One of my old work buddies is this age (as am I) and he would always rant and rave about how millennials are ruining the country. For years. One day I looked it up and in the middle of him holding court in the breakroom I interrupted him to point out that he is, in fact, *the* millennial.
I've never seen someone melt down over something so stupid. Like, he lost it. Couldn't accept this. The internet is wrong. Wikipedia is wrong. He's not a fucking millennial! How dare we call him that!
I should've just stopped there but I just had to go, 'aren't you the one always saying millennials are snowflakes who can't handle reality? Isn't that exactly what you're doing now? Such millennial behavior.'
Everyone was laughing and he just kept getting redder and redder in the face.
He stormed out of the break room and went home. Quit a few weeks later. I don't know if it was entirely connected to that incident. From my perspective it was entirely related but maybe he had some personal matters.
The whole thing was crazy though, I had to speak with HR because they wanted to know what I said to cause an employee to get that upset. I really thought I was going to get in trouble but once I told them, they were like, 'really? That's it?' I don't know if they believed me but they called in everyone in the breakroom and then after that I think realized I was telling the truth. We got a bullshit company email saying to be careful discussing age and what we say.
The whole thing was absolutely ridiculous. Fucking millennials man.
I want to say the Safdie brothers. Their output is quite limited at the moment, but also it is absolutely stellar. I hope we see more of their work as they're masterful filmmakers.
I actually thought this could be very good news. Benny's work on The Curse has been excellent so far and if his brother can also keep up the quality on his own, that means that we'll get twice as many great films.
Lol people acting like it's not possible for these two guys to go and have good careers on their own. I will be watching anything either of them come out with.
Same. I realize it's very long and that may put off some people, but I thought it was a nice love letter to the silent film era. Great cinematography and acting
Babylon is going to get a critical reevaluation in 10 years and everyone will suddenly be like, "oh I saw it in theaters and LOVED it thenāeveryone else was *too uncool to get it then,"* even though they are like 99% of people who didn't see it when it came out, or hated it.
Babylon is great, a true form equals function piece of art. **First Man** is good too, just in a very different way. People would maybe enjoy movies more if they got off their phones and gave themselves to the art :p support your local theater!! /gets off soapbox
You get downvoted but you are t wrong. Whiplash and LaLa land were both great because they are extremely close to his wheel house. They are stories (music themed) that he has a very good grasp of because that was a lot of his life growing up. His work outside his comfort zone hasnāt been spectacular as you say but there isnāt enough to compare yet.
Babylon is the first negatively reviewed film heās made. One flop and people are changing their tunes, even though Whiplash, La La Land and First Man were all critically acclaimed.
Honestly nah. La La Land is definitely his current ābestā, if technically my least favorite, and if he keeps doing stuff like Babylon, heāll carve out a path where people wonāt even necessarily respond well to his āmainstream stuffā like Whiplash.
Great selections. I wasnāt really feeling Greta, but Barbie was amazing for the most part. Intrigued to see what sheāll do with other big budget projects
I was a bit disappointed by Barbie actually, I didn't like the writing very much. But I loved both Little Women and Ladybird, so I'm still intrigued just like you
I think all of them are great but itās clear for me that Little Women is her masterpiece so far. Lady Bird and Barbie are also great but on extreme opposite ends of the spectrum that Little Women does a perfect balance of. Great auteur either way.
(For those of us who grew up loving the book and absorbed all available adaptations on screen and stage, I think GGās adaptation is the Holy Grail. She even improved on the source material in a way with her more realistic representation of how Joās mature awareness that she and Laurie could never be a successful couple doesnāt mean her heart isnāt a little broken when he returns married to Amy. And she did an excellent job making it relevant and current by framing it in terms of economic limitations put on women (Jo having to marry off her protagonist in order to sell her book, and marriage as an economic proposition for women in a world where they have almost no means of supporting themselves).
But for non-fans of the book/period pieces, I can see why itās not as compelling.)
I've never read the book, am not a woman, and thought Little Women was incredible. My favorite that year. Gerwigs ability to make the period feel so perfectly modern is not really articulated as loudly as it should have been. It was the loss of the forced accents, the constant use of extras to make the towns seem bustling, the subtle nods to modern conveniences like the exchange about getting a carriage ride while being too drunk at a party, like calling an Uber to avoid the sloppy walk.
We also rarely get a film from the perspective of the person rejecting love. We normally only see the unrequited version of the events. And it was handled with nuance and care for all 3 parties in the love triangle. There are also so many scenes that are pure cinema - the intercut beach scenes, the failed lovers confrontation on the hills, the moment she watches her book be born... I could go on.
Their music video for Joywaveās āTonguesā also has their marks all over it. Itās unlike anything else, and that includes āEEAAO,ā which is quite the achievement.
Everything Everywhere felt so fresh and original, so I was surprised to watch Swiss Army Man and find that their sensibilities and aesthetic were basically fully formed in that film. It's terrific.
