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Movies => Good Movies => Topic started by: zombie no.one on July 27, 2012, 01:32:15 PM



Title: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: zombie no.one on July 27, 2012, 01:32:15 PM
I just came across this late 70s movie called FAST COMPANY. it's a macho drag-racing action film directed by...  David Cronenburg  :question:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2ZxjMnSCwg


any other examples of movies that are nothing like what you would expect from their directors' usual trademark style?


Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: tracy on July 27, 2012, 01:57:18 PM
Well,I remember being quite surprised when they announced that Kenneth Branagh was going to direct "Thor". I've seen his comedy and Skakespearian movies so this seemed like a  real departure for him. Luckily it was a very cool movie.

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515eDtHmzML._SL500_AA300_.jpg)


Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: fulci420 on July 27, 2012, 03:27:39 PM
David Lynch made a G rated disney movie called "The Straight Story" in 1999. Haven't seen it but want too.

Wes Craven made a rare departure from the horror genre in 1999's "Music of the heart". I haven't seen this film but it is about Meryl Streep teaching inner city kids how to be violin so of course it got oscar nominations.

John Carpenter made a TV Movie about Elvis in 1979 that teamed him up with Kurt Russel for the first time.

Kevin Smith stepped out of the comedy genre successfully (IMO) in his horror film Red State.

James Cameron's Titanic was quite a departure from his action/sci fi past, and what a profitable departure it was!

That's all I can think of for now.


Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: zombie no.one on July 28, 2012, 05:55:56 AM
nice list fulci, wasn't aware of any of those (except for Titanic, obviously.)



@tracy, interesting. don't know anything about Kenneth brannagh's work myself...


Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: fulci420 on July 28, 2012, 11:17:46 AM
thought of a couple more, and Meryl streep taught children to "play" violin not be them in that film.

Brian De Palma stepped away from the action/thrillers he is so famous for (Scarface, The Untouchables) to make the legendary bomb "The Bonfire of the Vanities". This attempt at comedy is misguided and seems out of touch with the times it was made. This remains watchable for its questionable racial attitudes (which would never be allowed today) and some comedic moments mostly coming from Hank's performance. Melanie Griffith is incredibly annoying in this one and Bruce Willis is left with little to do. This film also contains one of the finest opening tracking shots ever done. Lasting nearly 5 minutes it is a sign of the immense craft that went into this legendary flop. Read "The Devil's Candy" for an in depth look at what happened during this film. De Palma would return to thrillers with the following "Raising Cain" which is one of the most ridiculous film's I have seen outside of some of Argento's later work!

M Night Shyamalan- Now famous for his work in fantasy and horror he made his start well outside the genre. Among his early credits are "Wide Awake" which is a Rosie O Donnel family picture about a young boy dealing with loss. Before that he made (and starred in) "Praying with Anger" in which his character returns to India for a jouney of self discovery. Also wrote "Stuart Little".

Abel Ferrera stepped away from his gritty crime pictures to make the quite excellent 1992 "Body Snatchers" remake. He also made a porno film creatively titled "9 lives of a wet p***y" in 1976.

Well regarded playwright and Director Neil Labute (In the Company of Men) made 2006's The Wicker Man which speaks for itself.

This is fun looking for imdb to find these anomalies so I will add more as i find them.




Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: zombie no.one on July 28, 2012, 11:26:42 AM
nice, please do  :thumbup:

by the way , your username has reminded me of a Fulci film I have called CONTRABAND. It seems different from all the other Fulci films I've seen because it's more or less a straight crime flick, with no elements of horror or supernatural. But because I haven't seen that many Fulci films (maybe about 7-8) I don't know if he's strayed even further from his usual style than that in other films...


Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: tracy on July 28, 2012, 12:07:47 PM
nice list fulci, wasn't aware of any of those (except for Titanic, obviously.)



@tracy, interesting. don't know anything about Kenneth brannagh's work myself...

He's actually the first director....and actor...that has made Shakespeare into film without making it seem like a filmed play. IMO of course. :wink:

And yes,I do like Sir Lawrence Olivier.


Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: fulci420 on July 28, 2012, 12:19:49 PM
nice, please do  :thumbup:

by the way , your username has reminded me of a Fulci film I have called CONTRABAND. It seems different from all the other Fulci films I've seen because it's more or less a straight crime flick, with no elements of horror or supernatural. But because I haven't seen that many Fulci films (maybe about 7-8) I don't know if he's strayed even further from his usual style than that in other films...
Despite my username I have probably seen less Fulci films than you, contraband does look quite interesting will have to seek it out. Once he made his name in the horror genre he rarely stepped away from it and even when he did it his stories remained violent. In order to see Fulci really step out of his genre you would have to seek out his early comedy films that he made in the 1950's and 60's.


Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: bob on July 28, 2012, 03:03:19 PM
George Lucas in American Graffiti, he admitted as much in the documentry about the movie.


Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: fulci420 on July 28, 2012, 03:44:41 PM
Legendary director John Houston (The Maltese Falcon, Key Largo etc...) went up to Canada to make "Phobia: A Descent into Terror" his lone entry in the horror genre.

