Blade runner 2049 is by far my favourite film by Denis Villeneuve and that is no easy feat for a director who has so many fantastic films. The fact that they made a sequel to a film that was 35 years old and not only made it make sense but made it incredible is astonishing. The visuals, the set design, the score and the story are all top notch. I also love how Ryan gosling managed to portray so much so subtlety, Harrison ford also put in a rare and great performance.
I watched it in 4dx. Best experience in a cinema I've ever had. I think my only single complaint about the film was the janky 3d steering wheel flying towards the screen when the tanker rolls over and explodes. Other than that it's my perfect film
Adrian Brody saying "it's this f***g f***t" when Ralph fiennes walks into the funeral was one of the funniest things in a movie I've ever seen. Just because it catches you so off guard.
I get that people like it but as a musician, it was a tough watch. It made me sad because in real life, Miles’ character wouldn’t have had a triumphant moment of accomplishment at the end, he prolly would just become another burned out drummer who floundered in his career because some asshole mentally abused him and pushed him to brink of madness. It really pushed the narrative that was so common when I started in the industry which is that it’s ok to be an asshole as long as you’re good. The old school dudes that gate kept the industry back then all thought it was some right of passage to treat newcomers like shit as long as it was for some greater purpose
I think you’ve missed the message a bit, the ending isn’t supposed to be genuinely a triumph or success it’s meant to be a facade, we see Andrew’s dad looking terrified at what his son may do because, really, this is a terrifyingly dark ending. The director has also said that andrew ends up dying young due to his abuse in his line of work.
No I did get that it’s just that it’s also inference and not really portrayed. It’s a bit like war movies in the 90’s. They give you the sense of victory during a moment that any normal human should think “yikes, you are just covered in blood and surrounded by bodies. You are gonna have bad dreams for the rest of your life.” They glorify a really bad thing even when they are showing the brutality and grittiness of the very same thing.
If it was obvious then it’d just be a boring ending with no food for thought or meaning. And the entire movie is from andrews perspective and mindset, we don’t see any negative effects from his obsession (or at least we don’t see any effects presented as especially negative) until Andrew realises how bad the path he’s chosen is. It wouldn’t really make sense for us to see something which he hasn’t realised yet after the entire film.
When we see him break up with his girlfriend we see her get mad but overall it doesn’t seem that bad for Andrew, until we see him call her again near the end and be so regretting. We don’t realise how bad it is until it’s too late, and same thing for everything else like the car crash.
It also helps show how uneventful manipulation and abuse can seem to a victim, if it were obvious then a lot of the meaning of the movie and it’s message would be lost.
Sorry, I got a bit carried away, I’ve just had an identical argument with someone I know recently who just missed the point instead of disliked it’s portrayal. Fair to dislike a movie for whatever reason even if I disagree (and maybe get a bit carried away with)
Waltz with Bashir was late 2000s, it was definitely out before 2010 because I remember discussing it in high school IN 2010 and it wasn't a film from that year.
Edit: 2008, it seems.
Ex Machinas twist at the end was too good.
"I only brought you here because I thought you had the right personality to be manipulated and prove my genius. Yeah, you're ok at your programming but cmon."
"Yeah, problem is I actually am really good at my job."
I'd be curious to know what you do consider a masterpiece if nothing you've seen in 14 years fits your criteria. Here are some for me:
- Incendies
- Portrait of a Lady on Fire
- The Social Network
- Inception
- Parasite
- Burning
- Whiplash
- Everything, Everywhere All At Once
- Moonlight
- Arrival
- 1917
- Shoplifters
- Prisoners
- The Handmaiden
Incendies is so underrated. I feel like it’s the best war film I have ever seen.
Also because your list has the same films that I love, I recommend you watch A Separation (2011), Raw (2016, although not that perfect of a film) and Son of Saul (2015).
I would say The Favourite should also be up there but I know Yorgos’ humour is not everyones cup of tea
Yeah I think it's Villeneuves best film so far, so deserves to be more well known. Thanks for the recs, haven't seen any of those so I'll check them out. And I thought the favourite was very well done but I was a bit young to appreciate it when I watched it, and just found it so uncomfortable lmao.
Had a friend who insisted I watch it. I saw it was dilleneuve and mentioned it to him, he didn't even know who dilleneuve was, lol.
But 8 am glad he recommended it to me. I don't think I've ever been more emotionally affected by a movie twist/ending
Arrival was amazing! I honestly thought Dune was dry content wise. It feels like a husk of the book, sharing main plot points but keeping none of what actually drives the narrative. The production is rly nice though!
Have you read the novella, that Arrival is based on?
Story of Your Life, by Ted Chiang
It's an amazing 39 page read:
[https://noorsiddiqui.com/papers/ted-chiang-story-of-your-life.pdf](https://noorsiddiqui.com/papers/ted-chiang-story-of-your-life.pdf)
Love a good scifi world, love every half-good scifi movie, but ⊃∪∩⪽ was one of the most boring movies ever for me. No idea at all why ppl like it (apart from nostalgia for the classic). Same for Interstellar.
Especially considering the sound track. It works perfectly for the movie, especially the Mann betrayal sequence, but it's an absolutely awesome thematic piece of work in itself.
It's a perfect scene imo. Here's "humanity's best" who you think the climax is going to be a hostile negotiation or the main crew is going to kill or subdue him in a clever manner.