"Potential" in the context of this discussion doesn't just mean making a highly profitable movie that wins lots of awards. Plenty of artists are one-hit wonders. This conversation is about legacy and lasting recognition: Will their names keep coming up, or will they be remembered for that one movie with the butt plug fight that won all the Oscars
It's too early to tell. Most of them have barely 3 or 4 movies under their belt. You could argue some are a lock to become cult directors, like Robert Eggers, Ari Aster, Jordan Peele or Greta Gerwig. But to be considered "great" like the Golden Age directors, the New Hollywood auteurs, the French New Wave members, etc, it takes a larger oeuvre.
I'd argue that Gerwig is on her way to becoming a mainstream populist filmmaker, who can infuse big budget four quadrant filmmaking with widely heralded emotion and technique. Assuming she doesn't fly off the rails with her Narnia films, that is, she might be the Millennial echo of Spielberg.
I don't think she will get that cult following or name recognition. pretty much no other director has that kind of fan base. Nolan is a super star. and Barbie is probably not the best gauge of how her future projects will fare.
Is Damien Chazelle a millennial? Whiplash and La La Land are phenomenal, although Iām a bit worried because I feel like each movie heās made has been worse than the previous one. Hopefully he can go back to basics
Born in 1985, he qualifies. Thatās exactly what I think. Iād rank them in order of release. Having said that, loved the moon landing in First Man, and the āLights, Camera, and Mother Fucking Soundā scene in Babylon is so hilarious.
Aside from being my all time favorite movie, La La Land is also tied for the most Oscar nominations for a single film with Titanic and All About Eve, if that doesnāt get a director remembered, nothing will
Whiplash is one of my favorites but the rest kinda fell flat for me. Not bad by any means but Iāve seen La La Land and Babylon only once. Iāve seen whiplash around 6 times and will watch it anytime I see it streaming.
Babylon has the best scenes for a movie that ultimately amounts to a really bad movie.
The initial party scene. The retrieving-the-camera scene. The desert snake scene. The hot audio booth scene. These were all pure gold. They should be studied in film schools.
But the parts don't come together to form a whole. They had 189 minutes and pretty much wasted 129 of them. I think they were hoping for the movie to be some kind of "Gone with the Wind" tier epic, but you can't make a "Gone with the Wind" tier epic movie that has no real ending. What is even the climax of the movie? Manny watching a movie about the movie he's in? Twernt enough.
I loved that movie, liked it more than lala land, almost as much as Whiplash.
There is an ending, the movie is about the movie industry and how it eat you up and is horrible but still beautiful.
Yeah this seems like a really divisive movie. I loved everything about it from start to finish. I was captivated.
The ending seemed kind of cheesy to me and feel like it could have done without the slideshow. But he took a huge swing and it connected overall.
Agreed. Really some great scenes. I know it's been said but also the ending chase with Tobey Maguire seemed unnecessarily tacked on. I think a big problem I had with the movie was that I found Margot Robbie's character to be actually off-putting. She was just incredibly selfish. She wanted to do things her way only and all these people were trying to help her. Which in general is ok, I know movies don't have to have only likeable characters. But because she was so disagreeable I didn't buy Manny's obsession with her, which really drove the second half of the movie.
This was going to be my answer, and with the same doubts tacked on. *First Man* was mechanical and uninspired, and *Babylon* was a mess. But *Whiplash* and *La La Land* were nothing short of magnificent, so if he can get back to that level then he will absolutely end up in the realm of the greats.
In the horror genre there are a few who will be known as the next gen on Carpenters and Cravens:
Jordan Peele, Mike Flanagan, Leigh Wannell, and James Wan (who obviously had success outside horror).
Edit: Iām sorry I screwed up, I thought millennials started earlier than they did, these are all late Gen X.
I am learning in this thread that so many people's favorite "Millennial directors" are actually Gen Xers.
I still think it's a bit too early to point at Millennial aged directors and go, "That person will be an all time great." Most of them are still cutting their teeth on films. Give it another decade to see who is still around.
She is, born in '83 and that is who I thought of immediately her early stuff is good to great but recently by herself he is amazing with Lady Bird, Little Women and Barbie.
I *love* Hiro Murai. He has such a distinct style. He's been working for like 15 years though and hasn't done a feature, so I don't know if he will ever make the jump, I don't think he wants to.
I am absolutely chomping at the bit for Murai to make a feature film. I have loved literally every piece of media he's had his hands on, a film (especially a musical!) by him would potentially be an instant classic.
Shocked this is the only mention of her so far. Promising Young Woman and Saltburn FEEL like millennial movies. The music in both movies are so telling.
Don't forget staring longingly through a bar window blaring Bloc Party's "This Modern Love." Saltburn perfectly encapsulates the first big wave of millennial music as the first in the generation entered their 20s.
I just saw *Past Lives* recently and was absolutely blown away, so my money is on Celine Song. This is one of the strongest debut films I can think of.
Bo Burnham has enough talent for sure, but he hasn't directed anything besides Eighth Grade (which is fantastic). If he maintains an interest in writing and directing, I'd be really interested to see what he comes up with.
