Furious on Film 08.09.07: Issue 101 - Top 100 Directors #75 - #51: Part 2

Posted by Arnold Furious on 08.09.2007

...and continues...

60. JOHN LANDIS (USA)



HONOURS – Nominated for three Razzies but was saluted for his achievements by the Phoenix film festival in 2004.

RE FRESHNESS RATING – 52%

TOP FILMS - The Blues Brothers, National Lampoon's Animal House, Coming to America, Trading Places, Three Amigos, American Werewolf in London, Spies Like Us.

BLUES BROTHERS



Because car chases=fun.

OPINION – You only need to look at the list of films I put above to understand why I rate John Landis. He made my favourite film of my entire youth, the Blues Brothers, which I've probably seen more than any other film. Recently I got to see the special extended version where the gas station near the end gets blown up as well. Animal House is probably the best American comedy of the entire 1970's. Landis helped to kick-start the whole National Lampoon series with Kentucky Fried Movie and then of course helmed Animal House shortly afterwards. Kentucky Fried Movie hasn't aged well but Animal House really has. It's still funny and it's still referenced. Anytime someone says the word "toga" it's referencing Animal House. It's probably the greatest college comedy ever made. It doesn't even have a lot of competition for that honour as every film since has ripped it off. Badly. Blues Brothers was his next film after that so I consider that to be two great movies back to back. Of course the American public didn't at the time and it did poorly at the box office especially considering it's weighty $27M budget. Of course it became a cult hit and pulled down $32M in VHS rentals and remains popular to this very day with showing attracting lots of men wearing sunglasses at night and dark suits. Landis tried something different after that and scored another success with the somewhat campy horror flick American Werewolf in London. I know people who still cite this as their favourite horror film. Certainly when you look at Landis' movies they've been very iconic. Speaking of which he directed the best music video, ever, the following year; Michael Jackson's Thriller. His next film was Eddie Murphy and Dan Ackroyd comedy Trading Places. Famous for Jamie Lee Curtis' boobs and helping to bring Eddie Murphy to a mass market. His next movie was Into the Night, a much forgotten 80's romp featuring Michelle Pfeiffer, naked no less, and Jeff Goldblum. After that he had a string of hit comedy movies; Spies Like Us, Three Amigos and Coming to America. The last of those being one of my personal favourites although a few of the jokes haven't aged well. Although the line "when you think of garbage, think of Akeem" is one that I've borrowed and changed several times replacing "garbage" with whatever I was doing. Sadly the career of John Landis, like many 80's stars, dropped off into the 90's. Starting with the truly awful Sylvester Stallone flick Oscar, which to be fair isn't even his worst comedy. Then an attempt at recreating Werewolf with Innocent Blood. After that came Beverly Hills Cop III by far the worst of the franchise. Then the lowest point of all; the truly atrocious Tom Arnold comedy ‘The Stupids'. Last thing of note from Landis was the ill conceived Blues Brothers sequel. Although they did manage to top the car pile up from the first film. That was the only real highlight. When you think of car pile up's, think of John Landis.

59. PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON (USA)



HONOURS – Oscar nominated for both Magnolia and Boogie Nights. He won a directing award at Cannes for his other major film Punch-Drunk Love in 2002.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 86%

TOP FILMS – Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love, Hard Eight.

BOOGIE NIGHTS



I love this shot.