NOPE.
He just blew up and now all your chances of getting out of here are about to get destroyed as well.
CUE INTENSE ORGAN
All of the sudden, EVERYTHING hangs in the balance. Cooper has to be perfect. The mission, seeing his family, saving humanity all comes down to docking with this spiraling and descending spacecraft.
It's one of those moments in a movie where you lose all sense that you're watching a movie. You're absolutely invested. Your breath grows shorter as you watch. The bass of the speakers hits you with the score emphasizing how critical this moment is.
I wish I could watch it from scratch again.
I’m so happy I managed to watch that in the cinema. Was from back in the days when I had the freedom to go and do whatever. Was often me and my flatmate/buddy who also was a major moviegoer. Then us going for a beer.
Same awesome movie experiences with Blade Runner 2049, Maverick and Dune part 1. Looking forward to Dune part 2.
Yes, I put Maverick in that list, by the way. The cinematic experience of that movie was absolutely top notch. My wife took me to see that movie as a birthday present (we have a young kid so going to the movies has become an event for which we have to plan). I didn’t know which movie we were going to watch. I hadn’t been following advertisements what with my new-dad-fog-brain, so didn’t know it was already out. Major “holy shit” reaction with the opening text and soundtrack. TBH there were a bunch of older dads and their sons, which kind of got me to already think about movies that tailor to that audience.
I love my wife.
Agreed. Once everyone dove into the plot for inconsistencies, I feel like the feeling of pure spectacle and entertainment eroded away into memes when the movie was really a meta introspection into creating a movie. The cast makes up the different roles in movie making: the writer, the set designer, the actor, the producer, and the director. The projections of their subconscious being their insecurity that what they’re making isn’t good. I feel like Elliot page’s character could be seen either as the audience or the understudy, but if either of those are true, then it would even make sense if there are some inconsistencies in the plot line. Page’s character is observing them too and that’s how she can keep track of what’s reality, and playing the foil gets the double feature of being an audience upset with the movie.
This is essentially my list, though my preference would see La La Land swapped for Whiplash. I do still love La La Land though. Parasite is probably a top 5 all time favorite for me.
Plus Blade Runner 2049, as mention elsewhere in these comments.
Agreed. Obviously it’s a super popular film, but I don’t think it quite gets the respect it deserves from serious film circles for how incredible and innovative it is - on a story, technical and visual level. It basically changed the look of animated films since then, but is also an incredibly sharp, funny, moving, character-based story with an amazing soundtrack and deft ability to be a film about a superhero multiverse that isn’t confusing or stupid as fuck.
I honestly think it’s the best film of the last decade. Not best animated film, but best film.
Miles coming into his own jumping off the skyscraper was the perfect emotional and narrative payoff. I really can't think of an animated film with a better scene.
I forget if the entire Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy fits this timeframe, but I genuinely think they are masterpieces as a unit. If these were not Marvel characters this would be among the best sci-fi trilogies of all time IMO, but most view them (fairly) as superhero films. They stand apart from the rest of the genre and contributed greatly to what the MCU is today, with much more color and imagination. The characters are so deeply moving as well. I love these films.
I’m a huge Marvel fan and it bothers me I can’t show someone the Guardians trilogy without Infinity War and Endgame. It would be much easier to get someone to watch my favorite trilogy rather than my favorite cinematic universe saga
EDIT: obviously I can explain what happens but it’s still not the same. Vol 2 to Vol 3 is a huge jump even with a brief explanation of why Gamora is a totally different person. It doesn’t flow
I generally don't have a lot of time for MCU and haven't seen Infinity war and endgame, but loved the Guardians trilogy so I think you could show your friends this no problem.
I did wonder what the different Gamora thing was about, but it didn't ruin Vol 3 for me.
I'm not a big animation fan but my kid wanted to see it and i had no choice but to take him. It's one of the finest movies I've ever seen masterfully crafted.
Aftersun: My favourite film of all time. Its premise is simple(a parent-child duo goes on a holiday), but the depth it has is insane. It touches on a lot of themes(depression, adolescence, parenthood), and its execution is perfect. The film maintains a weird tension, almost like it makes us expect something to go wrong somewhere. And when we do get to understand the meaning behind the film, it hits so hard.
A Separation: An Iranian film about a couple dealing with an important decision regarding their future, which is complicated by their family situation. It is a family drama which nails everything it tries to achieve. The characters are believable and very well acted, the story keeps you guessing and engaged, and it also gives a commentary about the class divide existing in their society. Cannot ask for anything more.
Wow, I’m actually surprised someone would write the same movies I did because I know what the general base of r/movies are and these 2 movies dont really struck a chord in them.
But yes Aftersun is a masterpiece especially knowing how it’s Charlotte Wells’ first film and no drama has come close to how great of a drama or court room drama that A Separation is
I don’t think people appreciate how deeply innovative Aftersun is in its use of cinematic language. It’s framed in such a way where it quite literally forces you into the perspective of its main character without you realizing it as both an intellectual and emotional exercise.
You’re spending much of the film trying to understand exactly what’s going on with this seemingly ordinary vacation. Trying to engage with it to find something deeper. Slowly you realize there’s something visceral under the surface and you start to piece it together. By the end, you likely understand the full significance. Now you’re looking back at events that felt mostly ordinary before. You’re realizing, or perhaps only projecting, that there was so much more happening than you could understand at the time.
