Who's your favourite film director?

[trackaghost]

Who's your favourite director and what films of theirs do you particularly admire?

[face of glass]

The usual generic answer; Hitchcock. Doing little things instead of the big ones can mean a lot. The Rear Window still gives me chills to this day.

[dissention]

I have sooooooooo many!

Stanley Kubrick- Best Movie: Tie between The Shining and Lolita
Quentin Tarantino: Best Movie: Jackie Brown
Lars von Triers: Best Movie: Dogville
Hitchcock: Best Movie: Vertigo
David Cronenberg- Best Movie: Videodrome
PT Anderson- Best Movie: Magnolia

:thumbsup:

[hayley]

I have always been and will always be a Lynch girl.

I like Wes Anderson too. I liked The Royal Tenenbaums even more than Rushmore, though... looking forward to The Life Aquatic.

[dissention]

I have always been and will always be a Lynch girl.

How could I forget Lynch?!

Ble Velvet is greatness. I even LOVED The Straight Story.

[hayley]

How could I forget Lynch?!

Ble Velvet is greatness. I even LOVED The Straight Story.
EVEN loved The Straight Story? It's a great film... it's worthy of mentioning solely for the amazing cinematography... the way it was shot. Swoon. It gives me chills.

David gets such props from me for being David LYNCH and making an incredibly good G-rated film.

[dissention]

What did you think of Punch-Drunk Love?
I loved that film.

Don't get me started. :laugh: Anderson has such a ****ty and egotistical attitude and that flick embodied all of it. It was terrible. Plus, I can't stand Adam Sandler one iota.

[dissention]

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Yeah, that film really divides opinion.

But Emily Watson - do you not like her?

LOVE her. Ever seen her in Breaking the Waves? Fantastic.

[Ali]

I love, love, LOVE Cameron Crowe. He may not be as classic as others, but he always is able to tell a good tale.

WROTE:
Fast Times At Ridgemont High
The Wild Life

WROTE/DIRECTED:
Say Anything
Singles
Jerry Maguire
Almost Famous

ADAPTED/DIRECTED:
Vanilla Sky

His current project, "Elizabethtown" should definitely be interesting as well.

[Villavic]

I don't have a favorite director, but a favorite work. Right now I can think in:

Stanley Kubrick: The Shining
Brian de Palma: Body Double, Dressed to Kill
Norman Jewison : Moonstruck
Stephen Frears: Dangerous Liasons
Adrian Lyne : Fatal Attraction
Tim Burton: Batman
Victor Fleming: Gone with the wind

[hayley]

And I love David Lynch. The Straight Story is greatness. I even loved Lost Highway. But even better, Mullholland Drive. That film is genius.

So I was a loser before? Thanks!!!!!

I love David. I also find him intensely attractive (cough). Mulholland Drive was amazing. Lost Highway was thrilling at times and completely worth it. LOVE HIM.

Now I'll resume praying for the rest of the episodes of Twin Peaks to be released on DVD.

[DeeGeMe]

How can we forget the great works of Mel Brooks?

[dissention]

Now I'll resume praying for the rest of the episodes of Twin Peaks to be released on DVD.

AMEN!!!!!!!

And weren't you pissed that they didn't include the freakin' pilot episode on the first season DVDs?!

[golddustchic]

One of my favorites is Robert Altman. He is an actor's director and the performances of movies are always what fascinate me the most. Some of my favorites for him are:

Nashville
Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean-love Sandy Dennis in this.
Short Cuts

Another one I like is Peter Bogdonavich. He has three great ones:

The Last Picture Show-Eileen Brennan and Ellen Burstyn were standouts
What's Up Doc? -The debut for the incredible Madeline Kahn and she completely steals this movie.
Paper Moon-One of my all-time favorites and it includes one of my favorite scenes of all time...when Madeline Kahn and Tatum O'Neal are on the hill talking. Ms. Kahn is absolutely stunning in this scene...no one could have done it better.

[dissention]

One of my favorites is Robert Altman. He is an actor's director and the performances of movies are always what fascinate me the most. Some of my favorites for him are:

Nashville
Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean-love Sandy Dennis in this.
Short Cuts

Another one I like is Peter Bogdonavich. He has three great ones:

The Last Picture Show-Eileen Brennan and Ellen Burstyn were standouts
What's Up Doc? -The debut for the incredible Madeline Kahn and she completely steals this movie.
Paper Moon-One of my all-time favorites and it includes one of my favorite scenes of all time...when Madeline Kahn and Tatum O'Neal are on the hill talking. Ms. Kahn is absolutely stunning in this scene...no one could have done it better.

