Cinema: Movie Directors - Who Are The Heirs Of Kubrick?

(Drivebycuriosity) - I love cinema and I am a fan of Stanley Kubrick. The movie director was a cinematic visionary and created milestones like "2001: A Space Odysee" & "Barry Lindon". Which movie makers create similar master pieces today?

I think there is at least a quartet of movie directors who could by called "heirs of Kubrick". Paul Thomas Anderson belongs certainly to this group. I recently watched his movie "Phantom Thread", a meditation about fashion, art, craftsmanship, perfectionism, luxury, food & devotion. Every shot was painstakingly crafted like the exquisite creations of the dressmaker. It is remarkable that Anderson did also the cinematography, not even Stanley Kubrick & Alfred Hitchcock did that. Andersons`films "The Master" (2012) & "Inherent Vice" (2014) are feasts for the eyes as well. All 3 movies enchanted by their visual magic and showed pictures to dream of.

I am also fascinated by Park Chan-Wook´s movies.  The Korean filmmaker shares with Kubrick the love to photography and has a reputation for complex and provoking movies. His revenge movie "Oldboy" (Oldeuboi 2003) is already a classical. The visual power of his mystery thriller "Stoker" (2013) fascinates by amazing compositions of picture and colors. Park´s latest masterpiece, the historical drama "The Handmaiden" (2016), is a milestone of erotic cinema. The film casts a spell on the audience by a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of pictures.

Denis Villeneuve also belongs to the league of visual masters. His recent remake "Blade Runner 2049" (2017) enthralled by its visual power and could be considered as a work of fine art. The French Canadian director also amazed with  "Arrival", the movie version of a science fiction short story by Ted Chiang. Villleneuve and his crew had invested a lot of money, energy & talent into the visualization of communication with aliens and developed beautiful & elegant symbols which carried the alien`s messages. Villeneuve`s "Sicario" (2015) also stays in my memory thanks to its intense images.

The Danish director Lars von Trier.is the most provocative in this quartet. His movies  "Melancholia" (2011) and "Antichrist" (2009) are challenging but also spellbinding and beautiful.






                                                      Honorable Mentions

There are some movie directors who don´t have a euvre yet but they created very promising films as well. Alex Garland`s "Ex Machina" (2014) defines the science fiction movie genre like "A Space Odysee" did once, a perfect mixture of erotic and thought-provoking sci-fi.  Garland´s "Annihilation" (2018) showed a fictional dangerous place, so fascinating and so beautiful that I would have liked to explore it by myself.

Jonathan Glazer´s "Under The Skin" (2013) is another milestone of sci-fi on the level of "A Space Odysee". There are images which are burning into the brain. Some scenes could make you fall in love with the Scottish landscape, others create surrealistic and other intoxicating optical effects Stanley Kubrick would be proud off. The movie went literally "under the skin".

I also got thrilled by Tom Ford`s film: "Nocturnal Animals" (2016). The movie has very sharp & frequent contrasts: Scenes with obnoxious ugliness are followed by sheer beauty, utter terror is replaced by classy leisure live, raw nature changes with impressions of the ritzy art world, repulsion mixes with awe, aesthetic with filth and so on. Ford created a high tension which keeps the audience on the hook. The film certainly represents the director´ s sophisticated tastes & talents which he had cultivated as a fashion designer. And even the rough landscape of Texas, where he grew up, fits well to the stylish looks of the sleek & artsy world.

Alfonso Cuarón`s space spectacle "Gravity" (2013) is pure cinema magic as well.


I am looking forward to the new masterpieces these filmmakers will hopefully create.