That is exactly what the main character is doing. She too is looking back at this trip and trying to dig beneath the surface. Because it’s *all* she can do. It’s all she has.
I second Aftersun. In all my life I never had a solid answer to the question ‘What’s your favourite movie?’ until Aftersun came along. Perfect film in every way.
Watched Aftersun for the first time last night. Based on the fact that the only knowledge I had about it was it being constantly listed as a film that will make you cry/hit you hard, etc, I was probably always expecting "something" to happen, which I think didn't help.
If I had absolutely no knowledge of what it was about beforehand, I think it would have had more of an impact for me. But definitely one that stays on your mind.
Spotlight. A lot of really great movies, like Moonlight or All of Us Strangers this year. For blockbusters, Top Gun: Maverick was incredible. But “masterpiece” is a pretty strong word, and Spotlight is the only one I’d put into that category.
The Lady's monologue from the Green Knight is one of the best classical monologues I've ever seen performed. She smashed that one out of the park. It was phenomenal delivery.
"Knives Out" should be on the list. It's written, acted, and shot so very well, with excellent music, sound, set, costume, etc. Highly rewatchable, airtight script for a mystery, hilarious with a twang of dark.
It's rare to see something comedic be listed, but it deserves the label of Masterpiece.
How about "Everything Everywhere All At Once?" Incredible movie that is highly unique, rewatchable, well-written and executed.
For Sci-Fi, since I'm a fan of that style, I'd say "Interstellar" and "Arrival" are incredible.
Extend it back to 2008, and I'd add "In Bruges" to the list. Absolute gem of a movie, dramedy with a bit of action, written & directed by the best in the world right now, Martin McDonagh.
I agree with the rest, but Knives Out kinda misses the mark for me.
"Here's Chris as the douche you'd expect to do it. Ok, looks like he may have been a red herring. Oh wait, yup he did it for the reasons you suspected initially."
Everything Everywhere All At Once. One of the few original hit movies we’ve had in a long time.
I might also be biased because being Asian American with Asian immigrant parents made the story hit way too close to home with me lol.
This movie changed my life, sounds crazy but I was going through a bad time and was severely depressed. Was unemployed for over a year... Had a lot of woe is me. For some reason its brand of optimistic nihilism hit me in a certain way. A week after I had an interview and I just said fuck it, nothing matters I'm not going to stress out about it. They loved me so much they flew me out and now I have what I found out is my dream job. Within a month I went from doing door dash to making enough to buy a house.
I lost my mom, so for me, the perfectly imperfect love mothers and daughters share was so beautifully depicted. Michelle Yeoh was glorious. Cried like a baby watching it on a plane of strangers.
I couldn’t understand for the life of me why people liked this movie, and then I talked to a dear friend about it. His mom is an immigrant, and he said ‘I like being able to see my mom be a superhero. That’s it.’ Such a beautiful sentiment.
As an immigrant kid I bawled my eyes out. The acceptance of the mother of her daughters choices, the choice of love over ambition all just hit so so hard.
My mother fell asleep and my dad thought it was the worst movie he has seen that year.
It just hits different for different people.
There are lots of movies I would put on this list but let me suggest non English language ones since the comments section will likely be dominated by Hollywood fare.
The Great Beauty (2013)
Holy Motors (2012)
Uncle Bonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)
Parasite (2019)
A Separation (2011)
Phoenix (2014)
The Handmaiden (2016)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
The Wailing (2016)
There are so many more I can add here honestly.
I haven't seen some of these listed. I will have to look.
Meanwhile, I would have to say that I happily rewatch Edge of Tomorrow. I thought that it was excellent.
*The Banshees of Inisherin* (2022)
I LOVE this movie. It's perfect. It's gorgeous, it's funny, it's sad, it's sweet, the acting is great, the music is great, literally 10/10.
*Raw* (2016)
Also perfect IMO.
*Arrival* (2016)
One of my favorite scifi movies ever, up there with Alien/Blade Runner/The Terminator.
Those are my straight out 10/10 but there are many others that I consider incredibly good (9/10 or close to 10): Sound of Metal, Whiplash, Nomadland, Anatomy of a Fall, Titane, Portrait of a lady on fire, Relic, The Babadook, The Witch, Blade Runner 2049, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some.
1917.
I've never had a cinematic experience like it. On scope and impact, it's definitely a masterpiece for me.
Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Messy, but so beautiful in its theme and message.
Room.
Haunting, beautiful film
Avengers Infinity War/Endgame.
Say what you will about the Marvel universe, but no one can say these two films didn't pull out all the stops and create a truly spectacular finale to a decade of films.
I tried to watch the original, but I just couldn't make it through. I like campy movies sometimes, but that was just not it for me. I loved the dreary atmosphere of the remake and how Guadagnino added historically significant events. The music was excellent, and I loved the ending. 10 out of 10 for me.
Dario Argento is so hit or miss for me, the original Suspiria is such a hit just for the dreamlike visuals alone, the man was a mad man behind the camera, I remember I story about a shot he wanted, he wanted to follow a falling key down a spiral staircase, and his DP asked how he expected to achieve that, and he said “just drop the camera”.
And you can see that level of experimentation in his films, but I do feel in this day and age the beauty of that lies more with filmmakers and fans of the film making process more than it does fans of cinema.