I love all of those movies you mentioned!

Have you seen Altman's 3 Women?! What a masterpiece. It was just released on video and DVD for the first time EVER and I was very happy to have that upgrade from my ratty old one that I taped off of PBS a few years ago. :laugh:

[GypsySorcerer]

Kevin Costner. (not really) :laugh:


Hitchcock, William Wyler, and Billy Wilder.

[hayley]

AMEN!!!!!!!

And weren't you pissed that they didn't include the freakin' pilot episode on the first season DVDs?!

It's totally lame, but they couldn't get the rights. They have the US version of the pilot available on a foreign DVD that I have. Until they get it all out, I guess I'll just stay content with the videotapes they released of the entire series and the European pilot (ick).

[golddustchic]

I love all of those movies you mentioned!

Have you seen Altman's 3 Women?! What a masterpiece. It was just released on video and DVD for the first time EVER and I was very happy to have that upgrade from my ratty old one that I taped off of PBS a few years ago. :laugh:

I haven't yet seen "3 Women" because I can't find it anywhere to rent. I've had it on my "must-see" list for quite a while. Maybe I'll just be daring and buy the DVD...thanks for the recommendation!!

[dissention]

I haven't yet seen "3 Women" because I can't find it anywhere to rent. I've had it on my "must-see" list for quite a while. Maybe I'll just be daring and buy the DVD...thanks for the recommendation!!

You're welcome. :D It was NEVER released on video, that's probably why you've had a hard time finding it. :laugh:

[golddustchic]

You're welcome. :D It was NEVER released on video, that's probably why you've had a hard time finding it. :laugh:

Well I guess that would explain it then :)

[cliffdweller]

For Starters:
Wes Anderson
P.T. Anderson
Coen Bros.
Quentin Tarantino
Martin Scorcese
Spike Lee

[cliffdweller]

I knew I'd forget a few:
David Lynch
John Carpenter: mainly for his early stuff like of course a little uknown gem, I don't know if any of you have heard about it: Halloween.
John Waters
Gus Van Sant

[dissention]

And Halloween!!! That's my favourite horror film ever.
I really like Escape From New York and The Thing too. What happened to Carpenter, he used to be so good.

Seen Ghosts of Mars? Ugh.

I used to love Halloween, but I got burned out on it. I love The Fog. :) I saw Haute Tension a couple of weeks ago and I can't that sucker outta my head. Some of it made me feel ill, but it's a great example of how to do a horror flick. See it if it opens in your area.

[dissention]

I have seen Ghosts Of Mars unfortunately.

I haven't heard of Haute Tension. Tell me more, I'm intrigued!

It is one sick bitch of a flick, lemmetellya.

It's from France and it's shocking, at least to me. it's about these two college girls who are going to one girls' parents farmhouse for vacation. The night they get there, some psycho in this big ass truck shows up, kills her entire family and kidnaps the girl who lives there. Her friend sees it all happen and follows the psycho who has her firend. And he is one sick f*cker. :laugh: And the ending is a kick in the jaw; it's shocking. It beats any Shyamalan ending!

I got the region free DVD from eBay for $20, since it hasn't been released in theatres int he US yet. It's such a grisly movie that it's NC-17 over here!

eBay is a great place for DVDs. I got Dogville the other night from Malaysia. :D

[wondergirl9847]

I love David. I also find him intensely attractive (cough). Mulholland Drive was amazing. Lost Highway was thrilling at times and completely worth it. LOVE HIM.

Now I'll resume praying for the rest of the episodes of Twin Peaks to be released on DVD.

I can't find him attractive because he looks uncannily like my late grandfather. :shocked:

I NEED the rest of TP on DVD!!!!!! :blob1:

[dissention]

As for Todd Solondz - he's great although Happiness disturbed me greatly! I liked Storytelling too, although it was very short! My favourite of his is Welcome To The Dollhouse.
I have a feeling that Solondz did that short film Superstar, which was the life of Karen Carpenter played out with Barbie dolls, that Richard Carpenter got banned!

