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