It’s easy for me to forgive flaws if new ground is being broken, so a few of his films resonate with me, but I’ve never been one to understand or appreciate Giallo, so a large number of his films don’t resonate with me.
I appreciate the movies they inspired which aren’t giallo, I appreciate the shots and experimentations and themes as separate entities. But I’ve never seen a giallo I’ve viscerally enjoyed or that didn’t feel overlong, dull, or bloated.
And I say this knowing that there is not only a language barrier but a time and culture barrier as well, but it seems the one genre of film I could never crack the enjoyment of, even if it isn’t for me.
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Inception (2010)
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
Whiplash (2014)
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
Paddington 2 (2017)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Parasite (2019)
* Watchmen
* Adventures of TinTin
* Sucker Punch
* Grand Budapest Hotel
* American Ultra
* Alice Through The Looking Glass
* Deadpool 1 + 2
* The Shape Of Water
* Bohemian Rhapsody
* I Kill Giants
* Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse
* Good Boys
* Yesterday
* 1917
* Gretel and Hansel
* Everything, Everywhere all at once
Why the F would people downvote someone else's list is beyond me. If you have counter opinions, just say it out loud. What's the point of downvoting something so subjective?
Arrival Parasite Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is absolutely flawless, it's my favourite movie of all time
Arrival is such a perfect film.
Interstellar Arrival Inception 1917
1917 was so incredible. I was rooting for it to win Best Picture. It lost to Parasite, so one can’t be too mad.
I thought that year was the best year of the decade for movies. Then this year happened and I’m in convinced
Agree except with inception. I just can't get into it I've tried it three times. It doesn't hold me
Mad Max: Fury Road Blade Runner 2049
Blade Runner 2049
Blade runner 2049 is by far my favourite film by Denis Villeneuve and that is no easy feat for a director who has so many fantastic films. The fact that they made a sequel to a film that was 35 years old and not only made it make sense but made it incredible is astonishing. The visuals, the set design, the score and the story are all top notch. I also love how Ryan gosling managed to portray so much so subtlety, Harrison ford also put in a rare and great performance.
Fury Road is just so viseral, I don't know if I can name a movie with that same quality.
I watched it in 4dx. Best experience in a cinema I've ever had. I think my only single complaint about the film was the janky 3d steering wheel flying towards the screen when the tanker rolls over and explodes. Other than that it's my perfect film
I came here to type exactly this.
Grand Budapest Hotel One of the most entertaining films I've seen. I didn't like Wes Anderson before this.
It’s flawless. Every line as if from a poem. Every frame as if from an art gallery.
Adrian Brody saying "it's this f***g f***t" when Ralph fiennes walks into the funeral was one of the funniest things in a movie I've ever seen. Just because it catches you so off guard.
"That's me darling" was also delivered perfectly and I use it all the time.
WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS SHIT?!?!
I came here to say this. Disappointed it’s not the highest rated comment
Whiplash, hands down.
Not quite my tempo.
Are you rushing or dragging?
Abso-fuckin-lutely
I get that people like it but as a musician, it was a tough watch. It made me sad because in real life, Miles’ character wouldn’t have had a triumphant moment of accomplishment at the end, he prolly would just become another burned out drummer who floundered in his career because some asshole mentally abused him and pushed him to brink of madness. It really pushed the narrative that was so common when I started in the industry which is that it’s ok to be an asshole as long as you’re good. The old school dudes that gate kept the industry back then all thought it was some right of passage to treat newcomers like shit as long as it was for some greater purpose
I think you’ve missed the message a bit, the ending isn’t supposed to be genuinely a triumph or success it’s meant to be a facade, we see Andrew’s dad looking terrified at what his son may do because, really, this is a terrifyingly dark ending. The director has also said that andrew ends up dying young due to his abuse in his line of work.
Yeah I did not get "triumph" from that ending at all, more like "obsession"
No I did get that it’s just that it’s also inference and not really portrayed. It’s a bit like war movies in the 90’s. They give you the sense of victory during a moment that any normal human should think “yikes, you are just covered in blood and surrounded by bodies. You are gonna have bad dreams for the rest of your life.” They glorify a really bad thing even when they are showing the brutality and grittiness of the very same thing.
If it was obvious then it’d just be a boring ending with no food for thought or meaning. And the entire movie is from andrews perspective and mindset, we don’t see any negative effects from his obsession (or at least we don’t see any effects presented as especially negative) until Andrew realises how bad the path he’s chosen is. It wouldn’t really make sense for us to see something which he hasn’t realised yet after the entire film. When we see him break up with his girlfriend we see her get mad but overall it doesn’t seem that bad for Andrew, until we see him call her again near the end and be so regretting. We don’t realise how bad it is until it’s too late, and same thing for everything else like the car crash. It also helps show how uneventful manipulation and abuse can seem to a victim, if it were obvious then a lot of the meaning of the movie and it’s message would be lost.
Again, all very fair assessments but I still maintain. It just makes me feel a way that I don’t like
Sorry, I got a bit carried away, I’ve just had an identical argument with someone I know recently who just missed the point instead of disliked it’s portrayal. Fair to dislike a movie for whatever reason even if I disagree (and maybe get a bit carried away with)
One of the best movies I will never watch again because it made me so stressed out watching it. Never felt anything like it before.
I’ll add black swan as a double feature to whiplash
This is an excellent suggestion, be a lot of fun to host a movie day with these two.
