Color Me Spielberg

I need to finish Spielberg’s filmography.  In fact speaking of S-named directors, I need to finish Scorsese’s filmography.  I don’t know what it is about the films 1941, Sugarland Express, Amistad, The Last Temptation, Kundun, or The Age of Innocence that makes me not want to watch them.  Well, maybe I do; 1941 is suppose to be terrible, The Last Temptation is too long and the content isn’t nearly intriguing enough, Kundun looks boring, and the two times I tried to watch The Age of Innocence I fell asleep.  Sugarland Express I for some reason compare to Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.  As of this writing, I just found out it was made in the same year as Sugarland; the period when feminism hits film.  I’m not anti-feminist, but maybe my reluctance would say otherwise. I’d say it’s more attributed to the equation South + Domineering Patriarchy = Depressing.  But then I question why I loved Thelma and Louise.

Anyways...so why did I feel the need to see The Color Purple?

Well, after a long hiatus, I watched a few episodes of Dawson’s Creek, and with my competitive, pretentious film-major attitude, I was not going to be outdone by Mr. Dawson Leery who fashioned a poster of the movie in his bedroom.

And it was a gem, Dawson has good taste!  Another movie where I didn’t expect much and it paid off big time; a 5/5 Netflix stars, a “loved it,” 4/4 Ebert Stars, a 9/10 on imdb.  Particularly, I liked that it wasn’t about racism. Not saying anything is wrong about portraying this issue, but it was extremely refreshing to see a “black” movie take place in the early 1900s and not revolve around it.  Spike Lee needs to take a lesson.  There are indeed moments of racism and bigotry, but more significantly, are the poignant moments of family and friendship, ever-memorable characters and perfectly constructed scenes (namely, the final dinner scene). So although I could say I’m going to bite the bullet and finish those last three films of Speilberg’s, I probably won’t.  All I can say is that in the words of Jules Winnfield, Spielberg’s one badass motherfucker. 

Mamet, Sweet Mamet

I have just finished David Mamet’s filmography; an easy, yet satisfying accomplishment. The strange thing is after accomplishing this task within a month, I don’t find him a great director, and his writing, while amazing, can get a little overboard. In fact, I only give ONE of his films a 4/4 and even that was a bit generous.

But, I couldn’t help myself, I was glued to his style, craving more with each newly arrived red envelope. His dialogue is the type where if you read it on paper its terrible, but when it’s delivered through great actors it becomes golden.

Here are my Mamet’s rankings and favorite lines:

1. House of Games 4/4
   

The film that threw me into Mamet’s con-infested world with more twist and turns than a game of Twisted Metal. Somehow he creates a universe which exists solely for the characters in the film; is it because it’s a low-budget shoot with name actors on-location? Or is it the realist style combined with cheesy, yet clever, dialogue? Probably both.

Favorite Line…

Mike: I read a book once which said this: If you're fired from your job, when you're going home, take something. A pencil... Something to assert yourself. Take a memento. Take something from life.

2. Glengarry Glen Ross 3.5/4

Although not directed by the man, probably his most famous work. Problem is that it just doesn’t transfer too well from the play its based on, which I’m desperate to see. Otherwise, Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Spacey, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris – you can’t go wrong.

Favorite Line…

(one of my favorite monologues of all time) All train compartments smell vaguely of shit. It gets so you don't mind it. That's the worst thing that I can confess. You know how long it took me to get there? A long time. When you die you're going to regret the things you don't do. You think you're queer? I'm going to tell you something: we're all queer. You think you're a thief? So what? You get befuddled by a middle-class morality? Get shut of it. Shut it out. You cheat on your wife? You did it, live with it. You fuck little girls, so be it. There's an absolute morality? Maybe. And then what? If you think there is, go ahead, be that thing. Bad people go to hell? I don't think so. If you think that, act that way. A hell exists on earth? Yes. I won't live in it. That's me. You ever take a dump made you feel like you'd just slept for twelve hours?

