Favourite director...

nokia69 · 02-11-2015 03:38AM

Billy86 wrote: »

The Hudsucker? Isn't that... y'know, for kids!

Might be my third favourite after Big Lebowski and Miller's Crossing, actually.

sure, sure, its a swell film

Arytonblue · 02-11-2015 03:38AM

Fincher is my personal favourite in terms of overall work, man just knows how to make a thriller, don't think I've ever seen a film of his where I didn't find myself invested in the story. Zodiac, Se7en, and the fact he managed to make the story of creating Facebook engrossing is a modern day miracle(with help from Sorkin).

Scorsese has made some of my favourite films, Goodfellas, King of Comedy and Taxi Driver just to name a few, but I find a lot of his recent stuff a bit mixed. Wolf of Wall Street was hugely entertaining and had its funny moments but I found it hard to really care about the story or characters who were just either hugely dislikable or just plain uninteresting. Same with The Departed and Shutter Island, maybe it's Di Caprio's try hard acting(someone give the guy an Oscar dammit) or something else but I just can't really get into them like I could his previous stuff, even though I enjoy watching them. Kind of ironic that it was one of his lesser films that finally got him his Best Director after decades of snubbing from the Academy.

Michael Mann is another one that I don't think has been mentioned yet, one of the best action and thriller directors, Heat being his masterpiece IMO, The Insider was also excellent.

nokia69 · 02-11-2015 03:49AM

I think Mann's best film is The last of the Mohicans, the chase scene at the end is just epic, and the music is perfect, its on youtube, could watch it all day

I love Finchers films too, always see them in the cinema, Zodiac was a strange choice of film for him, the killer is never caught, with is kind of a problem IMO, but I still like the film

eternal · 02-11-2015 04:12AM

Sam Mendes, Hitchcock, Coppola. Will try and look up some more.
Orson Welles, Tarantino. Christopher Nolan too, I like his stuff. Peter Jackson is another one.
Guy Ritchie isn't bad.

fanatics2014 · 02-11-2015 08:10AM

Steven Spielberg.

Arytonblue · 02-11-2015 09:20AM

nokia69 wrote: »

I think Mann's best film is The last of the Mohicans, the chase scene at the end is just epic, and the music is perfect, its on youtube, could watch it all day

I love Finchers films too, always see them in the cinema, Zodiac was a strange choice of film for him, the killer is never caught, with is kind of a problem IMO, but I still like the film

I always forget that Last of the Mohicans is a Man film! Super movie with one of the best climaxes in film.

I think the killer not being caught is what makes Zodiac such an interesting case story. In a way the film isn't really centered on the story of the serial killer, but on the way a whole city and certain individuals responded to the investigation surrounding him, the way Fincher created such an accurate portrayal of the time period with such a sense of dread and paranoia all based around just one man, not to mention the brilliant performances from the leads, makes it one of the best film of the 00's IMO. It's just a film I could watch again and again, beautifully shot as well.

Into The Blue · 02-11-2015 09:21AM

[Deleted User] wrote: »

He is great...but could take or leave Gangs of New York. And even the Departed...though maybe it was Nicholson's overacting that put me off.

My two favourite films!!

Dirty Dingus McGee · 02-11-2015 09:40AM

nokia69 wrote: »

there are some people who don't like it, Kermode is not really a fan, but he did watch it a second time and admit that it was a better film than he thought at first

almost every time I watch the Big Lebowski, I notice something that I missed the last time

the first Coen brothers film I saw was Raising Arizona back in the 80s, I must have been about 9 or 10 and it made me laugh like crazy, the next time I saw it, I was maybe 16 and it was even better, because I got all the jokes that went over my head the first time

on the top of their game, no one beats the Coens

I thought Raising Arizona was painfully bad.

Couldn't stand the film and I've no intentions of ever putting myself through it again.

RikkFlair · 02-11-2015 12:29PM

Danny Boyle.

indioblack · 02-11-2015 01:48PM

Fred Zinneman.

allibastor · 02-11-2015 02:03PM

Josh Trank!!!!

nyarlothothep · 02-11-2015 02:07PM

Tommy Wiseau.

