Hollywood’s resident bad boy - Quentin Tarantino – celebrates his 50th birthday today. During the half a century he’s been on this planet, QT has managed to cause quite a bit of mayhem, while collecting numerous prestigious awards on the way. We, here at Jinni, wish him all the best (and advise him to stay away from acting), and since he’s gone and joined the cadre of elderly filmmakers, we’ve listed nine directors who haven’t reached their Jubilee yet. (And while we would love to have a stronger female presence on this list, it has, regrettably, remained mostly dominated by men.)

Quentin Tarantino (49+1)

Never shying away from controversy, Tarantino’s recent films have dealt with sensitive subjects such as slavery and racism in the least politically correct way imaginable. Luckily, he injects his rough films with generous amounts of dark humor.

Most Memorable Movie – Pulp Fiction

A groundbreaking tale of criminals running loose in Los Angeles, this postmodernist cult hit not only won the grand prize at Cannes but also resurrected John Travolta’s career.

Guillermo del Toro (49)

Starting out as a makeup artist, it is hardly surprising the Del Toro films show a passionate interest in insects, monsters, and all kinds of deadly creatures. However, he does not limit himself to scary and gory affairs, as he sometimes chooses to take a more offbeat approach.

Most Memorable Movie – Pan’s Labyrinth

Directing a surreal coming of age film set in the 1940s war-torn Spain, just between directing two comic adaptations about an antisocial yet heroic huge demon, might seem like a radical divergence, but Del Toro managed to create a truly essential piece of dark fantasy.

Guy Ritchie (45)

What’s the link between fast and funny gangsters stories set in London and London-based fast period pieces about a hotshot hero fighting crime (aside from the locale and the pace, that is?) Well, it’s their director, who apart from a brief stint as Madonna’s husband/domestic moviemaker, had established himself as the UK’s premier boys’ night entertainment supplier.

Most Memorable Movie - Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Setting the tone for the rest of his career, as well as unleashing Jason Statham and Vinnie Jones on the unsuspecting world, Ritchie’s debut film is still his wittiest, most enjoyable creation.

Lynne Ramsay – 44

This Scottish director doesn’t have the most extensive filmography – and recent developments suggest that it won’t grow anytime soon – but the handful of films she has directed have an exceptional elegiac quality to them.

Most Memorable Movie – We Need to Talk About Kevin

A disturbing literary adaption which inspects the darkest corners of the human nature and features one of the best performances in Tilda Swinton’s career, which is no mean feat.

Wes Anderson (44)

Best known for his meticulous visual style (some would go even further and call it obsessive), this Texas native has gathered somewhat of a cult following for his quirky views of dysfunctional characters.

Most Memorable Movie – The Royal Tenenbaums

Featuring an all star cast, this dry humored and clever film created the template for the rest of Anderson’s oeuvre, which, sadly, replicated the Tenenbaums’ formula with diminishing returns.

Paul Thomas Anderson (43)

Not related to Wes (and  gladly, neither to Paul W.S. Anderson), PT Anderson’s films are also entirely different, focusing on tense, often destructive, human relationships. The only possible exception being Punch-Drunk Love, which, while being charmingly humorous, also dealt with an emotionally damaged protagonist.

Most Memorable Movie – There Will Be Blood

An epic piece set in the early 20th century, this captivating film showcases the sometimes overwhelming intensity PT Anderson’s work often achieves, both visually and emotionally.

Christopher Nolan (43)

Without a doubt, the most commercially successful director on this list, with a lifetime gross of over $1.5 Billion, Christopher Nolan seems to have found the perfect middle ground between Hollywood tone and a more personal, often mind bending, style.

Most Memorable Movie – Memento

As tempting as it is to insert a nonlinear pun about this original film’s importance, we’ll just say that it catapulted Nolan’s career, and proved that clever and commercial aren’t mutually exclusive. Now, what was that memorable film by Christopher Nolan?…

Nicolas Winding Refn (43)

Offering a unique vision which is both rough and atmospheric, Winding Refn’s films may not be for everyone, since they often display strong violent content, but they also have have surprisingly quiet and reflective moments.