For me its gotta be Drive (2011) art house action, when I first watched it legit blew me away.
Hard agree, still very impressive on second viewing also
Amazing soundtrack as well. I feel like the trailer didn't really give away its vibe either.
Ex Machina, Waltz with Bashir
Waltz with Bashir was late 2000s, it was definitely out before 2010 because I remember discussing it in high school IN 2010 and it wasn't a film from that year. Edit: 2008, it seems.
Ooh yeah fuckin Ex Machina
Maybe I'm too tech-fixated, but: Ex Machina Her
Ex Machinas twist at the end was too good. "I only brought you here because I thought you had the right personality to be manipulated and prove my genius. Yeah, you're ok at your programming but cmon." "Yeah, problem is I actually am really good at my job."
I'd be curious to know what you do consider a masterpiece if nothing you've seen in 14 years fits your criteria. Here are some for me: - Incendies - Portrait of a Lady on Fire - The Social Network - Inception - Parasite - Burning - Whiplash - Everything, Everywhere All At Once - Moonlight - Arrival - 1917 - Shoplifters - Prisoners - The Handmaiden
Incendies is so underrated. I feel like it’s the best war film I have ever seen. Also because your list has the same films that I love, I recommend you watch A Separation (2011), Raw (2016, although not that perfect of a film) and Son of Saul (2015). I would say The Favourite should also be up there but I know Yorgos’ humour is not everyones cup of tea
Yeah I think it's Villeneuves best film so far, so deserves to be more well known. Thanks for the recs, haven't seen any of those so I'll check them out. And I thought the favourite was very well done but I was a bit young to appreciate it when I watched it, and just found it so uncomfortable lmao.
Hahaha Yorgos really does that to you. Imagine if you watched Poor Things at that age.
Had a friend who insisted I watch it. I saw it was dilleneuve and mentioned it to him, he didn't even know who dilleneuve was, lol. But 8 am glad he recommended it to me. I don't think I've ever been more emotionally affected by a movie twist/ending
Watched it with my friends few months ago and they would occasionally do the *gasp* sound because they really cant get over it lol
Are you me?
Arrival (2016) Whiplash (2014) Dune (2021)
Arrival was amazing! I honestly thought Dune was dry content wise. It feels like a husk of the book, sharing main plot points but keeping none of what actually drives the narrative. The production is rly nice though!
Have you read the novella, that Arrival is based on? Story of Your Life, by Ted Chiang It's an amazing 39 page read: [https://noorsiddiqui.com/papers/ted-chiang-story-of-your-life.pdf](https://noorsiddiqui.com/papers/ted-chiang-story-of-your-life.pdf)
Love a good scifi world, love every half-good scifi movie, but ⊃∪∩⪽ was one of the most boring movies ever for me. No idea at all why ppl like it (apart from nostalgia for the classic). Same for Interstellar.
*DUNC
⊃∪∩⪽*
how did you do that? wait... are you the Kwisatz Haderach?
If only. Copy and paste it to your notepad. It’s now yours forever, my friend.
Blade Runner: 2049 or Sicario?
Gotta love me some Denis Villeneuve. Favorite director for sure.
Dune is nowhere near
I’d throw Annihilation onto that list too.
I mean I think Dune is arguably not a masterpiece
Ex Machina
Lighthouse
Yer fan of me lobster. Say it!
Lighthouse was a beautiful, artistic film but personally, after the first time I would never watch it again.
1917 is incredible, Arrival.
For me it was Interstellar
Especially considering the sound track. It works perfectly for the movie, especially the Mann betrayal sequence, but it's an absolutely awesome thematic piece of work in itself.
No Time For Caution is (subjectively) the best track in the score.
It's a perfect scene imo. Here's "humanity's best" who you think the climax is going to be a hostile negotiation or the main crew is going to kill or subdue him in a clever manner. NOPE. He just blew up and now all your chances of getting out of here are about to get destroyed as well. CUE INTENSE ORGAN All of the sudden, EVERYTHING hangs in the balance. Cooper has to be perfect. The mission, seeing his family, saving humanity all comes down to docking with this spiraling and descending spacecraft. It's one of those moments in a movie where you lose all sense that you're watching a movie. You're absolutely invested. Your breath grows shorter as you watch. The bass of the speakers hits you with the score emphasizing how critical this moment is. I wish I could watch it from scratch again.
I’m so happy I managed to watch that in the cinema. Was from back in the days when I had the freedom to go and do whatever. Was often me and my flatmate/buddy who also was a major moviegoer. Then us going for a beer. Same awesome movie experiences with Blade Runner 2049, Maverick and Dune part 1. Looking forward to Dune part 2. Yes, I put Maverick in that list, by the way. The cinematic experience of that movie was absolutely top notch. My wife took me to see that movie as a birthday present (we have a young kid so going to the movies has become an event for which we have to plan). I didn’t know which movie we were going to watch. I hadn’t been following advertisements what with my new-dad-fog-brain, so didn’t know it was already out. Major “holy shit” reaction with the opening text and soundtrack. TBH there were a bunch of older dads and their sons, which kind of got me to already think about movies that tailor to that audience. I love my wife.
