28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[D_Davis]

Here is What is is awesome.

It is a very intimate look at Daniel Lanois and his recording process. It features snippets of some live performances with him, Eno, and U2 in Monaco, and I just about died. My God, to have been in that courtyard!

There are also a ton of really cool live in the studio performances.

Really good stuff.

The only major talent missing is Bob Dylan - I'm surprised Bob didn't at least make a small appearance.

It is incredible to think about how many groundbreaking albums Lanois has helped to shape. Truly one of the great producers and musicians.

The film does a pretty good job at capturing this, but not nearly as good as his own music does.

[Lucky]

I still to this day firmly stand behind Interview with the Vampire as a brilliant piece of filmmaking. I just watched it last week, actually. The only quibble I have with it is the ending.

[origami_mustache]

Damnation (Béla Tarr, 1988)

http://medias.lemonde.fr/mmpub/edt/ill/2005/04/19/h_3_ill_640468_damnation.jpg

This film is beautifully photographed and a has a incredible soundscape, that combined with the desolate environment creates a truly dismal atmosphere. I did however find it to often be too wordy and philosophical for it's own good. Tarr himself admits that the premise is intentionally simple and banal, but the film still delivers some memorable imagery such as Karrer crawling on all fours and barking at a stray dog in the rain, the emotionless sex scene where the camera wanders away from the two lovers around the room until we see their reflections in the mirror only to continue panning away from them, and the repetition of the creaking mining carts passing by.

I plan on watching Sátántangó next...any recommendations on where to go from there?

[Qrazy]

Damnation (Béla Tarr, 1988)

http://medias.lemonde.fr/mmpub/edt/ill/2005/04/19/h_3_ill_640468_damnation.jpg

This film is beautifully photographed and a has a incredible soundscape, that combined with the desolate environment creates a truly dismal atmosphere. I did however find it to often be too wordy and philosophical for it's own good. Tarr himself admits that the premise is intentionally simple and banal, but the film still delivers some memorable imagery such as Karrer crawling on all fours and barking at a stray dog in the rain, the emotionless sex scene where the camera wanders away from the two lovers around the room until we see their reflections in the mirror only to continue panning away from them, and the repetition of the creaking mining carts passing by.

I plan on watching Sátántangó next...any recommendations on where to go from there?

Obviously Werckmeister Harmonies if you haven't seen it, then The Man from London.

I haven't seen his earlier work.

[lovejuice]

The Man from London.

you like it? haven't watched the movie myself, but my friend who is a big tarr's fan did two weeks age, and since then still have endlessly complained how bad it was.

[Qrazy]

you like it? haven't watched the movie myself, but my friend who is a big tarr's fan did two weeks age, and since then still have endlessly complained how bad it was.

It doesn't compare to Satantango or Werckmeister but there's still lots of great individual moments to enjoy and admire.

1. Hilarious Satantango cameos.
2. Fascinatingly fresh take on noir.
3. Plenty of striking imagery and meta-subtextuality.
4. A new unique and beautiful Tarr atmosphere to tonally bathe in.

I'd give it a B+.

[Grouchy]

you like it? haven't watched the movie myself, but my friend who is a big tarr's fan did two weeks age, and since then still have endlessly complained how bad it was.
I've seen it two days ago. My first exposure to Bela Tarr. I liked it once I gathered the patience, like Qrazy said, great atmosphere and noir lighting.

[Ezee E]

Top Ten Working Filmmakers:
-Martin Scorsese
-Paul Thomas Anderson
-Steven Spielberg
-The Coen Brothers
-Spike Lee
-D.J. Caruso
-Terrence Malick
-James Cameron (sorta working)
-David Fincher
-Quentin Tarantino (also sorta working)

[Watashi]

D.J. Caruso? What the fuck?

[Raiders]

D.J. Caruso

Wow. Really?


Quentin Tarantino (also sorta working)

He's released three films in the last four years. That seems like pretty steady work.

[Qrazy]

I watched The Salton Sea for the first time a few months ago... such a piece of crap.

[number8]

D.J. Caruso? What the fuck?

Taking Lives is sexy, hethinks.

[megladon8]

Did anyone see that French animated film Renaissance with Daniel Craig?

I was looking forward to seeing it, and decided I would wait until it was on satellite - but it never showed up.

[Derek]

Top Ten Working Filmmakers:
-Martin Scorsese
-Paul Thomas Anderson
-Steven Spielberg
-The Coen Brothers
-D.J. Caruso
-Terrence Malick
-James Cameron (sorta working)
-David Fincher
-Quentin Tarantino (also sorta working)

But how about some white American male directors?

[Sven]

But how about some white American male directors?

Nice. High five for that one. That prompted me to look at my list again, and while all of mine are male (not uncommon given the ratio of male filmmakers to female), and while 9 of them are ostensibly "white" (the Japanese sheep being Kitano), there are quite a few nationalities represented. Mostly English-speaking, but still... [/apologist]

[Sycophant]

I considered proposing that I would, from this point forward, refer to Kitano as "The Japanese Sheep," but then realized I'd rather not make such an ass of myself.

My list seems to betray my allegiance to the Asian cult or whatever.

[Spinal]

Man, Brimley zingers sting the worst.

[Watashi]

Who cares if your list is varied or not? I find the best directors American because that's simply the culture I grew up in.

I have all humans on my list. Does that say something about all the antelope filmmakers out there? No.

[Sven]

Who cares if your list is varied or not? I find the best directors American because that's simply the culture I grew up in.

I have all humans on my list. Does that say something about all the antelope filmmakers out there? No.

You're a silly goose.

[Derek]

Man, Brimley zingers sting the worst.

Wilford brings it hardcore. Oddly enough, I too had oatmeal for breakfast today.


I have all humans on my list. Does that say something about all the antelope filmmakers out there? No.

Well-reasoned argument. It's hard to fight that kinda logic.

[Spinal]

Who cares if your list is varied or not? I find the best directors American because that's simply the culture I grew up in.

I have all humans on my list. Does that say something about all the antelope filmmakers out there? No.

I don't have a problem with your directors all being American. I have a problem with them all being pasty.

[number8]

Wong Kar Wai
Martin Scorsese
Coen Bros
Shinya Tsukamoto
Paul Greengrass
Kim Ki-duk
Takashi Miike
Sydney Lumet
Edgar Wright
Darren Aronofsky

[Spinal]

Wilford brings it hardcore. Oddly enough, I too had oatmeal for breakfast today.


That reminds me. I gotta go get checked for diabetes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4LyaNgzy6U&feature=related).

[Raiders]

I have all humans on my list. Does that say something about all the antelope filmmakers out there? No.

I think this is the single greatest statement in the history of mankind. Just above "It was a very insignificant bullet."

[Derek]

That reminds me. I gotta go get checked for diabetes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4LyaNgzy6U&feature=related).

You mean The Beetis (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pod4jIKT_kA&NR=1)?

[Watashi]

Well-reasoned argument. It's hard to fight that kinda logic.

Eric Rohmer
Atom Egoyan
Peter Greenaway
Claire Denis
Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Lars Von Trier
Alfonso Cauran
Joe Dante
Abbas Kiarostami
David Fincher

There. Is that better? Is that list up to "Match Cut" standards?

[Grouchy]

I think this is the single greatest statement in the history of mankind. Just above "It was a very insignificant bullet."
I love that bullet quote.

1. Martin Scorsese
2. Roman Polanski
3. David Lynch
4. The Coen Brothers
5. Takeshi Kitano
6. Werner Herzog
7. Park Chan Wok
8. Brian De Palma
9. Takashi Miike
10. David Cronenberg

[Sven]

There. Is that better? Is that list up to "Match Cut" standards?

Close. Only one woman? No black directors?

[Spinal]

The Antelope New Wave is pretentious bullshit. Fuck those guys. If I wanted to watch half-hour shots of grass growing, I'd watch a Gus van Sant film.

[Watashi]

So I typed in 'Antelope Filmmaker' into google and this image popped up:

http://daily.greencine.com/archives/filmmaker-spring06.jpg

:eek:

[number8]

Close. Only one woman? No black directors?

I realized that I, too, have no black favorites.

Put Clark Johnson in mine. I don't like his movies, but I like his acting, so he counts.

[Eleven]

Hmm.

Off the top o' me head, in no order:
Werner Herzog
David Cronenberg
Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Satoshi Kon
The Brothers Coen
Hou Hsiao-Hsien
Wes Anderson
David Lynch
Chris Marker
Daisy, a goat with a camcorder who was profiled last month at MoMA

[Raiders]

Eric Rohmer
Atom Egoyan
Peter Greenaway
Claire Denis
Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Lars Von Trier
Alfonso Cauran
Joe Dante
Abbas Kiarostami
David Fincher

There. Is that better? Is that list up to "Match Cut" standards?

You completely ignored the cinema of Australia.

[number8]

The Antelope New Wave is pretentious bullshit. Fuck those guys. If I wanted to watch half-hour shots of grass growing, I'd watch a Gus van Sant film.

Better than Beavercore though.

[EyesWideOpen]

Did anyone see that French animated film Renaissance with Daniel Craig?

I was looking forward to seeing it, and decided I would wait until it was on satellite - but it never showed up.

The animation was great but the actual story was mediocre. A movie that looks that cool shouldn't be boring as hell.

[Raiders]

Better than Beavercore though.

Wasn't that started by Tera Patrick? I think it promotes some dynamic nature shots.

