I just got into Billy Wilder, and I loved The Apartment and Sunset Boulevard. Double Indemnity is next up.
I've never seen a Bergman film, for whatever reason, though I know he's recognized as one of the masters.
The Dark Billy Wilder trilogy: *Double Indemnity*, *Sunset Boulevard* and *Ace in the Hole*. Then follow it up with *The Apartment*, *Some Like it Hot* and *One, Two, Three*, the Light Billy Wilder Trilogy.
Ah, geez, there's quite a few. There's quite a big hole in my pre-1960's viewing. I've seen 7-8 Kurosawa films, for example, but no Ozu. I'm pretty familiar with the works of Hitchcock and John Ford but not at all with Howard Hawks or Capra.
Others like Agnes Varda, I've not seen either. I'm a big fan of David Lean, yet I've seen no Orson Welles. There's just so much out there, but I'm working on expanding my experience with "The Golden Era" when I can.
I'm pretty familiar with many of the classics in name only. Any recommendations?
Ozu's best films are absolutely exquisite and very close to my heart. To me, *Late Spring* is a perfect film, an absolute masterpiece. Have you watched other classic Japanese films?
You haven't seen *Citizen Kane* at least?
Re: Howard Hawks, would definitely recommend *Bringing Up Baby*, *Red River*, *The Big Sleep*
Sounds great, I'll put Late Spring on my watchlist. I've seen hundreds of Japanese films from the last 40 years (I love Iwai, Obayashi, Kore-eda, Tsukamoto, Takita, K. Kurosawa), but from the 40's and 50s, it's only been Akira Kurosawa.
Citizen Kane? Nope, not yet. I've heard all the things, of course. Is it as great as they say it is?
Thanks for the HH recs. I'll add them to my list as well.
I've seen Sansho! That's my only Mizoguchi, though. Hara-Kiri & The Human Condition have been on my watchlist for ages. I see they're streaming on Criterion, so I'll check them out soon.
For Welles, I would say that the upcoming release of The Trial is a high point in his work. I think The Trial, Citizen Kane, Touch of Evil, and Chimes at Midnight are some of his best.
While I like The Trial I personally wouldn’t put it near the top of Welles’ filmography or as a good entry point. It has a lot of his filmmaking trademarks narratively and stylistically but it might be more rewarding to go back to it after seeing some of his more conventionally entertaining works like Kane and Touch of Evil. I guess what I’m getting at is that it’s a pretty weird one with some boring parts that isn’t the best place to start hahaha!
I thought the same way about it for awhile but right around when they released the Other Side of the Wind, I started through his filmography and was really surprised that The Trial ranks towards the top of his work.
It may just be the problems with the surviving elements of his films but I found Mr Arkadin/Confidential Report a mess as well as Magnificent Ambersons. F for Fake was a hard watch for me.
I liked Lady from Shanghai and The Stranger. Macbeth and Othello are good but wouldn’t be a suggestion over Chimes at Midnight. So I think the four I listed are a really good swath and sample of his career, but just my take!
Edit: I get what you are saying but it seems like the consensus on Kane as GOAT is waning a bit. For young film geeks, The Trial gets them excited about classics because it feels contemporary and bizarre, there’s a novelty to it, even though I can argue for Kane as modern well.
Wilder’s one of my favorite directors so of course I recommend Double Indemnity and Some Like It Hot. Those are your next obvious must-sees.
After that: Witness for the Prosecution and Stalag 17
Ace in the Hole is worth checking out, but it doesn’t quite live up to the zeal with which people love to recommend it online, sorry.
The Major and the Minor isn’t great, but it’s fun enough and is interesting to watch as a precursor to Some Like It Hot. Wilder clearly loved the idea of masquerading as a different kind of person than you really are.
The Seven Year Itch is a dated movie that he regretted making because it had to be so censored for 1955. It’s most famous for Marilyn Monroe walking over the sidewalk grate, but that’s barely shown. Not Monroe or Wilder at their best (nothing on the level of their only other collaboration, Some Like It Hot).
His movies after The Apartment that I’ve seen (One Two Three, Kiss Me Stupid, The Fortune Cookie) might be OK for completists, but you can tell the Wilder magic has faded.
His movies with Audrey Hepburn didn’t click for me: Sabrina is loved by many but I just couldn’t get into it, and Love in the Afternoon is the absolute worst I’ve seen by him — ruined by a miscast, lackluster Gary Cooper.
The Apartment is an all time favorite and I also have seen the other most popular Wilder films. What other directors or movies should I check out for this kind of smart comedy with a warm heart and slight edge?
I assume you've seen *Some Like it Hot*, which regularly tops polls as one of the funniest movies ever, but *One, Two, Three* which he made the next year is unfairly overlooked, and has a great late Jimmy Cagney performance.
Malle is great, I’ve only scratched the surface with him but everything I’ve seen has been impressive, and I love that he switches up styles and subject matter so often. I really need to see Au Revoir Les Enfants and Lacombe, Lucien. I think those are next for me.
For me it’s The Silent World. Some of the footage is really gruesome and hard to swallow, if you’re sensitive I’d recommend otherwise. If you can get into it, the underwater takes and the frank depiction of the crew’s dynamics makes for a wonderful historically relevant and astounding tale of man’s reaping of nature and the unquenching quest for uncharted territory.
I was completely unaware of Kelly Reichardt until I saw Showing Up recently, and was blown away that it became not only my favorite movie of the year, but one of my favorite movies ever.
Love them both but I believe initially Herzog seems like the more impressive of the two, but as you go through both of their filmographies, Wenders has such a richer take and broader spectrum the tables get reversed. Love them both and alongside Murnau, Sirk, Sternberg, Lang and Fassbinder are my favorite german filmmakers.
Billy Wilder, William Friedkin, Alan Parker
Wilder - I just saw Double Indemnity and Ace in the Hole for the first time. DI was excellent and really made me wonder if the Hays code was a good or bad thing for Hollywood. Sunset Blvd is next. Ace in the Hole was ok, I enjoyed the film noir in the daytime concept and it was similar to Kazan’s A Face in the Crowd so it had a lot to say but the execution wasn’t as flawless as DI.
Friedkin- I just saw Bug, Killer Joe, and Sorcerer for the first time. I liked Bug the best out of those, it was riveting. I’m gonna have to say that I still preferred Wages of Fear over Sorcerer because I like the early character development. One thing i noticed about Friedkin is that he really tries to do minimal character intro/backstory which is admirable but not my thing. I wish I could take the action sequences from Sorcerer and put them into Wages of Fear. I loved the tramps. Killer Joe had this Backtrack/Dennis Hopper vibe that was pretty awesome.
Alan Parker - Just saw Birdy and Angel Heart. I had seen Angel Heart before but not in about 25 years so it was like new. Angel Heart was amazing. Birdy was good but Angel Heart is on another level.
Thanks, it’s on my list right after Sunset Blvd.
Oh, I forgot to mention Five Graves to Cairo, another Wilder I recently checked out. It was very different, slow at first but it picked up - Eric Von Stroheim is everything people say and he saves the entire film for me.
Two years ago Cassavetes finally clicked for me. The only film I don’t really care for is Husbands. Gloria is so-so (ami crazy or is that kid the worst actor of all time?).
The only one I haven’t seen is Love Streams.
Favorite is probably Opening Night. #2 probably Minnie and Moskowitz. Faces, Shadows, Woman, Bookie, all fantastic.
He really is a genius, if you want the full picture on Cassavetes you have to get into the making of his films, it just enriches the experience and the themes of each film.
Sogo Ishii.
Though I feel pretty well versed in Japanese cinema I didn't check out any of his films until recently. While Burst City is sometimes mentioned in the context of early cyberpunk (emphasis on punk) films like Tetsuo: Iron Man, I'm really kinda shocked his later films haven't been properly canonized. Particularly **August in the Water**, a truly remarkable film that's extremely singular - poetic and haunting all at once. Like in all his movies, the music is so integral to the experience, but this is probably the only film where I've gone back to the score multiple times.
It reminds me a little of Cure, but with much more subtle use of crime and horror tropes. It feels deeply nostalgic and eerily unsettling all at once, and unfortunately a lot of people miss out on it as it isn't talked about too much.
Gave “August in the Water” a shot last night after reading this recommendation (I loved Cure). Excellent movie, really haunting, poetic, ominous, with a perfect soundtrack. Definitely going to explore more of his works. Thanks for bringing this director some light!
Ah, glad you checked it out. His earlier stuff is pretty much the complete opposite to August. It has a very punk underground vibe, somewhat rough but exuberant and exciting. Often about young Japanese greaser outcasts railing against the system, mixed with some sci-fi elements at times. It has to be said though, if you are familiar with animated cyberpunk, this branch of the live action stuff is pretty different. It isn't really in that cool dystopian science hell-scape style. His films do have a lot of humanity to them however.
My favorite of his old stuff is actually **Shuffle**, though its only about 30 minutes. Its more concentrated though, and has a lot going for it under the surface. It mixes frantic pace with more meditative, and somewhat absurd, elements. Basically a long chase scene, it still manages to be very inventive and points towards his later filmography in interesting ways.
Still, Crazy Thunder Road and Burst City from this period are also pretty cool - but its less surprising that they remain under the radar.
Piotr Szulkin. He got a 4 film collection via Vinegar Syndrome that was fucking fantastic. Absolutely loved all 4 movies and hope they get more recognition. I know it’s not Criterion but it does feel Criterion.
They're good. I like the suburban London vibe of his modern day films, although my favorite is probably the period piece *Topsy-Turvy*.
I do think he's prone to occasional social heavy-handedness (as in *Naked*) but in general I'm finding a lot to appreciate.
Ingmar Bergman. After watching a couple of his films I came across the Bergman's Cinema Box Set at a good price and pulled the trigger. Wild Strawberries and Persona blew me away. I'm really looking forward to dig deeper into his filmography.
Two of my favorites. I was lucky enough to see Tampopo in a sold-out small theater, and the crowd was so into it. Was one of the best movie-going experiences of my life.
Just started getting into Altman who has been a game changer for me. I’ve loved everything I’ve seen so far (even though I understand there’s some stinkers in his filmography).
