Directors and Their ‘Best’

So, when people ask me who my favorite director is, I don’t have one answer. I have seven of them. Why seven? Well, I have seven directors that I adore, so naturally, they are all worthy of my favoritism. Here they are (in alphabetical order):

• J.J. Abrams
• Kathryn Bigelow
• David Fincher
• Jason Reitman
• Martin Scorsese
• Steven Spielberg
• Quentin Tarantino

Everyone feels there is a certain movie that is the director’s ‘best movie’, which is true. But, I’m just going to talk about my favorite from each director. I’m not saying all their work isn’t amazing, it’s just my favorite, the one I can watch over and over again.

J.J. Abrams: Star Trek

Ok, so he’s a newbie. Some people really don’t like him. But, he has some great writing. I do love Super 8, don’t get me wrong. But it’s just how he was able to revive Star Trek, it was very respectable. Sure, there are still nerds out there who have cursed his name, but the movie is really good. Sleek, action-packed, yet not soulless like Michael Bay’s Transformer series. J.J. had some big shoes to fill, and I think he did it perfectly. For an action movie, this is great. And action movies are not my favorite.

Kathryn Bigelow: The Hurt Locker

First off, the was the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar, so that makes her a winner in my book. Second, this movie was… Well, I am at a loss for words. When I was watching it, there were times when my hands would be clammy, and I would start shaking. It’s the fact that a movie can do this to me is what intrigues me. The way Bigelow paired shaky sequences with no sound whatsoever is terrifying and thrilling. By the end, my heart was pounding from all the subtle adrenaline. Take that James Cameron! Your Avatar made me snooze. I am thrilled The Hurt Locker beat it.

David Fincher: The Social Network

David Fincher, master of darkness. The Social Network is a beautiful movie. I describe it as ‘eating a delicious dessert’, and get weird looks. But it’s true. I eat this movie by the spoonful. The cinematography and editing are flawless. But it’s the story that drives this movie. I’m a perfectly good, well-natured person, but I love those gritty movies about the downfall of characters (this probably explains why I love There Will Be Blood). So for a girl who always thought of myself as the villain in movies, this one is quite lovable.

Jason Reitman: Up in the Air

I didn’t expect to love this movie or even see myself watching it. I was about to sit down and watch Kill Bill when I saw this playing on HBO. The title sequence looked amazing, so I looked for a later time, then recorded it. My, this movie is a work of art. Anyone who appreciates good writing would love this movie. It has a similar feel to The Social Network in cinematography and editing, but it’s more of a feel-good, cozy movie. A must for any minimalist.

Martin Scorsese: Goodfellas

Arguably one of the best movies ever, Goodfellas tops all of Scorsese’s movies. After watching that opening sequence for the first time, I had a new respect for movies. We follow the rise and fall of Henry Hill in the organized mob, and it is a beautiful story told with the perfect amount of action, violence, and love. You practically feel apart of the Italian family, frozen with the dead bodies in the truck, and jittery while trying to flee from a helicopter. I’ve watched it over and over, yet Goodfellas continues to give me that nostalgic movie feel.

Steven Spielberg: Indiana Jones (Raiders/Last Crusade)

Alright, you can hardly choose a favorite Spielberg movie. He does so many genres and so many stories, you have to choose five. I could have chosen Jurassic Park, my first PG-13 and Spielberg film, or E.T., the heartwarming tale that makes all of us wither. But no, I have to go with Indiana Jones. I know, it’s not his masterpiece, but it’s the classic adventure movie. I really have no idea how many times I’ve watched this movie, yet I still enjoy it. Every single time. Nazis, chases, whips, Egypt… This is the classic adventure movie that will withstand the test of time, especially when tied up with an ageless John Williams soundtrack.

