Quentin TarantinoandChristopher Nolanare unquestionably two of the greatest living film directors, whose finest work has made modern cinema what it is today. However, there does seem to be an obsession with the singular brilliance of these two filmmakers disproportionate to their cinematic output, as the recentNew York Timespoll for the 21st century’s best movies reflects.
Five ofChristopher Nolan’s best moviesmake the final list of 100, but if we’re truly honest with ourselves, we must admit that at least two of these movies –OppenheimerandInterstellar– don’t belong there. Meanwhile, the list’s ranking of Quentin Tarantino’sextravagantly cast war movieInglourious Basterdsas the 14th best movie of this century is shockingly misguided.
To make matters worse,Tarantino’s mixed bag of a martial arts filmKill Bill: Volume 1makes an appearance on the list, making a mockery of the entire poll. Even the movie’s most ardent admirers would have to accept that it’s far from the 61st best theatrical release of the past 25 years.
Instead of Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino taking up eight places in this list between them, it would have been nice to see some of theall-time great and generationally significant directors who unfairly missed outappear at least once. Nolan and Tarantino are masters of their craft, but so are the eight directors I make a case for below.
3Christopher Nolan & Quentin Tarantino Are Both Over-Represented In The NYT Top 100 List
Some Of The 8 Entries They Have Between Them Shouldn’t Be There
TheNew York Timespoll got Christopher Nolan’s best movieof the 21st century spot on by placing The Dark Knight above his other works in its results. But the list goes too far in featuringmore Nolan movies than any other 21st century director, when there are several other filmmakers more worthy of this honor.
IncludingOppenheimerandInterstellaras entries in the best 100 movies of the 21st century, in particular, is a highly contentious decision. Both of these films are laudable works of art, but neither is generally considered anywhere near the century’s top 100 outside of thisNew YorkTimes poll.
The poll also gets it right in namingInglourious BasterdsQuentin Tarantino’s best movie of the 21st century. But placing the movie at number 14 in its list, above the likes ofCity of God,Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,Boyhood,Arrival,Lost in Translation, andPan’s Labyrinth, seems utterly absurd.
At most, Tarantino should have two films in the 100, and neither of them should be in the top 50. It’s arguable thatInglourious Basterdsfeatures one of the greatest performances by an actor in the past 25 years – Christoph Waltz’s portrayal of SS Colonel Hans Landa – but one performance doesn’t make a masterpiece.
2Plenty Of Worthy Directors Were Strangely Ignored
Dozens Of The 21st Century’s Greatest Movies Have Been Omitted As A Result
Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan taking up eight places inThe New York Times’ “100 Best Movies of the 21st Century” isn’t just an overestimation of their cinematic output over the past 25 years.It’s an affront to the dozens of directorswhose works of pure genius were strangely ignored in the poll results.
The legendary Ken Loach might have won the Palme D’Or for bothThe Wind That Shakes the BarleyandI, Daniel Blake, but apparently neither film is among the century’s top 100.
Filmmakers who can feel especially aggrieved include Danny Boyle, who directed28 Days Later,Slumdog Millionaire, andSunshine. Then there’s Edgar Wright, the director responsible forShaun of the Dead,Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, andBaby Driver.
The list has no place forAri Aster’s movies, either, despite his worksHereditaryandMidsommarhelping to usher in a new golden age for horror.There’s also no place for Chloé Zhao’s first three directorial feature films, including for the Best Picture winner at the 2021 Oscars,Nomadland.
The legendary Ken Loach, whosemovies have completely changed the way we look at life, might have won the Palme D’Or for bothThe Wind That Shakes the BarleyandI, Daniel Blake, but apparently neither film is among the century’s top 100.Argentine director Lucrecia Martel could have had two profoundly thought-provoking inclusions, but didn’t get a look-in.
What’s more, it beggars belief that none of Lynne Ramsey’sMorvern CallarandWe Need to Talk About Kevin, or Alejandro IñárrituAmoresperrosorBirdman, made the list. In addition to the above eight directors, whose work was wholly omitted fromThe New York Times’ 100,there’s an entire roll call of other worthy filmmakers notable by their absence.
There was space for eight Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino films. But no room whatsoever for Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Pedro Costa, Martin McDonagh, Claire Denis, Kenneth Lonergan, Baz Luhrmann, David Cronenberg, or Béla Tarr.
1The NYT Top 100 List Shows A Preference For Certain Directors Over Others
Tarantino & Nolan’s Movies Have Taken The Place Of Other Directors Who Deserve More Recognition
There are plenty ofmovies which should have been included in theNew York Timeslistthat weren’t, but it’s only natural that certain controversial omissions happen with so few places up for grabs. Of course,all best film lists are ultimately a matter of taste, and it’s impossible to argue conclusively for or against one movie or another.
Some of Nolan and Tarantino’s entries are surplus to requirements, in lieu of other superior works of cinema being given the recognition they actually need and deserve.
Nevertheless, it’s the clear overall preference for certain movie directors over others in this list’s top 100 entries that’s most frustrating. It doesn’t seem right that none of the directors listed in the previous section of this article feature in the list at all, whiletwo wildly popular Hollywood directors are disproportionately representedin the form of several overrated movies.
Christopher NolanandQuentin Tarantinowere always going to get their dues in this list, one way or another. But some of their entries are surplus to requirements, in lieu of other superior works of cinema being given the recognition they actually need and deserve.