Most Memorable Movie – Drive

In this hyper stylized neo noir about a lone wolf cruising nocturnal Los Angeles, inflicting horrible violent comeuppance on various bad guys, Winding Refn pushes his signature style to its furthest, neon-lit limit.

Sofia Coppola (42)

Sofia Coppola’s films have a very distinct look & feel, concentrating on gloomy and atmospheric stories about young women, often in vulnerable emotional situations, surrounded by an unsympathetic world. Looking at her upcoming projects, it doesn’t seem like she’s going to stray too far away from her niche.

Most Memorable Movie – Lost in Translation

Not only did this stylized story about unfulfillment and alienation win an Oscar for its screenplay, it was also Scarlett Johansson’s breakout role and provided Bill Murray a much deserved Golden Globe.

Ben Affleck (41)

The youngest director on this list, Affleck probably had the most comprehensive makeover, transforming himself from an oft ridiculed actor (Gigli, anyone?) to a multiple awards winning director, dealing with historical events.

Most Memorable Movie – Argo

His most recent film, which was also his biggest commercial and critical success, really elevated Affleck from the status of an actor with a knack for directing into that of an accomplished director whose Oscar nomination snub raised more than a few eyebrows.

Popularity: 2% [?]

After taking a look at Facebook’s most Liked movies, we couldn’t help but notice how different these movies are from IMDb’s list of top 250, not to mention BFI’s (British Film Institute) list of top 50 films of all time (chosen by hundreds of international critics.)

Here’s our take on these three lists:

Facebook’s top 10 include: Harry Potter, Avatar, The Twilight Saga, Titanic, Shrek, Toy Story 3, Jackass 3, Fast & Furious, Transformers, and The Hangover.

Besides Titanic, all movies were made in the 2000’s; most of the movies are teen or family oriented, and about 40% of them are pretty much brainless (Twilight Saga, Jackass, Fast & Furious, Transformers… I’m excluding Avatar and Titanic just because I’m nice. Let’s say both of those movies have a brain, but it was lobotomized.)

IMDb’s top 10 include: The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, The Godfather 2, Pulp Fiction, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, 12 Angry Men, The Dark Knight, Schindler’s List, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and Fight Club.

Four of these movies were made during the 90’s, two in the 70’s, two in the 2000’s, one in the 60’s and one in the 50’s. All movies are critically acclaimed and are considered to be classics or modern classics (well, all of them besides The Dark Knight maybe.) Most of the movies in IMDb’s top 10 are testosterone driven American movies, which would be suitable for a boy’s night.

BFI’s top 10 include: Vertigo, Citizen Kane, Tokyo Story, The Rules of the Game, Sunrise, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Searchers, The Man with a Movie Camera, and The Passion of Joan of Arc, 8 1/2.

The most recent movie in BFI’s top 10 was made in 1968… Three more were made in the 50’s, three in the 1920’s(!), one in the 40’s, one in the 30’s and one more during the 60’s. Seven of these movies are B&W movies and six of them are foreign. The BFI guys would definitely shake their heads in disagreement while listening to Frank Sinatra’s song “the best is yet to come”, because they’re pretty sure the best has already happened, and it was a long, long time ago.

Places 11-20 in Facebook’s book include: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Saw, Finding Nemo, Twilight, Step Up, 2012, Dirty Dancing, The Dark Knight, Paranormal Activity, and The Lion King.

Eight movies from the 2000’s, one from the 80’s and one from the 90’s. All ten are teen or family oriented and were made in the U.S. In risk of receiving death threats I’ll say that six of the ten are cinematic trash (garbage didn’t sound appropriate), some of them are fun trash, but trash nonetheless (Pirates of the Caribbean, Saw, Twilight, Step Up, 2012 and Paranormal Activity. There’s a whole lot of trash and a bit of fun in these brackets.)

Places 11-20 in IMDb’s list include: Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Inception, Goodfellas, Star Wars, Seven Samurai, Forrest Gump, The Matrix, and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Three movies are from the 2000’s and three from the 90’s, two are from the 70’s, one is from the 80’s and another one is from the 50’s. Once again, IMDb’s top movies continue the trend of highly acclaimed movies which are more boys/men oriented, while this time also showcasing a bit more Sci-Fi and a little less criminal intent.

