If You Don't Like This Movie Then You're An @$$hole!: 001

JAWS

BY GEORGE CAVALENES

“Here's to swimmin' with bow-legged women.”

I’m sure I’m not the only drunkard who hasn’t uttered those 7 words mid soiree. On many occasions I can remember when me and my friends would break it down, get serious…say those seven words. Nostrovia! I can only think of a handful of movies that are as quoted, parodied, and ripped off as JAWS.

I remember being a kid and catching this movie after Cubs games on WGN. A movie so scary to an 11 year old that I cried my first time getting into the ocean (second and third didn’t go as well, either). Steven Spielberg redefined suspense for this movie and inspired filmmakers for decades to come.

Responsible for creating "summer blockbuster season" and most likely Shark Week, this movie was made to scare people of all ages. I'm not going to bore you with a synopsis of the film because you don't need it to want to see this movie. You should just know that Roy Scheider, Richard Dryfuss, and Robert Shaw turned in the best acting performances of their careers. You should know that this movie launched Steven Spielberg's career. Without it we wouldn't have E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Schindler's List, or Jurassic Park. I could go on for days about useless trivia on this movie like how Spielberg used to call the animatronic shark (bob, for you people in the know) the great white turd or that Charlton Heston was considered for the role of Chief Brody, but I'm not going to. This movie is so great that it makes me want to know useless facts about it. The point is... this is one for the best movies ever made and if you don't like it you're an asshole.

SiM TV Trailer: The Pacific

Hanks, Spielberg reunite for another HBO war series

Director: Carl Franklin, Tim Van Patten, Graham Yost, Jeremy Podeswa, Tony To
Writer: Bruce McKenna, George Pelecanos
Cast: James Badge Dale, Jon Seda, Joe Mazzello
Distributed By: HBO
Release Date: March 2010 (estimate)

Synopsis: The Pacific is to be based primarily on two memoirs of U.S. Marines: With the Old Breed by Eugene Sledge and Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie. The series will tell the stories of the two authors and Marine John Basilone, as the war against the Empire of Japan rages. Given the literary sources mentioned above, the series will feature well-known battles involving the 1st Marine Division, such as Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, and Okinawa, as well as Basilone's involvement in the Battle of Iwo Jima. It may look like Band of Brothers, especially with Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg producing, but this new series is unrelated to the 2001 story.

Top 10 Directors of the Last 25 Years (Emil's Picks)

Who makes the short list of the best of the best in modern filmmaking?

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

I guess I'm left with only one option now, and that's to put Colin, my delusional friend, in his place. Yes, it is true that I challenged him to come up with a list of who he thinks are the rightful Top 10 movie directors of the last quarter-century (see his choices here)--and to do it within the span of about six hours--but what I didn't tell him to do was get it all wrong!

Spielberg at the top of the list is a given. Anyone who can bring dinosaurs back to life so realisticly and mimic the brutalism of The Holocaust on film, in the same year mind you, deserves to take the crown, so I won't hassle him for that. But that's where I start to have some issues. To put Michael Mann as the runner-up is unforgiveable, considering there's no place for him on such a list...at least not with his current rèsumè (which includes a movie adaptation of Miami Vice!).

Then there's Colin's inclusions of Hayao Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke), Sofia Coppola (Lick the Star) and Christopher Nolan (Insomnia), all fine directors, but all of whom should've been part of his omissions list rather than Top 10 contenders. I think Colin had mistaken Coppola for her father (Francis Ford Coppola) or even her husband (Spike Jonze), or perhaps he thought he had a quota that had required him to submit at least one lady on his fumbled list.

Before I trash my good friend's selections any further, I must confess that I have not seen every movie of the last 25 years (gasp)! I know, sounds crazy, but Roger Ebert I am not. With that said though, I've seen a decent chunk of the so-called "great" ones, and I've read about and/or researched many of the others, and I have non-bias friends and acquaintances who have sat through some that I've never even heard of, opinions in tow.

