Author Topic: Corndog's Education of the Top 100 Directors (Read 13627 times)

Corndog · « **on:** December 12, 2010, 06:36:17 PM »

Pretty simple, take the Top 100 Directors list, watch about 3 films per director which most interest me that I haven’t seen. (Films seen in parentheses/# of films by director). Blue=seen at least 50% of films, green=seen 100% of films, and red=seen 0% of films. Maroon indicates I have seen the 3 required films set out during this marathon for that particular director.

100. Zhang Ke Jia (1/10)
The World (2004)
Still Life (2006)
24 City (2008)
99. Satoshi Kon (1/4)
Millenium Actress (2000)
Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
Paprika (2006)
98. Michael Curtiz (2/173)
Angel with Dirty Faces (1938)
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
White Christmas (1954)
97. Peter Weir (5/23)
Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
The Mosquito Coast (1986)
The Way Back (2011)
96. Edward Yang (1/8)
The Terrorizors (1986)
A Brighter Summer Day (1991)
95. Lynne Ramsay (0/3)
Ratcatcher (1999)
Movern Callar (2002)
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
94. Preston Sturges (2/12)
The Lady Eve (1941)
Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
The Palm Beach Story (1942)
93. John Carpenter (3/18)
Escape from New York (1981)
The Thing (1982)
They Live (1988)
92. Kevin Smith (4/11)
Clerks. (1994)
Chasing Amy (1997)
Red State (2011)
91. Agnes Varda (3/23)
Daguerreotypes (1976)
The Gleaners & I (2000)
The Beaches of Agnes (2009)
90. Rob Reiner (7/15)
Misery (1990)
89. Spike Lee (2/22)
Malcolm X (1992)
25th Hour (2002)
88. Maysles Brothers (0/17)
Salesma (1968)
Gimme Shelter (1970)
Grey Gardens (1975)
87. Kenji Mizoguchi (0/88)
The Life of Oharu (1952)
Ogetsu (1953)
Sansho the Bailiff (1954)
86. Brad Bird (4/4)
Iron Giant (1999)
85. Peter Greenaway (1/20)
The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982)
A Zed and Two Naughts (1986)
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and her Lover (1989)
84. Kathryn Bigelow (2/8)
Near Dark (1987)
Blue Steel (1989)
Strange Days (1995)
83. Zhang Yimou (1/19)
Raise the Red Lantern (1991)
Hero (2000)
The Flowers of War (2012)
82. Satyajit Ray (0/31)
Pather Pancheli (1955)
The Music Room (1958)
Charulata (1964)
81. Jane Campion (1/7)
Sweetie (1989)
The Piano (1993)
In the Cut (2003)
80. Rian Johnson (2/2)
79. John Hughes (4/8)
Weird Science (1985)
Trains, Planes & Automobiles (1987)
She's Having a Baby (1988)
78. Jim Jarmusch (0/11)
Down by Law (1986)
Ghost Dog (1999)
Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)
77. Wim Wenders (2/32)
King of the Road (1976)
Paris, Texas (1984)
Buena Vista Social Club (1999)
76. Robert Bresson (0/13)
A Man Escaped (1956)
Pickpocket (1959)
L’argent (1983)

