Directed By Women Recommendations
In the run up to the 40's and Sci Fi Countdowns i made Recommendation threads for each of them where i kept the recs and relevant links in the first post. I'm not sure how much help either of them were which is why i was hesitant to make this but we discussed it in the Countdown thread and we seemed to agree it can't do any harm. Hopefully it'll bring attention to the Countdown and some will discover new favourites, worst case scenario it won't get used.
Anyway just rec films you love or films you don't think get enough exposure directed by women, possibly someone will check them out on your rec and appreciate them. If anyone has any relevant links post them and i'll add them to this post or if anyone wants to do any write ups or whatever i'll link them too. The deadline for the Countdown is March 31st. Recs:
(Citizen Rules Recommendations)
Classics Das blaue Licht 'The Blue Light' (Leni Riefenstahl, 1932) Triumph of the Will (Leni Riefenstahl, 1935) Leni Riefenstahl was considered at one time to be the greatest woman director working. The Blue Light is a forlorn German folk tale, shot on location in the Dolomite mountains. The cinematography is stunning AND it stars Leni herself. The Hitch-Hiker (Ida Lupino, 1953) Ida Lupino was one of the first women Hollywood directors. This is an effective and straight forward in it's telling of a real life incident. These are all mostly either based on true stories or on literary stories. There all subdued and that's the way I like em. The Loving Story (Nancy Buirski, 2011) The Rosa Parks Story (Julie Dash, 2002) Sophie and the Rising Sun (Maggie Greenwald, 2016) To Walk Invisible: The Bronte Sisters (Sally Wainwright, 2016) Madame Bovary (Sophie Barthes, 2014) Cairo Time (Ruba Nadda, 2009) Under the Tuscan Sun (Audrey Wells, 2003) Charlotte Gray (Gillian Armstrong, 2001) Little Women (Gillian Armstrong, 1994) Frida (Julie Taymor, 2002) Learning to Drive (Isabel Coixet, 2014) Whale Rider (Niki Caro, 2002) These are darker movies, with gut wrenching power The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, 2008) Strange Days (Kathryn Bigelow, 1995) These are also darker, but not from an action stand point but from a psychological one The Beaver (Jodie Foster, 2011) Depressing somber movie about mental illness, great film, but not a happy film. Sylvia (Christine Jeffs, 2003)...True and sad story about a suicidal poet, Sylvia Plath. Grey Gardens (Ellen Hovde, Muffie Meyer, 1975)...Documentary about two elderly women, mother and daughter living in wretched poverty conditions. One of the best docs I've seen. These are all ecliptic, unique type of dramas with comedy included, but not comedies per say. Elvis & Nixon (Liza Johnson, 2016) Kevin Spacey is Nixon! Tank Girl (Rachel Talalay, 1995) Silly story, but soooo much fun! Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (Lorene Scafaria, 2012) I thought this was pretty deep and it got to me. The Dressmaker (Jocelyn Moorhouse, 2015) Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (Randa Haines, 1993) Sunshine Cleaning (Christine Jeffs, 2008) Mamma Mia! (Phyllida Lloyd, 2008) Beware, it's a musical. These are all slow burn, introspective case studies, mostly about women characters. Wanda (Barbara Loden, 1970) Certain Women (2016) Wendy and Lucy (2008) Night Moves (2013) River of Grass (1994) Meeks Cutoff (2010) Old Joy (2006) Director: Kelly Reichardt These are solid dramas based on real people. The Iron Lady (Phyllida Lloyd, 2011) Amelia (Mira Nair, 2009) Suffragette (Sarah Gavron, 2015) The Iron Lady was the best of the bunch. Fun! movies made well. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Amy Heckerling, 1982) Gosh I love this one! European Vacation (Amy Heckerling, 1985) Bridget Jones’s Diary (Sharon Maguire, 2001) The Brady Bunch Movie (Betty Thomas, 1995) Out to Sea (Martha Coolidge, 1997) Really well done movie based on a cruise ship, better than it might sound. A Royal Night Out (Julian Jarrold, 2015) I adored this, I thought it was charming and fun. Belle (Amma Asante, 2013) Amreeka (Cherien Dabis, 2009) Make a Wish (Cherien Dabis, 2006) Short Palestine film about a young girl and her sister her go out to buy a cake for a birthday in the occupied territories. A League of Their Own (Penny Marshall, 1992) Big (Penny Marshall, 1988) I like A League of Their Own better than Big, though Big was more funny. Welcome to Me (Shira Piven, 2014) Some though this was mean spirited towards the mentally ill. I thought it was pretty ballsy. Bewitched (2005) You've Got Mail (1998) Sleepless in Seattle (1993) Julie & Julia (2009) Directed by Nora Ephron These films by Nora Ephron are all well known, if you only pick one to watch, chose Julie & Julia.