Of course, being a compilation of cinema of the past 25 years, I've had to leave out most of the all-time most influential directors, including Alfred Hitchcock (pictured above), Stanley Kubrick, D.W. Griffith, Orson Welles, George Lucas (pictured left), John Ford, Ingmar Bergman, Billy Wilder and Francis Ford Coppola. Some of who haven't worked on a film in decades, and other who have but barely enough to compete with modern filmmakers. Then again, my list also includes some names who have contributed some iconic titles before the year 1984 (25 years ago), but have continued putting out classics beyond the mid-'80s.

Now remember, any of these directors' work before '84 will not be taken into consideration, and neither will the films in which they only wrote and/or produced (Spielberg has a prolific list of movies he's served as producer, but left the director's chair for another). Acting credits are also not acknowledged, given the ever-growing tally of Thespians who have tried their hand behind the camera, including Mel Gibson (The Passion of the Christ), Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves), Robert Redford (Quiz Show), Warren Beatty (Dick Tracy), Kenneth Branagh (Henry V), Tim Robbins (Dead Man Walking), Sean Penn (Into the Wild), George Clooney (Good Night, and Good Luck) and Sarah Polley (Away from Her).

So, sitting at my cluttered desk in my cluttered apartment, I considered all that I had to consider and thunk up my own list of the best of the best...of the last 25 years! I'm looking forward to your complaints!

1. Steven Spielberg (1946-)
Post-1984 Highlight: Schindler's List (1993)
Upcoming Feature: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011)
Misstep: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Declared "the most influential person of his generation" (Life), "the most powerful & influential figure in the motion picture industry" (Premiere) and "one of the 100 most important people of the century" (Time), Mr. Spielberg, 62, has left a legacy unlike any other in the world of filmmaking. Even without the uneligible classics like Jaws (1975) and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), the Ohio-born billionaire ($3.1 billion to be exact) has a rèsumè that would make anyone blush with envy. In 1993 alone Spielberg helmed one of the biggest box office ventures of all-time (Jurassic Park) and won the Best Director Oscar for his take on The Holocaust (Schindler's List), before co-founding the DreamWorks studio a year later. He accepted his second directing Academy Award for 1998's Saving Private Ryan, though we can't overlook his other efforts since 1984, including the Indiana Jones films (1984, 1989, 2008), The Color Purple (1985), Empire of the Sun (1987), Hook (1991), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Catch Me If You Can (2002), War of the Worlds (2005) and Munich (2005). Also an accomplished and copious executive producer (Transformers, Men In Black, Twister), Spielberg has been nominated for well-over 100 major film awards, and his features--as director--have earned more than $8.5 billion worldwide! If the #1 spot on this list was a throne, it would be perfectly moulded to fit Spielberg's billionaire ass!

2. Martin Scorsese (1942-)
Post-1984 Highlight: The Departed (2006)
Upcoming Feature: Shutter Island (2009)
Misstep: Michael Jackson's "Bad" video (1987)
Like Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, 66, had a stellar body of work pre-1984, including landmarks like Taxi Driver (1976), The Last Waltz (1978) and Raging Bull (1980), but has managed to accumulate an impressive collection of projects post-1984. Founder of the World Cinema Foundation and an AFI Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, the New Yorker became synonymous with machismo and violent concepts in his films, as well as his professional relationships with top-notch actors Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. He was nominated as Best Director at the Academy Awards five times (including 1988's The Last Temptation of Christ, 1990's GoodFellas, 2002's Gangs of New York, and 2004's The Aviator), before he was finally able to walk onstage to collect the Oscar for 2006's The Departed, which was presented to him by Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and Spielberg. Scorsese, who has also worked on various documentaries (No Direction Home, Shine a Light) and short films (New York Stories), has addressed many of the themes of Italian America through his lens, which has also become part of the identity of his craft. Also a part-time actor (Quiz Show), Scorsese's other films have included After Hours (1985), The Color of Money (1986), Cape Fear (1991), The Age of Innocence (1993), Casino (1995) and 1999's Bringing Out the Dead.