While known primarily for his horror film's (Re animator, From Beyond) Stuart Gordon occasionally does work outside the genre. His version of David Mamet's play Edmond is fantastic with a great performance by William H Macy. An example of when going outside your "comfort zone" creates great art. He also directed "The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit" which is a family comedy.

Joel and Ethan Cohen now famous for films such as No Country for Old Men and Fargo have one strange entry in their imdb. They wrote the script for Sam Raimi's largely ignored "Crimewave" which looks to be a slapstick comedy at least from the trailer.

Uwe Boll occasionally steps out of his video game niche to make interesting films. No I'm not joking. Heart of America, Rampage and Stoic are all thought provoking interesting films that might get ignored given Boll's terrible (and deserved) reputation.


Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: zombie no.one on July 28, 2012, 05:43:30 PM


Joel and Ethan Cohen now famous for films such as No Country for Old Men and Fargo have one strange entry in their imdb. They wrote the script for Sam Raimi's largely ignored "Crimewave" which looks to be a slapstick comedy at least from the trailer.
yeah I was actually trying to think of a Coen bros film to add to this thread, but somehow all their stuff has their unique 'stamp' on it even if the films themselves are very different. for eg, Miller's Crossing and Big Lebowski. 2 very different films in some ways, but both distinctly Coen Brothers in style. perhaps they're not predictable enough as directors to have a specific 'comfort zone'


Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: ChaosTheory on July 29, 2012, 01:42:40 PM
Sam Raimi is known for making pretty over-the-top movies (EVIL DEAD, SPIDERMAN trilogies) but in 1998 he directed the very low-key (and underrated) crime movie A SIMPLE PLAN:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn81aL59Bjg


Ridley Scott made a breezy romantic dramedy, A GOOD YEAR, a few years back when Russell Crowe was still his muse.  It was kind of bizarre.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGmXc7zqr7g

And yeah, Branagh's THOR really surprised me, in a good way.  

EDIT:  Almost forgot about Michael Powell, known for doing opulent family & prestige movies (THE RED SHOES, THIEF OF BAGHDAD, I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING) who made the superdark serial-killer flick PEEPING TOM in 1960.  The critics eviscerated it, audiences rejected it and it pretty much railroaded his career. 
Ironically it's my favorite of his movies.


Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: zombie no.one on July 29, 2012, 06:29:33 PM
Thanks for those chaos. More stuff I've not heard of


Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: fulci420 on July 29, 2012, 11:39:02 PM
Sylvester Stallone directed "Staying Alive" the sequel to "Saturday Night Fever".

William Friedkin directed the Chevy Chase comedy "Deal of the Century". Friedkin is among my favorite directors but the terrible clips and reviews keep me from approaching this one.



Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: ChaosTheory on July 31, 2012, 11:15:16 AM
@zombie - Anytime!   :smile:



William Friedkin directed the Chevy Chase comedy "Deal of the Century". Friedkin is among my favorite directors but the terrible clips and reviews keep me from approaching this one.




You've just blown my mind.


Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: Hammock Rider on July 31, 2012, 02:20:31 PM
Hitchcock did a comedy called The Trouble with Harry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sG_tQ_t5dw


Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: zombie no.one on August 02, 2012, 06:37:38 AM
hah, didn't know hitchcock had done a comedy - although that one does appear to revolve around a dead body!

although I've heard PSYCHO is supposed to be a black comedy as well...


Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: FatFreddysCat on August 06, 2012, 12:58:25 PM
First one that came to my mind...

Stuart "Re-Animator" Gordon and Brian "Society" Yuzna co-wrote the family friendly Disney flick "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids," along with sci-fi author/Charles Band associate Ed Naha.

...that always struck me as rather odd. I still wonder how those three managed to get a gig with Disney.


Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on August 07, 2012, 07:10:08 PM
hah, didn't know hitchcock had done a comedy - although that one does appear to revolve around a dead body!

although I've heard PSYCHO is supposed to be a black comedy as well...

Not many do, because on its first release here in the U.S., it is regarded as one of Hitchcock's few boxoffice failures. But it did well in Europe. Playing for an year and a half in France and an year in the U.K. and Italy.

It was also Shirley Maclaine's motion picture debut.


Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: Pacman000 on August 23, 2012, 11:34:08 AM
Hitchcock did a comedy called The Trouble with Harry.

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sG_tQ_t5dw[/url]


It seems to be a darkly comical, like the intros to his TV show.  Mr. & Mrs Smith, also directed by Hitchcock, is a better example of a Film outside his comfort zone; it's a standard screw-ball comedy.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033922/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033922/)


Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: Jim H on August 28, 2012, 01:36:25 AM
I don't know if it's his "comfort zone", but Jack Perez directed Monster Island, 666: The Child and Mega Shark VS Giant Octopus.  Then he did the quite solid low key black comedy Some Guy Who Kills People.  Never would have thought he'd be capable of it.

John Woo, for those who don't know, started off with slapstick and screwball comedy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHtGp6M3l_Q


Title: Re: Directors going outside their 'comfort zone'....
Post by: Trevor on August 28, 2012, 04:48:19 AM
Our good badmovies.org buddy Dr Menard told me that Lucio Fulci had started off writing for comedies.  :smile: