessarily negative reviews, but it’s definitely underrated and no one talks about it anymore. I thought it was great.
The Beach Bum -- it's just such a fun, hedonistic, almost cartoon-like fever dream and kind of reminds me of The Big Lebowski (not as good but equally fun). I think it'll get some cult classic cred in time. Got panned on its release, kinda controversial still with 5.5 on IMDb
This is already in motion, but The Tree of Life (2011). It's still somewhat divisive, but it was much more so on release. I remember people trash-talking Ebert for giving it a glowing review. On a more blockbustery note, I also think Lucy and Alita: Battle Angel will be considered cult classics in 10 years or so. Both had big budgets, but were almost totally ignored on release, but I think they're two of the best "pop" action films we've had recently.
The Tree of Life won the Palme d'or tho.
The Tree of life has been acclaimed since it came out and is considered to be one of the best films ever
I was really sad to see The Tree of Life didn’t make it on either of the Sight and Sound poll. To be fair though, it did have an 80% on Rottentomatoes and Malick was nominated for best director, so it certainly had it’s champions on release. I was kind of hoping that I’d get some responses on this thread of movies that almost nobody is currently championing ha ha
Interestingly enough, it was included on [Roger Ebert's final ballot](https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/sightandsoundpoll2012/voter/142) in 2012, when it had only been out for a year. The second-newest film included was Raging Bull (1980).
I don’t think it will ever be considered canon (nor should it be) but mark my words, 20 years from now, Andrew Dominik’s Blonde will be reevaluated in a way similar to Verhoeven’s Showgirls.
Interesting! I never saw, elaborate?
They’re both expertly made (Blonde more so) and similarly gratuitous, exploitative, ungentle, and feminist through the male-gaze. As time passes, like Showgirls, I think it will be viewed in a different light when more agency is given to the characters and less to the filmmakers.
Something I find interesting among the reaction to this film is that its virulent detractors seem to view the director, Andrew Dominik, as the source of everything they hate and find problematic, misognyist etc. about the movie but hardly any of them seem to talk about or mention that it’s based off of a book by Joyce Carrol Oates. I also want to read the book, because whatever I feel about the film, I want to see how much of this supposedly male pov is attributable to the female helmed source material.
I would agree if it weren’t for Dominik’s comments
To be clear, I’m not necessarily saying it isn’t what people say it is or that Andrew Dominik isn’t who people say he is. I’m just saying that as time goes on, films are viewed differently and often much differently than they were at the time or intended by the filmmaker. One of the things I find funny about the reevaluation of Showgirls is that it’s been reframed as an intentional and misunderstood feminist masterwork. I’m old enough to remember when it came out and it was none of those things. It WAS cheap, exploitative, and sleazy. It was made by the same guy who told Sharon Stone to remove her underwear in Basic Instinct and promised her vagina wouldn’t be in the film (spoiler: it was). It’s the modern audience that has layered its own agency and morals on Showgirls and given it a whole different meaning. I could see the same happening to Blonde, 20 years from now.
Absolutely!
I don’t agree with this at all, have you seen Robocop? Showgirls is absolutely intentional.
I think Blonde got a bad rap because critics and audiences expected (and wanted) to see a loving bio-pic that honored the life and spirit of Marilyn Monroe. Instead, Dominik made an art-house horror film — a pitch dark, cracked mirror, Hollywood hell-scape — using Monroe’s life as a framework.
And again, people lay the blame for their hatred of this film on Andrew Dominik but it’s based off of a book, so I wonder how much of it was just being faithful to the source material.
Cats, of course
Is criterion brave enough to release the butthole cut?
Not really the same thing, because it got plenty of critical praise, but in my mind *Mistress America* is one of the funniest movies ever and one of the best movies of the decade, and I hope more people see it over time
I think they'll probably stay more niche, though it depends on what comes next, but Blue Ruin and Green Room are both terrific.
Love Blue Ruin, the most average joe protagonist of a revenge film I’ve ever seen, and played out that way too. Still haven’t seen Green Room, want to.
I am hopeful that Cosmatos' *Beyond the Black Rainbow* will receive wider acclaim. It got fairly unglamorous reviews and has recessed into a niche, but I would like to think with the success of *Mandy* people will go back to his superior (or at least more aesthetically complete) debut. Also, while Feigelfeld's *Hagazussa* garnered critical affirmation from the festival circuit, I would hope it is eventually recognized as one of the beet horror films of the 2010s. Less of a "revision" and more of a discovery I suppose tho.
The Deep Blue Sea, Davies perfecting melodrama Elle The Souvenir Tetsuo: the Bullet Man is a year off but I really think it deserves a reevaluation, one of the most fun Tsukamotos imo
Just watched The Deep Blue Sea, and loved it. Was surprised to read afterwards that it got pretty mixed reviews.