[Spinal]

Does Catherine Breillat qualify as Beavercore? :confused:

[Sycophant]

The Antelope New Wave is pretentious bullshit. Fuck those guys. If I wanted to watch half-hour shots of grass growing, I'd watch a Gus van Sant film.
Reductionist asshole poser! If you'd actually give the Antelope New Wave movies a shot instead of walking around blurting out opinions based on tired Internet opinion, derived from some article by one hack blogger at the New York Film Festival in 2003, you might find some real value in the so-called genre. The Antelope New Wave is as varied as any subset of films can be and the way it gets categorized is demeaning and worthless. This mindset is why these films don't get the distribution they deserve, because audiences just won't give them a chance.

:frustrated:

[Eleven]

Italian Neobee-alism is where it's at.

[number8]

Wasn't that started by Tera Patrick? I think it promotes some dynamic nature shots.

Are you serious? If I wanted to see a bunch of beavers sit around stacking wood, I'd go look at an actual river. Realistic dam /= good dam. Out of all the cinematic movements in the animal kingdom, beavercore is easily the worst. It's telling of our generation that lazy filmmaking like this is considered "arthouse".

[Raiders]

Does Catherine Breillat qualify as Beavercore? :confused:

I think her films are more related to the other orifice.

[Derek]

There. Is that better? Is that list up to "Match Cut" standards?

Woah, I alone determine "Match Cut" standards!? :eek:

But seriously, it was only an observation though I find it amusing how offended you're getting, especially since I quoted E's post. I'm not suggesting anyone should lie about their preferences, but when listing the top 10 working directors, it strikes me as a little strange when someone chooses only people from one country.

[Spinal]

Reductionist asshole poser! If you'd actually give the Antelope New Wave movies a shot instead of walking around blurting out opinions based on tired Internet opinion, derived from some article by one hack blogger at the New York Film Festival in 2003, you might find some real value in the so-called genre. The Antelope New Wave is as varied as any subset of films can be and the way it gets categorized is demeaning and worthless. This mindset is why these films don't get the distribution they deserve, because audiences just won't give them a chance.

:frustrated:

Listen, friend-o, I've done my homework. Maybe you get off on the exoticism of the locales or the antler-held shakycam, but let's call it what it is: shoddy filmmaking. Oh oh oh, my mother just got run down and torn apart by a cheetah! Yeah, you and every other damn antelope who can rifle through a tourist rucksack and pilfer a camcorder.

[Qrazy]

The Antelope New Wave is pretentious bullshit. Fuck those guys. If I wanted to watch half-hour shots of grass growing, I'd watch a Gus van Sant film.

You really can't knock it's historical importance though. I mean would grass grow the way it does if they hadn't been there to capture it's growth?

[Qrazy]

Daisy, a goat with a camcorder who was profiled last month at MoMA

If I was Andy Warhol I would totally tape my Mini-DV to my dog's head right now, let it run for a week (changing tapes here and there) and then screen it at the Guggenheim and declare it the greatest creation known to man or beast.

[Sycophant]

Yeah, you and every other damn antelope who can rifle through a tourist rucksack and pilfer a camcorder.
That such unfounded stereotypical utterances would even occur to you is appalling. That you, a moderator, would actually post them is unspeakably offensive.

And if you can't find anything moving in the cheetah incident (given that it is, yes, a fairly common motif--for a reason!), I have no option but to question your very... mammal...ity.

[Qrazy]

Is the frozen corn, pees, baked beans and pepperoni burrito I'm about to make going to be as good as I think it's going to be? Or is it going to be better?

[megladon8]

My list would look something like this (and in no particular order)...

David Cronenberg
Chan-wook Park
Christopher Nolan
Wes Anderson
Guillermo Del Toro
Antonia Bird
Darren Aronofsky
Steven Spielberg
Brad Anderson
Werner Herzog


I made it on the fly, and it'd probably completely change if I took a while to think about it.

[Watashi]

Woah, I alone determine "Match Cut" standards!? :eek:

But seriously, it was only an observation though I find it amusing how offended you're getting, especially since I quoted E's post. I'm not suggesting anyone should lie about their preferences, but when listing the top 10 working directors, it strikes me as a little strange when someone chooses only people from one country.

I don't find it strange at all.

[Derek]

I don't find it strange at all.

Actually, I'll renege that comment. I don't find it strange since I know it's not uncommon. I find it unsettling when coming from supposed film buffs.

[Watashi]

Actually, I'll renege that comment. I don't find it strange since I know it's not uncommon. I find it unsettling when coming from supposed film buffs.

What the fuck? Do I have to like non-American filmmakers to be an "official film buff" according to you? There are plenty of non-American filmmakers I enjoy watching, but I just prefer the directors I've grown up watching and in a culture I can easily identify with. I would call myself a film buff. Preferring someone like Spielberg to Ming-liang Tsai doesn't make me any less of a film buff than anyone on this site.

[D_Davis]

Favorite 10 Living Working Directors:

1. Tsui Hark
2. Johnnie To
3. David Lynch
4. Katsuhito Ishii and Hajime Ishimine
5. Chan-wook Park
6. Quentin Tarantino
7. Coen Brothers
8. Makoto Shinkai
9. Takashii Miike
10. M. Night Shyamalan

1 Korean director
2 HK directors
3 (+1) Japanese directors
4 (+1) American directors

Is this okay?

[Watashi]

I need a hug.

[Sycophant]

1 Korean director
2 HK directors
3 (+1) Japanese directors
4 (+1) American directors

Is this okay?
No Europeans. No antelopes. Please reroll.

[Eleven]

Is this okay?

Apparently you now have to throw in some non-bipedal mammal in order to make quota.

[dreamdead]

I need a hug.

Hugs are here. But only cause you like Rohmer.:P

[Qrazy]

My list (also on the fly -- it's hard to know if we should be putting them on for output in the last 5-10 years or legacy though):

List based on how much I'd anticipate the next project from each... otherwise Woody Allen, Herzog, Spielberg, etc would probably make the list.

Bela Tarr
Christopher Nolan
PTA
Wong Kar Wai
Polanski
Scorsese
Miyazaki
Fincher
Malick
Koreeda

[D_Davis]

Apparently you now have to throw in some non-bipedal mammal in order to make quota.

Replace one of the Coen Brothers (the one that doesn't do as much) with a Badger.

[DavidSeven]

The Antelope New Wave is pretentious bullshit

Better than Beavercore though.

Splitting hairs. All Herbicore films are essentially the same.

[Eleven]

Replace one of the Coen Brothers (the one that doesn't do as much) with a Badger.

So now it's Vole and Ethan Coen?

[Qrazy]

8. Makoto Shinkai

Jigga who?

PS Watch Kin Dza Dza already.

[D_Davis]

8. Makoto Shinkai

Jigga who?

PS Watch Kin Dza Dza already.

Shinkai - Voices of a Distant Star, Place Promised..., 8 Centimeters...


Kn Dza Dza - PM the link.

I can't remember where you posted it.

[Sycophant]

D, did you ever watch 5 Centimeters Per Second? I don't recall you saying anything.

[Derek]

What the fuck? Do I have to like non-American filmmakers to be an "official film buff" according to you? There are plenty of non-American filmmakers I enjoy watching, but I just prefer the directors I've grown up watching and in a culture I can easily identify with. I would call myself a film buff. Preferring someone like Spielberg to Ming-liang Tsai doesn't make me any less of a film buff than anyone on this site.

:lol: I wasn't saying you're not a film buff. I meant that you're right it's not strange because many people who say they are film buffs have seen mostly American films, so it wouldn't be odd to see a lot of lists with 10 American directors.

What I do find unsettling is the disproportionate amount of focus and importance put on white American male directors, often without people even realizing it, myself included. For some reason you chose to ignore the white male part of that equation, although as iosos said, it's hard to fault anyone for having no females in something as selective as a top ten. I probably wouldn't have room for Denis, my favorite current female director. All I was doing was pointing out something I see as an occasional problem when evaluating the importance of modern filmmakers. I thought the question was best working filmmakers and when people think the 10 best filmmakers come from one country, one race and all have penises, I see something wrong with that. You disagree? Fine, because we live in America, the best goddamn country in the whole friggin' world!

[Qrazy]

Shinkai - Voices of a Distant Star, Place Promised..., 8 Centimeters...


Kn Dza Dza - PM the link.

I can't remember where you posted it.

Ah yeah my bad, not sure why I have no name recognition for the guy since I've seen and liked his films.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2251461878127683608

[Watashi]

Wait...

...there are female directors?

[Derek]

Favorite 10 Living Working Directors:

1. Tsui Hark
2. Johnnie To
3. David Lynch
4. Katsuhito Ishii and Hajime Ishimine
5. Chan-wook Park
6. Quentin Tarantino
7. Coen Brothers
8. Makoto Shinkai
9. Takashii Miike
10. M. Night Shyamalan

1 Korean director
2 HK directors
3 (+1) Japanese directors
4 (+1) American directors

Is this okay?

2much sausage.

[soitgoes...]

:lol: I wasn't saying you're not a film buff. I meant that you're right it's not strange because many people who say they are film buffs have seen mostly American films, so it wouldn't be odd to see a lot of lists with 10 American directors.

What I do find unsettling is the disproportionate amount of focus and importance put on white American male directors, often without people even realizing it, myself included. For some reason you chose to ignore the white male part of that equation, although as iosos said, it's hard to fault anyone for having no females in something as selective as a top ten. I probably wouldn't have room for Denis, my favorite current female director. All I was doing was pointing out something I see as an occasional problem when evaluating the importance of modern filmmakers. I thought the question was best working filmmakers and when people think the 10 best filmmakers come from one country, one race and all have penises, I see something wrong with that. You disagree? Fine, because we live in America, the best goddamn country in the whole friggin' world!

:lol: Penises.

