31. Master of the Imagination

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I have a small
Library of movies
From my childhood
That I had seen I don't
Know how many times,
Because when you're that
Young every movie seems
New no matter how many
Times you watch it. Most
Of those movies back then
Were Pixar or Disney, and
Then there's Spirited Away,
Which I Loved like A Bug's
Life or Toy Story, but never
Understood as much as those
Other movies until I got older;
I didn't catch on to the fact that Haku
Was a dragon until well past the halfway
Mark, I didn't understand why the river spirit
Was covered in sludge, and Chihiro's memory
Of getting saved from the river was lost on me.
Still, the things I didn't understand did little to
Detract from how awesome I felt the movie was.
And now it almost feels painful when I watch
Spirited Away again, because now I understand
It all, and the movie just becomes more and more
Relevant to life. Aside from Spirited Away, I was
Not introduced to the films of Hayao Miyazaki
Until 8th grade, when I saw Howl's Moving Castle
And was blown away by it. Incredible to say, the
8th grade me still did not understand everything
That occurred in the movie (and I had already
Caught the movie fever by then), but oh it was
A magnificent experience! After that, it's another
Year of silence until I happened upon Castle in the
Sky in 10th grade, and I became determined to seek
Out all of Miyazaki's films, I could have kicked my-
Self for missing out on so many amazing movies
For so long. Kiki's Delivery Service, Nausicaa of
The Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke
Quickly followed, as did My Neighbor Totoro and
Porco Rosso, capped off with Ponyo and The Castle
Of Cagliostro. The other films of Miyazaki's Studio
Ghibli I too had meanwhile watched in succession,
Brilliant movies like the lush Whisper of the Heart,
The quirky Pom Poko, and the very, very sad Grave
Of the Fireflies. Watching The Wind Rises last year,
The sadness I felt at the fact that Hayao Miyazaki
Had announced his retirement from filmmaking
Made the experience all the more bittersweet. One
Day, I hope to own a collection of Miyazaki's
Filmography. My favorite director of all time had
Been around all this time; it's ironic how I've only
Gotten to know him in the last 2 years. I find it
Difficult to delve into something I love so much, so
I'll do what a fanboy normally does: You should to
Watch the films of Hayao Miyazaki, and I mean all
Of them (there aren't even that many); every one of
His films is magnificent, inspired, and perfect; there
Is nothing that can be added to them to make them
Better. Beautiful scenery painted of watercolors, epic
Storytelling where everything falls into place, and
Thoroughly dynamic characters that leap off the
Animation into real life are the facts in a Miyazaki
Film. No other filmmaker of the present time had
So well utilized every aspect of the art of film, and
So immersed himself in the filmmaking process,
Than the undisputed master of imagination, my
Favorite director for all times, Hayao Miyazaki.

29. Honorary Mentions

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Time to face the facts: I'm running
Out of favorite directors to sing my
Praises for, and to a greater extent
I'm running out of sufficiently original
Praises too. Before I unveil my last and
Personally most revered director of all,
Here's a haphazard salute to some great
Directors I did not cover with this odd-
Numbered cycle of monologues: Robert
Altman, the salad-making rebel fighting
The Hollywood system, whose movies
Of huge ensemble casts, unorthodox
Storytelling and improvised naturalism
Are spectacular sights to behold even
If you do not like his style; Sergio Leone,
Whose spaghetti westerns represent the
Pinnacle of the genre, and also produced
Once Upon A Time In America, which I
Find to be among the saddest and most
Atrociously underrated films ever; Martin
Scorsese, who also made one hell of a sad
Movie, with Raging Bull, and is of course
Best known as the godfather of gangster
Movies (that aside, he had directed an
Excellent adaptation of The Invention of
Hugo Cabret, which does fall into the
Entertainment for all ages category), and
A stellar handler of period styles; Akira
Kurosawa, whose most reputed movies
I had watched all just this summer, and
Show the Japanese master as a pioneer
Of original, wildly influential cinematic
Tales, humanist compassion, and grand
Black-and-white photography; Ang Lee,
Versatile adapter of a rich collection of
Literary works; Michael Mann, the go-to
Director to make stylish urban thrillers;
Brian De Palma, another stylist (and the
Second most prominent user of bloody
Violence after Sam Peckinpah); and
Ingmar Bergman, Sam Mendes, Danny
Boyle, Christopher Nolan, Alan J. Pakula,
David Lean, Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock,
Howard Hawks, Don Siegel, Sidney Lumet,
John Frankenheimer, Franklin J. Schaffner,
Isao Takahata, Steven McQueen, Darren
Aronofsky, Steven Soderbergh, and more
Greats I've yet to be introduced to. Of these
Fabulous directors I sang no long-winded
Praise for because I either had not seen
Enough of their films or they had not
Amassed a sufficiently wide-spanning
Filmography to be deemed consistently
Great. A great director uses the medium
Of film to communicate the language of
Art. Aside from music, film is arguably
The most expressive communication
Form there is; such a medium of
Expression cannot be bound solely
To commercial interests or mass
Appeal, and I think all great
Directors have understood
That, hence their ability to
Produced films of great
Merit, not simply because
They entertain, more
Because of what they tell.

