Steven Soderbergh

Steven Soderbergh

Host: Chris

Chris' Take: NONE

Freddy's Take: An enjoyable enough film trio of "Sex, Lies, & Videotape", "Traffic", and "Oceans 11". S,L&V really got the day off to a good start. Great acting, especially by James Spader who actually seemed to be the films "moral" center. I was glad that I got to re-visit this movie, as I didn't really understand it, nor think much of it when I originally saw it years ago. I was also in tune with "Traffic", which can be a bit confusing with the jumping around within a world of many characters and subplots. Michael Douglas' performance was reminiscent of George C. Scott's in "Hardcore". Some movies almost demand that you take a shower to clean the sleeze and degradation off after viewing (Hardcore, 8mm, Leaving Las Vegas, Old Boy, etc) and "Traffic" comes close to that. "Oceans 11" was the final film of the day and it didn't disappoint. I've seen this one several times and it has some really good "caper" action in it and has a quick witted sense of humor. The cast is exceptional and fun. Hopefully Chris will weigh in on what motivated him to choose Soderbergh and what he thought of the films and the director. 

Sex, Lies, & Videotape

Traffic

Ocean's 11

Bernie Mac & Matt Damon killing a scene in Ocean's 11

Christopher Guest

Christopher Guest (A Mighty Wind, Best In Show)

Rob Reiner (This Is Spinal Tap)

Host: Freddy

Freddy's Take: This started out as my wanting to do a set of films that were all "mockumentary" style send ups of music. I had initially wanted to include "The Rutles" or "Bob Roberts" in this, but decided to go with Christopher Guest as my focus for the director, but I also wanted to show his main influence for making mockumentary films, "This Is Spinal Tap". This Is Spinal Tap is directed by Rob Reiner, but Guest is one of the lead characters, playing Nigel Tufnel, a character he has reprised quite a few times in his career for interviews and promotional events. This Is Spinal Tap influenced Guest in both style and writing. The seriousness which he demands out of the characters seems to give the films credibility. If you didn't know better and you watched any of these films, one could easily be fooled into thinking you were watching a real documentary. This Is Spinal Tap is the Rosetta Stone of mockumentary films, and Guest brings a great performance opposite Michael McKean and the understated but brilliant Harry Shearer. Best In Show is my favorite film Guest has directed. It hits on the humanity of the characters and how much they love their dogs, but also how much ego satisfaction they derive from their dogs being in a competition. A Mighty Wind is very Spinal Tap-esque, but focus' on folk music. Again, just like with the previous two films the egos of those involved is heightened and the seriousness with which the characters take themselves really adds to the flavor and fun of the film. 

Best In Show

A Mighty Wind

Spinal Tap

Spinal Tap: Trailer

Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa

Host: Tanner

Tanner's Take: Akira Kurosawa had been in my mind since the beginning but I never knew what the reaction would be from Freddy or Chris, so I stayed clear. His movies tend to be very long, and being Japanese the films would be very different from what we had previously seen. But I had to choose him due to the fact that he is one of the most important and influential directors of all time. Seven Samurai is a fantastic film that I had seen before so that was an easy choice to add in there. It's a very entertaining movie that moves along at a steady pace and is filled with adventure, humor and action. That was the only Kurosawa film I had seen, so the other two were a difficult choice for me. Seeing as how Seven Samurai was a 3 1/2 hour long film, I knew I had to pick two that would bring that night to a close at a good time. Rashomon and Ikiru were two films of his I had wanted to see most and their runtimes worked in perfectly. I feel like I had never quite seen a film like Rashomon before. It touched on a lot of issues that would have been taboo back then and seeing a lot of the Japanese culture working in that time period was very interesting. Ikiru was a film that a lot of us as Americans could relate to due to it's subject matter. And although I feel the ending tended to drag on a bit, it was a fantastic film none-the-less. I'm glad I had the chance to show Freddy and Chris these films because I feel the chances of them watching them on their own was rare. Kurosawa is a very important director, and anyone who has a respect for film needs to indulge themselves in his movies.

Rashomon

Ikiru

Seven Samurai

The Films Of Akira Kurosawa

Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock

Host: Chris

Chris' Take: I knew I had to get him before someone else snatched him up. Easily one of the greatest and most influential directors of all time. And yet I was completely ignorant of his work save The Birds and Psycho...and of course his tv series growing up. Got a good education that Saturday. Rear Window reminds me of Blue Velvet a bit...creepy, seedy reality underneath the appearances we like to keep up. Vertigo is mind fuck of a movie and reminded me a bit of Rosemary's Baby. North by Northwest was the weakest for me but was still a solid film with class A actors and acting.

Rear Window

Vertigo

North By Northwest

Alfred Hitchcock: The Difference Between Mystery & Suspense

Paul Thomas Anderson

Paul Thomas Anderson

Host: Freddy

Freddy's Take: An easy choice for me. His films are generally long, but he really has a knack for hashing out characters and I don't mind investing the time. I believe he has a lot in common with the Coens as he has a gift for creating sympathetic characters out of the most unsavory types of people. Who else could humanize the participants in the porn industry like he did in Boogie Nights? Magnolia was my favorite film of Anderson's until I saw There Will Be Blood. The performance he got from Paul Dano was perfect as the foil for the great Daniel Day-Lewis. Once again, I went with a director who creates art that begs to be viewed multiple times. I still believe that what he got out of Tom Cruise in his role as Frank Mackey in Magnolia was fantastic. Cruise's best role in my opinion. I have yet to see The Master, but am anxiously awaiting what I'm sure is going to be another piece of enjoyable film from well.....the master!

Boogie Nights

Magnolia

There Will Be Blood

Continuous Vision: The Long Takes Of P.T. Anderson

Jim Jarmusch

Jim Jarmusch

Host: Tanner

Tanner's Take:  Independent film has always had a special place in my heart. I didn't necessarily have it in mind when I chose Jim Jarmusch, but I had thought of choosing him because of my affinity for Dead Man. After learning about his impact in the American Independent film scene I knew he would be my next choice. Choosing 3 films for him wasn't hard seeing as how I had very little knowledge of what exactly he'd done. So I chose 3 that would span across his filmography in terms of when they were made. Down By Law and Mystery Train were both very fun to watch. I wasn't disappointed in either of those choices in the least bit. Most people point out how slow and tedious his films are, but with lots of humor, great characters and dialogue it's hard for me to agree with that. Dead Man is one of my favorite westerns. I wanted to watch it again because it had been so long since I had last seen it. And although it it stands vastly apart from the other two, It's easy to watch all films from that night and see how they were products from the same man. He has a very distinct style and I know Freddy and Chris enjoyed it as much as I did.

Down By Law

Mystery Train

Dead Man

A Conversation With Jim Jarmusch

David Cronenberg

David Cronenberg

Host: Chris

Chris' Take: Probably a wild card pick for me. There were none of his movies, save Spider which turned out to be his weakest we viewed, that got me to pick him as my director. I was just looking over a list of the greatest directors and he kept popping up. The more I read and realized he had done A History of Violence and Eastern Promises convinced me that he would be a solid pick. My only regret is not plugging in one of the before mentioned films in the place of Spider. I already knew I liked Naked Lunch for its sheer weirdness and Videodrome is a cult classic for a reason.

 Spider

 Naked Lunch

Videodrome

David Cronenberg On Working With Actors

Franklin Schaffner

Franklin Schaffner

Host: Freddy

Freddy's Take: I chose Schaffner because I wanted to watch Planet Of The Apes with my friends. OK, that's only partly true. I had seen Papillon and Patton before and really liked both. Papillon features a great performance from Steve McQueen and I remember watching it on commercial television as a kid and liked it then. Schaffner is one of those directors that doesn't get enough credit. He had a great run of hits in the late 60's and 70's. Planet Of The Apes was my first "favorite" movie. And just look at the stars of these three movies, some really big Hollywood punch with Charlton Heston, George C. Scott, Dustin Hoffman, Karl Malden, and Steve McQueen. 

Planet Of The Apes

Papillon

Patton

Some great scenes from the work of Franklin Schaffner

Danny Boyle

Danny Boyle

Host: Tanner 

Tanner's Take: Danny Boyle, to me, is a very versatile director. I wanted to show 3 of his films that really stand out as being completely different. I had already seen Trainspotting and 28 Days Later. I love both of the films and find them equally enjoyable every time I watch them. Trainspotting is a hilarious movie, I had a lot of fun watching it with Freddy and Chris. 28 Days Later is probably the black sheep of every film that I've chosen. It's a very different zombie/horror film but it stands as one of the best. From the way it's shot, the tension, characters and atmosphere. For the last film we watched Slumdog Millionaire. I chose it simply for the fact that I had never seen it and because of all the awards it's won. It was a fantastic movie and ended the night on a positive high note. The Boyle night was a borderline Blockbuster film night, but with a certain flavor that distinguishes himself from most other directors. 