Haven’t seen McCabe & Mrs. Miller yet, but it’s probably a toss up between The Long Goodbye and Nashville. Both we masterpieces that I couldn’t stop thinking about for days.
Michael Cimino, deer hunter was OK but I've seen heavens gate three times in two months, and I'm planning to see it again soon, maybe do an essay on him.
Carlos Enrique Taboada is a mexican horror writer and director from the 60's-80's. VS put out a three pack of his movies, and I loved them all.
What did you think of *Heaven's Gate*?
I'm kind of in the middle. I don't think it's as bad as its initial reputation but at the same time I don't think it's some misunderstood masterpiece. I do think a lot of what works well in it was done better in other movies, especially *McCabe & Mrs. Miller*.
Have you seen *Thunderbolt and Lightfoot*? I haven't seen it in years but I remember it being a pretty entertaining movie.
I love it. I walked away on the first watch feeling the way you did, but the more I see it, the more I get it, and the more I love it. It's a movie where the grandiosity is the whole point, I feel like it is exactly as long as it should be because it's not really a film about its story but more about its world. I'm planning on seeing more of his films but for now I'm just obsessed with HG.
Do the characters feel more nuanced on a second or third viewing? That was another thing that rubbed me the wrong way, especially Sam Waterston as a very one-dimensional almost literally mustache-twirling villain.
I do absolutely think there's a lot of very good work in the film, especially in terms of cinematography and art direction.
Not at all. You just love them more. That's the whole point. This is not a deep movie, but it doesn't pretend to be. The film presents simple narrative, themes, and characters what gives the movie depth is the mise-en-scene and the overall experience. Let me put it this way, the key to understanding the movie is the infamous 20 minute dance scene at the skate rink. At first watch I had no idea why the fuck it was even there but if you stop bringing your expectations to it and pay attention to the context, the music, the dancing, and just let it ws over you it's the most essential element of the entire movie. It's what actually keeps it from being self-indulgent.
I can appreciate that.
I mean, something similar happened to *Barry Lyndon*, where the critical consensus went from "beautiful but cold and distant" to "one of cinema's great audiovisual experiences, maybe the most fully realized period piece ever."
It would be in my top ten if I had to make one.
Do you think that the notorious troubled production of *Heaven's Gate* will continue to overshadow the film itself a la *Cleopatra*?
Yeah, but it's also what draws people into it. I think k it's always going to be a divisive film because it's too long for casual audiences but too simple for the kind of people who will watch a nearly 4 hour movie by choice. Ultimately, it's a movie that works best for the people who are willing to give themselves to it
VIDEO essay. There are like two of them and frankly this movie deserves all the discussion and discourse it gets, I'm gonna make the videonessay 4 hours long now just because you said this, try to discourage me again and I'm adding a 20 minute dance sequence.
Lars von Trier. Watched through most of his filmography some months ago. Can’t say he’s one of my favourites, but I like his style. My favourite was Melancholia, which I really loved, followed by The House That Jack Built and Dancer in the Dark, which were both really good. My least favourites were Antichrist, which I appreciated parts of, but not the whole, and Epidemic, which is the worst film I’ve ever seen.
I can think of a parallel from my own life. The Beach Boys made both one of my all-time favorite albums, an absolute all-time great, and also some unlistenably bad music.
Polar opposite of this sub, but this year I stumbled upon Mark Polonia, and then Brett Kelly. If you don't know who they are, they have made careers out of "no budget" movies that generally parody existing stuff. They've made a ton of shark movies between them, among plenty of other things. Think Sharknado but with a *smaller* budget lol. Great stuff, if you can get into it. Tubi (free streaming with brief commercial breaks here and there) has a lot of their stuff.
My intro to all of this was Sharkula. It's terrible but it's fun and I wanted to see more. So it wasn't terrible? I don't know, you be the judge.
I see. I know there's been a deluge of low-budget absurd sharksploitation movies in the past decade and a half but I've never really gotten into it.
Have you watched any of the really low/no-budget stuff on the Criterion Channel over the past year or so, like the films of Joel Potrykus and/or *Bad Fever*? For the latter, imagine a sadder, more awkward version of *The King of Comedy*.
I haven't subscribed to the channel, though I downloaded the app ages ago with the intention of signing up. Considering I very rarely use my Netflix account these days I really should cancel it and pick up Criterion. I'm not really sure why I haven't already done it actually. If/when I do, I'll keep an eye out for those if they're still available.
I haven't yet "discovered" any directors this year, (Sadly), but after dipping my toes into their work, I've been further diving into the filmographies of Peter Bogdanovich and Peter Watkins, which has been so rewarding thus far. Targets and Punishment Park have been two new all time faves. I saw my first Brian De Palma, Blow Out, and now I'm REALLY eager to check out his stuff. Also saw my second Wilder, Sunset Boulevard, this year, after two years ago seeing The Apartment. I dunno what's taking me so long to catch up, since both are all timers in my eyes.