27. The Sentimental Favorite

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I am thinking of Steven Spielberg
At 2 am because I had forgotten to
Write a monologue on Wednesday,
And I am trying to remember the
First Spielberg movie I ever saw,
But I can't, though I have a minor
Suspicion that it's Indiana Jones
And the Kingdom of the Crystal
Skull. Steven's movies are great
Because they have a lot of heart,
Which isn't what most great film-
Makers are known for; Spielberg
Is the sentimental master, and this
Is seen in everything from E.T. to
Amistad to Saving Private Ryan to
Schindler's List. No matter how grim
Or depressing the subject matter at
Hand, Steven handles it with the kind
Of compassion mostly reserved for
Cut pets. Steven's second forte is
Wholesale entertainment. Jurassic
Park, Jaws, the Indiana Jones flicks,
Close Encounters of the Third Kind,
The genre of action adventure would
Be a lot less entertaining of Steven
Never made movies. His ventures
Into darker territory, such as Empire
Of the Sun, Minority Report, Munich,
To name a few, are equally engrossing,
But still sentimental. It seems almost
Criminal for a Steven Spielberg film
To depict the unpleasant head-on, such
As in War Horse, an execution takes
Place at the foot of a windmill, and
The firing squad shoots just as the
Sails rotate in front of the camera
To obstruct the 2 young deserters
Getting shot. Even when things get
As bloody as they do in Saving Private
Ryan, the story at the core of the movie
Is a noble and good-hearted one. With
The possible exception of Munich, Steven
Has not made a single movie where a
Trace of innocence, or optimism, is not
Preserved. All the better, because while
Great films can make us confront reality,
They too can wrap us in a reality better
Than the one we occupy, which is why
In the arsenal of great directors Steven
Spielberg will always be my
Sentimental favorite.

25. King of Style

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If a monologue about eclectic
Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino
Were to contain a reference
To some obscure movie twice
Every sentence, only that would
Do his name any justice. He who
Is the king of homages, pastiches
And bold spins on the works of
Other directors is a fine example
Of film bluff to movie director, and
The living proof that if you've seen
Enough movies, you could probably
Make a few yourself. Quentin's hot
Streak of modern classics started
With Reservoir Dogs, an excellent
Crime caper and nod to Kubrick's
The Killing. His next film is the one
Everyone knows: Pulp Fiction, in
Which John Travolta, Samuel L.
Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce
Willis and ensemble simply ooze
With style. Despite only being
Twenty years old, the movie is
Already an icon. I'd quote one
Of the numerous famous lines
From Pulp right now, but I've
Only seen it once, sadly. I have
Also not seen Quentin's homage
To blaxploitation films: Jackie
Brown (though I did see Django
Unchained, but that one's more
Of a southern western; like with
The Coen Brothers, you're never
Sure what one genre Quentin's
Movies belong to). The two Kill
Bill movies (best seen as one whole
Martial arts epic with intermission)
Again features an over-the-top
Amount of cool, style and pure
Badassery, and affirmed Quentin's
Prowess with high velocity action
Sequences (In Reservoir Dogs and
Pulp Fiction, the violence was more
Restrained to sudden outbursts),
Something he repeated in the way
Of car chases, with Death Proof.
The first of Quentin's movies I've
Seen turned out to be his wacky
WWII thriller, Inglourious Basterds,
Which ends the war in a way only
Someone who really enjoys their
Fiction can end it, Tarantino style.
From unexpected plot twists to
Hilarious use of expletives, with
Gruesome violence and badass
Characters on the side, topped
With indelible dialogue that must
Be heard in all its blazing glory
Within the film for maximum
Enjoyment, a Quentin picture
Is a movie bluff at his glorious,
Finest two hours.

