New Photos added: Jerry Lewis, TAXI DRIVER, Betty Boop, Jean Arthur, The 3 Stooges and more!
April 5th, 2008 by Scott Marks
Is nothing sacred?
For the past month, Emulsion Compulsion’s burgeoning Image Vault underwent some minor tweaking to smooth a few kinks in the system. Now it’s back up to speed and better than ever with over 10,000 photos for your entertainment pleasure!
Every weekend, I will post a list of all the pictures added to the Image Gallery during the previous week. It’s a bountiful harvest this week. Enjoy!
- Jean Arthur - 16 Photos
- Cartoon All-Stars - 15 Photos (Betty Boop, Popeye, Bugs Bunny, Felix the Cat, etc.)
- Vera Ellen for Bur-Mil’s Cameo Stockings
- Signed 1963 LIFE Magazine ad featuring Irv Kupcinet for Meister Brau Beer
- The Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon- 6 Photos
- Jerry Lewis - 56 Photos
- Fritz Lang’s Metropolis
- Jerry Lewis’ The Nutty Professor (1963) - 8 Lobby Cards and 4 Ads
- Raging Bull - 29 Photos
- See the Movie, Read the Book - 4 Vintage Paperbacks (Pal Joey, Charlie Chaplin, The Hustler and The Blues Brothers)
- Travis Bickle goes to the movies in Taxi Driver
- The 3 Stooges - 19 Photos from Larry Fine’s autobiography Stroke of Luck
Filed Under News
The Three Stooges: A study guide to “Pop Goes the Easel”
March 30th, 2008 by Scott Marks
Pop Goes the Easel marked the seventh of almost 200 two-reelers the boys made for Columbia pictures. Produced with minuscule budgets and equally tight shooting schedules it’s a miracle they were able to salvage enough footage to adhere to a movie screen for 17 minutes.
It’s always been my contention that The Three Stooges function best as a vacation from brainwork for hardcore cinephiles. Budding auteurs will learn more from studying the Three Stooges than they would from all the world’s film schools combined as these shorts are textbook examples of everything a filmmaker shouldn’t do.
This short has been with me since birth. I’ve seen it more times than I did my maternal grandparents. While it’s not the funniest Stooge opus, it is easily one of the most inept.
Sadly, the copy on You Tube was not taken from the remastered DVD so a couple of the finer aesthetic points will be lost in the translation. It’s also been sliced into three parts, so you’ll have to watch it on the installment plan.
00:59 Continuity: Larry stands next to the car holding his placard and in the next shot he’s leaning on the passenger door.
01:23 Enjoy Curly’s flood pants.
02:40 There was never time for re-takes on a Stooge short. The force of the sign connecting with Moe must have loosened his clip-on tie. As he whistles for Larry and Curly, watch as his tie proceeds to fall loose into his jacket.
03:53 Continuity: In one shot the boys play hopscotch on a residential street and in the next they’re running down a commercial boulevard.
04:26 It sure takes the cop a long time to open that door.
05:40 Bookmark Curly’s dubbed in reaction sound when Moe gouges his eyes. This “inner dialogue” will come into play shortly.
05:55 Forget about the foreground action. The real laughs come from Curly’s background continuity.
06:35 Enjoy the way Moe steps into his brutal slap to Larry’s face.
01:11 Much has been made in Stooge circles of Moe and Curly’s “look at the grouse” exchange. I tolerate it while awaiting Larry’s hilarious squeal as he steps through the window.
01:25 Is there anything funnier than a fermished Larry?
02:10 Either that dumb flatfoot can’t figure out how to open a door or editor James Sweeney needs tightening lessons.
02:27 When left to his own resources, Moe’s dialog can be painfully unfunny. It’s worth wading through to get to Yiddish Swami Larry and a deaf and dumb Curly.
03:23 A prime example of the pay off justifying the set-up. Ballerina Phyllis Crane’s upside-down “It’s a boat” revelation is basically an excuse for Curly to let fly another “grouse.” This unexpected cutaway of Crane still balanced on her noggin is the closest the Stooges ever came to surrealism.
03:27 No time to re-take Moe’s flubbed line.
04:04 Love it any time Larry is punished for being enthusiastic.
No pain, no gain
04:40 Is Moe poking Curly in the eyes or giving him devil horns from the front? Moe generally tried to pull his punches, but this is ridiculous!
04:48 Pay attention to the painting of the woman hanging above Moe. The art director obviously didn’t because when the boys run onto the next set the exact same portrait graces the wall.
04:51 Literally painted in a corner, the boys stand perplexed in front of a picture-covered wall. As soon as the cop comes snooping, the student’s artwork is inexplicably replaced by a black door.
05:02 So much ineptitude in so little time! In addition to the magic painting and black door, note that the Stooges exit a freshly painted floor and leave no footprints as they enter the next scene.
05:40 Watch the set shake after Curly shoves the cop.
05:59 “My sister Crumbette…”
06:26 Remember the dubbed in Curly reaction I asked you to remember in Part 1? Here’s your repeat reward!
00:05 Another stunningly obvious dubbed in Curly reaction sound.
00:09 & 01:05 The remarkable Larry-ism, “I”ll show you guys a pitcher what is a pitcher.”
00:36 & 02:03 Pop goes the same shot twice!
01:30 What Larry does best: absorbing Moe’s abuse just seconds after giggling over pain inflicted upon fellow Stooge Curly (or Shemp).
02:09 It is imperative that any Stooge shoot has a bust perched on a high shelf that’s waiting to fall on the enemy’s head.
02:12 For me, Jack Duffy’s questioning cameo still draws the short’s biggest laugh.
02:15 Another rule of Stoogedom: Toupees will be launched off bald heads by either hunks of clay or a pie.
02:29 Stooge math: White clay + Black Dress + Woman’s Chest = Big Laffs!
02:40 Second biggest laugh: Professor Fuller mistaking pounding clay for someone at the door.
03:05 More Stooge math: White clay + Black Dress + Deaf woman’s rump = Bigger Laffs!
Videos: Part One, Part Two, Part Three
Photos: The Three Stooges
Vote for a Stooge on Super Tuesday!
February 5th, 2008 by Scott Marks
Listen you knuckleheads, since there’s been a lamebrain in office for the past 8 years why not keep the momentum going by replacing Bush with a real Stooge? Forget about impeachment as a form of punishment. If Larry acts out of turn by sending thousands more American soldiers to be slaughtered, just slap him a few times, poke him in the eyes and pull out a swatch of hair.
Even though Laura, Hillary and Condi pose a triple threat, they have nothing on Stooge women like Aggie, Maggie and Baggie that would frequent the White House. Larry has a thick pubic mound atop his head (unlike Obama) and gosh only knows how much better the Stooge in the middle would look in a pants suit than Hillary. And when was the last time either Barack or Hillary serenaded you with a violin solo? Send Larry to Iraq, have him play a few bars of Pop Goes the Easel for our boys and watch the bodies pile up.
I’m warning you, our country is in trouble and we need a Stooge to guide us. I don’t know about you, but I am voting the straight Stooge ticket, which I guess leaves Joe “Not So Hard” Besser out.
Tags: Election, Larry Fine, President, Presidental Election, Super Tuesday, The 3 Stooges, The Three Stooges, VotingFiled Under Rants
FILM DIRECTORS CHECKLIST
January 14th, 2008 by Scott Marks
About this list
The one book that informed my life in the dark more than any other is Andrew Sarris’ The American Cinema. For thirty years B.I. (Before Internet) not a day passed where I didn’t consult this book. In addition to categorizing filmmakers by preference, Sarris’ included a directorial index that in the era before computers proved invaluable.
Judging by his recent New York Observer reviews it’s impossible to find a film that Mr. Sarris doesn’t like. Maybe his way is better. He’s seen it all and needs to find a way to preserve his sanity.
I too have seen enough. Now it’s my turn.
The directors are ranked from the top of the heap to hack jobs. While I tried to include as many directors as possible, the list is by no means complete. (Feel free to email me any omissions. There are probably plenty and I will be updating the list from time to time.) Lucky for me, there are still a lot of directors out there that I’ve yet to encounter. In the case of several Asian filmmakers, I will not be so bold as to offer a comment on the strength of having seen only one or two of their dozen or so films.
The rest is fairly self-explanatory. In the case of each director I list a select handful of films that illustrate career high and low points. Title selections are based on my own personal admiration, not critical or box office success. (+) indicates the cream of their work while (-) doesn’t.
Happy polemicizing!
THE RAT PACK
Visionary filmmakers who forever changed the face of cinema.
Michelangelo Antonioni (+) L‘Avventura, L’Eclisse, La Notte, Blowup, The Red Dessert etc.
Fred “Tex” Avery (+) Northwest Hounded Police, Red Hot Riding Hood, I Love to Singa, The Cat that Hated People, etc.
