1. Making a list is fun.
2. Freedom of speech.
3. It’s an easy way to discover more films.
4. It’s a chance for rare films to shine.
5. If you don’t like a list, don’t click it!
I would agree with those calling out Spielberg, but for the obvious case of Schindler’s List.
I just can’t bring myself to criticize anything about it. For that reason he gets away with attempting to revive Indiana Jones and any other future fails.
So, instead I say Paul Haggis is the most overrated director. Crash winning Best Picture robbed me of the little faith I had left in the Academy…
Walter Murch, editor & sound designer. He’s the only film editor in history to have received Academy nominations for films edited on four different systems (Moviola, KEM, Avid, and FCP).
He worked on The Godfather Trilogy, Apocalypse Now, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The English Patient, Julia, Cold Mountain, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ghost, and Touch of Evil (to name a few).
His editing and sound design genius contributes massively to any film he works on (he won 3 Oscars), and he deserves a place on the auteurs without question.
@ Law: That’s an interesting question, his influence in crafting those films (except Touch of Evil which he only recut) is undeniable, but did he contribute enough to be an auteur? I agree that it would be bold to call anyone other than a director/writer/producer an auteur, but if they are able to consistently define the projects they work on, then sure. The catch is perhaps only those they collaborated with will know the extent of their contributions.
@Cavalier Haha didn’t see that coming. I too would celebrate Bay’s genius alongside you but there’s one thing to remember about Bay: Any meaningful insight taken from a Bay film is purely a mistake on his part, and Michael himself would curse himself for not catching this meaning and replacing it with a helicopter at dawn.
I find dismissing a film (or director) due to their popularity with the regular movie-going crowd to be ridiculous.
What makes a film good isn’t the sophistication of its audience, and the same goes for bad. If Kurosawa said “The Hotte and the Nottie” was a masterpiece would you change your mind about it?
Kubrick doesn’t suffer “from being one of the first major directors high school kids discover when they’re ready to graduate from Michael Bay”. He’s dead. The only thing to suffer is his reputation with the most pretentious of cinephile clowns, which I don’t think would bother him if he were alive.
If somebody can’t appreciate a film because they don’t associate with the audience who enjoys it, then their opinion is horribly biased and of little real value.
@ Law, I can appreciate that all opinions are biased. And when I say a “good” film, the word itself is definitely disputable. But it really takes it to another level when somebody disregards a film because he has a problem with people who enjoy it.
Like the saying goes, a wise man can entertain an idea without accepting it. If someone dismisses an idea (or film in this case) because they can’t put their personal feelings into perspective, then their opinion is limited.
Nobody can argue that we all share universal qualities that go beyond biology, and knowing the name of 100 directors doesn’t make anyone a different creature. At the core of every “good film” is something that everyone can appreciate regardless of our social groupings or cultural sophistication.
@ Law, I agree 100% that our moods influence our receptiveness to things like film (and music, art, etc). Even the sense of discovery can influence our judgement. But the thing is, everyone has these same moods, bar none. That doesn’t mean we’re all biased, rather we’re all the same. A perfect reason to judge a film without taking it’s target audience too seriously.
@Jesse, good point. Worship can be destructive to our own creativity, but I think it comes as a result of emotional gratitude.
If someone makes a film that effectively moves an audience emotionally or intellectually, then they’ve done their job, and the resulting worship is a (sometimes excessive) symbol of this gratitude. Whether we admit it or not, we all want praise for our hard work.
STOP THE LISTS! over 2 years ago
Top 5 Reasons to Keep Lists:
1. Making a list is fun.
2. Freedom of speech.
3. It’s an easy way to discover more films.
4. It’s a chance for rare films to shine.
5. If you don’t like a list, don’t click it!
Go to Comment
STOP THE LISTS! over 2 years ago
SO…
Go to Comment
STOP THE LISTS! over 2 years ago
LISTS ARE GREAT!
Go to Comment
STOP THE LISTS! over 2 years ago
Too many Dix on the dance floor,
Easy to fix!
Too many Dix on the dance floor,
Spread out the Dix!
Go to Comment
Who do you think the most overrated director is? over 2 years ago
I would agree with those calling out Spielberg, but for the obvious case of Schindler’s List.
I just can’t bring myself to criticize anything about it. For that reason he gets away with attempting to revive Indiana Jones and any other future fails.
