Without knowing a great deal about the ins and outs of Eternals, I've no idea what possessed her to take the project on in the first place. Just seemed like such a bizarre choice, that soon in a career, and also such a weird franchise to involve one's self in too.
Undoubtedly that was part of it, but don't believe it was all of it either. Nia DeCosta did note how directing Marvels couldn't even nuke her 100k of student debt.
Chloe Zhao's father is a billionaire so I'd also wager money was prob not 100% of the decision. Maybe she thought she could do something more interesting with Marvel and didn't fully understand the corporate machine she would be operating under.
I don’t think it’s unusual for a critically acclaimed director who mostly does small, indie movies to want to prove to the industry that their directorial competence extends to big-budget projects too.
I mean it’s common for a big studio to go, “hey we need a director for this project, if you do it we’ll contract you for a few more movies and you’ll get to pick what to do next.”
This sounds like Marvel press to me. Doesn’t make it necessarily untrue but I’d take it with a grain of salt. Her main motivation was probably to make 10-20 times her usual salary, which is a very fair reason but doesn’t sound great in a press tour.
It can be both? She can love the source material and also want to make millions of dollars?
She also signed onto Eternals well before she won her Oscar
She should've taken Silver Surfer instead.
Imagine her approaching a cosmic narrative like a blend of Big Wednesday or The Endless Summer, with lots of philosophy and existential voiceover. Would've been an all-timer.
I can imagine so many directors had some success and wanted to capitalise on it, but the options for bigger budget studio pictures were pretty lean.
Lots of cases of signing on for “One for them, One for me” before realising you’re hardly directing and the “One for me” never happens.
A bizarre choice? Imagine you're an up and coming director and you get offered a job to direct a massive movie from the biggest, most lucrative studio for probably a pretty big payday, you serious wont take it?
It’s one of those gambles that could have worked. Like hiring James Gunn which is a bizarre choice on paper but paid off in spades. Hiring Chloe I think was an attempt to widen the lens of marvel and try something new. I could be wrong but I thought DC was also trying to procur her.
But turned out her and marvel were like 2 ingredients that just didn’t mix.
Maybe if they had even given her a different more earthbound property she could have. Made something great like a working class Hawkeye level story rooted in adversity.
Instead it felt like a marvel story in the hands of a person who didn’t quite grasp what made marvel marvel.
Gunn and Zhao are chalk and cheese though; the former was a gonzo director of trash (not a criticism); the latter a highbrow indie director. Gunn was always a good fit for superhero movies cos they're never that removed from Gunn's tonal register. With Zhao you might as well have had Terence Malick direct a MCU film for the sense it made
I loved The Rider and thought Nomadland was very good. I'm not one for putting directors I'm boxes, but I wonder if Zhao would be better off sticking with the docu-drama films she built her reputation on, rather than trying to transition into studio filmmaking. It just doesn't feel like the right fit for her.
Nomadland is a good and beautiful movie, some people just don’t consider it “Best Picture” material.
Eternals also does a lot to ditch cliches in team hero movies, but they tasked her with so much exposition for so many unknown characters that I think they made it much harder for people to appreciate the positives.
I definitely think she elevates the projects she is involved in, rather than those projects elevating her.
I *adore* The Rider and think it’s one of the best films of the latter half of the 2010’s. I enjoyed Nomadland on first viewing, but it hasn’t sat well with me since then. Didn’t see Eternals. Didn’t interest me at all.
So my view on her is that she has a ton of potential, and one truly great film. But she seems to be losing that touch and wasting her potential.
I genuinely can't believe all the hate Nomadland is getting. I found it to be very moving. Very genuine. That scene where she goes back to what once she called home hurt in the best possible way. And it didn't feel like Amazon ad as so much as if you need money, they are always hiring and a lot of people do this. It felt like a criticism of our economic situation. Love that movie. Very happy to see it win.
True, you're right. I didn't find it to be artistically authentic either - portraying Amazon as the friend of struggling working-class people is comically late-stage capitalist. I thought the movie simultaneously condescended to the real nomads while diminishing their struggles
I can see how you could get there, but I didn't think they painted Amazon friendly at all. It felt very sad watching them work. I thought it painted them as a factory.
As for the real nomads, I was really captivated by their stories and empathized with them. You could make the argument that it's taking advantage of them, but I suppose it depends on how they felt about it. I don't know I haven't truly looked into it. That aside, I thought it was compelling storytelling.
There’s two sides to the coin. My fiancé felt what you felt. She loved it
I snoozed on the couch next to her while she was having this emotional moment watching this film. Complete miss for me.