John Boorman (+) Point Blank, Excalibur, The Tailor of Panama, Deliverance, etc.
Bernardo Bertolucci (+) Luna, Last Tango in Paris, The Conformist, Before the Revolution, The Last Emperor, etc.
Robert Bresson (+) Au Hasard Balthazar, Pickpocket, A Man Escaped, Mouchette, etc.
Luis Buñuel (+) L’Age d’Or, El (This Strange Passion), That Obscure Object of Desire, Viridiana, Tristana, Simon of the Desert, etc.
Charles Chaplin (+) Monsieur Verdoux, Modern Times, City Lights, Limelight, etc. (-) A Countess from Hong Kong
Robert Clampett (+) Wabbit Twouble,Porky in Wackyland, Russian Rhapsody, Coal Black and De’ Sebben Dwarfs, Kitty Kornered, etc.
Clint Eastwood (+) Unforgiven, Bronco Billy, Mystic River, Heartbreak Ridge, The Gauntlet (-) Firefox,
Sergei Eisenstein (+) Ivan the Terrible Parts I & II, Potemkin, Alexander Nevsky, Strike, Que Viva Mexico!
Dave Fleischer (+) Betty Boop, Popeye, Ko-Ko the Clown, Superman, etc.
John Ford (+) The Searchers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, My Darling Clementine, They Were Expendable, Young Mr. Lincoln, Stagecoach, Wagon Master, The Wings of Eagles, etc.
Sam Fuller (+) Shock Corridor, Park Row, The Naked Kiss, Underworld U.S.A., The Crimson Kimono, House of Bamboo, etc.
Jean-Luc Godard (+) Contempt, Weekend, Breathless, Pierrot Le Fou, Hail Mary etc.
D. W. Griffith (+) The Birth of a Nation, Broken Blossoms, Way Down East, Intolerance, Isn’t Life Wonderful, The Musketeers of Pig Alley, etc.
Werner Herzog (+) Stroszek, Aguirre: the Wrath of God, Fata Morgana, Grizzly Man, etc.
Alfred Hitchcock (+) Vertigo, Shadow of a Doubt, Notorious, Marnie, Rear Window, etc.
Hou Hsiao-Hsien (+) The Puppetmaster, Millennium Mambo, Flowers of Shanghai, Three Times, etc.
Buster Keaton (+) Sherlock, Jr., The General, Seven Chances, etc.
Abbas Kiarostami (+) Taste of Cherry, Close Up, The Wind Will Carry Us, etc.
Fritz Lang (+) While the City Sleeps, M, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, Fury, Man Hunt, The Big Heat, Rancho Notorious, etc.
Sergio Leone (+) Once Upon a Time in the West, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, For a Few Dollars More, etc.
Vincente Minnelli (+) The Band Wagon, Some Came Running, The Bad and the Beautiful, The Cobweb, The Clock, Home from the Hill, etc.
F. W. Murnau (+) Sunrise, The Last Laugh, Nosferatu, Tabu, etc.
Max Ophuls (+) Lola Montes, Letter from an Unknown Woman, The Earrings of Madame de…, Caught, La Ronde, etc.
Yasujiro Ozu (+) Tokyo Story, Late Spring, I Was Born But…, Ohayo, etc.
G. W. Pabst (-) Diary of a Lost Girl, Pandora’s Box, Kammeradschaft, The Three Penny Opera, etc.
Jafar Panahi (+) The Mirror, Crimson Gold, The White Balloon, The Circle
Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger (+) The Life and Death of Col. Blimp, Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes, I Know Where I’m Going, The 49th Parallel, etc. (Powell solo) Peeping Tom
Otto Preminger (+) In Harm’s Way, Advise and Consent, Exodus, Bonjour Tristesse, Fallen Angel, etc.
Jean Renoir (+) The Rules of the Game, The Golden Coach, Toni, Boudu Saved from Drowning, etc.
Alain Resnais (+) Night and Fog, Stavisky, Hiroshima, Mon Amour, Melo, Providence, etc.
Leni Riefenstahl (+) Triumph of the Will, Olympia 1, Olympia 2
Roberto Rossellini (+) Europa ’51. My Voyage to Italy, Paisan, Open City, Generale Della Rovere, etc.
Martin Scorsese (+) Everything with the exception of Cape Fear and The Departed
Douglas Sirk (+) Written on the Wind, Imitation of Life, The Tarnished Angels (-) Interlude
Frank Tashlin (+) Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, Artists and Models, Porky’s Romance, Have You Got Any Castles? (-) The Private Navy of Sgt. O’Farrell
Jacques Tati (+) Playtime, Mon Oncle, Jour de Fete, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Parade
Luchino Visconti (+) The Leopard, Ossessione, The Damned, Senso, etc.
Josef von Sternberg (+) The Devil is a Woman, The Shanghai Gesture, The Scarlet Empress, Underworld, The Blue Angel, etc.
Erich von Stroheim (+) Greed, The Merry Widow, The Wedding March, Foolish Wives, Queen Kelly, etc.
Orson Welles (+) Touch of Evil, Citizen Kane, Falstaff, The Lady from Shanghai etc.
Wim Wenders (+) Wings of Desire, The American Friend, Paris, Texas, The State of Things, Tokyo Ga (-) Faraway, So Close!, The Million Dollar Hotel
Frederick Wiseman (+) Titicut Follies, High School, Meat, Public Housing, Model, etc.
INHERITORS TO THE THRONE
Robert Aldrich (+) Attack!, Kiss Me Deadly, Vera Cruz, The Dirty Dozen (-) The Choirboys, Hustle
Budd Boetticher (+) The Tall T, Seven Men from Now, Ride Lonesome, The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond, The Killer is Loose, etc.
Peter Bogdanovich (+) Saint Jack, They All Laughed, The Last Picture Show, Texasville (-) To Sir With Love II, Illegally Yours
Frank Borzage (+) The Mortal Storm, History is Made at Night, Three Comrades, Moonrise (-) Flight Command, Stage Door Canteen
Albert Brooks (+) Modern Romance, Lost in America, Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World, Real Life etc.
Jane Campion (+) The Piano, Sweetie, An Angel at My Table, Holy Smoke!, etc.
Frank Capra (+) You Can’t Take it With You, It’s a Wonderful Life, Meet John Doe, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Lost Horizon, It Happened One Night, etc.
Claude Chabrol (+) Le Boucher, La Femme Infidele, This Man Must Die, Story of Women, Les Bonnes Femmes, etc.
René Clair (+) Å Nous La Liberté, Le Million, The Italian Straw Hat, Sous les Toits de Paris
Henri-Georges Clouzot (+) The Wages of Fear, The Mystery of Picasso, Quai des Orfevres (-) Diabolique
Francis Ford Coppola (+) The Godfather I & II, The Conversation, Tucker (-) Jack, Rumble Fish, Gardens of Stone
Roger Corman (+) Masque of the Red Death, The Intruder, Tomb of Ligeia, The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, The Trip, etc.
David Cronenberg (+) Spider, Crash, Naked Lunch, Shivers (-) eXistenZ
George Cukor (+) Holiday, A Star is Born, Pat and Mike, The Women, The Marrying Kind, etc.
Joe Dante (+) The Second Civil War, Gremlins II: The New Batch, Inner Space, The Howling, etc.
Cecil B. DeMille (+) The Sign of the Cross, Male and Female, Union Pacific (-) Madam Satan
William Dieterle (+) Jewel Robbery, The Last Flight, Madame Dubarry, Grand Slam (-) Her Majesty Love
Stanley Donen (+) It’s Always Fair Weather, Singin’ in the Rain, Two for the Road, On the Town, Funny Face, Damn Yankees (-) Lucky Lady, The Little Prince
Allan Dwan (+) Sands of Iwo Jima, The Iron Mask, Trail of the Vigilantes, Getting Gertie’s Garter, Heidi, Tennessee’s Partner
Blake Edwards (+) 10, Darling Lili, The Tamarind Seed, The Party, The Pink Panther Strikes Again (-) Curse of the Pink Panther, Son of the Pink Panther, Trail of the Pink Panther, Sunset, A Fine Mess
Rainer Werner Fassbinder (+) Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, The Merchant of Four Seasons, Beware a Holy Whore, The Bitter Tears of Petra Van Kant, etc.
Abel Ferrara (+) Dangerous Game, Bad Lieutenant, King of New York, The Addiction, The Funeral, The Blackout (-) Nine Lives of a Wet Pussy
Richard Lester (+) Petulia, A Hard Day’s Night, Robin and Marian, Superman II (-) Superman III
Jerry Lewis (+) The Nutty Professor, The Ladies’ Man, The Patsy, The Errand Boy (-) One More Time
Joseph Losey (+) The Prowler, Eva, The Go-Between, Accident, The Criminal (GP) Secret Ceremony
David Lynch (+) Lost Highway, Inland Empire, Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, Eraserhead, etc.