[Watashi]

Plus, with the exception of the obvious answer of Spike Lee, what other critically acclaimed black directors are there? Burnett, possibly (though he hasn't really done enough). I wouldn't place guys like John Singleton or Antoine Fuqua among them. What about black female directors? See where I'm getting at? As narrow-minded as it is, the reason why white American director are often at the center of things is because they are more exposed and accessible.

[soitgoes...]

One of the best films I've seen this year was by a female. Harlan County U.S.A.. Seriously everyone should check it out.

[Watashi]

One of the best films I've seen this year was by a female. Harlan County U.S.A.. Seriously everyone should check it out.

She also directed High School Musical and Havoc, the film where Anne Hathaway gets naked.

Interesting.

[Qrazy]

What I do find unsettling is the disproportionate amount of focus and importance put on white American male directors, often without people even realizing it, myself included. For some reason you chose to ignore the white male part of that equation, although as iosos said, it's hard to fault anyone for having no females in something as selective as a top ten. I probably wouldn't have room for Denis, my favorite current female director. All I was doing was pointing out something I see as an occasional problem when evaluating the importance of modern filmmakers. I thought the question was best working filmmakers and when people think the 10 best filmmakers come from one country, one race and all have penises, I see something wrong with that. You disagree? Fine, because we live in America, the best goddamn country in the whole friggin' world!

I don't agree. I'm not going to affirmative action my list just so some female African filmmaker can make the cut. I put on the artists I think deserve to be put on (obviously I still have tons of films to see) based on my aesthetic, thematic and tonal preferences.

[Derek]

As narrow-minded as it is, the reason why white American director are often at the center of things is because they are more exposed and accessible.

Which doesn't mean they're the best. That's the only point I was trying to make, so let's just leave it at that.

[Qrazy]

One of the best films I've seen this year was by a female. Harlan County U.S.A.. Seriously everyone should check it out.

I plan on it (have had it DL'd for a while) but the fact remains she made the film in '76.

Sofia Coppola just doesn't make the cut for me.

[soitgoes...]

I think this is more of a problem for the system or whatever, than Watashi's or anyone else's tastes. As Watashi pointed out besides Lee, and possibly Taymor I guess, could any other non-white or non-penis-having American director even be considered in a Top 10 list.

[soitgoes...]

I plan on it (have had it DL'd for a while) but the fact remains she made the film in '76.

Sofia Coppola just doesn't make the cut for me.
Oh no doubt. I was just throwing out some props to the fairer sex. Kinda random, but sorta tied to the conversation at hand.

I guess Coppola would be a better choice than Taymor.

[Derek]

I don't agree. I'm not going to affirmative action my list just so some female African filmmaker can make the cut. I put on the artists I think deserve to be put on (obviously I still have tons of films to see) based on my aesthetic, thematic and tonal preferences.

I agree with this too, as I said I probably wouldn't find room for Denis because there are too many other directors I prefer, all who are males. Let's forget about female directors since there are so few out there compared to males and simply focus on nationality. You really don't see anything wrong with a list of the ten best working directors all being American?

[Watashi]

non-penis-having

I'm totally using this in a sentence next time at work.

[Watashi]

Isn't what we call the "best" our favorites? In order to officially call a director one of the "best" is to see every film he/she has ever done which is not going to happen.

[Derek]

I think this is more of a problem for the system or whatever, than Watashi's or anyone else's tastes.

Agreed again. Wats assumed it was solely an attack on his taste, but I agree it's as much a Hollywood problem as anything else. Still, there are a lot of other countries where great films are being made, by whites and non-whites alike.

[D_Davis]

D, did you ever watch 5 Centimeters Per Second? I don't recall you saying anything.

Not yet. :(

[Qrazy]

I think this is more of a problem for the system or whatever, than Watashi's or anyone else's tastes. As Watashi pointed out besides Lee, and possibly Taymor I guess, could any other non-white or non-penis-having American director even be considered in a Top 10 list.

Exactly, it's an issue of output and availability.

America, India, Japan, then France, England, Hong Kong etc all have the biggest film industries. It makes sense that most of us have mostly white men with a smattering of Asians because these are the films that are easiest to get a hold of and there are a lot of them. Hell if there are tons of great films being made in Africa right now I'd like to see them because I love good cinema. Tsotsi was just OK.

[Duncan]

Bela Tarr
Werner Herzog
Terrence Malick
PTA
David Lynch
Wong Kar Wai
The Brothers Quay
The Coen Brothers
Guy Maddin
Atom Egoyan

Near misses for a wide variety of reasons:
Alexander Sokurov
Claire Denis
Zhang Ke Jia
Alfonso Cuaron
Ernie Gehr
Michael Snow
Francis Ford Coppola
Martin Scorsese
Sofia Coppola
Wes Anderson
Hayao Miyazaki
Jean Luc Godard
Chris Marker

[Derek]

Isn't what we call the "best" our favorites? In order to officially call a director one of the "best" is to see every film he/she has ever done which is not going to happen.

I'd really prefer not to get into semantics, so here's one example before I tap out on this issue. Let's say someone considers Uwe Boll one of their favorite directors because they love watching all of his films. Could they possibly call him one of the best working directors without looking like a fool? So no, best does not always = favorite, but obviously there's no way to avoid subjectivity in this case (nor should there be), so I see where you're coming from.

[Qrazy]

Oh no doubt. I was just throwing out some props to the fairer sex. Kinda random, but sorta tied to the conversation at hand.

I guess Coppola would be a better choice than Taymor.

Fair, I do really want to see Harlan County though... have about 50-60 criterions left to see.

[D_Davis]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2251461878127683608

Thank ya kindly.

I'll email it to myself and watch it this week.

[Qrazy]

I agree with this too, as I said I probably wouldn't find room for Denis because there are too many other directors I prefer, all who are males. Let's forget about female directors since there are so few out there compared to males and simply focus on nationality. You really don't see anything wrong with a list of the ten best working directors all being American?

Ehh probably a bit ethnocentric but taste is taste I suppose.

[Watashi]

I really need to see some Quay Bros. stuff. There is so much animation out there I want to see outside the anime/Disney realm, I just don't have any time for it.

[soitgoes...]

Still, there are a lot of other countries where great films are being made, by whites and non-whites alike.
Again without a doubt. I'm in total agreement.

I'd be curious how many Top 10 Living American Directors lists from match-cut members would contain all white males though. If you were to extend that to a Top 10 American Directors EVA!!!!!!! list I'm sure we'd be able to safely eliminate any Spike Lee votes so that we can all once again feel safe.

[Ezee E]

I'm glad that people noticed D.J. Caruso. That means you read it.

But then you didn't see Spike Lee, so.....

[soitgoes...]

<---------


I really need to see some Quay Bros. stuff. There is so much animation out there I want to see outside the anime/Disney realm, I just don't have any time for it.

[number8]

Hell if there are tons of great films being made in Africa right now I'd like to see them because I love good cinema. Tsotsi was just OK.

And it was, you know, directed by a white male.

[Watashi]

<---------
Is that Animal Farm?

I've seen that.

[soitgoes...]

Is that Animal Farm?

I've seen that.
Yes.

[Qrazy]

And it was, you know, directed by a white male.

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeei t.

[Eleven]

And it was, you know, directed by a white male.

He is South African, though. But your point is well taken.

Earlier last year I would have included Sembene. Souleymane Cissé, Abderrahmane Sissako, and Idrissa Ouedraogo reasonably well-known African directors, but I certainly haven't seen enough by them to include them in my list.

[Duncan]

I feel a little odd saying this, but I have a lot of trouble getting on the same page as people who really dig the offering of art house South-Asian films we get in North America. I've seen films by Weerasethakul, Ratanaruang, Kim, Kurosawa, Park, Hou and, if I'm being perfectly honest with myself, I would probably never watch another one by any of them if it wasn't for the continued critical acclaim. Except Hou. I see a lot of interesting aesthetic qualities in his films, and apparently I haven't seen his best work yet. Obviously, I can't generalize. Wong Kar Wai is incredible. Bong seems interesting. There are a few Japanese directors I really love. I don't know what it is, but I am fairly consistently let down by films coming out of that area of the world. I think it's more than just cultural differences.

[Qrazy]

Again without a doubt. I'm in total agreement.

I'd be curious how many Top 10 Living American Directors lists from match-cut members would contain all white males though. If you were to extend that to a Top 10 American Directors EVA!!!!!!! list I'm sure we'd be able to safely eliminate any Spike Lee votes so that we can all once again feel safe.

If you don't think Spike Lee is the greatest living filmmaker it's because you're a racist.

[Derek]

I really need to see some Quay Bros. stuff. There is so much animation out there I want to see outside the anime/Disney realm, I just don't have any time for it.

Have you seen The Man Who Planted Trees? I know Raiders and Sagawa have pimped it before, but it can't hurt to mention it again. It's only 30 minutes as well.

[Eleven]

If you don't think Tyler Perry is the greatest living filmmaker it's because you're a racist.

Fixed.

[Derek]

If you don't think Spike Lee is the greatest living filmmaker it's because you're a racist.

:lol: That's the spirit!

[Duncan]

There is some Quay Bros. stuff on YouTube, but I don't recommend watching it. It'd be sort of like watching Lawrence of Arabia, but taken to the other extreme. If you lose the detail of the miniature world you lose what makes it special.

[Derek]

Fixed.

Heh, it's funny because my friend and I were talking about how amusing/sad it is that a lot of critics won't call Perry's bullshit because they're afraid of the backlash they'd receive.

[soitgoes...]

If you lose the detail of the miniature world you lose what makes it special.
That's a variation of what I tell the ladies.

[soitgoes...]

Are you joking?
About?

[number8]

Heh, it's funny because my friend and I were talking about how amusing/sad it is that a lot of critics won't call Perry's bullshit because they're afraid of the backlash they'd receive.