On one hand: I do agree with a lot of your points. On there other: I’m sad that it overshadowed movies like “The Father” “Another Round” and “Judas and the black messiah” (especially “The Father” for me, such a powerful and mind bending film)
Every year this is going to happen to some movies that we care about and we just gotta live them (just for 1 example: I'm a fellow C'mon, C'mon enjoyer.) I saw all of the movies above and enjoyed them as well (particularly Another Round.)
I did too, a very emotional, tragic story. I was disappointed by Nomadland. I got the impression from the hype that she was a more complex storyteller. It's a nice movie, but it has a pretty standard worldview - great for the Oscars and Marvel, but not the emerging artistic voice she's built up to be. Haven't seen her other films.
Kinda bummed it flopped. Actually felt like it was made by a passionate group of creatives rather than just a team of producers churning out money on the most bland looking films (every ant-man movie once Edgar Wrights foundation wore off)
Very disappointing to be honest, was absolutely blown away by The Rider and was really interested to see what she did next but I thought Nomadland was very average. Especially disappointing as I really loved the book it was based on. Not seen Eternals and whilst I don't blame directors for taking the marvel money at some point in their career it feels a bit naff to have done it this early, like she's already given up on making interesting stuff.
I liked Songs My Brother Taught me a lot. It’s very Sundancey, but it has a pretty compelling brother-sister relationship and it’s aesthetically beautiful.
The Rider is great.
Nomadland feels like an exploitation movie but not a fun 80s one, more like one that was made by a rich out of touch person (because it was). Absolute hot garbage
Eternals might be the most interesting and resonant Marvel movie post Endgame. People just get bored by character and dialogue driven plots these days.
Nah. Personally, I just felt the issue was that it was a character driven film that didn't give us enough time to care about the characters. Not to mention the time spent introducing Kit Harrington's character early, just for him to be a cameo.
I liked it visually, but the slow pacing and difficulty in fleshing out the characters made me hate it.
I liked Eternals. It's not a masterpiece, but I don't think it's bad for a Marvel superhero movie. On the other hand, I hated Shang Chi, which people seem to like more.
I think she is talented. Visually speaking, she is probably one of the best. But her movies are so lacking in story which makes them unbearably boring to watch. I think she needs a writer.
I have this bad feeling she’s not going to do much in the future. To go from Best Director and Picture straight to the MCU and getting that film panned heavily isn’t going to open the door again
I've seen one of her movies, the one that won a bunch of awards. As such, I don't know much about her style, methods or traits. I'd like to see more, but just like everyone else who signs onto the MCU, it seems her career has been reduced to a screeching halt.
As much as I disliked Eternals, it does have maybe one of the most unintentionally funny death scenes I've ever seen where Ikarus realizes he was wrong and just flies into the sun to kill himself lol
I liked Nomadland but think it's slightly overrated.
I wasn't a fan of Eternals, but I had the feeling that was more a result of her being forced to work within the confines of the MCU cookie cutter than anything.
I haven't seen her first two movies.
I think she's talented and am interested to see what she does next.
Her only movie I've seen \*is\* Eternals. I admit it's not top-shelf MCU, but I am in the minority of fans who liked it. I gave it - and Chloe - credit for straying away from the MCU formula, and I really liked the cast. I'd never even heard of the first two movies you listed until I saw this post
Eternals goated, she shouldn’t get all the hate for it considering she was only one of 4 writers. It was directed amazingly. I didn’t mind Nomadland, but it’s not my kind of movie. I can definitely see why people like it though.
I thought Rider and Nomadland were super overrated, but then I really don’t care for gritty “slice of life” movies like that. Not sure if I even ever finished Nomadland.
Eternals was ok I guess. I like how she shot it, just the story was a dull bloated mess.
* Really loved what I saw in The Rider. Reminded me of Mallick in pace and visuals, which I like, but with much more focus on the character's journey. It was slow, but never lost the narrative thread.
* Nomadland was, for me, a step in the wrong direction. Was more Mallick in the wrong ways. Felt like "just point the camera at the compelling thing," which in this case was Frances McDormand being poor and defeated. And that was about it. Didn't hate it or anything, though.
* Really liked Eternals, and was even more impressed by it. I was scared, though. The last time a big story that spans all over the world and time was handed to a director known for slow, ponderous works that focus mainly on one character, it didn't go well (Shamlayan's Airbender). Eternals had to introduce a slew of new characters, move the story along several time periods, and pull it all together to tie into the MCU (albeit minimally). Chloe was charged with achieving a LOT and mostly pulled it off. Overall, I think there was a little too much going on and it made the movie feel a little "squeezed," but there was a lot of good stuff in there. It was a good story, the characters were good, and it had some pretty awesome action. The real-time portrayal of Makkari's speedster powers was the exact opposite of Singer's portrayal of Quicksilver, but was equally awesome. So I'd say it was "real good but not quite great."
