Robert Altman – hit or miss; best films are
moody, folky (folksy is a dumb word), melancholy
atmospheric, antiheroic
Woody Allen – comedy; you know what Woody Allen
is like.
Theodoros Angelopoulos – saw Landscape in the Mist.
Liked it. Very Tarkovsky-like. I could not finish seeing Ulysses’ Gaze (or however it
has been translated into English). I failed three times!
Michelangelo Antonioni – meditative (sublime, spiritual,
insert word), visual composition, very architectural eye, focus on spaces, light,
shadow. (Good films in the 50s- L’Avventura, La
Jacques Becker – stylish, smooth, very French,
themes of honor, gangster narratives move along and compel plenty.
Films are to be savored along with suitable (French) wine (and cheese).
Ingmar Bergman – master storytelling using
symbolism, ellipsis, and just going straight to the gut-wrenching emotional
core of the thing. But because of this his films, with few exceptions, are very
painful and taxing to watch, like undergoing psychotherapy yourself. But again
there are moments of such beautiful film stock (usually black and white but Cries
and Whispers is a tour-de-force in color) that no amount of pain is too
much; once punched a film critic! With a surplus of
irony, he’d be almost perfect.
Stan Brakhage [see attachment]
Robert Bresson – cerebral, meditative, seemingly
detached but gripping (if you pay attention), meticulous, detailed, mis-en-scene, let’s you do some of the work (imagining),
use of ellipses, narratives (working with the style)
are engrossing. Unique
Luis Buñuel – a trouble maker alright. More later.
Tim Burton – peculiar and unique style. Like a
less-perverted Greenaway. I hope I am not selling TB short here.
Leos Carax – I have seen The Lovers of the Pont Neuf, a film on losers, on people who live on the
street. Sometimes compared to the early Wong Kar-wai
John
Carpenter – for mid-80’s desolation. Can’t beat it.
Quirky bleak fun. Not an entirely intellectual
filmmaker, but not entirely mindless action either.
Claude Chabrol – I am refusing to investigate
Chabrol thinking he will just be a lesser version of Godard and other French
New Wavers, of which I am—let’s just say, I’m okay thanks (like when they ask
if you want dessert in a Taqueria).
Henri-Georges Clouzot – cynical (but with some humanity),
very suspenseful (like a darker alternative to Hitchcock—which is of course a
very lazy way to describe this great director). Timeout Guide and others vastly
underrate this great director. But I do not underrate Timeout, when I say they
suck ballsacks.
Jean Cocteau – indeed. Very important—as a historical
figure in the history of art (particularly in the French modernist movement) as
much as a film director. Just see Orpheus (1950) and decide for yourself.
Then see Beauty and the Beast (1946). And decide for yourself. Then go
back and see Blood of a Poet (1930). And decide for yourself. Compare
self-injection to Welles. Compare style to his French-temporaries like Clouzot,
Becker, Melville (And Buñuel regarding Blood). Not that I’m saying
they’re the same, but just to give you a reference point.
Francis Ford Coppola – I would say just watch The
Godfather I & II and see what you think. Apocallipse
Now is a masterpiece. Oh, yeah
right. Forgot.
David Cronenberg – weird, stylized, homoerotic. Definitely interesting.
Jules Dassin
Brian De Palma – just see Scarface. And see
what you think. De Palma is to Cassavetes what Digital Underground is to George
Clinton (P-Funk).
De Sica
Carl Theodor Dreyer
– start with Joan
of Arc (1928). Gertrud is a must, perhaps theatrical in its composition, but
deep and touching (especially for middle-aged women, I guess)
Sergei
Eisenstein – essential
for film buffs. Some may be bored.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
– more later. I need to see more first. And God that’s no small
task.
Federico Fellini – who cares what I think about
Fellini?
Samuel Fuller – quirky, film-noir-esque, but
stories always end up being quite odd—and interesting.
At the beginning, in the early 1950s, there was the minority
report offered by Manny Farber, who praised Fuller among those post-'40s
filmmakers who find their "best stride in a culture-free atmosphere that
allows a director to waste his and the audience's time", calling fond
attention to the "episodic, spastically slow and fast" rhythm of the
work, its "skepticism and energy". – Senses of Cinema
Terry
Gilliam – visionary,
fantastical, sort of like a prelude to Alfonso Cuarón.
Jean-Luc
Godard – experimental,
juvenile, brilliant. Entertaining but nontraditional (nonlinear) style will
appeal to some more than others. Beautiful images. Beautiful ideas. Do they always work? Forces one to ask
questions like “what is art?” and “what is coherence?” and “how should a film
be made?”
Michael Haneke –
film is on the way (Netflix). If you like it, try The
Piano Teacher, and Benny’s Video, and Caché
(his last film)
Werner Herzog – the ecstasy of truth. As visionary and skilled as Kubrick, Tarkovksy,
others, but with an empathy and a profound connection to story like that of
Fassbinder, Renoir, or take your pick. I know no other director who can
blend fiction and reality so seamlessly—and make so much pleasure from it.
Alfred Hitchcock – again, my input is as irrelevant
as my dick.
Jia Zhangke – see Tsai review for now. I’ll say
more later.
Chuck Jones – my favorite of the four major
Looney Tunes directors.
Abbas Kiarostami – slow films, he likes showing a lot of takes from a car,
it is interesting, but I wonder how much is lost in the negociation
between cultures
Krzysztof Kieslowski – good. I
agree. Elegant, with characters always struggling with the
most important concerns in life. Maybe sometimes a bit
too obvious in his symbols.
Takeshi Kitano – exciting, wide ranging themes.