Well, hell, if the lovable and black wife-having Roger Ebert caught shit because he hated Diary of a Mad Black Woman, what chance would some uppity critic from some white people magazine have? :P

[Spinal]

About?

Never mind. Read more of the thread. Retracted comment.

[Qrazy]

I feel a little odd saying this, but I have a lot of trouble getting on the same page as people who really dig the offering of art house South-Asian films we get in North America. I've seen films by Weerasethakul, Ratanaruang, Kim, Kurosawa, Park, Hou and, if I'm being perfectly honest with myself, I would probably never watch another one by any of them if it wasn't for the continued critical acclaim. Except Hou. I see a lot of interesting aesthetic qualities in his films, and apparently I haven't seen his best work yet. Obviously, I can't generalize. Wong Kar Wai is incredible. Bong seems interesting. There are a few Japanese directors I really love. I don't know what it is, but I am fairly consistently let down by films coming out of that area of the world. I think it's more than just cultural differences.

Personally I don't think the contemporary output from Asia is anywhere near what it was in the 50's, 60's and 70's. In my opinion the new 'masters' aren't making films nearly as interesting (at least in content) as the old masters like Kurosawa, Ozu, Mizoguchi... or even Kobayashi, Inagaki, Suzuki, etc but I tend to feel that way about American cinema as well. But that's probably just because I'm an elitist curmudgeon.

I don't think there's any one nation really taking film by storm right now... in the way that Italy did with neorealism, France with the New Wave, Germany's new wave, etc, etc. Hopefully that'll change and we'll get a new movement in the near future (something better than what Dogme brought to the table).

[Derek]

Well, hell, if the lovable and black wife-having Roger Ebert caught shit because he hated Diary of a Mad Black Woman, what chance would some uppity critic from some white people magazine have? :P

Good point. I guess I should've said their fear is entirely justifiable. :)

[Qrazy]

Have you seen The Man Who Planted Trees? I know Raiders and Sagawa have pimped it before, but it can't hurt to mention it again. It's only 30 minutes as well.

Back's Crac! is also a joy to behold.

[DrewG]

Today I was delighted to see Ozu's I Was Born, But... from 1932.

What a great little silent flick, both very much like other Ozu flicks but also very different. I'd say that without a doubt the camera is much more active here and that it lacks the Ozu transitional shot of empty landscapes or what have you. However it is still very much about a family, specifically two brothers and their interactions with classmates about the power their fathers hold. Their father is a "mere employee" while one of the children who bullies them has a father who is the boss. It's interesting to see how their minds attmept to manipulate situations (like cutting school) and how they cannot fathom that not every father can be so powerful.

There was no score so the movie was completely silent but it really worked. It's a very charming little movie with some funny scenes that are well paced as they lead into some interesting drama and a very heartfelt resolution. Great movie.

I also saw A Page of Madness by Teinosuke Kinugasa from 1926. Woah...you thought David Lynch films lacked a narrative; god damn this thing is hard to follow. It takes place inside an insane asylum and follows the relationship between a male guard and female patient, chock full of hallucinations, flashbacks and lots of camera trickery (combined with a score composed for the film in 1970 with some crazy instrumentation). The ending is really quite good and perfectly chaotic but as a whole over the 60 minutes I was getting a little bit bored and frustrated though. Overall it was was pretty interesting though.

[Ezee E]

I think it's a silly argument to analyze the ethnicity or sex of a person's favorite working directors and call them a "lesser film buff." In the end, many of us will have seen 80-100 films, from directors all around the world. The top tens will be radically different then what we predicted.

If anyone cares about what director would have D.J. Caruso's spot? Christopher Nolan, the cracka.

I'll make things fancy.

Ten Favorite Working Foreign Directors
-Chan-Wook Park
-Werner Herzog
-Wong-Kar Wai
-Gaspar Noe
-Alfonso Cuaron (does he count)
-Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (he's only done one, but I'll be right at the front of the line whenever he does a new one)
-Michael Haneke
-Jean-Pierre Jeunet
-Jacques Audiard (Beat That My Heart Skipped, Read My Lips)
-Pedro Almodovar (almost forgot about him)

[D_Davis]

Heh, it's funny because my friend and I were talking about how amusing/sad it is that a lot of critics won't call Perry's bullshit because they're afraid of the backlash they'd receive.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f312/Tonito44/ThatsRacist.gif

[Eleven]

Today I was delighted to see Ozu's I Was Born, But... from 1932.

One of my top 3 Ozus. A tiny, miraculously perfect movie.

[Ezee E]

Would a critic from Slant magazine even get hatemail if he criticized a Tyler Perry film? I think Slant magazine probably fits in with the Things White People Love, or whatever that site is.

I want Match Cut to watch Tyler Perry. I don't know anyone here who's seen one. It'd be fun. Like Southland Tales fun...

[D_Davis]

I want Match Cut to watch Tyler Perry. I don't know anyone here who's seen one. It'd be fun. Like Southland Tales fun...

If he made a kick ass homage to PKD I'd watch it.

[EyesWideOpen]

Top Ten Working Directors:

Spike Lee
Takashi Miike
Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Chan-Wook Park
Quentin Tarantino
Takeshi Kitano
Hayao Miyazaki
M. Night Shymalan
Ki-Duk Kim
Satoshi Kon

[Qrazy]

I think Slant magazine probably fits in with the Things White People Love.


Fuck no.

[number8]

Spike Lee seems to be improving with age. I'm hoping in like 10 years or so I'd be able to see him as a great filmmaker.

[Sycophant]

I want Match Cut to watch Tyler Perry. I don't know anyone here who's seen one. It'd be fun. Like Southland Tales fun...I made it through, like, the first twenty minutes or so of Why Did I Get Married?

:|

[Sven]

I want Match Cut to watch Tyler Perry. I don't know anyone here who's seen one. It'd be fun. Like Southland Tales fun...

Derek saw one, and Sycophant tried, but had a miscarriage.

[number8]

Spike Lee seems to be improving with age. I'm hoping in like 10 years or so I'd be able to see him as a great filmmaker.

To clarify, by with age, I meant his, not mine. He's making better films now that he's older. No more juvenile nonsense like Do The Right Thing.

[Qrazy]

To clarify, by with age, I meant his, not mine. He's making better films now that he's older. No more juvenile nonsense like Do The Right Thing.

Um.... no.

[Sven]

No more juvenile nonsense like Do The Right Thing.

Hmmm...

[Ezee E]

Spike Lee seems to be improving with age. I'm hoping in like 10 years or so I'd be able to see him as a great filmmaker.
He's finally getting studio backing. I'm ecstatic over this WWII drama he's got coming up. But he's been great for a long, long time. I just think that he hasn't even had his best movie yet.

[Ezee E]

To clarify, by with age, I meant his, not mine. He's making better films now that he's older. No more juvenile nonsense like Do The Right Thing.
That's Qrazy silly.

[Melville]

My favorite working directors (based on recent output rather than lifetime output):

Lynch
PTA
Wes Anderson
Malick
Coens
Sofia Coppola
Scorsese
Dardennes
Miyazaki
Tarr (though I've only seen one of his films, I love his aesthetic to such an extent that I'm sure I would appreciate everything he's done)

[Sycophant]

That's Qrazy silly.
It's beyond that. Xrazy silly.

[Ezee E]

I'm watching Marie-Antoinette on Starz. It's a lot stranger then what I remembered. Good, but rather annoying.

[number8]

He's finally getting studio backing. I'm ecstatic over this WWII drama he's got coming up. But he's been great for a long, long time. I just think that he hasn't even had his best movie yet.

Yes. I'm looking forward to that one for sure. He's also got a horror movie lined up, which I'm curious about.

Oh, and I've always made my hate for DTRT clear. :P Is it new for you folks?

[Ezee E]

Yes. I'm looking forward to that one for sure. He's also got a horror movie lined up, which I'm curious about.

Oh, and I've always made my hate for DTRT clear. :P Is it new for you folks?
The horror movie had Tom Cruise attached at one point. I really liked the premise too.

And you're so wrong about DTRT. I mean, it's a top ten rated movie on the Consensus. It's right there with 2001, The Godfather, Dieter Loves to Fly, and Casablanca!

[Sven]

Oh, and I've always made my hate for DTRT clear. :P Is it new for you folks?

In three sentences, would you care to reiterate, for those of us who've blacked it out of our minds?

[Derek]

I want Match Cut to watch Tyler Perry. I don't know anyone here who's seen one. It'd be fun. Like Southland Tales fun...

I watched every second of Madea's Family Reunion and that's more than enough Tyler Perry for a lifetime.

[Qrazy]

Yes. I'm looking forward to that one for sure. He's also got a horror movie lined up, which I'm curious about.

Oh, and I've always made my hate for DTRT clear. :P Is it new for you folks?

DTRT is pretty much his only great film. Malcolm X and 25th Hour are both pretty good. Inside Man is above average but disposable and the rest of his filmography is fairly meh.

[number8]

In three sentences, would you care to reiterate, for those of us who've blacked it out of our minds?

I found it to be obnoxious cultural exploitation, more concerned with style and attitude than exploring the film's motto (and this is why I'm liking current Spike Lee, he's less flashy but still distinct). It came across far more as a silly rant than a social window of any sort, and the anarchic conclusion is what led me to call it juvenile. I liked Ossie Davis in it, but that's about it.

[Ezee E]

I found it to be obnoxious cultural exploitation, more concerned with style and attitude than exploring the film's motto (and this is why I'm liking current Spike Lee, he's less flashy but still distinct). It came across far more as a silly rant than a social window of any sort, and the anarchic conclusion is what led me to call it juvenile. I liked Ossie Davis in it, but that's about it.
That's how I feel about Summer of Sam which has moments that make me want to love the movie, but sheesh........