Emir Kusturica (+) Underground, Black Cat, White Cat, Arizona Dream
Mohsen Makhmalbaf (+) Once Upon a Time Cinema, The Cyclist, The Silence, Kandahar
Terence Malick (+) Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line, The New World
Joseph L. Mankiewicz (+) The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, All About Eve, House of Strangers, People Will Talk, Cleopatra (-) The Quiet American, Sleuth
Anthony Mann (+) Man of the West, Bend of the River, Reign of Terror, El Cid, The Naked Spur, The Man from Laramie (-) Serenade
Elaine May (+) Mikey and Nicky, The Heartbreak Kid, A New Leaf, Ishtar
Jean-Pierre Melville (+) Le Samourai, Bob Le Flambeur, Le Cercle Rouge, Un Flic, etc.
Nagisa Oshima (+) Cruel Story of Youth, The Sun’s Burial, The Man Who Put His Will on Film, In the Realm of the Senses, etc.
Roman Polanski (+) Chinatown, Bitter Moon, Rosemary’s Baby, Repulsion (-) The Fearless Vampire Killers
Nicholas Ray (+) Rebel Without a Cause, Johnny Guitar, Bigger than Life, Bitter Victory, etc.
Jacques Rivette (+) The Nun, Celine and Julie Go Boating, Jean Renoir, Le Patron
Eric Rohmer (+) Summer, The Aviator’s Wife, Le Beau Marriage, Chloe in the Afternoon etc.
Fred Schepisi (+) Iceman, A Cry in the Dark, Last Orders, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, etc.
Ousmane Sembene (+) Black Girl, Guelwaar, Xala (-) Moolaade
Don Siegel (+) Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Beguiled, The Killers, The Lineup, Dirty Harry
George Stevens (+) A Place in the Sun, Swing Time, Gunga Din, Giant, The Diary of Anne Frank (-) The Greatest Story Ever Told
Preston Sturges (+) Sullivan’s Travels, The Lady Eve, The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek, Hail the Conquering Hero, etc.
Bertrand Tavernier (+) The Clockmaker, Coup de Torchon, A Sunday in the Country, L627, etc.
Jacques Tourneur (+) Out of the Past, I Walked With a Zombie, Anne of the Indies, Nightfall, Great Day in the Morning
King Vidor (+) The Crowd, Street Scene, Hallelujah!, Duel in the Sun, Ruby Gentry, The Wedding Night, Northwest Passage, etc.
Wong Kar Wai (+) In the Mood for Love, Chungking Express, Fallen Angels (-) 2046
Raoul Walsh (+) White Heat, Objective Burma!, Pursued, High Sierra, The Man I Love, Me and My Gal, Captain Horatio Hornblower, etc.
William A. Wellman (+) Midnight Mary, Heroes for Sale, Wings, Penthouse, Yellow Sky
John Woo (+) A Bullet in the Head, The Killer, A Better Tomorrow, Hard-Boiled
OF NOBLE PERSONAGE
Woody Allen (+) Crimes and Misdemeanors, Zelig, Hannah and Her Sisters (-) Small Time Crooks, Shadows and Fog, Deconstructing Harry
Gianni Amelio (+) Lamerica, Stolen Children, Open Doors, The Way We Laughed
Mario Bava (+) Whip and the Body, Black Sunday, Danger: Diabolik (-) Planet of the Vampires
Warren Beatty (+) Reds, Bulworth, Heaven Can Wait (-) Dick Tracy
Jacques Becker (+) Le Trou, Casque d’Or, Touchez Pas Au Grisbi
Kathryn Bigelow (+) Strange Days, K-19: The Widowmaker, Point Break (-) Near Dark
Bertrand Blier (+) Get Out Your Handkerchiefs, Ménage, Going Places, Too Beautiful For You, etc.
Don Bluth (+) The Land Before Time, The Secret of NIMH, Titan A.E., All Dogs go to Heaven (-) Thumbelina, Rock-A-Doodle
John Brahm (+) The Lodger, The Locket, Guest in the House, Hangover Square (-) Let Us Live, Singapore (???) Hot Rods to Hell
James Bridges (+) Mike’s Murder, Urban Cowboy, The China Syndrome, 9/30/55 (-) Perfect, Bright Lights, Big City
John Cassavetes (+) A Woman Under the Influence, Shadows, Husbands, Minnie and Moskowitz (-) Opening Night, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
Andre de Toth (+) Pitfall, Ramrod, Day of the Outlaw, The Indian Fighter, The Two Headed Spy (-) Monkey on My Back
Jonathan Demme (+) Melvin and Howard, Something Wild, Beloved, Handle With Care (-) Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, The Truth About Charlie
Jacques Demy (+) Lola, The Young Girls of Rochefort, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (-) Donkey Skin
Atom Egoyan (+) Calendar, The Sweet Hereafter, Family Viewing, etc.
Abel Ferrera (+) Dangerous Game, Bad Lieutenant, The Funeral, The Addiction, etc.
David Fincher (+) Fight Club, Panic Room, The Game (-) Se7en
Richard Fleischer (+) The Narrow Margin, Barabbas, The Vikings, Mandingo, Violent Saturday (-) The Jazz Singer, Amityville 3-D
Kinji Fukasaku (+) Sympathy for the Underdog, Street Mobster, Battle Royale, Fall Guy
Tsui Hark (+) Green Snake, Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain, Once Upon a Time in China,
Chen Kaige (+) The Promise, The Emperor and the Assassin, Farewell My Concubine, Temptress Moon
Elia Kazan (+) Wild River, Splendor in the Grass, A Face in the Crowd, East of Eden, On the Waterfront (-) Gentlemen’s Agreement, Pinky, Sea of Grass
Robert Siodmak (+) Criss-Cross, The Crimson Pirate, Phantom Lady, Cobra Woman (-) Deported
Steven Soderbergh (+) The Limey, Traffic, King of the Hill, Schizopolis (-) Ocean’s 12 & 13, Sex, Lies and Videotape, Full Frontal
Walter Hill (+) The Driver, Wild Bill, Streets of Fire, Trespass, 48 Hrs. (-) Another 48 Hrs., Brewster’s Millions, Undisputed
Agnieszka Holland (+) Europa, Europa, Olivier, Olivier, Washington Square (-) Total Eclipse
Jim Jarmusch (+) Mystery Train, Stranger than Paradise, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (-) Night on Earth, Down by Law
Neil Jordan (+) Breakfast on Pluto, The Crying Game, The Company of Wolves
Phil Karlson (+) The Phenix City Story, Kansas City Confidential, 99 River Street, The Brothers Rico (-) Ben, The Wrecking Crew
Gregory LaCava (+) My Man Godfrey, The Half Naked Truth, Gabriel Over the White House, Bed of Roses, etc.
Patrice Leconte (+) Monsieur Hire, The Widow of St. Pierre, The Girl on the Bridge (-) The Man on the Train
Mike Leigh (+) Vera Drake, Naked, Life is Sweet, High Hopes (-) Secrets and Lies
Joseph H. Lewis (+) Gun Crazy, The Big Combo, Terror in a Texas Town, The Seventh Cavalry, My Name is Julia Ross (-) Pride of the Bowery, The Return of October
Ida Lupino (+) The Hitch-Hiker, Outrage, The Bigamist
Alexander Mackendrick (+) The Sweet Smell of Success, The Man in the White Suit, Whiskey Galore, A High Wind in Jamaica
Russ Meyer (+) Super-Vixens, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Mud Honey, Cherry, Harry & Raquel, Naked Gals of the Wild West (-) Up!, Mondo Topless
Robert Parrish (+) The Purple Plain, The Mob, Cry Danger
George A. Romero (+) The Night of the Living Dead, Martin, Day of the Dead, Monkey Shines (-) Creepshow, The Dark Half
Alan Rudolph (+) Remember My Name, Choose Me, Mortal Thoughts (-) Afterglow, Endangered Species
Richard Rush (+) The Stunt Man, Getting Straight, Color of Night
(-) Freebie and the Bean
Franklin J. Schaffner (+) Islands in the Stream, Planet of the Apes, Patton, The Best Man (-) Yes, Giorgio, Sphinx
Paolo & Vittorio Taviani (+) The Night of the Shooting Stars, Padre, Padrone, Kaos (-) Good Morning, Babylon
Francois Truffaut (+) The 4oo Blows, Stolen Kisses, The Woman Next Door, Day for Night (-) Love on the Run, Jules and Jim
Lars Von Trier (+) Zentropa, Breaking the Waves, The Kingdom, Element of Crime (-) Everything from Dancer in the Dark on
Paul Verhoeven (+) Turkish Delight, Robocop, Black Book, Showgirls, Soldier of Orange (-) Hollow Man
Wayne Wang (+) The Center of the World, Smoke, Chan is Missing, Chinese Box (-) Maid in Manhattan, The Joy Luck Club,
James Whale (+) Bride of Frankenstein, Waterloo Bridge, The Old Dark House, Wives Under Suspicion, Show Boat, etc.