3. Woody Allen (1935-)
Post-1985 Highlight: Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Current Feature: Whatever Works (2009)
Misstep: Celebrity (1998)
The former Allen Stewart Konigsberg is not just a director, but moonlights as a producer, screenwriter, actor, playwright, comedian, musician, and offbeat pervert, but we're here to concentrate just on his directing talents. 32 years ago Allen won a Best Director Oscar Award for Annie Hall. 31 years ago he earned another nod for helming Interiors. And ever since, Allen, 73, has been on a streak of applauded dramas and comedies that has him amongst the world's most respected filmmakers of his time. Known for touching base with subjects of sexuality, philosophy and his own Jewish background, Allen tends to tread off the beaten path with his screwball comedies and sometimes provocative dramatic features, which have earned him four more Best Director Oscar nods since '84 (1984's Broadway Danny Rose, 1986's Hannah and Her Sisters, 1989's Crimes and Misdemeanors, and 1994's Bullets Over Broadway). The profuse legend, who hails from Brooklyn, has been making movies since the mid-'60s, with countless "recent" highlights that include Radio Days (1987), Alice (1990), Shadows and Fog (1991), Husbands and Wives (1992), Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), Mighty Aphrodite (1995), Everyone Says I Love You (1996), Deconstructing Harry (1997), Small Time Crooks (2000) and last year's Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Too bad he's such a pervert in his spare time.

4. Oliver Stone (1946-)
Post-1984 Highlight: Platoon (1986)
Upcoming Feature: Money Never Sleeps (2010)
Misstep: Alexander (2004)
Accused of glorifying violence and promoting conspiracy theories through his visionary films, Oliver Stone's prominent and controversial career has included three Oscar wins and a screenwriting credit for the iconic Scarface feature (1983). In 1986 he was named Best Director at the Academy Awards for helming one of the best war films of all-time, Platoon. He followed that up with a look into corporate America in Wall Street (1987), and then examined the talk radio industry in...uh...Talk Radio (1988). He garnered a second Best Director Oscar for his star-studded Vietnam epic Born on the Fourth of July (1989). In 1991 he delved into the real-life accounts of The Doors (The Doors) and JFK (JFK), the latter of which earned Stone another nomination as Best Director at the Academy Awards. Then came the bizarre Natural Born Killers (1994), the biopic Nixon (1995), the distinctive U Turn (1997) and one of the best football movies to date, Any Given Sunday (1999), which reunited him with Al Pacino (Scarface). Stone fell short with his Alexander epic in '04, before tackling the 9/11 attacks in World Trade Center (2006), and the story behind George W. Bush in W. (2008). He's currently underway on another film set during the Vietnam War, titled Pinkville.

5. Clint Eastwood (1930-)
Post-1984 Highlight: Unforgiven (1992)
Upcoming Feature: Invictus (2009)
Misstep: Absolute Power (1997)
In the same fashion as Woody Allen, 79-year-old Clint Eastwood has starred in most of the films he's also directed, a trend of his since the early-'70s. Five Golden Globes, four Oscars and five People's Choice Awards later, Eastwood remains one of Hollywood's most sought-after filmmakers. Eastwood first got into the business as a B-movie actor in the mid-'50s, which led to his career in television (Rawhide) and numerous spaghetti westerns (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly). By the mid-'80s Eastwood had gotten behind the camera almost a dozen times, and continued this course with applauded efforts like Pale Rider (1985), Heartbreak Ridge (1986), Bird (1988) and The Rookie (1990). Known for his enduring masculine roles and iconic one-liners, Eastwood finally gained respect as a director when he won Best Director at the Academy Awards for 1992's Unforgiven. It took another 12 years before Eastwood won the award again, this time for his "girl boxer" drama Million Dollar Baby, which--like Unforgiven--was named Best Picture. In addition to a couple more Best Director Oscar nods (2003's Mystic River and 2006's Letters from Iwo Jima), the former Carmel-by-the-Sea mayor (yes, mayor!) has also helmed The Bridges of Madison County (1995), True Crime (1999), Space Cowboys (2000), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Changeling (2008) and Gran Torino (2008).