Places 11-20 in BFI’s list include: Battleship Potemkin, L’Atalante, Breathless, Apocalypse Now, Late Spring, Au hasard Balthazar, Seven Samurai, Persona, The Mirror, and Singin’ in the Rain.

These are very old movies, most of them B&W; eight are foreign movies and none were made during the past 35 years. May I remind you this list was comprised in 2012?

If I had to put a face to each list, Facebook’s list seems like it was made by a young hysterical girl with a real passion for reading (tweets.) Miley Cyrus could have written it with the help of her younger brother (if she has one.)

IMDb’s list seems compatible with a male American film enthusiast; someone like Quentin Tarantino.

And I guess that the face that’s most suitable to represent BFI’s list is that of a European film connoisseur (French no doubt) over the age of 80; let’s say Jean-Luc Godard.

To sum it up, BFI’s opinion is that cinema’s golden age ended back when Moses still wore short pants, and that good movies are eternal, even if they were made in the 1920’s and didn’t include color, or a spoken voice; Most Facebook users probably think that a movie can’t be good if it doesn’t include robots, zombies and/or vampires, and even then, it might be good only if it was made after the year 2000 of course; Preferably after the year 2010. And so, I think that IMDb is the voice of reason in this instance (at least when compared with the other two lists), including great movies that were made in the past, along with great movies that are still being made today.

So, why not end on a positive note, and just say hooray for (good) movies!

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Technorati Tags: Facebook, Likes, Movies, IMDb, Internet Movie Database, BFI, British Film Institute, Harry Potter, Avatar, The Twilight Saga, Titanic, Shrek, Toy Story 3, Jackass 3, Fast & Furious, Transformers, The Hangover, The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, The Godfather 2, Pulp Fiction, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, 12 Angry Men, The Dark Knight, Schindler’s List, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Fight Club, Vertigo, Citizen Kane, Tokyo Story, The Rules of the Game, Sunrise, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Searchers, The Man with a Movie Camera, The Passion of Joan of Arc, 8 1/2, Frank Sinatra, The Best is Yet to Come, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Saw, Finding Nemo, Twilight, Step Up, 2012, Dirty Dancing, The Dark Knight, Paranormal Activity, The Lion King, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Inception, Goodfellas, Star Wars, Seven Samurai, Forrest Gump, The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Battleship Potemkin, L’Atalante, Breathless, Apocalypse Now, Late Spring, Au hasard Balthazar, Seven Samurai, Persona, The Mirror, Singin’ in the Rain, Miley Cyrus, Quentin Tarantino, Jean-Luc Godard

Popularity: 1% [?]

So, the Awards season has come and gone, leaving us with some smiling faces holding golden statues; and now it’s time for a quick recap of the major categories and trends.

Best Film - “Don’t Go Fully Period”

Dealing with state affairs and basing your film on a true story are good starting points on your journey towards the coveted golden bald man, but know this: you better not stray too far into history, since in the last ten years, no best picture winner took place in a time earlier than the  20th century. covering these three points and adding a topical touch by dealing with Iran, it’s no wonder Argo took home the big prize (portraying Hollywood producers as life savers probably didn’t hurt either.)

Best Director – 3D, Done Right, For A Change

Granted, Life of Pi isn’t as groundbreaking as Avatar, nevertheless, it is the first 3D film to win an Oscar for direction, and a much deserved one, since Ang Lee and cinematographer Claudio Miranda (who also won an Oscar for his work on this film) managed to create one of the most elegant and visually mesmerizing films in recent memory.

Best Screenplay – Festive Fifty

Quentin Tarantino celebrates half a century next month, so the academy for motion picture arts and sciences decided to give him an early birthday gift for Django Unchained’s controversial screenplay. The fact that it’s also his biggest blockbuster to date probably helped as well.

Best Actor - The Sure Thing

In the words of the great, incarcerated Wesley Snipes

Just replace “roulette” with “Oscar bets” and “black” with “Daniel Day-Lewis with facial hair”, this time, taking the prize ,as expected, for portraying the United States’ most beloved head of state.

