10 Best Specific Sub-genres of All Time - Movie Lists

We've got one more episode before we hit the century mark on CineFix Movie Lists, and we're keeping it personal again. After writer Billy Jackson shared his autobiographical Top 10 last time, Clint is talking about the hyper-specific subgenres that he loves the most.

The Picks:

10 - OSS 117: Cario, Nest of Spies - aka - The hyper specific spoof that can pass for the genre it's spoofing
9 - Under the Skin - aka - The tiny science fiction film with big ideas
8 - True Lies - aka - The bonkers action movie that does not give a damn
7 - Die Hard - aka - The 'bottle episode' of an action movie
6 - The Fountain - aka - The movie that is so crushingly emotional it's hard to watch again
5 - The Brothers Bloom - aka - The non-romantic love story
4 - The Babadook - aka - The 'monster is a metaphor' horror movie
3 - Amadeus - aka - Super lush
2 - Jurassic Park, Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark - aka - Three movies tied for first in the number 2 slot
1 - Call Me By Your Name - Movies that aren't about me

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[bkhalberdcleaves]

I'm even a gigantic movie buff, but the passion these guys bring to analyzing their favorite art form is geniunely amazing.

[bibliophilecb]

My personal ultimate "spoof that becomes an excellent example of the actual genre" (which is also one of my favorite niche genres) is The Princess Bride. It pokes at every swashbuckling action romance trope, but damn if it isn't the best swashbuckling action romance ever.

[dalebrush]

I'm a real easy lay for the "several pissed-off journalists grinding away at a big story while yelling" sub-genre. All the President's Men, Spotlight, The Post, and kind of Zodiac.

[cptswaggermuffins]

Cinefix puts Watchmojo and other top 10 Youtubers to shame.

[somethang]

My List (honorable mentions)
10) Childhood nostalgia - Raiders of the lost ark (Star Wars, James Bond)
9) Slick, cool guys - Reservoir dogs (Sin City, Pulp Fiction)
8) So disturbing watching once is enough - Irreversible (Salo, Nymphomaniac)
7) Artsy fartsy stuff - Stalker (Chinese Roulette, The mirror, Contempt)
6) Comedy that's unpleasant to watch - In Bruges (Annie Hall, The Graduate)
5) Cold, slow Westerns - No country for old men (El Topo, Dead man)
4) Be gay and rejoice - Polyester (Cabaret, Death in Venice)
3) Emotionally devastating - Persona (Cries and Whispers, The hours, We need to talk about Kevin)
2) Classic Horror - Texas Chainsaw massacre (Halloween, The Exorcist, Cabinet of Dr Caligari, The Shining)
1) Big cinema - The Godfather (Apocalypse Now, The third man, The deer hunter, Chinatown)

[th]

“The Tiny Sci Fi Movie with a Big Idea”

Thats right on the nail for me. I love these films. These ideas should be more like anthologies that explores other ideas within those universes

[sorakirei]

My favorite thing about this channel is being introduced to new to me films. A huge thank you for OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies. AMAZING!

[nowayitsjennie]

Absolutely love that your #1 spot went to “movies that aren’t about me”. One of the best things about movies is that they tell stories and give us windows into other experiences. It’s one of the reasons that I’m so glad diversity in movies is starting to become something that’s valued in and of itself. Watching movies with people that share our values and experiences can be great, but movies can be more than that - movies don’t just have to reflect our experiences, they can expand our horizons. And for the people represented in those movies, it can be validating to see our experiences reflected in stories. It’s also why when movies propagate bullshit tropes and stereotypes, it’s so damaging, because it feels like other people are writing our stories for us and they’re getting it wrong!

Anyway I thought it was a really cool move.

[upchuckles]

".... you know what things."

Absolute chills. Best single line delivery of 2017.

[Baylow]

My favourite hyperspecific sub-genre is "Movies spanning multiple interconnected timelines all playing out at once." Movies like Cloud Atlas

[vicenteortegarubilar]

How long it has been?? 84 years since the last list??
I also love to separate things in as many sub genres as I can discover or create.
Edit: thanks for the brother bloom recommendation.
And the second place is just like my childhood.

[ThorneyedWT]

Great one. Really.
Also please make Top-10 promising movies that turned out to be disastrous flops. With your analysis it might be extremely interesting.

