The Director Thread

[Flick James]

Good Movies won the coin toss. I just wanted to start an open thread to share your thoughts on your favorite directors, be it mainstream, b-grade, z-grade, indy, or whatever. This is not intended to be a request for your all-time favorite directors list, just a place to share certain filmmakers when you think of them. I find that I am constantly discovering and rediscovering certain directors at different times in my life, depending on what my movie brain is fixated on that month.

For example, I am currently rediscovering my appreciation for Jonathan Demme, especially his 80's and 90's material. Not only has he directed some very recognizeable and iconic films like The Silence of the Lambs, but he has also flown well below the radar.

Some of my favorites from his filmography:

Caged Heat (1974) his directorial debut
Melvin and Howard (1980) put him on the map
Swing Shift (1983) a solid and often overlooked little gem
Stop Making Sense (1984) Top 5 in the history of concert movies, IMHO
Something Wild (1986)
Swimming to Cambodia (1987) who knew you could film a single guy sitting at a table for 90 minutes and talking and it would be so entertaining?
Married to the Mob (1988)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) No comment needed

Jonathan Demme is well-known for his liberal politics, and while they may play into the themes of his filmmaking to some extent, they are neither overt nor intrusive, which Philadelphia perhaps being a notable exception. He is one of America's finer artistic filmmakers in my humble opinion, who relies on the use of the camera and well-composed shots to tell the story and doesn't rely on special effects, some minimal makeup effects, perhaps, but that's about it. The rest is just solid shooting and editing. The man deserves from credit for that alone.

Anyway, like I said, this thread is open for anything that you appreciate in a director. In my opinion we don't respect the director enough in this country. One of the refreshing aspects of this forum is that many members here DO give directors their due respect. Have at it.

[Trevor]

Jonathan Demme is well-known for his liberal politics

He is also known for his anti-South African stance ~ he directed the video [Ain't Gonna Play] Sun City ~ and in the closing credits of most of his movies prior to 1994, has a small cartoon drawing of a guitarist with the words A Luta Continua (The Struggle Continues) which always angers me.

Talented director but not my cup of tea, unfortunately.

[Flick James]

Jonathan Demme is well-known for his liberal politics

He is also known for his anti-South African stance ~ he directed the video [Ain't Gonna Play] Sun City ~ and in the closing credits of most of his movies prior to 1994, has a small cartoon drawing of a guitarist with the words A Luta Continua (The Struggle Continues) which always angers me.

Talented director but not my cup of tea, unfortunately.

I respect that. I rarely hold an artist's personal or political lives against their artistic work, unless it's something that is particularly important to me. We all pick our battles. I do appreciate his directorial work immensely, but if something he did struck a chord with me that was particularly disagreeable, I may feel differently.

[ulthar]

For my first entry, I'll pick David Cronenberg.

Sample filmography:  VIDEODROME (1983), THE FLY (1986), CRASH (1996), A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (2005)

As for his directorial style, I like his 'organic' approach.  He doesn't "over produce" his shots and goes with his gut as he's making a film.  He approaches film making from the opposite end of the spectrum as those who storyboard EVERYTHING and plan every detail of the entire production (which is okay when it works in the end product).  On the commentary for A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, I think it was Maria Bello that mentioned Cronenberg often would not "know" how he wanted to compose a scene until the day of shooting that scene, and often then not even before actual shooting.  He's more of a "okay, here's where we are and here's what I think I want" kind of director.

I find his films very effective.  He's not afraid to be 'gritty' or to push his actors to the edge of their comfort zones.  Maybe open to criticism as appealing more the the art house or festival market than the box office, Cronenberg is a solid director that I can fully anticipate really enjoying his films whenever I watch one I have not seen.

And just for the record, I don't agree with his politics.  I just like his movies.   

[Flick James]

For my first entry, I'll pick David Cronenberg.

Sample filmography:  VIDEODROME (1983), THE FLY (1986), CRASH (1996), A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (2005)

As for his directorial style, I like his 'organic' approach.  He doesn't "over produce" his shots and goes with his gut as he's making a film.  He approaches film making from the opposite end of the spectrum as those who storyboard EVERYTHING and plan every detail of the entire production (which is okay when it works in the end product).  On the commentary for A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, I think it was Maria Bello that mentioned Cronenberg often would not "know" how he wanted to compose a scene until the day of shooting that scene, and often then not even before actual shooting.  He's more of a "okay, here's where we are and here's what I think I want" kind of director.

I find his films very effective.  He's not afraid to be 'gritty' or to push his actors to the edge of their comfort zones.  Maybe open to criticism as appealing more the the art house or festival market than the box office, Cronenberg is a solid director that I can fully anticipate really enjoying his films whenever I watch one I have not seen.

And just for the record, I don't agree with his politics.  I just like his movies.  

