So recently we did a podcast (#49) discussing where one could find cinematic entertainment in the summer that isn’t a bunch of bloated, sanitized and over hyped big budgeted piles of steaming shit! I am not gonna rehash that here but feel free to check out our podcast section for that abusive tirade. Let us consider this a companion piece. There really are very few directors today who offer much more than popcorn drivel, and even some of the mavericks are one green-light away from making a film about a mentally challenged teenage girl with AIDS and her quest to get into Harvard, all in hopes they score that shiny little statue. Of course you have your Tarantino’s and Rodriguez’s or your Cohen Brothers and Malicks, but there a few lesser known gems out there, mostly foreign directors, that are turning out an incredible body of work. Artists who are making films that are visually arresting and employ interesting narratives that leave you mesmerized and moved (all with comparatively modest budgets). Directors, who are using creativity and ingenuity rather than money to make their films stand out. So here are the top five directors you probably have not heard about (and definitely need to discover) but should have:
5. Martin McDonagh – (In Bruges, Seven Psychos)- McDonagh was best known for his work as a playwright making a huge mark in theater in the mid 90’s. Although, he remains active in the theater world and his work is widely produced, he has gone on to make his mark in film. His Short film Six Shooter won him an academy award and got him a deal with Focus Features. He went on to write and direct In Bruges with Colin Farrell, Ralph Fiennes and Brenden Gleeson, which earned him another Oscar nomination for screenwriting. Bruges is a witty tense film about two hitmen hiding out after a botched job, it’s well worth your time, I highly recommend it. Most recently he wrote/directed the film Seven Psychopaths with Collin Farrel, Christopher Walken, Woody Harelson and the legendary Tom Waits. Although not as strong as his first feature, Psychopaths is a highly entertaining follow up and worth it just to watch Walken and Waits tear up the screen (the scene in the film where they all take peyote in the dessert, and Walken tackles the word hallucinogen is worth it alone!!!). Although, I’m looking forward to what he does for his next feature, I’m equally excited about the possibility of an upcoming stage musical he is rumored to be working on in collaboration with the man himself, Tom Waits.
4. Ben Zeitlin – (Beasts of the Southern Wild, Sunnyside)- Queens born filmmaker Zeitlin made his feature film debut last year with Beasts of the Southern Wild which he co-wrote with Lucy Alibar, based on her one act play. It was nominated for four Oscars, including best picture and best directing. Its young star, Quvenzhané Wallis, was the youngest actress ever to be nominated for a lead acting award (which she should have won). In fact, Wallis’ performance was one of the best performances I have ever seen on screen. The film managed to meld harsh reality, child-like imagination and mythology into what was my favorite film of 2012. I have no idea what this young filmmaker has in store for us next, but he is the only American Filmmaker in my list and we can only hope that Disney doesn’t gobble him up and swallow his soul.
3. Nicholas Windig Refin – (Drive, Bronson, Only God Forgives) A native of Denmark, Refin has shown serious filmmaking chops and has continued to turn out films that are harsh and brutal, yet sublimely methodic. He manages to extract incredible performances from his cast and he has no fear of silence. His films are visually engaging and just when you think the film has slowed to a crawl he whacks you with a visceral 2×4 of emotion and finds a way to crawl under your skin. He hit the scene in 1996 with his film Pusher, but it wasn’t until 2004 and 2005, when he completed the Pusher trilogy, that the world of cinema really took notice of him. He followed up his trilogy with the film Bronson, an artful biopic of England’s most violent inmate, Chalres Bronson. The film is both visually stimulating and stunningly acted by, then little known actor, Thomas Hardy (Bane from the third Batman movie). An absolutely astounding film and possibly the best Biopic I have ever seen. He followed that up with Valhalla Rising, a serious head trip of a movie, with almost no dialogue, this Psychedelic Viking movie is worth every second you invest in it. If that is too slow for you, his first American feature, Drive, was released in 2011 staring Ryan Gosling, although not a faced passed crime thriller, this one has the emotional impact of head on collision with a semi. Drive is arguably his best film to date, and Gosling’s performance is a moving study in subtlety, reminiscent of a young Brando. It’s no wonder he is in Refin’s newest feature, Only God Forgives, due out this summer!
2. Alejandro Gonzalez Inaurritu – (Amores Perros, Biutiful, 21 Grams) – Inaurritu’s first film was 2000’s Amores Perros, a film about three very different lives that converge around a horrific car accident. It’s gritty and moving and remains one of my all-time favorite films. It was the first of three films he directed with Guillermo Arriaga penning the script. The other two they worked on together, 21 Grams and Babel, followed a similar narrative structure about lives loosely connected around tragedy. After the duo parted ways over creative differences, Inaurritu went on to Direct and co-write2010’s Biutiful. The film starred Javier Bardem as a terminally ill ex-criminal trying to find redemption and re connect with his children before he dies. It is certainly an amazing and beautiful film but difficult to get through, mostly due to Bardem’s gut-wrenching performance. His next film, Birdman, due out next year is a comedy starring Michael Keaton. This director obviously has talent and his ability to turn out gritty and complex dramas is proven by the fact that each of his dramatic films has been nominated for at least one academy award (he took home best foreign feature for Babel),so it will be interesting to see what he does with a comedy.
1. Park Chan Wook – (Vengence Trilogy, Stoker, Thirst) – Korean director Park Chan-Wook began his career in the 90’s, but really found his legs and garnered attention with his Vengence Trilogy, starting with Symapthy for Mr. Vengence in 2002 followed by 2003’s Oldboy and ending with Lady Vengence in 2005. All three movies are intense stand-alone horror/thriller hybrids, but it was 2003’s Oldboy that really caused a stir and won the Grand Jury prize at Cannes. Oldboy in particular is a crowning acheivemnet and takes horror realism to a whole new level. It remains one of my top five favorite films and has a lone single shot that rivals anything I have ever seen in film (plus it is one of the most bad-ass fight scenes ever filmed, a second only to Roddy Piper and Keith David’s slobber knocker in Carpenter’s They Live). It is unfortunately (and unnecessarily) being remade by Spike Lee, god help us! He followed it up with a series of interesting films that include the romantic comedy I’m a Cyborg and That’s Okay, Thirst, Wook’s take on Vampirism that has interesting religious undertones, and most recently Stoker, his first American film released earlier this year, starring Nicole Kidman, Mathew Goode and Mia Wasikowski. Although he didn’t write Stoker and it isn’t his best film it is a good introduction to Wook’s visionary process. He may be the best modern filmmaker on the planet and is visually one of the most arresting filmmakers working today. For a real treat check out his entry into the Asian horror film 3 Extremes. We will probably have to wait a couple more years before we see another film by him but it’ll be worth the wait to be sure!
So no fear, if you’re looking for a good film to watch and don’t want to gamble your money on summer popcorn schlock, most of the films mentioned above can be added to your Netflix queue, (avoid Oldboy there its dubbed and it ruins the tone of the film) on Amazon or found at your local video store, oh wait that is if you have any left in your area!