Michael Winterbottom (+) In This World, 24 Hour Party People, Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, The Claim (-) The Road to Guantanamo
Zhang Yimou (+) Ju Dou, The Story of Qui Ju, Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles, House of Flying Daggers (-) To Live, Curse of the Golden Flower
THE ENTERTAINERS
Pedro Almodovar (+) Talk to Her, The Flower of My Secret, Bad Education (-) Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,
Lewis Allen (+) The Uninvited, A Bullet for Joey, So Evil My Love (-) Suddenly
Jon Amiel (+) The Singing Detective, Queen of Hearts, Tune in Tomorrow (-) Copycat, Entrapment
Dario Argento (+) Deep Red, Suspiria, Phenomena
Allan Arkush (+) Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, Get Crazy, Hollywood Boulevard, Elvis Meets Nixon (-) Caddyshack II
George Armitage (+) Miami Blues, Vigilante Force, Hit Man (-) The Big Bounce
Jack Arnold (+) The Incredible Shrinking Man, Man in the Shadow, High School Confidential, The Tattered Dress (-) A Global Affair, Hello Down There
Lloyd Bacon (+) Marked Woman, Picture Snatcher, Footlight Parade, A Slight Case of Murder (-) Fireman Save My Child, He Was Her Man, Espionage Agent
Paul Bartel (+) Eating Raoul, Private Parts, Death Race 2000, Cannonball (-) The Longshot, Lust in the Dust, Not for Publication
Harold Becker (+) The Black Marble, Malice
Roy Boulting (+) Seven Days to Noon, The Family Way, Twisted Nerve (-) There’s a Girl in My Soup
Clarence Brown (+) Anna Christie, The Yearling, Emma, Romance, Flesh and the Devil
Tod Browning (+) The Unknown, West of Zanzibar, The Unholy Three, Freaks (-) Iron Man, Dracula
John Carpenter (+) Starman, Christine, Halloween, Vampires, Escape From L. A. (-) Memoirs of an Invisible Man, The Fog, Prince of Darkness, They Live, The Thing
Nick Cassavetes (+) Unhook the Stars, Alpha Dog, The Notebook
(-) She’s So Lovely
Larry Cohen (+) God Told Me To, Bone, Q, Return to Salem’s Lot, It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive (-) Full Moon High
Jackie Chan (+) Police Story, Project A, Police Story II, Armour of God
Peter Chelsom (+) Funny Bones, Hear My Song, The Mighty, Town and Country (-) Serendipity
Rene Clement (+) Purple Noon, Forbidden Games, Joy House, Is Paris Burning?
Martha Coolidge (+) Valley Girl, Rambling Rose, Real Genius (GP) Angie (-) Out to Sea, The Joy of Sex
John Cromwell (+) Son of Fury, Since You Went Away, The Enchanted Cottage, The Goddess (-) Night Song
Michael Curtiz (+) The Sea Wolf, Angels With Dirty Faces, The Sea Hawk, Captain Blood, Casablanca (-) Mammy, The Case of the Curious Bride, The Story of Will Rogers
John Dahl (+) The Last Seduction, Red Rock West, Unforgettable (-) The Rounders, Joy Ride
Delmer Daves (+) Dark Passage, Demetrius and the Gladiators, Jubal, 3:10 to Yuma (-) Susan Slade
Terence Davies (+) The Long Day Closes, The Neon Bible, Distant Voices, Still Lives
Brian DePalma (-) Carrie, Body Double, Carlito’s Way, The Untouchables (-) The Black Dahlia,Redacted, Dressed to Kill, Obsession, Blow Out
Roger Donaldson (+) Smash Palace, No Way Out, Species, The Bounty, Marie (-) Cocktail,
Edward Dmytryk (+) The Carpetbaggers, The Young Lions, Crossfire, Murder, My Sweet (-) The Mountain, The Caine Mutiny
John Farrow (+) His Kind of Woman, The Saint Strikes Back, You Came Along, The Big Clock, Plunder of the Sun (-) China, Singapore, Submarine Command
John Flynn (+) The Outfit, Rolling Thunder, Best Seller, Defiance (-) Lock Up
Bill Forsythe (+) Local Hero, Gregory’s Girl, Breaking In (-) Housekeeping
Hugo Fregonese (+) One Way Street, The Raid, Man in the Attic, Blowing Wild
Tay Garnett (+) One Way Passage, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Joy of Living, My Favorite Spy
Terry Gilliam (+) Brazil, Month Python and the Holy Grail, The Brothers Grimm (-) 12 Monkeys, The Fisher King
Alfred E. Green (+) Baby Face, Union Depot, Central Airport, Smart Money (-) Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry, Copacabana, The Eddie Cantor Story
Curtis Hanson (+) The Bedroom Window, Wonder Boys, In Her Shoes, 8 Mile
Henry Hathaway (+) Peter Ibbetson, Niagara, The Dark Corner, Kiss of Death, etc.
Todd Haynes (+) Safe, Poison, Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (-) Velvet Goldmine
Monte Hellman (+) Cockfighter, Two-Lane Blacktop, The Shooting
Mike Hodges (+) Croupier, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, Get Carter (-) The Terminal Man, Flash Gordon, A Prayer for the Dying
Tobe Hooper (+) Lifeforce, Invaders from Mars, The Mangler The Funhouse, (-) Eaten Alive
Dennis Hopper (+) Out of the Blue, Easy Rider, Chasers
William K. Howard (+) The Power and the Glory, Fire Over England, Back Door to Heaven, The Princess Comes Across
Lamont Johnson (+) The McKenzie Break, Cattle Annie and Little Britches, A Covenant With Death, One on One, The Last American Hero (-) Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone, Somebody Killed Her Husband
Jonathan Kaplan (+) Heart Like a Wheel, Love Field, White Line Fever (-) The Accused, Mr. Billion
Philip Kaufman (+) The Right Stuff, The Wanderers, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (-) Rising Sun, Quills
William Keighley (+) The Match King, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Man Who Came to Dinner, The Street With No Name Bullets or Ballots
Takeshi Kitano (+) Fireworks, Sonatine, Violent Cop (-) Kikujiro, Brother
Ted Kotcheff (+) The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, First Blood, North Dallas Forty (-) Ffolks, Fun With Dick and Jane
Ringo Lam (+) Full Contact, Burning Paradise
Frank Launder & Sidney Gilliat (+) The Green Man, I See a Dark Stranger, The Smallest Show on Earth, Green for Danger, The Belles of St. Trinian’s
Mitchell Leisen (+) Remember the Night, Hold Back the Dawn, To Each His Own, Midnight, Easy Living (-) The Lady is Willing, Suddenly It’s Spring
Albert Lewin (+) Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, The Moon and Sixpence, The Picture of Dorian Gray (-) He wrote Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number and 8 on the Lam
Adrian Lyne (+) Jacob’s Ladder, Lolita, 9 ½ Weeks (-) Fatal Attraction, Flashdance
Louis Malle (+) The Murmur of the Heart, Atlantic City, Lacombe, Lucien, Elevator to the Gallows, My Dinner with Andre (-) Damage, Crackers, May Fools
Rouben Mamoulian (+) Applause, Love Me Tonight, Queen Christina (-) Song of Songs, Silk Stockings
Paul Mazursky (+) Blume in Love, Harry and Tonto, Enemies: A Love Story (-) The Pickle, Moon Over Parador, Down and Out in Beverly Hills
John Mackenzie (+) The Long Good Friday, Ruby, The Fourth Protocol
Joseph McGrath (+) The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom. Casino Royale, The Magic Christian
John McNaughton (+) Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Normal Life, Girls in Prison (+) Wild Things
John McTiernan (+) Die Hard, The Thirteenth Warrior, The Thomas Crown Affair (-) Rollerball, Last Action Hero
William Cameron Menzies (+) Things to Come, Invaders from Mars, The Whip Hand, The Maze
John Milius (+) Big Wednesday, Red Dawn, The Wind and the Lion (-) Flight of the Intruder
Robert Mulligan (+) The Nickel Ride, Bloodbrothers, The Other, To Kill a Mockingbird, Man in the Moon, The Rat Race (-) Clara’s Heart, Kiss me Goodbye, Same Time, Next year
Mike Nichols (+) Carnal Knowledge, Silkwood, Primary Colors (-) Working Girl, The Day of the Dolphin, Catch-22
Ivan Passer (+) Cutter’s Way, Born to Win, Creator (-) Silver Bears
Richard Quine (+) Strangers When We Meet, It Happened to Jane, Synanon, My Sister Eileen,
Robert Parrish (+) The Purple Plain, Cry Danger, Fire Down Below, Lucy Gallant (-) The Bobo
Arthur Penn (+) Little Big Man, Night Moves, Bonnie and Clyde, Mickey One. Alice’s Restaurant (-) Target, The Missouri Breaks
Carol Reed (+) Odd Man Out, The Third Man, Our Man in Havana, A Kid for Two Farthings (-) Fallen Idol, Oliver!
