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

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