23. A Maker of Thrillers

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The beginning of the speedy decline
Of the once great Alien Franchise
Can be attributed to the third film in
The series, the directorial debut of
Now highly acclaimed filmmaker
David Fincher, who can't be blamed
For the film's failure, as his otherwise
Excellent filmography will show. A
Quick glance at the works of this
Exceptional craftsman indicates a
Strong affinity towards the thriller
Genre; first there's the terrifying
Detective thriller Se7en, one of
The scariest movies ever made;
Then came cult favorite Fight Club,
A wickedly smart psychological
Thriller that is arguably the best
Movie ever made on the subject
Of anarchy; distorted reality thriller
The Game and home invasion thriller
Panic Room also came out of this
period. Fincher's canvas expanded
beginning with Zodiac, the true story
Detailing the investigation of the
Zodiac Killer cases, still very much
A mystery thriller. His next effort,
The Curious Case of Benjamin
Button, finds Fincher departing
From the thriller genre for the first
Time, creating a biographical period
Drama with hints of magic realism;
The element of mystery still features
In this strange tale of Brad Pitt aging
Backwards against the backdrop of
The twentieth century. The Social
Network, the most hip movie of the
Year it was released in, substitutes
Thriller conventions for a taut and
Suspenseful drama about deception
Using the creation of Facebook as
The basis of its fictionalized plot. The
American adaptation of The Girl With
The Dragon Tattoo sees Fincher's
Return to his signature thriller genre.
His upcoming feature Gone Girl also
Seems to be another mystery thriller.
His relative consistency in genre aside,
David Fincher is also distinct among
Acclaimed modern directors as a
Subtle master of style. Unlike his
More flashy contemporaries such
As Michael Mann and Ridley Scott,
Or more nuanced ones like Paul
Thomas Anderson, the technical
Polish of David Fincher's films are
Varied yet extremely consistent, from
The decadent city in Se7en to the
Vintage look of Benjamin Button,
From the noir-like atmosphere of
Zodiac to the bleak grimness of Girl
With the Dragon Tattoo. Stylized
Title sequences, precise execution
Of story, intensity of atmosphere
And effective camera angles are
Other commendable features of
A David Fincher film. His works
Touches the equilibrium between
Art and entertainment with greater
Accuracy than even Christopher
Nolan; perhaps no other director
Of the present age has achieved
Such fine balance, such thrilling
Balance.

21. Masterminds in Animation

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This monologue will be quite
Different from all the ones
Preceding it; it is not about
One director; it is about five,
Namely John Lasseter, Pete
Doctor, Brad Bird, Andrew
Stanton and Lee Unkirch.
These names might not ring
A bell for you unless you've
Only become introduced to
Their work after you've
Reached the age where
You begin to look at movies
Based on who directed them.
You will however recognize
The name Pixar, the name of
The greatest movie studio in
The history of cinema (aside
From Studio Ghibli), animated
Or otherwise, whose perfect
Track record had only just
Recently been soiled by one
Mediocre movie. Epic in scope,
Meticulous in execution, awe-
Some in creativity, unparalleled
In originality (except against
Studio Ghibli) and almost never
Without heart, Pixar's assembly
Of great films are in need of no
Introduction: the Toy Story Trilogy,
A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc., Cars,
Finding Nemo, The Incredibles,
Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up, and
Hopefully more to come. I have
Not seen Brave or Monsters
University, but when it's Pixar,
I can safely expect a good film,
With good production values,
If not a great film (Cars 2 was
A good spy flick, it just wasn't
Exceptional). If anything, the
Work of Pixar has proven the
Animated movie to be right on
Par with its live action counter-
Part. The animated film is wholly
Capable of everything live action
Can deliver, and more. Those
Essence of great filmmaking:
Plot, characters, imagery, and
Music, are never forsaken by
Pixar. We need to realize that
Animated movies are not just
For children; the medium of
Animation does not appeal
Solely to people unburdened
With the responsibilities of
Life; the enjoyment of creativity
Is a privilege every human being
Shares, and rightfully deserves.

