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Hey I guys! Joe here. I recently went to the theater and saw the new Alex Garland film Civil War. Now normally I despise his films. I'm a fan of a few films he's written, I love anything from Danny Boyle. However, he just doesn't cut the mustard for me. Civil War floored me. So far it's my second favorite film of the year and growing in my estimation. It got me thinking about revisiting his filmography and I got the idea to ask you fine folks if you had any similar experiences! What movies do you love from an otherwise dismissible filmmaker? No wrong answers or judgement, maybe a few guilty pleasures!

Comments

margo m

this is really interesting!!! (still not sure how i feel about civil war—i think my fav so far this year has been love lies bleeding!!) recency is probably in play here but i’ve never been a huge fan of luca guadagnino’s stuff despite a lot of acclaim—but his newest film challengers which just came out i actually really liked!!

Jonathan

I don’t have an exact example of what you are talking about but this is close. I don’t usually love Paul Thomas Anderson movies as much as other people do. I don’t think they are bad but they don’t usually hit for me as much as for others. So going into Licorice Pizza I wasn’t expecting to love the movie nearly as much as I did.

Ben Clifford

You didn't like Annihilation?

dys

I know it's not exactly what you asked but which other Alex Garland movies have you seen and which did you despise? For me Men and Annihilation are worthy entries but as you said overall dismissible, but Ex Machina is a masterpiece IMO.

Jérémy Dion

Good question, the only one I can think of and I know it might be blasphemy but John Carpenter. I haven't seen too many of his films but I adored The Thing and found Escape From New York, In the Mouth of Madness and even to an extent Halloween underwhelming. But I wouldn't say that I hate him. I'm just waiting for one of his films to give me the same kind of thrill as The Thing. I went and saw Civil War tonight and while I thought it was well made, I still prefer Ex Machina and Annihilation. It certainly didn't help that I saw Challengers right before Civil War and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I want Challenger's score injected into my veins.

Phillip Grischa

I hate Zack Snyder movies, I think they are style over substance and he is very blunt with his messaging. But his debut, 2004's Dawn of the Dead remake is genuinely good, I love that movie.

Cosmic Slice

Chinatown directed by Roman Polanski... obvious reasons to hate him that are unrelated to his work.

Martin Nicholls

Ex Machina, Dredd? Sh*t, Devs?! I haven't watched it because it's supposed to be about journalists and Hollywood still idolises/idealises them like it's 20 years ago - even Sorkin knew the profession was dead in 2012 - you can't have a dystopian movie that centres around journalists that doesn't involve the modern trend for pack journalism and lying about people you don't illogically agree with. There's only one place in the world left for actual journalists, and that's the Telegraph, and it's about to be force-sold to Saudi Arabia or something.

Brendon Waldron

I love Zack Snyder's 300 but I mildly to strongly dislike all his other movies and find him as a person somewhat off-putting. Not a big David Fincher fan but there is more than one movie of his I enjoy so I guess that doesn't count...

Brian Harris

I have a hard time with Ron Howard. I think he’s just bereft of point of view, which is maybe the most important tool in a director’s kit. But every time I happen across Apollo 13, I have to watch it. It’s just a masterpiece of tension and release.

DelGuy03

If we're talking directors: I'm not a fan of Phil Alden Robinson's work (and yes, I mean Field of Dreams among other things). But somewhere in there he made Sneakers, and I just love it. Extraordinary all-star (all-Oscar-nominee) cast given individualized roles, great pacing and flow and humor, just a delightful experience.

Actuarial Lurker

If you want more "heresy" I cannot STAND Monty Python- either their main TV show or most if not all of their popular movies....I guess you have to be a Brit or of a certain age to connect to what I believe is either very "dry", "sophomoric" or "sacrilegious" humor....its an opinion so hopefully that does not offend others... BUT I love the TV show Fawlty Towers and the movie "A Fish Called Wanda"- which are loaded with "Sophomoric" humor....

Actuarial Lurker

Good choice for obvious reasons. I would add to that "Bananas" by Woody Allen for similar reasons, given the premise that simply him growing a beard would have people believe he should be a dictator. Perhaps not far fetched for people who believe an Orange Comb-Over grants similar gravitas

Youtalkingtome

I'm going to see Challengers this week! Still need to see Love Lies Bleeding, and Saint Maud for that matter. Rose Glass seems really interesting to me. I really like Luca, but I didn't hear great things about his last movie, Bones and All

Youtalkingtome

That was my favorite of 2021! I'm a big PTA guy though. I don't love Phantom Thread as much as everyone else, but I do love every film.

Youtalkingtome

I've seen them all. To be fair, I need to reevaluate Ex Machina. I tried watching Devs and could not get into it. I don't know what it is with his work, I just don't usually enjoy it. Men is weird, because even though it's bad, I still had some sort of fun with it.

Youtalkingtome

I hear the score for Challengers is some of Trent and Atticus's best work. I have such a soft spot for Carpenter. He was made atrocious films but he's also made 2 or 3 of my all time favorites. Plus his work with Dean Cundey might be the best movies have ever looked, ever.

Youtalkingtome

Dawn of the Dead rocks. The original is SO much better though. I'm mixed on his films. I really think Watchmen has my favorite opening title sequence, but the rest of his films are meh. He shows shades of brilliance but then it is overshadowed by his crappy style. I do find BVS to be a guilty pleasure though. It's the coolest Batman has ever looked.

Youtalkingtome

I would watch the film. It is dead but they pay homage to how it used to be. It's not an overly political film and it's so visceral.

Youtalkingtome

Not a big Python guy either. One of Kevin's favorite comedies is A Fish Called Wanda! It's weird because I do enjoy John Cleese. Anytime he shows up in anything I'm into it.

margo m

i had a blast at challengers, i hope you do too! love lies bleeding was really great in my eyes, but mostly because it's just so up my alley, hahaha. my most anticipated film (fancy dance starring lily gladstone) drops in june so i am (not-so) patiently waiting for that release!!

Jim Miller

For me, the director is Tim Burton, and the movie that is an exception is Pee Wee's Big Adventure.

margo m

exactly!! last year's best performance by far in my eyes... but thankfully she's booked and busy!! if you're ever looking for an underrated film of hers, i highly recommend kelly reichardt's "certain women" (2016)--it's a phenomenal indie, including other stars such as laura dern, michelle williams, and kristen stewart--but lily's performance is absolutely incredible, and was part of the reason scorsese wanted her for mollie! but yes, fancy dance starts a theatrical release on june 21st and then releases on apple on june 28th, so more gladstone excellence coming your way!!

Pam Nail

The only director I can think of who fits that bill for me is David O'Russell. I generally don't like his films (at least the stuff he's made in the last 20 years) and also stuff has come out about his on-set abuse that makes me not want to watch his films. However, his THREE KINGS (1999) is a movie I absolutely love -- one of my favorites of the 90s.

nj

james cameron - terminator 2.

Youtalkingtome

Yeah it amazes me that he is still able to get projects funded. He gets so many talented actors in his films too. I would like to watch Three Kings eventually

Jim Miller

I am kind of embarrassed that it didn't even cross my mind. There are 2 exceptions now.