Trainspotting

28 Days Later

Slumdog Millionaire

TIME Interviews Danny Boyle

Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson

Host: Chris

Chris' Take:  I still remember reading the reviews and buzz about Rushmore. I really wanted to see it and was not let down at all. I was just blown away and couldn't wait to see it again, which is a rarity for me. He is another artist. You know when you are seeing his work. Royal Tenenbaums is nipping at Rushmore's heels in terms of rewatchability and class. Bottle Rocket is my least favorite but shows how things got started and can stand on it's own. The world is forever in Mr. Anderson's debt for giving us the Bill Murray of the last 10 years.

Bottle Rocket

Rushmore

The Royal Tenenbaums

The Films Of Wes Anderson

Cameron Crowe

Cameron Crowe

Host: Freddy

Freddy's Take: Cameron Crowe is a personal favorite. It wasn't very hard for me to select him early in our "Director Day" schedule. He is a gifted writer and his screenplay for "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" is based on his experiences (he also wrote a book) from going back to school and posing as a high school student. Almost Famous and Vanilla Sky are among my favorite movies of all-time, and Say Anything is a simply a classic film with a classic portrayal of Lloyd Dobbler by John Cusak. His use of music in film takes a back seat to no other director as he can burn a scene into your mind forever by adding just the right tune under an important moment (think Lloyd Dobbler holding the boom box as Peter Gabriel sings "In Your Eyes"). The "rewatchability" is very high for each of those films and in my opinion he is one of Hollywood's most underrated directors. Crowe gets the most out of his actors and that shines through in the performances he has coaxed out of Cusak, Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding, Kurt Russell, Kate Hudson, and Billy Crudup over the years. Pretty sure that Chris and Tanner really enjoyed this day as much as I did.   

Say Anything

Vanilla Sky

Almost Famous

Cameron Crowe On Film 89-05

Roman Polanski

Roman Polanski

Host: Tanner

Tanner's Take: Polanski was a left field choice for me. The only film I had seen of his was The Pianist. I assumed Freddy and Chris weren't well versed with him either. I had always known his name was renowned in the industry, and in choosing him I would open us all up to his filmography. So, I thought "Fuck it. If the movies suck, then at least we know." It was quite the opposite. Chinatown was probably my favorite. I'm a sucker for classic noir films and Chinatown had a lot of fresh elements of the genre within the film. Jack Nicholson gave an awesome hotheaded performance (as usual) and the ending was really unexpected. Rosemary's Baby was a fantastic film as well: A very close second. Can't say that I have seen a lot of movies like it. Not exactly "horror" but definitely a great thriller with now my all time favorite dream sequence. Freddy's attention to detail during the film really helped to bring a lot of the political undertones to surface. The Ghost Writer was definitely the weakest. I picked it only because I wanted to see one of his most recent films to see how his direction has stood the test of time. Looking back I wish I had chosen one of his more earlier films like Cul-De-Sac or Knife in the Water. But it was still a decent watch. Slower than the other two and more for the politically inclined. All in all I thought he was a great choice. I have since watched several other of his films, and enjoyed them all. That night definitely opened up Polanski's film library into my own, as I'm sure it did for all of us. 

Rosemary's Baby

Chinatown

The Ghost Writer

Rosemary's Baby Video Spot

David Lynch

David Lynch

Host: Chris

Chris' Take: Lynch got me into film. Before him I just watched movies. Watching Eraserhead was my first experience that film could be more than just a story arc and some entertainment. It was art and it was visceral. It challenged me. I've been hooked ever since. His art is not for everyone. Hell, I can only watch Eraserhead about every 10 years or so without doing serious mental damage. But Blue Velvet is a classic, Lost Highway has the most rewatchability factor, and Wild at Heart is a wild ride indeed (especially if you were in Fred's brain at the time of viewing!)

Wild At Heart

Blue Velvet

Lost Highway

David Lynch Ideas