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Author Topic: 1SO vs. All the Directors  (Read 85564 times)

1SO

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1SO vs. All the Directors - Apichatpong Weerasethakul
« Reply #490 on: February 01, 2019, 01:49:25 AM »
#175 Apichatpong Weerasethakul

I don't have a Ranked List because I haven't connected with him yet. I've seen three. Uncle Boonmee is my favorite(?) I guess. Tropical Malady did nothing for me and two viewings of Syndromes and a Century left me thinking this isn't going to work out.

It's clear from his thread that many people have. The thread's praise raises my own enthusiasm to enjoy some Joe. I'm going to take it one title at a time.

Mysterious Object at Noon (2000) - Might as well start at the beginning
Blissfully Yours (2002)
The Adventures of Iron Pussy (2003) - I know this one is low rated, but that title! Watch it end up my favorite.
Cemetery of Splendor (2015) - Guess I'll catch up with this 2010s blind spot after all
 

1SO

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1SO vs. All the Directors - Wiliam A. Wellman
« Reply #491 on: February 01, 2019, 02:29:41 AM »
I'm going to reuse my idea from my Varda/Vidor pairing and put some space between the Weerasethakul films by shuffling them into some classic Hollywood from Wellman.


#176 William A. Wellman Ranked List

I haven't been aiming to watch Wellman, but because he's worked with some of my favorite actors - including 5 starring Barbara Stanwyck - I've been picking off his filmography through the years. His two most high profile - Wings and The Public Enemy - are also two of his most dated, while also being groundbreaking for the time period. It's The Ox-Bow Incident that has crept up to being his Masterwork.

He still has enough titles to keep me busy for a couple of weeks.

DEFINITE:
Wild Boys of the Road (1933)
Battleground (1949)

LIKELY:
Love Is a Racket (1932)
Heroes for Sale (1933)
Looking for Trouble (1934)
The Iron Curtain (1948)

POSSIBLE:
Beggars of Life (1928)
Safe in Hell (1931)
College Coach (1933)
Call of the Wild (1935)
Reaching for the Sun (1941)
« Last Edit: February 01, 2019, 11:44:07 PM by 1SO »

MartinTeller

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Re: 1SO vs. All the Directors - Apichatpong Weerasethakul
« Reply #492 on: February 01, 2019, 07:40:08 AM »

The Adventures of Iron Pussy (2003) - I know this one is low rated, but that title! Watch it end up my favorite.

It’s his most conventional narrative.

roujin

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Re: 1SO vs. All the Directors
« Reply #493 on: February 01, 2019, 08:40:25 AM »
Regarding Wellman, Wild Boys of the Road and Heroes for Sale are both incredible!

1SO

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1SO vs. All the Directors - John Woo
« Reply #494 on: February 10, 2019, 12:32:43 AM »
#177 John Woo Ranked List

I often think about which directors I would love to cut from this sub-board. Bret Ratner and Uwe Boll are obvious candidates from among this list, but I would make a case for John Woo. He's a filmmaker who burned too bright for too short a time (approx. 1986 - 2000), threatened to change the game before becoming a parody of himself. He returned to Hong Kong to make historical epics I couldn't get into and is now threatening a Hollywood comeback with a remake of his most famous film, The Killer, starring Lupita Nyong'o.

On the thread I wrote...

I have a great nostalgia for Woo's ultimate cool.  I fear it won't hold up. 
This was my thought on what to watch. I'm not the person I was when I discovered Once a Thief and Bullet in the Head, I'd rather hold onto the memories and move on.

smirnoff

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Re: 1SO vs. All the Directors
« Reply #495 on: February 10, 2019, 01:56:05 AM »
He lost a step somewhere along the way for sure. You just don't get a pass for the stuff that you got a pass for 20 years ago. Guns with bottomless clips, excessive bullet-dodging, a sorry excuse for a plot. And honestly... there are just SO FEW good action films being made (of the sort he is known for). People seem to like John Wick (I don't), and The Raid (never seen it)... Bourne/MI/Bond all dead series at this point (as far as I'm concerned)... Baby Driver (terrible)... Expendables (a joke)...

His forays into sci fi have been awful, and the same goes for anything historical (he would waste an intelligent script if it came to him). So what's he going to do? Try and out-John-Wick John Wick, which is already an exceedingly rare sucess? I find it pretty much impossible to be optimistic.

1SO

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1SO vs. All the Directors - Olivier Assayas
« Reply #496 on: February 10, 2019, 10:30:04 AM »
#178 Olivier Assayas Ranked List

There's a healthy list of directors where I don't get the acclaim, though most of them have an easily identifiable style. (Ozu, Fellini, Claire Denis). Maybe it's due to my indifference to Assayas I've spaced out the 4 films of his I've seen and haven't noticed what it is that he does well. Maybe this trilogy will clue me in.

Cold Water (1994): much discussed on the thread and the favorite of goodguy
Demonlover (2002): his most divisive, with a premise that makes it sound like his Trouble Every Day or Iron Pussy
Carlos (2010): on my 2010s catchup Watchlist. One of the first films to make that list (because of length).

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: 1SO vs. All the Directors
« Reply #497 on: February 10, 2019, 02:59:39 PM »
Oh man, I love Assayas. He's always doing something different and provoking with each film.

1SO

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Re: 1SO vs. All the Directors - Carné, Marcel
« Reply #498 on: February 14, 2019, 07:28:54 PM »
#179 Marcel Carné  Ranked List

Two in a row that I'm not a fan of. Carné has had a much longer career than his poll indicates. 22 features, though he's best known for Children of Paradise, with Port of Shadows and Le Jour Se Leve a solid step below it. I've seen those three and don't have enough interest to do an extensive Marathon. ICM has Les Visiteurs du Soir on the most lists, but Hotel du Nord is higher rated and more popular on IMDB (and 30 minutes shorter). In fairness, I may try Children of Paradise again since it's the masterpiece and it's been 7 years since I've seen it.

PeacefulAnarchy

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Re: 1SO vs. All the Directors - Carné, Marcel
« Reply #499 on: February 14, 2019, 08:27:22 PM »
#179 Marcel Carné  Ranked List

Two in a row that I'm not a fan of. Carné has had a much longer career than his poll indicates. 22 features, though he's best known for Children of Paradise, with Port of Shadows and Le Jour Se Leve a solid step below it. I've seen those three and don't have enough interest to do an extensive Marathon. ICM has Les Visiteurs du Soir on the most lists, but Hotel du Nord is higher rated and more popular on IMDB (and 30 minutes shorter). In fairness, I may try Children of Paradise again since it's the masterpiece and it's been 7 years since I've seen it.
I like them both. Hotel du Nord is a proto noir on the vein of Le Jour Se Leve, while Les Visiteurs du Soir is a surreal gothic story. I would have said the first was a better bet for you, but since you don't like Le Jour Se Leve that may not be true.