Dravokivich · 02-11-2015 02:13PM

Alan smithee

MadDog76 · 02-11-2015 05:18PM

nokia69 wrote: »

I think Mann's best film is The last of the Mohicans, the chase scene at the end is just epic, and the music is perfect, its on youtube, could watch it all day

I love Finchers films too, always see them in the cinema, Zodiac was a strange choice of film for him, the killer is never caught, with is kind of a problem IMO, but I still like the film

Zodiac is based on a true story, the incredibly well-known Zodiac Killer case ....... he was never caught (which is why the case is so infamous) so how could Fincher "catch" him in the movie, it would have rendered the movie ridiculous!!!

nokia69 · 02-11-2015 05:24PM

MadDog76 wrote: »

Zodiac is based on a true story, the incredibly well-known Zodiac Killer case ....... he was never caught (which is why the case is so infamous) so how could Fincher "catch" him in the movie, it would have rendered the movie ridiculous!!!

I know its a true story

its just that in most films the killer is caught in the end, thats the way Hollywood likes it

there are plenty of serial killers he could have made a film about

Dirty Dingus McGee · 02-11-2015 05:26PM

nokia69 wrote: »

I know its a true story

its just that in most films the killer is caught in the end, thats the way Hollywood likes it

there are plenty of serial killers he could have made a film about

None of them as interesting as the Zodiac case.

The film and book is as much about Robert Graysmith's obsession with the case as it is about the killer.

The fact that the killer isn't caught make the film all the more interesting in my eyes.

Penn · 02-11-2015 05:42PM

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

None of them as interesting as the Zodiac case.

The film and book is as much about Robert Graysmith's obsession with the case as it is about the killer.

The fact that the killer isn't caught make the film all the more interesting in my eyes.

Exactly. The actual killer and murders are secondary to the obsession which overtakes the Graysmith and the other protagonists.

MadDog76 · 02-11-2015 05:49PM

nokia69 wrote: »

I know its a true story

its just that in most films the killer is caught in the end, thats the way Hollywood likes it

there are plenty of serial killers he could have made a film about

I'm delighted he chose the Zodiac case as it's a case that has fascinated me for years ......... and I don't think anybody else could have done a better job than Fincher with this case ......... I love the film!!

Catching the killer at the end would have been predictably boring ....... like so many other serial killer movies.

02-11-2015 05:51PM

Didn't he kinda strongly hint at one of the suspects...which I think was possibly compensating for the fact that he couldn't pin it on an individual.

MadDog76 · 02-11-2015 05:56PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Didn't he kinda strongly hint at one of the suspects...which I think was possibly compensating for the fact that he couldn't pin it on an individual.

Yeah, that was a nice touch because in reality the investigators did have 2/3 strong suspects that they liked for the murders ......... one in particular which Fincher acknowledged.

02-11-2015 06:32PM

MadDog76 wrote: »

Yeah, that was a nice touch because in reality the investigators did have 2/3 strong suspects that they liked for the murders ......... one in particular which Fincher acknowledged.

I dunno if it was a nice touch more than simply compensating for the audience need to identify an individual.

Plus I think that those efforts at whodunit in film can be kinda dangerous, so half the country thinks Dev was involved in Michael Collins death because Neil Jordan stuck it in, or that Jim Garrison cracked the Kennedy assassination when of course he is now considered a crank. There were a number of suspects, in fairness to Fincher he does acknowledge that the DNA evidence from the Zodiac letters was not that of Allen. I enjoyed the film, for all that. And must go back and watch Se7en.

MadDog76 · 02-11-2015 07:02PM

Deleted User wrote: »

I dunno if it was a nice touch more than simply compensating for the audience need to identify an individual.

