The auteur is a director that adds such a unique stamp on their work, so much so that they can be considered its author. Usually heavily involved throughout the writing and production process, the auteur creates a highly specific aesthetic for their films, and their catalog can be considered as important as an artist's body of work.
As these directors often create a multitude of top-notch movies, sometimes some of their greatest work can get lost in the noise. Therefore, these are some films that need a little more love, as they have been overshadowed by films more popular with the masses.
Martin Scorcese: The King Of Comedy (1982)
The King Of Comedy features Scorsese staple, Robert De Niro, as an off-kilter aspiring stand-up comedian who will go to extreme lengths to get his big break. A satirical comedy about the nature of fame, it also features comedian Jerry Lewis playing a version of his real-life persona. Often noted as a favorite of Scorsese's peers, the ending is a truly great one-altering one's perception of the whole film.
Everyone has their personal Scorcese film that they believe needs a little more love, from After Hours. The prolific legend of cinema has directed over 25 feature-length films, so it's only understandable that some are more appreciated than others. This is perhaps his funniest film and one of De Niro's best performances, however, it was a box office flop upon release, leaving it vulnerable to be lost in the noise of the auteur's other classics.
Alfonso Cuarón: Y Tu Mamá También (2001)
Before becoming one of the most sought-after directors in Hollywood with his Oscar darlings Roma, Alfonso Cuarón wrote and directed this sensual road trip film in his native Mexico: Y Tu Mamá También. Working together with frequent collaborator and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, they created a dreamy coming-of-age film in which two young men travel with an older woman and learn about life through her.
Y Tu Mamá También got a lot of attention after its release, breaking all Mexican box office records and nominated for Academy Awards and Golden Globes, but in hindsight, it can't compete with Cuarón's big-budget sci-fi features like Gravity and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. It also didn't reach those in the English-speaking world who are more resistant to reading subtitles but who would more than likely be familiar with his crowd-pleasing blockbusters.
David Fincher: Panic Room (2002)
A prime example of the modern auteur, with stories of hundreds of takes for one scene and a distinct moody look to his work, people may forget that the Jodie Foster-led Panic Room was directed by David Fincher. Before directing modern classics like The Social Network, this film was on a smaller scope, concerning a break-in by three men looking for a fortune in a panic room, whilst a mother and her diabetic daughter shield themselves from the intruders in it.
The film has fantastic performances from Foster and then unknown child actor Kristen Stewart and it is a masterclass in suspense. Since its release, it has been eclipsed in the cultural canon by more classically Fincher-esque movies with large cult followings, such as Fight Club and Se7en.
The Coen Brothers: Barton Fink (1991)
Barton Fink is a renowned New York playwright who is enticed by the glitz and glamour of Hollywood to learn that all that glitters is not gold. The Coen Brothers have a long list of popular zany stories, from stoner farces like No Country For Old Men.
Lesser-known cult classics like Barton Fink is a masterpiece from the Coens that one hears about less often. Based on the true stories of playwrights Clifford Odets and William Faulkner, the film received the Palme d'Or at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival and was praised for blending dark humor with the directors' trademark flamboyant style.
Noah Baumbach: Mistress America (2015)
Lola Kirke's Tracy is having trouble adjusting to adult life and fitting in after starting at Barnard College and befriends her older soon-to-be stepsister who turns out to not have it as together as it looks either. It's an excellently playful critique of millennial culture, with a masterfully eccentric performance from Greta Gerwig.
As Baumbach has most recently received much praise for s Ha. While Mistress America shares many similar themes with s Ha, it has more energy, but it is often overlooked, nonetheless.
Richard Linklater: Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood (2022)
Richard Linklater's latest flick, Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood, was released on Netflix without much buzz. The film features rotoscoped animation and is a look back at the hazy summer of 1969 based on Linklater's own childhood. It showcases his flair for depicting nostalgia and weaving it with dream-like fantasy.
Linklater is a legendary independent filmmaker, having made his revolutionary first film, Slacker, on a minute self-funded budget and inspiring many filmmakers thereafter. Since then, he has perfected the "walk and talk" seen in films such as his Before trilogy, Boyhood. Apollo 10 1/2 is another top-notch work that deserves a lot more love.
Sofia Coppola: The Beguiled (2017)
In 2017, Sophia Coppola quietly released an update of a 1971 Clint Eastwood film, The Beguiled, in which a small boarding school of women during the American Civil War takes in a wounded enemy soldier. The thriller is an excellent take on female jealousy, lust, and a great depiction of the woman scorned.
Possibly the Lost In Translation, The Virgin Suicides, and Marie Antoinette. Her films often depict loneliness and longing and have a hazy quality and The Beguiled is another such film. However, many reviews at the time misunderstood it, criticizing it for having style but no substance.
Kevin Smith: Chasing Amy (1997)
Bombastic director Kevin Smith has his very own cinematic universe, "The Viewaskewniverse," and Chasing Amy is one of its lesser-known entries. Chasing Amy features a friend of Jay And Silent Bob, Holden McNeil (Ben Affleck), as he tries to woo Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams), even though she is a lesbian.
Having risen to fame with the independent sensation Mallrats and Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back, as well as numerous sequels. At the time, his third film was praised for being a rare romantic comedy that treats love as it is: total emotional anarchy. But his more outrageous films with louder characters have overshadowed this precious gem.
Danny Boyle: Millions (2004)
Although known for hard-hitting dramas such as Yesterday. However, in 2004, he directed an adaptation of a comedy-drama novel in Millions, in which a young boy finds a bag of money thrown from a rail carriage and he and his brother deliberate on how to spend it.
It's a sweet War Of The Worlds. This may explain why it's significantly under-viewed.
Tim Burton: Big Fish (2003)
Another lost mid-noughties flick, Big Fish is an epic fantasy film by epic fantasy director, Tim Burton. Billy Cudrup's Will Bloom reconnects with his father Edward as he is on his deathbed, as he recounts a fanciful tale of his early adulthood, connecting with giants, werewolves, and coned twins in his quest to marry Will's mother.
As it competes with era-defining classics such as Edward Scissorhands, it's understandable that Big Fish is not as well known, although it is very much worth the watch. However, its underrated status may be because it's one of the few modern Burton films not to star Johnny Depp.