6. Ron Howard (1954-)
Career Highlight: A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Current Feature: Angels & Demons (2009)
Misstep: The Da Vinci Code (2006)
First known for his extensive TV work (including as Opie on The Andy Griffith Show, and Richie on Happy Days), Ron Howard, 55, reinvented himself as a major motion picture director, rising to prominence with 1984's Splash, which also introduced us to Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah. The decade also included Howard contributions like Cocoon (1985), Willow (1988) and Parenthood (1989). The hits continued into the '90s via Backdraft (1991), Far and Away (1992) and Apollo 13 (1995), the latter of which reunited him with Hanks. Howard took a turn at directing many of Hollywood's top leading men, such as Michael Keaton (1994's The Paper), Mel Gibson (1996's Ransom), Matthew McConaughey (1999's Edtv) and Jim Carrey (2000's How the Grinch Stole Christmas). Finally, in 2001, Howard got the respect of his peers, taking home the Academy Award as Best Director for A Beautiful Mind (starring Russell Crowe), which was also named Best Picture. After The Missing (2003) and Cinderella Man (2005), Howard recieved mixed reviews for his blockbuster epic The Da Vinci Code (2006), starring Hanks. Two years later he was up for Best Director again for Frost/Nixon (2008), before working with Hanks for a fourth time in Angels & Demons (2009). He also co-founded major player Imagine Entertainment in 1986, with partner Brian Grazer.

7. Ridley Scott (1937-)
Post-1984 Highlight: Thelma & Louise (1991)
Upcoming Feature: Robin Hood (2010)
Misstep: 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
Stylistic, visionary and persistant director Ridley Scott, 71, is an Emmy-winning, Golden Globe-winning, BAFTA-winning English-born filmmaker who first gained national attention as the man behind the sci-fi classic Alien (1979), which he followed up with another cult hit, Blade Runner (1982). But it's what he's done since that we're here to celebrate, including Legend (1985), Someone to Watch Over Me (1987) and Black Rain (1989). In 1991 Scott--the older brother of fellow director Tony Scott (Top Gun, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3)--won praise for his exemplary road film Thelma & Louise, which was nominated for six Oscars (including Best Director). Reviews were mixed for his next three ventures (1992's 1492: Conquest of Paradise, 1996's White Squall, 1997's G.I. Jane), but he redeemed himself with another Best Director nod, this time for Gladiator (2000), which was hailed Best Picture. During 2001 Scott had box office hits in Hannibal and Black Hawk Down, the latter of which had him up for the Best Director Oscar for the third time in his career. Scott's subsequent features have included Matchstick Men (2003), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), American Gangster (2007) and the upcoming Robin Hood (2010).

8. Quentin Tarantino (1963-)
Career Highlight: Pulp Fiction (1994)
Upcoming Feature: Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Misstep: N/A
He writes, he produces and he acts, but 46-year-old Quentin Tarantino is most renowned as a director of captivatingly innovative pieces of cinematic art. The Knoxville, Tennessee native first struck gold when he directed, wrote and acted in Reservoir Dogs (1992), about a botched jewelry heist, with an ensemble cast that included Harvey Keitel and Michael Madsen. Known for casting forgotten or overlooked actors for his pictures, Tarantino revelled in the critical acclaim of the indie cult hit, which was beckoned "Greatest Independent Film of All-Time" by Empire magazine. But Tarantino raised the bar when he reignited John Travolta's fizzled career in the eclectic and electric Pulp Fiction (1994), which had him up as Best Director at the Oscars. The pop culture phenom was adored for its stylistic image and wide appeal, primed as a post-modern "neo-noir" instant classic. He contributed partially to 1995's Four Rooms before reunited with Fiction's Uma Thurman in the two Kill Bill films (2003 & 2004), which paid homage to Italian spaghetti westerns and Japanese samurai flicks. Tarantino, who won an Oscar for writing Fiction, was credited as a guest director for Sin City (2005), and then took on full-length projects Death Proof (2007) and this year's Inglourious Basterds.

9. James Cameron (1954-)
Career Highlight: Titanic (1997)
Upcoming Feature: Avatar (2009)
Misstep: N/A
The only Canadian on the list is not David Cronenberg or Norman Jewison, but rather Ontario native James Cameron, the man behind the most successful film of all-time, 1997's Titanic. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, as the notoriously demanding perfectionist first sat in the director's seat in 1984, helming Arnold Schwarzenegger and his own future wife Linda Hamilton in The Terminator. In between the sci-fi classic and his next feature, Cameron scripted Rambo: First Blood II (1985), but left others in charge. His next endeavor was Aliens (1986), the well-received sequel to Ridley Scott's Alien, becoming a major box office success story. This allowed the Canuck more artictic freedom, which came in handy for the cutting-edge sci-fi feature, The Abyss (1989), which had a lukewarm critical response. Cameron then formed Lightstorm Entertainment, which produced his subsequent film Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), an Oscar-winning record-breaker that led us to 1994's True Lies, both of which starred Schwarzenegger. Then, in 1997, Cameron took his record budget and surpassed all expectations for Titanic, the ultimate cinematic epic that grossed $1.8 billion worldwide and won 11 Oscars, including Best Picture and Director. Cameron focused on a couple of documentaries before finally returning to the big screen with the upcoming Avatar (2009).