3. The Edge

Yet again, not directed by Mamet (which may be saying something), but an amazing movie. I’ve probably seen it over ten times, and I’ll never forget when my dad first brought it home, not knowing what to expect. As the VHS tape rolled, I discovered one of my first favorite scenes of all time - where the cabin owner asks Charles what’s on the other side of the paddle.

My favorite line use to be from the above scene, but it actually changed. Come the conclusion, upon being asked what happened to his friends, Charles says, “They died saving my life.” It took me twelve years to understand this line.

4. Things Change 3/4

This was plain and simply a very warm and touching movie. It made me want to find an elderly Italian man and force him to be my best friend and/or go on a road trip with me. Considering the movie revolves around two people heading to a casino for a night on the town, it’s also where the famous line from Swingers comes from: “This is the guy behind the guy.”

Favorite Line…

IMDB doesn’t have it and I didn’t write it down, but it involves Ricky Jay telling the old man “What am I about to tell you is public knowledge…What I’m about to tell you is not public knowledge.” The entire movie is worth renting for this line alone.

5. Heist 3/4

Why Netflix said this would be a 2.8 out of 5 stars is beyond me, but it was extremely well done. Not the best heist movie, but definitely up there. It’s one of those, “I’m getting old, so this is the last time” type of movies.

Favorite Dialogue…

Coffee Cart Man:Hey buddy. You forgot your change.

Joey Moore [Takes the change] Makes the world go round.

Bobby Blane: What's that?

Joe Moore: Gold.

Bobby Blane: Some people say love.

Joe Moore: Well, they're right, too. It is love. Love of gold.

6. Redbelt 3/4

Mamet’s latest movie and probably most interesting. He somehow combines a martial arts picture with a philosophical drama containing Tim Allen playing a serious role. I have no idea how he pulled it off.

Favorite Dialogue…

Chet Frank: Booze, women - what in this life that doesn't get you in trouble?

Mike Terry: Turn to the side. Everything has a force. You embrace it or deflect it. Why oppose it?

7. Spartan 3/4

This was my last Mamet film to watch and was a let down. But if you want to understand the style I’m talking about see this film. Although it contains a socially massive plot involving the President’s Daugther, he makes the movie feel like a small get together at the local tavern. Sadly, the ending and twist did not deliver well in the slightest.

Favorite Dialogue....

Curtis: I fucked up. I tried to help.

Scott: That's usually when people fuck up.

8. The Spanish Prisoner – 3/4

This was the movie I was most excited for, saving it for last. For some reason, I felt like I had seen this movie way back when it was first released in 1997. As I’m writing this, I’m realizing how strange the release date of the movie is. While The Edge was made in the same year and aged extremely well, this movie epitomizes the late 80/early 90s. Fark it, makes The Edge all the more better. Reminds me of David Fincher’s The Game, but yet again, not nearly as good.

Favorite Line…

George Lang: We must never forget that we are human, and as humans we dream, and when we dream we dream of money.

9. State and Maine 3/4

I haven’t seen this movie in about two years so I don’t remember much. I remember I wanted to be like The Amateurs, I also wanted Philip Seymour Hoffman to dominate the screen, but it did neither. Regardless, it was pretty good.

Favorite Line…

Considering its Alec Baldwin

[after emerging from an upside-down station wagon he has just crashed]

Bob Barrenger: So, that happened?

10. The Winslow Boy 2.5/3

Yet another movie based off a play. While Ebert’s review paints this movie to be an ultra subtle take on the nature of feminism and its drive for sex, while also praising its slick dialogue for not being all too obvious in its illustration of the sexual inclinations between Catherine and Robert, it was just a boring movie. Though it does contain an amazing scene when the “Winslow Boy” is interviewed by Robert.

Favorite Lines…

None, just the favorite scene.