[number8]

Also, I'm still bitter at him for abandoning Sucker Free City. It would've been an amazing show that does to San Francisco what The Wire did to Baltimore.

[Sven]

I found it to be obnoxious cultural exploitation, more concerned with style and attitude than exploring the film's motto (and this is why I'm liking current Spike Lee, he's less flashy but still distinct). It came across far more as a silly rant than a social window of any sort, and the anarchic conclusion is what led me to call it juvenile. I liked Ossie Davis in it, but that's about it.


That's how I feel about Summer of Sam which has moments that make me want to love the movie, but sheesh........

Bah!

But hooray for differing opinions! :)

[Rowland]

I think Inside Man is one of the best things Spike has ever done. He should work on more mainstream material like that.

[Qrazy]

I think Inside Man is one of the best things Spike has ever done. He should work on more mainstream material like that.

*shrug*

Above average genre fare with a couple neat camera tricks.

[Rowland]

*shrug*

Above average genre fare with a couple neat camera tricks.I think it's unique and incredibly satisfying. If more Hollywood mainstream fare were even half as pleasurable and pointed, I'd go to the theater more often. This seems to be an unpopular opinion, but I kinda loved it.

[Ezee E]

Also, I'm still bitter at him for abandoning Sucker Free City. It would've been an amazing show that does to San Francisco what The Wire did to Baltimore.
Grr... Don't remind me.

[Qrazy]

So what's the MC concensus on films like... He Got Game, Clockers, School Daze, Mo Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Crooklyn and Bamboozled?

[Sven]

He Got Game - ***1/2, Clockers - ***, School Daze - ***, Mo Better Blues - **1/2, Jungle Fever - **1/2, Crooklyn - **** Bamboozled - ****

[Watashi]

Inside Man would have been better off without that ridiculous GTA videogame cutscene. Spike, I know you aren't the most subtle guy in the world, but c'mon!

[dreamdead]

He Got Game - 79 (yeah, it's also an artist's/athlete's journey, but hot damn what a finale)
Clockers - n/a (been waaaay too long since I saw it; '96, I think)
School Daze - n/a
Mo Better Blues - 70 (gorgeous cinema, but still an average bildungsroman)
Jungle Fever - 69 (masterful Sam. Jackson performance stuck in a mediocre film)
Crooklyn - 68 (a bit inconsequential, but great acting from Lindo)
Bamboozled - 75 (the end credits sequence is devastating and masterfully edited)

[Sycophant]

He Got Game - haven't seen
Clockers - 69
School Daze - 76
Mo Better Blues - 67
Jungle Fever - 65
Crooklyn - 93 (right behind Do the Right Thing)
Bamboozled - haven't seen

[D_Davis]

I love Crooklyn.

It and Inside Man are my two favorite Spike Lee films.

I need to see He Got Game though. I think that looks pretty good, and it has a kick ass soundtrack.

[DrewG]

I thought Inside Man was killed by the flash-forward narrative thing.

For example; the scene where the police are going to raid the bank...we know that most if any people are going to be killed because we've already seen a ton of the main characters in the interrogation room with Denzel Washington.

Didn't work at all for me. I did like the sinister secret revealed at the end though...

This being said, 25th Hour is one of my favorite films of the 2000's. I find He Got Game fantastic because I like Ray Allen and Hoop Dreams-esque stories (albeit much darker) while stuff like Clockers is good for a quick, fun fix but ultimately nothing extraordinary...by no means bad.

Do the Right Thing was up and down for me on the 1st four viewings or so, but now I just really love it apart from a few minor quibbles that do still irk me like many others; namely Buggin' Out at times and Radio Raheem. But I've always seen the film as being about stubborn people, so I guess their actions make sense in the grand scheme. I love the bookends of the film.

[Rowland]

I thought Inside Man was killed by the flash-forward narrative thing.

For example; the scene where the police are going to raid the bank...we know that most if any people are going to be killed because we've already seen a ton of the main characters in the interrogation room with Denzel Washington.I thought that was clever. Says a lot about the mindset of the police, no?

[EyesWideOpen]

He Got Game - B+
Clockers - B
School Daze - C
Jungle Fever - C+
Bamboozled - B+
She Hate Me - B
Get on the Bus - B+
Malcolm X - A
Do the Right Thing - A+
Inside Man - B
25th Hour - A-
The Original Kings of Comedy - B
Summer of Sam - B

[balmakboor]

She Hate Me - B


Really? That's far more generous than its reputation.

[EyesWideOpen]

Really? That's far more generous than its reputation.


The main problem with the film is that Spike tried to handle about 10 too many topics and if it would have been tightened up a bit I think it would have been a lot better received.

[DrewG]

Hm I'm doing a presentation on Italian neorealism tomorrow. Which is perfectly fine...

...except I have to speak Italian.

I'm sensing epic fail. At least I get to show the last scene of The Bicycle Thieves to the class.

[SirNewt]

I love Crooklyn.

It and Inside Man are my two favorite Spike Lee films.

I need to see He Got Game though. I think that looks pretty good, and it has a kick ass soundtrack.


I thought the film rubbish. A pretty standard heist flick but then the oh my god moment at the end. It's not the thieves but the former Nazi, who does more in one day for humanity than most people in their entire lives who is bad. WTF?

Very poor attempt to justify the crime.

[MadMan]

I really liked Inside Man, but I felt the film sort of lost momentum after the whole situation was ended and the hostages were released. I did like the ending though, and I feel that its a pretty well made thriller/heist film.

As for Do The Right Thing, I think it demands a rewatch even though I saw it last year (or was it two years ago? I can't remember). I did find the film to be utterly brilliant, but I feel a second viewing is in order to properly defend the film. I should see more of Spike Lee's work, seeing as I can get my hands on Mo Better Blues and Bamboozled.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Prom Night wasn't really good, kinda bad actually. I don't have much to say, but I almost forgot I had watched it by the time I got home. Yea. Still not the worst thing I've seen this year.

[Rowland]

The original Prom Night sucks, but it does have this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDhMp7lvR9I). I love that song.

[number8]

The original Prom Night sucks, but it does have this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDhMp7lvR9I). I love that song.

Smartest YouTube comment ever:

"Does the new Prom Night have this scene? No? Then I don't want to fucking see it."

Exactly.

[Watashi]

Lars and the Real Girl (Gillespie, 2007) 53

So much neg rape...

[Watashi]

The infamous baby scene in Trainspotting is more disturbing than anything in Requiem for a Dream.

I actually had to pause the film and catch my breath.

[Sven]

So how much overlap do people's lists of top ten living directors have with their lists of top ten directors ever?

For me, let's see... (bolded = living)

1 Robert Altman
2 Werner Herzog
3 Takeshi Kitano
4 Akira Kurosawa
5 John Huston
6 John Boorman
7 Fritz Lang
8 Sam Peckinpah
9 Jean Renoir
10 Paul Verhoeven

Roughly. Hitchcock might make it in there somewhere.

[MadMan]

I think I might be the only FDTer to not make a list of directors. Why am I a member of this thread again? I can't remember. Heh.

Anyways TCM right now is screening Blazing Sadles unedited and commerical free. Once again it proves that TCM is the greatest movie channel on this planet.

[Sven]

Also, been watching loads of Billy Wilder lately (for class) and I could probably make a case for his inclusion as well.

[Boner M]

So much neg rape...
I thought it was beautifully acted and handsomely shot, but it just left a sour taste in my mouth. I never believed that a community would be that accommodating (and twee, really) towards Lars and Bianca. I guess the treatment of the premise could've been much worse - like, unforgiving town bullies being the main source of conflict - but it'd be best served by no treatment at all.

btw, Craig Gillespie's mum lives a few block away from me.

[megladon8]

I haven't seen Trainspotting in...wow...probably 7 years.

Could someone remind me what the infamous baby scene was?

Are we talking about the baby death scene?

[Philosophe_rouge]

Not much for me...

1. Michael Powell
2. Alfred Hitchcock
3. Howard Hawks
4. Ernst Lubitsch
5. Fritz Lang
6. Robert Altman
7. Orson Welles
8. Sergio Leone
9. Billy Wilder
10. Hayao Miyazaki

[Eleven]

So how much overlap do people's lists of top ten living directors have with their lists of top ten directors ever?

1. Jean Renoir
2. Alfred Hitchcock
3. Fritz Lang
4. Howard Hawks
5. Luis Bunuel
6. Robert Altman
7. Yasujiro Ozu
8. Werner Herzog
9. Buster Keaton
10. Ingmar Bergman

HMs: Cronenberg, Lynch.

Oh, and guess it turns out Daisy the goat savant filmmaker was just eaten by the members of Dog-me 95, so I'll replace her with Frederick Wiseman, who I should have included in the first place.

[Melville]

A very rough estimate:

1. Bergman
2. Tarkovsky
3. Lynch
4. Malick
5. Herzog
6. Dreyer
7. Hitchcock
8. Scorsese
9. Chaplin
10. Nicholas Ray

[Watashi]

I haven't seen Trainspotting in...wow...probably 7 years.

Could someone remind me what the infamous baby scene was?

Are we talking about the baby death scene?

No...

The decomposed baby crawling on the ceiling during McGregor's nightmare

[MadMan]

Eh what the hell, I'll post my woefully inadequate list of my favorite directors of all time (one that is probably more American than Wats's):

*Steven Spielberg
*Alfred Hitchcock
*Joe Dante
*Mel Brooks
*John Ford
*Akira Kurosawa
*Clint Eastwood
*John McTiernan
*John Carpenter
*George A. Romero
*M. Night Shyamalan
*Sergio Leone
*Orson Welles
*Peter Jackson
*Martin Scorsese
*Francis Ford Coppola

If we're not discussing living directors. And looking over all this I think some of them I added on because I love a particular film from them (Kurosawa and Ford) and not really because I've seen a good deal of their work. And I've only viewed a small amount of the works of all of these guys (even Spielberg and Hitchcock).