Best Actress - Life imitates Art (or at least imitates SNL)

It’s almost impossible to win when you’re not acting in a serious film, and we’re not talking just about gross out comedies, even semi serious films are usually shunned. However, playing a troubled, or better yet, mentally unstable character can greatly improve your chances. No wonder Jennifer Lawrence was so convincing in this Saturday Night Live sketch.

Best Supporting Actress - The Other Sure Thing

The old age maxim, that in order to win an Oscar for acting you’ve got to play a suffering character (and preferably while degrading your physical appearance,) worked well for Anne Hathaway. In fact, it looked so calculated and worked so well it even spawned a pre-Oscar parody (and hats off to you, Emma Fitzpatrick.)

Best Supporting Actor – A New Winning Formula

Christoph Waltz + Racism = Oscar Winner? Yes, it does sound far fetched, but it has already proven itself three years ago in Inglorious Basterds and again this year in Django Unchained. It looks like the Tarantino/Waltz duo should brush up on their Anti-Samoan racial slur skills for the 2016 Academy Awards. To be honest, how can he lose with such a great theme song (lifted from a little known Spaghetti Western from 1971)?

Best Animated Film – Pixar’s Home Advantage

In what has become an inner Disney Derby between Brave and Wreck-It Ralph, the red headed young heroine had the upper hand, since in the last ten years the only Pixar produced films not to win an Oscar where the mediocre Cars and Cars 2.

Best Documentary – Odd (Sugar) Man Out

Being the only one of the five nominated films to not deal with a social issue, but rather chronicle the quest for finding a presumably dead legendary musician, Searching For Sugar Man won the thing that eluded it’s hero – real time acclaim and recognition.

That’s all for these Oscars, folks; we’ll leave you with this year’s wistful Animated Short winner:

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The Sundance festival is here. The big celebration of all that is independent (and Indie-like foreign). Aspiring filmmakers from all over the world send their small-budget features in hopes to gain the support of a big distributor and make a name for themselves. Some of today’s brightest filmmakers started their careers this way - Kevin Smith, David O. Russel, Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderberg, to name a few in the sea of notorious artists that changed the landscape of modern cinema, and maybe also our lives.

Nevertheless, after 35 years, it’s a good time to check if there’s such thing as a Sundance personality.  In other words, is there a “typical” Sundance title (regardless if it’s American, foreign or documentary)? So I decided to embark on a quest deep into Jinni’s movie genome, to find out which genes are the key components to make a trendy Sundance feature and which we shouldn’t expect to see to much.

The 253 movies in our catalog that have the gene Sundance festival winner showed me that first and foremost, Sundance is about being Realistic and Serious. If your kick is space and aliens, legends and myths, or grossout humor - better try elsewhere.

Moving on - small budget means you can forget about expensive plots involving races, explosives or creations of period setting, or futuristic or alternative worlds. And so, many titles are contemporary, intimate, sincere and contemplative. They deal with the less positive aspects of our society, with family relations and problems, or with couples-relations, all of which heavily projecting on characters’ minds and souls. Or to sum up, If life is a bitch, Sundance is the place to reflect on that. At least in many (mostly non-documentary) cases, these reflections end up with a touching note.

What is more surprising, are the genes that are not that typically found in the Sundance personality: if you think most titles are clever or thought provoking - hmmmm, not really. Contemplative - yes, but as far as leaving you to contemplate about them hours or days afterwards - less than I expected. They’re also not as slow as one may think. And finally, titles about youth, coming of age or friendship, are also not that popular among the winners. Less surprising is the absence of genres like thrillers, action, romance and comedies - check in your nearest studio for those. On the other hand, I think you can give credit to the festival in the sense that whenever there’s a movie that fits one of the less common genes, like disturbing or humorous, it REALLY is just that. They don’t supply secondhand quality, and in that sense, it is always a festival to be looking forward to.

And last, to all of you aspiring filmmakers that try to participate in hopes to rise to fame - usually critics see eye to eye with the judges, and most winners are also critically acclaimed. However, don’t have high box office expectations from your winning movie - modest earnings yes, a blockbuster - forget it. Maybe your next (studio) movie.