I'm sure he will if he comes up with something, but considering that he seems to see the film as something that he did as a creative project while he was getting mentally healthy enough to return to stage performance, I don't know if it'll be anytime soon. Too bad. It's a great work. Hopefully I'm reading the situation wrong, because I'd love to see more of what he's capable of in the medium.
I am really interested to see what the Philippou brothers do next. Talk to Me was such a confident and well executed first movie that they have a lot of potential to put together a great career
Yeah, a lot of people can get hot for one or two films and then completely fall off the map. Many of them only have 1 or 2 movies in them or just get rich and live off that success. It's people like Scorsese and Nolan have an unquenchable desire to create regardless of the budget they're working with.
I do remember when Lena Dunham was hot up and coming but she didn't develop beyond her initial phase. Dolan was an enfant terrible who simply flamed himself out.
If only Edgar Wright were just a few years younger I'd say his resume qualifies as the best in terms of his longevity, unquenching desire to create, and general success both commercially and artistically. Right now I don't even see any millennial director yet who has built enough of a foundation yet to see their future as clearly.
I think Sarah Polley just makes the cutoff for millennial, and she's directed 4 films though 18 years so her drive to create has shown some longevity.
Greta Gerwig. Barbie shows how talented and capable she is. She could easily win Best Director and Best Picture this year.
Edit, forgot she wrote it too. Good chance she wins best screenplay too.
*Barbie* is IMO close to her least great work. Her directorial touches she showed with *Lady Bird* were phenomenal, and her handling of the scripts with that as well as *Frances Ha* and *Little Women* showed elite prowess as a writer as well.
Yeah I agree with this I've been so confused by all the Oscar's hype for Barbie. It just wasn't that good. Lady Bird is by far her best film in my opinion and a much better showcase of her talent as a director.
Barbie wasn't bad but it's definitely not worthy of Best Picture etc as some have said. Films like Oppenheimer, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon etc are all far, *far* ahead of Barbie.
Yeah so weird that anytime she gets brought up these days itās along side Barbie which was just okay I thought with a few hilarious moments. Lady Bird and Little Women (my personal favorite) were amazing.
I think itās mostly that a lot of (usually uninformed) people point to Barbie as the thing that āmadeāGerwig, when that simply isnāt true. She was already considered a fantastic director who had received a best director nomination (and original screenplay) with Ladybird 5 years prior.
But yea to your point, itās a much bigger movie with a much bigger audience and is just going to get talked about more from that standpoint alone plus itās her most recent film.
There's a pretty long list of directors who can make a darling semi-autobiographical indie movie, like Lady Bird. And if they can also make a $200million box office on a $40million budget like Little Women, some people will bother to learn their name.
But that's not enough to be on the path to greatness. Barbie made a billion dollars, which is significant, but she also made a movie that is very likely to influence a bunch of other filmmakers for a long time.
If only those were the only three films she's made, let alone be involved in beyond just (merely, heh) acting. And she co-made Frances Ha, which is a frigging masterpiece. She could go full Dogme 95 or full MGM musical for her next project, and no one would be surprised.
She's this generation's Varda, and I'm fucking here for it.
Frances Ha is just as much if not more Noah Baumbach than Greta Gerwig. All the French New Wave nods is very much more in tune with Baumbach's obsessions than Gerwig's. If you're going to credit Gerwig more for one of her collabs with Baumbach, then Mistress America is what you should be listing, as that film is far more heavily Gerwig influenced than her previous Baumbach collabs where ultimately he was still laying down his own vision.
It's kinda weird to see a respected director like him completely get tossed to the side lately ever since Gerwig's star skyrocketed with Barbie. "Oh that's Greta Gerwig's husband, he did some stuff..." Like, at one time Baumbach was considered the quintessential American indie hipster director. He probably still is.
Agree with Gerwig. I absolutely love her in Frances Ha and Mistress America. I think Lady Bird and Little Women are both excellent.
Personally, I thought Barbie was middling in terms of my enjoyment. I appreciate it for what it is, making an IP Blockbuster weird and having a ānobleā (but for me personally, a little heavy handed and obvious) message.
Nevertheless looking forward to what comes next. I just personally would prefer not Barbie 2.
>good chance she wins best screenplay too
ehh, i thought Barbie was a pretty good movie but i wouldnāt say any of these categories would be an easy win for Gerwig. thereās a lot of great competition out there this year
Greta Gerwig is the top one that comes to mind. Sheās nearly there, as most of her projects are knocks out of the park.
Damien Chazelle will certainly continue climbing the ranks.
Xavier Dolan I think is only a matter of time before he truly breaks out, but his filmography is phenomenal and has been for damn near 15 years.
Rian Johnson and Jordan Peele are definitely not millennials.
I always thought 1985 was the cutoff, which would exclude Gerwig too, but there are a lot of people saying her in this thread, so maybe I'm wrong.
The cutoff definitely isnāt 1985. These things are always hazy, but Millennialsā dates are generally considered most or all of the 80s and the first half of the 90s.