75. Luis Bunuel (0/30)
Viridiana (1961)
The Exterminating Angel (1962)
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)
74. Andrew Stanton (3/3)
73. Peter Jackson (6/11)
Dead Alive (1992)
Heavenly Creatures (1995)
72. Spike Jonze (3/3)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
71. Edgar Wright (3/3)
70. Richard Linklater (4/16)
Slacker (1991)
Dazed and Confused (1993)
Waking Life (2004)
69. Ang Lee (4/11)
Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)
The Ice Storm (1997)
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
68. Dardenne Brothers (0/14)
Rosetta (1999)
The Son (2002)
The Child (2005)
67. John Huston (4/43)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Fat City (1972)
The Man Who Would be King (1975)
66. Jean-Pierre Jeunet (3/6)
Delicatessan (1991)
Alien: Resurrection (1997)
A Very Long Engagement (2004)
65. Bong Joon-ho (1/4)
Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000)
Memories of Murder (2003)
The Host (2006)
64. Alfonso Cuaron (3/6)
Solo Con Tu Pareja (1991)
A Little Princess (1995)
Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)
63. Milos Forman (4/15)
One Flew Over the Cukoo’s Nest (1975)
The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
Man on the Moon (1999)
62. Mike Leigh (2/11)
Secrets & Lies (1996)
Topsy-Turvy (1999)
Another Year (2011)
61. Darren Aronofsky (4/5)
The Fountain (2006)
Black Swan (2010)
60. Guillermo del Toro (1/7)
Cronos (1993)
Hellboy (2004)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
59. Douglas Sirk (0/42)
All That Heaven Allows (1955)
Written on the Wind (1956)
Imitation of Life (1959)
58. Yasujiro Ozu (0/50)
Late Spring (1949)
Tokyo Story (1953)
Floating Weeds (1959)
57. Ridley Scott (12/19)
The Duellists (1977)
Alien (1979)
Blade Runner (1982)
56. David Cronenberg (2/19)
Videodrome (1983)
The Fly (1986)
A Dangerous Method (2011)
55. Fritz Lang (2/46)
Metropolis (1927)
M (1931)
Scarlet Street (1945)
54. Buster Keaton (1/16)
Sherlock Jr. (1924)
The General (1926)
Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928)
53. Clint Eastwood (11/32)
The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
Hereafter (2010)
J. Edgar (2011)
52. Robert Altman (3/39)
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
The Long Goodbye (1973)
Nashville (1975)
51. Jean-Pierre Melville (1/13)
Bob le flambeur (1956)
Le Samourai (1967)
Le Cercle Rouge (1970)

50. Apichatpong Weerasethakul (4/6)
Dokfa nai meuman (2000)
The Adventures of Iron Pussy (2003)
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)
49. Terry Gilliam (4/11)
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
48. Nicholas Ray (2/26)
In a Lonely Place (1950)
Johnny Guitar (1954)
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
47. Jean Renoir (1/32)
A Day in the Country (1936)
The Rules of the Game (1939)
The River (1951)
46. Roman Polanski (3/18)
Chinatown (1974)
The Pianist (2002)
The Ghost Writer (2010)
45. Frederick Wiseman (0/37)
Titocut Follies (1967)
High School (1968)
Welfare (1975)
44. James Cameron (6/9)
Aliens (1986)
The Abyss (1989)
Aliens of the Deep (2005)
43. F.W. Murnau (2/20)
Nosferatu (1922)
Sunrise (1927)
City Girl (1930)
42. Michel Gondry (2/7)
Human Nature (2001)
Block Party (2005)
The Science of Sleep (2006)
41. Michael Mann (6/11)
Thief (1981)
Manhunter (1986)
Ali (2001)
40. Park Chan Wook (2/8)
Joint Security Area (2000)
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
Lady Vengeance (2005)
39. Frank Capra (5/44)
It Happened One Night (1934)
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
38. Federico Fellini (2/19)
La Strada (1954)
Nights of Cabria (1957)
La Dolce Vita (1960)
37. Claire Denis (1/13)
Beau Travail (1999)
35 Shots of Rhum (2009)
White Material (2011)
36. Jean-Luc Godard (1/52)
Vivre Sa Vie (1962)
Pierrot le Fou (1965)
Alphaville (1965)
35. Francois Truffaut (2/21)
Shoot the Piano Player (1960)
Jules and Jim (1962)
The Last Metro (1980)
34. Hou Hsiao-Hsein (0/18)
Dust in the Wind (1986)
Millenium Mambo (2001)
Flight of the Red Baloon (2007)
33. David Lean (5/17)
Brief Encounter (1945)
Hobson's Choice (1954)
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
32. Steven Soderbergh (10/25)
Sex, Lies & Videotape (1989)
Che (2008)
Contagion (2011)
31. Gus Van Sant (8/14)
Drugstore Cowboy (1988)
Last Days (2005)
Restless (2011)
30. John Ford (5/122)
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
29. Howard Hawks (4/46)
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
To Have and Have Not (1944)
Rio Bravo (1959)
28. Sidney Lumet (2/44)
Long Day’s Journey Into Night (1962)
Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
27. David Fincher (8/8)
Alien 3 (1992)
26. Danny Boyle (5/9)
A Life Less Ordinary (1997)
28 Days Later… (2001)
Millions (2004)