Sam Raimi (+) Evil Dead II, Evil Dead, The Quick and the Dead (-) A Simple Plan, Spiderman I, I & IIII
Carl Reiner (+) The Comic, Where’s Poppa?, The Man With Two Brains, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (-) The Jerk, The One and Only
Robert Rossen (+) The Hustler, Lilith, Johnny O’Clock (-) The Came to Cordura
Joseph Ruben (+) The Stepfather, The Good Son, True Believer (-) Money Train
Ken Russell (+) Altered States, Tommy, The Devils, The Music Lovers, The Boy Friend (-) Valentino, Lisztomania, Gothic
John Sayles (+) Lone Star, Baby, It’s You, City of Hope (-) Return of the Secaucus Seven, Men With Guns, Eight Men Out
Paul Schrader (+) Blue Collar, patty Hearst, Auto Focus (-) Cat People, Affliction, Touch
Ron Shelton (+) Cobb, Bull Durham, White Men Can’t Jump (-) Hollywood Homicide
George Sidney (+) Bye, Bye Birdie, Anchors Aweigh, Who Was that Lady?, Jeanne Eagles, Pal Joey (-) Pepe, Annie Get Your Gun, Half a Sixpence
Jack Smight (+) Harper, No Way to Treat a Lady, Kaleidoscope (-) Madway, Airport ‘75
Oliver Stone (+) Nixon, Salvador, Natural Born Killers, Talk Radio (-) U-Turn, Heaven and Earth
Julien Temple (+) It’s All True, Absolute Beginners, Earth Girls are Easy, The Filth and the Fury
Charles Walters (+) Torch Song, Summer Stock, Dangerous When Wet, High Society (-) The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Billy Rose’s Jumbo
HIT AND MISS
Directors that spent their careers batting 50/50
Robert Altman (+) The Long Goodbye, California Split, Nashville, Short Cuts, Gosford Park (-) Pret-A-Porter, Quintet, Health, Fool for Love, Streamers, The Player
Paul Thomas Anderson (+) Boogie Nights, Hard Eight (-) Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love
Michael Apted (+) The Up films, Firstborn, Stardust (-) Coal Miner’s Daughter, Nell. Gorky Park
John Badham (+) Saturday Night Fever, The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings, WarGames (-) Bird on a Wire, Short Circuit, Dracula
Robert Benton (+) The Late Show, Bad Company, Kramer vs. Kramer (-) Places in the Heart, Twilight, The Human Stain
Richard Brooks (+) The Professionals, In Cold Blood, Sweet Bird of Youth, Blackboard Jungle (-) Wrong is Right, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
James Cameron (+) Terminator II, The Terminator (-) Titanic, The Abyss
Joel Coen (+) The Big Lebowski, Miller’s Crossing, No Country for Old Men, O Brother, Where Art Thou? (-) Barton Fink, Fargo, The Hudsucker Proxy
Jules Dassin (+) Thieves Highway, Brute Force, The Naked City (-) Never on Sunday, Reunion in France, Topkapi
Lasse Hallstrom (+) What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?, My Life as a Dog, Once Around (-) Chocolate
Neil Labute (+) In the Company of Men, Your Friends and Neighbors (-) Nurse Betty, Possession
Spike Lee (+) Bamboozled, 4 Little Girls, Malcolm X, Clockers (-) Mo’ Better Blues, He Got Game, Summer of Sam, The Inside Man
Barry Levinson (+) Avalon, Diner, Bugsy (-) Toys, Rain Man, The Natural, Man of the Year
Richard Linklater (+) Before Sunrise, The Newton Boys (-) SubUrbia, Slacker
David Mamet (+) Homicide, Spartan, The Spanish Prisoner (-) State and Main, Things Change, House of Games
Alan J. Pakula (+) Klute, The Parallax View, Orphans, Comes a Horseman (-) See You in the Morning, Presumed Innocent,
Michael Ritchie (+) The Bad News Bears, Smile, Semi-Tough, The Survivors (-) The Golden Child, The Couch Trip, The Scout
Stephen Roberts (+) Romance in Manhattan, One Sunday Afternoon, The Ex-Mrs. Bradford, Star of Midnight
Robert Rodriguez (+) Road Racers, El Mariachi, Depserado, From Dusk Till Dawn (-) Four Rooms, Sin City, Grindhouse, Once Upon a Time in Mexico
David O. Russell (+) Three Kings, Spanking the Monkey (-) I Heart Huckabees, Flirting With Disaster
John Schlesinger (+) The Day of the Locust, Darling, Midnight Cowboy (-) Honky Tonk Freeway, Madame Sousatzka, The Believers, Pacific Heights
Lars Von Trier (+) Zentropa, Breaking the Waves, The Kingdom (-) Dancer in the Dark, Dogville
William Wyler (+) The Collector, The Heiress, Friendly Persuasion, The Best Years of Our Lives (-) Ben-Hur, Mrs. Miniver, The Sesperate Hours
Peter Yates (+) The Hot Rock, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, Eyewitness (GP) Bullitt (-) The Deep, John and Mary, For Pete’s Sake
Karel Reisz (+) Sweet Dreams, Isadora (-) Night Must Fall, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
Mark Robson (+) The Seventh Victim, The Ghost Ship, My Foolish Heart (-) Happy Birthday, Wanda June, Earthquake, Valley of the Dolls
Robert Zemeckis (+) Used Cars, Back to the Future, I Wanna Hold Your Hand (-) Forrest Gump, Contact, The Polar Express, Romancing the Stone
Terry Zwigoff (+) Ghost World, Crumb (-) Art School Confidential, Bad Santa
GUILTY PLEASURES
Are they artists? Who cares, they’re fun to watch!
Hal Ashby (+) Shampoo, The Last Detail, 8 Million Ways to Die, Being There (-) Harold and Maude, The Slugger’s Wife, Coming Home
Hal Barwood & Matthew Robbins (+) Corvette Summer, The Legend of Billie Jean, Dragonslayer (-) Warning Sign
Mel Brooks (+) The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein (-) Everything else
Edward L. Cahn (+) Law and Order (-) Voodoo Woman, Curse of the Faceless Man, The She Creature, etc.
Joe Camp (+) I’ll defend the Benji films as well made family fare.
Steve Carver (+) Drum, Big Bad Mama, Bulletproof
Larry Clark (+) Bully, Kids (-) Ken Park, Wassup, Rockers?
Michael Cristofer (+) Body Shots, Original Sin, (-) Gia
Robert Downey (+) Putney Swope, Greaser’s Palace
Roy Del Ruth (+) Employees’ Entrance, Blessed Event, Taxi, Blonde Crazy (-) The Babe Ruth Story
Gordon Douglas (+) Young at Heart, Them, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, The Sins of Rachel Cade (-) Call Me Bwana, The Tony Rome cycle, Zombies on Broadway, Sincerely Yours
William Girdler (+) The Mantiou, Grizzly, Day of the Animals. Abby
Renny Harlin (+) Die Hard II, Born American, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (-) Mindhunters, Exorcist: The Beginning, Driven
Jack Hill (+) Spider Baby, The Big Bird Cage, Foxy Brown, Switchblade Sisters, Coffy
Burt Kennedy (+) The Money Trap, Mail Order Bride, The ‘Rounders (-) The Killer Inside Me, Dirty Dingus McGee
Arthur Marks (-) Detroit 9000, Bucktown, The Monkey Hu$tle, Friday Foster
Norman Z. McLeod (+) Monkey Business, Horse Feathers, It’s a Gift, My Favorite Spy, The Paleface, Topper Takes a Trip
H.C. Potter (+) Mr. Lucky, Hellzapoppin,’ The Shopworn Angel
Steve Rash (+) Can’t Buy Me Love, The Buddy Holly Story, Under the Rainbow (-) American Pie Presents Band Camp
William A. Seiter (+) One Touch of Venus, The Moon’s Our Home, Room Service, Sons of the Desert
A. Edward Sutherland (+) Diamond Jim, Murders in the Zoo & 6 W.C. Fields films
David Swift (+) The Parent Trap, Good Neighbor Sam, Under the Yum Yum Tree, The Interns
Lewis Teague (+) The Lady in Red, Alligator, Cujo
James Toback (+) Exposed, Love and Money, Fingers (-) The Pickup Artist, Two Girls and a Guy
John Waters (+) Desperate Living, Pink Flamingoes, Female Trouble (-) All of his MPAA rated films
Jack Webb (+) The D. I., -30-, Dragnet (-) The Last Time I Saw Archie
Don Weis (+) I Love Melvin, Remains to be Seen, The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (-) Looking for Love, The Gene Krupa Story
Edward D. Wood, Jr. (-) Plan 9 From Outer Space, Glen or Glenda, Bride of the Monster, Jailbait, etc.