10. Joel & Ethan Coen (1954-/ 1957-)
Career Highlight: No Country for Old Men (2007)
Upcoming Feature: Hail Caesar (2009)
Misstep: The Ladykillers (2004)
Minnesota-born brothers Joel & Ethan Coen have been working as a team--known simply as the Coen brothers--for 25 years now, writing, producing and directing more than a dozen feature films together. They kicked it off with 1984's Blood Simple (with Frances McDormand), but kicked it into high hear with the black comedy Raising Arizona (1987) (also with McDormand). Following Miller's Crossing (1990), Barton Fink (1991) and The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), the Coen's again recruited McDormand for their neo-noir thriller Fargo (1996), which won Oscars for the Coen's (Best Original Screenplay, and a Best Director nod) & McDormand (Best Actress), and catapulted the brothers into the spotlight. Sibling rivalry seemed an undaunting obstacle with Joel & Ethan, as the creative relatives continued carving a niche for themselves in the movie industry, including The Big Lebowski (1998), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) and Intolerable Cruelty (2003). In '07 they gave Hollywood a run for their money when they captured three more Oscars (Best Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay) for No Country for Old Men. Last year they returned with George Clooney (O Brother, Intolerable) and McDormand in Burn After Reading (2008).

So there you have it, the 10 directors that made the greatest impact on film over the last 25 years, in my insignificant opinion. The hardest part about compiling this list wasn't deciding who would reign supreme (that was the easiest part, actually), but rather who I'd have to leave off the final draft.

There are plenty of candidates who could place just beyond the elite Top 10, from the visionary Tim Burton (Batman) (pictured left) and the daring Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) to the sentimental Sam Mendes (American Beauty) and the authentic Steven Soderbergh (Traffic). But there's just no room for them and other prime candidates, an impressive list that could easily include Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump), Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Robert Altman (Short Cuts), David Lynch (Mulholland Drive), Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) and the overrated Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing).

As for my friend Colin, it seems that we're on par when it comes to Spielberg, Scorsese, Cameron and Scott, but we'll just have to agree to disagree on the rest of his mistakes (ha!). Who knows, maybe he'll come to his senses and we'll see eye to eye once and for all...until then, go ahead and tell me where I may have gone wrong. Cheers.

Top 10 Directors in the Past 25 Years

A challenge has been laid!

BY COLIN ENQUIST

Emil decided that I was not worthy of writing a top 10 article in one night. This insane idea could have started because I slapped him in the face and “challenged him to a duel” but I forget! So without even thinking I accepted, I accepted his retaliatory insult to my writing abilities. Now a topic was needed: I was thinking best animated films, maybe book adaptations or even best Australian actors. Emil wanted something else. “Top 10 directors in the past 25 years” spews Emil. The contest is now accepted, the setting chosen and the weapon chosen is still touted as being mightier than the average sword (though they still do hurt).. Can it be completed? I am off to wonder, what my top 10 list would look like…

The director of any film must have a compelling vision plus a unique style that helps define not only himself as a director but the film as well. Each director is different, some make the entire cast and crew follow strict guidelines while others are very receptive towards new ideas, like letting an actor (or actress) improvise the dialogue in such a way as to enhance the scene, character development or even the movie itself. A director must also show the chops to jump from genre to genre, proving he (or she) can use their own style for different types of projects.

It was difficult leaving out many of the directors like Alfred Hitchcock, D.W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Francis Ford Coppola, Frank Capra, Fritz Lang, Stanley Kubrick and many others that made such a significant (and influential) contribution to the history of film. Even though most of them have not made a film in the last 25 years it is still hard to think of list without them.