19. The Artificial Storyteller

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With a style more distinct than
Any other filmmaker, eccentric
Director Wes Anderson has
Made some neat little pictures
In his not yet two-decade old
Career that make the words
'Unique' and 'creative' sound
Like understatements when
Applied to describe his work.
Wes Anderson's style has not
Changed at all since he made
Bottle Rocket, a heist movie
I have not seen. I saw his
second movie: Rushmore,
Which might be seen as a
High school movie from the
Perspective of an autistic
Observer; and after that one,
The Royal Tenenbaums, a
Family drama also from the
Perspective of someone who
Is likely autistic. Anderson's
Characters all possess a blunt,
Deadpan quality that makes
Them quirky, almost likable;
A more introverted, naive, or
Loop-sided Monty Python,
If you will. The Life Aquatic
With Steve Zissou, a sea-
Adventure story, I have not
Seen. Then came two movies
That can arguably represent
The maturation of Anderson's
Style, which I maintain has not
Changed since his first picture:
The Darjeeling Limited, where
Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson
And Jason Schwartzman take
A train trip across India on a
Spiritual bonding journey to
Ditch their emotional baggage,
Which is sort of a continuation
Of The Royal Tenenbaums; and
Fantastic Mr. Fox, which proves
That Wes Anderson's style work
Just as well - if not better - in
Animation as it does live action,
After all, his movies all resemble
Storybooks (a narrator is some-
Thing used often in his films), the
Story is narrated while image,
So much like stills or illustrations,
Display on the movie screen; the
Stills themselves are usually and
Obviously artificial, which adds
To the impression of being a
Picture book. After Fantastic
Mr. Fox came Anderson's best
Film to date: Moonrise Kingdom,
A charming romantic adventure
Story that can be likened to a
More benign version of Malick's
Badlands. Then it is followed by
An epic of Anderson-proportions:
The Grand Budapest Hotel, where
Storybook images and multiple
Narrator-within-narrators work
At their most frantic to tell a
Quirky and surprisingly dark
Fable of a murder mystery, a
Prison break-out, and other
Grand story events best seen
Than told by me. After all,
Wes Anderson is the best
Storyteller (literally) who
Presently happens to work
In the medium of movies;
And a great storyteller is
All you need to enjoy the movies.

17. Failure's Satirist

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At first glance, you will
Not realize that the films
Of Alexander Payne are
More or less all about
Ordinary people getting
Failed in life, and getting
It hard. This is because
In an Alexander Payne
Movie we the audience
See the utter failures of
The characters through an
Intimate yet mocking lens;
When depressed alcoholic
Paul Giamatti loses it and
Drinks himself silly while in
California wine country with
Broken-nosed Thomas
Hayden Church, we laugh
At their sorry state of affairs
Because their misery is so
Incredible it makes life
Seem ridiculous, as often
Happens when we're
Depressed; when high
School teacher Matthew
Broderick (with a bee sting
On his eyelid) gets the ax
For sabotaging the school
Election (perhaps for the
Better), we laugh at the
Total disintegration of his
Life up to that point and
The cruel hilarity of his
Predicament; and when
George Clooney rages
At his comatose wife for
Cheating on him (the best
Of such scenes since Marlon
Brando rages at his dead wife
Beside her coffin in Last Tango
In Paris), we feel sorry for him
But laugh at his powerlessness
To settle his case in a meaningful
Confrontation (it's even funnier
Because it's George Clooney
Doing the raging). Sideways,
Election, The Descendants,
And a pair of road movies:
About Schmidt and Nebraska,
Where old Jack Nicolson and
Bruce Dern realize they've failed
Quite majorly their whole lives,
Are all movies about ordinary
People whose lives are in
Disarray, who fail in their
Quest to improve them-
Selves and go on living
Just as they had before.
By all accounts Payne's
Movies should be quite
Miserable experiences,
Yet they are not; at the
Rock bottom of misery
Lies the humor of black
Comedy; the wonderful
Films of Alexander Payne
Showcases failure in the
Most satirical, enjoyable
Light.

