Your Top 10

[Izzy Black]

Please post me your top 10 currently working filmmakers because I'm curious about your lists, especially with Cannes this year.

Uh, mine

1. Béla Tarr
2. Hou Hsiao-Hsien
3. Sharunas Bartas
4. Terrence Malick
5. Lars von Trier
6. Chantal Akerman
7. Leos Carax
8. Claire Denis
9. Steven Soderbergh
10. Sofia Coppola

I'd include Greenaway but he's so damn old.

[Russ]

If I had a list, it would contain some of the names on your list.

A name not on your list that would be close to the top of mine is Tetsuya Nakashima.

[elixir]

1. Philippe Garrel
2. Claire Denis
3. Hou Hsiao-Hsien
4. Terrence Malick
5. Wong Kar-Wai
6. Philippe Grandrieux
7. Apichatpong Weerasethakul
8. Terence Davies
9. Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne
10. Tsai Ming-Liang

[Izzy Black]

Nice list, especially Garrel and Grandrieux. Still haven't decided how I feel about Weerasethakul. Looking forward to his new one.

[Pop Trash]

1. Terrence Malick
2. Martin Scorsese
3. Quentin Tarantino
4. Woody Allen
5. Atom Egoyan
6. David Cronenberg
7. Steven Spielberg
8. Kelly Reichardt
9. Wong Kar Wai
10. Chris Nolan

I'm going to say John Carpenter is effectively retired, otherwise he'd be here.

EDIT: David Lynch too.

[Pop Trash]

1. Béla Tarr


Isn't he retired now? Which would make him not currently working.

[Izzy Black]

He's released a movie in the past two years, so I'd say that qualifies him. I'm also skeptical he's truly retired, but yes, I'll let that selection remain debatable.

[Pop Trash]

This is a tough list to make honestly. Making a top ten individual films is easier for me.

[Izzy Black]

I'd imagine that would be easier for most people, but I haven't seen a director list like this from you guys in a while so I'm real curious who people really like right now.

[elixir]

When is Hou going to direct a film again? It's been five years... :(

[Pop Trash]

I also wanna cheat and put Charlie Kaufman on this list, but three of his best films he didn't direct.

[B-side]

I don't wanna order them, so here are ten favorites that haven't been mentioned:

Harmony Korine
Abbas Kiarostami
Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Abel Ferrara
Catherine Breillat
Nina Menkes
Carlos Reygadas
Bruno Dumont
Mark Neveldine/Brian Taylor
Michael Mann

Man, it's way too tough narrowing this down to 10. I wanna add Alain Resnais, Tony Scott, Johnnie To, Darezhan Omirbayev, Brian De Palma, Noah Baumbach, Monte Hellman, etc.

[Izzy Black]

When is Hou going to direct a film again? It's been five years... :(
I know :cry:

But he did direct a very good short La Belle Epoque starring Shu Qui for the Taiwanese ensemble short film collaboration 10+10 last year. But he hasn't had a feature length since '07. It's a shame too because the film festival circuit loves him. His films always get glowing press. He is 65 though. I just hope he's still got one or two late career masterworks in him.

[Izzy Black]

I don't wanna order them, so here are ten favorites that haven't been mentioned:

Harmony Korine
Abbas Kiarostami
Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Abel Ferrara
Catherine Breillat
Nina Menkes
Carlos Reygadas
Bruno Dumont
Mark Neveldine/Brian Taylor
Michael Mann

Man, it's way too tough narrowing this down to 10. I wanna add Alain Resnais, Tony Scott, Johnnie To, Darezhan Omirbayev, Brian De Palma, Noah Baumbach, Monte Hellman, etc.

Nice, yeah I should note, although I numbered mine, they aren't really ranked, even if I tend to prefer the top few to the rest.

Nice picks with Menkes, Mann, and Ferrara. I would've liked to have included those guys and Scott and Baumbach and Korine as well, but I only had room for a few Americans. I agree that it's hard to narrow it down.

[soitgoes...]

Michael Haneke
Lee Chang-dong
Paul Thomas Anderson
Guy Maddin
Wong Kar Wai
Wes Anderson
Joel Coen
Shion Sono
Reha Erdem
Tetsuya Nakashima


Masaaki Yuasa would be my number one, but it's hard to place him there since he's only made one film.

[Izzy Black]

I also wanna cheat and put Charlie Kaufman on this list, but three of his best films he didn't direct.

Well, technically I said favorite "filmmakers" in the title.

[Ivan Drago]

1. Paul Thomas Anderson
2. Darren Aronofsky
3. Terrence Malick
4. Christopher Nolan
5. Nicolas Winding Refn
6. David Fincher
7. Quentin Tarantino
8. Martin Scorsese
9. Steve McQueen
10. Woody Allen

Thought about putting Don Hertzfeldt but he's only done shorts.