Plus I think that those efforts at whodunit in film can be kinda dangerous, so half the country thinks Dev was involved in Michael Collins death because Neil Jordan stuck it in, or that Jim Garrison cracked the Kennedy assassination when of course he is now considered a crank. There were a number of suspects, in fairness to Fincher he does acknowledge that the DNA evidence from the Zodiac letters was not that of Allen. I enjoyed the film, for all that. And must go back and watch Se7en.

Arthur Leigh Allen is considered by most Zodiac enthusiasts (myself included) as the most likely killer and was certainly considered to be Zodiac himself by Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) who really did obsess over Allen to the point that he went to Allen's workplace (Ace Hardware in Vallejo) to make several attempts at retrieving a sample of Allen's hand-writing .......... Graysmith's obsession over Allen being the Zodiac dominated his life to the extent that Fincher couldn't possibly have left it out of the movie ......... it wasn't compensating the audience, it was an integral part of the story from Graysmith's point of view.

Graysmith explained the DNA test not matching Arthur Leigh Allen because the letters were tainted, he believes, by investigators mis-handling them over the years and storing them in plastic envelopes in 40 degree summers for over 30 years ........ basically they were not properly stored for later DNA testing.

He said "Even in those days, if I were going to write an anonymous letter, I'm guaranteeing, especially if Zodiac wore gloves, he would never lick a letter."
Graysmith believed that, although there was no DNA test back then, there was a saliva test that could determine a suspect's blood type.

EDIT: Sorry for the long post, I'm a little obsessed with Zodiac myself ........ maybe I should start a Zodiac thread!!

Autonomous Cowherd · 02-11-2015 08:49PM

I like Terence Malick's movies...I dunno, just because. I like atmosphere. The Thin Red Line is gorgeous and a moving account of the meaningless devastation of war; Days Of Heaven is just atmospheric bliss (for me); and I just love The Tree of Life. For no particular reason. It is a trip.

But my go to movie when I need life affirmation is The Big Lebowski. I rarely watch anything more than twice, but I have watched that one many times. Okay, I give the Coens credit, but it might also be because I am hopelesly in love with Jeff Bridges.

SEPT 23 1989 · 02-11-2015 09:22PM

Francis Ford Coppola

TheNobleKipper · 02-11-2015 09:39PM

John Waters has some had some pretty amazing films...I can safely say that "Pink Flamingos" and "Multiple Maniacs" have been eye openers. It doesn't get better than a transvestite woman getting raped by a giant lobster after going on a killing spree.

Dirty Dingus McGee · 02-11-2015 09:41PM

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Francis Ford Coppola

Even though it's not considered to be one of his classics I always thought The Rainmaker was a very good film.

Danny De Vito gives a brilliant performance in it.

Azalea · 02-11-2015 09:47PM

Dravokivich wrote: »

Alan smithee

I like Alan Parker - gets panned by the more "purist" movie fan. I love Angel Heart, Birdy, Mississippi Burning (hated for being too simplistic; it is, but I still love it - Gene Hackman is the bomb in it), The Commitments is good craic, Shoot The Moon, Midnight Express.

nokia69 · 02-11-2015 09:57PM

TheNobleKipper wrote: »

John Waters has some had some pretty amazing films...I can safely say that "Pink Flamingos" and "Multiple Maniacs" have been eye openers. It doesn't get better than a transvestite woman getting raped by a giant lobster after going on a killing spree.

his articles in the Irishtimes are great too, but a bit different to the films

Aurum · 02-11-2015 10:01PM

Guilermo del Toro, Werner Herzog, Martin McDonagh, Danny Boyle, Pedro Almodovar, Woody Allen, Peter Jackson (for LoTR). (Couldn't pick just one).

Wibbs wrote: »

Probably David Lean for me. Howard Hawks another. Fellini and Kubrick would be others. Too many to list as a favourite TBH.

Fellini was one of the biggest disappointments for me, I found his films irritating and difficult to engage with. I saw The Great Beauty last year, and it was everything I'd hoped Fellini's films would be.

callaway92 · 02-11-2015 10:02PM

Del Toro

Favourite director...

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