This type of list needs a few honorable mentions. I’ve taken the liberty of five: Paul Thomas Anderson, Woody Allen, Christopher Nolan, Coen Brothers, Steven Soderbergh. This list is not absolute. I made it about a year ago and have refined it. For example, Del Toro took Soderbergh’s spot. And I should probably put Nolan on there after Inception. Definitely after the next Batman movie.
10. Alfonso Cuaron
His film Y Tu Mama Tambien might be me my favorite movie ever made. I don’t know exactly why. His other film, Children of Men, ranks among the best science fiction movies. He is one of the three Mexican New Wave directors, all of which are on this list.
9. Quentin Tarantino
I constantly knocked the guy. I don’t know what I disliked about him. It is not unlike my annoyance of Wes Anderson. Film School students probably jaded me. Tarantino’s Kill Bill and Inglorious Bastards are two of my favorites.
8. Guillermo Del Toro
write often about this fat, funny, nerd from Mexico. He’s a very, very big hero of mine and makes some of my favorite movies. He is, and was, an important figure in the Mexican new wave and his film Pan’s Labyrinth one of greatest, if not the greatest movie, of the past fifteen years.
7. David Lynch
What a master. Elephant Man,Blue Velvet, Muholand Drive, and the great Inland Empire are greats. What a enigmatic genius. What a weird visionary. He one of the few avant-garde directors who can remain in the mainstream. I’m hoping Digital Filmmaking hasn’t freed his madness too much. At least financial constranits made his films watchable.
6. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
He only has three films I’ve seen. But for some reason he’s so influential on me and Babel remains one of my favorites. I can’t really explain this one, but I guess we all have to deal with it.
5. Darren Aronofsky
I read some people who garnered this dude as the next Kubrick. Obviously people might be jumping the gun a bit. But Aronofsky is a baby still in terms of age. Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler, and Black Swan are all great films. He’s definitely not the greatest living director, not by a long shot, but has the potential to be.
4. Peter Jackson
It is funny because my brother and I were already PJ fans before he became famous with Lord of the Rings. His film Dead Alive and Bad Taste remain cinema’s bloodiest, weirdest treasures. I was skeptical hearing that he was going to helm the LOTR’s series. Who would have thought?
3. Werner Herzog
Who is Herzog? Well, most won’t know his name. He made a kind of famous documentary about a dude getting eaten by a bear. Other than that he isn’t a house hold name. Me thinks bad lieutenant will bring him into more widespread acclaim. See his movies, please.
2. Clint Eastwood
A lot of people dismiss him as a ludicrious director from a boring age of filmmaking. I just say piss off to all of them. Unforgiven, Mystic River, Changling, Million Dollar Baby,Letters from Iwo Jima, Gran Tarino, what great movies. He has been pumping out great movies in the best two decades. He will likely not make films in his nineties so I’m hoping his last is more of the same. Letters from Iwo Jima is slowly becoming my favorite movie of all time. No movie defines more clearly the dangers of militarism, delusion, and war overall.
1. Martin Scorsese
If you haven’t caught Mean Streets, his early mafia film, go see it. In fact, watch all his movies. Raging Bull remains his triumph, but so does his ability to adjust to Hollywood’s trends. The seventies was high time for small art house movies in the mainstream. Godfather probably wouldn’t get made these days. If it did, it would be hard to fid. These days Spielberg sucks outside of Munich. Coppola went crazy. De Palma is in no man’s land. George Lucas is raping his legacy, as shown in South Park. All these great directors came from the same generation of greatness, but where everyone else failed, Scorsese flourished. How much Catholic guilt and male insecurity can one man pack into mainstream, audience-friendly films? A lot, that is how much.
Let me know what you ladies and gents think. Comment or E-mail me. Don’t troll me, you trolls.
By Collin, on February 1st, 2011
#13 We just watched this on Netflix streaming. You should too!: Dogtooth
The Film: Dogtooth
This film is based on a few teenagers whose parents restrict them from the outside world and create a warped reality for their children. Think of this movie as what The Village should have been. It is a Greek film that doesn’t hold back in regards to psychosexual analysis, incestous hints, and its look at human beings who have no societal compass for their moral inclinations.
The movie explores ideas an American film would never even hint at and delves deep into the morbid world of human beings who try to manipulate others through authoritarian control.
Why to watch it: It is fucking daring
It deals with taboos with an unflinching eye. The camera doesn’t dare look away. The director’s style reminds me of Kubrick’s. Yeah, I know, “Nobody can be like Kubrick”, but Yorgos Lanthimos is a world talent.
He composes his shots with a static, wide screen lens. he looks at body parts, situations, and images that shock the viewer. Many directors would cut away to different scene, or element of the scene to lighten the visual effect, but Lanthimos cuts closer, making the audience uncomfortable.
Pay attention to this: I hate to say this over again, but the visual compositions.
