With the plethora of Hollywood action films, Marvel and DC films, we often see little creativity and originality. While I do love many of the Marvel and Star Wars films, I, along with many other film lovers, need something more than just good CGI and action. We want originality, creativity, and a filmmaker who tries to make special films. So today, I will be looking into a few of my favorite directors working today. I only go into detail on a few, there are directors like Quentin Tarantino, David Fincher, and Edgar Wright, who are all phenomenal directors, that I do not discuss in this list (might do so in another article). This short list is just going into directors that I have really gotten into and looking into the detail about how these directors, who have all recently released a film, direct their films and differ from the mainstream
Yorgos Lanthimos
Director Yorgos Lanthimos came out of nowhere. His first film, Dogtooth, was a great indie film that, while getting much attention overseas, did not get a lot of recognition in the United States and in mainstream Hollywood. However, out of the blue, Lanthimos came out with one of the top 5 films of 2015: The Lobster. It was nominated for best original script that year. The Lobster, in my opinion, has been one of the best films in a long time. There is so much depth and themes interwoven with such a bizarre story. Then, after that success, in 2017, Lanthimos wrote and directed The Killing of A Sacred Deer. While not as critically acclaimed and as well known as The Lobster, The Killing of A Sacred Deer is, in my opinion, one of the best psychological horror films released in a long time. His recent film, The Favorite, has been praised immensely by numerous critics and audiences alike; many claiming that it will at the least get nominated for best picture.
Lanthimos is one of the most unique directors on this list. He makes very unconventional films. He somehow manages to mix horror, satire, and comedy altogether. This mixture in comedy and horror is extremely bizarre; it makes the viewers question whether they should be laughing, or be in shock. For instance, when watching The Killing of A Sacred Deer with some friends, I noticed that some friends were in shock, while others were laughing. Even with different reactions, all of them loved the film for different reasons. It is with this bizarre mixture of two completely opposing genres that make his films so original. If you want originality, go watch any one of his films, because you will hardly find such a unique style. Another aspect of Lanthimos’ storytelling is in how he distorts our perception of reality. In Dogtooth, for instance, Lanthimos takes the concept of the quote-unquote “helicopter parent” to the ultimate extreme; he distorts any form of reality that we can perceive of. The parents in the film don’t just force their kids to stay in the house all day, but the parents lie, deceive, and force their kids to do disgusting and horrific acts. In The Lobster, Lanthimos takes the concept of love and relationships and distorts them to the ultimate extreme. It takes the emotion of love, to its most literal and societal view. I do not want to spoil anything here, but when you watch any one of his films, you feel disturbed at how he is able to distort aspects of reality to its most absurd. I suggest watching Motion in Art video How Yorgos Lanthimos Distorts Reality to see a thorough analysis of Lanthimos’ style.
Denis Villeneuve
Director Denis Villeneuve has been making waves in Hollywood. From his critical hit, Prisoners, in 2013, Villeneuve has made a new film in nearly every year. From the absurd and disturbing Enemy in 2014 to his first venture into the Science Fiction genre with Arrival, to the sequel to one of the most well-known and loved Science Fiction films of all time, Blade Runner 2049. How an indie director like Villeneuve is able to make award-winning and Oscar-nominated films year after year, to then making the sequel to Blade Runner all these years later is outstanding. And, with him directing the new Dune remake, I have full faith that this director will be remembered as one of the most diverse and profound directors in a long time.
