3 ms·

I agree that film is a different beast than literature, but if anyone is looking for mentally and artistically challenging films, I recommend anything by A24 St

I agree that film is a different beast than literature, but if anyone is looking for mentally and artistically challenging films, I recommend anything by A24 Studios (https://a24films.com/films https://a24films.com/films). I would argue that we're seeing a small/low-budget film renaissance, A24 is evidence of that.

Klover 8y ago
Are those movies good or “good”? A book I can go to the library for and judge for myself, those movies require me to change iTunes Store, set up payment methods, keep an evening clear, before I can judge what might be a pretentious story with painful actors.
- johnchristopher 8y ago
  There are no movies with pretentious story and painful actors in the iTunes Store ?
- DanBC 8y ago
  Only you can tell if you enjoy a film or not. I've enjoyed most of the films I've seen from them. You're not going to get such a rigid hollywood 3 act structure with all the beats being hit according to the formula. Some people like this, others find the films aimless and meandering. Here's one example of that: https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/american-honey-cannes-review/5103945.article?blocktitle=The-Latest&contentID=598 https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/american-honey-cannes-re... > But while American Honey exudes ample energy, this episodic piece doesn’t muster much narrative drive over its daunting running time of two and three quarter hours. There’s probably a stronger, tighter film in here, but fair game at least to Arnold in her commitment to following the winding back roads of filmic experiment rather than the well-mapped highway of storytelling. Here are three films, but i've watched loads and I like most of them: A Prayer Before Dawn is a better version of a film we've seen before - westerner goes to a harsh prison in a foreign country. It's not pretentious and the film avoids being too sympathetic to the lead. Metacritic gives it 76. https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-prayer-before-dawn https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-prayer-before-dawn Eighth Grade is I think amazing. A really difficult watch of a young person struggling to be a young person. It captures the awkwardness and cliques. The lead actress is brilliant. Metacritic gives it 89, but that has been pulled down by one reviewer who clearly hates the film. All the other scores are over 75. https://www.metacritic.com/movie/eighth-grade https://www.metacritic.com/movie/eighth-grade How to Talk to Girls at Parties is a film that I didn't enjoy. But I'm glad they made it and some people do like it. MC gives it 50, but there's a mix of high and low scores. https://www.metacritic.com/movie/how-to-talk-to-girls-at-parties/critic-reviews https://www.metacritic.com/movie/how-to-talk-to-girls-at-par...
  - Klover 8y ago
    Thanks for the response. I will keep your comment with me for next week for a movie night. To other comments who might be wondering: I do not live in the USA, so I do not think I can find Eighth Grade at the library. I can find many books. So I prefer asking for clarification over spending an hour or more to set something up.
- _asummers 8y ago
  Not that I disagree with your overall point, but keeping an evening clear seems equivalent to what you'd have to do to read a book, perhaps just in a different time of day.
- pwaivers 8y ago
  A single book takes way longer to finish than a single movie. You can also go to your library or Redbox to get a movie.
- MattyRad 8y ago
  It sounds like you're not interested in film as a medium; to each their own. But regardless, "good" is definitely not the word I would use to describe these films. For example, after watching It Comes At Night I felt strung out and miserable, but it's a very competent, well shot movie with a vision, and I'm glad I watched it, even though I don't want to watch it again. That's an example of what challenging means to me.

Klover 8y ago

Are those movies good or “good”? A book I can go to the library for and judge for myself, those movies require me to change iTunes Store, set up payment methods, keep an evening clear, before I can judge what might be a pretentious story with painful actors.

johnchristopher 8y ago
There are no movies with pretentious story and painful actors in the iTunes Store ?
DanBC 8y ago
Only you can tell if you enjoy a film or not. I've enjoyed most of the films I've seen from them. You're not going to get such a rigid hollywood 3 act structure with all the beats being hit according to the formula. Some people like this, others find the films aimless and meandering. Here's one example of that: https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/american-honey-cannes-review/5103945.article?blocktitle=The-Latest&contentID=598 https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/american-honey-cannes-re... > But while American Honey exudes ample energy, this episodic piece doesn’t muster much narrative drive over its daunting running time of two and three quarter hours. There’s probably a stronger, tighter film in here, but fair game at least to Arnold in her commitment to following the winding back roads of filmic experiment rather than the well-mapped highway of storytelling. Here are three films, but i've watched loads and I like most of them: A Prayer Before Dawn is a better version of a film we've seen before - westerner goes to a harsh prison in a foreign country. It's not pretentious and the film avoids being too sympathetic to the lead. Metacritic gives it 76. https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-prayer-before-dawn https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-prayer-before-dawn Eighth Grade is I think amazing. A really difficult watch of a young person struggling to be a young person. It captures the awkwardness and cliques. The lead actress is brilliant. Metacritic gives it 89, but that has been pulled down by one reviewer who clearly hates the film. All the other scores are over 75. https://www.metacritic.com/movie/eighth-grade https://www.metacritic.com/movie/eighth-grade How to Talk to Girls at Parties is a film that I didn't enjoy. But I'm glad they made it and some people do like it. MC gives it 50, but there's a mix of high and low scores. https://www.metacritic.com/movie/how-to-talk-to-girls-at-parties/critic-reviews https://www.metacritic.com/movie/how-to-talk-to-girls-at-par...
- Klover 8y ago
  Thanks for the response. I will keep your comment with me for next week for a movie night. To other comments who might be wondering: I do not live in the USA, so I do not think I can find Eighth Grade at the library. I can find many books. So I prefer asking for clarification over spending an hour or more to set something up.
_asummers 8y ago
Not that I disagree with your overall point, but keeping an evening clear seems equivalent to what you'd have to do to read a book, perhaps just in a different time of day.
pwaivers 8y ago
A single book takes way longer to finish than a single movie. You can also go to your library or Redbox to get a movie.
MattyRad 8y ago
It sounds like you're not interested in film as a medium; to each their own. But regardless, "good" is definitely not the word I would use to describe these films. For example, after watching It Comes At Night I felt strung out and miserable, but it's a very competent, well shot movie with a vision, and I'm glad I watched it, even though I don't want to watch it again. That's an example of what challenging means to me.