Five films Gaspar Noé hates
For someone who throws himself into controversy and criticism with releases showcasing graphic sexual assault and other unconventional content, filmmaker Gaspar Noé never strays away from critiquing any outside work. The director has made it clear that he prefers an eccentric and somewhat nauseating approach to visual storytelling, tossing taboo narratives about drug taking, abuse and personal or professional conflict into a visceral sea of heightened editing and camerawork.
Noé has been sweet in spotlighting the movies he does enjoy and cites as commendable artworks. However, his tone is harsh and direct when it comes to criticising. This director does not mince his visuals, thematic values or words, showcased in the opinions and interpretations of the works he deems failures in the cinematic medium.
The Love director has an unorthodox artistic palette where the only way is to experiment with film’s physical and conceptual DNA. Given this context, any film lover who has yet to make the shocking yet compelling journey that is having a Noé marathon may be able to predetermine which movies or genres the artist dislikes.
Numerous interviews across many outlets hold nuggets of the filmmaker’s manifesto of what films not to watch for cracking into the medium’s fullest potential, where some of the biggest and most popular titles have been burned at the stake by Noé. One film opinion that saw the filmmaker let loose was directed towards Marvel Studios’ 2018 action flick Black Panther. This film is the 18th instalment in the MCU, whose large budgets and explosive CGI is overpowering contemporary cinema, starkly different to Noé’s filmography. “I mostly get bored by comedies, action movies, and science fiction movies, they are so predictable. I tried Black Panther; I escaped from the cinema after 20 minutes,” the eccentric filmmaker explained.
The director cited the music choice when expanding on what he disliked about watching the late actor Chadwick Boseman fight against Michael B Jordan in Ryan Coogler’s movie. “I hated the R&B music; the music was so bad that I had to escape,” Noé adds. “You know which one I liked? I liked the new Villeneuve movie… The Arrival… that one was good.”
In the same statement, Noé seized the opportunity to mention another sci-fi flick he dislikes, this one a cultural classic that kickstarted the dominating franchise trope. “I thought it was as bad as Star Wars,” he adds. “I hated Star Wars“. George Lucas’s pop culture jewel of a franchise began in 1977 when Noé was 14, introducing audiences to one of the most famous stories ever. It stars one of cinema’s most iconic casts, including Mark Hamil, Carrie Fisher and Han Solo as a trio fighting against James Earl Jones’ Darth Vadar.
“The worst films that you see are not the ones you put in your DVD player. The worst movies you see on planes,” the director shared in an interview with Vulture. “And Hollywood movies are becoming worse and worse every day. Have you seen the last James Bond?” Noé gave this opinion upon the release of Cary Joji Fukunaga’s No Time To Die, the 25th James Bond film that saw actor Daniel Craig play 007 for the last time. The film follows the agent and his investigation into a missing scientist under the new recruitment of the CIA.
Later, during a 2022 interview, the filmmaker asked The Independent: “Do you think the Marvel movies are turning the Americans stupid, or is the whole of America turning so stupid that they need such stupid movies to represent their minds?” Noé is far from alone in this perspective as many other acclaimed and personally-driven filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, have criticised the Marvel movies for lacking character, arguing this is what cinema is about. Scorsese famously branded them as not real cinema and compared them to temporary thrilling theme parks with no emotional effect, whereas Tarantino proposed they lack genuine movie stars.
Noé then told the newspaper how: “There is also that very stupid Polish movie [Barbara Białowąs and Tomasz Mandes’s 365 Days] that was number one. It’s because people need to masturbate. They have a penis or… the other way around.” he explains. “They just need to play with their toys.”
365 Days is a shameless 2020 cash-in on erotic romance movie features that lack chemistry and sensuality. The film stars Anna-Maria Sieklucka and Michele Morrone as what’s supposed to be a passionate and ideal couple and is based on Blanka Lipińska’s book trilogy.
Five films Gaspar Noé hates:
- Black Panther (Ryan Coogler, 2018)
- Star Wars: A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977)
- No Time to Die (Cary Joji Fukunaga, 2021)
- The Marvel Cinematic Universe (2008-ongoing)
- 365 Days (Barbara Białowąs and Tomasz Mandes, 2020)