[Watashi]

I thought it was beautifully acted and handsomely shot, but it just left a sour taste in my mouth. I never believed that a community would be that accommodating (and twee, really) towards Lars and Bianca. I guess the treatment of the premise could've been much worse - like, unforgiving town bullies being the main source of conflict - but it'd be best served by no treatment at all.

btw, Craig Gillespie's mum lives a few block away from me.

I bought it since small communities do bound together and support their neighbors even if it's something absurd like what Lars went through. If you're unfamiliar with the homeliness of these towns, then I can understand how it would come off as a little odd.

Plus, Kelli Garner was irresistibly irresistible.

[Lucky]

Hm I'm doing a presentation on Italian neorealism tomorrow. Which is perfectly fine...

...except I have to speak Italian.

I'm sensing epic fail. At least I get to show the last scene of The Bicycle Thieves to the class.

I did the same topic for one of my italian literature classes. I'm pretty sure I still have the powerpoint, too.

[Raiders]

1. Sam Fuller
2. Alfred Hitchcock
3. F.W. Murnau
4. Robert Bresson
5. Kenji Mizoguchi
6. Jean-Luc Godard
7. Buster Keaton
8. Nicholas Ray
9. Todd Haynes
10. Rainer Werner Fassbinder

[soitgoes...]

DTRT is pretty much his only great film. Malcolm X and 25th Hour are both pretty good. Inside Man is above average but disposable and the rest of his filmography is fairly meh.
If you're counting mini-series then When the Levees Broke is among the best in his filmography, and one of the best docs in a decade full of great documentaries.

[Boner M]

Lessee here...

Altman
Bresson
Cassavetes
Dreyer
Godard
Herzog
Lynch
Malick
N. Ray
Tarkovsky

I digz the living.

[Silencio]

I thought it was beautifully acted and handsomely shot, but it just left a sour taste in my mouth. I never believed that a community would be that accommodating (and twee, really) towards Lars and Bianca. I guess the treatment of the premise could've been much worse - like, unforgiving town bullies being the main source of conflict - but it'd be best served by no treatment at all.It never bothered me because it wasn't a dominating aspect of the film. Lars' inner conflict and his detachment from human contact and relationship was what the film was really about, and Gosling sold that perfectly. So the authenticity of the town's support never struck me as particularly important to the bulk of the story and themes.

[soitgoes...]

1. Sam Fuller
2. Alfred Hitchcock
3. F.W. Murnau
4. Robert Bresson
5. Kenji Mizoguchi
6. Jean-Luc Godard
7. Buster Keaton
8. Nicholas Ray
9. Todd Haynes
10. Rainer Werner Fassbinder
I did a double take when I saw Fuller at the top. I've seen 11 of his films and while not all are great or even good, he almost always manages to produce something that's interesting. I'm kinda scared to delve further into his body of work because I've seen most of his major works.

[Boner M]

I bought it since small communities do bound together and support their neighbors even if it's something absurd like what Lars went through. If you're unfamiliar with the homeliness of these towns, then I can understand how it would come off as a little odd.
I suppose, but it still felt contrived; like everyone was written especially whimsically and flawless so that a grand message about human connection or whatever could be driven home. Ehh, very little of it rang true. And I hated how it laid on the syrup in the final scenes. Massive tonal problems with the film.

Garner's a cutie, I agree. Reminds me of a crush from high school.

[Raiders]

I did a double take when I saw Fuller at the top. I've seen 11 of his films and while not all are great or even good, he almost always manages to produce something that's interesting. I'm kinda scared to delve further into his body of work because I've seen most of his major works.

I've seen 12 of his films, and half of those are films I'd consider masterful. The others are all at the very least excellent. I'm actually going to be watching a new one of his this weekend, Fixed Bayonets!.

[Boner M]

It never bothered me because it wasn't a dominating aspect of the film. Lars' inner conflict and his detachment from human contact and relationship was what the film was really about, and Gosling sold that perfectly. So the authenticity of the town's support never struck me as particularly important to the bulk of the story and themes.
I thought the focus on the community's reaction in the early scenes was where the film held the most interest for me and could've been developed interestingly, so that's why my engagement waned as the focus became more insular. I agree that Gosling handles his assignment admirably, but it all felt like just that; an assignment for a gifted thesp to prove his worth, rather than a character to embody.

[Eleven]

I'm actually going to be watching a new one of his this weekend, Fixed Bayonets!.

Not bad, it's obviously a good companion piece to his other '51 flick The Steel Helmet. Some of the same cast, some of the same themes, some of the same awesomeness you've come to expect.

[soitgoes...]

For me I guess:

Woody Allen
Ingmar Bergman
Luis Buñuel
Michael Haneke
Alfred Hitchcock
Chuck Jones
Krzysztof Kieslowski
Yasujiro Ozu
Jean Renoir
Zhang Yimou

Coen, the 2 good Andersons, and Sayles are close. Over time they might usurp someone in the above 10, but not yet.

[MadMan]

Hmm, I can't believe I forgot about the Coens Brothers and Wes Anderson, who've I've seen all of his films except for his latest.

[soitgoes...]

I've seen 12 of his films, and half of those are films I'd consider masterful. The others are all at the very least excellent. I'm actually going to be watching a new one of his this weekend, Fixed Bayonets!.
I wasn't too impressed with this one. The Steel Helmet was a tad bit better, but to be honest Fixed Bayonets! was one of my first Fuller experiences and is probably in need of a rewatch.

[Silencio]

I thought the focus on the community's reaction in the early scenes was where the film held the most interest for me and could've been developed interestingly, so that's why my engagement waned as the focus became more insular. I agree that Gosling handles his assignment admirably, but it all felt like just that; an assignment for a gifted thesp to prove his worth, rather than a character to embody.I enjoyed the more intimate focus of the film. The community angle invites a lot of cliches which I think Gillespie sidestepped, for the most part. I never found Gosling's performance to be a calculated assignment, it felt real and it moved me. Don't know what else to say about that.

[Duncan]

Andrei Tarkovsky
Michelangelo Antonioni
Federico Fellini
Stanley Kubrick
Yasujiro Ozu
Orson Welles
Carl Theodore Dreyer
Werner Herzog
Victor Erice
Terrence Malick

I forgot to include Victor Erice in my original list of favorite working directors. That was incredibly stupid.

[Melville]

I forgot to include Victor Erice in my original list of favorite working directors. That was incredibly stupid.
Don't be too hard on yourself. I forgot to include Kubrick in my list of all-time favorites.

[SirNewt]

top ten directors huh, that's harder for me than choosing ten films.



Mizoguchi
Wilder
Kubrick
Fellini
Curtiz
Ozu
Hitchcock
Kurosawa
Bresson
Tarkovsky

That is a very fast list and in case you were wondering I've been spending a ton of time on film history the last two years so right now I have no working top tens. Hell, I'd be glad to have a living one in my top ten.

[MadMan]

Did any of you watch the Gene Wilder special on TCM? I'm seeing it right now (they're running it again) and so far its fairly interesting. Wilder really does rock, even if he's been retired from acting for years.

[Derek]

Did any of you watch the Gene Wilder special on TCM? I'm seeing it right now (they're running it again) and so far its fairly interesting. Wilder really does rock, even if he's been retired from acting for years.

I'm taping it. Wilder's a genius.

[Spinal]

1. Luis Buñuel
2. Ingmar Bergman
3. Lars von Trier
4. Peter Greenaway
5. Akira Kurosawa
6. David Lynch
7. Stanley Kubrick
8. Buster Keaton
9. Peter Watkins
10. Alejandro Jodorowsky

Jodorowsky is technically alive, but his directing career isn't.

Keaton is always hard for me to place, because it's hard for me to know what to credit to him and what to credit to his collaborators who were officially named as 'director' on his projects.

[origami_mustache]

Obviously Werckmeister Harmonies if you haven't seen it, then The Man from London.

I haven't seen his earlier work.


Yeah, seen Werckmeister Harmonies...is Man From London availbable anywhere yet?
All of his earlier films on Netflix have mediocre scores, just wondered if anyone here could comment on them.

my favorite directors:

Andrei Tarkovsky
Akira Kurosawa
Werner Herzog
Masaki Kobayashi
Kenji Mizoguchi
Ingmar Bergman
Federico Fellini
Stanley Kubrick
Georges Méliès
Charles Chaplin

[Derek]

Yeah, seen Werckmeister Harmonies...is Man From London availbable anywhere yet?
All of his earlier films on Netflix have mediocre scores, just wondered if anyone here could comment on them.

It played in LA a couple weeks ago and the guy introducing it said it wasn't getting distribution, so who knows when it'll get a DVD release. It's inevitable, but it could be a while. Btw, if you haven't checked out Film Radar (http://www.filmradar.com/), you need to. It's the best resource bar-none for what's playing all around LA.

As for Tarr's earlier flims, and I assume you just mean pre-Damnation, I wasn't a fan of Family Nest which was in the realm of the more traditional social drama. Almanac of Fall, on the other hand, is definitely worth checking out. By then, he was much closer to refining his style and it's basically an adaptation of Sartre's No Exit, so how can you go wrong? I've also heard Prefab People is the best of the three earliest film's available, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

[baby doll]

I'm in Busan, bitches!

[Qrazy]

I thought the film rubbish. A pretty standard heist flick but then the oh my god moment at the end. It's not the thieves but the former Nazi, who does more in one day for humanity than most people in their entire lives who is bad. WTF?