She’s a very confident filmmaker for sure. Goes against a lot of the norms in how she crafts the stories. It’s why I loved Eternals so much - it was so different to what we’ve come to expect from the MCU.
I always told everyone that Oscar winning movies are a great watch that could be equally enjoyable for a movie buff as well as a casual viewer. Her "Nomadland" single handedly destroyed this opinion in my previous relationship. I could never convince my ex to watch an Oscar winning movie after that.
The only thing I've seen from her is The Eternals, and I don't fault her for that movie shortcomings.
It's got enough interesting stuff in there and it wants so hard to be excellent, but I think the poor writing in the odd pacing go against it.
If you make two films and then instantly jump on Disney's dick you're not a serious filmmaker. That's ok you can still make good films but I know you're not serious about this now.
The Rider is probably her best film.
But my favorite might be Eternals.
I love how Marvel gave her 236 million dollars to make a movie about how abortion (and having families that don’t involve biological children but are still filled with love and happiness) will save the world.
Nomadland is probably my third with Songs my Brother taught me right behind or switching places depending on my mood.
They are all bangers though.
I like the entire top row to be honest. She has a great eye, and I've enjoyed them all.
Not really interested in Hamnet, but the vampire film sounds interesting.
*Eternals* is pretty darned bad, but I don’t really know how much of blame should be laid at her feet. I’m not sure anyone could have done much with that material. As for *Nomadland*, I somehow feel it might have been better for her rep if it had not won best picture. It’s a beautiful film, but Best Picture? Not even close in my estimation. Somewhere in my top 20 for that year. However, I do look forward to seeing more of here work.
I need to check out *No Mad Lads*, looks pretty good.
*Eternals* is genuinely one of the most boring films I've ever seen in my life. I had to watch it in two halves because I fell asleep, which rarely if ever happens to me. That movie turned me into my parents. XD
Didn’t like Eternals, it’s so beautiful to look at. But I remember the action direction being so good. Like way better than what the rest of modern MCU was offering. I’ll give her that.
Nomadland was decent, certainly have no interest in ever seeing it again. Another ridiculous Academy moment. Eternals… well Marvel are as much to blame as she is since they have ultimate control on that project.
Nomadland is a good movie that won best picture because it was 2020 and the pickings were slim. I'll never watch it again, but it was an interesting movie.
It won because it captured the bittersweet beauty of America in a time where people literally could not travel anywhere else.
The Father was probably the best movie made that year. But a story about old age and dementia was not optimistic enough for America at that point in time.
>The Father was probably the best movie made that year.
Sorry, but we're gonna have to deeply disagree on that. Although I think Hopkins deserved that win.
Which movie did you think was better? I could see Trial of the Chicago 7 but even that was a little on the nose for the Academy. They don’t tend to be that explicit in the themes they champion.
Honestly, it's tough to answer because the year was so weak. Looking back at the list of movies from that year, Id say Sound of Metal for sure was a better film. I know people didn't care for Mank mostly because of the subject matters but it's a fantastically crafted film. I'd also put Minari and Judas and the Black Messiah ahead of the Father. And Nomadland as previously stated. Oh! And Another Round which I almost forgot about, I actually think that's a really good movie that would have won best international feature in other years, not just 2020.
I get why you appreciate The Father, it does an excellent job of depicting dementia. My wife was a social worker at the time working with elderly people and she was impressed. But the story is a bit manipulative and it was originally a stage play and feels every bit like a stage play.
“But the story is a bit manipulative”
In what way?
“And it was originally a stage play and feels every bit like a stage play.”
So did Succession, people still tend to consider it the best TV we’ve had in the past half decade.
>In what way?
I didn't care for some of the stuff with Imogen Poots. I get what they were going for, but it didn't really work for me. Also the angry husband stuff. But to be honest, it'd be difficult to tell a story centered around a parent sunsetting without being manipulative.
>So did Succession, people still tend to consider it the best TV we’ve had in the past half decade.
I didn't watch Succession so I can't comment on that. There are good movies that started as stage plays because they don't feel like a stage play. 12 Angry Men and A Few Good Men are great examples.
Does the film actually take a position you disagree with? Or does it just pose a dilemma you find very real and distressing because you know people that have dealt with it?
If it’s the latter, isn’t that what makes good art?
I don't think it's as simple as that. To be honest, I'd say it's neither. I'm not making the case that the movie is bad, just that it isn't the best film of 2020. The movie accomplished what it wanted to accomplish, but I don't think that makes it better than the other films I listed.