So, instead I say Paul Haggis is the most overrated director. Crash winning Best Picture robbed me of the little faith I had left in the Academy…
Go to Comment
What non-directors could be thought of as "auteurs" in their own right? over 2 years ago
Walter Murch, editor & sound designer. He’s the only film editor in history to have received Academy nominations for films edited on four different systems (Moviola, KEM, Avid, and FCP).
He worked on The Godfather Trilogy, Apocalypse Now, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The English Patient, Julia, Cold Mountain, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ghost, and Touch of Evil (to name a few).
His editing and sound design genius contributes massively to any film he works on (he won 3 Oscars), and he deserves a place on the auteurs without question.
Go to Comment
What non-directors could be thought of as "auteurs" in their own right? over 2 years ago
@ Law: That’s an interesting question, his influence in crafting those films (except Touch of Evil which he only recut) is undeniable, but did he contribute enough to be an auteur? I agree that it would be bold to call anyone other than a director/writer/producer an auteur, but if they are able to consistently define the projects they work on, then sure. The catch is perhaps only those they collaborated with will know the extent of their contributions.
Go to Comment
Who do you think the most overrated director is? over 2 years ago
Deckard Croix you are wrong. Kyle St-Amour Brennan is right.
Go to Comment
What's the best head explosion scene ever? over 2 years ago
When it comes to bodily explosions, nobody challenges the genius of Riki-Oh!
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Favorite Cinematographer over 2 years ago
Gordon Willis:
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What films do you always catch shit for for not liking? over 2 years ago
Grey Gardens. There is nothing even remotely appealing about it, unless you’re looking for a mood-piece to help you kill yourself.
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What films do you always catch shit for for not liking? over 2 years ago
And Meshes of the Afternoon, I hate that movie proudly. Making a film highly experimental isn’t enough to make it work. I’d rather watch paint dry.
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STOP THE LISTS! over 2 years ago
Applying today’s standards to periodical work baffles me, happens all the time in literature too.
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Michael EXPLOSION! Bay over 2 years ago
@Cavalier Haha didn’t see that coming. I too would celebrate Bay’s genius alongside you but there’s one thing to remember about Bay: Any meaningful insight taken from a Bay film is purely a mistake on his part, and Michael himself would curse himself for not catching this meaning and replacing it with a helicopter at dawn.
Go to Comment
Do you agree with this statement about Stanley Kubrick? over 2 years ago
I find dismissing a film (or director) due to their popularity with the regular movie-going crowd to be ridiculous.
What makes a film good isn’t the sophistication of its audience, and the same goes for bad. If Kurosawa said “The Hotte and the Nottie” was a masterpiece would you change your mind about it?
Kubrick doesn’t suffer “from being one of the first major directors high school kids discover when they’re ready to graduate from Michael Bay”. He’s dead. The only thing to suffer is his reputation with the most pretentious of cinephile clowns, which I don’t think would bother him if he were alive.
If somebody can’t appreciate a film because they don’t associate with the audience who enjoys it, then their opinion is horribly biased and of little real value.
Go to Comment
Do you agree with this statement about Stanley Kubrick? over 2 years ago
@ Law, I can appreciate that all opinions are biased. And when I say a “good” film, the word itself is definitely disputable. But it really takes it to another level when somebody disregards a film because he has a problem with people who enjoy it.
Like the saying goes, a wise man can entertain an idea without accepting it. If someone dismisses an idea (or film in this case) because they can’t put their personal feelings into perspective, then their opinion is limited.
Nobody can argue that we all share universal qualities that go beyond biology, and knowing the name of 100 directors doesn’t make anyone a different creature. At the core of every “good film” is something that everyone can appreciate regardless of our social groupings or cultural sophistication.
Go to Comment
Do you agree with this statement about Stanley Kubrick? over 2 years ago
@ Law, I agree 100% that our moods influence our receptiveness to things like film (and music, art, etc). Even the sense of discovery can influence our judgement. But the thing is, everyone has these same moods, bar none. That doesn’t mean we’re all biased, rather we’re all the same. A perfect reason to judge a film without taking it’s target audience too seriously.
@Jesse, good point. Worship can be destructive to our own creativity, but I think it comes as a result of emotional gratitude.
If someone makes a film that effectively moves an audience emotionally or intellectually, then they’ve done their job, and the resulting worship is a (sometimes excessive) symbol of this gratitude. Whether we admit it or not, we all want praise for our hard work.
Go to Comment
Film Database Submission March 2010 about 2 years ago
Shake Hands with The Devil (2007)
Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire (2004) is up, but this dramatization deserves a place here as well.Go to Comment