And why?

Recently, I've trying to play catch up with quite a few, and this could make for a good convo.

I just like their sense of humor and the way they don't stick to one genre.

PT Anderson gets honorable mention.

I LOVE Big Lebowski, and No Country is great too.

However, I did not think much of Fargo or Burn After Reading, and have to play catch with quite a few of theirs.

great movie & terrific performances by Gabriel Byrne and Albert Finney.

Spoilers:

Especially when they go after the O.G> and he shows em hows its done.

"Your current frequencies of understanding outweigh that which has been given for you to understand." Saul Williams

i loved the shit outta burn after reading. was great to see all these a-list actors having crazy fun with an obviously purposely dumb movie.


avy: our new album. you may just like it. listen for free online @ http://theyesyesyalls.com

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Probably FF Coppola. The first two Godfathers, some parts of the 3rd, The Conversation, and parts of Apocalypse Now go without saying. But it's his experimentation in Rumble Fish and One from the Heart that has me putting him above his peers that started with him in the 70s. And while I found his two most recent films slogs (beautiful imagery though), I totally admire his dedication to making personal films with his own money at this point in his life. At the same time, his spotty filmography is something that's making me name him hesitantly. And what's even weirder is, if I made films, there are, like, at least 10 other directors I'd try to emulate. So, maybe not him then. Haha.

I know that sounds terrible, and is completely unfair, but it's how I feel.


"Your current frequencies of understanding outweigh that which has been given for you to understand." Saul Williams

i like the 'dead spaces' or pauses he uses in his movies. they're not movies I tend to watch over and over, but they're impactful when I get a take a chance to watch them.

but i also dig the Farrely Brothers' movies too..

go figure.

And I barely remember that.

Goodfellas and Taxi Driver are in my personal top 10. He's far from perfect, but I'm a sucker for anything mob related, the Rolling Stones, and N-bombs i guess.

The Coens would be up there as well. Hitchcock, of course. and Fritz Lang who doesn't get mentioned nearly as much as he should

speaking of Marty, and mob shit: http://blog.moviefone.com/2010/12/16/the-irishman-movie-martin-scorsese/

You weren't asking me, but I think it would be somewhere in the middle. I consider myself a pretty big Jarmusch fan, and I really liked The Limits of Control. But he's got a few others I really love - Down by Law (probably my favorite), Ghost Dog, and Broken Flowers. However, I did like Limits of Control more than Stranger Than Paradise and Dead Man, which are maybe two of his most acclaimed.

His other flicks I mostly just didn't care for them when I saw them.

the cinematography in THE LIMITS OF CONTROL is the best of his career.
Good performances.
But too repetitive/abstract - even by Jarmusch standards.
I'd say it's not one of his best or his worst.
And I'll say this - I'd kill for a movie this good to be my "It's alright" ranking.


"Your current frequencies of understanding outweigh that which has been given for you to understand." Saul Williams

They both know how to tell a story that resonates so well it seems to settle upon your chest for days after.

They both shoot scenes that are visually striking.
Kurosawa's approach being more dynamic and clinical (for lack of a better word), and Kar-Wai's being romantic, colorful and sensual.

They can do no wrong to me. Only directors whose movies I watch simply because their names are attached.

>They can do no wrong to me. Only directors whose movies I
>watch simply because their names are attached.

I'm highly anticipating Wong's newest flick. In the Mood for Love has spent a rather significant amount of days as my favorite film of all-time. It's no longer that and I don't even know if I'd consider it my favorite WKW pic, either. Still think it's a tremendous film though.

As a WKW movie it seemed like it was just more of the same. It do remember it kind of feeling aimless. I enjoyed it enough for what it was.


>>They can do no wrong to me. Only directors whose movies I
>>watch simply because their names are attached.
>
>I'm highly anticipating Wong's newest flick. In the Mood for
>Love has spent a rather significant amount of days as my
>favorite film of all-time.


It was my intro to WKW, and still one of my favorites by him. That movie has a strangely high amount of replay value for me. Great performances, and made Leung Chiu-Wai one of my favorite actors.



It's no longer that and I don't
>even know if I'd consider it my favorite WKW pic, either.
>Still think it's a tremendous film though.
>


Even though I've only seen it once, I'd have to say Happy Together is his best. I'd like to be cool and say I really dug Fallen Angels, but I'd be lying. Visually it's great, but story-wise it's not.

>As a WKW movie it seemed like it was just more of the same.

The biggest obstacles were the performances. I can't stand Jude Law. Portman and Weisz were laughably bad. Particularly Weisz in her scene in which her character went off on her ex in the bar. Jones and Powers was good.