15. Botched

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The hilarious Uncyclopedia
Article on American filmmakers
The Coen Brothers (Joel and Ethan)
Sums up their career as follows:
"The Coen Brothers are a pair of
Brothers from Minnesota that
Make movies about fringe
American cultural stereotypes
And their botched crimes"
Which, believe it or not,
Sums up their filmography
In a way they probably would
Have agreed with. A Coen
Brothers movie holds the
Distinction of being instantly
Recognizable due first
Of all to how their characters
Talk. Whether it's hapless
John Turturro getting a verbal
Barrage from Michael Lerner
In Barton Fink or Frances
McDormand talking Minnesota-
Nice in Fargo, the dialogue in
Their movies are a feast for
The ears; arcane, inventive,
Charming, off-beat, or just
Plain verbose, if "the Dude
Abides" doesn't enrich your
Speech, what will? Then there's
All the botched plots, from the
Off-the-wall wackiness of
Raising Arizona to the in-
Comprehensible brilliance
Of Barton Fink; the pitch-
Black idiocy of Burn After
Reading to the befuddled
Head-scratching of A
Serious Man; the brutally
Funny out-of-control
Kidnapping plot of Fargo
to the straight adaptation
Of True Grit. With a Coen
Brothers movie, you never
What twist will come next
In their ever inventive plots
To keep their characters
Suffering blatant misfortunes
And cursed blessings. The
Genre-blending work of
The Coen Brothers has
One consistency among
Them: every one of their
Films is one part crime
Comedy; what the other
Part is you can only guess.
The same filmmakers who
Created the ultimate laid-
Back flick The Big Lebowski
Also made the bleak air-tight
Thriller No Country For
Old Men, with the fast-and-
Loose Homer adaptation
O Brother Where Art Thou
In the middle. They crafted
The cynical gangster movie
Miller's Crossing, and the
Cynical country music
Drama Inside Llewyn Davis,
Everyone from hitmen to
C.I.A. men to men suffering
A midlife crisis had been
Depicted in the quirky,
Unpredictable genius of the
Coen Brothers. They epitomize
The outlandish original that
Spins stories only they want
To tell that only they can
Come up with; their camera
Goes places most would not
Dream of to go; their style,
It ties the room together.

13. 'A P.T. Anderson Film'

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If you want your movies to
Fly in the face of everything
That's supposed to happen
In movies (and if you're not
Thinking about the works of
Charlie Kaufman after that
First sentence), then indelible
'Wunderkind' director Paul
Thomas Anderson is surely
Your cup of hot 80% cocoa
Chocolate with cinnamon
Marshmallows. The heading
'A P.T. Anderson Film' has
Several connotations: in such
A film you will encounter a
Vast array of characters, some
Of whom are prone to sudden
Outbursts of violence, threats
To commit acts of violence
(Especially memorable was
A character played by Tom
Cruise threatening to drop-kick
Some dogs; not just kick them,
But drop-kick them, and that
Makes a big difference between
Sophistication and a mindless
Threat), or just batshit crazy
Tantrums. That is not to say
All his characters are like that,
Some are just clueless and
Benign, some others are
Weary and senile. And all
Of them are easily the most
Interesting and extraordinary
Fictitious humans created on
This side of the Coen Brothers.
And what are intriguing characters
Without an intriguing camera to
Follow them around? Indeed, the
Thoughtfully framed, cerebral
Cinematography of A P.T.
Anderson Film has the kind
Of enticing self-awareness
That reels you in towards the
Delirious images not unlike
How a bug zapper attracts
Flies. The music in A P.T.
Anderson Film are also
Worthy of note, for they
Are of the best kind of
Off-kilter music providing
A pleasantly uncomfortable
Soundtrack to the off-kilter,
Strange and intense images
On screen, opening new
Possibilities for percussion,
A dominant feature in the
Soundtracks. P.T. Anderson
Has thus far six films to his
Name, I have seen five of
Them, and not one is weak:
there is Boogie Nights, an
Epic chronicle of the California
Porn industry during its golden
Age; Magnolia, the greatest
Salad drama since Robert
Altman's Shortcuts; Punch-
Drunk Love, a cute and crazy
Rom-com; There Will Be
Blood, where Daniel Day-
Lewis drinks everyone's
Milkshake (figuratively);
And The Master, which
Is about...well, something
Along the lines of a man's
Dissatisfaction with a New
Age religious movement
Perhaps, I'm guessing here.
A P.T. Anderson Film is a
conglomerate of Stanley
Kubrick, Quentin Tarantino,
Robert Altman and who knows
Who else I haven't caught on to?
His work bears a distinctiveness
And individualism like peppers
And cabbage in cake icing; let
Your tastes be enthralled.