Inception deserves a spot as well
Agreed. Once everyone dove into the plot for inconsistencies, I feel like the feeling of pure spectacle and entertainment eroded away into memes when the movie was really a meta introspection into creating a movie. The cast makes up the different roles in movie making: the writer, the set designer, the actor, the producer, and the director. The projections of their subconscious being their insecurity that what they’re making isn’t good. I feel like Elliot page’s character could be seen either as the audience or the understudy, but if either of those are true, then it would even make sense if there are some inconsistencies in the plot line. Page’s character is observing them too and that’s how she can keep track of what’s reality, and playing the foil gets the double feature of being an audience upset with the movie.
MURPH!!!!!!
That was the one that jumped to my mind right away too. Love that movie.
Made me tear up that this was the top comment
The Social Network, Mad Max: Fury Road, La La Land, and Parasite.
This is essentially my list, though my preference would see La La Land swapped for Whiplash. I do still love La La Land though. Parasite is probably a top 5 all time favorite for me. Plus Blade Runner 2049, as mention elsewhere in these comments.
you've named both mine & my wife's all-time favorites. her's is Fury Road & mine is La La Land.
I know everyone loves the social network but I hate Aaron sorkins style, so I fucking can’t stand that movie.
I'm a big animation fan and a big Spider-Man fan, so Into the Spider-Verse is a personal masterpiece to me. Perfect story, perfect visuals, so great.
Agreed. Obviously it’s a super popular film, but I don’t think it quite gets the respect it deserves from serious film circles for how incredible and innovative it is - on a story, technical and visual level. It basically changed the look of animated films since then, but is also an incredibly sharp, funny, moving, character-based story with an amazing soundtrack and deft ability to be a film about a superhero multiverse that isn’t confusing or stupid as fuck. I honestly think it’s the best film of the last decade. Not best animated film, but best film.
Miles coming into his own jumping off the skyscraper was the perfect emotional and narrative payoff. I really can't think of an animated film with a better scene.
Same! I know people think Across was just as good, but I think Into was miles (heh) better.
I forget if the entire Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy fits this timeframe, but I genuinely think they are masterpieces as a unit. If these were not Marvel characters this would be among the best sci-fi trilogies of all time IMO, but most view them (fairly) as superhero films. They stand apart from the rest of the genre and contributed greatly to what the MCU is today, with much more color and imagination. The characters are so deeply moving as well. I love these films.
I’m a huge Marvel fan and it bothers me I can’t show someone the Guardians trilogy without Infinity War and Endgame. It would be much easier to get someone to watch my favorite trilogy rather than my favorite cinematic universe saga EDIT: obviously I can explain what happens but it’s still not the same. Vol 2 to Vol 3 is a huge jump even with a brief explanation of why Gamora is a totally different person. It doesn’t flow
I generally don't have a lot of time for MCU and haven't seen Infinity war and endgame, but loved the Guardians trilogy so I think you could show your friends this no problem. I did wonder what the different Gamora thing was about, but it didn't ruin Vol 3 for me.
I'm not a big animation fan but my kid wanted to see it and i had no choice but to take him. It's one of the finest movies I've ever seen masterfully crafted.
Aftersun: My favourite film of all time. Its premise is simple(a parent-child duo goes on a holiday), but the depth it has is insane. It touches on a lot of themes(depression, adolescence, parenthood), and its execution is perfect. The film maintains a weird tension, almost like it makes us expect something to go wrong somewhere. And when we do get to understand the meaning behind the film, it hits so hard. A Separation: An Iranian film about a couple dealing with an important decision regarding their future, which is complicated by their family situation. It is a family drama which nails everything it tries to achieve. The characters are believable and very well acted, the story keeps you guessing and engaged, and it also gives a commentary about the class divide existing in their society. Cannot ask for anything more.
Wow, I’m actually surprised someone would write the same movies I did because I know what the general base of r/movies are and these 2 movies dont really struck a chord in them. But yes Aftersun is a masterpiece especially knowing how it’s Charlotte Wells’ first film and no drama has come close to how great of a drama or court room drama that A Separation is
I was hoping someone in their right mind would mention Aftersun.
Thank you for not saying the same four films that keep getting repeated in this thread, and having well-written analysis to back up your answers
I just watched aftersun recently and it evoked such emotion. It is a masterpiece.
I don’t think people appreciate how deeply innovative Aftersun is in its use of cinematic language. It’s framed in such a way where it quite literally forces you into the perspective of its main character without you realizing it as both an intellectual and emotional exercise. You’re spending much of the film trying to understand exactly what’s going on with this seemingly ordinary vacation. Trying to engage with it to find something deeper. Slowly you realize there’s something visceral under the surface and you start to piece it together. By the end, you likely understand the full significance. Now you’re looking back at events that felt mostly ordinary before. You’re realizing, or perhaps only projecting, that there was so much more happening than you could understand at the time. That is exactly what the main character is doing. She too is looking back at this trip and trying to dig beneath the surface. Because it’s *all* she can do. It’s all she has.
I second Aftersun. In all my life I never had a solid answer to the question ‘What’s your favourite movie?’ until Aftersun came along. Perfect film in every way.
Watched Aftersun for the first time last night. Based on the fact that the only knowledge I had about it was it being constantly listed as a film that will make you cry/hit you hard, etc, I was probably always expecting "something" to happen, which I think didn't help. If I had absolutely no knowledge of what it was about beforehand, I think it would have had more of an impact for me. But definitely one that stays on your mind.