OPINION – Paul Thomas Anderson was, just a few years ago, hailed as Hollywood's next big thing. His debut picture Hard Eight (also known as Sydney) caused a bit of a rumble around Tinseltown and allowed PTA to make Boogie Nights for $15M. The film was a success and, as you can see from that tracking shot, beautiful to boot. The film was both a financial and critical success and also went on to become a cult hit. That's the trilogy of greatness right there. The studio couldn't have wanted anything more. PTA's follow up was the ambitious three hour Magnolia. A film that tied together a lot of divergent paths it was hailed as a huge success even though it didn't recoup it's sizeable $37M budget. It did do well with critics and awards and was nominated for three Oscars. It also had a string of great performances. Maybe none as miraculous as Mark Wahlberg's startling turn in Boogie Nights but nevertheless Tom Cruise showed just how good he could be in a smaller than usual role. Both Boogie Nights and Magnolia took a mass of unexpected loose ends and tied them all together. Magnolia in particular in a thought provoking and different film in a time where such things are rare. I've heard it said that PTA is boring. In particular Kevin Smith has been very vocal in his dislike of Anderson's flicks even inserting gags at his expense in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. While it's true that PTA's work can run a little long to call it boring would be to overlook the depth that each scene has. PTA attempted something very different, should we really be surprised, with his third film as he made a serious film starring Adam Sandler. It was almost unthinkable beforehand and looking back and considering what he's made since it's almost unthinkable now. I'm not the biggest fan of Punch-Drunk Love but what it did show was Anderson's willingness to try things that are totally different from one film to the next. Since the release in 2002 of Punch-Drunk Love he's not made any films. Perhaps he was disillusioned after both his follow up's to Boogie Nights lost money. Considering he came from the school of VCR directors (those store clerk types that sprung up in the mid 90's) he's been the least prolific and that includes Quentin Tarantino who works whenever he damn well pleases. Next up is There Will Be Blood starring Daniel Day Lewis. That's due this year.

58. GEORGE CUKOR (USA)



HONOURS – Won an Oscar for My Fair Lady. He was nominated four other times prior to his big win for Philadelphia Story, Little Women, A Double Life and Born Yesterday. My Fair Lady also won a BAFTA and a Golden Globe. He has a star on the Hollywood walk of fame.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 87%

TOP FILMS – Gone With the Wind although he was fired after starting the production. My Fair Lady, the Philadelphia Story, Adam's Rib, Gaslight, A Star is Born.

PHILADELPHIA STORY



PIEFACE!

OPINION – The son of a Jewish immigrant Cukor got started in theatre and was recruited to work in film when sound came in and revolutionised the process in the late 1920's. He worked behind the camera on several films before directing his first feature including All Quiet on the Western Front. He had a string of hits during the 30's, which got him hired to make Gone With the Wind. He went through the two years of pre-production only to be fired 3 weeks into shooting. Rumours persist it was due to his homosexuality. Clark Gable isn't fond of his kind if you catch my drift. He was replaced by Victor Fleming. He bounced back however to make one of the best films of the 1940's; the Philadelphia Story. Starring three of Hollywood's major players all at their peak (Kate Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart) it's been considered one of the best lightweight comedy films ever made. It's full of gags most of which still work nearly 70 years later. His reputation of coaching actors and driving them to great performances persisted throughout his career and he directed 21 actors and actresses to Oscar nominations. After winning his Academy Award, finally, for Audrey Hepburn comedy My Fair Lady he took some time off. Although he returned to carry on directing into his 80's and the 1980's making his last film in 1981. His career in film spanning over 50 years Cukor was also famous for his parties where a multitude of Hollywood stars would visit his home.

57. DARREN ARONOFSKY (USA)



HONOURS – Won AFI's Franklin J. Schaffner award in 2001. Won several festival awards for his debut film Pi.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 72%

TOP FILMS – Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain.

REQUIEM FOR A DREAM



OPINION – One of the more promising directors to emerge in recent years Aronofsky has been rather slow in making an impact. His debut film Pi made it to the big screen after his friends had a whip round to organise the budget. Made for a tiny $60,000 it took home $3.2M after becoming an Indy sensation. Since then Aronofsky's career has been plagued by unusual failures mixed with incredible successes. His sophomore picture was set to be a re-launch of the Batman franchise based on Frank Miller's Year One. This was the first version of the film that got Christian Bale interested in playing the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The project stalled. He also had great difficulty in getting his third film The Fountain off the ground. Originally scheduled to start filming in 2002 it fell through after the star, Brad Pitt, walked out on the project citing creative differences. In between these two disasters came the great work of Requiem for a Dream. Based on the Hubert Selby novel it depicts the downside to drug taking, and pulls in punches in the process, while also showing how dreams fail when drugs enter the mix. Starring Jared Leto, Jennifer Connolly and Ellen Burstyn it was a critical smash albeit not a box office success. It seems unreasonable of the American public to not go and see a great film like Requiem for a Dream simply because it's incredibly downbeat and depressing. Not only that but it made Jennifer Connolly and Marlon Wayons credible actors. Yes, that Marlon Wayans. He forgot about it immediately afterwards. Requiem for a Dream is one of the best films about drug use ever made. It captures the desperation of drug users in a way that most films fear. Even the relatively downbeat Trainspotting still finds ways to make its characters happy. Requiem for a Dream makes no effort to do so systematically pulling them apart at the very seams leaving everyone beaten and insane. Ellen Burstyn was the true star with one of her career best performances that earned her an Oscar nomination. The closing minutes are among the most harrowing ever committed to celluloid as we see how drugs can beat people. It's desperation personified. When the Fountain was finally made it starred Hugh Jackman and bombed at the box office. It seems that Aronofsky, no matter how accomplished and superb a director he is, will never be commercially viable. It seems he'll have to stick to making low budget and personal films. Even when he has a really low budget like Requiem for a Dream it seems he can't recover it. Very sad.

