I know 100% that people will argue with me over this, but I miss when movies were professionally lit, when actors were intentionally blocked, and when more than teal, orange and beige were allowed to be on the screen. The medium has something to do with it--film made a lot of these things fundamentally necessary--but I think it's more complex than just that. The last few years' movies are just not pleasant to look at, with very few exceptions, and the change occurred sometime around 2015.

@Gargron I agree with you that this trend exists and is swallowing up lots of movies, but there is some relief in the wide-ranging supply. I went looking just for a still from "Sinners", which I think is a fine example against that trend, but I found a dozen more to boot.

for your consideration:

https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/best-film-cinematography-2025/

The Best Film Cinematography of 2025

IndieWire picks the films with the best cinematography of the year, from 'Sinners' and 'One Battle After Another' to 'The Naked Gun.'

IndieWire