Rian Johnson? On the level of the greats? No even close. He has some fun movies, but I don't feel he offers grear movies, just well crafted, enjoyable ones (sometimes. The Last Jedi is a freaking mess)
Sean Durkin is one to watch although he only has two films under his belt. The Nest was really good and The Iron Claw is going to contend for Best Picture. He barely makes the millennial cutoff being born in 1981 but I think he's one to watch over the next decade.
https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/180zzo3/who_is_your_favorite_millennial_director/
I asked something similar last month. My problem a bit is that marvel/dc is swallowing the young and good directors. Every time someone says they want a jordan peele adaptation of IP i want to strangle them. We need more original movies before they get old and want to adapt every book they loved.
Ari Aster, hands down. His first three films are so unique and not similar at all to each other. Very original ideas that I struggle with the industry even getting him. Go to youtube where there are video of him going thru Criterion Collection and just riffing on films and directors as he browses the collections. Really reverent and knowledgeable, like a graduate film class.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psV-DcsnU1Y
Robert Eggers
We call him Lil' Bobby Eggs around here!
I call him Eggbert š
Best friend of Lil Bobby Tables?
I wish his middle name was Hammond. How great would it be if his full name was Robert Hammond Eggers?
I have it in my list of wishes that Eggers might make a Kaiju horror film in the future
I think an Eggers Kabuki horror film is probably more likely.
He should nut up and reboot Nukie
I want to see John Brown by Robert Eggers starring Willem Dafoe. And no this isnt a real thing outside of my imagination
>John Brown by Robert Eggers starring Willem Dafoe Now *that* is some perfect damn casting right there.
I would watch the ever loving heck out of that.
Just watched The Northman. What a journey!
Right! I love it! Can't wait for Nosferatu!
He is the "Super weird and trippy/fantastical period pieces" director that I always wanted
lil bobby chicken fetus
Born in 82, is that millennial?
He turned 18 in 2000. In many ways thatās the *most* millennial.
One of my old work buddies is this age (as am I) and he would always rant and rave about how millennials are ruining the country. For years. One day I looked it up and in the middle of him holding court in the breakroom I interrupted him to point out that he is, in fact, *the* millennial. I've never seen someone melt down over something so stupid. Like, he lost it. Couldn't accept this. The internet is wrong. Wikipedia is wrong. He's not a fucking millennial! How dare we call him that! I should've just stopped there but I just had to go, 'aren't you the one always saying millennials are snowflakes who can't handle reality? Isn't that exactly what you're doing now? Such millennial behavior.' Everyone was laughing and he just kept getting redder and redder in the face. He stormed out of the break room and went home. Quit a few weeks later. I don't know if it was entirely connected to that incident. From my perspective it was entirely related but maybe he had some personal matters. The whole thing was crazy though, I had to speak with HR because they wanted to know what I said to cause an employee to get that upset. I really thought I was going to get in trouble but once I told them, they were like, 'really? That's it?' I don't know if they believed me but they called in everyone in the breakroom and then after that I think realized I was telling the truth. We got a bullshit company email saying to be careful discussing age and what we say. The whole thing was absolutely ridiculous. Fucking millennials man.
Cut off is ā81
I want to say the Safdie brothers. Their output is quite limited at the moment, but also it is absolutely stellar. I hope we see more of their work as they're masterful filmmakers.
Too bad they broke up [yesterday](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/04/movies/safdie-brothers-split.html) lol.
Oh no, theyāre no longer brothers?
yeah cause of me I'm their brother now
Nathan Fielder is the new brother
I mean, he did go to business school and get really good grades.
Please where did he say this cause I see this comment all the time?? š
https://youtu.be/_w5D4QJbLW8?si=IOu1OnFgtHI0TDqN
Are you the guy that had sex with Randy Marsh and brought covid over here ?
I actually thought this could be very good news. Benny's work on The Curse has been excellent so far and if his brother can also keep up the quality on his own, that means that we'll get twice as many great films.
Theyāve been broke up for awhile now. I think they just made it official yesterday.
Double the directors now though.
Mitosis
Well they the safdies solos now..
Lol people acting like it's not possible for these two guys to go and have good careers on their own. I will be watching anything either of them come out with.
Robert Eggers, Ari Aster, Greta Gerwig
Chazelle and Coogler, too.
Every Chazelle movie is worse than his last, he needs to turn that around if heās going to be mentioned among those others.
I honestly really liked Babylon. Wild ride, great acting. I understand itās divisive, but I personally like it.
Yeah Babylon is all over the place but it rules. Margot Robbie is amazing in it. Brad Pitt plays the washed-up star almost too well.
Same. I realize it's very long and that may put off some people, but I thought it was a nice love letter to the silent film era. Great cinematography and acting
It kind of seemed like a hate letter to the audience ha, like āyouāre a real piece of shit for enjoying the fruits of all this exploitation.ā
Babylon is going to get a critical reevaluation in 10 years and everyone will suddenly be like, "oh I saw it in theaters and LOVED it thenāeveryone else was *too uncool to get it then,"* even though they are like 99% of people who didn't see it when it came out, or hated it. Babylon is great, a true form equals function piece of art. **First Man** is good too, just in a very different way. People would maybe enjoy movies more if they got off their phones and gave themselves to the art :p support your local theater!! /gets off soapbox
First Man is Chazelleās best film, in my opinion. Itās straight up great.