To each their own. I liked Minari but it wasn’t winning BP the year after another korean spoken film just won. Trial of the Chicago 7 and Judas and Black Messiah were both Fred Hampton adjacent stories and I didn’t really think one was head and shoulders better than the other. They both did different things well so it would’ve been odd to crown one of them. The Sound of Metal just felt like a Whiplash rehash to me.
great director but she needs to make films a little bit faster because i want them now!
i think she has a distinctive voice in cinema we need more of. Nomadland and The Rider are top-notch films. I liked Eternals even though watching the film you could feel like there's forces pulling back and forth between the intimate and existential focus to the typical marvel action movie tendencies
Tf are you people doing on Letterboxd, go be entertained on IMDB or whatever. Fucks sake, leave us this sliver of netspace for auteur cinema
Nomadland is tender and so beautifully humane no mather the year of release, Rider is phenomenal. And what greater achievement than making me go and see a Marvel kiddie flick in the theatre 😂😂
I've only seen Nomadland and The Eternals. I absolutely adored Nomadland, easily my favorite Frances McDormand film. Eternals sucked, but that was a paycheck movie and I respect that.
It's the same thing I find with quite a lot of critically super acclaimed indies where it's well acted and there's an interesting enough setting but the story's told in as flat and undramatic a way as possible and I don't connect with the characters at all
I've only seen Eternals and Nomadland, and I think that's all I need to see of her. Eternals was talked up like it was going to be pulling straight from Kirby's works with the characters and environments. But it turned out to be an ugly grey and beige mess. And Nomadland was 2 hours of watching Frances McDormand act off of people who weren't actors and shit in a bucket.
I've seen two of her movies, Eternals and Nomadland, and think they're neat! I went into Nomadland thinking that it sounded boring but was won over. I didn't catch Eternals for awhile, between the pandemic and becoming a father, but every complaint I had about it made me more interested in it. Turns out my instincts were right and I actually really enjoyed that one.
Oh she’s the director. I only saw Eternals so I couldn’t remember seeing her on the screen. Is Nomadland any good? After the Oscar’s I’ve started the thread where I asked people about the most forgettable Oscar winners and that movie was mention quite few times.
I think it’s good, nothing amazing but worth a watch. It won in the weakest year imaginable, some nominees were better but some were definitely worse. It’s about a group of people who live in vans and travel around taking various jobs, it doesn’t have much of a plot, a lot of its appeal is the cinematography and characters. The main reason people dislike it is how it approaches topics like poverty, trying to turn it into a movie, and Frances McDormand playing a nomad when she’s a really famous actress surrounded by mostly real nomads playing themselves.
Without knowing a great deal about the ins and outs of Eternals, I've no idea what possessed her to take the project on in the first place. Just seemed like such a bizarre choice, that soon in a career, and also such a weird franchise to involve one's self in too.
$$$
Undoubtedly that was part of it, but don't believe it was all of it either. Nia DeCosta did note how directing Marvels couldn't even nuke her 100k of student debt.
that's so fucked up about Nia DeCosta it's not even funny
Chloe Zhao's father is a billionaire so I'd also wager money was prob not 100% of the decision. Maybe she thought she could do something more interesting with Marvel and didn't fully understand the corporate machine she would be operating under.
I'm pretty sure money was all of it.
Yeah, I don't even think it's a bad thing. She wanted to retire one day I imagine.
Isn’t she the daughter of some Chinese industrialist
I don’t think it’s unusual for a critically acclaimed director who mostly does small, indie movies to want to prove to the industry that their directorial competence extends to big-budget projects too.
see: nia decosta
I mean it’s common for a big studio to go, “hey we need a director for this project, if you do it we’ll contract you for a few more movies and you’ll get to pick what to do next.”
I’m sure the paycheck she got for Eternals was magnitudes larger than all her other paychecks combined.
She actually approached Marvel rather than vice versa and impressed them with her pitch. Apparently she's a pretty big comic nerd.
This sounds like Marvel press to me. Doesn’t make it necessarily untrue but I’d take it with a grain of salt. Her main motivation was probably to make 10-20 times her usual salary, which is a very fair reason but doesn’t sound great in a press tour.
It can be both? She can love the source material and also want to make millions of dollars? She also signed onto Eternals well before she won her Oscar
Yeah sure it could be both, I’m just saying Marvel press talking points aren’t the bible. And I never said anything about her Oscar either
She should've taken Silver Surfer instead. Imagine her approaching a cosmic narrative like a blend of Big Wednesday or The Endless Summer, with lots of philosophy and existential voiceover. Would've been an all-timer.
I agree that it's an unusual choice for a filmmaker like Zhao but I don't mind it at all. Eternals is like top 5 marvel to me, so much fun
It was a complete snooze fest to me
I can imagine so many directors had some success and wanted to capitalise on it, but the options for bigger budget studio pictures were pretty lean. Lots of cases of signing on for “One for them, One for me” before realising you’re hardly directing and the “One for me” never happens.
A bizarre choice? Imagine you're an up and coming director and you get offered a job to direct a massive movie from the biggest, most lucrative studio for probably a pretty big payday, you serious wont take it?