Terence Young (+) Dr. No, From Russia With Love, The Valachi Papers (-) Inchon, Bloodline
CRAFTSMEN
Filmmakers who seldom did more than make the studios and/or their stars look good.
Hector Babenco (+) Pixote (-) Kiss of the Spider Woman, At Play in the Fields of the Lord
Victor Fleming (+) Bombshell, The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind (-) Adventure, The Good Earth, Captains Courageous
Edmund Goulding (+) The Razor’s Edge, Nightmare Alley, The Old Maid, Mr. 880 (-) Till We Meet Again, Grand Hotel
Taylor Hackfor (-) I’ve seen a lot and nothing clicked.
George Roy Hill (+) A Little Romance, Slapshot, The World of Henry Orient (-) The World According to Garp, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Peter Jackson (+) Heavenly Creature, Forgotten Silver (-) King Kong, I never made it through any of the Lord of the Rings films.
Walter Lang (+) Star Dust, Tin Pan Alley, Greenwich Village (-) Snow White and the Three Stooges, The King and I
Anatole Litvak (+) City for Conquest, The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse, Sorry, Wrong Number (-) The Snake Pit, Anastasia
Sidney Lumet (+) Serpico, The Anderson Tapes, Fail Safe, Bye, Bye Braverman (-) The Wiz, Q & A, The Morning After, The Verdict
James Mangold (+) Heavy, Copland, Girl, Interrupted (-) Walk the Line
Irving Pichel (+) They Won’t Believe Me, The Most Dangerous Game, She, Quicksand (-) Tomorrow is Forever
Sydney Pollack (+) They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, Absence of Malice (-) The Electric Horseman, Bobby Deerfield, The Firm
Bob Rafelson (+) Five Easy Pieces, Stay Hungry, The King of Marvin Gardens (-) Man Trouble, Black Widow
Martin Ritt (+) The Long, Hot Summer, Hud, Conrack (-) Stanley and Iris, Pete and Tillie, Norma Rae
Jerry Schatzberg (+) Scarecrow, Street Smart, The Seduction of Joe Tynan (-) Honeysuckle Rose, No Small Affair
John Sturges (+) The Great Escape, The Scarlet Coat, Mystery Street (-) The Old Man and the Sea, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Bad Day at Black Rock, By Love Possessed, McQ
Robert Wise (+) Curse of the Cat People, The Set-Up, Born to Kill, Helen of Troy, West Side Story, The Sand Pebbles (-) Star!, The Hindenburg, Audrey Rose, The Andromeda Strain
THE ACADEMY OF THE OVERRATED
You burn incense. I burn.
Ingmar Bergman (+) Persona, Sawdust and Tinsel, Smiles of a Summer Night (-) Scenes from a Marriage, Cries and Whispers, The Death of God trilogy
Luc Besson (+) The Professional, the first reel of The Fifth Element (-) Everything else I’ve seen
Tim Burton (+) Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Ed Wood (-) Everything else
Kenneth Branagh (-) Dead Again, Love’s Labour Lost, Peter’s Friends, etc.
Vittorio De Sica (+) Shoe-shine, Umberto D, Miracle in Milan (-) Bicycle Thieves, The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, Two Women, After the Fox, Woman Times Seven
Federico Fellini (+) I Vttelloni, The White Sheik, La Dolce Vita (-) Amarcord, Satyricon, Juliet of the Spirits, Fred and Ginger
Mike Figgis (-) Internal Affairs, Timecode, Leaving Las Vegas
Stephen Frears (+) Mrs. Henderson Presents High Fidelity (-) Everything else
Hal Hartley (+) Simple Men,Trust (-) Fay Grimm, Amateur, The Book of Life
Ron Howard (+) Splash (-) Everything Else
James Ivory (-) Not for me
Lawrence Kasdan (+) Body Heat (-) Everything else
Stanley Kubrick (+) Paths of Glory, The Shining, Dr. Strangelove (-) Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, Full Metal Jacket
Akira Kurosawa (+) The Bad Sleep Well, Throne of Blood, Dodes-Ka-Den (-) Dersu Uzala, Kagemusha, Rashomon, Dreams
Ang Lee (-) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hulk, Brokeback Mountain
Laurence Olivier (-) The Prince and the Showgirl, Richard III, Hamlet, etc.
Frank Oz (+) The Dark Crystal (-) Everything else
Sam Peckinpah (+) Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, The Ballad of Cable Hogue, Cross of Iron (-) Straw Dogs, Convoy, The Wild Bunch, Major Dundee, The Getaway
Steven Spielberg (+) 1941 (-) Everything else
Giuseppe Tornatore (-) A Pure Formality, Cinema Paradiso, Malena
Gus Van Sant (+) Drugstore Cowboy (-) Everything else
Quentin Tarantino (+) Jackie Brown (-) Everything else
Lina Wertmuller (-) Swept Away, Seven Beauties, The Seduction of Mimi
Fred Zinnemann (-) Julia, A Man for All Seasons, High Noon, The Nun’s Story
FAVORABLE FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Too early to call, but for at least one or two films they caught my eye.
Brad Anderson (+) Next Stop Wonderland (-) Happy Accidents
Gregg Araki (+) Mysterious Skin, The Doom Generation
Lu Chuan (+) Kekexili: Mountain Patrol
Michael Cuesta (+) L.I.E., 12 and Holding
Frank E. Flowers (+) Haven, Swallow
Jonathan Glazer (+) Sexy Beast, Birth
Blair Hayes (+) Bubble Boy
Nicole Holefcener (+) Lovely and Amazing, Walting and Talking
(-) Friends With Money
Matthieu Kassovitz (+) La Haine (-) Gothika
Richard Kelly (+) Donnie Darko
John Cameron Mitchell (+) Shortbus (-) Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Dominick Moll (+) With a Friend Like Harry, Lemming
Karen Moncrieff (+) The Dead Girl, Blue Car
Greg Mottola (+) The Daytrippers (-) Superbad
Dewey Nicks (+) Slacker
Gaspar Noe (+) I Stand Alone, Irreversible
Chan-Wook Park (+) Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (-) Lady Vengeance
Mark & Michael Polish (+) Twin Falls Idaho, The Astronaut Farmer, Northfork
Rose Troche (+) Go Fish, The Safety of Objects
OFF AND LIMPING
Their futures look dim.
Darren Aronofsky (-) Requiem for a Dream, Pi
Jamie Babbit (-) But I’m a Cheerleader, The Quiet
Bill Condon (+) Kinsey (-) Dream Girls, Gods and Monsters
Todd Field (-) In the Bedroom, Little Children
Marc Forster (+) Stranger than Fiction (-) Finding Neverland, Monster’s Ball, The Kite Runner
F. Gary Gray (+) Friday (-) Be Cool, The Italian Job, Set it Off
Paul Haggis (-) Crash (2005), In the Valley of Elah
Rian Johnson (-) Brick
Baz Luhrmann (-) Strictly Ballroom, Moulin Rouge
John Madden (-) Shakespeare in Love, Proof
Rob Marshall (-) Chicago
Sam Mendes (-) American Beauty, The Road to Perdition
Michael Showalter (-) The Baxter
ONE (OR TWO) HIT WONDERS
Michael Almereyda (+) Nadja
Bob Balaban (+) Parents, The Last Good Time (-) My Boyfriend’s Back
Craig Bolotin (+) That Night
John Boulting (+) The Magic Box, Seven Days to Noon
Michael Caton-Jones (+) Scandal (-) This Boy’s Life. Basic Instinct II, City by the Sea
Rene Daalder (+) Massacre at Central High
Ted Demme (+) Beautiful Girls (-) Blow
Bill Duke (+) Deep Cover, A Rage in Harlem (-) The Cemetery Club, Sister Act 2
Theodore J. Flicker (+) The President’s Analyst
James Foley (+) Glengarry Glen Ross (-) Who’s That Girl?, Fear, At Close Range
William Friedkin (+) The French Connection, Bug (-) Everything else
Nick Gomez (+) Laws of Gravity, New Jersey Drive (-) Illtown, Drowning Mona
Robert Harmon (-) The Hitcher
Peter Jackson (+) Heavenly Creatures, Forgotten Silver (-) King Kong (Never dipped into any of the LOTR pictures.)
