P.T. Anderson is the best Director now.

[HenryFlower]

It didn’t go over me. It was just a bad movie.

“literally nothing happens in it” = went over your head.

 

[Deleted member 220895]

PT Barnum>>>

 

[HenryFlower]

Martin Scorsese is my favorite living director, and he's still putting out quality work, Wolf of Wall Street and Silence were really good. However, I call him the greatest living director on the strength of his entire 50 year career.

If we're about talking who's making the best films right now I agree with PTA. Here's how I'd rank his films:

There Will Be Blood
Inherent Vice
Phantom Thread
The Master
Hard Eight
Boogie Nights
Punch-Drunk Love
Magnolia

I actually didn't like Magnolia at all lmao. I like all his other films though.

I also think Chan-wook Park and Denis Villenuve are up there with the best.

the world needs more people like you who actually appreciate the greatness of Inherent Vice. bless yer heart, chickenluver.

 

[HatchetHarry]

“literally nothing happens in it” = went over your head.

Such a deep movie

 

[wlu.29]

Nicolas Winding Refn >>>>>>

His last name is made up though, right?

 

[chickenluver]

I would tend to agree that Magnolia seemed a little "off" to me in being both quite ambitious and quite conventional, like Ron Howard doing a David Lynch film.

haha that's hilarious. It is kind of like that with the weird character moments and of course those fucking frogs, don't get me started on the frogs. The whole movie was super melodramatic, which sometimes I like but it didn't work for me in this case. It was terribly cringe inducing. On a recent reddit ama PTA did someone asked him what he would do if he made Magnolia today and he said "chill the fuck out and cut 30 minutes" lmao

I kind of had Chan-woo Park down as a good "genre" director but The Handmaiden did seem like a step up(admittedly didn't see "I'm a cyborg"), I mean its probably better known on Sherdog for the sex but I think generally its a step up in general craft, interesting to see what he does next.

He's been one of my favorites for years, so I was very pleased when he The Handmaiden ended up being his greatest film yet.

I'm a Cyborg, But That's Ok I consider one of his two uncharacteristic films, the other being Joint Security Area. Not that those two films are similar. Cyborg does feel like his work in a lot of ways, but he was clearly trying something different. Personally I didn't like it that much.

I had thought he was next going to be working on an English-language science fiction, but apparently he just started shooting a six-part TV adaptation of a John le Carre novel.

http://www.comingsoon.net/tv/news/920769-park-chan-wooks-the-little-drummer-girl-begins-shooting

One big issue with recent PTA is that he's become pretty harsh to watch dramatically, these aren't films where its easy to empathise with the main characters.

I said that's true mostly, but Joaquin Phoenix in Inherent Vice wasn't that difficult to relate to.

For arty drama I would say perhaps similar to someone like Michael Haneke, if not in style then in tone.

hmmm never thought of that comparison. I don't know, with PTA there is still some humor and warmth to the characters, Haneke's films are cold and miserable (I love them though).

the world needs more people like you who actually appreciate the greatness of Inherent Vice. bless yer heart, chickenluver.

I'm surprised more people didn't like it just as a weird comedy. When Brolin kicked down the door and ate all of Joaquin's weed I was dying of laughter.

 

[blitzk]

Magnolia and TWBBlood were GREAT movies. Magnolia is on my top 10 favorite films ever.
Boogie nights was just fun to watch, I wouldn't put it on the same tier as the other.
Didn't care for Punch Drunk.

But no, he's not even top 5 best director.

 

[MacDuffle]

Martin Scorsese is my favorite living director, and he's still putting out quality work, Wolf of Wall Street and Silence were really good. However, I call him the greatest living director on the strength of his entire 50 year career.

If we're talking about who's making the best films right now I think it's PTA. Here's how I'd rank his films:

There Will Be Blood
Inherent Vice
Phantom Thread
The Master
Hard Eight
Boogie Nights
Punch-Drunk Love
Magnolia

I actually didn't like Magnolia at all lmao. I like all his other films though.

I also think Chan-wook Park and Denis Villenuve are up there with the best.