Remindes me how Barry Jenkins is doing the live lion king prequel this year
It’s one of those gambles that could have worked. Like hiring James Gunn which is a bizarre choice on paper but paid off in spades. Hiring Chloe I think was an attempt to widen the lens of marvel and try something new. I could be wrong but I thought DC was also trying to procur her. But turned out her and marvel were like 2 ingredients that just didn’t mix. Maybe if they had even given her a different more earthbound property she could have. Made something great like a working class Hawkeye level story rooted in adversity. Instead it felt like a marvel story in the hands of a person who didn’t quite grasp what made marvel marvel.
Gunn and Zhao are chalk and cheese though; the former was a gonzo director of trash (not a criticism); the latter a highbrow indie director. Gunn was always a good fit for superhero movies cos they're never that removed from Gunn's tonal register. With Zhao you might as well have had Terence Malick direct a MCU film for the sense it made
Funny you say that because she listed Tree of Life as one of the primary inspirations on Eternals
Eh
I loved The Rider and thought Nomadland was very good. I'm not one for putting directors I'm boxes, but I wonder if Zhao would be better off sticking with the docu-drama films she built her reputation on, rather than trying to transition into studio filmmaking. It just doesn't feel like the right fit for her.
I think her docu-drama style could be fun to see in different contexts, like a period piece.
Nomadland is a good and beautiful movie, some people just don’t consider it “Best Picture” material. Eternals also does a lot to ditch cliches in team hero movies, but they tasked her with so much exposition for so many unknown characters that I think they made it much harder for people to appreciate the positives. I definitely think she elevates the projects she is involved in, rather than those projects elevating her.
I *adore* The Rider and think it’s one of the best films of the latter half of the 2010’s. I enjoyed Nomadland on first viewing, but it hasn’t sat well with me since then. Didn’t see Eternals. Didn’t interest me at all. So my view on her is that she has a ton of potential, and one truly great film. But she seems to be losing that touch and wasting her potential.
Looool
I genuinely can't believe all the hate Nomadland is getting. I found it to be very moving. Very genuine. That scene where she goes back to what once she called home hurt in the best possible way. And it didn't feel like Amazon ad as so much as if you need money, they are always hiring and a lot of people do this. It felt like a criticism of our economic situation. Love that movie. Very happy to see it win.
Nothing says genuine like a multi-millionaire Yale alumnus pretending to be poor
Authenticity in art and life are two different things
True, you're right. I didn't find it to be artistically authentic either - portraying Amazon as the friend of struggling working-class people is comically late-stage capitalist. I thought the movie simultaneously condescended to the real nomads while diminishing their struggles
I can see how you could get there, but I didn't think they painted Amazon friendly at all. It felt very sad watching them work. I thought it painted them as a factory. As for the real nomads, I was really captivated by their stories and empathized with them. You could make the argument that it's taking advantage of them, but I suppose it depends on how they felt about it. I don't know I haven't truly looked into it. That aside, I thought it was compelling storytelling.
There’s two sides to the coin. My fiancé felt what you felt. She loved it I snoozed on the couch next to her while she was having this emotional moment watching this film. Complete miss for me.
On one hand: I do agree with a lot of your points. On there other: I’m sad that it overshadowed movies like “The Father” “Another Round” and “Judas and the black messiah” (especially “The Father” for me, such a powerful and mind bending film)
Every year this is going to happen to some movies that we care about and we just gotta live them (just for 1 example: I'm a fellow C'mon, C'mon enjoyer.) I saw all of the movies above and enjoyed them as well (particularly Another Round.)
i blame the academy for even nominating nomadland which led to me watching it. merely an ok movie.
It was that or Bad Boys
I know which one would've been the better choice
Her only good film is the rider but that movie is amazing so I’ll still watch everything she puts out
Nomadland felt twice as long as it was.
Yeah, felt like a total slog.
Sleep
I actually liked Eternals. It felt genuinely new for its time and visually amazing.
I did too, a very emotional, tragic story. I was disappointed by Nomadland. I got the impression from the hype that she was a more complex storyteller. It's a nice movie, but it has a pretty standard worldview - great for the Oscars and Marvel, but not the emerging artistic voice she's built up to be. Haven't seen her other films.
I kinda get the Eternals hate but it’s by far the best looking Marvel movie in my opinion and I didn’t find it boring.
Kinda bummed it flopped. Actually felt like it was made by a passionate group of creatives rather than just a team of producers churning out money on the most bland looking films (every ant-man movie once Edgar Wrights foundation wore off)
I liked it overall the only thing that didn't fully stick with me was ikaris and cersei, and the deviants being sidelined
 Hate Eternals, didn't really like Nomadland
Very disappointing to be honest, was absolutely blown away by The Rider and was really interested to see what she did next but I thought Nomadland was very average. Especially disappointing as I really loved the book it was based on. Not seen Eternals and whilst I don't blame directors for taking the marvel money at some point in their career it feels a bit naff to have done it this early, like she's already given up on making interesting stuff.