Happiness was something else. That ending had me disturbed, shocked, and laughing my ass off. That poor dog. :laugh:

Cmaryn Manheim and Lara Flynn Boyle were greatness int hat one, though. Manheim cut up the doorman's appendage and put it in her freezer. :lol:

[dissention]

Dissention, thanks for telling me about this!
I now really want to see it.
I am sick too.
hehe

You're welcome! Have you ever read Dean Koontz's "Intensity" or seen the miniseries? It has almost the same plot. Don't watch it alone, though, you'll get very scared. I did. ;)

[dissention]

Here are some reviews for it, they either loved it or hated it:

http://www.mrqe.com/lookup?haute+tension

And here's my fave review:

http://www.joblo.com/arrow/hautetension.htm

[littlelies7]

My choice would be Jonathon Demme of "Silence of the Lambs" and "Philadelphia" fame.

I love his use of close-ups and angles.

A close second would be none other than Quentin Tarintino (sp?)

[DownOnRodeo]

Robert Zemeckis

[DownOnRodeo]

I'm with Lindsey re: Ridley Scott.

[David]

So who's your favourite director and what films of theirs do you particularly admire?So many . . . but not nearly enough.

I love those expansive minds, those visionaries whose work is filled with obsession & syncretism (did I spell that right?), like Griffith ("Intolerance," "Broken Blossoms"), Welles ("Citizen Kane," "The Magnificent Ambersons," "The Lady From Shanghai," "Othello"), the early Russian poet Dovzhenko ("Earth"), Fritz Lang (whose loony "Faust" is high on my list of all-time favorites) & Ophuls ("The Earrings of Madame De ..." "Le Plaisir").

I love the great iconoclasts of the Hollywood studio era, like Hawks ("His Girl Friday," "Twentieth Century," "The Big Sleep") McCarey ("The Awful Truth," "Duck Soup"), Anthony Mann ("T-Men," "Raw Deal," "The Naked Spur") & their modernized usurpers, like Altman ("McCabe & Mrs. Miller," "The Long Goodbye"), Coppola ("The Godfather" & "The Godfather Part 2"), Scorsese ("Mean Streets," "Taxi Driver") & Hal Ashby ("Shampoo").

Mike Leigh's "Secrets & Lies" & "Topsy-Turvy" are two of my favorite movies of the past fifteen years or so.

[DownOnRodeo]

How long can a conclusion be?? Have you seen Clockwork Orange?

[dissention]

Robert Zemeckis

:shocked: :shocked: :shocked:

Everyone is entitled to a slip-up every now and then, so you're still okay in my book, Joe. ;)

[dissention]

Interested to hear what your thoughts on Todd Solondz are....


Well, the fact that he had the audacity to make Happiness makes him fantastic to me. :wavey:

[darklinensuit]

But if I had to pick a Hal Ashby movie I would chose Harold And Maude, another favourite. I could watch that movie over and over again.

I have. :cool:

- Jake

[dissention]

Mike Leigh's "Secrets & Lies" & "Topsy-Turvy" are two of my favorite movies of the past fifteen years or so.

Secrets and Lies is a beautiful movie. That whole cast was phenomenal. I liked Topsy Turvy a lot, but not as much. But, alas, they are very different movies.

[estranged4life]

Sergio Leone...'Nuff said

Now I am going to go watch the new 2 DVD disc version of his classic "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" (Or as they say in Italian "Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo") which is my favorite movie EVER, And according to the sticker on the box it is also the favorite Quentin Tarantino's too!!!

[cliffdweller]

That film is probably why I love her!
Breaking The Waves is so heartbreaking. What a great film.
She's fantastic in Metroland and Gosford Park too. :nod:

You made me think of another one of my favorite directors-- Lars Von Trier! Mad props to the Scandinavian contingent of directors: Von Trier + all the Dogme 94 directors, Ingmar Bergman, Lasse Hallstrom, T. Dreyer...I'm sure i'll think of others after I post this.

[cliffdweller]

I used to love Halloween, but I got burned out on it. I love The Fog. :)

I know what you mean, but it still stands up as brilliance in the horror genre. Carpenter took some experimental risks in that movie, and the end result is utter genius.

I wanted to tell you Dissention, I'm pretty sure you said something a while back about that Margot Kidder movie, Sisters, well I rented it and it is one of the most hilarious movies I've ever seen! Of course it's not intended to be funny but it totally is: Margot Kidder sporting a silly French accent and that mysterious ex-husband of hers oh god, and let's not forget the last scene of the movie in that psycho ward/house institution thing at the end. I was laughing out loud at the screen, and I rarely do that when watching a movie alone.