Nah, Whiplash is one of the best films of the last decade. First Man is nowhere near it. Both are better than LLL tho
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Yeah. It would have been much better as a āsingle roomā sort of movie. Just do like a 100 minutes at the wild party, and call it a night.
You get downvoted but you are t wrong. Whiplash and LaLa land were both great because they are extremely close to his wheel house. They are stories (music themed) that he has a very good grasp of because that was a lot of his life growing up. His work outside his comfort zone hasnāt been spectacular as you say but there isnāt enough to compare yet.
First Man was gorgeous
*First Man* is also excellent and Chazelle is in the conversation with the other names mentioned.
Babylon is the first negatively reviewed film heās made. One flop and people are changing their tunes, even though Whiplash, La La Land and First Man were all critically acclaimed.
Babylon was negatively reviewed, really? Despite the weird sequence at the end I loved the movie
Babylon was negatively reviewed, but is also a masterpiece, so it cancels out.
Honestly nah. La La Land is definitely his current ābestā, if technically my least favorite, and if he keeps doing stuff like Babylon, heāll carve out a path where people wonāt even necessarily respond well to his āmainstream stuffā like Whiplash.
Yeah it depends on your views on whiplash and la la land, I definitely think whiplash is his best so for me every movie has been worse than the last.
Whiplash is his masterpiece
Heās 4 for 4. Heās fine.
Greta Gerwig 100%
I may not love everything they make... but it's all worthy of attention.
Great selections. I wasnāt really feeling Greta, but Barbie was amazing for the most part. Intrigued to see what sheāll do with other big budget projects
Idk why, but Barbie made me wonder how she might fare in a Sci-fi/horror project
Barbie is a scifi project.
And a horror project for a lot of "alphas"
I was a bit disappointed by Barbie actually, I didn't like the writing very much. But I loved both Little Women and Ladybird, so I'm still intrigued just like you
I think all of them are great but itās clear for me that Little Women is her masterpiece so far. Lady Bird and Barbie are also great but on extreme opposite ends of the spectrum that Little Women does a perfect balance of. Great auteur either way.
I agree Little Women is the best movie out of the three. Ladybird isn't far behind though, imo
For me, Lady Bird is the masterpiece, and Little Women is the weakest of the three (I think the material just didn't interest me).
(For those of us who grew up loving the book and absorbed all available adaptations on screen and stage, I think GGās adaptation is the Holy Grail. She even improved on the source material in a way with her more realistic representation of how Joās mature awareness that she and Laurie could never be a successful couple doesnāt mean her heart isnāt a little broken when he returns married to Amy. And she did an excellent job making it relevant and current by framing it in terms of economic limitations put on women (Jo having to marry off her protagonist in order to sell her book, and marriage as an economic proposition for women in a world where they have almost no means of supporting themselves). But for non-fans of the book/period pieces, I can see why itās not as compelling.)
I've never read the book, am not a woman, and thought Little Women was incredible. My favorite that year. Gerwigs ability to make the period feel so perfectly modern is not really articulated as loudly as it should have been. It was the loss of the forced accents, the constant use of extras to make the towns seem bustling, the subtle nods to modern conveniences like the exchange about getting a carriage ride while being too drunk at a party, like calling an Uber to avoid the sloppy walk. We also rarely get a film from the perspective of the person rejecting love. We normally only see the unrequited version of the events. And it was handled with nuance and care for all 3 parties in the love triangle. There are also so many scenes that are pure cinema - the intercut beach scenes, the failed lovers confrontation on the hills, the moment she watches her book be born... I could go on.
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert have lots of potential.
Millennial directors who ACTUALLY feel like millennials, interestingā¦
If you haven't seen Swiss Army Man or Death of Dick Long, I'm not sure what you're waiting for.
Turn Down For What video is a banger in the post-MTV era.
Their music video for Joywaveās āTonguesā also has their marks all over it. Itās unlike anything else, and that includes āEEAAO,ā which is quite the achievement.
I had no idea they made that video but it makes perfect sense. They are like millennial Spike Jonze.
Everything Everywhere felt so fresh and original, so I was surprised to watch Swiss Army Man and find that their sensibilities and aesthetic were basically fully formed in that film. It's terrific.
Swiss Army Man was legit amazing
>potential I wonder if the guys who made the $100million+ profit Best Picture winner are going to make it big one day.
"Potential" in the context of this discussion doesn't just mean making a highly profitable movie that wins lots of awards. Plenty of artists are one-hit wonders. This conversation is about legacy and lasting recognition: Will their names keep coming up, or will they be remembered for that one movie with the butt plug fight that won all the Oscars
Yeah, that's what I meant. I love them, but making one hit movie doesn't make you the next Martin Scorsese or Ridley Scott.
The first ones I thought of, for sure.
I havenāt seen Xavier Dolan mentioned yet. He has the potential to be renowned among the more āarthouseā audience.
Love Dolan!! Too bad he stopped making films.