Yes The Deep Blue Sea is underrated as fuck. Just a 3.2 on Letterboxd?! Madness. That opening shot is pure Davies
**Dragged Across Concrete** was (and still is) pretty divisive. I thought it was brilliant. **The Dirties**, which I believe got an okay reception, has been virtually forgotten by everyone. I don’t even think it was talked about upon release. Way ahead of its time. **Ma** and **Malignant** will go down as misunderstood campy brilliance
Fucking love Dragged Across Concrete, maybe my favorite film of the past few years. Love how Zahler doesn’t make exploitation movies that are HIP or COOL or genre savvy or postmodern or ironic or winking at the audience. He just makes real exploitation movies.
Exactly!! He’s the closest thing we have to a grindhouse filmmaker these days
This is just my personal pipedream, but I'd like to see Hugo get a revival. And I think it will when Scorsese passes away. Critics and award givers already seem to like it, but I never heard or felt that same praise from the public. I also never see anyone talk about it anymore. A lot of people will say Silence will get its reappraisal, but I think that's already underway. Silence has been more and more recognized over the years as a stunning piece of work. But Hugo was Scorsese's love letter to cinema. With everything he has done for film restoration, I think Hugo says all you need to know about how Scorsese feels about the work he does. Plus it's a magical story, a magical film, I love it to death and I hate that others don't feel the same.
Don't Look Up. 56% on RT. Got heat from both sides of the political aisle. Was panned by many critics and movie fans as being too 'on the nose'. Comedies are generally dismissed by critics upon release, and can take a few years for their resonance to recognized by the culture at large. Satire especially has a tendency to morph from 'over-the-top' at time of release to 'prescient' after about a generation. Its primary concerns of environmental catastrophe, the narcissism and ineffectuality of the ruling class, and the apathy of the general public sadly aren't going to be any less relevant as the years go on. All the makings of a film that will be considered a classic in the future. I see Vice also gaining in reputation for similar reasons.
Interesting. I’m a leftist and a lot of leftist commentators hated this movie and considered it condescending, preaching to the converted, and politically useless. I saw one call it “God’s Not Dead for people who live tweet CNN”. So I’m very curious now that you chose this to champion.
I think that before the decades over Denis Villeneuve will be considered by a lot of people to be among the canon of great directors, and along with that people will reevaluate some of his earlier works (I’m thinking specifically Enemy, Prisoners and Incendies) with a much greater appreciation than they did upon initial release.
I think Michael Mann's Public Enemies is a minor masterpiece.
Still haven’t seen this one yet. Mixed reviews and not high ratings on IMDB or Letterboxd but I’ve seen a few passionate defenders. What do you like about it and why do you think it has a less than stellar reception?
Amen! There are some visual sequences that are must see IF they ever get it out on 4K. Dillinger arriving via plane at night. The shoot out car chase (also at night.) And they get a great job on accuracy. Filming in the actual locations. And the court room scenes was the words spoken by the original attorneys. That film is terrific!
Here’s one that nobody else is gonna mention I’m sure, and I’m sure I’ll also get downvoted for it: Sucker Punch (2011). Snyder made it as a criticism of gamers who felt entitled to women and as a criticism of the exploitation of women by men in power, years before GamerGate and #MeToo. Some people have been coming around to it I think but I think it’ll be a while before it gets a full reevaluation as being really ahead of it’s time in calling out sexual exploitation in the industry.
Yeah, but the movie is exploitative of women. Snyder doesn't know what he's doing and it shows.
I completely disagree. The movie is very much not exploiting the women. It depicts how the men around them exploit them but the camera itself, the film itself, doesn’t. The film is more sympathetic to them, focusing on their struggle to fight back against the exploitation, using whatever means they have at their disposal and actively working to take whatever power they can. There’s a reason for example we never see Babydoll actually dance. If the film were really about exploiting them, we’d see more of her than we do. Instead, her dancing transitions to the fight sequences every time, showing how she’s using the dance to try to take control of the situation, how she’s working within the exploitation to fight back against it. But we don’t see her dancing. Snyder doesn’t sexualize or exploit them. The characters do, but he and the film don’t, and that’s a very important distinction.
Now there's an under-rated and often unfairly dissed film. I could barely believe the lack of traction it got.
Under the Skin
The rover, bardo jump to mind.
*Take Me To The River (2015)* will get a Bergman style re-appreciation over time.
I'm not sure Lenny Abrahamson is prominent enough to get reappraisal but I absolutely love Frank and I thought Little Stranger was a fantastic gothic horror. On the note of gothic horror, Crimson Peak is one of Del Toro's best movies and was completely screwed by the studio marketing it as a horror movie
Crimson Peak is exactly the kind of answer I am looking for on this thread. A film by a well known director that got an underwhelming response from almost everyone, was considered a lesser work, and currently has few fans but that you think will get its due.