Quentin Tarantino: Inglourious Basterds

Reservoir Dogs changed action movies with its sharp dialogue, Pulp Fiction is unlike anything I have ever seen, and the Kill Bill series is the spoof to top all spoofs. So why Inglourious Basterds? Well, because it is the definition of masterpiece. The screenplay is perfection, riddled with beautiful dialogue and so packed that if you blink during a subtitle, you miss some amazing line. It’s dramatic yet witty without trying so hard. The music, while not original, fits everywhere. To top it all off, you have Christoph Waltz as the most terrifying happy-evil SS Nazi I have ever seen. Tarantino really knows how to make a movie epic and beautiful.

A Much Needed Winter Break

So my honors English class has us post a massive blog every week, so by the time I actually have time to blog, I just want to sleep.

I really have no clue how I’m going to make it out of here alive.

Anyways, a few great developments have happened. One, I ranted to my principal (this was the first time I met him) about how OHS NEEDS a film club, and how disappointed I was that we didn’t have one. He looked at me and said “You are right. When can we get started?” and well…. I am now going to be the new leader and founder of the OHS Film Committee, and organize the annual OHS Film Festival. Heck, I’m only a Freshman, and they’re letting me do this? I feel awesome.

Another development: film festivals. I have kind of slacked, and not entered my film into them via withoutabox. So the other night, I had a horrible nightmare that woke me up from my lazy state, and I entered into 10 (not counting NFFTY or Reel 2 Real, so that makes 12 overall). Frankly, if I don’t get into any, that was a total waste of $100. But if I only get into one, that was $100 well spent. One of the festivals is grades 1-9, so I am 98% sure I have that one as a confirmation, and possibly a win.

On the topic of what I’ve been watching, well, there’s quite a bit. I’ve watched some lesser-known Spielberg, like Minority Report and Catch Me if you Can. Minority Report was a little sketchy, just on the border of my sci-fi limit, but Catch Me if You Can was really good! John Williams’ score was quirky and added so much more to it as well. But the overall story was engaging and interesting, and like in all Spielberg movies, heartwarming.

Then I saw There Will Be Blood. Oh my. That is one intense movie. I saw a little over half at film camp, and now I wonder why I waited so long to finish it! That movie keeps you on edge the entire time, with the fluid cinematography and the distorted music. The new ‘modern western’ genre has really proved its worth. Basically, Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview, the misanthropic oil man, scared the… Everything, out of me. He won that Oscar HANDS DOWN. I have no clue why critics only gave it 3 stars.

And finally, I made my Oscar nominee list. Not only will I be predicting the winners this year, but I will also be predicting the nominations. I’m currently at school, so I can copy+paste the list, but I will do so soon. And give some commentary on it. But off of that list I’ve seen two movies: The Muppets and The Tree of Life.

I would just like to say that The Muppets was awesome. I knew it would be funny, and convinced my friends to go. Within the first five minutes, they all almost left the theater. But, in the end, they all came out LOVING the movie, just LOVING it.  It was refreshing to see humor that wasn’t all Adam Sandler-y (like his newest fail Jack and Jill proves). It was just so… Funny! DEFINITELY a fresh new movie to go see.

Now The Tree of Life… I really don’t know what to say. I didn’t hate it, yet I didn’t love it. It was… Different? I’ll just stay neutral on that one. It was cool watching something a little outside my comfort zone though. And it kind of hypnotized me. It’s like you want to shut off the TV and say “Stupid abstract movie. Why do I waste my time?” but you really can’t.

So, I have no school blog posts for 4 weeks, so get ready for lots of posting. Upcoming topics: Oscar Nominees, and Drinking Other People’s Milkshakes.

Post-Summer Mayhem-ism

Finally.

My summer movie is done. After 18 filming days, and a glorious 1 hour movie. Sure, it’s funny and all, but it’s not my greatest work. It depresses me that there are other kids my age who are rich and get fabulous cameras and win festivals.

But apparently my feat is pretty impressive here in Olympia. There are over 300 coming to see it in the festival Friday and the Olympian (local newspaper) interviewed me for a story. Not bad!

I haven’t watched a lot of movies since I’ve just been editing. But I did finish The Departed, and I watched Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park (just for fun, love it), Kill Bill Vol. 1, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Pulp Fiction, and Se7en.