[Izzy Black]

How'd you feel about Shame?

[Stay Puft]

Hou has been working on The Assassin since 2007. It was supposed to start shooting in 2010 (there was a bunch of news at the time about casting and Hou receiving film grants), but then silence, and then more recently rumblings that it actually started shooting in 2011.

Hard to find any info on the film otherwise. I keep my fingers crossed that it will materialize soon.

[Stay Puft]

But he did direct a very good short La Belle Epoque starring Shu Qui for the Taiwanese ensemble short film collaboration 10+10 last year.

Where did you see this?

According to imdb, he's not one of the ten directors.

[ledfloyd]

hmm, let's see

1. David Lynch (if he qualifies as "currently working")
2. Wong Kar-Wai
3. Terrence Malick
4. Olivier Assayas
5. Quentin Tarantino
6. Tsai Ming-Liang
7. Arnaud Desplechin
8. Claire Denis
9. Pedro Almodovar
10. Todd Haynes

HM: Woody Allen (he's "working" but he's my favorite for films he made over 20 years ago)

[Stay Puft]

According to imdb, he's not one of the ten directors.

Wait, nevermind. IMDb's info is totally out of whack.

[Stay Puft]

Oh my god, Hou Hsiao-hsien directed a 3D movie. I wish there was some way to see that.

[Ezee E]

1. Martin Scorsese
2. Quentin Tarantino
3. Paul Thomas Anderson
4. Coen Brothers
5. Michael Haneke
6. Spike Lee
7. Chan-Wook Park
8. David Fincher
9. Christopher Nolan
10. Alfonso Cuaron

[Izzy Black]

Where did you see this?

According to imdb, he's not one of the ten directors.

Not sure about the imdb listing. My college had a festival that premiered it. Hou's film La Belle Epoque was the last segment I believe.

A screenshot I found with Shu Qui:

http://www.taipeiculture.org/fckshared/taipeifilmcommission/tfc0824/1201%E8%87%BA%E5%8C%97%E6%96%B 0%E7%99%BC%E7%8F%BE/Labelleepoque.jpg

It's a very charming nice little short, admittedly not his finest work.

[Raiders]

1. Terrence Malick
2. Wong Kar-Wai
3. James Gray
4. Johnnie To
5. Coen Brothers
6. Terence Davies
7. Jonathan Demme
8. Hirokazu Koreeda
9. Kiyoshi Kurosawa
10. Shane Meadows

Basically the first ten names I came to and said confidently. I could easily name ten different directors and be just as happy with it.

[Izzy Black]

Wow, I forgot about James Gray. What an awesome filmmaker he is. Very nice pick.

[B-side]

hmm, let's see

9. Pedro Almodovar

Oh yeah, him too.:frustrated:

[Pop Trash]

I knew Raiders would bring the Demme. Surprised he's not #1.

[Izzy Black]

I h8 Pedro. If I was going to include a Pedro, it would be Pedro costa, not that hack Almodovar (though I am fond of Volver, which cracked my top ten of '07).

[Pop Trash]

Wow, I forgot about James Gray. What an awesome filmmaker he is. Very nice pick.

Agree. He'd make my list of new-ish discoveries of the past few years.

[Izzy Black]

That scene in We Own the Night where Phoenix is undercover at that cocaine operation is jaw dropping. Gray's a master of tension and anxiety by way of suffocating mood and atmosphere.

[Watashi]

1. Brad Bird
2. Terry Malick
3. Mike Leigh
4. The Coens
5. Quentin Tarantino
6. Spike Jonze
7. Wes Anderson
8. Wong Kar-Wai
9. Paul Thomas Anderson
10. Woody Allen

Kind of a boring list.

Does Miyazaki count? Did he officially retire? If not, he'd be up there.

[Russ]

Oh, add Todd Solondz and Jessica Hausner to my list.

That is, if I had one.

And Olivier Smolders, if he did more features.

[Pop Trash]

I h8 Pedro. If I was going to include a Pedro, it would be Pedro costa, not that hack Almodovar (though I am fond of Volver, which cracked my top ten of '07).

wtf? I've grown a bit bored of him lately as well, but this is some serious hyperbole.

[Izzy Black]

I suppose that's one of my more controversial opinions. I'm just not fan of Almodovar at all.

[Raiders]

That scene in We Own the Night where Phoenix is undercover at that cocaine operation is jaw dropping. Gray's a master of tension and anxiety by way of suffocating mood and atmosphere.

Yeah, then there's the car chase scene, the duality of the opening and closing moments... this film only gets better every time I watch it. All four of his films to date are at the very least wonderful directorial displays.

[Izzy Black]

Yes I need to watch it again. I just love Gray's sensibility. A staunchly classical storyteller but a truly progressive and premiere stylist.