11. Oleanna .5/4

This movie was terrible and made me completely doubt Mamet’s talent. I have been undergoing a complete reexamination of his films to judge whether it’s the actors or his writing which make them good; I still haven’t reached a conclusion. This is a 90 minute movie taking place solely in a professor’s office with dialogue that dances so obscurely around the issue you wonder if Mamet even went to college. Lines are awkwardly repeated verbatim from the opposing character, indirect phrases are horrendously used in failing attempts at cleverness; this is a movie I would show on how NOT to write.

Favorite Line...NONE!

Mondupdate

Movies from March 2nd - 16th, 2009

1. White Heat ’48 

• Director - Raoul Walsh
  
• Cinematography - Sidney Hickox
  
• Rating - 4/4
  

Here it is!  One of the best movies I’ve seen in the last two years.  James Cagney has more intensity, anger and depth than I thought was legal.  The movie was non-stop fun with my eyes being glued to the screen.  If I had a naked Penelope Cruz next to me looking for a pillow fight, it would have been a tough call as to what to do.

2 Two Lovers ’08 

• Director -James Gray
  
• Cinematography - Joaquin Baca-Asay
  
• Rating - 3.5/4
  

First movie of the year that I was excited to see and mission accomplished.  For anyone who has been/is involved in a roller coaster relationship this movie should be next to your toothbrush or bible in terms of necessity.  The mood of the movie bares homage to the Italian films of the 1960s by the likes Visconti or Antonioni.

3. Coraline ‘08 

• Director - Henry Selick
  
• Cinematography - Pete Kozachik
  
• Rating - 3.5/4
  

You know a movie is good when it leaves you with a lingering happiness and tranquillity.  This movie brought back nearly ever single creepy/exciting emotion I felt as a kid - a cross between entering a haunted house and seeing presents under the tree on Christmas morning.  Add the 3D to the mix and I would pretty much say that I time traveled back to 1995 for 100 minutes.

4. Shock Corridor ‘63 

• Director - Samuel Fuller
  
• Cinematography - Stanley Cortez
  
• Rating - 3.5/4
  

Produced at nearly the same exact time as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (the book), this film critiques our notions of psychology, the way in which we deal with the sick and the problems plaguing our society; a pretty deep film for a B-movie.  Involves one of my new favorite scenes in which an institutionalized black man goes on a soap-box rant as to why the KKK is the correct ideology.

6.  Identity '03

• Director - James Mangold
  
• CInematography - Phedon Papamicheal 
  
• Rating - / / / 1/2 slashes
  

I haven't seen this movie since its DVD release, remembering the terrible ending which resulted in destroying the movie.  But after seeing this a second time, understanding the twist and reluctantly accepting it as reality, I loved this movie.  Regardless of the conclusion, the entire movie is one of the creepiest motel-setting horror films ever made.

5. Lady of Shanghai ’47 -

• Director- Orson Welles
  
• Cinematography - Charles Letwon, Jr.
  
• Rating - 3/4
  

Another Orson Welle’s film subjected to the butchering knife of major studio editors.  It’s not nearly his best film, but you can see the parts where it could have been amazing.  They cut it down from 155 to 87 minutes...think about it!  I’m awaiting the directors cut like Touch of Evil gave us.

6. Friday the 13th ’09

• Director - Marcus Nispel
  
• Cinematography - Daniel Pearl
  
• Rating  - / / /
  

Just read the entry below.

7. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning ’06 

• Director - Jonathan Liebesman
  
• Cinematography - Lukas Ettlin
  
• Rating - / / 1/2 (DOWN 1/2 from first viewing)
  

As I said in my entry below, this movie was a lot different than what I remembered, though kind of interesting for that reason.  I remebered it to be another addition to the TCM Slasher series and realized its more in line with gorno. Because of this I have changed my mind of gorno - as I’ll talk about in a new entry one day.