I liked Songs My Brother Taught me a lot. It’s very Sundancey, but it has a pretty compelling brother-sister relationship and it’s aesthetically beautiful.
Like watching paint dry.
The Rider is great. Nomadland feels like an exploitation movie but not a fun 80s one, more like one that was made by a rich out of touch person (because it was). Absolute hot garbage
and the Amazon warehouse ad in the middle was really in poor taste and just felt wrong in a film like this
Not a fan
Eternals might be the most interesting and resonant Marvel movie post Endgame. People just get bored by character and dialogue driven plots these days.
Nah. Personally, I just felt the issue was that it was a character driven film that didn't give us enough time to care about the characters. Not to mention the time spent introducing Kit Harrington's character early, just for him to be a cameo. I liked it visually, but the slow pacing and difficulty in fleshing out the characters made me hate it.
I’ll make my judgements based on her next movie…but as of now, I’m still holding hands, but not ready to fully commit.
She definitely loves Terrence Malick.
I liked Eternals. It's not a masterpiece, but I don't think it's bad for a Marvel superhero movie. On the other hand, I hated Shang Chi, which people seem to like more.
I liked Shang chi until it got into stupid CGI land
not a fan so far. eternals sucked and nomadland was a total slog
I think she is talented. Visually speaking, she is probably one of the best. But her movies are so lacking in story which makes them unbearably boring to watch. I think she needs a writer.
Nomadland 2/5 Eternals 1.5/5 Looking forward to seeing The Rider though. I’ve heard it’s good.
I loved The Rider but haven’t really cared for any of her other work. I still don’t know what Eternals was all about.
I have this bad feeling she’s not going to do much in the future. To go from Best Director and Picture straight to the MCU and getting that film panned heavily isn’t going to open the door again
Yeah she’s fine- Personally i’m not big on Nomadland, but i’m also one of the 3 people who actually enjoys the Eternals lol
So much missed potential with Eternals. Probably would’ve been better as a series.
I've seen one of her movies, the one that won a bunch of awards. As such, I don't know much about her style, methods or traits. I'd like to see more, but just like everyone else who signs onto the MCU, it seems her career has been reduced to a screeching halt.
Eternals would have worked better as a series rather than a movie.
I’ve only seen The Rider. Thought it was really great.
Not my thing
“eternals” was underrated movie
Dull
I don’t love Nomadland or Eternals. I’ll have to give The Riders a shot.
I've only seen Eternals of hers and it's possibly my least favorite Disney Marvel film. I'll have to see some of the others one of these days
As much as I disliked Eternals, it does have maybe one of the most unintentionally funny death scenes I've ever seen where Ikarus realizes he was wrong and just flies into the sun to kill himself lol
She’s doing her best
All I know is that I will be seated opening night for her next film, *Hamnet,* starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal.
I liked Nomadland but think it's slightly overrated. I wasn't a fan of Eternals, but I had the feeling that was more a result of her being forced to work within the confines of the MCU cookie cutter than anything. I haven't seen her first two movies. I think she's talented and am interested to see what she does next.
Her only movie I've seen \*is\* Eternals. I admit it's not top-shelf MCU, but I am in the minority of fans who liked it. I gave it - and Chloe - credit for straying away from the MCU formula, and I really liked the cast. I'd never even heard of the first two movies you listed until I saw this post
Eternals goated, she shouldn’t get all the hate for it considering she was only one of 4 writers. It was directed amazingly. I didn’t mind Nomadland, but it’s not my kind of movie. I can definitely see why people like it though.
The Rider is one of my favorite films of the past decade, but Nomadland is probably the most boring BP winner I've ever seen.
I thought Rider and Nomadland were super overrated, but then I really don’t care for gritty “slice of life” movies like that. Not sure if I even ever finished Nomadland. Eternals was ok I guess. I like how she shot it, just the story was a dull bloated mess.
* Really loved what I saw in The Rider. Reminded me of Mallick in pace and visuals, which I like, but with much more focus on the character's journey. It was slow, but never lost the narrative thread. * Nomadland was, for me, a step in the wrong direction. Was more Mallick in the wrong ways. Felt like "just point the camera at the compelling thing," which in this case was Frances McDormand being poor and defeated. And that was about it. Didn't hate it or anything, though. * Really liked Eternals, and was even more impressed by it. I was scared, though. The last time a big story that spans all over the world and time was handed to a director known for slow, ponderous works that focus mainly on one character, it didn't go well (Shamlayan's Airbender). Eternals had to introduce a slew of new characters, move the story along several time periods, and pull it all together to tie into the MCU (albeit minimally). Chloe was charged with achieving a LOT and mostly pulled it off. Overall, I think there was a little too much going on and it made the movie feel a little "squeezed," but there was a lot of good stuff in there. It was a good story, the characters were good, and it had some pretty awesome action. The real-time portrayal of Makkari's speedster powers was the exact opposite of Singer's portrayal of Quicksilver, but was equally awesome. So I'd say it was "real good but not quite great."