[StanleyK]

1. Terrence Malick

After that:

Paul Thomas Anderson
Sofia Coppola
Dardenne Brothers
David Lynch
Lucrecia Martel
Steven Spielberg
Quentin Tarantino
Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Olivier Assayas/Claire Denis (Assayas is more consistently good, but he still hasn't made something as great as Beau Travail or Trouble Every Day Friday Night])

There's also:

Joon-Ho Bong (abstain because I still haven't seen Mother)
Coen Brothers (their track record has been a bit spotty since the 90's)
Takeshi Kitano (abstain because I still haven't seen any of his post-Kikujiro work)
Béla Tarr (with Ágnes Hranitzky; supposedly retired)

Hayao Miyazaki and Kar Wai Wong haven't been too much in my mind lately, but I'm pretty sure I still like them a lot.

[StanleyK]

I also agree that We Own the Night and Two Lovers are tops, but that's only half of his films that I've seen.

[Pop Trash]

Curious that Sofia Coppola has made two lists while Francis Ford has made zero.

Things that make you go hmmm...

[Izzy Black]

Olivier Assayas/Claire Denis (Assayas is more consistently good, but he still hasn't made something as great as Beau Travail or Trouble Every Day Friday Night])

Interesting Denis cracks your list even though you only gave L'Intrus 2 stars (which IMO is her third best film behind I Can't Sleep and Beau Travail)



Coen Brothers (their track record has been a bit spotty since the 90's)


Also interesting since I think their best films have come post 2000s. But this is coming from an only recently initiated Coens fan.

[Izzy Black]

Curious that Sofia Coppola has made two lists while Francis Ford has made zero.

Things that make you go hmmm...

Well, among working directors, Francis doesn't rank so well, but among best directors of all time? He's got his daughter beat as far as I'm concerned. But the overall situation would be much better for Francis if he stopped making movies after the 70s.

[elixir]

but also nothing as bad as Friday Night

no...just no, stanley!

[Pop Trash]

Well, among working directors, Francis doesn't rank so well, but among best directors of all time? He's got his daughter beat as far as I'm concerned. But the overall situation would be much better for Francis if he stopped making movies after the 70s.

Yeah, that is why this list is difficult. I haven't seen his last three films (Twixt played at the SF Film Fest here last month and the reactions seemed to be either 'that sucked' or more of a defensive 'guilty pleasure' type of deal) but he's definitely not retired, in yet his best films came out of the 70s...so would he still make a list like this? I dunno...

[Izzy Black]

Well if you haven't seen his recent stuff you obviously can't rank him, but certainly he could make a list like this. I personally don't think his recent work is as good as Sofia's. He's not my favorite "working director" because the stuff he's been doing lately hasn't been very good (to me). It's pretty much that simple for me.

In other words, I am totally geeked when I hear a new Sofia movie is coming out, much less so for a new Francis one. I respect his legacy, his career, and his previous masterpieces, but he hasn't made a truly great film in 40 years.

[StanleyK]

Interesting Denis cracks your list even though you only gave L'Intrus 2 stars (which IMO is her third best film behind I Can't Sleep and Beau Travail)

I included her on the strength of the two films I mentioned, which get better and better the more I think about them, but yeah, I probably shouldn't have since I've only seen five and three of those five I wasn't fond of.


Also interesting since I think their best films have come post 2000s. But this is coming from an only recently initiated Coens fan.

I've liked half of what they did since the 00's. The good ones are still great, but they don't rival Fargo or The Big Lebowski (or my probable favorite, Blood Simple.)


no...just no, stanley!

Sorry, I wasn't a fan. Pretty boring movie. I'm willing to eventually give it another shot, but I'll need to build up some courage beforehand.

[dreamdead]

1. Terrence Malick
2. Lee Chang-dong
3. the Dardenne Brothers
4. Olivier Assayas
5. Wong Kar-wai
6. Bong Joon-ho
7. Apichatpong Weerasethakul
8. Kiyoshi Kurosawa
9. Andrea Arnold
10. Tomas Alfredson

HM: P.T. Anderson, Joachim Trier, Michael Mann, and Shane Meadows

[ContinentalOp]

1. Nicolas Winding Refn
2. Christopher Nolan
3. Wong Kar-wai
4. Takeshi Kitano
5. Aki Kaurismaki
6. Werner Herzog
7. Brad Bird
8. David Mamet
9. Roman Polanski
10. Wes Anderson
I arranged my top 10 by how much I anticipate each filmmaker's films and the level of consistency of their most recent films. I broke that rule with Kitano and Kaurismaki though. Their last decade of films haven't done much for me but they ruled the 90's and 80's for me respectively. I wish Paul Verhoeven would make another movie soon, so I can put him on here. Preferably in the Netherlands.

[ContinentalOp]

I've liked half of what they did since the 00's. The good ones are still great, but they don't rival Fargo or The Big Lebowski (or my probable favorite, Blood Simple.)