8. The Graduate  ’68 

• Director - Mike Nichols
  
• Cinematography - Robert Surtees
  
• Rating - 3/4
  

This is my third or fourth time seeing this movie and I was left with the same attitude as always.  Overrated.  There are hundreds of better movies about rebellion.  Should anyone disagree with me, try this experiment...name another great movie that Mike Nichols has directed other than Closer?  He combines so much style and story that continuity renders meaningless.  Ben is confused, Ben is a man, Ben is a creepy stalker, the movie is serious, the movie is a comedy (which isn’t bad, but the style constantly fluctuates with no fluidity). 

10. Pump Up the Volume ’90 

• Director - Allan Moyle
  
• Cinematography - Walt Lloyd
  
• Rating - 2.5/4
  

I don’t know why I rented this, I don’t know why I thought Oliver Stone was invovled, I don’t know how this was produced.  Contains Marxist commentary on both broadcasting and free speech, but at ridiculous levels.  All that aside, it is a typical movie about the quiet new kid who falls in love with the girl.

11. The Serpent’s Egg 

• Director - Ingmar Bergman
  
• CInematography - Sven Nykvist
  
• Rating - 1.5/4

Ingmar Bergman’s first and last English language movie and.  It stars Bill from Kill Bill as an alcoholic who’s in love with a prostitute.  Scattered throughout the piece are scenes that are true to Bergman’s style and yet quickly fall back into narrative convention cliches.  For such a great sounding synopsis, it sure was a terrible movie.

13. Shocker '89

• Director - Wes Craven
  
• Cinematography - Jacques Haitkin
  
• Rating - ZERO!
  

Figures that with me seeing one of the best movies of all time I would also see one of the worst.  From Wes Craven is one of the most god-awful, incoherently shitty movies I have ever seen in my life.  The final 10 minutes leaves you with more questions than Socrate’s could ask.  Somehow a kid talks to his dead girlfriend through a necklace after a serial killer murders her.  Once he’s captured by the police and awaiting execution he absorbs the electricity of a television.  Somehow this allows him to enter in and out of bodies.  

  

Considering I have seen the movies below far too many times, they don't ranked.

Empire Records '95

• Director - Allan Moyle
  
• Cinematography - Walter Lloyd
  
• Rating - 4/4
  

Cant’ Hardly Wait '98

• Director - Harry Elfont/Deborah Kaplan
  
• Cinematography - Lloyd Ahern II
  
• Rating - 4/4
  

I love these movies, I don’t need to talk about them, just a few of my favorite quotes.  What’s with today, today?  The first thing you need is a name.  Why’d you glue these quarters to the floor.  I don’t feel the need to explain my art to you warren.  I don’t see no ho’s.  It means I gots a ninety-two percent chance of embarrassing myself. I roll up on that shorty be like, "What's up yo?" she be like, "You don't know 20 different ways to make me call you Big Poppa" cuz I don't yo. Somebody in there just called me a fag. College chicks are totally different, bro. They're all serious and shit. They all talk about world issues and "ecolomological" crap. They all wanna date older guys. 

Deconstructing Jasey

Marcus Spells it Out for Cunningham

            Alas it is upon us, a Friday the 13^th film that can actually compete amongst the profoundly grotesque slashers of both Craven and Carpenter...except 30 years late.  (Though after recently watching Craven’s Shocker I feel he is more in conjunction with Rage Against the Machine's music – a few great songs amidst a series of mind-numbingly boring compositions).  Needless to say, Cunningham’s original series never lived up to his peer’s high level of horror expertise and technique.  Films two and three are simply remakes of the first, with Part III being the best of the trilogy – a rare yet somewhat honorable achievement.

            His problem was the characters, or lack thereof.  Absent was the Laurie Strode, Nancy Thompson or Sydney Prescott.  I believe the slasher formula indirectly demands a continuation of the lead female character, and Alice (not even possessing a last name in the first movie) is of minimal substance.  This is not to glorify Halloween, Nightmare or Scream’s writing as being the be all end of all of horror, but that Friday the 13^th is simply a script that should have been reserved for dollar store video bins or a Walmart 2-for-1 special that shares a box with the third prequel of a Van Damme series. If Paramount took half the time on developing the script as it did on the amazing poster, the movie could have been good. 

