Tag Archives: quentin tarantino

Top Ten Movie Directors

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I made this list a while back, but I was looking back over my site recently and I’m not ashamed to say this, but I did not spend nearly enough time on this list. So I’ve re-watched some movies, watched some new ones, re-evaluated my thoughts and I’ve decided to re write this list. This list consists of ten of the greatest minds and artists of our time. I’m proud to give them my money every time I hear their name attached to a movie and especially when their name is on the director’s chair.

Along with the name of the director I’ve also included a description of exactly why they’re on this list and also my three favorite movies in order by said director. It was one of the most difficult lists I’ve had to make, but one I believe all movie critics should divulge their time in creating.

Before I get into the actual list I’d like to give you a few honorable mentions in no particular order. These are all incredible artists who just barely missed the mark:

  • Oliver Stone
  • Guy Ritchie
  • Tim Burton
  • Ridley Scott
  • Alfred Hitchcock
  • Nicolas Winding Refn
  • Peter Jackson
  • Darren Aronofsky
  • Sergio Leone
  • Steven Spielberg
  • Milos Forman

Now here’s my top ten favorite cinematic directors of all time:

10. Clint Eastwood

Many people know and love Eastwood for his acting, which he does triumph in, but in my opinion his true genius lies behind the camera. He almost never disappoints and is my favorite director in the western genre. After making his masterpiece Unforgiven, he showed that he surpasses even his large influence Sergio Leone. He takes his craft seriously and he excels in it.

3. Gran Torino

2. Mystic River

1. Unforgiven

9. Francis Ford Coppola

It’s unbelievable that I’m forced to put a director as spectacular as Francis Ford Coppola in this slot. His films clearly speak for themselves. Coppola has a certain way about him that makes all of his films so utterly epic and breath-taking. The Godfather is considered to be, by many, one of the greatest films in movie history and even though I enjoy has Vietnam masterpiece more, it’s completely obvious why, it was directed by one of the greatest artists ever.

3. Tetro

2. The Godfather Part 1+2

1. Apocalypse Now

8. Danny Boyle

Like all truly great directors, Danny Boyle has managed to establish a clear and brilliant style, while telling different tales and expressing completely different ideas. Danny Boyle always manages to find his own way in telling a story and the stories he chooses to tell are always undeniably memorable. He puts so much unflinching feeling in every one of his films and as a result I find myself feeling for all of the characters he establishes. Danny Boyle is truly a man who knows his trade and performs expertly.

3. 28 Days Later

2. 127 Hours

1. Trainspotting

7. David Fincher

David Fincher has really become a powerhouse of  utter genius. There’s no arguing that he really is one of the greatest film directors not just working today, but of all time. He defined a generation with his masterpiece in 1999 and over ten years later he does the exact same thing for another generation.  He also never ceases to amaze with other films, whether its Zodiac or even The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. David Fincher really is a true master of a gneration and of his craft and his expertise cannot be doubted.

3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2. The Social Network

1. Fight Club

6. Martin Scorsese

The hardest part in creating this list was attempting to order this top 6. Each in my opinion is worthy of the number one spot, but I had to figure out an order. It really saddens me that I had to put the incredible director Martin Scorsese this low on the list, but I can’t let everyone win. Martin Scorsese is undoubtedly a creator of modern masterpieces. No one makes films like him and very few make films as good as he does. Martin Scorsese didn’t invent the beautiful art of filmmaking, but being the genius he is, he sure perfected it.

3. Taxi Driver

2. Goodfellas

1. The Departed

5. Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick is all around one of the greatest directors of all time, mainly because he has more innovation and variety than any other filmmaker. He’s really done it all. He’s made horror movies, war movies, dramas, science-fiction, romance, heist movies, even comedies, and I could go on. Each one of his films are worth watching and making opinions on. You will find at least one that you will thoroughly enjoy. Or you might just be exactly like me and notice that every single movie the genius made was truly and relentlessly brilliant.

3. Full Metal Jacket

2. 2001: A Space Odyssey

1. The Shining

4. Paul Thomas Anderson

There is something truly miraculous about Paul Thomas Anderson in the way he makes each of his films completely special and prominent, while sticking with his keen directorial style. Each of his movies are so big and not because most of them are longer than the average film, but because all of his films touch on so many themes and emotions while never ceasing to entertain. He’s only got five films under his belt and he can already be considered one of the greatest directors known to film. I just can’t wait to see what he does next.