I feel the same way about the Coen brothers. I miss their pulp/crime novel adaptations/riffs. My favorite film of all time is Miller's Crossing and I also love the Big Lebowski and Blood Simple. If you asked me to make this list five, six years ago they would've been in my top 3.

[Boner M]

Taking this query to mean 'directors whose upcoming projects I'm most excited for' while also limiting to names whose filmographies I've seen a majority of:

1. Terrence Malick
2. David Lynch
3. Leos Carax
4. Paul Thomas Anderson
5. Apichatpong Weerasethakul
6. Claire Denis
7. Terence Davies
8. Bong Joon-Ho
9. Lisandro Alonso
10. Peter Tscherkassky

RU: Assayas, Ferrara, Reichardt, Ben Rivers, Ben Russell, Dorsky, Benning, Michael Robinson, James Gray, Tsai, Fincher, Dardennes, Hou, Haneke, Kiarostami, Wong, Zombie...

[Pop Trash]

David Lynch has an upcoming project?

[Izzy Black]

Erm, I forgot Tscherkassky

[B-side]

Erm, I forgot Tscherkassky

Yeah, he's pretty incredible.

[Dead & Messed Up]

01. Bong Joon-Ho
02. David Fincher
03. Kiyoshi Kurosawa
04. The Coen Brothers
05. Paul Thomas Anderson
06. Quentin Tarantino
07. Guillermo Del Toro
08. Edgar Wright
09. Park Chan-Wook
10. Ti West

At this exact moment.

[Melville]

1. PT Anderson. His last two are both high among my favorites, and The Master looks awesome.
2. Dardenne Brothers, though I haven't seen their most recent movie.
3. Terrence Malick, despite my mixed reaction to Tree of Life.
4. Coen Brothers, though True Grit was pretty weak.
5. David Lynch, who would be higher if he were still making full-length movies.
6. Woody Allen. His best days are long gone, but I've liked all his recent movies I've seen.
7. Aleksandr Petrov, though he hasn't released a movie in 6 years.
8. Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Too bad Tran Anh Hung stopped making good movies. He had a similar kind of mood that I love: drifting, luxuriating in the moment, in the sounds of birds and insects.
9. Herzog. His movies are a mixed bag, but they're all worth seeing, and his voice (literally and figuratively) is endlessly engaging.
10. Lars von Trier.

I would guess that Béla Tarr, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, and James Gray would be on there if I'd seen more of their movies. Maybe also Tscherkassky. And maybe Denis, whose last few I haven't seen.

[Boner M]

David Lynch has an upcoming project?

Hypothetical. He's not officially retired, anyway. And his Venice commercial was rad.

[Fezzik]

Here are mine. I think all of these have already been mentioned by someone else.


Wong Kar-Wai
Brad Bird
The Coen Brothers
Quentin Tarantino
Darren Aronofsky
Edgar Wright
David Fincher
Guillermo del Toro
Alfonso Cuaron
Christopher Nolan


Miyazaki didn't make the list only because I don't know if he's had direct influence on any Ghibli films as of late, and Andrew Stanton didn't make it because my confidence in him was shaken with John Carter.

[Ivan Drago]

How'd you feel about Shame?

Fucking loved it. Hunger was really good, but he sold me with Shame.

[Stay Puft]

Too bad Tran Anh Hung stopped making good movies.

How dare you, sir.

[Melville]

How dare you, sir.
I thought you told me his last two were a huge step down from his first three. Am I misremembering? I haven't actually seen them.

[soitgoes...]

I thought you told me his last two were a huge step down from his first three. Am I misremembering? I haven't actually seen them.

Norwegian Wood is good, but not first three good.

[Stay Puft]

I thought you told me his last two were a huge step down from his first three. Am I misremembering?

You were probably thinking of soitgoes?

I haven't seen I Come With the Rain (been hesitating since nobody seems to like it) but I loved Norwegian Wood (I'll agree it's not as great as his first three, but aesthetically it's still cut from the same cloth and currently in my top five for the year).

[soitgoes...]

You were probably thinking of soitgoes?

I haven't seen I Come With the Rain (been hesitating since nobody seems to like it) but I loved Norwegian Wood (I'll agree it's not as great as his first three, but aesthetically it's still cut from the same cloth and currently in my top five for the year).
Yeah, I Come with the Rain is a horrible mess, that I hope just ends up as a misstep in Tran's career. Norwegian Wood righted the ship, so to speak. Enough so that I greatly look forward to his next film, whereas if this thread was created a couple years ago my expectations would have been tempered.

Also, IMDb has his name changing to Tran Anh Dung.

[Izzy Black]

I included her on the strength of the two films I mentioned, which get better and better the more I think about them, but yeah, I probably shouldn't have since I've only seen five and three of those five I wasn't fond of.

What didn't ya like about L'Intrus?