Every single one of Villeneuve films are different. He plays with different genres, different time periods, different settings and so on. You will never just watch one Villeneuve film and understand his pattern of style; each film has its own individual style to it. However, each of his films has the director's trademark touch that makes it “his” film. Whether it be with the amazing use of a color palette in most of his films, to the great and sharp cinematography, to thematic elements in all of his films. All of his films are different and while I have my own personal favorite of his, if someone were to tell me another one of his films to be the best, I would be able to understand just because they are all of such high quality with different tastes and style. In terms of storytelling, Villeneuve's stories deal with many different themes and aspects of humanity. In Sicario, for instance, Villeneuve deals with the concept of evil and the grey area between good and bad; in Enemy, he looks at the duality of man and the problem with addiction. All of his stories deal with morality and humanity and through the use of mystery and riveting characters, he shines a light to humanity. If you want an analysis of Villeneuve’s style of storytelling, how he interweaves mystery and morality, please take a look at Criswell’s video on Villeneuve: Denis Villeneuve - Crafting Morality Through Mystery
Paul Thomas Anderson
Director Paul Thomas Anderson is probably one of the most well-known directors to film lovers (nerds such as myself). With a total of 8 Oscar nominations, I think that popularity is well deserved. From the award-winning There Will Be Blood, a personal 10/10 for me, to the absurd and confusing The Master, another 10/10 for me, Anderson really cannot go wrong (outside of Inherent Vice to a degree). While Inherent Vice was not a personal favorite of mine, his latest film Phantom Thread, another 10/10 for me, really shows that he has not lost his style and form. He has a wide range of films all connecting to Anderson through his distinctive style.
When you see an Anderson film, you know it’s an Anderson film. Whether it be his masterful use of the long-take, scenes that, filmed by anyone else, would be made into numerous of quick cuts and many edits, or his amazing use of actors and how he is able to get the best performances out of them. He even got Adam Sandler do a phenomenal job in Punch-Drunk Love! Anderson is a master at getting every ounce of the best performances from his actors. However, in terms of storytelling, Anderson’s films always stand out from amongst the crowd. His films can be categorized through looking at different aspects of society or man, through the different characters he chooses to look onto and analyze. In The Master, we take a look at organized religions, cults, and groups and how they can deceive people while giving them something to benefit themselves. We take a look into these different aspects of society through the eyes of Freddie Quell, a man suffering from PTSD who walks into one of the Master’s sermons. In There Will Be Blood, we look at the concept of evil and how greed can take control of someone through the eyes of Daniel Plainview; a horrible, greed-filled, and deceptive character. If you want an analysis of Anderson’s characters in his films, I recommend watching Jack’s Movie Reviews video Paul Thomas Anderson - Finding Purpose In Life.
Coen Brothers
Lastly, the OG, Joel and Ethan Coen. The Coen brothers are some of the best directors not only working today but just one of the best directors in filmmaking history. They have made so many classic films. Think Fargo, No Country For Old Men, and Barton Fink, to name a few. The Coen Brothers have been around for a long time, making classics and perfect films left and right. And, with their new release, The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs on Netflix, we can see that they have not lost their touch as The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is one of the best films that came out in 2018, and easily one of the best Netflix original films as well.
The Coen’s have always been a master at dark humor. Their films are never too depressing, they never are like a Lars Von Trier film, and when they do go towards a comedy direction, they always balance a well-made story with a lot of dark, real-life, elements to their stories. In discussing their stories, the Coen brothers are well-known for the way they portray the ambiguity of life and the world in their stories and characters, but also in their endings. Take No Country For Old Men, or A Serious Man, films specifically dealing with ambiguity in life. Without spoiling their endings, both films end in a “what the f” fashion. I hated No Country For Old Men ending when I first saw it; however, when I sat and thought about it and watched it again, it became a perfect ending for that story. The Coen’s are some of the best screenwriters ever, getting the number 2 spot in the top 100 list of greatest screenwriters. If you want to know more about the Coen’s directing style, I would highly recommend Every Frame a Painting old video on Coen Brothers, Joel & Ethan Coen - Shot | Reverse Shot, and see how they use of shot-reverse shot cinematography in a different, and better, way than most filmmakers. I would also recommend watching The Discarded Image video, Deconstructing Funny: Coen Brothers, to see how the Coen Brothers utilize comedy in their dark films.
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