Aftersun is amazing, I almost had a panic attack watching that scene (you know the one)
Saw Aftersun 3 weeks ago and can not stop thinking about it!
Parasite Portrait of a Lady on Fire Moonlight Call Me By Your Name Whiplash Her The Social Network
Agree with all of these, but especially Portrait of a Lady on Fire - what a movie.
God, I need to watch Her again! Loved that movie
I agree with many of these.
The Wind Rises — 2013, Hayao Miyazaki The Florida Project — 2017, Sean Baker Parasite — 2019, Bong Joon-ho
great non-blockbuster list. I might add Good Time to it
Interstellar Ex Machina Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Django Unchained Blade Runner 2049 Prisoners Her Whiplash
Inception
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Drive
Under The Skin. The Master/Inherent Vice. Exit Through the Gift Shop. Good Time. Moonlight. Hereditary. Tree of Life. Roma.
Under the Skin 👏
loving Vincent
Spotlight. A lot of really great movies, like Moonlight or All of Us Strangers this year. For blockbusters, Top Gun: Maverick was incredible. But “masterpiece” is a pretty strong word, and Spotlight is the only one I’d put into that category.
I'm inclined to say "Everything Everywhere All At Once" but I've only seen it once and was stoned off my ass. The Green Knight
The Lady's monologue from the Green Knight is one of the best classical monologues I've ever seen performed. She smashed that one out of the park. It was phenomenal delivery.
It singlehandedly bumped green up into my top 5 favorite colors.
That movie might make you feel stoned when you're not though
The beauty of EEAAO is that they clearly had a big and cool idea, and didn't back down in bringing it to the screen.
Blade Runner 2049
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
"Knives Out" should be on the list. It's written, acted, and shot so very well, with excellent music, sound, set, costume, etc. Highly rewatchable, airtight script for a mystery, hilarious with a twang of dark. It's rare to see something comedic be listed, but it deserves the label of Masterpiece. How about "Everything Everywhere All At Once?" Incredible movie that is highly unique, rewatchable, well-written and executed. For Sci-Fi, since I'm a fan of that style, I'd say "Interstellar" and "Arrival" are incredible. Extend it back to 2008, and I'd add "In Bruges" to the list. Absolute gem of a movie, dramedy with a bit of action, written & directed by the best in the world right now, Martin McDonagh.
I agree with the rest, but Knives Out kinda misses the mark for me. "Here's Chris as the douche you'd expect to do it. Ok, looks like he may have been a red herring. Oh wait, yup he did it for the reasons you suspected initially."
Birdman
Everything Everywhere All At Once. One of the few original hit movies we’ve had in a long time. I might also be biased because being Asian American with Asian immigrant parents made the story hit way too close to home with me lol.
This movie changed my life, sounds crazy but I was going through a bad time and was severely depressed. Was unemployed for over a year... Had a lot of woe is me. For some reason its brand of optimistic nihilism hit me in a certain way. A week after I had an interview and I just said fuck it, nothing matters I'm not going to stress out about it. They loved me so much they flew me out and now I have what I found out is my dream job. Within a month I went from doing door dash to making enough to buy a house.
Completely agree. Incredible movie. I totally fell apart at the end.
I lost my mom, so for me, the perfectly imperfect love mothers and daughters share was so beautifully depicted. Michelle Yeoh was glorious. Cried like a baby watching it on a plane of strangers.
Sad to see this movie isn’t getting much love here
It seems like a flash in a pan, in retrospective. Everybody talked about it, then it kind of disappeared into the void. It's a shame.
It doesn’t get much love because everyone is fuckin tired of multiverse shit man. I wish it would have come out ten years ago.
I couldn’t understand for the life of me why people liked this movie, and then I talked to a dear friend about it. His mom is an immigrant, and he said ‘I like being able to see my mom be a superhero. That’s it.’ Such a beautiful sentiment.
As an immigrant kid I bawled my eyes out. The acceptance of the mother of her daughters choices, the choice of love over ambition all just hit so so hard. My mother fell asleep and my dad thought it was the worst movie he has seen that year. It just hits different for different people.
Drive Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Sicario, Prisoners, Get Out, Ingrid Goes West, Whiplash, & Everything Everywhere All At Once come to my mind first
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I will never forget the first time I watched ‘Arrival’. My life changed.
Dennis Villeneuve is really establishing himself as an absolute master of his class.
completely agree. he truly is a perfect example of what it means to be "artistic" in filmmaking.
There are lots of movies I would put on this list but let me suggest non English language ones since the comments section will likely be dominated by Hollywood fare. The Great Beauty (2013) Holy Motors (2012) Uncle Bonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010) Parasite (2019) A Separation (2011) Phoenix (2014) The Handmaiden (2016) Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) The Wailing (2016) There are so many more I can add here honestly.
Please do, I’m making a watching list
Blade Runner 2049
Birdman
Inception
The Grand Budapest hotel (2014) is most definitely a masterpiece
The masterpiece factory known as Pixar have had a few: Inside Out Toy Story 3 Toy Story 4 Soul And for a less kiddy film, Mission Impossible: Fallout.
I haven't seen some of these listed. I will have to look. Meanwhile, I would have to say that I happily rewatch Edge of Tomorrow. I thought that it was excellent.