My thoughts finally came back to me, after enjoying a nice hallucination session (due to dehydration!) in the desert my thoughts finally stumbled back into civilization and then enjoyed the trip of being shipped home via UPS on a camel that is probably smarter than me…

1. Steven Spielberg
When I started this list I was trying to think who number one was. Spielberg instantly jumped to the top half of the list but I couldn’t think of why I would put him number one. I mean, I can’t include Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind or E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial into my thoughts because they debuted before 1984. Those are my three favourite Spielberg films! So as I sift through my almost endless movie collection I come across some other movies I thoroughly enjoy. How could I forget Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, Munich and Jurassic Park?! And those are only his films that I own. Empire of the Sun (why the hell I don’t own this movie is beyond me!), Schindler’s List and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Last Crusade as well). I am forgiving (or forgetting) him for the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Spielberg has been nominated 6 (2 nominations before 1984) times for an Academy Award and won twice (Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List). Having an eye for helping create some amazing shots with special effects is probably one of Spielberg’s many strong points. His ability to jump from war films to futuristic sci-fi to romantic comedies to adventure films and back again easily makes him number one on my list.

2. Michael Mann
William Petersen who worked with Mann on his 1986 film Manhunter (the first film with Hannibal Lector on screen!) commented “that because Mann is so focused on his creations, it takes several years for Mann to complete a film,” this could be one of the reasons that Mann only directs a film every three years or so. That also means his new film Public Enemies (that I just saw) will cause another three years of agonizing wait for more splendid filmaking. Mann’s success started to rise with the 1995 film Heat. This showcased his unique shooting style superbly. The complex storyline that some people dislike about Heat should really take a backseat to the enjoyment that one can get from just watching the gorgeous shots throughout the film. I can pop in any Mann film and just watch the detail of the camera work; then again I am also a fervent follower of the national "Watching paint dry league. Miami Vice and Collateral (Public Enemies could be added here as well) may not be the greatest films and have flaws but they are some of the most stylish films to look at. Mann was nominated for an Oscar with his direction of The Insider.

3. Martin Scorsese
Many of his films are considered for “the best of all time” lists thrown on every blog, magazine or newspaper. Too bad I can’t include more then half of them! We still have Goodfellas, The Last Temptation of Christ, Cape Fear, Casino, The Color of Money, Gangs of New York, The Aviator and The Departed. These are only the ones from the last 25 years! Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro both love working for the director who only makes good movies. In 2007 Scorsese won the Best Director Award at the Oscars for The Departed. A trademark of Scorsese’s is the taking of the middle of the story (sometimes the ending) and beginning the film with it. He also likes to use slow motion for certain sequences. Great films seem to follow Scorsese around and I hope this trend continues with his new film Shutter Island (also starring DiCaprio!).

4. Ang Lee
This Taiwanese born director debut in Hollywood was with the 1995 drama Sense and Sensibility which garnered many Oscar nominations but did not get him a nod for Best Director. His next two films (The Ice Storm and Ride with the Devil) did not impress with unpopular box office receptions. So Lee decided to reunite with his old partner Li-Kong Hsu in Taiwan for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Surprisingly the film was a worldwide success and has become the most successful foreign film in many countries. This film also got Lee his first Best Director nod by the Academy. Hollywood beckoned him back to shoot the new comic book adaptation titled Hulk, however it received mixed reviews. The film may not have been a great film but Lee used some distinctive choices that made the film one of a kind. With the completion of that movie, Lee had tested the waters of the big budget film world and quickly chartered a course for a nice, small budget and low profile independent film. Brokeback Mountain not only won Lee his first Best Director award, but also made him the very first person of Asian heritage to even win the award.

5. Steven Soderbergh
A wide variety of films have come from the mind of Soderbergh. Two underrated films -- sex, lies and videotape and Solaris -- are both worth a watch. After that we can only go into the Ocean’s Eleven trilogy in which he manages a stellar cast perfectly. In 2000 Soderbergh managed to get not one but two Oscar nominations in the Best Director category for Erin Brockovich and Traffic. Traffic ended up taking 4 awards including Best Director. Soderbergh is also the cinematographer on many of his own films. His incorporation of the films score over many sequences in his movies help create his unique story-telling methods. Another aspect of his repertoire is the way he creates a montage of images to tell multiple angles of the story at once. Soderbergh is one of the most versatile directors in the business.