So now that a personality has evolved, I give you:

Sundance – The Conventional Features:

The Squid and the Whale (2005)

This family relations drama marks the breakthrough of fresh director Noah Baumbach, who went on to make bigger projects in hollywood after achieving critical acclaim. Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney are both writers that are in the process of getting divorced, hurling their lives upside down, and creating a complicated situation of favoritism amongst their children. The now-famous Jesse Eisenberg plays the role of the adult son who also struggles with the separation and tries to cope with his normal life while trying to achieve his goals. As you can see, Sundance can present as a leap towards greater opportunities. There is no doubt Noah and Jesse have taken advantage of that.

Capturing the Friedmans (2003)

This disturbing documentary brings to light a seemingly “normal” and ordinary american family. It details some of the albeit regular trials and tribulations of the Friedman family – parents getting divorced, father being somewhat absent though is still supportive through the tougher times. Slowly but surely, we are being exposed to some very disturbing info about the father being a buyer and distributer of a child pornography. The movie does so well to present how “normal” some people act and live, when under the surface something extremely dark and evil can be lurking. Personally it made me become extremely skeptical about other people and also scared me completely.

Five Minutes of Heaven (2009)

Based on a true story, this drama tells the story of a former UVF member (played by Liam Neeson) who shot a young boy three times in the name of the organization. 25 years after imprisonment, the media tries to arrange a meeting between Neeson, and the brother of the boy he killed to try and reconcile. We follow Neeson’s regretful past, remorse and need of redeeming himself. It is a story about how people deal with death, and criticizes youthful devotion towards religious and cults that can blind your actions and judgment. Nothing delves deeper into the mind and soul than a tragic event that can haunt you your entire life.

Grizzly Man (2005)

This documentary tells the captivating story of Timothy Treadwell, a bear expert that traveled to Alaska every year with the goal of studying and protecting wild bears. On October 2003 Timothy together with his girlfriend gets eaten by one of the very bears he was trying to protect. Director Werner Herzog managed to get his hands on a great deal of footage that Timothy took of his time in the wild, and through it he explores Timothy’s life and death together with members of his family.
This documentary is unique in it’s atmospheric mood, while managing to stay tense through a delicate subject that might not be an easy viewing experience for some viewers.

You Can Count On Me (2000)

This sincere and touching family relations drama tell the story of a single mother whose life is turned upside down when her sibling returns home after a long absence. The two siblings have both been scarred by the tragic death of their parents in a car accident. Mark Ruffalo plays the drifter sibling who is lost in life, looking for direction and purpose. In one of the earliest roles of his career, he achieved acclaim and slowly climbed the ladder of success.

Sundance – The Unconventional Features:

13 Tzameti (2005)

Coming from france, ‘13 Tzameti’ tells the story of Sebastian, a young man in need of money.  Out of desperation, he follows the instructions of a mysterious job to a house in the middle of the woods where men gamble on the lives of other men. ‘13 Tzameti’ exposes us to a tense, bleak world and keeps us on the edge of our seat, literally.

Saving Grace (2000)

From the UK we got an offbeat comedy that is truly hilarious. Grace is a fresh widow, who discovers that her husband mortgaged all of their belongings before he died, which means the bank is about to foreclose everything she has. With seemingly no other choice, Grace starts doing the unthinkable – she starts selling marijuana! Yes, you heard me! Slowly but surely it looks like she will be able to pay her debt. Loaded with an ensemble of whacky characters, this feel good comedy manages to take the bad and turn it into ridiculous, take it from me, I can still feel the pain in my belly as I laughed the whole time through.

Thirteen (2003)

‘Thirteen’ is Catherine Hardwick who went on to direct the mainstream sensation  ‘Twilight’, had her directional debut with this film. It’s also the 2nd movie role of nowadays-famous Evan Rachel Wood, so this is another successful career boost for 2 of Hollywood’s most talented. The story is about teenage life and friendship, less common genes in a Sundance title. It’s the story of Tracy, a teenager whose innocence is lost after she teams up with her cool best friend who is very rebellious and exposes her to a world of petty crime, drugs, and sexual exploration. The movie is loosely based on the early life of Wood’s co-star Nikki Reed.