            I am not trying to preach that the remake is meant for the horror hall of fame, but if you take the influx of slasher remakes from the 70/80’s that have been completed thus far - Halloween, Prom Night, Black Christmas, The Hills Have Eyes, When a Stranger Calls, House of Wax, The Hills Have Eyes 2, My Bloody Valentine, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - this one stands its ground.  Only the Hills Have Eyes remake is even close.

            First off, the movie isn’t really a remake at all.  It seems to be caught in some sort of space-time continuum between Part 1 (1980) and Part 7 (1987).  For the sake of argument, lets say its Part 3.5, which means its taking place in 1984 and therefore ignore the inclusion of an escalade, GPS, cell phones and IPOD. 

            This is the first horror movie I have seen in the modern day “slasher” genre that has not fallen victim into gorno conventions.  I recently watched TCM The Beginning and what I once thought was a good addition to the series regressed into appalling territory due to its avoidance of slasher themes in favor of torture porn methods.  Thus, although the intro scene for Friday the 13^th (remake) teased the audience with Saw-esque obstacles, the “6 week later” transition left them for dead.  I dare even say that Marcus Nispel did this on purpose, a little bit of satire about the reluctantly welcomed sub-genre of gorno.  

            Next up the characters.  The black guy in the movie blatantly and humorously calls attention to his past role in horror films as the “black guy.”  When a girl insinuates that the record label he wants to start is rap he backfires with a critique of her racial stereotyping.  He is not the smooth talking black man who gets all of the girls and yet remains ignorant to the situation.  In fact, he’s a dorky guy who wants to start a record label and tries masturbating to a JC Penny catalogue.  His friend is an Asian who is perhaps the funniest person in any slasher film yet and makes Jamie Kennedy from Scream look like Joshua Jackson from Cursed.  

            Thirdly, the film gets back to what made the 80’s films so good in the social sense.  It’s a movie involving tits, weed and horror.  Without delving into theories as to why these things are common I will just ask what do the majority of college kids want?  I don’t care if you read J.D. Salinger while on your way to buy the latest purple hoodie from American Apparel or if you’re doing a limp bizkit onto a cookie for your latest pledge activity at Kappa Delta , kids want drugs and sex.  Lately there hasn’t been too much inclusion of these elements (with the exception of Nispel’s TCM remake).  It was like enjoying Beautiful Day by U2 after listening to Pantera for three years; felt good to go back to these sub-plots.

          Finally, the lead female character - Whitney Miller - completely deters from previous horror characterizations. There is no indication she is a virgin, rare hints of any conservative agenda and perhaps most interesting, is not the dominant protagonist.  

After thinking about the film for the past few days I'm more inclined to say its a very subtle deconstruction of the slasher sub-genre.  Pay close attention to the formula and how it detracts from the common approach as seen in Halloween, Scream, Nightmare on Elm Street.  Pay close attention to the usual technical approaches - the POV of the killer, the POV of the friend, how the frat boy gets killed - and how they all play with the audience.  For a slasher film this one definitely holds its ground.

Now obviously there are large ingredients of this movie that fall victim to previous conventions and from the initial viewing it seems like nothing new.  But try to keep in mind a few things: this is the twelfth addition to a series that has mostly sucked. My advice is to approach this movie with an attitude that there has never been a prior Friday the 13th.  I would also advise to think of it as a satire of the slasher genre.  If you do, I assure you a pretty decent bang for your buck.

Mondupdate

An extremely slow two weeks...

Movies from February 17th - March 2nd, 2009

1. A Wedding ’78

• Dir. Robert Altman
  
• Cinematography: Charles Rosher Jr.
  
• Rating: 4/4
  

A Wedding; the second best Altman film I have seen. Yet again he puts together an amazing ensemble and utilizes his fluid zooms and dollies, overlapping dialogue and humor that would make Kubrick laugh.

