We’re getting down to the time of year when it seems everyone is sharing their lists of the Best Movies of 2019. Not all lists are created equal, however, and audiences will always give a little extra credence – and a few bonus points – to the films that resonated with our favorite storytellers. So it is with Hideo Kojima, the award-winning creator of the “Metal Gear Solid” franchise and the sometimes-frustrating, always-beautiful 2019 video game release, “Death Stranding.”
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Friday evening, Kojima took to Twitter to share his picks for the best movies of the year. Here’s where he ended up:
- ‘Parasite’
- ‘Border’
- ‘The Irishman’
- ‘An Elephant Sitting Still’
- ‘Cold War’
My top 5 films this year.
1. Parasite
2. Border
3. The Irishman
4. A Elephant Sitting Still
5. Cold War pic.twitter.com/FoeWleP7aQ— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) December 21, 2019
If you are unfamiliar with Kojima outside of his games, it’s worth spending some time reading his comments on the creative process. In interviews, Kojima will often discuss how close he came to becoming a filmmaker instead of a video game designer. In 2012, for example, Kojima told TIME that he only started writing books to give him the clout needed to direct his own stories. “What I decided to do was do what I could do by myself, which was write books,” Kojima explained. “I thought that the best way to do this would be to write a novel of my own and then maybe have it picked up, like with Sylvester Stallone when he wrote ‘Rocky‘ himself and it became very successful.”
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As Kojima’s star took off in the video game world, so did his connections in the film industry. Kojima has been a frequent collaborator and longtime friend with Guillermo del Toro – the two even collaborated on a “Silent Hill” sequel that never came to fruition. In an interview with IGN, J.J. Abrams discussed Kojima’s work as part of an intersection of storytelling and incredible technical prowess. It may not be a stretch to call Kojima the most influential tastemaker in the industry who has never actually worked in the medium, which is why his perspectives on the industry are always fascinating. Kojima understands storytelling just as well as our most prestigious directors – and, given the increasing intersection of video games and cinema, he’s one helluva trendsetter to follow.