Auteurs (The Great Directors of Cinema History): Part 2 – Movies Spotlight – April 2015

List is in alphabetical order.

Part I and Part III

Part II – The Rise of the Auteur and Experimentation

Woody Allen

Style/system: American; worked in American independent film; known for his dialog and contribution to the romantic comedy genre

Active: 1966-Present

Key films to see: Annie Hall, Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters, Crimes and Misdemeanors, and Midnight in Paris

Robert Altman

Style/system: American; worked in Hollywood and American independent film; large ensemble casts, naturalistic style, a leading filmmaker in the New Hollywood era

Active: 1951-2006

Key films to see: MASH, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, The Long Goodbye, Nashville, and The Player

Ingmar Bergman

Style/system: Swedish; worked in Sweden; a director’s director, very influential and beloved by those who came after him, his work often focused on the human condition

Active: 1946-2007

Key films to see: The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Persona, Cries and Whispers, and Fanny and Alexander

Bernardo Bertolucci

Style/system: Italian; worked in Italy and America; strikingly beautiful and poetic films, often dealing with character facing moments of monumental change in their lives

Active: 1962-Present

Key films to see: The Conformist, Last Tango in Paris, 1900, and The Last Emperor

Robert Bresson

Style/system: French; worked in France; influenced the filmmakers who birthed the French New Wave, a director’s director (influential and beloved), Jean-Luc Godard wrote: “Robert Bresson is French cinema, as Dostoevsky is the Russian novel and Mozart is German music.”

Active: 1934-1983

Key films to see: Diary of a Country Priest, A Man Escaped, Pickpocket, Au Hasard Balthazar, and Mouchette

John Cassavetes

Style/system: American; worked in American independent film; an actor’s director, known for garnering some of cinema’s greatest performances from his troupe of actors, often made films about normal life and the great strain that exists within it

Active: 1959-1986

Key films to see: Faces, A Woman Under the Influence, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, Opening Night, and Gloria

Francis Ford Coppola

Style/system: American; worked in Hollywood and American independent film; a prominent member of the New Hollywood wave of filmmakers, the filmmaker of the 1970s (only to seemingly never again make a truly great film)

Active: 1959-Present

Key films to see: The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather: Part II, Apocalypse Now, The Outsiders, and Dracula

Stanley Donen

Style/system: American; worked in Hollywood; marvelous musicals (with Gene Kelly) and masterful Hollywood genre films (with Audrey Hepburn), bright and colorful, pure Hollywood

Active: 1949-1999

Key films to see: On the Town, Singin’ in the Rain, Funny Face, Charade, and Two for the Road

Federico Fellini

Style/system: Italian; worked in Italy; blends fantasy and baroque imagery with realism, yet another of the most influential filmmakers of those to follow him

Active: 1950-1990

Key films to see: La Strada, The Nights of Cabiria, La Dolce Vita, 8 ½, and Amarcord

Milos Forman

Style/system: Czech; worked in Czechoslovakia and Hollywood; a leader of the Czechoslovak New Wave moment, bringing his biting satire and rebellion against authority to Hollywood

Active: 1960-Presnet

Key films to see: The Loves of a Blonde, The Fireman’s Ball, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Hair, and Amadeus

Jean-Luc Godard

Style/system: French; worked in France; a leader of the French New Wave, an artist often working with experiment cinema techniques

Active: 1955-Present

Key films to see: Breathless, Vivre Sa Vie, Contempt, Band of Outsiders, and Pierrot le Fou

Stanley Kubrick

Style/system: American; worked in Hollywood and England; evocative films, strikingly beautiful films, incredibly influential, a prominent leader of the New Hollywood wave

Active: 1951-1999

Key films to see: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, and The Shining

Sergio Leone

Style/system: Italian; worked in Italy and America; known for his grand Spaghetti Westerns (modernizing and stylistically changing the western forever)

Active: 1954-1984

Key films to see: A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good , the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, and Once Upon a Time in America

Sidney Lumet

Style/system: American; worked in Hollywood; an actor’s director with expert craftsmanship, prolific, his films often address social realism

Active: 1952-2007

Key films to see: 12 Angry Men, Fail Safe, The Hill, Dog Day Afternoon, and Network

Terrence Malick

Style/system: American; worked in American independent film; ethereal filmmaking almost more montage than narrative, more poetic than structured, stunning visuals, deeply philosophical

Active: 1969-Presnet

Key films to see: Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line, The New World, and The Tree of Life

Jean-Pierre Melville

Style/system: French; worked in France; a minimalist, French film noir and gangster films, his style is the epitome of cool, influenced the French New Wave