2. Rachel Getting Married ’08

• Dir. Jonathan Demme
  
• Cinematography: Declan Quinn
  
• Rating: 3.5/4
  

A great film shot all on digital which genuinely achieves the feel of a wedding. The lead singer of TV on the Radio is the groom which is funny considering his glasses could make Dick Cheney laugh out loud. The interesting thing is that although the wedding is ridiculous in content it seems extremely real. My only problem was that Anne Hathaway’s character gets a bit out of hand – though I’m assuming that was the point.

3. Dr. Strangelove ’64

• Dir. Kubrick
  
• Cinematography: Gilbert Taylor
  
• Rating: 3.5/4
  

This movie is funny, the use of handheld cameras is clever, the long takes add to the comedy, I wish I could have seen Kubrick laugh.


4. Hard Boiled ’92

• Dir. John Woo
  
• Cinematography: Wing-Hung Wong
  
• Rating: OOO.5/OOOO Bullet Hole
  

I wish American action movies had even half the amount of gore/excitement Hard Boiled does. I mean this movie is RIDICULOUS in action and TERRIBLE in dialogue and yet remains one of the best action movies I’ve ever seen. Pay attention to the long take in the hospital, it’ll tickle your feet as you feel the heat.

5. The Siege ’98

• Dir. Edward Zwick
  
• Cinematography: Roger Deakins
  
• Rating: 3.5/4
  

Nostradamus must have helped the writers of this film. Made three years before September 11th and portrays some of the most accurate events that took place afterwards. It's almost creepy.  So, like a good bottle of wine, it's one of the few movies that gets better with age.

6. Out of the Past ‘46

• Dir. Jacques Tourneur
  
• Cinematography: Nicholas Musuraca
  
• Rating: 3.5/4
  

My second time seeing this movie and it wasn’t nearly as good as the first. A prime example of developing a decent “noir palette” and discovering some films to lose their initial appeal. Robert Mitchum = Bruce Willis

7. The Last Boy Scout ‘91

• Dir. Tony Scott
  
• Cinematography: Ward Russel
  
• Rating: OOO/OOOO Bullet Holes
  

It was okay, basically another Die Hard movie except without terrorists – same persona though. Damian Wayans has a tattoo in the back of his neck which is pleasant and Bruce Willis does an Irish Jig at the end which bumped this sucker up to three bullet holes.

8. Choke ’08

• Dir. Clark Gregg
  
• Cinematography: Tim Orr
  
• Rating: 2/4
  

This movie is for all the hipsters who think Chuck Palanuk is an amazing author. Here’s my word of advice - the man needs balance. He combines every single ridiculous trait he can find (sex addict, Colonialist tour guide, a nihilist mother, a friend who compulsively masturbates) into a story that lacks any substance whatsoever. Maybe if he tried developing the characters and laid back a little on such trivialities there could be a pretty good story. Balance!

9. What Just Happened? ‘08

• Dir. Barry Levinson
  
• Cinematography:
  
• Rating: 1/4
  

This movie was god awful and I still don’t understand why it was made. The characters suck, the jokes are terrible (and the somewhat good ones are spoiled in the preview), the story is incoherent and Bruce Willis was a let down. Oh well

All in all an extremely slow week – but midterms usually do that so fark it.