>>I'm highly anticipating Wong's newest flick. In the Mood for
>>Love has spent a rather significant amount of days as my
>>favorite film of all-time.
>
>
>It was my intro to WKW, and still one of my favorites by him.
>That movie has a strangely high amount of replay value for me.
> Great performances, and made Leung Chiu-Wai one of my
>favorite actors.

I think seeing it so many times has weakened its emotional effects. I still feel a high from Wong's masterful direction with offscreen space, the editing, the countless extremely tactile imagery, the lead performances, the little cultural details, etc. But, no longer feel that punch to the gut that the story used to give me.


>It's no longer that and I don't
>>even know if I'd consider it my favorite WKW pic, either.
>>Still think it's a tremendous film though.
>>
>
>
>Even though I've only seen it once, I'd have to say Happy
>Together is his best. I'd like to be cool and say I really
>dug Fallen Angels, but I'd be lying. Visually it's great, but
>story-wise it's not.

My favorite is probably HT followed closely by 2046 or ITMFL. I say probably because I've seen HT and 2046 very recently; last time I saw Mood was last summer I think so I can't without a doubt. HT is his most beautiful looking film (the second recent remastered DVD already made one of the most stunning films I've seen even better), and the isolation of Leung's character after the break up really hits me hard with his odd jobs and attempt to get back home.


re: FA

It's a shame since the story with the mute and his pops is one of the best things in Wong's filmography. But the hitman and associate storyline, I've never dug. Not a fan of extreme wide angle lenses, either.

I wish he was bigger in the states.


"Your current frequencies of understanding outweigh that which has been given for you to understand." Saul Williams

Dude has yet to make a film I haven't liked and related to in one way or another(yes, I liked ELIZABETHTOWN).

.

although it's a very close call between him and Malick. Kurosawa dislayed great energy in his directing, knew how to pick music and actors to complement it perfectly, and excelled in so many genres that it's impossible to get bored by his stuff.
Malick is just a great artist who almost makes me regret that I didn't pay more attention to philosophy classes in HS. I've yet to dislike one of his movies (then again there are only 4 of them). I used to be into movies more as entertainment than thought-fodder, then I saw The Thin Red Line in college, and things were never the same... Seeing Days of Heaven on blu-ray, then again on the big screen (new print), were some of the biggest highlights of my movie-watching last year.

I love it when people think he only did depressing shit, cuz then I direct them to something like Smiles of a Summer Night and they're like whoa.

I also appreciate the fact he packed SO much substance into 90 minute films.

Just below him, there's an unrankable pantheon. Kubrick's definitely in there, Kurosawa, Marty, Malick, probably the Coens. And there are a bunch of other names occurring to me right now that I'm too lazy to list.

dude seriously has some of the most memorizing and haunting cinematography i've ever seen. i think of directors with a larger range of films, but his greatest works are among the best films of all time.

after that, i'd say kieslowski, bergman, scorsese, coens, & kubrick

essential tarkovsky:
andrei rublev
the mirror
stalker

>andrei rublev
>the mirror


for me it's:

Stalker
Solaris
The Sacrifice

I hope i'm not forgetting one though.

The only one of his I've seen is Solaris. I just couldn't get into it, and I tried watching it twice.

I liked the Soderbergh version a lot, too.

Andrei Rublev is one I've considered watching, but I can't help shaking the feeling it's going to be incredibly boring.

it's his most plot driven film and most suspenseful of his films. And I think he made a unique "sci-fi" flick. The sound design is crazy and the special effects (if we can call it that) are simple but quite ingenious to me. The monologues and convos can be overly ponderous. The short monologue on music is fuckin' great though.


>Andrei Rublev is one I've considered watching, but I can't
>help shaking the feeling it's going to be incredibly boring.

The Tartar raid, the bell-making sequence, and the attack in the woods are 3 of the greatest sequences in film. The opening balloon sequence is pretty awesome, too; the pagans by the river is pretty memorable as well. The film is really episodic; the narrative is determined less by cause-and-effect plotting, if at all, but by history and time so it can feel really slack for the majority of the running time.

It's one of the most effective films in showing historical and social forces working on art and the artist.

if i didnt, i wouldnt like Tark AT ALL, thats for sure.

and Paris, Texas happens to be my favorite movie.

I love the way he plays with visuals with minimal processing.

Spielberg and Cameron are easy picks.

Boyle, Fincher, Nolan, Snyder, and Darabont are all fantastic.

Some personal favorites are genre directors, like Tobe Hooper and Tod Browning.

I haven't seen much of the Coens filmography to give a good read on them, same with Scorsese and Coppola.

seen yet?

>I haven't seen much of the Coens filmography to give a good
>read on them, same with Scorsese and Coppola.