The visual compositions are first rate. The style seems dreamy with diffused light and soft colors, making the image surreal and creepily atmostpheric. What struck me the most was the wide shots and static camera. In the Greengass/Bay smashcut era it is odd that a director would choose to shoot in such a way.
It is dangerous and can be boring. Instead, the camera is placed in a specific place, covering a huge amount of space, but somehow remains interesting, if not dynamic.
Much will be said about the mildly pornopgraphic material, the incestuous themes, and other cutting-edge elements. But what cannont be ignored is the craftmanship it takes to make these subjects interesting, believable, and most importantly, not exploitative.
My brother called this movie one of the best movies of 2010 and, indeed, it is. It sits with a microscope and, not only ponders the effects of homeschooling, religious extremism, etc., but what life would be like if our universe was built around pretenses created by nefarious people.
The movie was nominated for an Oscar and proves, if anything, that Americans are ready for films for Adults. Considering that this movie would likely receive an NC-17 rating if it was made by Americans. It is unrated and is, again, proof positive that the MPAA is broken. An Oscar nominated movie that does not receive a rating makes it more accessible to young children who, except for rare cases, should not see it.
-Collin
By Collin, on February 1st, 2011
Everyone knows Henry (Cavill) got cast as Superman, so now I’m wondering if this movie will work
(If anyone knows any cool comics/cartoons to make me love Superman, comment or Email me)
Will this Superman movie work? Will any of them ever work? I’ve been inundated since birth to think that Superman was the end-all, be-all fucking super hero and comic book mythology
Really? I mean I know he’s mentioned in most episodes of Seinfeld, but does that really mean he’s awesome? I KNOW he is the Citizen Kane of super heroes and was the one that started it all, but I just don’t get Superman and why he so fucking revered. And let me point out, I’m pleading ignorance on this one. I’m not saying I’m right or wrong, I’m just saying I don’t get it. I never read Superman comics. Clark Kent just wasn’t interesting…
I never liked the original Superman movies, the TV shows, the new movie…anything. I don’t get it. So how am I supposed to take all this? Henry Cavill, of Tudors fame, is the perfect choice for the caped crusader…in my mind. Maybe you think that Clark Kent’s nervousness and obliviousness makes him enduring, but I don’t think so. I think a darker, more realistic character needs to be put forth. Cavill is exactly what they need. He is shockingly good looking, but not in “Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool” way. He has a deep, brooding jaw line like the Superman of the modern, animated age.
Many will argue with me when I say a darker adaptation is needed, saying that darker is not always better in regards to super heroes adaptions. Moreover, some big fans of comics have even said that Fantastic Four’s tongue-in-cheek style is actually the most faithful adaptation of old comic books. I’m just thinking on a blog here, but if you’re an alien from another planet and you’re entire species was wiped out only to leave you alone with a race of people who are weary of you…wouldn’t you be a pretty dark person? Cavill carries himself like I imagine Superman/Clark Kent would.
What I mean is: Superman’s story is a sad one and needs to be handled as such.
What’s more is how are Nolan’s sensibilities for organic effects going to orient themselves against Synder’s proclivity to overuse CGI? An awkward way of saying: Nolan likes real-looking effects and Snyder prefers CGI effects.
Is there a difference? Yes! Take the hallway scenes in Inception vs the Mars scenes in Watchman. I’m not saying one is better than the other. I would never presume to say that. I’m just saying Synder is the best at what he does and Nolan is the best at what he does. Will a middle-ground be cobbled or will Nolan 100% respect Synder’s vision? One which will undoubtedly be CGI heavy.
Additionally, why is our American hero a fucking brit? People around the blogosphere have given reasons why so many Aussie and Brit actors are tapped for these type of roles (Jake(Avatar) – Sam Worthington, Bale – Batman, Joker – Heath, Andrew Garfield – Spider Man, John Conner – Bale again, Eric Bana – Hulk). I can only imagine the following three things, one of them I believe:
A: Americans are pussies
B: Aussie and Brits bring a different style of performance and commitment, that American performers do not. Or
C: They cast these people because they’re seemingly “fresh faces” to many, however, still have the legitimacy of fringe star power. Therefore, acceptable to cast in a big budget film.
That is the one I believe. People will bitch and moan about who is Lois Lane, who is this, who is that. Who cares about that shit? What matters really is who the villain is. And honestly, if it is Lex Luthor. I might now show up for this one.
If anyone knows any cool comics or something to get me more educated on the subject E-mail or let me know…help me out…don’t troll me.
-Collin
By Collin, on February 1st, 2011
Underground Film Review Episode 7
I’ve been posting all our olds shows. Kinda’ like the Underground Film Review The Lost shows. This was the first one we ever did. It also got deleted back around a year ago when our site got hacked and I had to rebuild it. Have a listen and enjoy. If you like it, download it on ITUNES!
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