(Chypmunk recommended this)
The Better Wife Viewing Link The Better Wife IMDB Page A Girl At My Door
(Resopamenic's Recommendations)
Sway (2006) Suzaku (1997) A Silent Voice (2016) Oh Lucy! (2017)
(Hashtag Brownies Recs)
Fish Tank (2009) The Snowman (1982) Crickets opinions on various films both good and bad
Thursday Next's Recommendations:
I'm glad to see Tank Girl has already been mentioned - this is a film that gets slated quite a lot but I think it is awesome. This is not a Dark Knight super-serious epic comic book adaptation, it's cheesy, fun, hilarious and gloriously so. Naomi Watts appears in as Jet Girl. But I'm a Cheerleader is a film I only watched for the first time quite recently but it is great (and very 90s). It's a comedy about a girl (who is a cheerleader) whose parents and friends think she is a lesbian and send her to a gay-correction camp. It's colourful and cute and funny with some interesting stylised elements. Strange Days ought to be pretty well known as Bigelow is a fairly well-known director, but somehow I feel like this gets overlooked a bit as a sci-fi sometimes, although I know a few members here are fans. A dark, dystopian vision of the millennium plagued by race riots in which a new technology is mixed up with murder, assault and political conspiracy. And Ralph Fiennes as the unlikely hero. Also Angela Bassett. Beau Travail is directed by Clare Denis. I see her 35 Shots of Rum mentioned more often and that is good but I like Beau Travail better. It's a hard film to describe as it's more about the visual poetry than the plot, a film that's more choreographed than directed. There's a lot of Denis Lavant's craggy face set against an equally craggy landscape, masculinity and envy among a group of soldiers. I had this on my 90s list when we did that countdown but needless to say it did not make the top 100. Julie Taymor's Titus is a bold, colourful, theatrical and gleefully anachronistic version of Shakespeare's most gruesome play. Anthony Hopkins plays the title character, (almost) everyone's a villain, (almost) everyone dies (not really a spoiler, this is a Shakespeare tragedy after all, and this one in particular is close to a horror movie), people get baked in a pie. Near Dark - Bigelow vampire movie Ravenous - directed by Antonia Bird; Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle and cannibalism on the frontier. Jennifer's Body which has a pretty low imdb score but I thought was very funny. Also Buffy the Vampire Slayer Paris is Burning (1990) directed by Jennie Livingstone to the non-fiction recs. It didn't make a dent on the top 100 documentaries, but maybe somebody will watch it for this.
