If you’re looking for a good cinephile read this weekend, you may want to check The New York Times, where critics A.O. Scott and Manohla Dargis have revealed their 25 Best Films of the 21st Century So Far. It’s not everyday you’ll see both Edward Yang‘s “Yi Yi” and Judd Apatow‘s “The 40 Year-Old Virgin” sharing the same space, which is kind of amazing. And to help celebrate what they call “the new classics,” the Times reached out to six filmmakers — Antoine Fuqua, Sofia Coppola, Paul Feig, Denis Villeneuve, Brett Ratner and Alex Gibney — to share their lists, and the results are pretty interesting.
Coppola’s unranked list features some heavy hitter auteurs — Michael Haneke, Ruben Ostlund, Jonathan Glazer, Andrea Arnold — but it also includes the Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg jam, “Daddy’s Home.” Why? Because it’s “the only film my kids and I equally enjoy together! I love Will Ferrell, and this movie is sweet and fun to watch with cracking-up kids.” Maybe when they get older, the family can gather ’round for “The Other Guys.” Here’s Coppola’s list:
“Force Majeure” (2014)
“The White Ribbon” (2009)
“The Savages” (2007)
“Head-On” (2005)
“Daddy’s Home” (2015)
“Under the Skin” (2014)
“The Incredibles” (2004)
“Together” (2001)
“Grizzly Man” (2005)
“Ida” (2014)
“Fish Tank” (2010)
“Ex Machina” (2015)
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Meanwhile, Villeneuve’s unranked list solidifies what you’d expect — the man has terrific taste. Great movies by Paul Thomas Anderson, Christopher Nolan, Lars von Trier, Jonathan Glazer, Alfonso Cuaron, and Yorgos Lanthimos make the grade. And his praise for both “No Country For Old Men” and “There Will Be Blood” is terrific, as he writes: “There are specific shots that went directly through my skull, like a bullet spreading particles of my brain on my walls.”
“No Country For Old Men” (2007)
“There Will Be Blood” (2007)
“Children of Men” (2006)
“Inception” (2010)
“Amores Perros” (2001)
“Dogville” (2004)
“Under the Skin” (2014)
“A Prophet” (2010)
“Dogtooth” (2010)
Hit the New York Times for all the lists and full comments, and share with us your thoughts below.