I've liked half of what they did since the 00's. The good ones are still great, but they don't rival Fargo or The Big Lebowski (or my probable favorite, Blood Simple.)

Yeah I'm on the other side. Big Lebowski is a total bore for me, same for Miller's Crossing. Blood Simple is OK and Fargo is pretty good, but not especially great. I like it the best of their 90s films though. As for post 2000s, I love O Brother Where Art Thou? NCFOM I initially disliked, but I've grown to appreciate it. A Serious Man, by my lights, is their very best film. Not a fan of Burn After Reading and True Grit.

In hindsight, I guess I'm not much of a fan of Coens after all. They're rather inconsistent filmmakers to me overall. I really only like three maybe four (Hudsucker Proxy) of all their films, but I really like two of them.

[Izzy Black]

1. PT Anderson. His last two are both high among my favorites, and The Master looks awesome.

Yeah. Funny. Magnolia made me hate this guy. Boogie Nights made me ambivalent. Punch Drunk Love made me interested. There Will Be Blood made me love him. And The Master looks friggin' awesome. PTA's a true case where I've come totally full circle on a filmmaker. Either I was wrong about him before, or he's just matured with each film into a wonderful filmmaker, or maybe it's a combination of both.



3. Terrence Malick, despite my mixed reaction to Tree of Life.

I think I remember reading your ToL post. You gave a very informed opinion as I recall, but I'm still not sure how a Malick fan can find it in them to dislike the lovely Tree of Life!


I would guess that Béla Tarr, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, and James Gray would be on there if I'd seen more of their movies. Maybe also Tscherkassky. And maybe Denis, whose last few I haven't seen.

What have ya seen?

[soitgoes...]

Hou would be on my list, if this were 1992. He's all over the place since City of Sadness, which is surprising to me since he made four of the best films of the 80's, but nothing he's made since approaches that level. There are flashes of greatness to be found in each of his films, enough to definitely keep me excited for his next effort, whenever that might be, but not enough to be in a Top 10.

[elixir]

Hou would be on my list, if this were 1992. He's all over the place since City of Sadness, which is surprising to me since he made four of the best films of the 80's, but nothing he's made since approaches that level. There are flashes of greatness to be found in each of his films, enough to definitely keep me excited for his next effort, whenever that might be, but not enough to be in a Top 10.
Interesting to be wrong :P...His 00s stuff is so amaziiiiing (I love his 80s stuff too; 90s I need to catch up on)

[soitgoes...]

Interesting to be wrong :P...His 00s stuff is so amaziiiiing (I love his 80s stuff too; 90s I need to catch up on)I wish it wasn't true. I had high, high hopes for each of his films I've seen. One thing he has going for him are his opening shots. Flowers of Shanghai and Millennium Mambo. Jesus, are those two great openings.

[Melville]

You were probably thinking of soitgoes?
Yeah, I must've been. Or else my memory metamorphosed your opinion into what I gathered was the critical consensus.


I think I remember reading your ToL post. You gave a very informed opinion as I recall, but I'm still not sure how a Malick fan can find it in them to dislike the lovely Tree of Life!
I found it overly schematic. I think I wrote a fair number of posts on it, which you can dig up in its thread. I'll probably give it another viewing at some point.


What have ya seen?
Tarr - just Werckmeister Harmonies (one of my favorites; lengthy review available at the link in my sig)
Hsiao-hsien Hou - Three Times and Flight of the Red Balloon
James Gray - just Two Lovers (in my top 50)
Tscherkassky - Outer Space (one of my favorites), Dream Work, Instructions for a Light and Sound Machine
Denis - Chocolat, Beau Travail, Trouble Every Day (one of my favorites), Friday Night, L'Intrus

[elixir]

I love you Israfel! Three Times is my second favorite, after Flight...

I think I'm going on Hou 90s binge like today/tomorrow now...

Dust in the Wind is my favorite of his 80s work, actually.

And yeah, soitgoes..., the opening to Mambo is totally rocking, but I think that of the whole film, though admittedly it's one of the greatest hooks to a film, like, ever, I rewatch it all the time...

[Izzy Black]

Yeah Hou has aged like fine wine. He went from being an important Taiwainese New Wave filmmaker to one of the greatest filmmakers in the world.

I truly believe that Hou has only gotten better as a filmmaker. City of Sadness is certainly an early masterwork, but it's not his best work, and each film he made after it only improved his aesthetic in ways that is unrivaled by his early work in the 80s. City of Sadness exemplifies and perfects his 80s aesthetic. It's a fitting coda to a decade of mature work about Taiwanese identity and working class.

The Puppetmaster, his next film after City of Sadness and his first in the 90s, marks the beginning of his exploration of a new aesthetic, one that has become increasingly more self-aware and more curious about the role of the filmmaker's gaze, bringing him into a greater contact with more contemplative, philosophical issues such as the fundamental nature of time, reality, and space and how an artist represents history, in combination with his more traditional political concerns. This reflects not so much a break with his work in the past but a continuation of it. As City of Sadness is the capstone of his work in his 80s, Three Times, to me, is the capstone of his increasing thematic concerns and aesthetic development in the 90s, and I also consider it his masterpiece and very best film.