Honeykid's Recs:
Vagabond Orlando Little Women (1994) Point Break Whip It! Sleepless In Seattle
Originally Posted by Siddon (Post 1845260)
Siddon's non fiction recommendations
Blackfish (2013) Gabriela Cowperthwaite The Kid Stays In the Picture (2002) Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee (2016) Nanette Burstein Harlan County, USA (1976) Barbara Kopple Citizen Four(2014) Laura Poitras Deliver Us From Evil(2006) West of Memphis (2012) Amy Berg War Room (1993) Starup.com (2001) Chris Hegedus
Holden's Filmmakers to seek out:
Isabel Coixet The Bookshop (2017) Endless Night (2015) Learning to Drive (2014) Another Me (2013) Yesterday Never Ends (2013) Map of the Sounds of Tokyo (2009) Elegy (2008) The Secret Life of Words (2005) My Life Without Me (2003) A los que Aman (1998) Cosas que Nunca te Dije (1996) Demasiado Viejo Para Morir Joven (1989) Claire Denis High Life (2018) Let the Sun Shine In (2017) White Material (2009) 35 Shots of Rum (2008) Friday Night (2003) Trouble Every Day (2001) Beau Travail (1999) Nenette and Boni (1996) No Fear, No Die (1990) Chocolat (1988) Agnès Varda Faces Places (2017) The Beaches of Agnès (2008) The Gleaners and I (2000) Le Petit Amour (1988) Vagabond (1985) One Sings, the Other Doesn't (1977) Lions Love...and Lies (1969) The Creatures (1966) Le Bonheur (1965) Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962) La Pointe-Courte (1955) Andrea Arnold American Honey (2016) Wuthering Heights (2011) Fish Tank (2009) Red Road (2006) Wasp (2003) Lisa Cholodenko The Kids are All Right (2010) Cavedweller (2004) Laurel Canyon (2002) High Art (1998) Sarah Polley Stories We Tell (2012) Take This Waltz (2011) Away from Her (2006) Miranda July The Future (2011) Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005) Adrienne Shelly Waitress (2007) I'll Take You There (1999) Sudden Manhattan (1996) Nicole Holofcener The Land of Steady Habits (2018) Enough Said (2013) Please Give (2010) Friends with Money (2006) Lovely & Amazing (2001) Walking and Talking (1996) Maggie Greenwald Sophie and the Rising Sun (2016) The Last Keeps (2013) Songcatcher (2000) The Ballad of Little Jo (1993) The Kill-Off (1989) Lake Bell I Do…Until I Don’t (2017) In a World… (2013) Debra Granik My Abandonment (2017) Stray Dog (2014) Winter’s Bone (2010) Down to the Bone (2004) Clio Barnard Dark River (2017) The Selfish Giant (2013) The Arbor (2010)
Originally Posted by gbgoodies (Post 1845774)
Some of the movies on my recommendations list have already been mentioned, so if you see any of these movies listed by someone else, consider this a second (or third) recommendation for those movies. (I linked them to their IMDB pages instead of their Wikipedia pages because Wikipedia pages usually have the full plot with spoilers.)
Across the Universe (2007) August Rush (2007) - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Awakenings (1990) Bewitched (2005) Big (1988) - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED The Edge of Seventeen (2016) - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) Finnegan Begin Again (1985 TV Movie) - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED The Greatest (2009) - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED The Heartbreak Kid (1972) It's My Turn (1980) Julie & Julia (2009) The Late Shift (1996 TV Movie) Look Who's Talking (1989) Love Is All You Need (2012) Mamma Mia! (2008) - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Merrily We Go to Hell (1932) Mikey and Nicky (1976) Pay It Forward (2000) Permanent Record (1988) Point Break (1991) The Prince and Me (2004) The Prince of Tides (1991) The Producers (2005) Real Genius (1985) - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Return to Me (2000) - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED The Ron Clark Story (2006 TV Movie) Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) Sleepless in Seattle (1993) - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Spielberg (2017) - (Documentary) - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED The Trouble with Angels (1966) What Women Want (2000) - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED When Billie Beat Bobby (TV Movie 2001) You've Got Mail (1998) - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED |
Re: Directed By Women Recommendations
Lady Bird ftw!
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Originally Posted by rauldc14 (Post 1844517)
Lady Bird ftw!
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Glad you made this thread. I think it does help promote the countdown and helps people find some films to watch for it.
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As long as someone is able to appreciate 1930s b&w movies Anybody's Woman is worth a look imo (and available on Internet Archive).
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Re: Directed By Women Recommendations
Thanks for the recs, added who mentioned them. Couldn't see Anybody's Woman on the internet archive at first, it's actually there under a different title: The Better Wife. Added the link to that since it's a free and legal service.
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Originally Posted by Camo (Post 1844557)
Thanks for the recs, added who mentioned them. Couldn't see Anybody's Woman on the internet archive at first, it's actually there under a different title: The Better Wife. Added the link to that since it's a free and legal service.
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Re: Directed By Women Recommendations
Highly recommend checking out the films of Lina Wertmuller.