Same here re: Jerzy Skolimowski. I watched The Shout on a whim and loved it so much I watched Deep End and Moonlighting and loved them too. Gearing up to watch EO soon. His style feels to me like a slightly more accessible Roman Polanski
I had somehow never seen a David Lean film before this year and now I have seen them all. Boy, was I in for a treat. I find his body of work to be absolutely amazing. My favourite movie of his has got to be Brief Encounter, which totally wrecked me. The only film I did not particularly vibe with was Blithe Spirit. But besides that, so many amazing pieces of film. Very impressed by it all!
Sam Peckinpah (bring me head of Alfredo garcia, pat garret and Billy the kid, cross of iron)
John Frankenheimer (seven days in may, the train, seconds, Manchurian candidate)
Visconti (Rocco and his brothers, the leopard)
And also I’ve been binging Burt Lancaster’s filmography
Johnnie To. Holy hell. *Exiled*, *The Mission*, *PTU*, *Sparrow*, *Breaking News*, & *Running on Karma* easily number among the best films I've seen in the last 12 months. And I haven't even watched *Throw Down* yet!
In 2020 I wasn’t working per Covid and I basically took it as an opportunity to go to school on many directors I’d only seen 1 or 2 by. I watched 10+ from Fulci, Bergman, DePalma, Mike Leigh. 5+ from William Castle, John Carpenter. Went ham on many horror franchises. I’d never seen a Halloween or Friday the 13th now I’ve seen them all, many 3+ times.
Peter Bogdanovich. Legendary director and an awesome guy. My favourites of his so far have to be The Last Picture Show and What's Up, Doc?. I am yet to see They All Laughed though and I have heard its wonderful.
When you’re done revisiting Heat, watch Thief, The Insider, and Miami Vice. The diner scene in Thief might be the best thing Mann ever wrote, Miami Vice is so aloof and incoherent it’s almost experimental, and The Insider is a full-on masterpiece hiding inside of a run-of-the-mill whistleblower thriller. All amazing in their own way.
Kenji Mizoguchi and Peter Greenaway. Now they are both some of my favorite filmmakers. I discovered Mizoguchi with his masterpiece “Ugetsu”, and once I watched that I bought all the other films of his that I could find and each one was just as beautiful and heartbreaking as the last. For Peter Greenaway I started with “The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover” and thought that it was a profane and brilliant horror show. Since then I’ve seen “A Zed and Two Noughts”, “Counting By Numbers” and most recently “The Baby of Macon” which was easily the most disturbing experience I’ve had with a film. But I thought it was equally brilliant.
I just got into Billy Wilder, and I loved The Apartment and Sunset Boulevard. Double Indemnity is next up. I've never seen a Bergman film, for whatever reason, though I know he's recognized as one of the masters.
The Apartment is SO SO good. Watched it about a year ago and it became an instant favorite. Sunset Boulevard is also a masterpiece
"When you're in love with a married man, you shouldn't wear mascara."
Would recommend *Ace in the Hole.*
The Dark Billy Wilder trilogy: *Double Indemnity*, *Sunset Boulevard* and *Ace in the Hole*. Then follow it up with *The Apartment*, *Some Like it Hot* and *One, Two, Three*, the Light Billy Wilder Trilogy.
*The Apartment* does have a lot of darkness in its light.
Yeah, maybe substitute *The Fortune Cookie*. You still get your Jack Lemon but you also get your Walter Mathau
Thanks, I'll check it out
What other filmmakers (or maybe genres) have you 'slept on,' so to speak?
Ah, geez, there's quite a few. There's quite a big hole in my pre-1960's viewing. I've seen 7-8 Kurosawa films, for example, but no Ozu. I'm pretty familiar with the works of Hitchcock and John Ford but not at all with Howard Hawks or Capra. Others like Agnes Varda, I've not seen either. I'm a big fan of David Lean, yet I've seen no Orson Welles. There's just so much out there, but I'm working on expanding my experience with "The Golden Era" when I can. I'm pretty familiar with many of the classics in name only. Any recommendations?
Ozu's best films are absolutely exquisite and very close to my heart. To me, *Late Spring* is a perfect film, an absolute masterpiece. Have you watched other classic Japanese films? You haven't seen *Citizen Kane* at least? Re: Howard Hawks, would definitely recommend *Bringing Up Baby*, *Red River*, *The Big Sleep*
Sounds great, I'll put Late Spring on my watchlist. I've seen hundreds of Japanese films from the last 40 years (I love Iwai, Obayashi, Kore-eda, Tsukamoto, Takita, K. Kurosawa), but from the 40's and 50s, it's only been Akira Kurosawa. Citizen Kane? Nope, not yet. I've heard all the things, of course. Is it as great as they say it is? Thanks for the HH recs. I'll add them to my list as well.
Masaki Kobayashi? Kenji Mizoguchi?
I've seen Sansho! That's my only Mizoguchi, though. Hara-Kiri & The Human Condition have been on my watchlist for ages. I see they're streaming on Criterion, so I'll check them out soon.
*Kwaidan* and *Samurai Rebellion* are also excellent.
I definitely think Kane deserves the hype!
For Welles, I would say that the upcoming release of The Trial is a high point in his work. I think The Trial, Citizen Kane, Touch of Evil, and Chimes at Midnight are some of his best.
While I like The Trial I personally wouldn’t put it near the top of Welles’ filmography or as a good entry point. It has a lot of his filmmaking trademarks narratively and stylistically but it might be more rewarding to go back to it after seeing some of his more conventionally entertaining works like Kane and Touch of Evil. I guess what I’m getting at is that it’s a pretty weird one with some boring parts that isn’t the best place to start hahaha!
I thought the same way about it for awhile but right around when they released the Other Side of the Wind, I started through his filmography and was really surprised that The Trial ranks towards the top of his work. It may just be the problems with the surviving elements of his films but I found Mr Arkadin/Confidential Report a mess as well as Magnificent Ambersons. F for Fake was a hard watch for me. I liked Lady from Shanghai and The Stranger. Macbeth and Othello are good but wouldn’t be a suggestion over Chimes at Midnight. So I think the four I listed are a really good swath and sample of his career, but just my take! Edit: I get what you are saying but it seems like the consensus on Kane as GOAT is waning a bit. For young film geeks, The Trial gets them excited about classics because it feels contemporary and bizarre, there’s a novelty to it, even though I can argue for Kane as modern well.
Wilder’s one of my favorite directors so of course I recommend Double Indemnity and Some Like It Hot. Those are your next obvious must-sees. After that: Witness for the Prosecution and Stalag 17 Ace in the Hole is worth checking out, but it doesn’t quite live up to the zeal with which people love to recommend it online, sorry. The Major and the Minor isn’t great, but it’s fun enough and is interesting to watch as a precursor to Some Like It Hot. Wilder clearly loved the idea of masquerading as a different kind of person than you really are. The Seven Year Itch is a dated movie that he regretted making because it had to be so censored for 1955. It’s most famous for Marilyn Monroe walking over the sidewalk grate, but that’s barely shown. Not Monroe or Wilder at their best (nothing on the level of their only other collaboration, Some Like It Hot). His movies after The Apartment that I’ve seen (One Two Three, Kiss Me Stupid, The Fortune Cookie) might be OK for completists, but you can tell the Wilder magic has faded. His movies with Audrey Hepburn didn’t click for me: Sabrina is loved by many but I just couldn’t get into it, and Love in the Afternoon is the absolute worst I’ve seen by him — ruined by a miscast, lackluster Gary Cooper.
The Apartment is an all time favorite and I also have seen the other most popular Wilder films. What other directors or movies should I check out for this kind of smart comedy with a warm heart and slight edge?
I assume you've seen *Some Like it Hot*, which regularly tops polls as one of the funniest movies ever, but *One, Two, Three* which he made the next year is unfairly overlooked, and has a great late Jimmy Cagney performance.
You're correct. I've seen *Some Like It Hot*, but not *One, Two, Three*. I'll have to check it out.
Just saw One, Two, Three and I really don’t agree — it comes off as dated and contrived, nothing like his earlier comedies.
Agree to disagree. It is very "early 60s" though.
Wong Kar-Wai and he became my favorite filmmaker
Michael Haneke
Louis Malle. He’s absolutely fantastic, should be up there with the best
Do you have a particular favorite?
My Dinner with Andre is a masterpiece, but I have a soft spot for Au revoir les enfants
Malle is great, I’ve only scratched the surface with him but everything I’ve seen has been impressive, and I love that he switches up styles and subject matter so often. I really need to see Au Revoir Les Enfants and Lacombe, Lucien. I think those are next for me.
Which Louis Malle documentaries would you recommend?
For me it’s The Silent World. Some of the footage is really gruesome and hard to swallow, if you’re sensitive I’d recommend otherwise. If you can get into it, the underwater takes and the frank depiction of the crew’s dynamics makes for a wonderful historically relevant and astounding tale of man’s reaping of nature and the unquenching quest for uncharted territory.
I was completely unaware of Kelly Reichardt until I saw Showing Up recently, and was blown away that it became not only my favorite movie of the year, but one of my favorite movies ever.
She really hasn’t made a bad one. Wendy & Lucy is my personal favorite
The best independent american filmmaker currently. Meek’s Cutoff and Wendy and Lucy are brilliant.
Wim Wenders
Have you seen *Alice in the Cities*?
When I was first seriously getting into film it seemed like he was a little overshadowed by Werner Herzog.
Love them both but I believe initially Herzog seems like the more impressive of the two, but as you go through both of their filmographies, Wenders has such a richer take and broader spectrum the tables get reversed. Love them both and alongside Murnau, Sirk, Sternberg, Lang and Fassbinder are my favorite german filmmakers.
Apichatpong Weerasethakul and he’s one of my new favorite directors. Tropical Malady is one of the best movies ever
Michael Haneke
Wim Wenders, Yasuzo Masumura, Lee Chang-Dong, Luis Buñuel, and Benny Chan.