All that to say that DePalma is also one of my favorite directors but that movie BLOWS! And of course I mean blows in a cheesey, B-movie, good kind of way. :laugh:

[dissention]

I know what you mean, but it still stands up as brilliance in the horror genre. Carpenter took some experimental risks in that movie, and the end result is utter genius.

I wanted to tell you Dissention, I'm pretty sure you said something a while back about that Margot Kidder movie, Sisters, well I rented it and it is one of the most hilarious movies I've ever seen! Of course it's not intended to be funny but it totally is: Margot Kidder sporting a silly French accent and that mysterious ex-husband of hers oh god, and let's not forget the last scene of the movie in that psycho ward/house institution thing at the end. I was laughing out loud at the screen, and I rarely do that when watching a movie alone.

All that to say that DePalma is also one of my favorite directors but that movie BLOWS! And of course I mean blows in a cheesey, B-movie, good kind of way. :laugh:

BUT - it is very entertaining! That whole flashback scene in black and white was some demented ****, though. And I did like the opening a lot where the guy got killed and Kidder rushed to clean up the place; that was good, IMO. The rest, though? Blah. But it's a fascinating oddity, in my book.

I just got Dogville on DVD from Korea and von Triers is a f*cking lunatic. It came as a two-discer with lots of press conferences and docs on the second disc. I guess he set up a confession box on the set for everyone to vent and he drove everyone bonkers. Lauren Bacall cracked me up; "Mr. Huston was never like this crazy bastard." And Stellan Skarsgard is a weird one, lemmetellya.

Ever see "The Boys Next Door" with Charlie Sheen and Maxwell Caulfield? I watched that late last night and that's another cheesy but freaky-as-hell movie. Check it out.

Lawd, when the two of us get talking about movies! :laugh:

[dissention]

You made me think of another one of my favorite directors-- Lars Von Trier! Mad props to the Scandinavian contingent of directors: Von Trier + all the Dogme 94 directors, Ingmar Bergman, Lasse Hallstrom, T. Dreyer...I'm sure i'll think of others after I post this.

Except "The Idiots" was torturous. I despised that movie.

"Dancer In the Dark" was superb. Everyone in that movie was fantastic.

AND, before I forget, there are some all-region DVDs for sale on eBay of The Kingdom, BOTH parts. I want to get them, but they're so expensive. I'm chomping at the bit to see part two.

And, like I told Sharon, check out Haute Tension if you can find it. That is one surreal movie.

[cliffdweller]

Except "The Idiots" was torturous. I despised that movie.

"Dancer In the Dark" was superb. Everyone in that movie was fantastic.

AND, before I forget, there are some all-region DVDs for sale on eBay of The Kingdom, BOTH parts. I want to get them, but they're so expensive. I'm chomping at the bit to see part two.

And, like I told Sharon, check out Haute Tension if you can find it. That is one surreal movie.

I am definitely going to check that one out. I can't wait! Horror is my favorite film genre.

Yeah, you're right about Von Trier, he's a genius but he is as looney as a tune. I thought it was REALLY poor form when he MADE Nicole Kidman promise to do the last two films of his new "trilogy on America" in front of an entire press conference at Cannes. She should have told him to "cram it with walnuts, ugly" a la Homer Simpson.

I also think it's quite ridiculous that he's making a trilogy on America and has never stepped foot on American soil. However, be that as it may, I'm sure it will be quite an interesting take on American culture.

[cliffdweller]

BUT - it is very entertaining! That whole flashback scene in black and white was some demented ****, though.

Or how about that scene where the reporter woman stumbled upon the madhouse at the end and tried to use the phone. That woman that freaked out on her had me in stitches! :laugh:

Yeah that black and white scene was creepy.

[dissention]

I am definitely going to check that one out. I can't wait! Horror is my favorite film genre.

Yeah, you're right about Von Trier, he's a genius but he is as looney as a tune. I thought it was REALLY poor form when he MADE Nicole Kidman promise to do the last two films of his new "trilogy on America" in front of an entire press conference at Cannes. She should have told him to "cram it with walnuts, ugly" a la Homer Simpson.

I also think it's quite ridiculous that he's making a trilogy on America and has never stepped foot on American soil. However, be that as it may, I'm sure it will be quite an interesting take on American culture.