[thexyzhead]

My personal favorites that impacted me the most:
10. Paris, Texas
9. Synecdoche New York
8. Persona
7. Stalker
6. Donnie Darko
5. Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion
4. Taxi Driver
3. 2001: A Space Odysee
2. There Will Be Blood
1. Mulholland Dr.
Honorable Mentions: Spirited Away, 12 Angry Men, Pulp Fiction, Call Me By Your Name

[zakaby]

Mine is structured more like the one from Billy but here it is... Bare with me

The easy and shaping movies of childhood :
12) The ones that were comfortable and easy to go back to, that just made me like stories and movies in general: could have been Monsters & Cie, Beauty and the Beast, Home Alone, Hook or Kirikou but my favourite actually is *Labyrinth*

11) These movies are somewhat similar to the previous ones but more centred on the characters, who were my first heroes and whom I wanted to be like : A Knight’s tale, Edward’s Scissorhands, Léon (The Professional) and... *Kill Bill*

10) The ones that shaped my taste in humour as well as made me feel like I belonged to a specific culture : La Tour Montparnasse infernale, Nos jours heureux, La vie est un long fleuve tranquille, La cité de la peur, Monty Python, Hot Fuzz and ... *Astérix et Obélix Mission Cléopâtre*

The "cerebral" movies of adolescence and early adulthood:
9) The ones which made me awe with pure craft and intelligence: Her, Citizen Kane, The Prestige, Andrei Rublev, Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind, Ex Machina, Hamlet, The Godfather, *Russian Ark*

8) The ones that gave me an epiphany, a spiritual, almost transcendental experience: The tree of life, Stalker, Tenshi no tamago, Paterson, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Spring Summer Autumn Winter and Spring, La Meglio Giuventù, *The Arrival*

The movies that touched my most inner emotions:
7) The ones that brought me true scare or uneasiness, that made me ultra-conscious of death: L’Ours, Watership Down, Brazil, Thumbelina (somehow...), Blade Runner, Legend, Dark Crystal, *Alien*

6) The ones that brought me a deep sense of sadness and loss: Whuthering Heights, Dare mo Shiranai (Nobody Knows), Stand by Me, The Secret Garden, Hotaru no Haka (Grave of the Fireflies), It’s such a beautiful day, *Where the Wild Things Are*

5) The ones that are just pure enthusiasm, not always positive but just grandiose in their rendition of emotions and make you enjoy life more: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Les Misérables, Fiddler on the Roof, Clueless, An American Werewolf in London, Kick-Ass, Mad Max, Mr Nobody, Moonstruck and here it is a tie for my favourites, with *The Princess Bride and Ferris Bueller*

Now I want to include a 5bis, with a genre coming from the industry of celebration and enthusiasm itself, Bollywood: Lagaan, Devdas, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Om Shanti Om and *Kuch Kuch Hota Hai*

4) As a girl, these specific movies helped me put images and words on how I felt towards an art that I loved but with which I had found difficulties identifying when I was little. They helped me channel some anger and despair regarding my gender and my place in society, how the male gaze had influenced me and how great and dreadful it could feel to be liberated from it: Grave (Raw), Mother!, Mustang, Sita Sings the Blues and again a tie for this one with *Kaguya Hime no Monogatari and Picnic at Hanging Rock*

Finally, the core ones:
3) These helped me be more understanding and tolerant, they brought nuance to my child self who was surrounded by mostly Disney and Hollywood Good vs Evil tropes. They also made me discover a culture that would shape my whole academic life: The Ghibli movies, with the film that would be my first DVD ever, *Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi* (Spirited Away)

2) This one would take too long to explain but it basically shaped my whole childhood and who I am today, it mirrored my values and carved a deep love for movies in my heart: *The Lord of the Rings*

1) *Adventure Time*
Yes it's not technically a movie but I don't really care, I had to put it somewhere as it encapsulates everything that was already said above. It is a fantastic epic that is moving, scary, experimental, crafty, artsy, enthusiastic, silly, crushing, feminist, heroic, subdued, comfortable and daring all at the same time. It embraces the embrace itself and is a constant celebration of story-telling and most importantly, it portrays the most realistic evolution of a character I have witnessed. So it is my n°1, mic drop.

Waw that was long. Well, Cinefix lists inspired me!

[oof-rrnf]

I feel like I got to know you better, Clint. I like this feeling.
I hope you keep collecting more gems in the sub-genre you ranked first. CMBYN is really special to me too. :)
Edit: *gems

[thecritic]

Don't hate me but the movie that made me fall in love with film is Gravity. When I saw the film in the theater it opened my mind to what film could do. I realized that movies are more than just something you watch they are an experience that really affects you. It's also the only movie I've ever cried in that moment when she stands up on earth after surviving the rest of the movie I was so overcome emotionally I could barely talk. I know a lot of people think it's overrated but for me it changed the way I view film forever.

[theradfamily]

The Fountain is one of my all time favorite films. Thank you so much for including it. The visuals, the music, the love... It's a beautiful film.

[caffeineadvocate]

Well thought out, well spoken, personal, and relatable. I loved everything about this list.

But, CLUE is your most personal film. Admit it. :)

[crisowun]

I was having kind of a difficult day so I pulled up the movie lists playlist (as I normally do) and just off this first video I felt instantly soothed simply by being reminded of the sheer beauty of film and the way it affects other people (and myself). I'm forever grateful for these lists.

[premiumpickaxe]

I bet the 100th one will be the top 10 Tucci performances