I've only seen 4 Coens (Lebowski, No Country, Burn After, Fargo).

5 Scorsese (Departed, Color of Money, Cape Fear, Aviator, Goodfellas)

2 Coppola (Godfather, only some of Godfather II, Jack)

I'm missing quite a few, I know, ESPECIALLY Coppola (ie finishing up Godfather II, Apocalypse Now, Bram Stoker's Dracula)*.

*edit* Thing is, I have these movies sitting on my shelf too :-/

his run from Terminator to Aliens to The Abyss to Terminator 2 is amazing, but i'm not a fan of his last two to really keep up with him anymore.

Spielberg is someone who's really developed as a complete, mature filmmaker with Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan, Munich and Minority Report. You could argue he's been the most consistent directory over the last decade or so.

Of course I find his movies almost unwatchable now, but I really really like a lot of his movies:

Pee Wee's Big Adventure (one of my all-time favorites...perfect)
Ed Wood
Edward Scissorhands
Beetlejuice
Batman (feel this movie has been unfairly demoted)
Sleepy Hollow (this movie probably represents how far a movie can tip in the style over substance balance and still be very enjoyable)
Nightmare Before Christmas (I know he didn't direct) Not as fanatical as some, but it's good times.
Corpse Bride: Need to watch this again, but remember being pleasantly surprised
Mars Attacks (a mess, but I really enjoy it)
Big Fish was a solid B.

And the only movie of his I just hated was Alice in Wonderland. Boy did I hate that movie.

His others, eh, not so much.

The new Alice in Wonderland, I agree, was not very good at all.

wong kar wai
scorcese
nolan
hitchcock.
costa gavras

but if i were to choose top 3?

- coen bros
- tarantino
- mamet

Seconds is great. I remember liking The Train a whole lot.

I dig your Costa Gavras choice.

Makes the kinda movies I'd like to make if I was a writer/director

chaplin, kubrick, hitchcock, jarmusch, malick, kurosawa, lynch, godard, scorsese, welles.

Spike Lee...he's done SO much for hip hop and for black directors...

imo he's the GOAT and i know how crazy that sounds considering he's only made like 6 movies but dude makes movies exactly how i like 'em...he's hands down my favorite. i should really say Filmmaker though and not just Director because a lot of what i enjoy in his films has to do with his writing as well.

i've liked all his movies...his casting alone is top notch...he knows how to bring out great performances from all his actors. dude's cinematography is always on point and he gets a lot of criticism for bitin other movies but i dont buy into that. if anybody could do hat they do they would be doing it...many have tried, they've all failed. dude is a beast.

he's also my favorite screenwriter...along with Kaufman

thinking of QT. Shit the man used Gordon Liu in a kungfu spaghetti western infused film. He brings a Serg Leon approach mixed in with Hip Hop culture and mixes in true grit and his characters are the coolest most interesting always. I love that he is not afraid to experiment and he always pushes his characters to the limit but the characters always have a type of authenticity and seem to be a throwback to the way heroes good or bad used to be, Manly and always Standup Guys. I'd love to see his take on the Italian Mafia in the 80's ala Goodfellas.

I even liked Hulk.

If I had to choose my personal top 5 or 6, that would prob be the list with Scorcese and Peter Jackson next.

Criteria: Directors I'd try to emulate

1. Jean-Pierre Melville
2. Anthony Mann
3. Claire Denis
4. Ermanno Olmi
5. Bill Forsyth
6. the Coens
7. Hou Hsiao-hsien
8. Jules Dassin
9. Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin
10. Wong Kar-wai

>1. Jean-Pierre Melville



Man, I can't believe I forgot him when I made my quickie list above. He's my number 3, then Peckinpah.

Favorite by him? So many great ones to pick from.

I like the portrayal of code and loyalty in that historical context, it's probably in my top 5 color cinematography-wise, it has Simone Signoret, and sequences that literally put me on the edge of my seat in the theater.

What's yours?

re: Leone

Do you consider A Fistful... and For a Few... great? I should revisit them. I'm holding them to OUATITW and tGtBtU's standards which is probably unfair.

I'll go with Michael Haneke.

~ ~ ~
All meetings end in separation
All acquisition ends in dispersion
All life ends in death
- The Buddha

|\_/|
='_'=

Every hundred years, all new people

Seven, The Game, Fight Club, Panic Room, Zodiac, Benjamin Button, Social Network. Nuff said.

Also love Kurosawa and Spike.


C

"This brother is free; I'll be what I want to be."

2) Kubrick
3) Lynch
4) Tarantino
5) Haneke
Honorable mention : Coppolla, Ridley Scott
Aronofsky is the future of American Cinema. One day, I would love to see his interpretation of Robocop.