25. Charles Chaplin (4/19)
The Gold Rush (1925)
City Lights (1931)
Modern Times (1936)
24. Powell & Pressburger (3/48)
49th Parallel (1941)
A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
The Red Shoes (1948)
23. Woody Allen (10/41)
Bananas (1971)
The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
Midnight in Paris (2011)
22. Wes Anderson (4/6)
Bottle Rocket (1996)
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
21. Pedro Almodovar (3/20)
Talk to Her (2002)
Volver (2006)
The Skin I Live In (2011)
20. Terrence Malick (5/5)
The Tree of Life (2011)
19. David Lynch (2/11)
The Elephant Man (1980)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Twin Peaks (1992)
18. Krzysztof Kieslowski (1/10)
A Short Film About Love (1988)
The Double Life of Vernonique (1991)
Three Colors Trilogy (1993-1994)
17. Paul Thomas Anderson (3/5)
Hard Eight (1996)
Boogie Nights (1997)
16. Orson Welles (4/20)
The Lady From Shanghai (1947)
Touch of Evil (1958)
F for Fake (1973)
15. Ingmar Bergman (7/38)
Winter Light (1963)
Scenes From a Marriage (1973)
Fanny and Alexander (1982)
14. Steven Spielberg (21/27)
Schindler’s List (1993)
War Horse (2011)
The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
13. Christopher Nolan (7/7)
Following (1998)
Insomnia (2002)
12. Francis Ford Coppola (7/26)
The Conversation (1974)
One From the Heart (1982)
Rumble Fish (1983)
11. Wong Kar Wai (2/9)
Happy Together (1997)
2046 (2004)
My Blueberry Nights (2007)
10. Martin Scorsese (9/33)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Raging Bull (1980)
Kundun (1997)
9. Werner Herzog (4/31)
Grizzly Man (2005)
Encounters at the End of the World (2008)
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2011)
8. Quentin Tarantino (5/7)
Jackie Brown (1997)
Death Proof (2007)
7. Hayao Miyazaki (3/10)
Naussica of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
Ponyo (2009)
6. Billy Wilder (6/26)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Ace in the Hole (1951)
The Spirit of St. Louis (1957)
5. Sergio Leone (4/11)
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Duck, You Sucker (1971)
Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
4. Stanley Kubrick (9/13)
The Killing (1956)
Paths of Glory (1957)
Lolita (1962)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
3. Coen Brothers (11/15)
Blood Simple (1984)
The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)
True Grit (2010)
2. Akira Kurosawa (3/31)
Sanjuro (1962)
High and Low (1963)
Ran (1985)
1. Alfred Hitchcock (28/54)
Strangers on a Train (1951)
Dial M for Murder (1954)
The Birds (1963)

Bondo · « **Reply #1 on:** December 12, 2010, 06:40:54 PM »

That's quite an ambitious line-up, lots of great stuff. I look forward to reading about it.

Corndog · « **Reply #2 on:** December 12, 2010, 06:41:47 PM »

Quote from: Bondo on December 12, 2010, 06:40:54 PM

That's quite an ambitious line-up, lots of great stuff. I look forward to reading about it.

Will most likely take longer than a year. pretty stronge evidence on why I didn't want to even submit a list this year.

1SO · « **Reply #3 on:** December 12, 2010, 06:55:01 PM »

More classic films here than my Top 100 marathon. I see this adding 10-20 films easy to your own Top 100.

Bondo · « **Reply #4 on:** December 12, 2010, 06:59:08 PM »

Yeah I can understand that. I don't feel so bad about the directors on the list I haven't seen many or any from (though I will watch at least one from the eight I haven't seen any) because a good portion of those on the list I've seen one or two and know it just isn't my thing. Or for some of the more mainstream directors, I've seen most and just am not distinctly taken. Where I feel weak about my list are those I listed on the strength of 2-3 films even though they have many others. My priority is going to be catching up on the other films from the directors I like so that I can feel more confident about their placement.

Verite · « **Reply #5 on:** December 12, 2010, 07:19:38 PM »

You didn't ask for my recommendations, but I'll chime in anyway with my good intentions.