On the second disc of the Korean DVD for Dogville, they have hours of the press conferences at Cannes and it shows him try to bully her into agreeing to the other two. She says yes, but form what I read, she said hell no the next day. Now he's got Ron Howard's daughter to take her place. :laugh: Trier is obviously a loon, he even owns his own porn company. I read that he invited Kidman and Paul Bettany to his hotel room to meet each other, and he forced porno mags on bettany. When Kidman walked in, Trier asked Bettany if he could read some of "his" porn. Then I read that Bacall chewed him up and spit him out. While the cast was eating dinner one night, he bitched at her for leaving her TV on all night while she slept. She said it was no big deal, but he kept pressing and she eventually slapped him and told him "I'll turn the f*cker up even louder tonight!" :lol:

And while it may be ridiculous that he's making those movies without ever being here, Dogville proves that he knows what he's talking about. :nod: Listen to Ebert & Roeper's audio online from when they reviewed it, it's hysterical. "I found it offensive! It was anti-American tripe!" :laugh:

And be warned about Haute Tension: it will churn your stomach. It is so vile and gruesome...but incredibly entertaining. :lol: Great movie and the ending will ahve you sitting there in shock for an hour, then you'll rewatch the ending ten times to understand it!

[dissention]

Or how about that scene where the reporter woman stumbled upon the madhouse at the end and tried to use the phone. That woman that freaked out on her had me in stitches! :laugh:

Yeah that black and white scene was creepy.

:lol: I still like it. It's a guilty pleasure and very entertaining. Kidder should make more movies like that. :laugh:

[cliffdweller]

And while it may be ridiculous that he's making those movies without ever being here, Dogville proves that he knows what he's talking about. :nod: Listen to Ebert & Roeper's audio online from when they reviewed it, it's hysterical. "I found it offensive! It was anti-American tripe!" :laugh:

Funny thing is though, Von Trier said that the characters from Dogville are based on Danes that he knows back in Denmark! So really it's like, what are you trying to say (Von Trier)? Is this a scathing endictment of Americans but based on real life Danes? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense. And don't get me wrong, I like scathing endictments of Americans' faults just as much as the next person, but it's like, show a little consistency please.

How did you like the ending song during the credits? I thought it was GREAT!

[dissention]

Funny thing is though, Von Trier said that the characters from Dogville are based on Danes that he knows back in Denmark! So really it's like, what are you trying to say (Von Trier)? Is this a scathing endictment of Americans but based on real life Danes? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense. And don't get me wrong, I like scathing endictments of Americans' faults just as much as the next person, but it's like, show a little consistency please.

How did you like the ending song during the credits? I thought it was GREAT!

It was Bowie, so it was fabulous. :D

Trier backpedals whenever he talks, it's surprising how much he cowers when Americans get up his arse about the movie. But I think the credits really speak to what the movie is about, no matter what that ass says.

Another tidbit (and, yes, you HAVE to get the Korean Special Edition DVD of it!!): there are loads of interviews and the very last one is with Bowie. It's only about a minute long and the interviewer asks him if he saw Dogville. He says no but that one of his songs was used in it, then the interviewer gives him a tape of it and Bowie almosts wets himself because he's so ecstatic. :lol:

[cliffdweller]

It was Bowie, so it was fabulous. :D

Trier backpedals whenever he talks, it's surprising how much he cowers when Americans get up his arse about the movie. But I think the credits really speak to what the movie is about, no matter what that ass says.

Another tidbit (and, yes, you HAVE to get the Korean Special Edition DVD of it!!): there are loads of interviews and the very last one is with Bowie. It's only about a minute long and the interviewer asks him if he saw Dogville. He says no but that one of his songs was used in it, then the interviewer gives him a tape of it and Bowie almosts wets himself because he's so ecstatic. :lol:

Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to mention that I've seen the Korean Special Edition! :] Anyway, you're right about the tidbit with Bowie....could the man be any more fabulous?

I LOVE THAT MAN!! (said like Kevin Kline in "A Fish Called Wanda.")

[dissention]

Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to mention that I've seen the Korean Special Edition! :] Anyway, you're right about the tidbit with Bowie....could the man be any more fabulous?

I LOVE THAT MAN!! (said like Kevin Kline in "A Fish Called Wanda.")

Well, if you've seen the Korean print of The Kingdom Part 2, you can send it my way... :xoxo: :lol: It's going for almost a hundred on eBay!

And, yes, Bowie is utterly fabulous. :D