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Naomi kawase - moe no suzaku, shara,
miwa nishikawa - the long excuse There's also miwa nishikawa (sway, dear doctor) , yamada naoko (a silent voice) and atsuko hirayanagi (oh lucy) and other kawase's movie that still i want to see |
Originally Posted by resopamenic (Post 1844612)
Naomi kawase - moe no suzaku, shara
There's also miwa nishikawa (long goodbye, sway) , yamada naoko (a silent voices) and atsuko hirayanagi (oh lucy) which still i want to see |
Re: Directed By Women Recommendations
Fish Tank (2009)
The Snowman (1982) Both are absolutely fantastic. |
This is what I've got so far
Seen- 28 Days Average comedy drama with Sandra Bullock A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night Decent foreign horror A League of Their Own Good comedy classic recommended for most. American Honey Not for everyone but I loved it. American Psycho Anatomy of Hell Foreign, maybe artsy, a bit gross, not for everyone. Babadook Decent for horror fans. Baise-Moi Recommended for fans of trashy exploitation. Big Recommended for everyone. Billy Madison One of Adam Sandler's best. Black Sheep Highly recommended for fans of Farley and Spade. Blue Steel Recommended for fans of cheesy 80's style thrillers. Bound Very good, sexy thriller. Boys Don't Cry Should be number 1 on the countdown in my mind. Bridget Jone's Diary Cleo from 5 to 7 Highly recommended for foreign arthouse fans. Dead Girl Mediocre thriller. Deep Impact A definite for disaster film fans. Desperately Seeking Susan Madonna's best movie. Eden Most people would like this non-exploitive look at human trafficking. European Vacation Fast Times at Ridgemont High A must see classic. Fat Girl Good, dark, foreign. Fatso Mediocre comedy. Fish Tank British, recommended for everyone. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare Frida Good movie, great performance from Salma Hayek. Godsend Ok early 80's horror. Guncrazy Ok B movie. Havoc A sleeper but not for everyone. Heartbreak Kid (1972) Must see comedy for the countdown. Hitch-Hiker For fans of classic noir. Holy Smoke Average comedy drama. Hurt Locker In My Skin Foreign, sick, good. In the Cut Not a great movie but seedy. Invitation Decent thriller. Jeanne Dielman F**k off. Jesus Camp Acclaimed documentary. Johnny Dangerously Decent 80's comedy. Jumpin' Jack Flash Ok 80's comedy. Laurel Canyon Decent drama. Le Bonheur Must see foreign arthouse. Look Who's Talking Lords of Dogtown Pretty good skateboarding drama with Heath Ledger. Loser Mediocre comedy. Lost in Translation Must see. Loverboy Must see for fans of 80's comedies. Making Mr. Right Ok 80's comedy. Matrix Trilogy Mikey and Nicky Must see for fans of strong dialogue and acting. Monster Morvern Callar Good British film. Mrs. Soffel Decent drama. Near Dark Maybe the best vampire film. Night Moves Average thriller. Night Patrol Mediocre 80's comedy. Nothing Bad Can Happen Well made and disturbing true life take from Germany. Pay it Forward Decent drama. Peacemaker Average action. Permanent Record Ok drama. Pet Sematary II Mediocre horror sequel. Piano Must see for this countdown. Point Break Good action. Poison Ivy Decent B movie. Private Parts Good comedy, a must see for Howard Stern fans. Proposal Average to mediocre comedy. Pure Luck Mediocre comedy. Ratcatcher Must see acclaimed British film. Ravenous Very good western type of horror. Raw Very good foreign horror. Real Genius Good 80's comedy. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World Comedy/drama that has it's fans. Slumber Party Massacre Recommended for slasher fans. Stander Pretty good true crime thriller. Strange Days Recommended for most, one of my favorites. Streets For fans of trashy b movies. Surveillance Average thriller. Thirteen Very good drama. Triumph of the Will Decent classic Nazi documentary. Trouble Every Day If you want some foreign, sick, and slow. Under the Tuscan Sun Typical "Women's film". Valley Girl Recommended for 80's comedy. Wayne's World Wendy and Lucy It has fans, maybe a must see for this countdown. We Need to Talk About Kevin Recommended for everyone. White Girl Trashy, I like it. Winter's Bone Solid thriller. Wonder Woman Woodsman Good movie with a dark theme. Zero Dark Thirty Watchlist- Ascent Awakenings Beguiled Children of a Lesser God Deliver Us From Evil Detroit Europa Europa Harlan County, USA House is Black Jennifer's Body Ladybird Last Supper Little Miss Sunshine Little Women Olympia Orlando Prince of Tides Ripley's Game Sleepless in Seattle Take This Waltz Virgin Suicides You Were Never Really Here |
Re: Directed By Women Recommendations
Detroit and Virgin Suicides are good.
