Not groundbreaking by any stretch but the cast and consistent southern soundtrack lug it through into the archives Shia LaBeouf certain has found something with his southern hobo trashy (almost like he’s auditioning for a
From the onset of the film with the Cavalleria Rusticana Intermezzo from Mascagni with slow-motion photography and the fog behind the ring you know you’re witnessing a masterpiece From the onset of the film with
Lubitsch. For this list it is best not to look at Lubitsch’s best film but the quality and consistency of authorship of his 6th, 7th, 8th best films. These are all excellent films that carried “the
It’s exceedingly worthy of praise and study and not simply for the mind-expanding mental gymnastics required to stay up with the various scenarios and narrative slivers Auteur-driven animation is pretty rare and Satoshi Kon has
Transcends (that word choice may be an overstatement) beyond guilty pleasure mainly because of Kumble’s writing—it’s such a deliciously wicked—Machiavellian-- adaptation of the 18th century book by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos and excellent (superior to
Made by DRM Productions (Dorothy and Robert Mitchum)—and it’s carried by Mitchum. Not only is his performance by far the best thing about it (some would say the only thing) which helps those who believe
Minnelli. Minnelli is very well respected by the consensus on TSPDT (he’s their #67 ranked auteur)- as he should be. Minnelli is another auteur in the long line of the “style over substance” guys who
Mike Nichols. I’m higher on Nichols than the majority of cinema buffs for two main reasons: A. I have The Graduate as an unquestionable top 100 film, and B. I also have Carnal Knowledge as a top
Almodovar. Almodovar has produced a masterpiece and a deep filmography (12 archiveable films and counting) that are all unmistakably Almodovarian’. That’s pretty rare in contemporary cinema where you can have 9th or 10th film from an auteur
The best film I’ve seen from Ida Lupino (who also co-wrote the screenplay) and an excellent film noir entry. Apparently at the first film noir by a filmmaker director and at the time the only
Three-pronged film: an innovative biopic, a work from a clear auteur, and a political/historical film marking the end of the 19th century and a 50 year occupation of Japan in TaiwanTien-Lu Li plays himself in
Demme. Demme’s strengths are really his dedication to his chosen aesthetics. He’s made a political thriller remake (Manchurian Candidate), a courtroom drama (Philadelphia), an odd romance (Something Wild) and a serial killer potboiler (Silence of