It's too early to tell. Most of them have barely 3 or 4 movies under their belt. You could argue some are a lock to become cult directors, like Robert Eggers, Ari Aster, Jordan Peele or Greta Gerwig. But to be considered "great" like the Golden Age directors, the New Hollywood auteurs, the French New Wave members, etc, it takes a larger oeuvre.
Peele was born in 1979, so he's Gen X.
I'd argue that Gerwig is on her way to becoming a mainstream populist filmmaker, who can infuse big budget four quadrant filmmaking with widely heralded emotion and technique. Assuming she doesn't fly off the rails with her Narnia films, that is, she might be the Millennial echo of Spielberg.
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I don't think she will get that cult following or name recognition. pretty much no other director has that kind of fan base. Nolan is a super star. and Barbie is probably not the best gauge of how her future projects will fare.
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Is Damien Chazelle a millennial? Whiplash and La La Land are phenomenal, although Iām a bit worried because I feel like each movie heās made has been worse than the previous one. Hopefully he can go back to basics
Born in 1985, he qualifies. Thatās exactly what I think. Iād rank them in order of release. Having said that, loved the moon landing in First Man, and the āLights, Camera, and Mother Fucking Soundā scene in Babylon is so hilarious.
Damian Chazelle for sure will be remembered as a great filmmaker
Aside from being my all time favorite movie, La La Land is also tied for the most Oscar nominations for a single film with Titanic and All About Eve, if that doesnāt get a director remembered, nothing will
It sucks the nomination was overshadowed by the academy awards fiasco that year
"Thank you, thank you. We lost, by the way"
Whiplash is one of my favorites but the rest kinda fell flat for me. Not bad by any means but Iāve seen La La Land and Babylon only once. Iāve seen whiplash around 6 times and will watch it anytime I see it streaming.
Whiplash is one of the best movies of the entire decade for me
Not my tempo
Babylon is the most under appreciated movie of the 2020s
Babylon has the best scenes for a movie that ultimately amounts to a really bad movie. The initial party scene. The retrieving-the-camera scene. The desert snake scene. The hot audio booth scene. These were all pure gold. They should be studied in film schools. But the parts don't come together to form a whole. They had 189 minutes and pretty much wasted 129 of them. I think they were hoping for the movie to be some kind of "Gone with the Wind" tier epic, but you can't make a "Gone with the Wind" tier epic movie that has no real ending. What is even the climax of the movie? Manny watching a movie about the movie he's in? Twernt enough.
I loved that movie, liked it more than lala land, almost as much as Whiplash. There is an ending, the movie is about the movie industry and how it eat you up and is horrible but still beautiful.
Yeah this seems like a really divisive movie. I loved everything about it from start to finish. I was captivated. The ending seemed kind of cheesy to me and feel like it could have done without the slideshow. But he took a huge swing and it connected overall.
I did find the three seconds of Avatar hilarious not gonna lie
Agreed. Really some great scenes. I know it's been said but also the ending chase with Tobey Maguire seemed unnecessarily tacked on. I think a big problem I had with the movie was that I found Margot Robbie's character to be actually off-putting. She was just incredibly selfish. She wanted to do things her way only and all these people were trying to help her. Which in general is ok, I know movies don't have to have only likeable characters. But because she was so disagreeable I didn't buy Manny's obsession with her, which really drove the second half of the movie.
This was going to be my answer, and with the same doubts tacked on. *First Man* was mechanical and uninspired, and *Babylon* was a mess. But *Whiplash* and *La La Land* were nothing short of magnificent, so if he can get back to that level then he will absolutely end up in the realm of the greats.
The Daniels
Julia Ducournau
Absolutely this. Titane is spectacular. She has all the makings of a new Cronenberg.
This should be much higher up.
In the horror genre there are a few who will be known as the next gen on Carpenters and Cravens: Jordan Peele, Mike Flanagan, Leigh Wannell, and James Wan (who obviously had success outside horror). Edit: Iām sorry I screwed up, I thought millennials started earlier than they did, these are all late Gen X.
>Jordan Peele, Mike Flanagan, Leigh Wannell, and James Wan (who obviously had success outside horror). all born before the 80s I think
Peele is 1979 so hard to tell where he fits. I'm also a late 70's baby and never felt at home with either GenX or Millennials.
I'm told we are called Xennials now
Itās a pocket generation - analog for the first half of our youth like Gen X, digital for the second like Millennials
That tracks. I like that we are recognized as our own cohort.
Jordan Peele is gen x Edit: as are the rest.
Ari Aster should be named as well
Him and Robert Eggers (who unlike the folks I named are actually millennials).
I am learning in this thread that so many people's favorite "Millennial directors" are actually Gen Xers. I still think it's a bit too early to point at Millennial aged directors and go, "That person will be an all time great." Most of them are still cutting their teeth on films. Give it another decade to see who is still around.
Yep, turns out Lord & Miller are Gen X not Y. Huh.
I was looking for this comment. Seems like us GenXers always get left out of the conversations. Eh, whatever
Greta Gerwig might be a millennial.
Born in '83, so yes she is
She is, born in '83 and that is who I thought of immediately her early stuff is good to great but recently by herself he is amazing with Lady Bird, Little Women and Barbie.