To start things off, I LOVE MARTIN SCORSESE. I am a very squeamish person, and I can’t stand blood, but he (and Tarantino) make blood… Fun! Sadly, I watched the TV version of Goodfellas, but I was hooked on the beginning:

“As far back as I could remember, I always wanted to be a gangster” -Slam trunk, music, freeze frame, title. BAM. That is the best title sequence I’ve seen. It just… Grabs you!!! My gosh, that is one masterpiece. Scorsese had my respect from there on out.

Taxi Driver was ok. Kind of boring, but a masterpiece none the less. I watched it after Goodfellas so my mind was on gangsters not pimps.

And then there’s The Departed. Wow. Fantastic ending. So many good lines worth repeating, except they’re sprinkled with F-bombs. But it’s so acceptable when Mark Wahlberg says it. Anyways, great movie. Violent. Love it.

Schindler’s List. Words cannot describe it. An epic movie that hits you right in the heart, POW. I was in awe the whole time. As far back as I could remember (tee hee, Goodfellas) I’ve always had a fascination with World War II. Spielberg answered all my questions. I didn’t cry in the entire movie UNTIL the saved Jews made Oskar the rings. Then, I just burst out hysterically. Isn’t it amazing how a movie can do that to you? Yeah, that’s Spielberg for you.

Se7en. Just finished it today. Very nice. David Fincher never disappoints. And it’s true what my film friends said: Watch it, and for the rest of the week, you just feel like life sucks. Clever story.

And the finale: QUENTIN TARANTINO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Warning: I only watched the TV version of Kill Bill, and trust me, I plan to watch the DVD for extra gore ;).

Well I watched Kill Bill. Hearing that it was a kung-fu/samurai/anime/spaghetti western movie made me skeptical at first, but within the first five minutes I was hooked. It was so interesting and so great! There is… There is no words to describe it. You just need to go see it. And it’s so cool to see a lead female fighting. Uma Thurman is WINNING in this movie. Even better, they’re making a Kill Bill Vol. 3 in 2013.

Some people say “How will there be a third one?!” but here’s my take: The daughter of the black girl who The Bride killed is going to get revenge on The Bride sinse she watched her kill her mother… Ooooooh, story!!

Pulp Fiction was amazing too, but I didn’t think it was as good as Kill Bill. I know, I know, shame on me! But I still LOVED Pulp Fiction. I mean, come on. It’s a random mesh of stuff that just works! Best screenplay ever! Hit men and hamburgers. Nuff said.

So, soon to come: An early look at possible Oscar booters. Stay tuned!!

A Week in Film

Oh dear, I haven’t blogged!

What have I watched this week? Many, many things. First was Gone With the Wind, and I’ve got to say, it was incredible. Epic, romantic, heartbreaking, and about four hours long. Best thing on the Netflix queue.

Then there was Jaws. I had never seen it before, and well, I finally did! Truth be told, I thought it was amazing! Steven Spielberg never disappoints. It had some great camera angles for its time.

After was ET, which I had not seen in a number of years. Last time I saw it, I thought ET was evil! So before the movie, I had read about intercutting, and what was in the movie? An amazing example of intercutting. Overall, so touching.

And the list goes on. Here I watched Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Believe it or not, I hadn’t seen this cinematic masterpiece either! And for me, the CGI was quite incredible, actually greater than or equal to Avatar. Can’t wait for the next LOTR.

Now I’m currently halfway through The Shining, which is ok, but the actor who plays Jack Torrence, is phenomenal. He’s so creepy, and can give you the chills just by staring at you. Can’t wait for “Here’s Johnny!”.

The Silence of the Lambs came in through the Netflix mail, and I’m super excited to watch it! It’s supposed to be “One of the scariest movies of all time”, and it won many awards, so definitely looking forward to that.

I also have Casablanca, which is supposed to be amazing, but I’m not too fond of love stories. We’ll just see how that one works out. Still looking forward to it.