Stanley Kubrick – meticulous, perfectionist,
classic films have entered our vocabulary (whether you realize it or not). Just
look at his titles. You’ve probably seen most of his films already. And for a good reason.
Akira Kurosawa – Just see Seven Samurai if
you haven’t already. And go from there. One of film’s most
deft masters. And I thought that even before I worshipped
Fritz Lang – Just see M or Metropolis
and go from there.
Sergio Leone – amazing. Films a guy can watch
over and over and over and never get bored. Once Upon a Time in the West
must be considered for one of most momentous and re-watchable
films of all time.
David Lynch – very
idiosyncratic. I
love Dune and I don’t care what anyone says.
Terrence Malick –
Luis Malle -
Jean-Pierre Melville
– slick.
Kenji Mizoguchi – what the hell? Criterion…needs to
get off their ass here. Big time.
Hayao Miyazaki – makes the same film over and over, but man what a film it
is…a totally sublime fantasy of anachronism only possibly through animation but
which entirely transcends animation like only a very small handful can.
Mikio Naruse – see Mizoguchi (re Criterion and
what they know they need to do).
Mamoru Oshii – I’ve seen the anime Ghost
in the Shell; it’s really good. Haven’t seen his other
stuff yet.
Yasujiro Ozu – one of film’s all-time master storytellers
(and filmmakers). You cannot not cry watching any of his films (with exception
of Good Morning, which is great, but you don’t have to cry).
Films you will want to watch again, although you only need to see once for them
to be permanently burned into your brain. Unique filmmaking
style which you will just have to see for yourself.
Pier Paolo
Pasolini – sensual, disturbing, jarring. Mixing his
kind of realism with classical stories. I, myself, have not yet formed a
solid opinion of 3P.
Sam Peckinpah – violent and possibly misogynistic
films with the most intense and memorable moments. Ripping.
Just ripping.
Powell & Pressburger – the most beautiful body of Technicolor
works I can think of alongside the best Hitchcock’s
Otto Preminger – great grip. Great
historical context too. More when I’ve seen more.
Lynne Ramsay
Nicholas Ray by
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Satyajit Ray –worthwhile
Carol Reed – very competent,
some solid films.
I hear.
Jean Renoir – the definition of humanity in
cinema. One of the all-time great masters.
Nicolas Roeg – idiosyncratic, melancholy,
desolate style.
Eric Rohmer – meticulous,
skillful, crafty, big into heady dialogue. Some will get bored. I like him, never get bored-
educated French people talk like that.
Roberto Rossellini – I need to get off my ass and see
some of his films. This is my hole. Germany,
Year Zero is a good point of departure
Douglas Sirk – master of melodrama. Once in a while, one can indulge
something like that
Preston
Sturges – witty,
clever dialogue. Plots move along. No time to meditate here, just go. Classic stuff here. Slices of history as well, which will
resonate more with Americans.
Seijun Suzuki – Branded to Kill is one of the most brilliant films
ever made. (I take note) You have to watch several
times. It takes a while to appreciate fully.
Andrei Tarkovsky – lyrical, meditative, one of the
most profoundly unique visions of filmmaking that ever was. All of his films
are revelations. His technique has been called “sculpting in time” and that is
what he does. Just see one and go from there.
Jacques Tati – His comedies are a certain style
which will appeal to some but not all. Playtime, however, is a
completely unique experience in film, but it must be seen on a large screen.
Bertrand Tavernier – a very special filmmaker. What a
mind—containing both the playfulness of Buñuel but a seemingly more mature and
empathetic nature. His films draw you in and hold you. They can be seen and
grasped once, but can also be re-watched again and again for an
infinity of details.
François Truffaut –
Jules
and Jim, The 400 Blows, it is interesting the
series on Antoine Doinel (5 films with the same protagonist playing the same
character, from his childhood to his late 30s). I have them, just haven’t watched yet.
Tsai Ming-liang – subtle, understated (but perfectly
artful), in-no-hurry, lyrical, things just happen, you have plenty of time to
contemplate while you watch, stories about ordinary people, nothing not to
like. If you are a patient person. If you like Tsai,
try Jia Zhangke.
Agnès Varda – I’ve only seen Cleo from 5 to
7; it’s great, but particularly on a projector.
Paul Verhoeven – Robocop, Starship
Troopers. Fun, quirky sci-fi with great cynicism.
Jean Vigo – L’Atalante is a beautiful
one-of-a-kind film that everyone should see; his other film (he only made two!)
is not available that I
know of.
Andy Warhol – art films? Whatever.
Peter Weir – beautiful images always. Lots of period films. They tend to mesmerize for a while,
then you saturate. Sometimes there are moments which seem too blatant or
unsubtle, but nonetheless the images and sounds do haunt. The feeling at the
end of Year of Living Dangerously is very special.
Orson Welles – such playful and epic genius. His
inability to not inject himself into his works so forcefully and flagrantly
will be and has been off putting to some. But don’t throw the baby out with the
bathwater. There is some truly great stuff here. Besides of course Citizen
Kane, I also truly love The Trial (again, especially on a projector
with Welles).
Wim Wenders – another hole, of mine. Please
give me time. Irregular-
generally and particularly speaking.
Try
Michael Winterbottom
– very clever, dry
sense of humor,
Wong Kar-wai – lyrical, haunting, blends melancholy
with exhilaration in a very special way. Provides as many “nicotine moments” as
any director I know. Epic but intimate at the same time.
Nostalgia in the extreme.
Edward Yang – Yi-Yi was good.
Zhang Yimou – I’ll say something some other
time. It’s late. Raise the Red Lantern. Saw
it. It’s fine.