Very poor attempt to justify the crime.

I don't see it as a justification but as furthering the moral greyness of the proceedings.

[Raiders]

Keaton is always hard for me to place, because it's hard for me to know what to credit to him and what to credit to his collaborators who were officially named as 'director' on his projects.

He was listed as director on just about all of his films until after 1927, I believe. But yeah, I usually still give him credit for his work after that, at least those films in 1928.

[SirNewt]

I don't see it as a justification but as furthering the moral greyness of the proceedings.

hmmm. . . perhaps. . .

Can we at least take Nazis off the list of viable Thematic/Moral devices for a few years?

Let us move on to other forms of evil, such as intergalactic space slugs or Viagra.

[Grouchy]

1. Alfred Hitchcock
2. Sergio Leone
3. Stanley Kubrick
4. Martin Scorsese
5. Luis Buñuel
6. Roman Polanski
7. Federico Fellini
8. Akira Kurosawa
9. Orson Welles
10. David Lynch

[Watashi]

I think Keaton, Kurosawa, and Hitchcock would be the only dead guys in my Top director list.

By the way, boner. I remember you saying Martin Scorsese was your favorite director a few years ago (this was around The Departed's release).

[D_Davis]

Favorite directors working/not working, alive/dead:

1. Tsui Hark - alive/working
2. Chang Cheh - dead
3. Lau Kar Leung - alive/not really working
4. Sergio Leone - dead
5. Johnnie To - alive/working
6. David Lynch - alive/working
7. King Hu - dead
8. Katsuhito Ishii and Hajime Ishimine - alive/working
9. John Carpenter - alive/working but I don't really care any more
10. Chan-wook Park - alive/working

I guess....something like this.

[Ivan Drago]

Top 10 Directors:

1. Paul Thomas Anderson
2. Martin Scorsese
3. Stanley Kubrick
4. Jean-Luc Godard
5. Quentin Tarantino
6. Woody Allen
7. David Lynch
8. Terrence Malick
9. Steven Spielberg
10. Tim Burton

Favorite Working Directors:

1. Paul Thomas Anderson
2. Martin Scorsese
3. Quentin Tarantino
4. Woody Allen
5. David Lynch
6. Terrence Malick
7. Steven Spielberg
8. Tim Burton
9. Joe Wright
10. Richard Kelly

[lovejuice]

don't we do this before? anyway it's very hard for me to rank directors, but i'll try.

top eleven in no particular order

- hitchcock
- bergman
- altman
- fosse
- malick
- allen
- satsanatieng (the guy who did citizen dog and tear of the black tiger)
- burton/zemeckis/spielberg (those hollywood guys share the glory.)
- leone
- lumet
- iwai (the guy who did japanese love letters)

the absence of joe and kubrick is intentional.

fallen angels

- wkw
- argento
- woo
- luhrmann (direct a damn movie so i can like you.)
- gilliam

[megladon8]

I'd like to put together a list of my top 10 directors who are dead and working.

[MadMan]

I'm taping it. Wilder's a genius.While Alec Baldwin came off at times as being way too in love with Wilder, the special overall was really good. It not only dived into Wilder's interesting film career but also discussed his work on the stage, his relationships with other actors (and most notably with Gilda Radner, his late first wife, and Mel Brooks) and other such things. Overall I got the impression (not only because he sort of stated it) that Wilder really is seeking peace, and that he's largely left show business because of that. I think if I saw the man in person I'd probably leave him alone and not ask for an autograph, simply for that reason. I'm really glad that TCM did the special, and I think Alec Baldwin was a great choice to host it. Maybe they do something like that again in the near future.

[megladon8]

I find it quite painful to see how ill Wilder has gotten.

Ever since Gilda Radner died, he just hasn't been the same.

[Sycophant]

I'm such a modern film-loving bastard. All ever.

Takeshi Kitano
Woody Allen
Wes Anderson
Isao Takahata
Takashi Miike
Stephen Chow
Charles Chaplin
Preston Sturges
Akira Kurosawa
Alfred Hitchcock

I'm really sure that Leo McCarey, Orson Welles, and Yasujiro Ozu will end up here eventually, but I need to see a lot, lot more of their work till I can do that.

[Watashi]

Kitano is another director I need to get into. Hana-bi is masterful, Sonatine is pretty good, while Zatoichi was pretty bad. I'm surprised by the immense love he gets on here.

[Sycophant]

Hana-bi is masterful, Sonatine is only slightly less masrterful, while Zatoichi, while different, was still pretty masterful.

Fixed.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Kitano is another director I need to get into. Hana-bi is masterful, Sonatine is pretty good, while Zatoichi was pretty bad. I'm surprised by the immense love he gets on here.

Watch Kikujiro. And Violent Cop. You'll understand better after those.

[megladon8]

Kitano is one whose films I have had trouble tracking down.

Violent Cop was great.

zatoichi was also great.

I wasn't too hot about Sonatine.

Those are the only three I've been able to find.

[Sycophant]

Watch Kikujiro. And Violent Cop. You'll understand better after those.In all seriousness, yes, do this. But I'd probably recommending prioritizing Kids Return over Violent Cop, unless you really can't stomach subpar DVDs.

But Kikujiro. Do it.

[megladon8]

I still really love Superman Returns.

I was afraid that, having gone so long without seeing it, my opinion would have sunk.

If anything, I like it more.

I can't go without mentioning Brandon Routh's wonderful turn as both Superman and Clark Kent. Like Christopher Reeve before him, he embodies the role so well, both physically and emotionally.

I know many disliked the film because of its melancholy nature as well as its overall message that the world does, in fact, need Superman. But since I have often thought this myself, I guess I just really connect with a filmmaker who is willing to present this message. We might not literally need a man from Krypton to save the world, but the minute people forget that a man can fly, I think we're in trouble.

It has breathtaking physical beauty, a brilliant musical score that rivals even John Williams' original, and some of the most touching moments in film in the last 5 years.

As a study of modern day heroes and how our view of what makes one "heroic" has changed, it's a poignant story.

[lovejuice]

Takeshi Kitano
Woody Allen
Wes Anderson
Isao Takahata
Takashi Miike
Stephen Chow
Charles Chaplin
Preston Sturges
Akira Kurosawa
Alfred Hitchcock


no, satsanatieng! you sir, i demand you this instance to change your avatar!

speaking of which, i forget to put almodova in my list, and it seems like he's no one's favorite so far. or does everybody just forget about him?

[Sycophant]

no, satsanatieng! you sir, i demand you this instance to change your avatar!
:cry:

I was tempted to put him on my top living list, but ultimately didn't. Namely because he's only made three films. One of which was, of course, one of my all-time favorites. His first is pretty great also. But then there's The Unseeable, or Meh Mehmehable. After a few more features, he might join the list, but I just can't do it just yet.

[lovejuice]

:cry:

I was tempted to put him on my top living list, but ultimately didn't. Namely because he's only made three films. One of which was, of course, one of my all-time favorites. His first is pretty great also. But then there's The Unseeable, or Meh Mehmehable. After a few more features, he might join the list, but I just can't do it just yet.

i know how you feel. i feel the same way about the unseeable -- although familiarity with the source material can be a bit of a saving grace -- and his next project doesn't entice me. but i'm sure with a right story and artistic freedom, he has a bit of trick up his sleeves.

[Ezee E]

In reference to Inside Man, it does lose a little steam when we realize what the heist is actually about, but it still remains enjoyable. Also, it seems to focus more on the two characters rather then the heist. The progress of Denzel Washington's character, and that final scene make it one of Spike's best.

Although it's nowhere close to 25th Hour, Do The Right Thing, or He Got Game.

[origami_mustache]

In reference to Inside Man, it does lose a little steam when we realize what the heist is actually about, but it still remains enjoyable. Also, it seems to focus more on the two characters rather then the heist. The progress of Denzel Washington's character, and that final scene make it one of Spike's best.

Although it's nowhere close to 25th Hour, Do The Right Thing, or He Got Game.

It was odd that when this came out the trailers never really promoted this as a Spike Lee film.

[DavidSeven]

In reference to Inside Man, it does lose a little steam when we realize what the heist is actually about, but it still remains enjoyable. Also, it seems to focus more on the two characters rather then the heist. The progress of Denzel Washington's character, and that final scene make it one of Spike's best.

Although it's nowhere close to 25th Hour, Do The Right Thing, or He Got Game.

He Got Game suffers from a lot of the same problems as Summer of Sam (one of the worst movies ever). Somewhere leading up to that point in his career, Lee lost touch with what actually worked, seemed real, and looked good on film. However, he was still obsessed with style and tits. The result was a couple of gaudy looking films with a lot of obscene and unattractive nudity. There's some horrendous performances in both of those films as well (excluding Washington).

Fortunately, he did 25th Hour (perhaps his best film) and Inside Man (it's alright) after that to remain relevant.

[Grouchy]

You guys really like Violent Cop so much? It's hilarious, but I think it's only the beginnings of his style, which he has refined a lot more. Boiling Point is already funnier, although it's my least favorite.

Sonatine and Hana-Bi are incredible masterpieces in my book, and I think they complement each other. The former is young Kitano finding his voice, and the latter is post-accident Kitano with a new, more complex and bitter wordview. Brother is also in the same vein as these two, although slightly less brilliant.

His recent work is a lot more far out and experimental. Personally, I think there are very few points in common between Dolls, Zatoichi and Takeshis'. They all tackle different themes and genres. Which means he's still pretty alive and kicking high.

[number8]

I have never seen a Kitano movie I didn't like.

Yes, that includes Brother.