11. An Australian In Any Genre

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I admit I have limited
Knowledge of Australian
Cinema, in fact, I have only
Seen at least one film from
A mere two Australian
Directors: Philip Noyce,
And the subject of this
Tribute, Peter Weir.
Weir's filmography
Indicates a director
Capable in any genre;
Like a more mainstream
Stanley Kubrick or
Paul Thomas Anderson;
A master seemingly
Without trademark.
That is no to say his
Films are bland, in fact,
Some of my favorite
Movies owe to his name
In the credits: the beautifully
Baffling horror mystery
Picnic At Hanging Rock;
The authentic and thrilling
Sea adventure Master and
Commander: The Far Side
Of the World; the brilliant and
Original Truman Show, which
Belongs in a category of its
Own; Witness, a detective love
Story unlike any other; Gallipoli,
The most devastating war film
Since All Quiet on the Western
Front; and of course, Carpe
Diem! A sentimental favorite
In the genre of boarding school
Dramas, Dead Poets Society.
On the side, there is the political
Journalism story The Year
Of Living Dangerously, the
Psychological thriller The
Last Wave, the Jeff Bridges
Character study Fearless,
And noteworthy efforts in
The horror genre. Weir's
Reliable tendency to make
Good movies out of good
Stories has produced one
Of the most stellar track
Records in all of cinema.
Weir is among the small
Group of filmmakers who've
Never made a bad movie,
And that's not even owing
To any distinctiveness in his
Style; the man simply has
A great eye for great ideas,
And that's something even
The most acclaimed director
Cannot do without. And
Did I mention that I think
Peter Weir is arguably the
Most grossly underrated
Directors working today?

9. Big Questions

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Who has seen the philosopher
And encountered his art?
What could be made of these
Sublime images of nature?
What meaning is there in the
Contemplative, soul-searching
Voice-overs? Why do plot
Lack significance in this one
Man's film, but is indispensable
In the works of other directors?
How is visual beauty the center-
Piece of everything? Where does
The transcendence originate?
Why has no other filmmaker
Attempted to evoke the
Muted romanticism of Badlands,
The haunting yet whimsical
Tragedy of Days of Heaven,
The solemn meditation of
The Thin Red Line, the
Intangible profundity of
The Tree of Life? Who has
Seen the New World; who
Has been To the Wonder?
While you and I toil in
Banality, what new visions
Greater than man's under-
Standing does the elusive
Philosopher dream of to
Show to us next?

