Why are German films often so formulaic even though Germany is a European culture? I love them but they follow formula very closely like Hollywood. What are the best German films?

Here is a list of some (by no means all) German movies that are considered Classics (and a few that should be, in my opinion):

In Wirtschaftswunder times, most Western German movies were junk but the GDR produced some very good ones, e.g. Western movies and Spur der Steine; in the 70s Paul und Paula. I definitely recommend both!

Metropolis

Oil prices jump more than 3%, adding to last week's surge, as Israel strikes Iran energy facilities - CNBC

Es geschah am helllichten Tag

Berlin - Sinfonie einer Großstadt

Nackt

Do intellectuals who peddle pseudoscientific tripe like simulation theory ever stop and think they are just dumb NPCs for Illuminati bot wars?

I have seen some very good German movies. It is not that they don't exist, but they hardly ever achieve much fame. Especially since people have been accustomed to the dominance of US popular culture.

Es war eine rauschende Ballnacht

In jenen Tagen

How does a person become transgender?

Die Feuerzangenbowle

And many I can't think of at the moment.

Didi - alles im Eimer

Recursion lays off 20% of staff in wake of pipeline cutbacks - Fierce Biotech

Man spricht Deutsh

Das Haus in Montevideo

What is of absolutely horrible quality is the “movies” that are produced for TV. They are famously bad.

Do inmates experience boredom in jail? Can you provide an example of something an inmate might do for fun if they were bored?

Lola rennt

Zur Sache, Schätzchen (and its sequel)

Besides these, there are some really good children's movies: More recently, the Bibi und Tina series as just one example. Looking back into the 80s and 70s, as well as into the present, I would even say that movies for children are what the German Film industry excels at. There is much less screaming and cake throwing and slimy monsters and much more discussing of matters that affect children in real life (even in phantasy plots) than in most US children's movies as far als I know them. The GDR was particularly well known for excellent children's movies but the west was and is good at it, too.

BlackRock removed from Texas blacklist after climate policy rollback - Financial Times