When evaluating direction I'm split into two camps

On the one hand I prefer to highlight directors that write the scripts for the films they direct, even at the most basic story outline

I prefer watching a film knowing that the events it depicts were deliberately chosen by its top brass, so that its merits/detriments can rest on their shoulders and give weight to their reputation as an auteur filmmaker with a certain cinematic expertise in their choices

On the other hand adapting preexisting work for film is full of artistic and directorial choices that may qualify a director's skill, but contains story elements and scenes that were not generated from the director's own filmic philosophy (Oldboy's incest plot mimicking manga fetishism and pedophillic histories of origin in japanese comics has very little to do with how Chan-Wook Park may envision sexuality plots in his own films, for example)

But good on you for the South Korean angle

Chan-Wook Park is excellent, but he does show cracks in his flawlessness

Sympathy for Mr Vengeance = perfectly written, perfect film

Immediately followed by Sympathy for Lady Vengeance = horribly written, horrible film

Oldboy is less of a directorial evaluation for me, since he's working with a story that wasn't his personal design. It becomes harder to judge how his filmmaking story choices may have taken a backseat to tell someone else's plot points

Then again there are many directors like Darren Aronovsky who i would argue are far better directors when working on adaptations of someone else's work (Requiem For A Dream, Black Swan, The Wrestler) and suffer when they pen the script himself (The Fountain, Noah, Mother!)

 

[VitorReem]

Lmfao denis villeneuve shits all over that no talent bum

 

[HatchetHarry]

Punch Drunk Love was about pudding right?

 

[MacDuffle]

I see there are a few skeptics ITT about whether directing is a valuable enough film influence to be considered GOAT

I could whinge on and on about direction and film construction but I think it's faster to prove my point with a few modern era films whose directors also wrote the screenplay, the accolades don't have to always go to the oldest directors in cinema history

I also don't approve of people trashing directors for not having 70 films under their belt when many auteurs with 4 or 5 titles under their name accomplish more in aestheticism and filmic storytelling genre than some directors have been doing for decades

These are not easy films to direct and show extremely deliberate choices by their director/s throughout

I also don't agree with PT Anderson as top spot

 

[chickenluver]

On the other hand adapting preexisting work for film is full of artistic and directorial choices that may qualify a director's skill, but contains story elements and scenes that were not generated from the director's own filmic philosophy (Oldboy's incest plot mimicking manga fetishism and pedophillic histories of origin in japanese comics has very little to do with how Chan-Wook Park may envision sexuality plots in his own films, for example)

The Oldboy manga is actually very tame compared to the film. The incest, and virtually all of the sex and violence is exclusive to the movie. The basic frame of the story is the same but that's it. The main character has a totally different personality.

My favorite Park films (Oldboy, Thirst, The Handmaiden) have all been loose adaptations of previously existing material, with Park as a co-writer, so not sure what that says. It's like he needs strong material as a basic starting point, then deviates greatly from, and he needs a writing partner. He seems to have a good working relationship with this lady named Seo-kyeong Jeong, they've been the writers on Park's last four films, not counting Stoker.

Then again there are many directors like Darren Aronovsky who i would argue are far better directors when working on adaptations of someone else's work (Requiem For A Dream, Black Swan, The Wrestler) and suffers when he pens the script himself (The Fountain, Noah, Mother!)

That's how I think of Denis Villeneuve. He wrote his first three films, which are my least favorite. His fourth film Incendies was adapted from a play. That's one of his best films imo, but the funny thing is he said it was a very close adaptation plot wise but he re-wrote all the dialogue, and if the film has a weak point it's some of the dialogue. Since then he's been working with scripts written by others and his films have all been really good.

 

[MacDuffle]

Castaway on The Moon (2009)

Lee Hae-Jun director

unlike anything I've ever seen

reinvents, redefines the extremely familiar-sounding trope of a castaway film

if anyone finds this film online it will blow their mind forever

 

[chickenluver]

Castaway on The Moon (2009)

One of my favorite endings.

 

[BayAreaGuy]

IMO "There Will Be Blood" is the highest quality film ever made.

His more recent movies are well-made, nice quality, but I thought they were boring and didn't make sense.

 

[HenryFlower]

Such a deep movie

I’d say it’s more delicate than it is deep. maybe you’ll come around to it eventually if you give it another chance at some point in the future.

I'm surprised more people didn't like it just as a weird comedy. When Brolin kicked down the door and ate all of Joaquin's weed I was dying of laughter.

that scene got me so good the first time. still gets me every time, but man, the first time I saw it in the theater was one of those memorable fits of laughter, you know? Brolin nailed the comedic absurdity that typically defines a Pynchon caricature. Joaquin was great as always. here’s to hoping Joaquin & PTA work together on more projects in the future.

Inherent Vice is a damn good time every time I watch it, so it’s unfortunate that a lot people didn’t take to it. but who knows, maybe years down the road when PTA is late into his career/retired/etc it will end up being viewed as an overlooked/undervalued gem of his.

He's been one of my favorites for years, so I was very pleased when he The Handmaiden ended up being his greatest film yet.

just watched this the other night. enjoyed it so much I ordered the bluray before the end credits even had a chance to breathe. Park’s staple blend of comical wackiness & disturbing perversion hasn’t been this good since Old Boy imo. easily his most visually arresting film too. like goddamn, every single shot was so fucking good.

 

[Sir Galahad]

Nicolas Winding Refn perhaps suffers a bit from "the Matrix factor" where you have people who've not been exposed to much artier cinema proclaiming him the second coming but still I think he's a great director of genre cinema giving it a lot more craft/depth ala Tarantino, just more visually focused and a good deal rawer.

 

[chickenluver]

Brolin nailed the comedic absurdity that typically defines a Pynchon caricature. Joaquin was great as always. here’s to hoping Joaquin & PTA work together on more projects in the future.

Brolin did such a good job playing that role totally straight throughout.

I sure hope PTA keeps working with Joaquin. Now that PSH is gone and DDL is done, PTA is running out of muses sadly.

just watched this the other night. enjoyed it so much I ordered the bluray before the end credits even had a chance to breathe. Park’s staple blend of comical wackiness & disturbing perversion hasn’t been this good since Old Boy imo. easily his most visually arresting film too. like goddamn, every single shot was so fucking good.

I'm right there with you. Oldboy was my favorite Park film by a decent margin, but I think The Handmaiden surpassed it. So many layers to it. My favorite thing is the way the narrative plays out with the continual flashbacks and shifts in perspective.

Oldboy is the work of a hungry young director with great talent. The Handmaiden is the work of an experienced and confident master.

I posted this earlier ITT, not sure if you saw.

http://www.comingsoon.net/tv/news/920769-park-chan-wooks-the-little-drummer-girl-begins-shooting

 

[Drain Bamage]

Magnolia is amazing but I cant watch it anymore, it's so fucking bleak

It is technically amazing though

 

[moreorless87]

Well caught up with the Master and Inherent Vice.

Definitely very impressed by the former, not an easy watch but amazingly crafted and honestly a lot more interesting than a scientology takedown piece it could have been. Makes me miss PSH all the more considering how good he is in this nailing that middle ground between charismatic leader and arrogant bullshitting psycho that takes you for a ride in a very believable fashion. I do think Phoneix has a good case as now being the best working big name actor in Hollywood personally, certainly one of the most fearless. Amy Adams surprisingly chilling as well, someone mentioned this film in relation to her playing Jessica in a Dune adaptation a few months ago and I can see it a bit more now. Visually as well it might be his best looking film for me even surpassing There WIll Be Blood.

Definitely enjoyed Inherent Vice as well although I can see why its the kind of plot that turned many off. Personally if I had an issue it was similar to the Nice Guys in that this kind of film has a massive Lebowski shaped shadow over it. This film unlike that(not to dog on the Nice Guys, still enjoyed it a lot) does I think match the Coens for intelligence although I feel perhaps lacks something relative to them in character/style? I'm kind of on the fence whether PTA's graceful stately style was an ideal fit here, I mean I spose the Coens are pretty graceful when they want to be I spose but also playfully crazy in spots like the various visions/dreams. The second half did I spose build up more of that kind of atmosphere with the intercutting and as mentioned Brolin's performance getting more comically straight but oddball.

Perhaps an interesting thing to do for this debate would be a top 10/20 films of this decade? that generally ends up a lot more personal than older lists anyway as your going more by your own taste and less by rep.