A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)

It might be a bit of a stretch to call this movie a Period piece, but it’s not often in Sundance that you get to watch a movie that is not contemporary. Dito is a writer from Los Angeles that returns home to Astoria after 15 years time. Being there resurfaces flashbacks from the past. We get to see Dito with his four closest friends and his girlfriend as they all do their best to navigate through the world of petty crime, family, and sex. Both Shia LaBeouf and Channing Tatum made a lot of TV movies before bursting into the big screen in this indie film. Both went on to become Hollywood superstars.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

I thought to end this unusual list with a truly unusual feature, and so here comes Hedwig. It is a musical , a punk rock musical which is something that is rarely found at festivals. It revolves around a transsexual from Berlin, who tours with his band through the USA, while telling his story along the way in different and odd locations such as diners or junkyards. Naturally being so loud and all-over-the place, it is safe to say this movie is very clever, which is also a component that appears in less than half of our Sundance database, making such a gem very hard to come by. If you believe it or not, this was merely the 2nd movie role of actor Michael Pitt, who went on to play in very prestigious TV shows later on in his career.

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Technorati Tags: Sundance, Independent Film, Kevin Smith, David O. Russel, Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderberg, Documentary, Foreign Film, The Squid and the Wale, Noah Baumbach, Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg, Capturing the Friedmans, Five Minutes of Heaven, Liam Neeson, Grissly Man, Timothy Treadwell, You Can Count on Me, Werner Herzog, Mark RUffalo, 13 Tzameti, Saving Grace, Thirteen, Catherine Hardwick, Evan Rachel Wood, Twilight, Nikki Reed, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Shia LaBeouf, Channing Tatum, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Michael Pitt 

Popularity: 1% [?]

Something happened on October 7th. I don’t know what it was exactly, but the number of musicians and musically-inclined people who were born on this day transgresses any logical explanation. You would think that John Lennon, who was born on the 9th would hog all the musical talent of this week, but I guess he left some for others. Plus, the list is not only long, it’s also very diverse, crossing different musical genres and epochs. I guess the music gods had a party that day (and possibly an orgy). So to honor this extraordinarily musical (birth)day, I’ve compiled a list of good titles, each boasting a soundtrack that fits one of the musicians born on this day. Sounds complicated? Don’t worry, I’ll be with you all the way.

Pop

Relevant Musicians Born: Simon Cowell (more musician-basher than musician, but whatever), Taylor Hicks, Michael W. Smith (popular Christian pop singer, apparently)

Recommended Title: Ally McBeal (1997 – 2002)

This courtroom TV series had a big emphasis on music. From Barry White, through the dancing-baby song, to the after-work piano bar, each episode featured lots of music from different genres. Beside catapulting the career of the then-unknown Vonda Shepard (who since disappeared back into obscurity), every song that was featured on the show got a huge popularity boost. Whether it’s The Walrus of Love himself, Hooked on a Feeling, Short People, and many more…

Soul

Musician: Toni Braxton

Recommended Title: The Big Chill (1983)

Never have I heard such a black soundtrack to such a white film (well, maybe not since The Commitments… and that was set in Ireland, so it doesn’t count). Including songs from Soul and R&B legends like Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops, and Martha and the Vandellas, it’s a pity there’s not a black guy to be seen. On the flip side, a token black person would have probably ruined the film. Nevertheless, the score seems to fit perfectly with the film, starting with “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” and peaking with the Temptations’ Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.

Alternative

Musician: Thom Yorke

Recommended Title: Submarine (2010)

Radiohead’s frontman has successfully guided his band, from Creep-y beginnings in 1992 with one of the best albums of the nineties (or the best ever, depending who you ask) and a controversial foray into Electronica, all the way to the top of Alternative Mountain. Since 2002, Alex Turner, the frontman for Arctic Monkeys, has also been leading his band to fame and critical acclaim with a less gloomy, more garagy rock sound. Along the way, he made a beautiful soundtrack for this British coming of age comedy-drama, directed by The IT Crowd’s Richard Ayoade. Turner successfully subdued his rockiness to fit the bittersweet mood of the film, never overshadowing the visuals.