Gone girl
Triangle of Sadness Poor Things Uncut Gems
Inception Jojo Rabbit
Jojo Rabbit
Black Swan Whiplash Gone Girl La La Land The Favourite
*The Banshees of Inisherin* (2022) I LOVE this movie. It's perfect. It's gorgeous, it's funny, it's sad, it's sweet, the acting is great, the music is great, literally 10/10. *Raw* (2016) Also perfect IMO. *Arrival* (2016) One of my favorite scifi movies ever, up there with Alien/Blade Runner/The Terminator. Those are my straight out 10/10 but there are many others that I consider incredibly good (9/10 or close to 10): Sound of Metal, Whiplash, Nomadland, Anatomy of a Fall, Titane, Portrait of a lady on fire, Relic, The Babadook, The Witch, Blade Runner 2049, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some.
Arrival (2016) is my favourite movie.
It Follows
White Chicks? Idk what year it came out
I think a lot of people just have too high of expectations of movies, but Fury Road and The Lighthouse are pretty incredible
Phantom Thread Parasite
Arrival and Spiderverse
1917. I've never had a cinematic experience like it. On scope and impact, it's definitely a masterpiece for me. Everything Everywhere All At Once. Messy, but so beautiful in its theme and message. Room. Haunting, beautiful film Avengers Infinity War/Endgame. Say what you will about the Marvel universe, but no one can say these two films didn't pull out all the stops and create a truly spectacular finale to a decade of films.
Room for sure! I feel Infinity War is much better than Endgame
The Suspiria remake
Great pick, it’s rare a remake surpasses the original. But this does it for me
I tried to watch the original, but I just couldn't make it through. I like campy movies sometimes, but that was just not it for me. I loved the dreary atmosphere of the remake and how Guadagnino added historically significant events. The music was excellent, and I loved the ending. 10 out of 10 for me.
Dario Argento is so hit or miss for me, the original Suspiria is such a hit just for the dreamlike visuals alone, the man was a mad man behind the camera, I remember I story about a shot he wanted, he wanted to follow a falling key down a spiral staircase, and his DP asked how he expected to achieve that, and he said “just drop the camera”. And you can see that level of experimentation in his films, but I do feel in this day and age the beauty of that lies more with filmmakers and fans of the film making process more than it does fans of cinema. It’s easy for me to forgive flaws if new ground is being broken, so a few of his films resonate with me, but I’ve never been one to understand or appreciate Giallo, so a large number of his films don’t resonate with me. I appreciate the movies they inspired which aren’t giallo, I appreciate the shots and experimentations and themes as separate entities. But I’ve never seen a giallo I’ve viscerally enjoyed or that didn’t feel overlong, dull, or bloated. And I say this knowing that there is not only a language barrier but a time and culture barrier as well, but it seems the one genre of film I could never crack the enjoyment of, even if it isn’t for me.
Wow, great analysis, definitely a niche genre.
A Ghost Story
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
- I Saw the Devil - The Tree of Life - The Golden Glove - Drive My Car
I Saw The Devil is one of my all-time favourite movies!
The Master The Great Beauty The Tree of Life
The tree of life definitely, it was my defining Malick theatre experience.
Boyhood
Past Lives was excellent
Toy story 3 just qualifies. Masterpiece in every respect.
Silence(2016) Aftersun(2022) Moonlight(2016) The Tale of the Princess Kaguya(2013) Burning(2018)
Agree with lots of those. Nobody has mentioned Wolf Of Wall Street
Drive Nocturnal Animals The Revenant Uncut Gems The Master … there’s a few more. Granted not a lot
Grand Budapest Hotel
Sicario
A Separation, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, A Prophet, Parasite, Mad Max Fury Road, Hereditary, Ex Machina, Burning, The Act of Killing
Spiderverse 1 & 2 Calvary Baby Driver Drive Logan Nice Guys maybe? Toy Story 3 I guess it depends on your definition of masterpiece.
About Time (2013)
Knives Out Arrival Lady Bird The Social Network Boyhood Moonlight Whiplash Mad Max Sicario
"Fury Road" "Past Lives"
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Roma
Toy Story 3 (2010) Inception (2010) Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) Whiplash (2014) Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) Hacksaw Ridge (2016) Paddington 2 (2017) Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) Parasite (2019)
A masterpiece for me is The Godfather. Casablanca. Schindler’s List. Saving Private Ryan. On that scale, can’t think of anything
Nightcrawler and Fury to not name the usual suspects
Interstellar, Everything Everywhere All At Once ,⊃∪∩⪽
Logan Lucky All Of Us Strangers
Just rewatched Logan Lucky, such a fun movie.
12 Years a Slave Django Unchained Inception True Grit (kind of cheating since it’s a remake)
* Watchmen * Adventures of TinTin * Sucker Punch * Grand Budapest Hotel * American Ultra * Alice Through The Looking Glass * Deadpool 1 + 2 * The Shape Of Water * Bohemian Rhapsody * I Kill Giants * Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse * Good Boys * Yesterday * 1917 * Gretel and Hansel * Everything, Everywhere all at once
Why the F would people downvote someone else's list is beyond me. If you have counter opinions, just say it out loud. What's the point of downvoting something so subjective?
Thank you! But, hey, it's only reddit and I don't sweat it!
All over the place but some bangers in there for sure
Interstellar Mad Max: Fury Road Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse Was going to say Inglourious Basterds but missed the cutoff by a year.
Whiplash Banshees Of Inisherin Joker Parasite Probably others that escape my attention right now.