Oh, I'm definately a Cronenberg fan. He's an unusual director. Don't forget his earlier b-movies like Shivers, Rabid, and The Brood. Those titles fit right into this site. Oh, and The Naked Lunch is great if you want something just completely wierd. He is an anomaly in the filmmaking world. His approach is outside the box and often he delivers. A History of Violence is my favorite of his more recent films. He's one of those directors like David Lynch where I would love to be a fly on the wall during shooting to see what they do.

[Olivia Bauer]

Tim Burton. My idol. He's bringing back German Expressionism. I love German Expressionist films. He made some of my favorite films.

Ed Wood
Nightmare Before Christmas
Alice in Wonderland (2010)

I am also a fan of James Cameron, Peter Jackson, and Christopher Nolan.

[Kaseykockroach]

I don't have an absolute favorite director (when it comes to live-action films anyway), but I gotta give a shout out to Joe Dante. He's not out to create art, he's just a humble guy who loves movies and cartoons, who just happens to be making movies. Gremlins 2: The New Batch is his masterpiece, and in my top ten favorite films.

[The Burgomaster]

Wow . . . so many, and for so many different reasons.  But here is a cross-section:

* MARTIN SCORSESE
* ALFRED HITCHCOCK
* JOHN STURGES
* HENRY HATHAWAY
* JOHN FORD
* GEORGE A. ROMERO
* DAVID LYNCH
* SAM PECKINPAH
* JOHN WOO (primarily, the Hong Kong years)
* JACK ARNOLD
* DARIO ARGENTO
* MARIO BAVA
* DON SIEGEL
* FRAKLIN J. SCHAFFNER
* MICHAEL CURTIZ
* ABEL FERRARA
* WILLIAM FRIEDKIN
* JOHN FRANKENHEIMER
* SERGIO LEONE
* FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA
* STANLEY KUBRICK
* JOHN CARPENTER (the early days)
* JOHN WATERS
* HERSCHELL GORDON LEWIS
* ALAN J. PAKULA
* ROMAN POLANSKI
* MEL BROOKS
* DAVID CRONENBERG (especially his early, gritty stuff)
* WOODY ALLEN
* JOHN HUSTON

And I could list plenty more . . .

[Olivia Bauer]

Oh right!

Mel Brooks! How'd I forget! *PUNCHES SELF IN FACE*

[RCMerchant]

Lotta A-listers here....I'm gonna list one of my favorite Z listers!

.AL ADAMSON


That's Al in the middle (duh!)

the autuer of such classics as FRANKENSTEIN VS DRACULA,SATAN'S SADISTS,HORROR OF THE BLOOD MONSTERS,NURSE SHERRY and soooo many more! At one time,on the set HELL'S BLOODY DEVILS (at Spahn Ranch) he had to chase Charlie Manson and his girls off because they were disrupting the work! Al gave jobs to such old timers as John Carradine,Lon Chaney,Lash LaRue,Brodrick Crawford,Angelo Rossitto,and J.Caroll Naish at low points in their carrers. Unfortunatly,Al was murdered in 1995 by his building contractor. He was buried by the evil a***ole in cement in Al's own home. Sad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCtMTG5jb6Y

[Luna]

I love his "Storefront Hitchcock"... pure brilliance.

Jonathan Demme is well-known for his liberal politics

He is also known for his anti-South African stance

That's the first I've ever heard.  How is he anti-all of South Africa if "Sun City" was supposed to be anti-apartheid?  Is there something I'm missing there?  Can you elaborate further, please?  I'm genuinely curious.  :)

[Trevor]

I love his "Storefront Hitchcock"... pure brilliance.

Jonathan Demme is well-known for his liberal politics

He is also known for his anti-South African stance

That's the first I've ever heard.  How is he anti-all of South Africa if "Sun City" was supposed to be anti-apartheid?  Is there something I'm missing there?  Can you elaborate further, please?  I'm genuinely curious.  :)

I am South African and I detest foreign filmmakers who make films, videos, documentaries about my country's supposedly unique past and horrific racial laws while ignoring the trouble in their own countries. Furthermore, apartheid was South Africa and South Africa was apartheid so if you take on the laws, you take on the country.

South Africa is my country: no one must want to burn it in the past, the present or the future.

[The Burgomaster]

Lotta A-listers here....I'm gonna list one of my favorite Z listers!

.AL ADAMSON

Seriously, though.  What's better than watching an Al Adamson movie after midnight on a Saturday night? 

[Doggett]

John Carpenter and Steven Spielberg. 

[voltron]

Early Cronenberg is AMAZING. Early Argento is AMAZING. Roman Polanski is more often than not brilliant, despite his, um, setbacks. Kubrick gets it for Eyes Wide Shut alone. S.F. Brownrigg gets it for Don't Look In The Basement & Don't Open The Door. Mario Bava is quite awesome. His son Lamberto is pretty talented in his own right (see Macabre and Demons). Fulci gets it for Don't Torture A Duckling - his more popular films kinda left a little to be desired, imho. Kinda racking my brain here, think of some more later, perhaps?