Active: 1946-1972

Key films to see: Bob le Flambeur, Le Doulos, Le Samourai, The Army of Shadows, and Le Cercle Rouge

Mike Nichols

Style/system: German; worked in Hollywood and Broadway; an actor’s director, experimental and aggressively progressive stylistically completely changing the narrative language on American cinema with one film (The Graduate)

Active: 1966-2007

Key films to see: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Graduate

Sam Peckinpah

Style/system: American; worked in Hollywood; innovative and explicit use of violence, reworked the western to be much grittier and moral ambiguous (replacing white hats and black hats with versions of gray)

Active: 1958-1983

Key films to see: The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs, The Getaway, and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia

Roman Polanski

Style/system: Polish; worked in Poland, England, France and Hollywood; a master of the thriller, an expressive style utilizing camera movement, framing and mise en scene to their greatest effect

Active: 1955-Present

Key films to see: Repulsion, Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown, The Tenant, and The Pianist

Nicolas Roeg

Style/system: English; worked in England; disjunctive editing, cryptic plots that are fascinating even so (to be revealed in full in the end), films that draw the view in, often terrifying due to a foreboding sense of atmosphere

Active: 1970-2007

Key films to see: Performance, Walkabout, Don’t Look Now, The Man Who Fell to Earth, and Bad Timing

Martin Scorsese

Style/system: American; worked in Hollywood; a leader of the New Hollywood wave, revitalizing the American gangster film (along with Francis Ford Coppola), highly stylized use of music, camera moves and editing, cinema’s greatest student, fan and protector

Active: 1959-Present

Key films to see: Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, and Casino

Ridley Scott

Style/system: English; worked in England and Hollywood; a grandiose scene of scope and scale, atmospheric visuals, modernization of sci-fi crossing it over with other genres (like the horror/thriller and noir/hard boiled detective)

Active: 1965-Present

Key films to see: Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, and Black Hawk Down

Steve Spielberg

Style/system: American; worked in Hollywood; created the modern blockbuster (along with George Lucas) and blockbuster filmmaking, a leader of the New Hollywood wave, maybe the world’s most famous director

Active: 1959-Present

Key films to see: Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Schindler’s List

Andrei Tarkovsky

Style/system: Russian; worked in Russia, Italy and Sweden; a director’s director, changed film language for many to follow him with his style and storytelling, life as a reflection, as a dream

Active: 1956-1986

Key films to see: Ivan’s Childhood, Andrei Rublev, Solaris, The Mirror, and Stalker

François Truffaut

Style/system: French; worked in France; a principal filmmaker of the French New Wave, a student and critic of cinema, as well-versed as any

Active: 1955-1983

Key films to see: The 400 Blows, Shoot the Pianist, Jules and Jim, Stolen Kisses, and Day for Night

Part I and Part III

At the Movies – July 2014 – Part 3: Most Anticipated Films

Must-See of the Month:

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Action/Adventure – Jul 11

Plot Summary: Years after the events of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the human population of the Earth has been severely ravaged by a deadly virus; meanwhile, the highly intelligent apes lead by Caesar have grown in number. A small group of human survivors has banded together in San Francisco, while Caesar’s apes have built a community outside the city in the forest. The two groups have an uneasy peace, but the human leader Dreyfus believes that the apes are dangerous and is determined to destroy them before they grow in power and force – thus begins a war, one that may shape which species is Earth’s most dominate going forward (even though, this being  prequel, we already know the answer to that…also, these films have really stupid names). Key Filmmakers Involved: Director Matt Reeves and composer Michael Giacchino. Actors Involved: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kirk Acevedo, and Judy Greer. Quality Potential: Medium. So why is Dawn of the Planet of the Apes July’s most anticipated film? Well, Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a better than expected action/adventure film and this does have the potential to be a great blockbuster. This being summer movie season and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes being July’s biggest (and likely best) blockbuster make it the month’s most anticipated. Best film of the month, however, will likely belong to Magic in the Moonlight, A Most Man Wanted, or Boyhood. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves is a great fit as he has a keen ability to make exciting action sequences while still creating full characters – the key element in producing good blockbusters (the combination and balancing of action and character). The cast is also very good. This is probably the one blockbuster that is really worth seeing in theaters this month. Trailer: Here.

Worth Checking Out:

Magic in the Moonlight – Romantic Comedy – Jul 25

Plot Summary: When it is believed that a young woman is swindling a rich American family in the south of France, an Englishman who excels at debunking and exposing frauds is asked to help. The only problem is that when he meets this woman, he too seems to fall under her charming spell. Key Filmmakers Involved: Writer-director Woody Allen, cinematographer Darius Khondji, and production designer Anne Seibel. Actors Involved: Colin Firth, Emma Stone, Marcia Gay Harden, Eileen Atkins, Hamish Linklater, Jacki Weaver, and Simon McBurney. Quality Potential: High. Without fail Woody Allen releases a new film each year. So far this decade he has produced two good films and two bad films (Midnight in Paris and Blue Jasmine the good and You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and To Rome with Love the bad – though To Rome with Love is also kind of a great satire on romantic comedies). Based on his recent track record, Magic in the Moonlight falls into a “bad” slot (coming on the heels of Blue Jasmine) – but it looks potentially fantastic. Emma Stone and Colin Firth have charming chemistry in the trailer and the period setting also works very well. Allen seems to be pleased with Stone’s performance as he has cast her in his next film. This is a must-see for romantic comedy fans. Trailer: Here.

Top 100 Films of the 20th Century – Part 9: 65-61

70-66

Rank: 65

Title: Don’t Look Now

Release Year: 1973

Genre: Horror

Director: Nicolas Roeg

Cast: Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland

Plot Summary: Laura and John Baxter are still grieving the recent and unexpected loss of their young daughter. They are in Venice attending a conference, trying to move on when they encounter two elderly sisters, one of whom is a psychic. The sisters give them a warning form beyond that begins to consume both Laura and John in different ways.

What Makes It Special: Leave it to British filmmaker Nicolas Roeg to make a horror film that plays much more like a character drama. Don’t Look Now is unlike almost any other film in the genre. It does not really go out of its way to scare or be suspenseful; rather it takes its time delving into its characters and slowly building tension, bubbling just beneath the surface. The narrative takes on the structure of a mystery needing to be uncovered. And yet, despite its slow pacing and lack of classic scary moments, the film ends up being one of the creepiest in film history (with a brilliant ending).

Trailer: Here

Available on: DVD and Video On-Demand

Rank: 64

Title: Annie Hall

Release Year: 1977

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Director: Woody Allen

Cast: Woody Allen and Diane Keaton

Plot Summary: The film chronicles neurotic New Yorker Alvy Singer’s relationship with the carefree Annie Hall.

What Makes It Special: Annie Hall is maybe the quintessential romantic comedy. It perfectly balances its humor and entertainment value with its pop-culture relevance and the wonderful chemistry between its two leads. It not only showcases Woody Allen (one of cinema’s most prolific filmmakers) at his best as a writer, but also as a director, as it is maybe his most interesting film aesthetically. Allen essentially throws everything he can think of at the film stylistically, and yet it all works wonderfully, creating something that is kooky, poignant, and really funny (it also won Best Picture over Star Wars).

Trailer: Here

Available on: Blu-ray and Video On-Demand

Rank: 63

Title: Three Colours: Blue

Release Year: 1993

Genre: Drama

Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski

Cast: Juliette Binoche, Benoit Regent, and Emmanuelle Riva

Plot Summary: Julie Vignon de Courcy tries to move on in the face of grave grief and emptiness after her husband (a famous French composer) and young daughter are killed in a car accident.

What Makes It Special: Blue takes full advantage of all film has to offer as a window into deeper human emotion. It is a masterwork of visceral filmmaking. Krzysztof Kieslowski explores the depths of emotional resonance that color and sound can reach. Blue is devastating and liberating. It is an explosion of sapphire tones and grand operatic music pulling the viewer into a turbulent world of loss and rebirth, in which Juliette Binoche is truly astounding as Julie. It is a cinematic experience that stays with you.

Trailer: Here

Available on: Blu-ray

Rank: 62

Title: Pulp Fiction

Release Year: 1994

Genre: Crime Drama

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Cast: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, and Harvey Keitel

Plot Summary: The ensemble film tells four intertwining tales of violence and redemption featuring two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster’s wife, and pair of two small-time bandits.

What Makes It Special: Quentin Tarantino more or less changed American cinema with Pulp Fiction. His use of language, violence, and irony felt edgy, vital, and honest when American films had seemingly become generic and anemic (save for a few). Tarantino, in addition to a few other fresh young talented filmmakers, completely revitalized independent cinema in the late 1980s and 1990s. Pulp Fiction finally treated its audience as intelligent. It does not waste a moment or line of dialog. Everything has a purpose and point, all driving the narrative and characters forward. It reminded everyone that yes writing is important, be it a violent action movie, comedy or drama.

Trailer: Here

Available on: Blu-ray and Video On-Demand

Rank: 61

Title: A Canterbury Tale

Release Year: 1944

Genre: Drama/Mystery

Director: Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger

Cast: Sheila Sim, John Sweet, Dennis Price, and Eric Portman

Plot Summary: Three unlikely friends (a Land Girl, American GI, and British soldier) find themselves together in a small Kent town on the road to Canterbury where they discover a mystery involving a man pouring glue in young girls’ hair. The three set out to solve the case.

What Makes It Special: A Canterbury Tale is not so much a narrative film, though it does start off that way with an old-time detective plot, as it is a spiritual journey. The film is highly ambitious in its aspirations for its emotional impact on its viewers. If anything, the Archers create a revelatory experience, asking viewers to find what is truly important in their lives, stripping away all the nonsense that seemingly drowns us all. The film (a product of WWII era England, under constant aerial attack by German planes) also strives to be a rallying cry expressing the sentiment and way of life that was being threatened by the Nazis. It is a remarkable cinematic experience, one that is genuinely ethereal.

Trailer: Here

Available on: DVD

60-56

Blue Jasmine (2013) – Review

Review: Blue Jasmine is in moments very funny, in moments melancholic, but ultimately it is a character drama that presents characters that seem to not be able to get out of their own way, constantly engaging in self-destructive behavior. The film is about Jasmine, a woman who was swept off her feet by Hal a very successful and wealthy businessman. Hal treated her like a queen, showering her in presents and luxury, and in turn Jasmine became accustom to the life. However, Hal turned out to be a fraud, stealing money from his clients to support his extravagant lifestyle, only to commit suicide in prison when caught leaving Jasmine alone and broke. After suffering a nervous breakdown, Jasmine sets out for San Francisco to stay with her somewhat downtrodden and estranged sister Ginger in the hopes of putting her life back together.

Writer-director Woody Allen has seemingly done it all with character-based comedies and dramas, often blending the two. With Blue Jasmine, he has made a film that while funny is very much a drama, almost to the extent of being a tragedy. All his characters are unlikable and none of them learn anything or grow over the course of the film. Instead, Allen is interested in presenting a character study to the audience of a woman so haunted by the ghosts of her past that she becomes a bit insane.

Allen tells the story a bit like a murder mystery intercutting the present with flashbacks that further develop the characters and relationships in the present while revealing more and more information in regards to what really happen to get to the point where the film begins (often contrary to what the narrative initially leads the audience to believe). It is a very effective narrative structure as it pulls the audience in, giving them a sense of being a detective of sorts, slowly revealing clues and facts – especially as the characters themselves are not particularly likable or relatable (at least not in the way the audience would like to admit).

Allen does a fantastic job with the characters, however, despite none of them being likable. He constantly reverses roles and expectations on character archetypes that are well established. This allows the film feel fresh. Jasmine, for example, is in some moments a complete mess – an alcoholic that looks very worn and weary who is on the verge of a complete mental break. Yet, in her element, she soars as an elegant woman of taste and class. It is this juxtaposition that also creates the film’s best comedic and most tragic moments.

While Jasmine thinks highly of herself and will not settle, seemingly willing herself back into her old life by sheer force, her sister Ginger has done nothing but settle in her life. She is almost void of self-confidence. Even though Jasmine is jaded and lives to some extent in a different world, being in Ginger’s life might actually be good for Ginger, to push her in the right direction, while Ginger’s ability to role with life’s punches and keep moving forward might rub off on Jasmine. They just might be good for each other. But again, Allen spends the whole film building up expectations only to undermine them once the audience thinks they know where the story is going.

And to some extent this is also the flaw of the film, in addition to being one of its greatest attributes. Yes, it is a refreshingly different drama with characters that actually resemble real people experiencing life, and thus it should be very relatable. But, the audience does not like any of the these people, and just when they begin rooting for Jasmine and Ginger to succeed in their endeavors of love (as the film maybe turns into a romantic comedy), Allen pulls the rug from under everyone’s feet – the characters and the audience – and everything falls apart. Thus, the film leaves the audience feeling a bit disheartened. The film is presented very much as a comedy and plays like one for most of the film, but the third act leaves everything in shambles. Basically, the tone feels like an escapist romantic comedy only to come crashing back to Earth as the catastrophe of real life loss and pain seizes the film. But to be fair to Allen, he constantly hints that this is no fairytale and that eventually everything will fall apart, but the audience is nonetheless caught off guard by the severity by which everything come down and the abrupt ending seemingly lacking in narrative closure – there is no sense that things will be alright in the end for Jasmine.

Blue Jasmine is entertaining overall because of Allen’s strong writing, the wonderful performances throughout (and especially from the lead), and the innovative narrative structure (applying what seems like a detective mystery structure to drama that mostly feels like a comedy). Yet, it leaves the viewer feeling deflated in the end due to it destroying everything it seemed to be building towards.