His more recent work (Flight of the Red Ballon) only finds him veering further into more experimental and self-reflexive territory, almost putting many of his perennial social concerns on the backburner (but not entirely out of sight). It will be interesting to see where he goes next in this latest phase of artistic development.

Sorry for the rant, but I truly think Hou Hsiao-Hsien might be the greatest director in the entire world right now.

[elixir]

Well, now I look insane.

[Izzy Black]

I found it overly schematic. I think I wrote a fair number of posts on it, which you can dig up in its thread. I'll probably give it another viewing at some point.

:)


Tarr - just Werckmeister Harmonies (one of my favorites; lengthy review available at the link in my sig)

Nice nice.


Hsiao-hsien Hou - Three Times and Flight of the Red Balloon
James Gray - just Two Lovers (in my top 50)
Tscherkassky - Outer Space (one of my favorites), Dream Work, Instructions for a Light and Sound Machine
Denis - Chocolat, Beau Travail, Trouble Every Day (one of my favorites), Friday Night, L'Intrus

Watch We Own the Night and report back!

I'd say you've seen enough Tscherkassky (and maybe Denis) to rank him tho.

[Izzy Black]

Well, now I look insane.

Or omniscient :)

Haha, no, I had to edit it.

Thanks for the response! I need to go another Hou binge too.

[Izzy Black]

I wish it wasn't true. I had high, high hopes for each of his films I've seen. One thing he has going for him are his opening shots. Flowers of Shanghai and Millennium Mambo. Jesus, are those two great openings.

Mambo's opening is all kinds of wonderful, but the best thing about the film is the beautiful montage and homage to cinema at the end of the film.

[Melville]

Watch We Own the Night and report back!
Will do.

[Izzy Black]

NOoB9of-xHM

[soitgoes...]

Yeah Hou has aged like fine wine. He went from being an important Taiwainese New Wave filmmaker to one of the greatest filmmakers in the world.

I truly believe that Hou has only gotten better as a filmmaker. City of Sadness is certainly an early masterwork, but it's not his best work, and each film he made after it only improved his aesthetic in ways that is unrivaled by his early work in the 80s. City of Sadness exemplifies and perfects his 80s aesthetic. It's a fitting coda to a decade of mature work about Taiwanese identity and working class.

The Puppetmaster, his next film after City of Sadness and his first in the 90s, marks the beginning of his exploration of a new aesthetic, one that has become increasingly more self-aware and more curious about the role of the filmmaker's gaze, bringing him into a greater contact with more contemplative, philosophical issues such as the fundamental nature of time, reality, and space and how an artist represents history, in combination with his more traditional political concerns. This reflects not so much a break with his work in the past but a continuation of it. As City of Sadness is the capstone of his work in his 80s, Three Times, to me, is the capstone of his increasing thematic concerns and aesthetic development in the 90s, and I also consider it his masterpiece and very best film.

His more recent work (Flight of the Red Ballon) only finds him veering further into more experimental and self-reflexive territory, almost putting many of his perennial social concerns on the backburner (but not entirely out of sight). It will be interesting to see where he goes next in this latest phase of artistic development.

Sorry for the rant, but I truly think Hou Hsiao-Hsien might be the greatest director in the entire world right now.
Hou rarely reaches the emotional levels he achieved with his Coming of Age Trilogy, save City of Sadness. From a technical standpoint I'd agree he is still up there among the best working. Case in point would be Flowers of Shanghai. Technically one of the greatest, most beautiful films I've seen, but there is nothing emotional there to latch on. The floating camera taking in scenes in long takes as it slowly pans back and forth with the same music repeated scene after scene gives the film a circular, ethereal feel, but it's still just a slice of life film, in this case 19th century Shanghai brothel life, with nothing much to say. I guess I just prefer his more personal, intimate films.

Puppetmaster was my first Hou film, and desperately deserves a rewatch. I should probably rewatch Flight of the Red Balloon since it was my second Hou. Three Times remains my only blindspot outside of a handful of early works. And no, City of Sadness isn't his best work. A Time to Live and a Time to Die is my hands down favorite.

[Melville]

Will do.
First Report: that is one smoky smooth opening.

[Izzy Black]

Hou rarely reaches the emotional levels he achieved with his Coming of Age Trilogy, save City of Sadness. From a technical standpoint I'd agree he is still up there among the best working. Case in point would be Flowers of Shanghai. Technically one of the greatest, most beautiful films I've seen, but there is nothing emotional there to latch on. The floating camera taking in scenes in long takes as it slowly pans back and forth with the same music repeated scene after scene gives the film a circular, ethereal feel, but it's still just a slice of life film, in this case 19th century Shanghai brothel life, with nothing much to say. I guess I just prefer his more personal, intimate films.

