Dames – 1934 Enright, Berkeley
Two directors and two films- Ray Enright and Busby Berkeley—only one (Berkeley) is the geniusThe first half is nearly all Enright (I can tell this by the body of work of the two differing directors)—it
Life is Sweet – 1990 Leigh
Mike Leigh has his own voice, world and characters not unlike Fellini, Bergman or Woody Allen – his is the blue collar (Broadbent sporting a can of beer in the first 5 minutes and you
The War Zone – 1999 Roth
Stark visually, bleak in tone, and heavy in subject matter --- Tim Roth (debut as a director, obviously a very talented and accomplished actor) follows in the proud British tradition of Davies, Loach and Mike
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels – 1988 Oz
An excellent script and lead performances from Steve Martin and Michael CaineFrank Oz certainly puts a stamp on the film because this two-hander does look at feel like the similarly-winning 1991 film What About Bob?
The Souvenir – 2019 Hogg
1.0 in June 2019 A subtle character study—a story of first love and additionThe final shot sticks with you—it’s a giant door opening—sounds simple- but given the context of the film, her awakening, naivety (not
The 114th Best Director of All-Time: Samuel Fuller
Fuller. “If you don’t like Sam Fuller, you just don’t like cinema.” – Martin Scorsese. How about that? haha. For the purposes of this list fuller’s weakness is his best film (certainly he can’t match
High Hopes – 1988 Leigh
Wondrously- a confirmation of Mike Leigh’s auteur status in 1988. High Hopes is a contemporary family drama, an authentic character study, and a political critique of Thatcher’s 1980’sLargely plotless- everyday life and observational. Leigh is
The Wolf of Wall Street – 2013 Scorsese
Thoroughly engaging, a damn funny film, and a meditation on greed, depravity, excess—and yes- this is Scorsese—sin. It’s a marathon—3 hours flat—but my god Scorsese has both a knack for narrative (his films are almost
Hugo – 2011 Scorsese
From a content and storyline standpoint it’s a changeup for Scorsese- a softer subject matter, it isn’t violent, modern or set in New York. It’s a period film, Dickensian -- an orphan set in London.
The 113th Best Director of All-Time: Dario Argento
Argento. Dario Argento is the master of Italian Giallo- a horror subgenre. His filmography (mostly on the strength of Suspiria) ranks him 98th and he’s definitely a style-plus auteur. That’s his case (and that’s why
The Town – 2010 Ben Affleck
Affleck’s sophomore directorial effort after the impressive 2007 debut Gone Baby Gone (also set in Boston)Like Gone Baby Gone there are a ton of glorious helicopter establishing shots- this isn’t The Lord of the Rings-level
Shutter Island – 2010 Scorsese
It is a gorgeous film—full stop. It has an engaging narrative—and unlike their first collaboration in 2002 with Gangs of New York- features a terrific lead performance from DiCaprio- who is in every scene unlike