2009 Oscar Predictions

Best Picture - Slumdog Millionaire - RIGHT

Best Director - Danny Boyle - RIGHT

Best Cinematography - Anthony Dod Mantle: Slumdog Millionaire - RIGHT

Best Actress - Kate Winslet - RIGHT

Best Actor - Mickey Rourke - WRONG!!!! (Sean Penn)

Best Supporting Actress - Penelope Cruz - RIGHT

Best Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger - RIGHT

Best Original Screenplay - Milk - RIGHT

Best Adapted Screenplay - Slumdog Millionaire - RIGHT

Best Documentary - Man on Wire - RIGHT

Best Animated - Wall-E - RIGHT

Best Song - Slumdog Millionaire - Jai Ho - RIGHT

Best Score - Slumdog Millionaire - RIGHT

Best Make Up - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - RIGHT

Best Foreign - Waltz With Bashir - WRONG (Departures)

Best Costume - The Dutchess - RIGHT

Best Editing - Slumdog Millionaire - RIGHT

Best Sound - The Dark Knight - RIGHT

Best Sound Mixing - The Dark Knight - WRONG (Slumdog Millionaire)

Best Visual Effects - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - RIGHT

Best Art Direction - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - RIGHT

Best Live Action Short - Toyland - RIGHT

Best Live Animated Short - Presto - WRONG (Spielzeugland)

Best Documentary Short - The Witness - WRONG (Smile Pinki)

If your last name starts with the letter A you're 87% more likely to be amazing director...

Woody Allen - My lord and savior.  The first celebrity that I would actually consider Godlike and therefore worthy of goat sacrifices and 72-hour fasting.  The best part about him is that his movies can never be remade.  Not necessarily because of the style, but because Woody Allen himself is so much a part of them.  Annie Hall, Husbands and Wives, Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters would not nearly be as powerful were it not for his presence. I love him with all my heart and will be worshipping him this Sunday from 1 - 2:30pm.

TOP 3

1.  Annie Hall ('77)

2.  Manhattan ('79)

3.  Husbands and Wives ('92)

Robert Altman - I just finished A Wedding and am inspired beyond belief.  Talk about a style - the overlapping dialogue, the slow zooms, the voyeur camera and most importantly the CHARACTERS.  In A Wedding we get to know FORTY-EIGHT people in two hours.  There is nothing like a perfect balance of comedy and reality - usually movies are too serious or too slapstick, Altman is a genius.

TOP 3

1.  Short Cuts ('93)

2.  A Wedding ('78)

3.  California Split ('74)

Paul Thomas Anderson - Let’s review this guys biography.  Goes to Emerson for English, transfers to NYU for a day.  Decides film school is bullshit.  Makes an AMAZING feature length film when he’s only 25 years old - Hard Eight, makes one of the best movies of ALL TIME when he’s only 26 - Boogie Nights.  Follows it up with another breathtaking movie only two years later - Magnolia.  About eight years later, he makes what will be considered one of the top ten greatest films of the last quarter century - There Will Be Blood.  Directors die before even approaching his level of talent and depth.  Amen.  

TOP 3

1.  Boogie Nights ('97)

2.  Magnolia ('99)

3.  There Will Be Blood ('08)

Wes Anderson - I don’t like his movies, but considering a bunch of people do I figure I’ll add him.  I'll leave it to your imagination for what he is.

TOP 1 and only...

1.  Bottle Rocket ('96)

Michelangelo Antonioni - I forgot where I heard about the opening scene of The Adventure, but who cares.  It combines beauty and thrills, warmth and chills, coffee and spills.  Combined with his other two films of the trilogy and you got a worthy battle for Bergman’s trilogy, a winner against Van Sants and a knock out against Mr. Argento below.  Then there's Blow Up; finally a film incorporating French New Wave techniques without falling into obscurity and boredom. Thank  ye.  While The Adventure has an amazing opening scene, Blow Up takes the cake for one of the coolest closing scenes.  

TOP 3

1.  The Eclipse ('62)

2.  The NIght ('62)

3.  Blow Up ('66)

Dario Argento - I keep saying I’ll write a post on Suspiria; the horror film that changed my life, its too scary though.  It's part two of his “witch trilogy” and definitely his best.  While no one else has been able to live up to Hitchcock’s countless thrillers, only Argento has been able to develop an extremely unique take on Hitchy’s style - the Giallo.

TOP 3

1.  Suspiria ('77)

2.  Deep Red ('75)

3.  Inferno ('80)