As per the title, are there any feature or TV length productions from 2019 to the present that you think are diamonds in the rough? Any that truly put good writing and characterization first and don't have any woke gender or anti-populism/Republican nonsense?
If they do have any political leanings, are they at least not so preachy or heavy handed about it?
I think the discussions on this site about the overwhelming proliferation of heavily left leaning politics in pop culture are compelling.
However, I thought it would be cool to highlight the gems that break free of that nonsense and bring the depth and creativity back to these mediums.
It'd be nice to show people examples of good works out there so that they know they're not alone in just wanting good entertainment and know that it's still possible. Even if said works don't quite have mainstream popularity.
So I'd love to see what examples of good TV shows or movies free of wokeness or are at least not overly political you can think of.
If you're only looking for English-speaking media, the only recommendations I can think of is Bull (2021) and.... hmmm... let me take a look....
Oh, here are a few more....
Arcadian (2024) , stars Nicholas Cage and is a good picture with a strong father figure centering around raising two boys in a post-apoc setting.
The Channel (2023) , bit of a low budget heist flick but it has some extremely well designed and staged action scenarios, about two brothers trying to pull off a heist and get out of town while everybody is after them.
Corner Office (2022) , zero wokeness here. This is an extremely understated film with stark but witty comedy. Whilst it's not a film for everyone, if you're a fan of Jon Hamm it's well worth a watch.
Old Henry (2021) , absolutely right proper badass film starring a straight White male in an uncompromising story.
Mad God (2021) , not for the weak-willed or easily disturbed. If there was ever a visceral and visualised depiction of the worst possibilities imaginable in hell, this is that film.
Pig (2021) , another Nicholas Cage film. This is a brilliant film. It's odd but sensible, and heartbreaking, and engaging, and Cage turns in an actual award-worthy performance here. It's a great film. Don't let anybody spoil it for you and don't read any descriptions before you watch it. Just go in blind.
The Tax Collector (2020) , this is a gruesome but interesting flick about the cartel underlings responsible for collecting fees from gang districts. It has some disturbing imagery and violence at times, but it's also a pretty good film, very similar in tone to Harsh Times.
Underwater (2020), very mediocre lovecraftian horror flick, but surprisingly not woke. Unfortunately it stars Kirsten Stewart. But, she doesn't have to do much acting since most of the time is spend attempting to run or swim away. Reminds me of a modern version of Deep Star Six with a Cthulhu twist.
Wrath of Man (2021) , absolutely superb Guy Ritchie film, which is a remake of the 2004 French film Cash Truck starring Albert Dupontel from the excellent Chrysalis and Irreversible, and Jean Dujardin who starred in the OSS 117 films; ironically the French film is also a remake of the Australian film Money Movers from 1978. All three films are excellent, but I think Money Movers is probably the most tension-ridden of the three, and it's just as violent as Wrath of Man. Both are well worth a watch.
Now if you don't mind non-English films, those are available aplenty. Lost Bullet 1 & 2 are both decent films, I prefer the sequel with the souped up turbocharged Renault; it's such an awesome car that really steals the show.
The Roundup trilogy starring Ma Dong-Seok are some of the best crime-thriller-mystery-action-comedy films made. I have a hard time deciding between which of the three films I like most, but they're all really well done and extremely satisfying.
Sputnik is also a pretty good Russian sci-fi mystery horror film, and Enforcement is a Danish film that is basically a modern version of Walter Hill's The Warriors but from the police's perspective set within a Muslim community as they are on the verge of rioting. It's an awesome film that basically highlights that stereotypes exist for a reason and that those same stereotypes will likely save your live.
Also, All of Us Are Dead is a good South Korean zombie series, well worth watching. Hunt (2022) and The Killer (2022) are also really good films as well; I especially liked The Killer, as the main character was just no-nonsense and badass, and it reminded me a lot of the 2017 film Paradox starring Louis Koo and Tony Jaa. But Paradox takes some serious twists and turns, whereas The Killer is a lot more straightforward.
EDIT: Oh yeah, and minor shoutout to Mosul (2019) , almost forgot about that one. Pretty good film from a unique perspective that... well, I don't want to give anything away, but it's about some guys hunting terrorists, but there's a lot more to it than that. It's definitely badass and uncompromising, though.
Wow what a unique and unheard of concept. I shall check it out and absolutely not for research purposes.
Great list btw. The foreign movie list is great. Only seen a few from those, and if those are any indication, the rest will be fantastic.