7. Devil's Stare

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The now iconic opening
Sequence of Christopher
Nolan's The Dark Knight
Depicts a bank robbery
Perpetrated by gunmen
Wearing clown masks; I
Think one reason why the
Scene was so thrilling was
Because of said clown masks
And the originality of their use.
Little did I know that Nolan
Was in fact paying homage -
Whether he knew it or not -
To an old heist flick by
The name of The Killing, in
Which Sterling Hayden robs
A racetrack vault wearing a
Clown mask. And the director
Of that movie: Stanley Kubrick.
Kubrick's is a name that needs
No introduction, because I
Imagine more film books
Have been written of him
Than the number of films
He's made in his diverse,
Illustrious and enigmatic
Career, none of which I
Have cared to read. Kubrick
Is a director who never made
Two movies that are alike yet
Never directed two dissimilar
Films. His early works, the
Aforementioned The Killing,
The scorching, anti-military
Paths of Glory, and the
Hollywood epic Spartacus
Are among the best and
- in the case of the first two
titles - most original films to
Come out of their time. Like
Japanese master Akira
Kurosawa, traces of his
Pictures have been lend to
Numerous movies that came
After, The Dark Knight was
Only one that I've managed
To pick out. Kubrick's late
Black-and-white adaptation
Of Lolita I have yet to see, and
Dr. Strangelove, possibly the
Cleverest war satire ever
Made, I enjoyed very much.
Of his full color pictures I
Have viewed all except the
Lavish period epic Barry
Lyndon, and of those the
One I loved most was -
Oddly - Full Metal Jacket,
Which is worth seeing just
For Lee Ermey's performance
As the merciless Sergeant
Hartman on its own. As
Every Kubrick film is a
Film famous for its distinct
Reason, no introduction
Needs to be given of A
Clockwork Orange, Eyes
Wide Shut, The Shining (a
Horror film that also isn't,
According to conspiracy
Theorists), and 2001: A
Space Odyssey (which I
Saw after reading the book
And was gladly more prepared
For it than the average
Unassuming viewer. Alas
This lackluster tribute to
One of cinema's true originals,
A model to be copied but
Never replicated, must end
Soon, so I can only say that
Stanley Kubrick has created
A body of work so
Vast in artistic depth and
So strong in creative force
They are pictures to not just
Be enjoyed but interpreted
For all times. Interestingly,
Most of his films are
Adaptations, yet these
Films do not adapt by
Their source material;
The source material
Adapts to Kubrick's
Vision, and in that
Vision, you can
See Alex Delarge,
Jack Torrance,
Private Pyle
And other
Iconic
Characters
Holding a
Devil's stare
As if to say:
'Who else
Can do
This?'
None
Other
Than
Kubrick.

5. A Stylish Visionary

One can argue that
Ridley Scott stopped
Making great movies
After Gladiator. I argue
That he in fact made
An even better movie
In 2005: Kingdom of
Heaven, which is sadly
Underrated because few
People have seen the
Superior Director's Cut
As opposed to the shitty
Watered-down version that
Was released in theaters. I
Will find time in the next
3 weeks to watch Kingdom
Of Heaven: Director's Cut,
Along with other fine movies
Of his, namely Matchstick
Men and American Gangster
All in the near future. Although
Ridley Scott's filmography is
Less studded with classics
Than you might think, he has
Successfully dabbled in a
Wide variety of genres to
Brilliant results, cases in
Point: Alien, one of the
Originals of the sci-fi
Horror genre, featuring
What is arguably the most
Terrifying alien ever to
Be depicted in film; Blade
Runner, a dystopian sci-fi
Noir worth watching just
For the stunning visuals
Alone, even if you - like
Me - did not completely
Grasp what its story was
Getting at; Thelma and
Louise, an enjoyable road
Movie and some might
Call a chick flick; Black
Hawk Down, one of the
First movies to succeed
In depiction modern war-
Fare; and Gladiator, which
during one summer I watched
Once per day for a whole
Week, it's easily the greatest
Purely commercial popcorn
Epic ever made. I won't say
more about what I think
Is his masterpiece, Kingdom
Of Heaven, because I've
Ranted about the movie
Too much in other places.
It's true that Scott has
Made many truly mediocre
Pictures, like Body of
Lies, Robin Hood, Hannibal
And Prometheus among
Others which I've avoided
For that reason. Always
A commercial director, his
Less than stellar track
Record can be expected,
But what cannot be refuted
Is that Ridley Scott has
Crafted some of the best
Looking movies ever to
Grace the screen since
The 80's. Large-scale
Sets, sleek editing and
A eye for the epic best
Viewed on a wide screen
Define Scott's vision. Like
Michael Mann, Brian de Palma
And Christopher Nolan, Scott
Is a director artist bound by
Commercial appeal, which
Sometimes and inevitably
Dilutes his artistic vision, yet
otherwise elevates a film
To the equilibrium between
Art and entertainment, which
All popular and everlasting
Movies strive to achieve.

3. Ballad of Bloody Sam

G!