56. CHAN WOOK PARK (SOUTH KOREA)



HONOURS - Oldboy won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes. Both Oldboy and Lady Vengeance did well on the festival circuit.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 76%

TOP FILMS – Oldboy, Lady Vengeance, Sympathy for Mr Vengeance.

OLDBOY



OPINION – If you've seen Oldboy then chances are you get the inclusion of Chan Wook Park. He's destined for greatness. It's the only way to describe it. Oldboy is one of the great films of the past decade and one of the best films to come out of Asia in a long time. It's levels of violence can be quiet upsetting so it's not for everyone but to say it inspires violence in others is just an excuse for the violence inherent in society. I'm not going to get into the argument but there was violence long before there were movies and if movies were banned there would still be violence. End of story. Park's work so far as been a trilogy called ‘the Vengeance Trilogy'. Three films about revenge starting with Sympathy of Mr Vengeance in 2002, following on with Oldboy in 2003 and concluding with Lady Vengeance in 2005. Quentin Tarantino is already a big fan and pushed for Oldboy to be awarded the Palm D'Or at Cannes when it showed there. The award eventually went to Fahrenheit 9/11 although Oldboy won the jury prize. Park's films have a beauty about them that is often not present in Western cinema. Like Yimou Zhang's films Park often has a sense of beauty in that which is violent. Like the shoot out in the snow in Lady Vengeance but he's also prone to scenes of realism like the Oldboy battle in a corridor, which is one of the most well choreographed fight scenes in a crowded space ever made. While I'd love to see Park make a film in America I can't help but get the feeling it'd be Oldboy-lite and nowhere near as entertaining. Although he has the kind of style that would easily lend itself to a comic book movie. There's a thought for you.

55. TERRY GILLIAM (USA)



HONOURS – Oscar nominated for Brazil. Won a BAFTA for the animation work on Monty Python's Flying Circus. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was nominated for the Palm D'Or at Cannes. Plus he's won other minor festival recognition.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 76%

TOP FILMS - Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Brazil, 12 Monkeys, Time Bandits, the Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS



OPINION – Gilliam would not have had my vote if we were looking at the Monty Python crew and were asked who would have the longest and most successful career in films. And yet he's done exactly that. Terry Jones dropped off the radar after Erik the Viking, Michael Palin works in television, Eric Idle hasn't done anything fun since Nuns on the Run, John Cleese's career in film seemed unusually short although he does still appear in the odd thing and Graham Chapman is dead. Gilliam meanwhile has continued to churn out films for the past 35 years. Even during his run with the Python crew he was doing other things. The Python-esque mythical adventures in both Jabberwocky and the superb kids film Time Bandits were both prior to the Meaning of Life. When he broke out on his own after that it was to make Brazil. While it flopped at the box office it became and immediate cult hit and is littered with scenes of sheer lunacy. I've always been partial to the scene with the desk that slides through the wall so the two guys in different offices are fighting over desk space. It's a somewhat lighter version of 1984 and during the production stages was even referred to as 1984 ½. Gilliam took his time moving on from that with the fantastical adventures of Baron Munchausen. The impossible story of a travelling Baron who returned home from adventures to tell tall tales was truly remarkable and almost epic. It was nominated for four Oscars BUT and here's the crucial part for Gilliam it was a box office disaster. The fantasy picture had the misfortune of being made when people wanted films about space. Made for a whopping $46M it took home only $8M at the box office. That's a bomb. He was forced into making a more conventional movie and surprisingly did an incredible job on it with 1991's the Fisher King. It seemed Gilliam was entirely capable of making a normal film. Of course that wasn't what he wanted to do. He wanted to the weird and wonderful and his next film was 12 Monkeys. The times had changed somewhat by the mid 90's and people were willing to think about time travel and sci-fi as not just movies set in space. The unusual 12 Monkeys was welcomed and made money. Terry Gilliam had returned. He then helped salvage Alex Cox's attempt at filming Hunter S. Thompson's book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He was making it too dark so in came Gilliam to lighten the mood and make Fear and Loathing into a fun trip. It was after this that he ran into his largest problem to date and that includes the disastrous losses on Munchausen, with his attempt to make a movie about Don Quixote. The documentary Lost in La Mancha shows what happened to it and despite both Gilliam and star Johnny Depp being keen to make it the film has never again gotten off the ground. Gilliam had to once again make a safe picture this time the Brothers Grimm although this was more up his alley in the realm of fantasy. It reclaimed less than half it's budget. Gilliam has always been able to make fantastic and unusual films rich in fantastical imagery and yet the audience has never really been interested in them in enough numbers. Which is sad because he's essentially been making films like Pan's Labyrinth for decades and then some other bugger swoops in and gets all the acclaim.

54. ROBERTO ROSSELLINI (ITALY)



HONOURS – Oscar nominated for Paisan in 1946. Rome, Open City won the Palm D'Or at Cannes the previous year. He went on to win three Golden Lions at Venice for other pictures.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 94%

TOP FILMS – Rome; Open City, Germany; Year Zero, Paisan, Stromboli.

ROME, OPEN CITY



OPINION – Although I've only seen one Roberto Rossellini film, Open City, it's such a remarkable film that it would be remiss of me to not include Rossellini in the list. Like Vittorio De Sica he was at the forefront of the neo-realism movement in Italy. Rossellini shot Open City just two months after the Allies liberated Rome from the Reich. The city was still devastated from World War II thus making it painfully realistic for the viewer. It's quintessentially neo-realist and one of the most depressing films ever made. A string of heroes are shot, tortured and executed as the film goes on. It was a bleak view of Italy during the war. As if to say; Germany may have lost the war but for a while there it looked like all hope was lost. It's a heartbreaking film featuring several images of brutal violence that you just don't expect from a film made in the 40's. It kick-started the movement of neo-realist films made in Italy. Although suffering was great across all of Europe during World War II it seemed as if the Italians were at their most creative in expressing what had happened and how they felt about it. Rome, Open City is an incredible experience. You just don't see films where the heroine, while pregnant, gets gunned down in the street by the army and dies. It just doesn't happen. But that's how downbeat Italy was at the time. And it shows. Ingrid Bergman was so fascinated with Rossellini's work, and particularly Open City, that she wrote him a letter saying the only Italian she knew was "ti amo" but she'd love to make a film with him. The result was Stromboli and two other works as the duo made a trilogy of films together. They had a torrid love affair as well producing Isabella Rossellini in the process.

53. FRED ZINNEMANN (AUSTRIA)



HONOURS – Winner of four Oscars. A Man For All Seasons, From Here to Eternity and Benjy. The latter being a short documentary. A Man For All Seasons won two in case you were wondering why that didn't add up. He was also nominated for several other films including Julia, High Noon, The Sundowners and A Nun's Story. From Here to Eternity won at Cannes and A Man For All Seasons also won a BAFTA and both won Golden Globes. He has a star on the Hollywood walk of fame.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 91%

TOP FILMS – High Noon, From Here to Eternity, Day of the Jackal, Oklahoma, , A Man for All Seasons.