What do you think of Hurt Locker? I thought it was kind of average. |
Originally Posted by Camo (Post 1844654)
Thanks for the recs. Added them under their english titles since most members here are english speaking.
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Originally Posted by resopamenic (Post 1844828)
yo welcome camo. o yeah only a silent voice is animation :D
@cricket i'm going to link your post because some you are warmly recommending and some you are calling..."fck off" :laugh: Also you just reminded me of your Jeanne Dielman reviews which in my memory was hilarious. And i missed your Le Bonheur post, guessing you saw it before me. |
Originally Posted by cricket (Post 1140854)
Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
Mixed feelings on this one. I didn't hate it like I thought I would. I thought the acting was very good, I liked how the film looked, and I have to give it credit for trying something different. Also, I wasn't quite as bored as I expected to be. But really, if this bitch had a dishwasher, the running time would be cut in half. Endless scenes of nothing does not make a great movie. I actually got excited when she went out to the shoe repair shop, or out to find a button. I guess maybe the whole point is to lull the viewer into a certain state of mind. If that's the case, it seems to me the makers don't think that highly of the audience. I'm sure supporters of the film will disagree, and maybe they're right. I don't know, I guess it's just a matter of how you want to look at it. Sure, I felt the character's misery. How could I miss it? As far as the ending goes, I'm really not sure how I feel about it. I wonder if this is a movie it's fans can watch over and over? All in all, I think it's far too limited to be a great film, but I'd be comfortable with saying it's a great experiment in film. Yeah i believe it's to show the crippling mundanity and repetitiveness of her day to day routine; her role in life. |
Re: Directed By Women Recommendations
Another one worth a look imo (for our Korean members or those that don't mind reading subtitles) is Dohee-ya aka A Girl At My Door.
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Re: Directed By Women Recommendations
If you just want a list of films I've seen directed by women, here's my letterboxd list.
Personally, I find scrolling through long lists hurts my eyes a bit and I'd love to see members post some more personal recommendations of why they love films and why we should watch and vote for them as well in this thread. I'll start with some 90s faves: I'm glad to see Tank Girl has already been mentioned - this is a film that gets slated quite a lot but I think it is awesome. This is not a Dark Knight super-serious epic comic book adaptation, it's cheesy, fun, hilarious and gloriously so. Naomi Watts appears in as Jet Girl. But I'm a Cheerleader is a film I only watched for the first time quite recently but it is great (and very 90s). It's a comedy about a girl (who is a cheerleader) whose parents and friends think she is a lesbian and send her to a gay-correction camp. It's colourful and cute and funny with some interesting stylised elements. Strange Days ought to be pretty well known as Bigelow is a fairly well-known director, but somehow I feel like this gets overlooked a bit as a sci-fi sometimes, although I know a few members here are fans. A dark, dystopian vision of the millennium plagued by race riots in which a new technology is mixed up with murder, assault and political conspiracy. And Ralph Fiennes as the unlikely hero. Also Angela Bassett. Beau Travail is directed by Clare Denis. I see her 35 Shots of Rum mentioned more often and that is good but I like Beau Travail better. It's a hard film to describe as it's more about the visual poetry than the plot, a film that's more choreographed than directed. There's a lot of Denis Lavant's craggy face set against an equally craggy landscape, masculinity and envy among a group of soldiers. I had this on my 90s list when we did that countdown but needless to say it did not make the top 100. Julie Taymor's Titus is a bold, colourful, theatrical and gleefully anachronistic version of Shakespeare's most gruesome play. Anthony Hopkins plays the title character, (almost) everyone's a villain, (almost) everyone dies (not really a spoiler, this is a Shakespeare tragedy after all, and this one in particular is close to a horror movie), people get baked in a pie. More later... |
Originally Posted by Thursday Next (Post 1844840)
Personally, I find scrolling through long lists hurts my eyes a bit and I'd love to see members post some more personal recommendations of why they love films and why we should watch and vote for them as well in this thread.
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Originally Posted by Camo (Post 1844841)
That's why i was hesitant to make this. When it becomes just a mammoth list of titles it's not much help to anyone, as i said if people want to do write ups or whatever i'll add them.
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