Favorite/Least Favorite Filmmakers

[jed]

I never did see "The Straight Story", but I've heard from others too that it's similarly against the norm.

The Straight Story is really good.

I used to work at this place called The Flying J Ranch  (http://www.flyingjranch.com/) when I was a teenager and Richard Farnsworth would come by and hang out with the staff. I think he lived on a ranch nearby. The first time I saw him was actually in our local wal-mart. He was checking out T.V.s and I was playing Super Nintendo on the display set.

[Jason]

I'm torn between "Naked" and "Secrets and Lies" for Leigh.

That's tougher than Sophie's Choice.

I know he's not strictly a filmmaker but does anyone like Dennis Potter? I think The Singing Detective is one of the finest things ever filmed.

[Chris L]

The Singing Detective is probably the greatest non-HBO show I've ever seen.

The Straight Story is really good.  The only Lynch film I don't care for is Lost Highway. 

I don't want to go all Armond White here but Spielberg has a pretty great track record overall.  I thought Munich was quite good, except for that one really embarassing scene near the end (if you've seen it, you know which one).  The murder of that female assassin was probably the most disturbing thing he's ever filmed, and he's filmed some fucking great death scenes (more talk of those in the comments section here: http://mattzollerseitz.blogspot.com/2006/01/5-for-day-death-scenes.html).

Also, Band of Brothers, which Spielberg and Hanks produced, was really great.  It had all the good parts of Saving Private Ryan (i.e. the battle scenes), and virtually no bad parts over the entire 10 hours. 

Oh, and Eric, you're in for some good stuff w/ Wong Kar Wai.   Don't miss Fallen Angels, Days of Being Wild or In the Mood for Love.  I have to say I thought 2046 was kind of a mess, but I don't know which cut of the film I saw (it was a version that was briefly on Netflix before it got yanked for the U.S. release).

[Sarah]

I know he's not strictly a filmmaker but does anyone like Dennis Potter? I think The Singing Detective is one of the finest things ever filmed.

More evidence supporting my theory that you and I are related, Jason.  I am in complete agreement.  The Singing Detective is one of the best things I've ever seen and without doubt the best thing ever made for television.
 
Who knew that psoriasis could be such a muse?

[Tim K in DC]

This is probably worthy of another thread, but when I saw the words "Singing Detective" I immediately thought of Cop Rock:

[youtube=425,350]0hoCPLTA5wE[/youtube]

[Tim K in DC]

This one is even better:

[youtube=425,350]Tp_coIHhBnY[/youtube]

[Emerson]

I love it too. What do you think of people looking at it as a complete freak show tho? Like "man, these people are so STUPID!"...you know? Not to sound self-righteous but I think it's pretty lame when people reduce it to that.

Their loss. Those people are shown in a more complex way than any fictional characters I can think of. It's funny and sad and (for me) fucking inspiring. I wish I'd thought of it on "inappropriate emotional responses to movies" night.

~EmD

[Fido]

Wong Kar-Wai grows on me over time.  I think I've seen "Chungking Express" and "Days of Being Wild" a few times each, and they don't really tire me.  Most movies do after a few repeat performances.  "Fallen Angels" is a flick that I can't miss anytime it shows up on cable, and it would have to be my fave of the lot.  I concede, as Chris L mentioned, that "In the Mood for Love" and/or 2046 may have been kind of messy in certain respects, and I would argue that WKW's movies are not for everyone, or maybe even for most people.  I always recommend them though.

Another realization today -- I was half-watching Magnolia while doing some work, one of those movies Tom brings up an awful lot.  It was a pretty damn good film and is another one that stands up to repeat viewing and will stand the test of time, as far as I'm concerned.  I'd be happy as a clam if a lot more movies like these were made.

[John Junk]

I don't know.  I'm on the fence about Magnolia.  When it first came out I was Way into it.  There was an ongoing debate between me and everyone I knew for awhile.  Magnolia, American Beauty, and Fight Club were in a heated battle for worst and/or best movie ever.  My older brother HATED Magnolia and LOVED American Beauty.  I Loved Magnolia when it came out, HATED American Beauty, and SORTA hated Fight Club but thought "at least this movie is OPENLY myscegenistic* unlike American Beauty".  Then I saw Magnolia a second time and kinda started to hate that too, but I feel like Magnolia and American Beauty are like polar opposites.  One is the antidote to the other.  One thing I do like about Magnolia is that it is so relentlessly and fearlessly sincere, but I don't know if I'd even be able to stand it for ten minutes now that I live in southern California.  There's a definite "Sad Yuppie" thing running through it.  Still, I was always a defender of the Aimmee Mann montage when everyone in art school was like "no Way!" and calling it emotional pornography and whatnot.    Anyway you slice it, Magnolia could've been a whole lot shorter, and Boogie Nights is kinda better, imho.

*no idea how that's spelled.

[Sarah]

"Misogynistic" (you had to know I wouldn't be able to pass that up).

As to the movies:  loathed American Beauty, liked and still like Magnolia (and agree that Boogie Nights was better), and found Fight Club entertaining enough but likely will never bother to watch it again.

[Fido]

oooohh... Fight Club.  We can't afford to be "on the fence" about that one, now, can we?  Otherwise a Certain Someone might come down on us awfully hard.  I'd hate to see an FOT purge.

Boogie Nights was on one of my cable channels the other night.  Now that is one movie I saw and was entertained/disturbed by, but can't watch again.  The entertainment is gone, it's just just upsetting to me now.  What's wrong with me?

[Dorvid Barnas]

Since I mentioned him first, and nobody contested, I'm going to go ahead and assume that every single one of you feels that Paul Thomas Anderson is the greatest filmmaker of all time. 

Love,
The guy who has heard so much Best Show in the last year, he starts talking like a poor man's Tom after 4 Heinekens.  Shameful.

You know what else is shameful?  No mention yet of Spike Jonze.

God damn it, I did it again.

[Jason]

"Misogynistic" (you had to know I wouldn't be able to pass that up).

Unless he meant miscegenistic?
I don't know I didn't see the film.

[John Junk]

Since I mentioned him first, and nobody contested, I'm going to go ahead and assume that every single one of you feels that Paul Thomas Anderson is the greatest filmmaker of all time. 

Well, that would be inaccurate.

[Sarah]

Unless he meant miscegenistic?

I promise he didn't.

I like Paul Thomas Anderson, but the greatest filmmaker of all time?