Country

Musician: Kieran Kane

Recommended Title: Nashville (1975)

Kane is an Alt-Country singer songwriter, who was born in New York but went on to form the Nashville-based indie country label Dead Reckoning. Robert Altman’s ensemble film is a masterpiece. So, they have a lot in common. This film is one of master Altman’s most accomplished films, with the usual cleverness and talkiness, but let me warn you about one thing:  if you’re not a fan of Country music, you just might change your mind and stop looking down on it.

Rock

Musician: John Cougar Mellencamp

Recommended Title: High Fidelity (2000)

Mellencamp is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, with an important body of work. Similarly (not really), the main character in Stephen Frears’ comedy (John Cusack) has a huge record collection (autobiographically ordered). This is another film whose soundtrack can fit different genres, and I chose Rock thanks to a cameo appearance by The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen. Overall, this is a great film for music aficionados, but it’s also a romantic comedy for everyone, funny and clever like Nick Hornby’s novel on which it is based.

Folk

Musician: John Mellencamp (again)

Recommended Title: No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (1983)

Bob Dylan needs no introduction, but he sure does need movies to be made about him. Martin Scorsese’s documentary, as part of the American Masters series, tries to chronicle the enigmatic singer’s evolution, in music and identity. From folk singer to protest singer, to his controversial switch to rock. Leave it to Scorsese to provide an entertaining and informative look on one of the most important and influential musicians of the 20th century.

Electronica

Musician: Steven Ellison (AKA Flying Lotus)

Recommended Title: Drive (2011)

For those of you who haven’t heard of this guy, Flying Lotus is one of the most promising Electronica artists today, winning the Dance/Electronica Album category in 2011’s Independent Music Awards. He’s definitely a name to remember. His warm and atmospheric sound would be perfect for Nicholas Winding Refn’s amazing crime thriller. The last director who succeeded in assembling so many styles and influences into one film while creating his own is probably Quentin Tarantino, so that’s not bad company.

Hip Hop

Musician Born: Flying Lotus (again)

Recommended Title: Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest (2011)

The rise and fall (and comeback tour) of one of Hip Hop’s greatest bands is depicted inthis documentary by Michael Rapaport. A Tribe Called Quest created their own style. They were not Gangsta; they were not bling; they were not aggressive, but slick and witty. They used Jazz, and different kinds of music, and they had a musical genius as a leader, Q-Tip. As with many bands, egos got in the way, mainly the genius’ ego. But hey, you’ll see that there was no other way this story could have been unfolded, considering the people involved. It’s a great story, not only for Hip Hop fans.

Classical

Musicians: Yo-Yo Ma and Chinese Pianist Yundi Lee

Recommended Title: The Saddest Music in the World (2003)

Whether it’s thanks to his catchy name, ubiquity or crossover obsessions (or the Colbert bump, maybe), you’ve probably heard about Yo-Yo Ma, even if you don’t know anything about Classical music. The legendary cellist would also fit into Guy Maddin’s offbeat musical about a music contest to decide what the saddest music in the world is, one of the contestants being a cellist (which is definitely one of the saddest instruments there are). Maddin’s idiosyncratic melodramatic comedy is in full display here, accompanied by great visual style.

Jazz

Musician: Yo-Yo Ma (again)

Recommended Title: Louie (2010)

While I admit my choice of musician is a bit forced here, my choice of title is anything but. FX’s comedy series about the life of comedian Louis C. K. has a a surprisingly prominent soundtrack; plus, most of it is original (written by Matt Kilmer). Two things work to the advantage of the score: a) The series is based in New York, and Jazz and NYC go together like the Mets and losing. b) the minimalistic and clean look fits the genre perfectly (like evil fits the Yankees). I didn’t expect to enjoy Louie’s music, but now I’m waiting for the soundtrack album to drop.

Oldies

Musician: Vaughn Monroe (who? This guy)

Recommended Title: Wild at Heart (1990)

Let me get this out of the way: Vaugn Monroe was a big-band leader, singer and trumpeter… Whatever, let’s get to the movie. David Lynch’s films are always heavily reliant on  music (usually thanks to composer Angelo Badalamenti), and there’s no exception here. The soundtrack here ranges from Speed Metal, via dark symphonies to Elvis, who is the idol of Nicholas Cage’s character. If you want to remember Cage in his good old days, and be impressed with his singing (and also because this is a great f****ing movie), watch it!

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