HIGH NOON



OPINION – This is going to have to be quick because I'm rapidly running out of time this week. High Noon is the best western there is. It's unconventional to the degree where John Wayne called it Un-American. But that's typical of Fred Zinnemann. He got his first job in Hollywood working as an extra on All Quiet on the Western Front where he was fired for talking back to director Lewis Milestone. 12 years later he was making his own feature films including ‘The Men' in 1950 where Marlon Brando got his break. His most famous picture is From Here to Eternity with the romance and the waves washing over the couple on the beach in a scene oft parodied. His best work remains High Noon, a film that spat in the face of Senator McCarthy and his quest to root out Communism in American society. The tension of a film that is essentially all a countdown to a showdown is terrific and the ensuing gun battle was unlike anything that preceded it. The good guy is downright sneaky. No wonder John Wayne didn't like it. He also made acclaimed musical Oklahoma and the original Day of the Jackal. A fine career.

52. BRYAN SINGER (USA)



HONOURS – Won a BAFTA for the Usual Suspects. His first film Public Access won a jury prize at Sundance.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 73%

TOP FILMS – Usual Suspects, X-Men, X-Men 2, Superman Returns.

THE USUAL SUSPECTS



OPINION – For a guy who specialises in comic book movies Bryan Singer is one hell of a director. I was legitimately annoyed that he left the X-Men franchise after two films. The third film under his control could have been a real thing of beauty unlike the mess that Brett Rattner made of it. You'll notice he isn't on this list. The first two films are up there with the original Superman, Nolan's Batman film and the first two Spiderman films as the best comic book movies ever. And yet his best work came before that on the unpredictable and star studded Usual Suspects. Having Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne and Benicio del Toro in your ensemble cast was like capturing lightning in a bottle. Not to mention Chazz Palminteri. The Singer film most people forget is the one he made after the Usual Suspects but prior to his involvement with the X-franchise. Apt Pupil released in 1998 was an interesting look at Stephen King's novel and featured a towering performance from Ian McKellen as a former Nazi death camp commander discovered by younger Brad Renfro living in America. It was probably this performance that secured McKellen's role in the X-movies as Magneto. After all the two characters have a similar background bound by the holocaust. Each character on an opposing side. Singer's latest work was on the revamped Superman franchise. While it wasn't as good as his work on X-Men it featured some startling visuals (like the chasing down of the jumbo jet) and great character work in re-establishing a franchise that after Superman IV should be deader than the dodo. He's presently directing Tom Cruise in Valkyrie, about a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler during WWII, and will continue his work with Superman when Man of Steel is released in a few years time.

51. JOHN WOO (CHINA)



HONOURS – Won a few awards in Hong Kong but nothing globally.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 63%

TOP FILMS - The Killer, Hard Boiled, A Better Tomorrow, Last Hurrah for Chivalry, A Bullet in the Head, Face/Off.

THE KILLER



OPINION – Most people in the Western world only know John Woo for his relatively poor American films. Hard Target, Broken Arrow, Face/Off, Mission Impossible II, Paycheck etc. Face/Off is the only American film he's made that shows moments of the genius that made him the greatest action director in the world. If you're after a great action movie then check out Hard Boiled. Poetically choreographed and with stunning stunt work it's on a par with any American action film. It compares favourably to Die Hard. Likewise if you think Woo's American work has been a little shallow then check out A Bullet in the Head where two friends fall out over the shooting of a third friend. Loaded with action but also with depth as all three characters are shown once then shown again once the incident has happened. Betrayal changes people. You get to see that. Every movie Woo made in Hong Kong was loaded with action featuring dramatic balletic shoot out sequences. The Killer is perhaps his masterpiece though. A hitman accidentally injures a girl during a shootout and swears to protect her. The mob movie complete with slo-mo chapel shoot out is a tribute to Martin Scorsese and Sam Peckinpah with Woo injecting his own high octane thrills. Ever since I saw Bullet in the Head on late night TV I've been a fan and although his American work, Face/Off aside, has been crap there's always hope that'll he'll just find the right combination and have another great action movie made. Perhaps Chow Yun Fat tries for America again with John Woo at the helm? Preferably not in a comedy, natch.

NEXT - #50 - #26. I have to tell you these things are exhausting to write. It takes about 2 days per column so there may be a break week before the final chapter so I can get it together.