Puppetmaster was my first Hou film, and desperately deserves a rewatch. I should probably rewatch Flight of the Red Balloon since it was my second Hou. Three Times remains my only blindspot outside of a handful of early works. And no, City of Sadness isn't his best work. A Time to Live and a Time to Die is my hands down favorite.

That's a pretty big blindspot. I'd say see Three Times and then reassess. As for the lack of emotion, well, Flowers of Shanghai is obviously not a bastion of emotion since the entire film is about self-absorbed men in a brothel of Shanghai high society. I don't think Hou's films have lost their emotion (I'm sure once you see Three Times you'll see that), but the way that he negotiates emotion in his films has evolved. He's increasingly taken a greater interest in more contemporary Taiwanese (and global) attitudes, or "postmodern" attitudes, as it were, emphasizing detachment, isolation, and urban despair, and we get this especially with Millennium Mambo. But it's not that he's chucking emotion, but he's putting his camera on a more emotionally distant subject on the surface, but not a subject that isn't without emotion and feeling.

[Izzy Black]

First Report: that is one smoky smooth opening.

Yep.

[Russ]

Gah! Has no one here besides me and soitgoes seen Confessions yet? Japan even anointed him the second coming of Kubrick, fer crissakes. (it's all the slo-mo, I know, but still...)

Matsuko, people!

[soitgoes...]

Gah! Has no one here besides me and soitgoes seen Confessions yet? Japan even anointed him the second coming of Kubrick, fer crissakes. (it's all the slo-mo, I know, but still...)

Matsuko, people!

Nope, I know Sycophant has seen Memories of Matsuko, but I don't know if anyone else has.

[soitgoes...]

That's a pretty big blindspot. I'd say see Three Times and then reassess. As for the lack of emotion, well, Flowers of Shanghai is obviously not a bastion of emotion since the entire film is about self-absorbed men in a brothel of Shanghai high society. I don't think Hou's films have lost their emotion (I'm sure once you see Three Times you'll see that), but the way that he negotiates emotion in his films has evolved. He's increasingly taken a greater interest in more contemporary Taiwanese (and global) attitudes, or "postmodern" attitudes, as it were, emphasizing detachment, isolation, and urban despair, and we get this especially with Millennium Mambo. But it's not that he's chucking emotion, but he's putting his camera on a more emotionally distant subject on the surface, but not a subject that isn't without emotion and feeling.
Well Three Times might be the shit, but it won't change my perception of his past twenty years of filmmaking, just that he made a great film amidst a bunch of good films. In the end we're just of differing opinions. I prefer older Hou, you and elixer newer Hou. I still think he's one of the best filmmakers to have lived, but he's not one of my top 10 most anticipated.

[soitgoes...]

Gah! Has no one here besides me and soitgoes seen Confessions yet? Japan even anointed him the second coming of Kubrick, fer crissakes. (it's all the slo-mo, I know, but still...)

Matsuko, people!


Nope, I know Sycophant has seen Memories of Matsuko, but I don't know if anyone else has.Personally I think Memories of Matsuko should be prioritized by just about every poster on this board. Confessions is indeed a great film, but Matsuko is something special.

[Russ]

Personally I think Memories of Matsuko should be prioritized by just about every poster on this board. Confessions is indeed a great film, but Matsuko is something special.
I don't care which film more accurately embodies his essence, as long as our forum members get on board the Nakashima train. Personally, I would favor Confessions over Memories of Matsuko, but the margin is not by much. I would encourage folks to seek out both films (they're not that hard to find) and post comments herein. Especially since, I think, we both agree that he's definitely one of the top filmmakers out there.

[Izzy Black]

I've seen Confessions, it's a fine film, but I'm not a big fan Nakashima myself.

[Izzy Black]

Well Three Times might be the shit, but it won't change my perception of his past twenty years of filmmaking, just that he made a great film amidst a bunch of good films. In the end we're just of differing opinions. I prefer older Hou, you and elixer newer Hou. I still think he's one of the best filmmakers to have lived, but he's not one of my top 10 most anticipated.

That's interesting. For me, it's very possible for a film to recolor my understanding and appreciation of a filmmaker's other films. This has happened to me to some extent with Paul Anderson and the Coen brothers.

Secondly, I don't necessarily prefer the newer Hou to the later (even if I think Three Times is his best work). I simply think his latest work is as good as his older stuff, albeit different.

Anyways, I'm glad you're a fan of Hou :) Some don't even talk about him at all, much less as a top 10 contender!

[baby doll]

Please post me your top 10 currently working filmmakers because I'm curious about your lists, especially with Cannes this year.I wouldn't know how to go about making such a list, but the first four names that come to mind are Jean-Luc Godard, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Alain Resnais, and Jacques Rivette.

