That’s a pretty good list of films.
Btw, are you going to do a thread on Lionsgate? I don’t know anything about them, but, for a short period of time, I recall seeing a bunch of interesting films by them—to the point of using their company as a signifier of quality (or at least something not outright dumb).
Waiting for Guffman
several of the Almodovars
Caché
Waltz With Bashir
The White Ribbon
Safe
The Dreamlife of Angels
Being Julia
Worst – Rachel Getting Married, an embarassing attempt at trying to do Cassavetes.
@Jazz -
No, probably skipping Lionsgate. Don’t know enough about them and they are their own entity (with the recent merger with Summit, they’re actually fighting to become the seventh major studio). I was just doing this for the three indie arms of the major studios (Sony, Fox, and Universal).
FWIW, I loved Rachel Getting Married, and I’m prepared to defend this film. (There’s an existing thread on the film.)
@Santino
My recollection is that the Lionsgate films had a indy-vibe. (I’ll try to think of the films I had in mind.)
I’m sure Lionsgate has released some films with an indie-vibe but they’re also the company that’s become a huge powerhouse due to Tyler Perry and the Saw franchise. lol
Didn’t Robert Altman found Lions Gate?
^Different company.
I too love Rachel Getting Married. Cassavetes can certainly be credited with pioneering the style Demme adopts for Rachel Getting Married. But it doesn’t mean Demme is “trying to do Cassavetes” anymore than just about every filmmaker is “trying to do D.W. Griffith”.
I can’t narrow down to 20. They have been releasing titles for 20 years and is the U.S. home of Pedro Almodovar.
In reading the posts I have to agree that Rachel Getting Married is a superb film. Jonathan Demme back in form after a long flirtation with not so good mainstream films like Philadephia and Manchurian remake.FIlms worth mention: Volver, Midnight in Paris, Rachel Getting Married, Howard’s End, Bad Education, A Prophet, Vanya on 42nd Street, Another Year, The Illusionist, Triplets of Belleville, An Education, Redbelt, The Class, The Lives of Others, 2046, Cache, Run Lola Run, Talk to Her, All about My Mother, Central Station, Please Give, Animal Kingdom, Band’s Visit, Frozen River, City of Lost Children, Micmacs, The Opposite of Sex.
@Santino
I’m sure Lionsgate has released some films with an indie-vibe but they’re also the company that’s become a huge powerhouse due to Tyler Perry and the Saw franchise. lol
Maybe we could argue the first films in the series actually had merit?
@Jazz -
I have never seen a Tyler Perry film but I will agree that the first Saw film had merit. But that doesn’t make Lionsgate a bastion of quality independent cinema.
Plenty I love from them, plenty I don’t. Keep providing the Almodovar, and you’re on my good side :-)
That, and they put out Bergman’s last film, so I respect that.
1. Synecdoche, New York
2. Talk to Her
3. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
4. Persepolis
5. A Prophet
6. All About My Mother
7. The Damned United
8. The Secret in Their Eyes
9. The Class
10. Run Lola Run
11. Incendies
12. Midnight In Paris
13. Take Shelter
14. The Skin I Live In
15. Cache
16. Saraband
17. The White Ribbon
18. Good Bye, Lenin!
19. In a Better World
20. Waltz With Bashir
Van Gogh (Pialat)
The Story of Qiu Ju (Zhang)
Character (van Diem)
All About My Mother (Almodóvar)
Sweet and Lowdown (Allen)
Va savoir (Rivette)
Talk to Her (Almodóvar)
All the Real Girls (Green)
Saraband (Bergman)
Offside (Panahi)
Redbelt (Mamet)
A Separation (Farhadi)
Footnote (Cedar)
One of the great studios of all time.
A Separation
Bad Education
The Company
The Devil’s Backbone
The Fog of War
Goodbye Lenin!
The Guard
L’Enfant
Lone Star
Midnight in Paris
Moon
Orlando
Persuasion
Rachel Getting Married
Run Lola Run
Safe
Spider
Take Shelter
Talk to Her
Welcome to the Dollhouse
^Nice list dude!
@Santino
But that doesn’t make Lionsgate a bastion of quality independent cinema.
No, it doesn’t. I’ll have to get a list of their films. (I think between the late 90s and mid-2000s, they had some interesting films.)
Lionsgate did OK:
Buffalo ‘66
Affliction
American Psycho
Jesus’ Son
The Cat’s Meow
Secretary
Lovely and Amazing
Grizzly Man
@Jazz -
All this stuff you can find on Wikipedia. If you just search Lions Gate, it’ll give you a list of their films (that’s how I created these lists for SPC, Searchlight, Focus).
I glanced at a list, but I didn’t put in the time to cut-and-paste. (Thanks, Matt.) Those are some solid films or at least their interesting, worthy attempts, imo.
Santino
In honor of SPC celebrating their 20 year anniversary last year:
1. Cache
2. Rachel Getting Married
3. The White Ribbon
4. Bad Education
5. A Separation
6. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
7. All the Real Girls
8. Take Shelter
9. Another Year
10. It Might Get Loud
11. Talk to Her
12. The Devil’s Backbone
13. The Dreamlife of Angels
14. All About My Mother
15. Central Station
16. Carnage
17. Midnight in Paris
18. Moon
19. In a Better World
20. Restless
Of the three major studios that still have active independent arms, SPC in my opinion is the strongest. Whereas Focus & Searchlight focus primarily on American cinema (both in development and acquisitions), SPC is a huge supporter of foreign auteurs (they’ve been releasing Pedro Almadovar’s films for years and this year will be releasing their third Haneke film). They typically have 2-3 films (out of the five nominations) nominated in the Best Foreign Film category at the Oscars and also has a noticeable presence in documentaries. As well, unlike the other indie companies, they are located in New York, which gives them some autonomy from the studio.
So what are some of your favorite films from Sony Pictures Classics? Is this a company that you follow and trust compared to other distributors? What is your impression of them and the films they release?