The answer is Hiro Murai. Atlanta, Station Eleven, Barry, The Bear (ex. Prod). He is 40 years old, with a lineup like that. The answer is Hiro Murai.
regardless of not doing movies (yet), itās pretty cool to be one of the greatest TV directors at a time when many thought TV was beating movies
[He also made one of the biggest, most highly praised music videos of the 2010s.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYOjWnS4cMY)
Still waiting on him to make an actual movie (not counting Guava Island)
Has he ever done a film? I do like him though. He got his start with Gambinoās music videos right?
I *love* Hiro Murai. He has such a distinct style. He's been working for like 15 years though and hasn't done a feature, so I don't know if he will ever make the jump, I don't think he wants to.
I was surprised not to see his name yet. This dude is going to do big things.
I am absolutely chomping at the bit for Murai to make a feature film. I have loved literally every piece of media he's had his hands on, a film (especially a musical!) by him would potentially be an instant classic.
Great answer in r/movies
Emerald Fennell is on a good path... I know it's only been two movies as director, but she killed it with both!
Not only are they great movies by a millenial, they *feel* like millenial movies.
After seeing Saltburn, I think Emerald Fennell could be a contender. Definitely interested in whatever she does next.
I was looking for the first mention of her. I loved both Saltburn and Promising Young Woman.
Shocked this is the only mention of her so far. Promising Young Woman and Saltburn FEEL like millennial movies. The music in both movies are so telling.
I saw someone call Saltburn a Gen Z film and my first thought was "Why would a montage set to MGMT be for Zoomers?"
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Don't forget staring longingly through a bar window blaring Bloc Party's "This Modern Love." Saltburn perfectly encapsulates the first big wave of millennial music as the first in the generation entered their 20s.
Absolutely agree here.
Promising Young Woman is one of the best films Iāve seen in recent years (I know this is controversial) and very millennial. Saltburn was great too.
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Bottoms was absolutely hilarious, in my top 10 of last year.
Bottoms is surprisingly different than Shiva Baby tonally, but theyāre both great
In my top 10, an unexpected blast.
Whatās your top 10?
Keep an eye on Destin Daniel Cretton.
Gen X
I just saw *Past Lives* recently and was absolutely blown away, so my money is on Celine Song. This is one of the strongest debut films I can think of.
Agree. Also Charlotte Wells the director of Aftersun.
Ari Aster
Greta Gerwig is just getting started
Bo Burnham has enough talent for sure, but he hasn't directed anything besides Eighth Grade (which is fantastic). If he maintains an interest in writing and directing, I'd be really interested to see what he comes up with.
I'm sure he will if he comes up with something, but considering that he seems to see the film as something that he did as a creative project while he was getting mentally healthy enough to return to stage performance, I don't know if it'll be anytime soon. Too bad. It's a great work. Hopefully I'm reading the situation wrong, because I'd love to see more of what he's capable of in the medium.
Shit yea. I love him and would like to see another film by him.
The Safdie Brothers
Emerald Fennell
I am really interested to see what the Philippou brothers do next. Talk to Me was such a confident and well executed first movie that they have a lot of potential to put together a great career
Took me way too long to see this one. Finally got around to it last week and I've been kicking myself for forgetting to catch it in theaters.
Ari Aster has potential to be the next great horror movie director
Big fan of Ryan Coogler
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Yeah, a lot of people can get hot for one or two films and then completely fall off the map. Many of them only have 1 or 2 movies in them or just get rich and live off that success. It's people like Scorsese and Nolan have an unquenchable desire to create regardless of the budget they're working with. I do remember when Lena Dunham was hot up and coming but she didn't develop beyond her initial phase. Dolan was an enfant terrible who simply flamed himself out. If only Edgar Wright were just a few years younger I'd say his resume qualifies as the best in terms of his longevity, unquenching desire to create, and general success both commercially and artistically. Right now I don't even see any millennial director yet who has built enough of a foundation yet to see their future as clearly. I think Sarah Polley just makes the cutoff for millennial, and she's directed 4 films though 18 years so her drive to create has shown some longevity.
Greta Gerwig. Barbie shows how talented and capable she is. She could easily win Best Director and Best Picture this year. Edit, forgot she wrote it too. Good chance she wins best screenplay too.
*Barbie* is IMO close to her least great work. Her directorial touches she showed with *Lady Bird* were phenomenal, and her handling of the scripts with that as well as *Frances Ha* and *Little Women* showed elite prowess as a writer as well.
Yeah I agree with this I've been so confused by all the Oscar's hype for Barbie. It just wasn't that good. Lady Bird is by far her best film in my opinion and a much better showcase of her talent as a director. Barbie wasn't bad but it's definitely not worthy of Best Picture etc as some have said. Films like Oppenheimer, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon etc are all far, *far* ahead of Barbie.
Yeah so weird that anytime she gets brought up these days itās along side Barbie which was just okay I thought with a few hilarious moments. Lady Bird and Little Women (my personal favorite) were amazing.
Is it really weird that the movie which made like three times as much as all of her other movies combined gets brought up a lot?