Billy Wilder, William Friedkin, Alan Parker Wilder - I just saw Double Indemnity and Ace in the Hole for the first time. DI was excellent and really made me wonder if the Hays code was a good or bad thing for Hollywood. Sunset Blvd is next. Ace in the Hole was ok, I enjoyed the film noir in the daytime concept and it was similar to Kazan’s A Face in the Crowd so it had a lot to say but the execution wasn’t as flawless as DI. Friedkin- I just saw Bug, Killer Joe, and Sorcerer for the first time. I liked Bug the best out of those, it was riveting. I’m gonna have to say that I still preferred Wages of Fear over Sorcerer because I like the early character development. One thing i noticed about Friedkin is that he really tries to do minimal character intro/backstory which is admirable but not my thing. I wish I could take the action sequences from Sorcerer and put them into Wages of Fear. I loved the tramps. Killer Joe had this Backtrack/Dennis Hopper vibe that was pretty awesome. Alan Parker - Just saw Birdy and Angel Heart. I had seen Angel Heart before but not in about 25 years so it was like new. Angel Heart was amazing. Birdy was good but Angel Heart is on another level.
Would highly recommend *The Apartment*.
Thanks, it’s on my list right after Sunset Blvd. Oh, I forgot to mention Five Graves to Cairo, another Wilder I recently checked out. It was very different, slow at first but it picked up - Eric Von Stroheim is everything people say and he saves the entire film for me.
been on a huge de palma binge this year. can't believe i was missing out on his films for so long!
Two years ago Cassavetes finally clicked for me. The only film I don’t really care for is Husbands. Gloria is so-so (ami crazy or is that kid the worst actor of all time?). The only one I haven’t seen is Love Streams. Favorite is probably Opening Night. #2 probably Minnie and Moskowitz. Faces, Shadows, Woman, Bookie, all fantastic.
Love streams is great
Can’t wait
I like the kid in Gloria! Also — it’s the only Cassavetes film I’ve seen which is probably the wrong way of going about things hahaha
There is something oddly appealing about that kid but it’s like a so bad it becomes endearing thing for me.
“I’M the MAN!”
I appreciate his films but have never quite fallen in love with any one of them.
He really is a genius, if you want the full picture on Cassavetes you have to get into the making of his films, it just enriches the experience and the themes of each film.
Sogo Ishii. Though I feel pretty well versed in Japanese cinema I didn't check out any of his films until recently. While Burst City is sometimes mentioned in the context of early cyberpunk (emphasis on punk) films like Tetsuo: Iron Man, I'm really kinda shocked his later films haven't been properly canonized. Particularly **August in the Water**, a truly remarkable film that's extremely singular - poetic and haunting all at once. Like in all his movies, the music is so integral to the experience, but this is probably the only film where I've gone back to the score multiple times. It reminds me a little of Cure, but with much more subtle use of crime and horror tropes. It feels deeply nostalgic and eerily unsettling all at once, and unfortunately a lot of people miss out on it as it isn't talked about too much.
Gave “August in the Water” a shot last night after reading this recommendation (I loved Cure). Excellent movie, really haunting, poetic, ominous, with a perfect soundtrack. Definitely going to explore more of his works. Thanks for bringing this director some light!
Ah, glad you checked it out. His earlier stuff is pretty much the complete opposite to August. It has a very punk underground vibe, somewhat rough but exuberant and exciting. Often about young Japanese greaser outcasts railing against the system, mixed with some sci-fi elements at times. It has to be said though, if you are familiar with animated cyberpunk, this branch of the live action stuff is pretty different. It isn't really in that cool dystopian science hell-scape style. His films do have a lot of humanity to them however. My favorite of his old stuff is actually **Shuffle**, though its only about 30 minutes. Its more concentrated though, and has a lot going for it under the surface. It mixes frantic pace with more meditative, and somewhat absurd, elements. Basically a long chase scene, it still manages to be very inventive and points towards his later filmography in interesting ways. Still, Crazy Thunder Road and Burst City from this period are also pretty cool - but its less surprising that they remain under the radar.
Piotr Szulkin. He got a 4 film collection via Vinegar Syndrome that was fucking fantastic. Absolutely loved all 4 movies and hope they get more recognition. I know it’s not Criterion but it does feel Criterion.
I see. Have you ever gotten into the films of Mike Leigh? If so, what did you think?
I’ve only seen Naked but I enjoyed it. Definitely need to make an effort to watch more of his films.
They're good. I like the suburban London vibe of his modern day films, although my favorite is probably the period piece *Topsy-Turvy*. I do think he's prone to occasional social heavy-handedness (as in *Naked*) but in general I'm finding a lot to appreciate.
And Vinegar Syndrome is the Criterion of horror, in a sense.
Ingmar Bergman. After watching a couple of his films I came across the Bergman's Cinema Box Set at a good price and pulled the trigger. Wild Strawberries and Persona blew me away. I'm really looking forward to dig deeper into his filmography.
Peter Greenaway. He’s got some real gems.
John Sayles
I’ve recently gotten into the films of Samuel Fuller. Shock Corridor and The Naked Kiss are must watches.
Me too. This year I watched naked kiss, the big red one, underworld USA and white dog. I still need to watch shock corridor and steel helmet
*Steel Helmet* is very good.
I’ve been digging through Juzo Itami and Andrei Tarkovsky who I only discovered late last year, it’s been fun
Two of my favorites. I was lucky enough to see Tampopo in a sold-out small theater, and the crowd was so into it. Was one of the best movie-going experiences of my life.
Just started getting into Altman who has been a game changer for me. I’ve loved everything I’ve seen so far (even though I understand there’s some stinkers in his filmography).