6. James Cameron
I am honestly shocked myself that I placed Cameron so low on my list. Maybe it is my inability to fully comprehend The Terminator mythos but I have never fully respected those films for some odd reason. Don’t get me wrong, they are way ahead of their time in numerous aspects and we have Cameron to thank for that. The Abyss is a film that I stumbled across sometime in the late 90’s (or early 2000’s) and watched. I was completely blown away when I found out the movie was made in 1989 (I was thinking it was made around 1997 or so)! This proves that Cameron deserves to be on the list. Not to mention Titanic and the truckloads of money, nominations and praise it received. This film also got Cameron his statue from the Academy for Best Director.

7. Hayao Miyazaki
Yes I am putting a director who does animated films on this list. Why? Not only has he directed the first anime film to win an Academy Award (Howl’s Moving Castle for Best Animated Film) but this film also holds the box office record over Titanic! Well, in Japan at least. His choice for using powerful and independent women is a reoccurring theme in his films. As well as incorporating humanity’s relationship to nature and technology. Princess Mononoke was the film that brought him his initial Western acclaim and since that day we have seen the release of Spirited Away (another Best Animated Picture win!), Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea as well as some of his earlier films that were dubbed in English finally!

8. Ridley Scott
I can’t mention Blade Runner, even though it has been redone twice (or three times) for DVD release since 1982. So let us start with Legend, which stars a young Tom Cruise, the film that in my opinion shows why Scott deserves to be on this list. Balancing the dark tones in the film wonderfully and creating a surreal experience that makes you laugh and cry. Scott is versatile as well with his period films like Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, war films like Black Hawk Down, G.I. Jane, and his use of terror in Hannibal. Three nominations have been thrown his way by the Academy for Best Director but he has yet to win one. Known as a demanding director Scott has a striking style that uses atmospheric lighting that has matured throughout his film career. The classic idea of using music or sound to build tension in the film is usually employed by Scott and this is one of the reasons he managed to get on this list.

9. Sofia Coppola
Being daughter to Francis Ford Coppola must have some advantages. Although she does not have a large film resume like most directors on my list, but I think she deserves to be on the list. As you may know she is the first American woman to be nominated for Best Director at the Oscars. Lost in Translation was the film that got her the prestigious nomination. This sweet but sad story told through subtle comedy is rare and should be enjoyed immensely when watched. Coppopla’s only other two feature films have both starred Kirsten Dunst. The first of these movies is The Virgin Suicides, which debuted her ability to pull off the subtleties that were layered into Lost in Translation. She once again reunited with Dunst in Marie Antoinette and was booed at Cannes when it debuted. I felt it was worthwhile even though Coppola took many liberties over the source material.

10. Christopher Nolan
I love Following and Memento. Following and Memento are tricky films to watch but the second viewing is fantastic. The non-linear style that his used in those two movies, and others that he has directed, has always intrigued me because of the way it made me consider what was going on at the surface of the film and the deeper plots that were going on. The only film he has directed and not had a hand in scripting has been Insomnia which is a very good film that flies under the radar. Nolan’s take on Batman in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight have redefined the character (at least in film and TV) probably more than Tim Burton’s take did in the late 80’s. Using as little CGI effects in his movies as possible also helps create a realism that shows on the screen providing him with the last spot on my list.

That is my 10 but I had to leave some off this list. Tim Burton and Ron Howard were my glaring omissions. I loved Apollo 13, Frost/Nixon and A Beautiful Mind but really despised a few of Howard’s movies. Howard’s pacing in some of his films has always driven me batty (The Da Vinci Code is probably the worst of his films for this) and that is probably the main reason as to why I cut him. Burton on the other hand really hasn’t made a bad movie (except for Mars Attacks!) and I really like his style but sometimes it becomes too much of the same for me. On that note, I would like to nominate Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street to be given a Criterion Collection on DVD! Woody Allen and Clint Eastwood were two of the other big directors that I left off and to be honest it is more to do with the fact that I haven’t seen an Eastwood film since Mystic River (I know, I know...). I have also missed Allen’s Vicky Christy Barcelona and Match Point. A few of my directors I really like are also sitting on the sidelines but I don’t feel they have enough great directorial efforts to make the list. Hell 25th Hour is my favourite film and Spike Lee probably would squeak in somewhere in the 15-20 range. David Fincher is another preferred director of mine but I seem find myself second guessing some certain choices he makes and applauding others. Hopefully some people agree with my list, or understand my justifications for my choices, but I know there are plenty of you who may believe that my thoughts are still hallucinations. Also, note the time of the post...not quite the next day yet, so I guess I win!

Transformers 2 Gets Off to Blockbuster Start

Revenge of the Fallen pulls in remarkable worldwide numbers

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

With an estimated $201 million in 4, 234 American and Canadian theatres over the last five days (since premiering last Wednesday at 12:01 AM), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Paramount) falls just short of the record 5-day blockbuster, last year's The Dark Knight, which earned $203.8 million domestically in its first five days.

The Michael Bay-directed, Steven Spielberg-produced Transformers sequel made more than $387 million worldwide in the same time period, as one of the all-time best debuts for a film. On home turf the sequel took in $112 million during the 3-day weekend, but tallied up another $89 million over Wednesday and Thursday.

Revenge of the Fallen did, however, smash the record for Imax theatres, raking in an estimated $14.4 million on 169 Imax screens, which nearly doubles the $7.3 million made in the first five days for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), which earned almost $1 billion in its global theatrical run. Transformers also captured the second best Wednesday opening ever ($60.6 million domestically), again behind The Dark Knight ($67.8 million).

At a budget of $194 million, the second live-action Transformers feature has already begun to profit, and looks like it may easily surpass the $708.2 million worldwide gross of the 2007 original, which cost $151 million to make. Revenge of the Fallen stars Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson, all of whom starred in the first film as well.

Tintin About to Get Hollywood Treatment

Spielberg takes on 80-year-old comic strip character

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

Some 80 years after his conception, a big-budget film adaptation of Herge's legendary comic strip character Tintin has been wrapped up and given a release date that is more than two and a half years away (December 23, 2011). The motion capture 3-D film was directed by the man himself, Mr. Steven Spielberg, and has been christened The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.

Paramount and Sony Pictures are behind the anticipated film, which will be the first of a planned trilogy, and are expecting it to appeal to audiences more so overseas, where it will be launched about a month earlier than in domestic theatres. Whereas Paramount will focus on distributing the film in English-speaking markets, Sony will tackle Europe, India and Latin America.

The classic Tintin character, a Belgian reporter, first saw the light of day as a comic strip in 1929, spreading over another 54 years, until 1983. Since its conception Tintin-and his faithful fox terrier Snowy-has also been adapted into two dozen books (1929-86), a comic book (1972), five animated and live action movies (1947-72), a couple of TV cartoon shows (1958-62, 1991-92), two plays (1941-42), a musical (2002-07), a pair of documentaries (1976 and 2003), countless exhibitions, and even a memorabilia and merchandise store chain (1984-).

BAFTA-winning English actor Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot) will take on the role of Tintin, while James Bond himself, Daniel Craig (Quantum of Solace) will play pirate Red Rackham, who appeared in the 1942 book The Secret of the Unicorn. Casting directors also locked in Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Toby Jones (Frost/Nixon), Mackenzie Crook (The Office UK), Gad Elmaleh (Coco), and as Thomson & Thompson, Simon Pegg & Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz).

Filmed over 32 days from January to March of this year, Tintin was produced by tinsletown heavyweights Spielberg (Back to the Future trilogy), Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), and Kathleen Kennedy (Jurassic Park trilogy), while its screenplay was penned by Joe Cornish, Steven Moffat and Edgar Wright.

SiM Poster: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Trio of new movie posters tease Transformers fanboys

DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures have offered three new promotional posters for their upcoming blockbuster Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, featuring character spotlights of Optimus Prime, Starscream, and Bumblebee (below are two of the ads). The $200 million Michael Bay-Steven Spielberg epic is a sequel to the hugely successful 2007 original, making stars out of its two leads, Shia LaBeouf (Eagle Eye) and Megan Fox (How to Lose Friends & Alienate People). The film will hit theatres on Wednesday, June 24th.