Quote from: Corndog on December 12, 2010, 06:36:17 PM

81. Jane Campion (1)
The Piano (1993)
Holy Smoke (1999)

Don't prioritize Holy Smoke for now. Watch it waaaaaay after the ones I recommend. Trust me. It's one of her two worst films. An Angel at My Table is a must-see for those exploring her filmography. While I'm no longer a big fan of Sweetie, it's one of her three iconic films (Sweetie, Angel, Piano). Personally rank the relatively forgotten and unknown, modest but great nonetheless Two Friends over The Piano. Holly Hunter is incredible in the latter, though, if that counts for something.

Quote

58. Yasujiro Ozu (0)
   Late Spring (1949)
   Tokyo Story (1953)
   Floating Weeds (1959)

Easily available DVD-wise, I'd recommend Early Summer, Tokyo Story, and Autumn Afternoon (the last one is for an Ozu color film to replace Floating Weeds). If you have access to Record of a Tenement Gentleman, I'd recommend that as your first Ozu.

Quote

51. Jean-Pierre Melville (0)
   Bob le flambeur (1956)
   Le Samourai (1967)
   Le Cercle Rouge (1970)

I'd swap out Le Samourai for Army of Shadows because I think those three crime films are a little similar. There's better variance with seeing Melville's group, code, and performance/job dynamics applied to the French Resistance and Occupied France. It's a flat-out masterpiece; for me, it's his best film. Personally, its color shades are some of my absolute favorite in all of cinema.

Quote

47. Jean Renoir (1)
   A Day in the Country (1936)
   The Rules of the Game (1939)
   The River (1951)

I recommend sticking with prime Renoir which was in the 30s. I can't recall the Renoir you've seen, but I'd replace Country and River with La Bete Humaine and either La Chienne, Boudu Saved from Drowning, or The Grand Illusion. If you're intrigued by Renoir's belief that two carpenters from different countries have more in common than, I think, two men from the same town, pick Illusion as one of your three.

Quote

37. Claire Denis (0)
Beau Travail (1999)
Friday Night (2002)

Replace Beau Travail with 35 Shots of Rum, and make Rum your first Denis. It's her warmest film, and lots of heart goes a long way, which isn't to say Denis' other films are misanthropic or clinical. Denis' slippery and elusive style of storytelling is one of my favorite characteristics of her movies, but in my experience they are obstacles for others. Rum is probably her most straightforward "narrative," comparatively. But, it's still dreamy. *Swoon*

sdedalus · « **Reply #6 on:** December 12, 2010, 07:25:47 PM »

I haven't seen An Autumn Afternoon yet, but I don't think there's anything wrong with Floating Weeds as an early Ozu to see. Though my pick for one color Ozu to start with would be Good Morning as a reminder that even "arty" foreign directors love fart jokes.

Verite · « **Reply #7 on:** December 12, 2010, 07:35:59 PM »

It's not that there's something wrong with FW; just that I think AA is a better film. Yeah, I was thinking of pushing one of Ozu's comedies for that very reason to counter the perception of Ozu, the conservative/serious one. The man was a fan of Harold Lloyd, Chaplin, and Lubitsch.

sdedalus · « **Reply #8 on:** December 12, 2010, 07:42:03 PM »

Trying to hype the Directors subforum, I responded at the Ozu thread.

Beavermoose · « **Reply #9 on:** December 12, 2010, 08:07:12 PM »

Cool idea Corndog. I'll probably try something similar once the new year starts.

Corndog · « **Reply #10 on:** December 12, 2010, 08:51:43 PM »

@Ver: Shoot, I have seen Army of Shadows, I forgot that was Melville. Also, I have seen Grand Illusion and liked it very much.

roujin · « **Reply #11 on:** December 13, 2010, 05:41:09 AM »

Seriously awesome, Corndog. Looking forward to this a lot

zarodinu · « **Reply #12 on:** December 13, 2010, 11:22:40 AM »

Give or take 300 movies, you sure you do not want to do 13 instead? Seems kinda daunting.