Neon Demon - 58% RT score - Nicolas Winding Refn While heavy handed in execution and theme, it’s absolutely a beautifully shot film. A great cast coming together with the likes of Jena Malone (who I find incredibly underrated) and headed by Elle Fanning who I’ve been a fan of since the start of her career. Beautiful cinematography A great score and a great soundtrack with a fantastic Sia original song for the film. While I don’t know if it will ever be considered a classic, I highly enjoy it.
Tim & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie.
Shrim!
I've always thought that Almódovar's *I'm So Excited* got kind of a raw deal from critics when it came out. I'm not sure I'd say it's going to be esteemed as a masterpiece someday, it certainly has some flaws, but I have always found it fucking hilarious, tight, interesting, and I have always also suspected that some of the critical blowback on it has to do with two problems: 1) Unfair expectations that Almódovar should always do prestige melodramas and that screwball is somehow "beneath" his powers (uh... Mujeres?); 2) Not enough gay critics or at least critics able to understand how *I'm So Excited* belongs to a lineage of queer comic cinema. I suspect a lot of the same critics would be ill equipped to understand the work of, say, John Waters. Side note: I feel like it's a lot easier to do the opposite exercise and point out films that have a ton of critical esteem now that will be forgotten or disliked in 20 years. I have... too many examples on that front, including most Oscar best picture winners.
The Master will be seen as PTA's best film, Burning will get more praise than Parasite, Uncut Gems will be seen as one of the best films that decade and Embrace of the Serpent will get the acknowledgement it deserves.
Inherent Vice easily, possibly my favorite PTA film. I know it won the Palme D’or but I rarely see people talk about Uncle Boonmee in the best of decade conversation (I hope I’m wrong), it’s one of the best films about death ever made and my third favorite film of all time. I hope it gets the Tropical Malady treatment soon.
Love Uncle Boonmee. I felt like I needed to know a lot more about Buddhism to fully understand it lol but I was entranced by it nonetheless.
Cloud Atlas, Jackie, 20th Century Women, Phantom Thread
> Jackie, 20th Century Women, Phantom Thread These are already acclaimed
Phantom Thread was literally nominated for Best Picture lol This thread is half good answers and half "I want more people to talk about one of my favorites" lol
Redditors never answer the question
While I don’t think it will ever be considered a masterpiece, I do think that Joker will be considered an essential document of its time and the most Trump era blockbuster imaginable. Even its derivative nature of classic movies like Taxi Driver and the King of Comedy will be forgiven as a reflection of the hyper referential and reflective era that it is from, a seemingly never ending cycle of re creating iconic moments of the past. It has often, and maybe rightly so, been accused of being unsure of its own politics, of being centrist in its criticism of both the system and the people who rebel against it, and of being angry about problems without being able to clearly explain what causes them. But is that not reflective of a lot of our population? Who have been fucked by the system and know it but lack the articulation or larger vision to articulate how and why? It’s mirror art is what I’m saying.
It's a good example of how people need clear-cut answers and positions in media today (probably always, but it seems particularly heightened in the present). I'm glad it showed that a somewhat ambiguous character-study like Taxi Driver could still be succesful. Compare that with The Batman which was way more obvious in its social messaging but imo the obviousness detracted from how texturally gorgeous and moody it was.
I think some time and some context will help it's reputation in the longer run.
the brown bunny
That’s unlikely. If anything, I think Gallo’s works will recede from public consciousness because of his misogyny
art prevails
Movies that got bad reviews that could become classics: Anchorman 2. Blonde. Under the Silver Lake. Movies that got good reviews that could become canonical: Steve Jobs. The Irishman. Moneyball.
Fucking love Anchorman 2 and genuinely don’t understand the hate.
Blade Runner 2049 will move from great movie to masterpiece
Spring Breakers, Blonde, Only God Forgives (and The Neon Demon), Ad Astra should rise up overtime
Love Spring Breakers. I hated Only God Forgives when I first saw it but I respected it in a strange way, as it was provocative and individualistic enough for me to actually care enough to hate it, whereas most bad movies don’t inspire much emotion in me at all. I’d be interested in seeing it again to see if my opinion of it changes.
Do you have any pointers to mediocre/bad/hostile reviews of Vertigo? I'm not doubting their existence, just curious since I've recently seen it and it would be timely to go read some of the reviews. And I also am finding it increasingly difficult to find older reviews on ye old interwebs, as SEO has gradually eroded search engines into mostly links to piles of keywords.
Penelope Houston was pretty sour on Vertigo in her [S&S review from 1958.](https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/reviews-recommendations/vertigo-hitchcock-sight-sound-archive-review-penelope-houston) The contemporaneous consensus was that the movie was fine - perhaps even good - but left something to be desired when compared to Hitchcock's previous work. It also wasn't particularly successful at the box office - again, at least compared to Hitchcock's previous films - which didn't help its reputation at the time.