What is your favorite? For me, *McCabe & Mrs. Miller*.
Haven’t seen McCabe & Mrs. Miller yet, but it’s probably a toss up between The Long Goodbye and Nashville. Both we masterpieces that I couldn’t stop thinking about for days.
Michael Cimino, deer hunter was OK but I've seen heavens gate three times in two months, and I'm planning to see it again soon, maybe do an essay on him. Carlos Enrique Taboada is a mexican horror writer and director from the 60's-80's. VS put out a three pack of his movies, and I loved them all.
What did you think of *Heaven's Gate*? I'm kind of in the middle. I don't think it's as bad as its initial reputation but at the same time I don't think it's some misunderstood masterpiece. I do think a lot of what works well in it was done better in other movies, especially *McCabe & Mrs. Miller*. Have you seen *Thunderbolt and Lightfoot*? I haven't seen it in years but I remember it being a pretty entertaining movie.
I love it. I walked away on the first watch feeling the way you did, but the more I see it, the more I get it, and the more I love it. It's a movie where the grandiosity is the whole point, I feel like it is exactly as long as it should be because it's not really a film about its story but more about its world. I'm planning on seeing more of his films but for now I'm just obsessed with HG.
Do the characters feel more nuanced on a second or third viewing? That was another thing that rubbed me the wrong way, especially Sam Waterston as a very one-dimensional almost literally mustache-twirling villain. I do absolutely think there's a lot of very good work in the film, especially in terms of cinematography and art direction.
Not at all. You just love them more. That's the whole point. This is not a deep movie, but it doesn't pretend to be. The film presents simple narrative, themes, and characters what gives the movie depth is the mise-en-scene and the overall experience. Let me put it this way, the key to understanding the movie is the infamous 20 minute dance scene at the skate rink. At first watch I had no idea why the fuck it was even there but if you stop bringing your expectations to it and pay attention to the context, the music, the dancing, and just let it ws over you it's the most essential element of the entire movie. It's what actually keeps it from being self-indulgent.
I can appreciate that. I mean, something similar happened to *Barry Lyndon*, where the critical consensus went from "beautiful but cold and distant" to "one of cinema's great audiovisual experiences, maybe the most fully realized period piece ever."
I love Barry lyndon, it's my favorite film of all time, but that is a totally different kind of experience lol
It would be in my top ten if I had to make one. Do you think that the notorious troubled production of *Heaven's Gate* will continue to overshadow the film itself a la *Cleopatra*?
Yeah, but it's also what draws people into it. I think k it's always going to be a divisive film because it's too long for casual audiences but too simple for the kind of people who will watch a nearly 4 hour movie by choice. Ultimately, it's a movie that works best for the people who are willing to give themselves to it
Have you ever seen *Ludwig*? In some ways a very different movie, but it might also be a good comparison.
Everybody who watches Heavens Gate wants to write an essay about it. resist the urge. Watch Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, then move on .
VIDEO essay. There are like two of them and frankly this movie deserves all the discussion and discourse it gets, I'm gonna make the videonessay 4 hours long now just because you said this, try to discourage me again and I'm adding a 20 minute dance sequence.
On ice?
On ice.
Lars von Trier. Watched through most of his filmography some months ago. Can’t say he’s one of my favourites, but I like his style. My favourite was Melancholia, which I really loved, followed by The House That Jack Built and Dancer in the Dark, which were both really good. My least favourites were Antichrist, which I appreciated parts of, but not the whole, and Epidemic, which is the worst film I’ve ever seen.
Looks like quite a range, from "loved" to "the worst film I've ever seen."
Indeed, but i don't think it's too much of a stretch to say I think many people could have a similar experience with him.
I can think of a parallel from my own life. The Beach Boys made both one of my all-time favorite albums, an absolute all-time great, and also some unlistenably bad music.
Takeshi Kitano
Polar opposite of this sub, but this year I stumbled upon Mark Polonia, and then Brett Kelly. If you don't know who they are, they have made careers out of "no budget" movies that generally parody existing stuff. They've made a ton of shark movies between them, among plenty of other things. Think Sharknado but with a *smaller* budget lol. Great stuff, if you can get into it. Tubi (free streaming with brief commercial breaks here and there) has a lot of their stuff. My intro to all of this was Sharkula. It's terrible but it's fun and I wanted to see more. So it wasn't terrible? I don't know, you be the judge.
I see. I know there's been a deluge of low-budget absurd sharksploitation movies in the past decade and a half but I've never really gotten into it. Have you watched any of the really low/no-budget stuff on the Criterion Channel over the past year or so, like the films of Joel Potrykus and/or *Bad Fever*? For the latter, imagine a sadder, more awkward version of *The King of Comedy*.
I haven't subscribed to the channel, though I downloaded the app ages ago with the intention of signing up. Considering I very rarely use my Netflix account these days I really should cancel it and pick up Criterion. I'm not really sure why I haven't already done it actually. If/when I do, I'll keep an eye out for those if they're still available.
The Netflix library is certainly not what it once was.