Corndog · « **Reply #13 on:** December 13, 2010, 11:30:18 AM »

It's extremely daunting, but I won't put a timetable on it and just take my time. There are so many movies I am interested in on this list that I won't have to force myself to watch them either. It just makes sense to do it to me, though I need to figure out a better way to format the index.

worm@work · « **Reply #14 on:** December 13, 2010, 11:34:47 AM »

Corndog, this sounds like the most amazing thing ever! Could you please please watch Charulata instead of The Music Room for S. Ray?

Bill Thompson · « **Reply #15 on:** December 13, 2010, 11:38:01 AM »

Quote from: Corndog on December 13, 2010, 11:30:18 AM

It's extremely daunting, but I won't put a timetable on it and just take my time. There are so many movies I am interested in on this list that I won't have to force myself to watch them either. It just makes sense to do it to me, though I need to figure out a better way to format the index.

Good way of thinking, it's something I've been thinking of doing with whatever topic I choose for one of my post WWII marathons.

Corndog · « **Reply #16 on:** December 13, 2010, 11:43:03 AM »

Quote from: worm@work on December 13, 2010, 11:34:47 AM

Corndog, this sounds like the most amazing thing ever! Could you please please watch Charulata instead of The Music Room for S. Ray?

On the list

zarodinu · « **Reply #17 on:** December 13, 2010, 12:04:11 PM »

Well I am for one overjoyed that thanks to the efforts of the Flimspotting community Corndog will finally be exposed to such masters of cinema as Errol Morris, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Guy Maddin.

Corndog · « **Reply #18 on:** December 13, 2010, 12:04:52 PM »

Quote from: zarodinu on December 13, 2010, 12:04:11 PM

Well I am for one overjoyed that thanks to the efforts of the Flimspotting community Corndog will finally be exposed to such masters of cinema as Errol Morris, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Guy Maddin.

I may expand it yet.

Corndog · « **Reply #19 on:** December 13, 2010, 06:06:46 PM »

#39 Frank Capra

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1939)

When I think of Frank Capra, I think of All-American, heartwarming storytelling. While I have only seen It's a Wonderful Life by him, directors do have reputations. I love It's a Wonderful Life with all my heart, and while I know a lot of that has to do with Jimmy Stewart, I am not naive enough to think that Frank Capra is anything but the man when it comes to making films that are right up my alley. Happy, heartwarming stories are why I love stories, so it is only natural that I am so attracted to them in film, and so attracted to Frank Capra as a director, if at least in principle. Well now I have two films of his under my belt, and while I did not like Mr. Deeds as much as I did It's a Wonderful Life, it was still absolutely delightful to watch, and Jean Arthur and Gary Cooper were two great reasons why.

My experience with Mr. Deeds Goes to Town comes from the 2002 remake starring Adam Sandler, which I always felt was an underrated Sandler comedy. I know I may be mostly on my own on these forums when I say that I greatly enjoy Adam Sandler as a comedic actor and love his films for the greater part of his career, but I do. But I will say this, I always felt Mr. Deeds was good because of the story. Such a fun, classic story. And at the time I had no idea it was a remake. Once I got into film I did find out, but it was not until tonight that I got around to watching it. The story is so charming and, as I said, All-American. It's small town, do-it-yourself meets big time corporate backstabbing city in the Big Apple. It comes alive on the screen with the direction of Capra and the acting of Arthur and Cooper. Cooper plays the dead pan Mr. Deeds seemingly to perfection. At first I was put off by this style, but once taken to the big city it made sense and fit the character perfectly. Arthur, on the other hand, is both beautiful and spunky as the reporter looking for the angle, Babe Bennett.

The thing that is so great about this is the comedy mixed with the great heartwarming spin put on the story. It may have been somewhat spoiled by seeing the remake first and liking it as much as I did, but nothing will be able to ever take away the classic status of this film from me. I had an inkiling that Capra was my kind of guy, but I was tenative about him only having seen the one film by him. If this is any indication of how the man makes movies, I am confident that at the end of this marathon I will confidently place him on my list of Best Directors of All Time and very well may climb quite high. A good start to what hopes to be a spectacular marathon filled with great discoveries, both in terms of films and directors.

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Author Topic: Corndog's Education of the Top 100 Directors (Read 13627 times)