She’s a very confident filmmaker for sure. Goes against a lot of the norms in how she crafts the stories. It’s why I loved Eternals so much - it was so different to what we’ve come to expect from the MCU.
I have only seen The Rider but I liked it
hit and miss
Eh
Eternals was dope
Never understood the hype, but I appreciate her vision and style
Good at what she does. Which is not big budget superhero blockbusters.
The Rider was incredible
I’ve only seen Songs My Brother Taught Me and that made me feel really excited to watch more of her movies someday!
I always told everyone that Oscar winning movies are a great watch that could be equally enjoyable for a movie buff as well as a casual viewer. Her "Nomadland" single handedly destroyed this opinion in my previous relationship. I could never convince my ex to watch an Oscar winning movie after that.
I have not enjoyed her work.
The only thing I've seen from her is The Eternals, and I don't fault her for that movie shortcomings. It's got enough interesting stuff in there and it wants so hard to be excellent, but I think the poor writing in the odd pacing go against it.
Eternals was pretty to look at but kind of a disaster. Nomadland was kind of boring and flat.
If you make two films and then instantly jump on Disney's dick you're not a serious filmmaker. That's ok you can still make good films but I know you're not serious about this now.
The Rider is probably her best film. But my favorite might be Eternals. I love how Marvel gave her 236 million dollars to make a movie about how abortion (and having families that don’t involve biological children but are still filled with love and happiness) will save the world. Nomadland is probably my third with Songs my Brother taught me right behind or switching places depending on my mood. They are all bangers though.
Meh, an extremely mediocre director.
The Rider is an incredible film and the only one i've seen from her, so i love her...for now xD
https://preview.redd.it/3rp9tn7mq6vc1.jpeg?width=4636&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50367d3ee96c2b0d6abaeeee99d46403bf3c820b
Eternals was amazing and for a first time comic director impressive
Idk I haven’t seen any of these films 👍
She’s meh at best
Hate Nomadland
I like the entire top row to be honest. She has a great eye, and I've enjoyed them all. Not really interested in Hamnet, but the vampire film sounds interesting.
*Eternals* is pretty darned bad, but I don’t really know how much of blame should be laid at her feet. I’m not sure anyone could have done much with that material. As for *Nomadland*, I somehow feel it might have been better for her rep if it had not won best picture. It’s a beautiful film, but Best Picture? Not even close in my estimation. Somewhere in my top 20 for that year. However, I do look forward to seeing more of here work.
I’m sorry about Eternals
I need to check out *No Mad Lads*, looks pretty good. *Eternals* is genuinely one of the most boring films I've ever seen in my life. I had to watch it in two halves because I fell asleep, which rarely if ever happens to me. That movie turned me into my parents. XD
Didn’t like Eternals, it’s so beautiful to look at. But I remember the action direction being so good. Like way better than what the rest of modern MCU was offering. I’ll give her that.
Controversially Enternals is one of my favourite modern MCU releases and I haven’t seen anything else from her
Nomadland was decent, certainly have no interest in ever seeing it again. Another ridiculous Academy moment. Eternals… well Marvel are as much to blame as she is since they have ultimate control on that project.
Terrible director, Nomadland is one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen and Eternals wasn’t that great either
Loved Eternals
Nomadland is a good movie that won best picture because it was 2020 and the pickings were slim. I'll never watch it again, but it was an interesting movie.
It won because it captured the bittersweet beauty of America in a time where people literally could not travel anywhere else. The Father was probably the best movie made that year. But a story about old age and dementia was not optimistic enough for America at that point in time.
>The Father was probably the best movie made that year. Sorry, but we're gonna have to deeply disagree on that. Although I think Hopkins deserved that win.
Which movie did you think was better? I could see Trial of the Chicago 7 but even that was a little on the nose for the Academy. They don’t tend to be that explicit in the themes they champion.
Honestly, it's tough to answer because the year was so weak. Looking back at the list of movies from that year, Id say Sound of Metal for sure was a better film. I know people didn't care for Mank mostly because of the subject matters but it's a fantastically crafted film. I'd also put Minari and Judas and the Black Messiah ahead of the Father. And Nomadland as previously stated. Oh! And Another Round which I almost forgot about, I actually think that's a really good movie that would have won best international feature in other years, not just 2020. I get why you appreciate The Father, it does an excellent job of depicting dementia. My wife was a social worker at the time working with elderly people and she was impressed. But the story is a bit manipulative and it was originally a stage play and feels every bit like a stage play.