Lodge Kerrigan (+) Clean, Shaven, (-) Claire Dolan
Buzz Kulik (+) Warning Shot (-) Brian’s Song, Riot
Michael Lehmann (+) Heathers (-) Hudson Hawk, Because I Said So, My Giant
George Lucas (+) American Graffiti (-) Everything else
Charles Laughton (+) The Night of the Hunter
Michael Mann (+) Thief (-) Everything else
Thomas McGuane (+) 92 in the Shade
Dewey Nicks (+) Slackers
Abraham Polonsky (+) Force of Evil
Harold Ramis (+) Groundhog Day (-) Caddyshack, Bedazzled
Ivan Reitman (+) Stripes (-) Everything else
Tony Richardson (+) The Loved One (-) Everything else
Stuart Rosenberg (+) Murder, Inc., Cool Hand Luke (-) WUSA, Voyage of the Damned, The Amityville Horror,
Nancy Savoca (+) Dogfight, Household Saints
Ridley Scott (+) Blade Runner, Kingdom of Heaven (-) Everything else
Susan Seidelman (+) Making Mr. Right (-) Everything else
Henry Selick (+) The Nightmare Before Christmas (-) Monkeybone
Joseph Sargent (+) The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
Todd Solondz (+) Welcome to the Dollhouse (-) Everything else
Michael Tolkin (+) The Rapture, The New Age
Agustí Villaronga (+) In a Glass Cage
Andy & Larry Wachowski (+) Bound (-) The Matrices
Ken Weiderhorn (+) Shock Waves
THE JURY IS STILL OUT
Haven’t seen enough films by or from these directors to make a qualified decision.
Yves Allegret (+) The Proud Ones
Allison Anders (+) Mi Vida Loca, Gas, Food & Lodging (-) Four Rooms, Grace of My Heart
Wes Anderson (+) Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tennenbaums (-) The Life Aquatic, The Darjeeling Limited
Theo Angelopolous (+) Ulysses’ Gaze, Landscape in the Mist
Olivier Assayas (+) Irma Vep, Late August, Early September (-) Demonlover, Clean
Bruno Barreto (+) Carried Away, Dona Flor and her Two Husbands
Brad Bird (+) The Iron Giant, Ratatouille (-) The Incredibles
Roy Boulting (+) The Family Way, Seven Days to Noon
Marcel Carne (+) Port of Shadows, Children of Paradise
Charles Crichton (+) The Lavender Hill Mob (-) A Fish Called Wanda
Sofia Coppola (+) Lost in Translation (-) Marie Antionette
Tom DiCillo (+) Box of Moonlight, Living in Oblivion (-) The Real Blonde, Johnny Suede
Marco Ferreri (+) Tales of Ordinary Madness, Le Grande Bouffe, Don’t Touch the White Woman
Robert Florey (+) Face Behind the Mask, The Beast With 5 Fingers (Guilty Pleasure) The Cocoanuts
Alberto Gout (+) Aventurera, En Carne Viva
Mary Harron (+) American Psycho, I Shot Andy Warhol (-) The Notorious Bettie Page
Kon Ichikawa (+) An Actor’s Revenge, The Burmese Harp
Benoit Jacquot (+) A Single Girl, The School of Flesh (-) A Tout de Suite
Takashi Miike (+) Ichi the Killer, Visitor Q (-) Three…Extremes
Mikio Naruse (+) When a Woman Ascends the Stairs,
Francois Ozon (+) Water Drops on Burning Rocks, Swimming Pool, Under the Sand, 8 Women (-) Criminal Lovers, Time to Leave
Nicolas Roeg (?) The jury may forever be out on Mr. Roeg…
Malcolm St. Clair (+) The Show Off
Hiroshi Teshigahara (+) Woman in the Dunes
Maurice Tourneur (+) The Last of the Mohicans, A Girl’s Folly,
Richard Wallace (+) A Night to Remember, The Fallen Sparrow, Sinbad the Sailor
Simon West (+) Con Air (-) Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
WAGE SLAVES
They know which end of the camera to look through.
Alan Alda (-) Sweet Liberty, New Life, Betsy’s Wedding, The Four Seasons
Clive Barker (-) Lord of Illusions, Nightbreed, Hellraiser
Michael Bay (-) Armageddon, The Island, Pearl Harbor, Transformers
Richard Benjamin (+) My Favorite Year (-) The Money Pit, City Heat, Downtown
David Butler (+) Bob Hope comedies and Shirley Temple musicals
Cameron Crowe (-) Vanilla Sky, Singles, Elizabethtown
Richard Donner (+) The Omen, Superman, Ladyhawke (-) Lethal Weapon 1-4, The Toy, Assassins, Scrooged
John Duigan (-) Flirting, Wide Sargasso Sea, Sirens, Flirting
Ray Enright (+) Dames, The Spoilers, Alibi Ike (-) Circus Clown, Gung Ho!, Brother Rat and a Baby
Lewis Gilbert (GP) The Adventurers, Alfie (-) Shirley Valentine, Three bad Bond’s
Mel Gibson (-) Apocalypto, Braveheart
Brian G. Hutton (+) Where Eagles Dare, The First Deadly Sin (-) Night Watch, The Pad and How to Use It
Peter Hyams (+) Capricorn One, Busting (-) Running Scared, Hanover Street, Our Time
Norman Jewison (+) 4o Pounds of Trouble, Moonstruck, The Thrill of it All (-) Jesus Christ Superstar, Rollerball, The Thomas Crown Affair
Henry King (+) The Captain from Castile, In Old Chicago, Twelve o’Clock High (-) Carousel, The Snows of Kilimanjaro
Claude Lelouch (+) And Now My Love, Happy New Year (-) Everything else I’ve seen
Robert Mandel (GP) The Substitute (-) F/X, School Ties, Touch and Go
Jean Negulesco (+) The Mask of Demetrius, Deep Valley, Humoresque (-) The Best of Everything, How to Marry a Millionaire, Johnny Belinda
Alan Parker (+) Shoot the Moon, Angel Heart (-) Midnight Express, Fame, Bugsy Malone
Irving Rapper (+) Now Voyager (-) The Christine Jorgensen Story, The Glass Menagerie, Marjorie Morningstar
Herbert Ross (+) Pennies from Heaven, Play It Again, Sam, The Last of Sheila, The 7% Solution, (-) Goodbye Mr. Chips, Funny Lady, Nijinsky, Protocol, The Turning Point, etc.
M. Night Shymalian (+) The Sixth Sense (-) Everything else
Julian Schnabel (+) Basquiat (-) The Diving Bell and the Mermaid, Before Night Falls
Joel Schumacher (-) Never made a good movie
Bryan Singer (-) X-Men I & II, Apt Pupil, Superman Returns, The Usual Suspects
John Singleton (+) Shaft (-) Boyz N the Hood, Higher Learning, Rosewood
Roger Spottiswoode (GP) The Best of Times (-) Everything else
Lee Tamahori (-) Along Came a Spider, Die Another Day, Once We’re Warriors,
J. Lee Thompson (+) The Guns of Navarone, Cape Fear, What a Way to Go! (-) The Greek Tycoon, Two wretched Apes sequels, Anything with Charles Bronson
Gore Verbinski (+) The Weather Man, The Ring (-) Pirates of the Caribbean I, II & III, The Mexican
Peter Weir (+) Witness (-) Fearless, Gallipoli, Dead Poet’s Society, Green Card
HACKS
Not a good cut or composition in the bunch.
Irwin Allen (-) The Swarm, The Story of Mankind, Towering Inferno, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure
Rod Amateau (-) Where Does it Hurt?. Drive-In, Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You, etc.
Michael Anderson (-) Around the World in 80 Days, Logan’s Run, Orca, All the Fine Young Cannibals
Richard Attenborough (-) A Chorus Line, Young Winston, A Bridge Too Far, Magic, Chaplin, etc.
John G. Avildsen (GP) Joe (-) Slow Dancing in the Big City, Neighbors, Save the Tiger, Rocky, etc.
William “One-Shot” Beaudine (-) Billy the Kid vs. Dracula, Jesse James meets Frankenstein’s Daughter, Charlie Chan and Bowery Boys programmers
Edward Bernds (-) Queen of Outer Space, The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters, Late period Shemp two-reelers
Edward Buzzell (-) Go West, At the Circus, Neptune’s Daughter
Gilbert Cates (-) Oh God! Book 2, I Never Sang for My Father, Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams
Jeremiah Chechik (-) Benny & Joon, The Avengers, Diabolique, Christmas Vacation
Chris Columbus (-) Adventures in Babysitting, Stepmom, Nine Months, Rent, etc.
Frank Coraci (-) The Waterboy, Around the World in 80 Days, Click
Dennis Dugan (-) Problem Child, Big Daddy, Happy Gilmore, Saving Silverman
Bobby & Peter Farrelly (-) There’s Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber, Osmosis Jones, etc.