3. Punch-Drunk Love

2. Boogie Nights

1. There Will Be Blood

3. Quentin Tarantino

Through the years Quentin Tarantino has always stuck out as one of the greatest directors of all time. He began his illustrious career with the fantastically unique heist flick Reservoir Dogs, then he showed us what he can really do by directing one of the greatest movies of all time, Pulp Fiction. Time passed and he directed the spectacles that were Jackie Brown, Kill Bill and Death Proof. Every single one is fantastic. He then showed me that he is one of the greatest artists not only working today, but of all time with the release of Inglourious Basterds.

Pulp Fiction is one of the greatest movies of all time and I didn’t think for a second that Tarantino would ever be able o top that. I was wrong. He did and he did it with flying colors and flare. I love all of Tarantino’s work and I don’t believe I will ever find myself being disappointed by a movie he directs. He has fun with every movie he makes. He loves what he does and as a result I love and have fun with every single masterpiece he comes up with.

3. Kill Bill

2. Pulp Fiction

1. Inglourious Basterds

2. The Coen Brothers

Their movies really speak for themselves, there’s not much I can really say. The industry wouldn’t be the same without them. They are a monumental force releasing masterpiece after masterpiece. Its really impossible to ever be disappointed with a Coen Brother movie. They make films exactly how they want to make films, they let nothing hold them back like money or popularity. They make art for the sake of making art.

They’ve made more masterpieces than one would think possible. They absolutely never let you down. They are the smartest people working in the industry by far.  I honestly want to shed a tear of joy with every ending of each of their movies because it seems almost impossible that the same two people can keep making masterpieces without fail for this long. The best part about it is also that The Coen Brothers still have a lot more masterpieces to go and that fact makes me happy to be alive.

3. True Romance

2. Barton Fink

1. No Country For Old Men

1. Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan isn’t in the movie business, he’s in the masterpiece business. He just oozes brilliance and all he has the ability to make is flawless films. No shot, performance, or second is lacking in perfection. He tells gargantuan stories that end up being nothing short of magnificent. Even my least favorite Nolan film, Insomnia, I find just incredible.

Don’t even me started on movies I couldn’t live without such as his dark tale of obsession and rivalry The Prestige, or the independent masterpiece that put him on the map Memento, or even the always enthralling and unbelievably extraordinary Inception. There’s something special, almost magical, that Nolan manages to instill in every single brush stroke in the beautiful art he creates.

One of the main reasons I consider Christopher Nolan one of my heroes and the greatest director/artist of all time is because he is the man responsible for my favorite story ever told. The Dark Knight Legend (or Trilogy if that tastes better going down) is and always will be nothing short of the greatest movie ever created. I love every character and event as they add to the perfection of it all. It wasn’t a hard decision to make, but Christopher Nolan is the greatest director in all of film.

3. Memento

2. Inception

1. The Dark Knight Legend

Inglourious Basterds Review

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Inglourious Basterds is a film I’ve been dieing to see and subsequently review for almost a year. It was by far the most anticipated movie of this year for me and my expectations for this film were off the chart. I’m happy to say that they were exceeded and Inglourious Basterds is not only going to be the film of the year, but also in my opinion, one of the greatest films ever made. The film was absolutely fantastic from start to finish and I can’t wait to see it again.

Tarantino being the genius that he is, managed to take everything you liked about his past films and throw them into this spectacular epic. The always amazing dialogue, the memorable characters, the quotable lines, the constant comic relief, and the unexpected twists, all was there and done better than ever. Quentin Tarantino certainly has his own style when it comes to making a movie and he holds absolutely no punches in this phenomenal piece of cinema.

Before going on, I’ve got a word of warning. I’d like to say that I found the movie downright flawless, but I can see why others might disagree, these are some of those reasons. Keep in mind I’m not saying these are bad things because what Quentin has mad here is a nearly perfect movie. These are just words of warning to some people who might not agree with me. First off, the movie, if you didn’t already guess, is very violent and gritty. You know how Aldo Raine talks about how he wants 100 nazi scalps, yeah you actually do get to see some scalpings and much more. Secondly, expect a lot of reading (subtitles) and a lot of dialogue, not bothersome to me in the least, but I have heard its boring to some. Lastly, theirs not as much action as you might think, Inglourious Basterds is an art house film first and an action movie second (one of the reasons I love, Tarantino has found the perfect concoction).

Now back to my review. Next I’d like to discuss the acting. Every single actor and actress brought a fantastic performance to the table. Everyone and I mean EVERY-ONE brought their A-game. Their was two performances that stood above the rest though. First off, any skepticism you have on Brad Pitt performing in this film needs to disappear right now because he was fabulous. It was the perfect part for him, sure it was an incredibly well written part, but it had to be played just right. Brad was able to do that.

