• 20Aug 08

  favorite directors part two

  
  

  Joel & Ethan Coen

  Alright, this is a pretty obvious one to most film nuts. The Coen's are indisputably genius. They're some of the best filmmakers working today. They seem to almost reinvent themselves in a way with every new picture by tackling something they've never before done. Of all my favorite filmmakers, their resume is by far the most diverse with all sorts of different genres represented. From stoner comedies (the Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona), to thrillers (Blood Simple, No Country for Old Men), to film noir (the Man Who Wasn't There), to mainstream comedies (Ladykillers, O Brother Where Art Thou?). There's not much left for them left to do.

  My favorite movie of theirs, which has quite a large cult following, The Big Lebowski, is one of the only movies I own that is in danger of being worn out. Other than the original Star Wars trilogy, there isn't a movie I've seen more. If you haven't seen this or if it's been a while, I urge you to seek it out.

  Another one of their movies, which also happens to be their first, Blood Simple, is another must see. The Coen's got a lot of their inspiration for No Country for Old Men from this one. Very similar to No Country, Blood Simple takes enough twists and turns that you don't really know what is going on but, jus like No Country, it works and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

  
  

  Quentin Tarantino

  What can I say about this guy, really? It seems you either love him or you hate him, no in between. Some people say he plagiarises, others say he changed the landscape for filmmaking. I'm not going to declare him a cinematic god but I do thoroughly enjoy his work. Even the universally panned Death Proof still had it's moments. I think most people would agree the best thing he brings to the table is his unique sty!e. Sure he may have borrowed certain things from other filmmakers but it's all been done before anyway so is it really borrowing or stealing anyway?

  That's a debate without an end. Regardless, Tarantino has made some unforgettable cinema moments and if he would only work a little more often I think he could be regarded amongst the greatest of all time.

  One of my favorites is Jackie Brown. This movie is worth watching if only for the opening sequence between Samuel L Jackson and Chris Tucker. The whole movie is a series of conversations like this. Quentin said it best on the DVD commentary, watching this flick is like getting together with a group of friends and sh!t happens. This is another flick, along with the Big Lebowski, that I can watch over and over again.

  And then there was the Kill Bill movies. I saw both of them in the theatre and I remember being knocked on my ass by what I saw. It's been almost 5 years since I saw volume one and I'm still speechless. The final scene in volume two is one of the best moments in cinematic history in my opinion.

  You have to give him dap as a writer too. This scene from True Romance is another one of those moments that will remain with me forever. Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken. Epic.

  
  

  David Fincher

  Obviously Fight Club comes to mind when you think of Fincher. To date, Fight Club remains one of the only examples of a director being able to adapt a novel and tell the story better than the author. Chuck Palahniuk even conceded that Fincher's ending was superior to his.

  But I'm not here to talk about Fight Club. I think that movie has been slurped to death and will continue to be so as long as young, angry folks keep discovering it.

  Se7en and The Game are two of Fincher's best. I don't want to give too much away about either movie but know that Fincher is the master of keeping you on the edge of your seat and showing you the world only to realize he hasn't showed you anything at all.

  And then there was Zodiac. I seem to be the only one to see the genius in that movie. It is one of the most polished movies I've ever seen which obviously left me kind of puzzled when it was left out of the Academy Awards. This scene in particular really set the tone for the rest of the movie and is one of the more brutal and realistic murder scenes on film.

  His next film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is another one to look out for later this year. Although it has a sort of Tim Burton like feel to it which turns me off a bit.

  • Posted Aug 20, 2008 2:34 pm PT
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• 19Aug 08

  favorite directors part one

  Movies have been on my mind a lot lately. I've watched a few but nothing that's really stuck with me long enough to mention.

  I was gong to do a list of my favorite directors but the list kept getting longer and longer the more I thought about it so I think, rather than doing one epic War and Peace like blog, I'll do a couple here and a couple there. Not only will it be a lot less time consuming, it'll give me the chance to properly suck up to my favorites.

  First off...

  Alfonso Cuarón

  
  Alfonso with Clive Owen on the set of Children of Men

  Along with Guillermo del Torro, these fellas are bringing the international spotlight to Mexican film and deservedly so. Although both have a lot more to show us, Pan's Labrynth and Children of Men will go down, for me, as two of the best films of the decade.

  Children of Men especially. Easily one of the best films of 2006 and was my second favorite behind The Departed. What Cuarón did with that movie was nothing short of spectacular the way he was able to bring you within the movie to feel like you were alongside Clive Owen ever step of the way. The world that Cuarón created was realistic and gritty enough to make you believe the events on screen could actually be happening. This is one of those movies that could have come out looking and feeling like one of the worst B-movies ever by any other director but Cuarón made it worthy of appearing on all time favorites lists across the globe. It's one of those films that sticks with you long after the credits roll which is no easy task to do. Here I am, over 18 months later and it's still stuck in my head.
  

  He's also responsible for what a lot of people would agree is the best of the Harry Potter series thus far, The Prisoner of Azkaban. It's possible the source material has more to do with that than anything (I've never read any of the books) but to me, Azkaban did the best job at bridging the gap between a childrens fantasy movie and a lord of the rings-esque epic movie. I would even suggest that history will look back at Azkaban as the Empire Strikes Back of the Harry Potter series.

  This is a director to watch out for in the coming years and if you're not familiar with his flicks, do yourself a favor and check out Children of Men and Y tu mamá también. You can thank me later.
  

  Wes Anderson

  

  Some people have him labeled the king of pretentiousness. A lot of his movies give off that vibe but it's really part of their charm.

  Rushmore is my favorite of all of them and if it weren't for Max Fisher and Herman Blume's pretensions this movie would have been a forgettable romantic comedy. See last year's Bill. Not only that, without the Royal Tenenbaums there would be no Arrested Development.

  The best thing about Anderson is he's able to take the most heartbreaking family situations and while keeping the weight of the situation in tact, add some humor and unforgettable lines to it.

  Check out this scene from Rushmore. In a lot of movies, a scene like this would feel out of place and uncomfortable but in a Wes Anderson flick it fits right in. Also, his use of static camera angles and seemingly awkward positions really help set the tone of real life and relationships.

  The Darjeeling Limited is his latest film and seemed to be one of the more underappreciated movies of 2007. It's not as fun to watch as Rushmore or Tenenbaums but if you have a dysfunctional family it's still a must see.

  His seemingly consistent cast and crew kind of makes him a more visually talented Kevin Smith without the dick and fart jokes.

  Sam Mendes

  
  Showing off his award for American Beauty

  For a guy born and raised in England he sure nailed the stereotypical American early and mid life crysis' in American Beauty. He also made us believe that Forrest Gump could be a badass hitman in Road to Perdition which was a great story of a father and son getting to know each other in the worst possible of situations.

  Jarhead wasn't as much of a home run as the other two but still holds up as a great war movie. I think the problem there is having to condense a book as good as the source material down to a 120 minute movie.

  Here's one of the better scenes from American Beauty. It was great to see these three people, each having their own life crysis sort of collide in a typical family scenario most of us are familiar with.

  My only real beef with Mendes is he doesn't work enough. Kind of like Tarantino.

  • Posted Aug 19, 2008 3:14 pm PT
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• 17Aug 08

  togo's reign of olympic terror is finally over

  You smell that? Ah, the impending smell of autumn is looming. Or for me here in this cowtown it means the foul stench of pig crap is starting to fade. More importantly Draft Day is finally here! With the NFL season only a couple weeks away, super fans across the continent meet with their endless lists of stats, facts and scouting reports. It's like Christmas only better.

  Canada has turned up the heat big time Beijing. We picked up 7 medals in the last couple of days and there's still plenty of time to match or better our 2004 total of 12.

  How about Usain Bolt? This kid lives up to his surname. He ran a 9.69 in the 100m to win gold. That's unbelievably fast. The amazing thing is if you watch the tape, he pulled up in the last 25m. He's faster than fast. He's so fast, if you watch the race frame by frame, you can see him stop and take a nap around the 80m mark. He's actually from the future but he ran so fast he wound up in 2008. Jamaica's got a new national hero. Maybe he can run back in time and save Bob Marley.

  And what about Michael Phelps. Forget the Hulkster, this is the Real American Hero. I don't know if he's the greatest athlete ever but he definitely earned a spot in the discussion. A lot of folks are suspect of it all with steroids tainting sports over the last decade but he's opened himself up to any and all kinds of testing. I don't think he's juicing but I wouldn't be surprised if they find a stash of gillyweed on him.

  who watches the watchmen?

  This movie is gonna be so bad-ass I think it has the potential to overthrow the Dark Knight as the best superhero movie ever made. The comics were amazing and really revolutionized the genre. Not only is the Watchmen the best graphic novel ever, it's one of the best pieces of literature in the last quarter-century. From the looks of the trailer and early hype it's looking like Zach Snyder is the right guy for the job. I've watched the trailer about a dozen times now and my nipples could cut glass right now I'm so excited.

  I'm not sure what to think of this one. Oliver Stone claims it will be an unbiased depiction of W's life but I'm somewhat skeptical. The possibility reamains that Stone lost his mind after Alexander even though WTC was watchable. Nixon and JFK were both excellent but I think this movie is about a decade too soon. The fact that this flick has been funded completely by foreign investors does bode well and I'll definitely lay down $7.50 to see it but I remain skeptical.

  The upcoming movie season is looking good. Even though Watchmen doesn't come out til next spring, there's lots to be excited about.

  Peace out,

  Al.

  • Posted Aug 17, 2008 11:30 am PT
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