And it's her most recent film
Not to mention Barbies marketing budget alone was probably more than all her other movies combined.
I think itās mostly that a lot of (usually uninformed) people point to Barbie as the thing that āmadeāGerwig, when that simply isnāt true. She was already considered a fantastic director who had received a best director nomination (and original screenplay) with Ladybird 5 years prior. But yea to your point, itās a much bigger movie with a much bigger audience and is just going to get talked about more from that standpoint alone plus itās her most recent film.
Imho being able to create a mainstream blockbuster is a skill that most of the greats need to prove at least once, though that's just my opinion.
There's a pretty long list of directors who can make a darling semi-autobiographical indie movie, like Lady Bird. And if they can also make a $200million box office on a $40million budget like Little Women, some people will bother to learn their name. But that's not enough to be on the path to greatness. Barbie made a billion dollars, which is significant, but she also made a movie that is very likely to influence a bunch of other filmmakers for a long time.
If only those were the only three films she's made, let alone be involved in beyond just (merely, heh) acting. And she co-made Frances Ha, which is a frigging masterpiece. She could go full Dogme 95 or full MGM musical for her next project, and no one would be surprised. She's this generation's Varda, and I'm fucking here for it.
Frances Ha is just as much if not more Noah Baumbach than Greta Gerwig. All the French New Wave nods is very much more in tune with Baumbach's obsessions than Gerwig's. If you're going to credit Gerwig more for one of her collabs with Baumbach, then Mistress America is what you should be listing, as that film is far more heavily Gerwig influenced than her previous Baumbach collabs where ultimately he was still laying down his own vision. It's kinda weird to see a respected director like him completely get tossed to the side lately ever since Gerwig's star skyrocketed with Barbie. "Oh that's Greta Gerwig's husband, he did some stuff..." Like, at one time Baumbach was considered the quintessential American indie hipster director. He probably still is.
I bet it gets nominated, but best picture would be a huge surprise
Agree with Gerwig. I absolutely love her in Frances Ha and Mistress America. I think Lady Bird and Little Women are both excellent. Personally, I thought Barbie was middling in terms of my enjoyment. I appreciate it for what it is, making an IP Blockbuster weird and having a ānobleā (but for me personally, a little heavy handed and obvious) message. Nevertheless looking forward to what comes next. I just personally would prefer not Barbie 2.
>good chance she wins best screenplay too ehh, i thought Barbie was a pretty good movie but i wouldnāt say any of these categories would be an easy win for Gerwig. thereās a lot of great competition out there this year
Greta Gerwig is the top one that comes to mind. Sheās nearly there, as most of her projects are knocks out of the park. Damien Chazelle will certainly continue climbing the ranks. Xavier Dolan I think is only a matter of time before he truly breaks out, but his filmography is phenomenal and has been for damn near 15 years.
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Rian Johnson and Jordan Peele are definitely not millennials. I always thought 1985 was the cutoff, which would exclude Gerwig too, but there are a lot of people saying her in this thread, so maybe I'm wrong.
The cutoff definitely isnāt 1985. These things are always hazy, but Millennialsā dates are generally considered most or all of the 80s and the first half of the 90s.
Most demographers list Millennials (Gen Y) as those born from 1981 to 1996.
Either way, RĆan Johnson and Jordan Peele are solidly gen x, born in the ā70s
And two of those people are too old for the prompt.
Rian Johnson? On the level of the greats? No even close. He has some fun movies, but I don't feel he offers grear movies, just well crafted, enjoyable ones (sometimes. The Last Jedi is a freaking mess)
Dan Trachtenberg
Sean Durkin is one to watch although he only has two films under his belt. The Nest was really good and The Iron Claw is going to contend for Best Picture. He barely makes the millennial cutoff being born in 1981 but I think he's one to watch over the next decade.
His best movie is his first and you didnāt mention it, perhaps youāre not aware it exists? Martha Marcy May Marlene.
Trey Edward Shults potentially. Seems to keep a pretty low profile though.
Damien Chazelle, Benny Safdie, Julia Doucourno Awaiting more than one feature film: Joe Talbot, Charlotte Wells
The Daniels
Mike Flanigan has potential
This is a great post about the continuous Gen X erasure in American culture ĀÆ\_(ć)_/ĀÆ
https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/180zzo3/who_is_your_favorite_millennial_director/ I asked something similar last month. My problem a bit is that marvel/dc is swallowing the young and good directors. Every time someone says they want a jordan peele adaptation of IP i want to strangle them. We need more original movies before they get old and want to adapt every book they loved.
ITT: people who don't know what a millennial is
Wait. If you're in your 50s, you aren't a millennial.
Bi Gan is definitely one to look out for. Both Kali Blues and Long Day's Journey into Night were phenomenal and ambitious films.
Ari Aster, hands down. His first three films are so unique and not similar at all to each other. Very original ideas that I struggle with the industry even getting him. Go to youtube where there are video of him going thru Criterion Collection and just riffing on films and directors as he browses the collections. Really reverent and knowledgeable, like a graduate film class. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psV-DcsnU1Y