[EyesWideOpen]

It was odd that when this came out the trailers never really promoted this as a Spike Lee film.

Not too odd when you consider the mainstream (white america) perception of Spike Lee.

[EyesWideOpen]

I have never seen a Kitano movie I didn't like.

Yes, that includes Brother.

Yep, I had heard so many negative things about Brother and then when I finally watched it about six months or so ago I thought it was actually pretty good.

[Qrazy]

Kitano is another director I need to get into. Hana-bi is masterful, Sonatine is pretty good, while Zatoichi was pretty bad. I'm surprised by the immense love he gets on here.

Hana-bi was the best I've seen from him (haven't seen Dolls). Sonatine was a piece of shit and Zatoichi was a lot of fun but the CGI blood gets stupid after the first scene... favorite bit the peasants dancing in the mud.

Violent Cop is above average in it's approach to genre material but thoroughly average in every other respect (formal: writing, acting, visual, editing, etc).

I find him very uninteresting.

[Qrazy]

no, satsanatieng! you sir, i demand you this instance to change your avatar!

speaking of which, i forget to put almodova in my list, and it seems like he's no one's favorite so far. or does everybody just forget about him?

I find him to be a fairly second tier director. I see his films but am never that impressed.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Qrazy, have you seen the current line-up at Cinema du Parc? It's so good it hurts... and next week is probably the busiest of my scholarly career. The world hates me.

[Qrazy]

Qrazy, have you seen the current line-up at Cinema du Parc? It's so good it hurts... and next week is probably the busiest of my scholarly career. The world hates me.

No, actually I'm in Vermont right now studying for finals because the city has too many distractions... all there is here to distract me here are the cows that moosey on past my window every once in a while.

But yeah I have the same problem of exams defeating my ability to do anything right now... oh and no money doesn't help either.

[Grouchy]

I have never seen a Kitano movie I didn't like.

Yes, that includes Brother.
Same here.

And by the way, I can't find it, but I really want to see Getting Any?

[Sycophant]

Same here.

And by the way, I can't find it, but I really want to see Getting Any?I have a Hong Kong import disc. It's hilarious and unlike anything else in Kitano's filmography. It's also very, very tiring. When I think about the film, I recognize that it's consistently funny throughout, but its episodic nature and its sheer length dilutes the enjoyment. Definitely worth seeking out. Alongside Glory to the Filmmaker! and Brother, it's probably the least of Kitano's work, but still, I like it.

[Philosophe_rouge]

No, actually I'm in Vermont right now studying for finals because the city has too many distractions... all there is here to distract me here are the cows that moosey on past my window every once in a while.

But yeah I have the same problem of exams defeating my ability to do anything right now... oh and no money doesn't help either.
At least you're in a similar boat then... still, it's terrible. I don't have exams, but have a film project due the 28th, and I haven't finished filming and have barely begun editing/sound. It's a disaster. Cows are nice though.

[Boner M]

By the way, boner. I remember you saying Martin Scorsese was your favorite director a few years ago (this was around The Departed's release).
Hmm... this does not sound like something I would say (although Marty's definitely in the top 20).

POS RAPE if you can find the post! Otherwise... well, you know.

[origami_mustache]

Not too odd when you consider the mainstream (white america) perception of Spike Lee.

I was guessing that is why, plus the main focus is on the three A-list actors, but I think his name would still be a selling point. Controversy usually draws a crowd.

[Watashi]

Hmm... this does not sound like something I would say (although Marty's definitely in the top 20).

POS RAPE if you can find the post! Otherwise... well, you know.
I think it's in the old Scorsese consensus thread which I think got deleted.

Can I get semi-POS RAPE for the effort?

[Boner M]

I think it's in the old Scorsese consensus thread which I think got deleted.

Can I get semi-POS RAPE for the effort?
You get MEH RAPE.

[Watashi]

You get MEH RAPE.
:sad:

[Boner M]

:sad:
Oh, and The Departed's release was about 9 months after the Scorsese consensus thread.

Not looking good, Wats.

[Bosco B Thug]

A Top 10 favorite directors list would be hard, but I think I can confidently say Hitchcock and Altman take up the top 2 spots with near impossibility of ever being superceded.

So despite my resistance to The Royal Tenenbuams, it's undeniably effective once its best parts piece together the whole. It's still Anderson's weakest for me - the overloaded artifice and "storybook" construct take away from dramatic continuity, a strikingly emphatic exchange in dialogue will peter out into a mere joke, the children characters bring the film to an overly mannered halt, and there is little discipline when it comes to structure and form - the flashbacks and montages hampered the film for me, they seemed too easy a way to develop the characters without really engaging the viewer in them. Also, compared to his other films, this one is just too "nice" - his characters, and the way he treats them, is much less sharp and incisive as in his other films, thus it's less interesting. The characters in this story go through less of a roller coaster ride as they do in his other films. That's why the character transformations in the last 1/4th of the picture are a welcome relief from the stasis preceding it - Richie’s transformation is very satisfying, as is Margot’s when Raleigh leaves her.

But thankfully there are a number of rewarding moments of gravitas in the film, even if they come in fits and starts. Even if Anderson's storytelling style and eccentricities seems to subvert and evade the more adult aspects of his stories, they nevertheless are there and are treated with a maturity and matter-of-factness that often characterizes his films (I'm thinking right now the Glover-Hackman-Huston "aging" love triangle). And there's no denying Royal Tenenbaum is a great character - definitely the most interesting and most organic and alive-acting character in the film. His "pride and prejudice" relationship with Margot is especially striking, the way he imposes paternal authority on her without either of them really believing in a relationship between them.

[Beau]

Anybody see Syndromes and a Century? I'm watching that soon, and it will be my first foray into the director, as well as into the movement that he is a part of.

[monolith94]

Jeunet
Gilliam
Welles
Walsh
Hawks
Chaplin
Hitchcock
Tarkovsky
Cocteau
Polanski

that'd just be a rough draft of top ten directors though. keep that in mind.

[Boner M]

Anybody see Syndromes and a Century? I'm watching that soon, and it will be my first foray into the director, as well as into the movement that he is a part of.
Match-cut's 11th favorite film of 2007 (http://match-cut.org/showthread.php?p=45755&highlight=foster%27d#post45755 ), much to my surprise. Nearly everyone who listed it had it as their #1 film.

I'm probably the biggest Weerasethakul fan here, though I haven't seen any of his shorts or video installations. Blissfully Yours, Tropical Malady and SAAC all make my top 100, and Mysterious Object at Noon aint too shabby either.

EDIT: Also, what 'movement' are you referring to?

[Stay Puft]

Anybody see Syndromes and a Century? I'm watching that soon, and it will be my first foray into the director, as well as into the movement that he is a part of.

There has been some discussion in this thread:
http://www.match-cut.org/showthread.php?t=456

Check it out after you've watched the film.

If you're looking for general reactions, well, it's money. My favorite film of 06/07/whatever.

[Beau]

Thanks. I'll keep these comments in mind. It sounds intriguing - narratively ambitious, at any rate.

[Colonel Blimp]

Posting top ten directors, are we? I might as well join in on the fun. My favourite films (in order) from each in the brackets beside their respective names:

1. Ingmar Bergman (Fanny and Alexander, Through a Glass Darkly, Persona)
2. Stanley Kubrick (2001: A Space Odyssey, Barry Lyndon, Eyes Wide Shut)
3. Andrei Tarkovsky (Zerkalo, Stalker, The Sacrifice)
4. Jean-Pierre Melville (Army of Shadows, Léon Morin, Priest, Le Deuxième Souffle)
5. Masaki Kobayashi (Harakiri, Hoichi the Earless, Human Condition III)
6. Krzysztof Kieslowski (The Double Life of Veronique, Three Colours: Red, Blind Chance)
7. Orson Welles (The Trial, F for Fake, Citizen Kane)
8. Max Ophüls (La Ronde, Madame de..., House of Pleasure )
9. František Vláčil (Marketa Lazarová, Valley of the Bees, White Dove)
10. Luchino Visconti (White Nights, The Leopard, Sandra)

[Colonel Blimp]

I have a good friend who is absolutely, head-over-heals in love with Weerasethakul's Tropical Malady. I think it's time I explore his canon.

[Raiders]

I just realized I forgot John Carpenter in my top ten working directors list. He should be there. Probably at #5 or 6.

[Boner M]

I just realized I forgot John Carpenter in my top ten working directors list. He should be there. Probably at #5 or 6.
He almost made my list but really should be there... to be honest, I think I omitted him unconsciously because I'd feel weird including him but not Hitchcock.

[Colonel Blimp]

He almost made my list but really should be there... to be honest, I think I omitted him unconsciously because I'd feel weird including him but not Hitchcock.
Oh, nuts. I forgot Hitch.

[Raiders]

He almost made my list but really should be there... to be honest, I think I omitted him unconsciously because I'd feel weird including him but not Hitchcock.

Well, I was referring to the working director list (which Hitch, rest his soul, can't be part of). He wouldn't make my top ten of all-time.

[Raiders]

In other news, Anthony Mann's Border Incident was an awesomely expressionistic noir/western. It seems like the in-between film for Mann, going from the B-movie noirs to the hard-boiled westerns. Elegant filmmaking with a few nasty little surprises (that frakkin' tractor scene was intense!).

[origami_mustache]

I have a good friend who is absolutely, head-over-heals in love with Weerasethakul's Tropical Malady. I think it's time I explore his canon.

Everything he does is so refreshingly unique.

Anyone seen or know anything about The Adventure of Iron Pussy (2003)?

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/2978/dvdcoverka8.jpg

I dled it on KG a while back, but haven't gotten around to watching it....He apparently was codirector on this...it looks completely different than anything he's done.