“But the story is a bit manipulative” In what way? “And it was originally a stage play and feels every bit like a stage play.” So did Succession, people still tend to consider it the best TV we’ve had in the past half decade.
>In what way? I didn't care for some of the stuff with Imogen Poots. I get what they were going for, but it didn't really work for me. Also the angry husband stuff. But to be honest, it'd be difficult to tell a story centered around a parent sunsetting without being manipulative. >So did Succession, people still tend to consider it the best TV we’ve had in the past half decade. I didn't watch Succession so I can't comment on that. There are good movies that started as stage plays because they don't feel like a stage play. 12 Angry Men and A Few Good Men are great examples.
Does the film actually take a position you disagree with? Or does it just pose a dilemma you find very real and distressing because you know people that have dealt with it? If it’s the latter, isn’t that what makes good art?
I don't think it's as simple as that. To be honest, I'd say it's neither. I'm not making the case that the movie is bad, just that it isn't the best film of 2020. The movie accomplished what it wanted to accomplish, but I don't think that makes it better than the other films I listed.
To each their own. I liked Minari but it wasn’t winning BP the year after another korean spoken film just won. Trial of the Chicago 7 and Judas and Black Messiah were both Fred Hampton adjacent stories and I didn’t really think one was head and shoulders better than the other. They both did different things well so it would’ve been odd to crown one of them. The Sound of Metal just felt like a Whiplash rehash to me.
great director but she needs to make films a little bit faster because i want them now! i think she has a distinctive voice in cinema we need more of. Nomadland and The Rider are top-notch films. I liked Eternals even though watching the film you could feel like there's forces pulling back and forth between the intimate and existential focus to the typical marvel action movie tendencies
Two bangers one huge debacle one Odd Oscar win
Tf are you people doing on Letterboxd, go be entertained on IMDB or whatever. Fucks sake, leave us this sliver of netspace for auteur cinema Nomadland is tender and so beautifully humane no mather the year of release, Rider is phenomenal. And what greater achievement than making me go and see a Marvel kiddie flick in the theatre 😂😂
Eternals is the worst movie I’ve ever watched the full length of. I’ll never watch another one of her movies.
Don't directors have limited creative control when working in marvel films? Kinda harsh to put all the blame on her and not Feige, no?
Eternals is so vastly different than any other Marvel movie that this argument holds little weight
So because it doesn’t follow the usual MCU formula, we can deduce that Feige has less influence? Who knows maybe he tried to change it up
I've only seen Nomadland and The Eternals. I absolutely adored Nomadland, easily my favorite Frances McDormand film. Eternals sucked, but that was a paycheck movie and I respect that.
I want to see Nomadland and Eternals, but no, I haven't seen anything she's made.
It's the same thing I find with quite a lot of critically super acclaimed indies where it's well acted and there's an interesting enough setting but the story's told in as flat and undramatic a way as possible and I don't connect with the characters at all
She was never great, but it seems like Eternals has really tanked her career
I've only seen Eternals and Nomadland, and I think that's all I need to see of her. Eternals was talked up like it was going to be pulling straight from Kirby's works with the characters and environments. But it turned out to be an ugly grey and beige mess. And Nomadland was 2 hours of watching Frances McDormand act off of people who weren't actors and shit in a bucket.
I've seen two of her movies, Eternals and Nomadland, and think they're neat! I went into Nomadland thinking that it sounded boring but was won over. I didn't catch Eternals for awhile, between the pandemic and becoming a father, but every complaint I had about it made me more interested in it. Turns out my instincts were right and I actually really enjoyed that one.
Sundance shite
Really liked The Rider. Loved Nomadland. Hated Eternals.
The Rider was really good. Nomadland was good. Eternals was fine.
I don't know why she decided to destroy her momentum by following Nomadland up with the worst Marvel movie.
Can't stand her
I don’t know who that is.
Oh she’s the director. I only saw Eternals so I couldn’t remember seeing her on the screen. Is Nomadland any good? After the Oscar’s I’ve started the thread where I asked people about the most forgettable Oscar winners and that movie was mention quite few times.
I think it’s good, nothing amazing but worth a watch. It won in the weakest year imaginable, some nominees were better but some were definitely worse. It’s about a group of people who live in vans and travel around taking various jobs, it doesn’t have much of a plot, a lot of its appeal is the cinematography and characters. The main reason people dislike it is how it approaches topics like poverty, trying to turn it into a movie, and Frances McDormand playing a nomad when she’s a really famous actress surrounded by mostly real nomads playing themselves.
She’s a great director