The next performance is something that everyone can agree on whether you actually liked the film as a whole or not. Christoph Waltz gave an absolutely brilliant performance as the antagonist. He deserves every award he’s gotten and is going to get. Hans Landa is one of the greatest villains ever to be put on the silver screen. He was played so well because at some points he had to be very polite and generous, while at others he had to be completely opposite. A perfect performance. One of the greatest I’ve seen.

Now I’d like to leave you with these words. Inglourious Basterds tells a spectacular story that’s filled with even more spectacular characters, while being told in spectacular ways. Inglourious Basterds is probably the most innovative movie I’ve seen. It’s just so much different than your average movie because Tarantino did what every film maker should do. He didn’t let anything hold him back (such as the history books for example). He just had a blast with it and as a result, I as an audience member had a blast. Now I’m going to use my favorite word when it comes to reviewing, and its probably used too liberally by all, but its well-deserved here. Inglourious Basterds is a masterpiece.

Grade: A+

Anticipation For Inglourious Basterds

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Every year, like anyone, I have a lot of movies that I anticipate. Everyone’s must see list is different, but there’s always a single movie that stands above the pack for everyone that is the single most anticipated movie of the year. Sometimes you get lucky and you anticipated correctly and the movie you craved to see for a year finally came out and it was fantastic. Sometimes you find yourself disappointed, whether that means it was a bad movie and you can’t believe you expected so much out of it, or it was just an ok movie, but your wild expectations were not met so you find yourself disappointed. Last year this movie was The Dark Knight and obviously my insanely high expectations were actually exceeded. This year I am anticipating a lot of movies, (Sherlock Holmes, The Wolfman, Nine, Shutter Island, etc.), but there is a single movie that stands above the pack as always and that movie is none other than Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds.

I was certainly anticipating The Dark Knight more before it came out, but Inglourious Basterds has come closer than I would have ever dreamed. It’s the story of a a group of Jewish-American soldiers looking to take revenge against the Third Reich in German occupied France. With also another plot thrown in about a cinema worker, who years ago watched her family slaughtered at the hands of the Ruthless Nazi Colonel, Hans Landa. This is Quentin Tarantino’s sixth movie and he’s been working on the script for years. He was actually talking about shooting it before Kill Bill was even started. It’s his biggest cast of talking characters ever and filled with some big name actors one of whom being the one and only Brad Pitt, sporting a fantastic Southern accent. 

Brad Pitt’s performance looks to be fantastic from the trailers, but his isn’t the performance I’m anticipating the most. It’s Christoph Waltz, whom I’ve been truly expecting a lot out of and I’ve never even seen him in a movie before. This year at the Cannes Film Festival he was the winner of The Best Actor award for his role as Hans Landa in this film. He’s the main antagonist of the feature and I just can’t wait to see what he dishes out. All I’ve seen from his performance is a few very short clips from the trailers. He looks to be spectacular, but I’m sure I haven’t seen anything yet. 

There are so many reasons why I just cannot wait for its release on August 21st, from its intriguing plot, to its many fascinating characters, but there’s one reason the stands above the rest. Quentin Tarantino has never let me down. Jackie Brown was a fantastic movie, I absolutely loved Reservoir Dogs and Death Proof, and Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction were nothing short of masterpieces. I seriously doubt Tarantino can shoot out a bad movie on his sixth try especially when its got this much going for it. I said it for The Dark Knight and I’m going to say it again for Inglourious Basterds. When 3 am roles around on August 21st I’m going to drvie home sit down and write an honest review for what I hope to be the greatest movie of 2009.

P.S. Happy Dark Knight Day!

Inglorious Basterds Trailer

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The first Inglorious Basterds Trailer was released today, which is amazing. This is Quentin Tarantino’s next movie and its my #1 for Most Anticipated of the Year I wanted to see this movie before any images or casting rumors were released. It’s a war movie by Quentin Tarantino, how could you not want to see that? I haven’t seen a good war movie come out in a while and Tarantino’s last movie was Death Proof, which was amazing in my opinion. This movie by the looks of the trailer looks nothing short of amazing, well here it is. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did:

#7 Breakfast Scene (Pulp Fiction)

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Probably the funniest and most memorable scene of the movie. Its perfectly directed to have both tension and hilarious quotes. Fantastic scene.

Best Character: Jules

Best Quote: ” English motha fucka, do you speak it?”

Scene:

#15 Car Chase Scene (Death Proof) !!!SPOILERS!!!

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This is a great, but unappreciated movie. It’s very underrated and even though I probably overrate it, I’m not shy of saying that I love this movie, and it’s mainly because of this scene.

Best Character: Stuntman Mike

Best Quote: “Ah ha ha ha HEYY, LADIES, THAT WAS FUN!!!”

Scene: