Author Topic: 1SO vs. All the Directors  (Read 85536 times)

1SO

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36129
  • Marathon Man
Re: 1SO vs. All the Directors
« Reply #360 on: April 09, 2018, 01:19:46 PM »
I like stopping this madness for a longer look at a single Director, and so far Curtiz is looking even better to me. Aside from the two reviews I've posted, I've already seen...
The Cabin in the Cotton (1932)
Female (1933)
Stolen Holiday (1937)
The Lady Takes a Sailor (1949)

And I've decided to add The Egyptian (1954) to my list.

1SO

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36129
  • Marathon Man
Re: 1SO vs. All the Directors
« Reply #361 on: April 17, 2018, 10:48:11 PM »
I've been busy with work, but I've also been loving this deep dive into Michael Curtiz. 12 of my last 13 films have been by Curtiz and I'm finding his take on Noir especially interesting, which is why I've added The Scarlet Hour (1956) to my list.

1SO

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36129
  • Marathon Man
1SO vs. All the Directors - Vittorio De Sica
« Reply #362 on: April 22, 2018, 10:43:32 PM »
#122 Vittorio De Sica Ranked List

I will probably never crack the reasoning for my indifference towards Italian neorealism. I thought Bicycle Thieves was okay when I watched it in film school, but it was Umberto D. that first made me realize this isn't a reason why I love movies. Little surprise that my favorite De Sica is Miracle in Milan which is so fanciful and magical in tone it could be seen as Fantasy.

I already quietly watched Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow and don't care to write about it. Such is my indifference. There are other noteworthy title I haven't seen, like Marriage Italian Style and The Children Are Watching Us, but I'd rather move on than plug up these blindspots.

1SO

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36129
  • Marathon Man
Re: 1SO vs. All the Directors - Sergei Eisenstein
« Reply #363 on: April 22, 2018, 11:04:57 PM »
#123 Sergei Eisenstein Ranked List

Talk about a director with a reputation to live up to. In terms of classic cinema, the Odessa steps sequence in Battleship Potemkin is right up there with the shower scene in Psycho and may be the earliest instance of a scene eclipsing the film it appears in. Of course a director that talented has more to offer, though Eisenstein's output seems a lot smaller than his ICM or IMDB page would suggest, with a number of titles that seems spun off from or variations on ĦQue viva Mexico!

I'm still in the afterglow of my two week deep exploration of Michael Curtiz, so I'm going to keep this simple. Old and New (1929) appears on 4 ICM lists and is the only film with over 100 votes on IMDB I haven't seen.

1SO

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36129
  • Marathon Man
1SO vs. All the Directors - Mios Forman
« Reply #364 on: April 23, 2018, 10:57:12 PM »
#124 Milos Forman Ranked List

 :'(

I didn't notice he was coming up so soon after his passing, but this is great because I can now pay some tribute to a filmmaker who has helmed two of my Essentials including my #3 film of All Time.

While I have gone back and watched two of Forman's Czech films, I still haven't seen Black Peter (1964). I'm on the fence about Taking Off (1971), and would rather take a fresh look at Hair (1979), which was my first Forman film. Plus, it'll make a great opener to this year's Music of May.

1SO

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36129
  • Marathon Man
1SO vs. All the Directors - Samuel Fuller
« Reply #365 on: April 26, 2018, 01:17:02 PM »
#125 Samuel Fuller Ranked List

I don't consider myself a fan of Fuller, though he's made movies I like and some I love. It seems I like the films that are for people who don't like Sam Fuller films, the less overbaked hyperbole and lurid shock the better.

I've never heard of Park Row (1952), probably because of the unknown cast, but it's highly-rated and was the lead up to Pickup on South Street. Always been curious about Fixed Bayonets! (1951)

1SO

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36129
  • Marathon Man
1SO vs. All the Directors - Peter Greenaway
« Reply #366 on: April 29, 2018, 12:45:07 AM »
#126 Peter Greenaway Ranked List

In college, Peter Greenaway was my snobby artist pick for any deep conversation about cinema art. The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover was my first NC-17 film (and in a movie theater) and The Baby of Macon was my first bootleg. I watched both many times, even though they were difficult films for many reasons. That's what made Drowning By Numbers such a blast. It was both Greenaway's most light-hearted film and a game - For those that don't know, the numbers 1 - 100 appear in order during the course of the film - while retaining his formal style.

I watched and enjoyed others, but The Pillow Book broke the spell and I went from finding Greenaway fascinating to finding him dull. That one film made me lose interest in seeking out other work. It's been at least 10 years since I've watched a Greenaway film. For this project, I'll be seeking out The Falls (1980). I'm also curious about Eisenstein in Guanajuato (2015), since I'd like to see what a modern Greenaway film looks like and I just read up about Eisenstein's Mexican work last week.

1SO

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36129
  • Marathon Man
1SO vs. All the Directors - D.W. Griffith
« Reply #367 on: April 29, 2018, 10:39:14 PM »
I'm only going to be getting to Eisenstein in Guanajuato. Then it's onto...


#127 D.W. Griffith Ranked List

I feel my film school totally lied to me, telling me I had to appreciate Griffith when there were directors like F. W. Murnau and Fritz Lang who made more cinematic (and less racist) contributions. I do appreciate being forced to watch Intolerance, but why not Sunrise?

I've seen most of Griffith's major works. He has enough short films to bury me for a month, but I'm really not that interested. I'll look for Hearts of the World (1918) and Isn't Life Wonderful (1924), but I'm not going out of my way to locate them.

Corndog

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 17025
  • Oo-da-lolly, Oo-da-lolly, golly what a day!
    • Corndog Chats
Re: 1SO vs. All the Directors - Peter Greenaway
« Reply #368 on: April 30, 2018, 08:13:10 AM »
I'm also curious about Eisenstein in Guanajuato (2015), since I'd like to see what a modern Greenaway film looks like and I just read up about Eisenstein's Mexican work last week.

It's interesting enough. I thought the editing was the most interesting part.
"Time is the speed at which the past decays."

1SO

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36129
  • Marathon Man
Re: 1SO vs. All the Directors
« Reply #369 on: April 30, 2018, 10:09:09 AM »
Greenaway has always been a technically superior filmmaker, and there are a number of shots here unlike anything I've seen in a film before. (Most striking to me was the way he plays with color grading in the opening sequence.) I just wish there wasn't so much focus on Eisenstein's supposed sexual awakening.

 

love