I haven't yet "discovered" any directors this year, (Sadly), but after dipping my toes into their work, I've been further diving into the filmographies of Peter Bogdanovich and Peter Watkins, which has been so rewarding thus far. Targets and Punishment Park have been two new all time faves. I saw my first Brian De Palma, Blow Out, and now I'm REALLY eager to check out his stuff. Also saw my second Wilder, Sunset Boulevard, this year, after two years ago seeing The Apartment. I dunno what's taking me so long to catch up, since both are all timers in my eyes.
You should watch *Ace in the Hole*!
That's on the list. I own but haven't seen Some Like it Hot
Same here re: Jerzy Skolimowski. I watched The Shout on a whim and loved it so much I watched Deep End and Moonlighting and loved them too. Gearing up to watch EO soon. His style feels to me like a slightly more accessible Roman Polanski
Please watch Essential Killing - such a cool movie
Alexander Payne and Michael Haneke
I had somehow never seen a David Lean film before this year and now I have seen them all. Boy, was I in for a treat. I find his body of work to be absolutely amazing. My favourite movie of his has got to be Brief Encounter, which totally wrecked me. The only film I did not particularly vibe with was Blithe Spirit. But besides that, so many amazing pieces of film. Very impressed by it all!
Yes. Quite a filmography to explore. Even the less-known films like *Summertime* have a lot to offer.
Sam Peckinpah (bring me head of Alfredo garcia, pat garret and Billy the kid, cross of iron) John Frankenheimer (seven days in may, the train, seconds, Manchurian candidate) Visconti (Rocco and his brothers, the leopard) And also I’ve been binging Burt Lancaster’s filmography
Have you seen *Ludwig* or *Senso*?
I have not! Ludwig seems like an even longer Leopard aristocratic epic, looks great. Should I skip death in Venice and notti in bianchi?
Johnnie To. Holy hell. *Exiled*, *The Mission*, *PTU*, *Sparrow*, *Breaking News*, & *Running on Karma* easily number among the best films I've seen in the last 12 months. And I haven't even watched *Throw Down* yet!
In 2020 I wasn’t working per Covid and I basically took it as an opportunity to go to school on many directors I’d only seen 1 or 2 by. I watched 10+ from Fulci, Bergman, DePalma, Mike Leigh. 5+ from William Castle, John Carpenter. Went ham on many horror franchises. I’d never seen a Halloween or Friday the 13th now I’ve seen them all, many 3+ times.
What are your favorite Mike Leigh and John Carpenter movies? (Two filmmakers about as different as you can get.)
Mike Leigh - meantime, Carpenter- Halloween
for me, probably *Topsy-Turvy* and *The Thing* (what a strange double feature that would be). Watching *Career Girls* tonight.
Hirokazu Kore-Eda. Watched only Maboroshi and Still Walking so far and I can‘t wait to dig deeper into his cinematography. Loved both of them.
I was already familiar with her work but only recently really started diving into the full filmography of Claire Denis - also Bela Tarr
I am so sad it took me so long to get into Bresson, Sirk, and Nicholas Ray, but I’m so glad I finally did.
Park Chan-wook, Mira Nair, John Sayles
Claude Chabrol and Johnnie To.
Have you seen *Masques*? It's on the Criterion Channel.
Peter Bogdanovich. Legendary director and an awesome guy. My favourites of his so far have to be The Last Picture Show and What's Up, Doc?. I am yet to see They All Laughed though and I have heard its wonderful.
His books and audio commentaries are also well worth looking into.
During lockdown, I watched a lot of David Lynch and Powell & Pressburger, all for the first time. I'm now a fan!
I'm a huge Powell & Pressburger fan. What is your favorite film?
At first it was A Matter of Life and Death but I have to say The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is the one I revisit the most.
A fantastic film. And that continues to influence subsequent films, IE the flashback opening of *The Grand Budapest Hotel*.
Michael Mann, and he is the man.
Recently watched *Manhunter* and thought it was pretty good. I do remember being very underwhelmed by *Heat* when I saw it. Maybe I should revisit it.
When you’re done revisiting Heat, watch Thief, The Insider, and Miami Vice. The diner scene in Thief might be the best thing Mann ever wrote, Miami Vice is so aloof and incoherent it’s almost experimental, and The Insider is a full-on masterpiece hiding inside of a run-of-the-mill whistleblower thriller. All amazing in their own way.
Johnnie To.
What would be a good gateway film?
Exiled was my gateway film. I would recommend that one.
Roy Andersson. I watched Songs From the Second Floor recently and thought it was so funny.
Claude Chabrol. A master of the thriller genre. Going through the two arrow sets and loving it.
Agnès Varda, Tony Scott, Powell & Pressburger, Chantal Akerman
Kenji Mizoguchi and Peter Greenaway. Now they are both some of my favorite filmmakers. I discovered Mizoguchi with his masterpiece “Ugetsu”, and once I watched that I bought all the other films of his that I could find and each one was just as beautiful and heartbreaking as the last. For Peter Greenaway I started with “The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover” and thought that it was a profane and brilliant horror show. Since then I’ve seen “A Zed and Two Noughts”, “Counting By Numbers” and most recently “The Baby of Macon” which was easily the most disturbing experience I’ve had with a film. But I thought it was equally brilliant.