Melvin Frank (-) A Touch of Class, The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox, Danny Kaye and Bob Hope vehicles
Sidney J. Furie (-) The Boys in Company C, Gable and Lombard, Sheila Levins is Dead and Living in New York, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Bert I. Gordon (-) Tormented, Attack of the Puppet People, Empire of the Ants, Necromancy, The Amazing Colossal Man
Arthur Hiller (GP) The In-Laws (-) Everything else
John Hughes (-) Everything
Henry Jaglom (-) Everything I’ve stepped in
Gene Kelly (+) The Stanley Donen collaborations (-) Everything else
Henry Koster (-) The Singing Nun, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, Dear Brigitte, Harvey, 100 Men and a Girl, etc.
Stanley Kramer (-) Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?. It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, The Pride and the Passion, etc.
Charles Lamont (-) Abbott & Costello and Ma & Pa Kettle programmers
Henry Levin (Guilty Pleasure) Where the Boys Are (-) Jolson Sings Again, April Love, Come Fly With Me, etc.
Joshua Logan (GP) Picnic (-) South Pacific, Paint Your Wagon, Bus Stop, Mr. Roberts
Penny Marshall (-) Awakenings, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, A League of Their Own, etc.
Andrew V. McLaglen (-) Monkeys Go Home, Hellfighters, The Way West, Fool’s Parade
Paul Morrissey (-) Heat, Trash, Flesh, Flesh for Frankenstein, etc.
Phillip Noyce (-) Clear and Present Danger, Patriot Games, Sliver, Dead Calm
Norman Panama (-) How to Commit Marriage, The Road to Hong Kong, The Maltese Bippy, etc.
Larry Peerce (GP) Goodbye, Columbus, The Incident (-) Two Minute Warning, The Bell Jar, The Other Side(s) of Midnight, Ash Wednesday, The Sporting Club
Daniel Petrie (-) The Betsy, Fort Apache: The Bronx, Cocoon: The Return
Daniel Petrie, Jr. (-) Toy Soldiers, In the Army Now
Donald Petrie (-) Mystic Pizza, Miss Congeniality, Just My Luck
Joseph Pevney (-) Three Ring Circus, Female on the Beach, Tammy and the Bachelor (TV) The Munsters & Marcus Welby, M. D.
Sidney Poitier (-) Ghost Dad, Uptown Saturday Night, Let’s Do It Again, etc.
Jay Roach (-) Three Austin Powers turds, Meet the Parents, Mystery, Alaska
Mark Rydell (-) Intersection, The Rose, Harry and Walter Go to New York, On Golden Pond, etc.
Gene Saks (-) Mame, Numerous Neil Simon adaptations
Tony Scott (-) Top Gun, The Fan, The Last Boy Scout, Man on Fire
Michael Schultz (+) Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Krush Groove, Disorderlies, Bustin’ Loose, etc.
Melville Shavelson (GP) Beau James (-) Yours, Mine and Ours, The War Between Men and Women, The Pigeon That Took Rome, Cast a Giant Shadow, etc.
Elliot Silverstein (-) Everything
Kevin Smith (+) Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks II, Clerks, Jersey Girl, etc,
Norman Taurog (-) Men of Boys Town, the worst Martin & Lewis pictures, the worst Elvis pictures, Don’t Give Up the Ship, etc.
Norman Tokar (-) Live-action Disney, Leave it to Beaver TV series
Michael Winner (-) Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood, Death Wish I-III, The Sentinel
W. S. Van Dyke (Guilty Pleasures) Penthouse, The Thin Man (-) Tarzan the Ape Man, Rosalie, San Francisco, Manhattan Melodrama, The other Thin Man pictures
David Wain (-) Wet Hot American Summer, The Ten
Hal Walker (-) 4 of the worst Martin & Lewis vehicles and a couple of mediocre Road pictures
Paul Wendkos (-) 3 Gidget features, The Mephisto Waltz, Angel Baby
Jules White (-) Shemp remakes, Joe Besser shorts
Doris Wishman (-) Diary of a Nudist, My Brother’s Wife, Bad Girls Go To Hell, etc.
Filed Under Uncategorized
Top Ten Turkey-Themed Films to Consume After Thanksgiving Dinner
November 20th, 2007 by Scott Marks
1. Johnny Guitar
If you like your Turkey blacklisted and/or crucified, Johnny Guitar is the film for you! Ben Cooper plays “Turkey,” the young, effeminate member of a band of outlaws whose Christ-like confession forces him to rat on his friends. Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden and Mercedes McCambridge lead an all-star cast in the weirdest, and one of the most beautiful westerns ever filmed.
2. The Last Waltz
Do you think that I’m going to pass up a chance to give thanks to Him? The penultimate concert movie was filmed on Thanksgiving, 1976.
3. Crash Goes the Hash
4. Cold Turkey
A tobacco company offers the entire town of Little Rock, Iowa $25,000,000 if all the locals agree to give up smoking for one month. A very funny satire made by Norman Lear and his All in the Family producing partner Bud Yorkin at the peak of their power. Dick Van Dyke leads a superb cast of comedy players including Jean Stapleton, Bob & Ray, Vincent Gardenia, Barnard Hughes, Edward Everett Horton, and the incomparable Judith Lowry as “Odie” the red-baiter. It was only released on VHS, so unless you have a cable copy (or a Kensington Video in your town), you’re s.o.l.
5. Hannah and Her Sisters
Woody Allen’s first audience-acknowledging film after Annie Hall (1977) is a near-perfect attempt at blending comedy and drama. Set between two Thanksgiving celebrations, the serious stuff details the romantic lives of three sisters, while the comedy stems from Woody as a neurotic TV director facing an incurable disease.
6. Holiday for Drumsticks / Arthur Davis (1949)
Daffy Duck is jealous of his hillbilly owners wining and dining the resident turkey for their festival meal. Wanting all of the food for himself, Daffy convinces the turkey to go on a diet in order to avoid the chopping block. Daffy pigs out while Tom looks like Nicole Ritchie and suddenly the hillbillies decide on a duck dinner for Thanksgiving.
7. Jerky Turkey / Tex Avery (1945)
Tex Avery’s take on Plymouth Rock pits a turkey with a Jimmy Durante schnozzola against a hapless pilgrim who sound a lot like Droopy. To no surprise, it’s one hilarious topical spot gag after another.
8. Holiday Inn
Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Marjorie Reynolds & Virginia Dale star in a Film for All Holidays! Christmas, New Year’s, The 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, you name it. There’s even a woefully incorrect blackface number in honor of Abrham Lincoln’s birthday! This is much better than its remake White Christmas which trades in Danny Kaye for Fred Astaire.
9. Low-Cal Munster
Herman wants to go to a reunion of his war buddies, but Lily won’t let him go unless he loses enough weight to fit intro his old uniform. Hilarity ensues when Herman goes on a on a starvation diet that ends on Thanksgiving Day. Be on the lookout for Paul Lynde as “Dr. Dudley.”
10. Pieces of April
Katie Holmes plays a rebellios daughter who throws a Thanksgiving dinner for her dying mother and the rest of her family. If you’re strapped and there’s only 5 minutes left before the video store closes, you could do worse.
Tags: Martin Scorsese, Movies, Thanksgiving, The Three Stooges, Turkey, Woody AllenFiled Under Rants
The Larry Fine Hair Club for Stooges®
September 26th, 2007 by Scott Marks
Hey, you knuckleheads! If you’re tired of looking like a hunk of broadloom landed on your head try the Larry Fine Hair Club for Stooges®.
It’s so easy to maintain. Wash your hair semi-annually (just like Larry), toss lightly and you’re all set to have friends, loved ones or Moe yank it out at the roots.
I’m warning you, accept no imitations!
Tags: Larry Fine, The Three StoogesFiled Under Image Blog, Rants
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Twitter Feed- scottmarks: Apart from decrepit whoremaster Hugh Hefner's line readings, there is nothing to laugh at in THE HOUSE BUNNY.
- scottmarks: Are the fucking Olympics over yet? Unless Leni Riefenstahl is the DP I have zero interest.
- scottmarks: WTF? THE HOUSE BUNNY is about Playboy sluts and it's rated PG-13. Who wants to see soft core for prepubescent minds? Rent a porno instead!
- scottmarks: indiana jones and the media temple of doom...lousy tin horn server. Hurry up, fellas. I have to dig a hole for George Furth!!!
- scottmarks: A Question of VERTIGO: Last week I received a frantic late night call from my friend Herb Ross asking.. http://tinyurl.com/5kz92w
- scottmarks: Even an unending stream of close-ups and sandpaper cinematography can't CHOKE the brilliance (and hilarity) of Chuck Palahniuk.
- scottmarks: Another Ben Kingsley film? YAAAAAAAY!!! Will "Transsiberian" be "Transamerica" with a Russian tranny?
- scottmarks: “The Adventures of Jerry Lewis” Comic Book No. 112: While hastening to find suitable read.. http://tinyurl.com/62ec9b
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