[Izzy Black]

It basically means your favorite directors of the past few years that your most excited about. That's why I didn't include folks like Godard, Rivette, and Resnais, even though they're three of the greatest living directors. The idea of the thread is just a way to find out who people are most interested in and impressed by these days. I suppose I could've tried to make that clearer.

Anywho, thanks for posting baby doll :)

[B-side]

Yeah, that's why I didn't list Godard, because I assumed you were more interested in those directors we're most fond of that don''t have one foot in the grave already. :P

[Winston*]

3. Mike Leigh

My fave. Going to start rewatching his films soon I think.

[Izzy Black]

Yeah, that's why I didn't list Godard, because I assumed you were more interested in those directors we're most fond of that don''t have one foot in the grave already. :P

Yeah and Greenaway.

[Raiders]

"one foot in the grave"

I don't know, look at friggin' Manoel de Oliveira! Dude's 103 years old and still making new films. He's got one in pre-production right now.

[Izzy Black]

Yeah if you really like what he's doing, then it's no issue. That's friggin' old though.

[Raiders]

Yeah if you really like what he's doing, then it's no issue. That's friggin' old though.

I have never actually seen a film of his, I just find his story rather incredible. He's a short-film / documentary filmmaker on the fringe of cinema from the late 20s through the mid-80s and then suddenly he becomes this prolific, well-known director after reaching 80 years old.

[Stay Puft]

I don't think we could say Rivette is currently active or whatever. The dude is suffering from Alzheimer's. He's not making another movie.

Godard and Resnais, however, are still making movies.

[soitgoes...]

That's interesting. For me, it's very possible for a film to recolor my understanding and appreciation of a filmmaker's other films. This has happened to me to some extent with Paul Anderson and the Coen brothers.

Secondly, I don't necessarily prefer the newer Hou to the later (even if I think Three Times is his best work). I simply think his latest work is as good as his older stuff, albeit different. Well, I'm procuring Three Times right now, so I'll let you know my thoughts within a few days. I think a film can change my perception of a filmmaker as a whole, but generally it's when I haven't seen the majority of their work. A Three Times masterpiece would raise my esteem of Hou as a whole, but it wouldn't make me appreciate any one individual film more on reflection. Though it might make any new viewings have a better chance of being accepted as great I suppose.


Anyways, I'm glad you're a fan of Hou :) Some don't even talk about him at all, much less as a top 10 contender!Hou is one of those directors that you need to actively seek out, especially pre-torrenting. He really has only released one film since torrenting became big, and that was 5 years ago. His name hasn't popped up at film festivals/awards and the like, so there isn't a scramble to watch his back catalog of work.

It's funny, I kept thinking of Kiarostami when talking about Hou's career path. It seems my admiration of his work is parallel to that of Hou's. Some great films early on, and then a period of films I just don't get as excited about, until Certified Copy which for most can be equated to Flight of the Red Balloon in terms of moving away from their home country and going international, as well as overall love and appreciation each recieved. Granted there are many more holes in my Abbas film watching than Hou, but it seems that the parallels sort of work. They both even have an awesome loose fitting trilogy!

[baby doll]

I don't think we could say Rivette is currently active or whatever. The dude is suffering from Alzheimer's. He's not making another movie.I hadn't heard that.

[baby doll]

It basically means your favorite directors of the past few years that your most excited about. That's why I didn't include folks like Godard, Rivette, and Resnais, even though they're three of the greatest living directors. The idea of the thread is just a way to find out who people are most interested in and impressed by these days. I suppose I could've tried to make that clearer.Well, Les Herbes folles and Film socialisme both kicked all kinds of ass, Resnais has a new film at Cannes this year, and I've heard vague things about a new Godard film that may or may not be in production, or have already been filmed, and may or may not be in 3D, so I guess those would be the directors of the past few years who I'm most excited about. Some others, based on their recent output, are Claire Denis, Michael Haneke, Todd Haynes, Jia Zhang-ke, Jiang Wen, Abbas Kiarostami, Pablo Larrain, Lucrecia Martel, Jafar Panahi, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul.

[Sxottlan]

My ten favorite directors:

1. Christopher Nolan
2. David Fincher
3. P.T. Anderson
4. Quentin Tarantino
5. Terrance Malick
6. Guy Maddin
7. Guillermo Del Toro
8. Martin Scorsese
9. Wes Anderson
10. Nicolas Winding Refn

EDIT: Werner Herzog would probably be a close 11th.

I would like to add Satoshi Kon, but that's only because his last film is technically still in production until they get around to finishing it.

[Dillard]

No order:

Anderson (Wes)
Ceylan
Chomet
Dardenne Bros
Haneke
Herzog
Kore-eda
Lynch
Nichols (Jeff)
Payne