Technical, aesthetic & acting achievements: Woody Allen continues to churn out films at a pace of one a year – some slight missteps (like last year’s To Rome with Love, which taken as a satirical work is actually quite funny), while others are triumphs (like Midnight in Paris). What does not change is Allen’s great dialog, interesting and neurotic characters, and flare for comedy and drama. I look forward to next year’s Allen film, knowing at worst it will be forgettable but entertaining in the moment and at best another work of brilliance.

Javier Aguirresarobe’s cinematography is fairly basic. The lighting is good, but Allen does not go for much in a visual sense, instead allowing the performances take center stage. Santo Loquasto’s production design is good as well. The difference between the style of Jasmine’s former homes and Ginger’s apartment is striking, and visually permits the audience to feel some sympathy for Jasmine (despite her gaudy snobbishness).

The cast is very good, as Allen works with a new company of actors (many of which are unexpected). Peter Sarsgaard (smarmy) and Louis C.K. (awkward nice guy) both play characters they are typically known for in small supporting roles, only for Allen to twist the audience expectations, while Michael Stuhlbarg is goofy as a dorky, yet rapey dentist. Bobby Cannavale is good as a native of the Garden State displaced in San Francisco and Andrew Dice Clay perfectly plays a down on his luck working class shlub. Alec Baldwin shows up, as well, to do a variation on his Jack Donaghy character, which is always fun. Sally Hawkins is great as Ginger, the sister who has no sense of self-worth and yet is probably the stronger of the two. And, Cate Blanchett is excellent as Jasmine. In one moment she is magnetic, completely commanding the screen beaming with elegance, and in the next she is a complete wreck, a totally different person yet just as fascinating. It is masterful performance.

Summary & score: Blue Jasmine sees Woody Allen at his best when it comes to creating compelling and complex characters who are not quite likable, but tonally the film might be a bit too erratic – the fantasies of romantic comedy crushed by the bitter realities of life. 7/10

At the Movies – July 2013 – Part 3: Most Anticipated Films

Must-See of the Month:

Fruitvale Station 

(Ryan Coogler) – Drama – Jul 12

Summary: New Year’s Eve 2008, Oscar a young Bay-Area resident makes his way into the city to celebrate the coming of a new year – that is until he crosses paths with old enemies and the night takes a tragic turn. Filmmakers: Writer-director Ryan Coogler makes his feature debut with the film, announcing himself as a new bright talent to watch. He is working with composer Ludwig Goransson (Community), cinematographer Rachel Morrison (Sound of My Voice), and production designer Hannah Beachler. Cast: The film stars Michael B. Jordan and features Chad Michael Murray, Kevin Durand, Octavia Spencer, and Melonie Diaz in support. Expectations: Fruitvale Station won both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and the Un Certain Regard Avenir Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It looks like a very strong drama lead by a stunning performance from newcomer Michael B. Jordan, who is drumming up Oscar buzz. Some will recognize Jordan from Friday Night Lights and Chronicle – he is sure to be a star. This is a must-see for fans of very good character dramas (and it is based on a true story). Trailers: Here. Review: Here.

Worth Checking Out:

Blue Jasmine 

(Woody Allen) – Drama – Jul 26

Summary: After her husband loses everything (finally being exposed for the fraud he is), Jasmine seeks refuge in San Francisco with her sister Ginger – though they do not really get along too well. Filmmakers: Writer-director Woody Allen makes a film each year. Recently his output has been overall very good. In the last eight years he has made three brilliant films (Match Point, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and Midnight in Paris), three good films (Scoop, which I love, Cassandra’s Dream, and Whatever Works), and two mediocre films that still have their great moments (You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and To Rome with Love). He is working with cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe (who shot Vicky Cristina Barcelona) and production designer Santo Loquasto (who has worked frequently with Allen, but most recently on Whatever Works). Cast: Cate Blanchett stars and Sally Hawkins co-stars. Peter Sarsgaard, Alec Baldwin, Michael Stuhlbarg, Bobby Cannavale, Louis C.K., and Andrew Dice Clay feature in support. Expectations: Blue Jasmine looks like it will probably fall into Allen’s middle category – good, but not amazing. However, it does look very funny and has a great cast (it seems like Allen has been watching a lot of HBO). I am also interested to see how Allen uses San Francisco in his narrative, as he always does a great job of making the setting an essential part of his films. This is a must-see for fans of Allen and those looking for a funny drama with great performances. Trailer: Here. Review: Here.