The first film by 'Bloody' Sam
Peckinpah I gained exposure
To was his most famous: The
Wild Bunch, a western so
Ahead of its time, even if you
Watch it today, you'll still
Think it's better than the
Action movies released just
Last week. In a way, Sam's
Tragically short career was
Defined by the way he helped
Revolutionize the depiction of
Violence on the movie screen,
And to go even further he might
As well take most of the credit
For it, because while Bonnie
And Clyde, Dirty Harry and
A Clockwork Orange were
Also watershed films in the
Portrayal of violence, only
Sam was bold enough to
Return to the subject again
And again. That is not to say
He glorified violence - which
Is an easy thing to do; he
Simply pointed out the
Necessity of violence,
Especially for the outcasts in
The cruel, deterministic place
He saw the world as, where
Survival is the greatest
Virtue. Outcasts are what
His characters are made of;
From his most pedestrian
Character study that is Junior
Bonner to his most sordid
Masterpiece that is Bring Me
The Head of Alfredo Garcia,
The movie's hero is always an
Individual who has been
Abandoned by society
Which has moved on without
Them; an individual who is
Fighting a losing battle and
Has no alternative but to
Continue swimming against
The strong current. Before
The maturation of his personal
Style which included freeze-
Frame titles, slow-motion
Action shots, and intense
Editing, Sam turned out two
Somewhat old-fashioned, and
Immensely enjoyable westerns:
Ride the High Country and
Major Dundee, where his
tendencies of on-location
authenticity and masculine-
Centered narratives already
Showed in surplus. Starting
With The Wild Bunch, every
Sam Peckinpah movie
Became a Sam Peckinpah
Movie, instantly recognizable
From the first titles frame, and
Endlessly controversial as
Some people made them out
To be, especially Straw Dogs,
Which I thought had a good
Point to prove about the
Nature of man, despite the
Pervasive sexual violence in
That picture, which made the
Point all the more valid. There's
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, a
Mostly sedate revisionist western
Where plot takes a backseat to
Scenery, tone and atmosphere,
The Getaway, a purely commercial
Product crafted with Sam's
Artistry and still works, Cross of
Iron, the most madly devastating
War movie ever made, and
Three other late-career pictures
Not worth mentioning, as they
Were made after alcohol had
Drowned most of the artist
In the man. Perhaps Sam
had it coming; just the sound
Of his name: 'Peckinpah', evokes
In my imagination the image of
Some redneck Peckerwood,
Prone to violence and sadism
In a beer-stained jersey wielding
A short barrel shotgun and a
Cigar hanging off his mouth...
Or maybe that's just me. Ok, this
Monologue is getting weird, that's
It for the indelible, mad auteur
That is Bloody Sam Peckinpah.

1. The Directing Machine

G!

A 'directing machine', as
One critic once termed this
Filmmaker, Woody Allen is
A director you needn't look
Twice to recognize at half a
Glance. His trademark titles
Against black screen, use of
Jazz in soundtrack, and ever
Talkative characters are
Endlessly consistent in the
Almost annual stream of
Pictures he makes, made even
More marvelous considering
that he is nearly 80. Out of
Allen's 40 something films I've
Seen only 13; I suppose due
To his distinctiveness no Woody
Allen film is ever an awful
Film, but many are mediocre,
And those ones I have not
Seen. Some others I have
Not seen because despite
Their high reputations, they
Are not available from the
Library, and it sucks, because
I know that Zelig, Broadway
Danny Rose, and his early
Flicks are quite respected
Among the critics. Nonetheless
I have seen Annie Hall, Hannah
And Her Sisters, and Manhattan
All at a time when Woody's
Humor and satire sadly eluded
Me. I'd say Sleeper was the
First of his flicks I enjoyed
immensely, and hope someday
He'll make another sci-fi comedy
Because Sleeper was pure
Gold. Then there are the latest
ones: Match Point, Midnight in
Paris, Vicki Christina Barcelona
And Blue Jasmine, witty talkative
Flicks set in the present period
But owe their due to his earlier
Masterpieces, which include
Interiors, Husbands and Wives,
Crimes and Misdemeanors, and
Bullets Over Broadway, enjoyably
Pessimistic and deliciously dark
Fares showcasing the brutal
Failings of human beings in the
Most empathetic light. I had set
Out to write about things I
Enjoyed specifically in his
Flicks but that has come
To naught. Alas, if you the
Reader haven't seen much
Of Woody Allen, try these
Titles, and you may discover
How one neurotic wimp has
Made all the things that
Depress us into something
We can laugh and giggle
About, and that is where
The genius of Woody lies.