Kiwi Film Review: Top 10 Directors

This weeks list topic is Top 10 Directors. I found this list very difficult because most of these directors who have created different worlds that have changed our lives, or taught us something about ourselves that we didn't know beforehand. 

10.) Sam Mendes
I think most people have actually not heard of Sam Mendes, although his name is getting a lot of coverage lately for the amazing job he did on the most recent Bond film Skyfall. He's actually only Directed 9 films so far, but all of them have been pretty well-known and extremely well recieved. American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead, Revolutionary Road, etc. Since American Beauty is one of my very favorite films of all time, I had to allow him to make it onto this list. Like I said, he's only done a few films but thats incredibly exciting because he definitely got some serious potential, and after seeing his most recent film, Skyfall, I can only assume its going to keep getting better.

Check out my Skyfall review HERE

9.) Clint Eastwood
Mr. Eastwood has surprised me in recent years, as its only been that long since I've begun watching his films. Sometimes I sort of forget about him really, but when you really think about it and see the list you just think, "Wow." All of his films have been very powerful and have shown very different sides of life. The first of his films that I watched was Mystic River which I had actually never heard of before watching it, but had actually won 2 Oscars. I then saw Grand Torino, Million Dollar Baby, and Unforgiven, and he was solidified onto this list. If you haven't seen any of these films, you are definitely missing out. So far he has won 3 Best Director and 3 Best Picture Academy Awards and I imagine many more coming in the future. 

Check out my Mystic River review HERE

8.) Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino is a truly unique person and a very unique filmmaking style. Every time I watch one of his films or see him in an interview I just think about what it would be like to be friends with him, it would be incredible. He has many films that are extremely popular and he really has quite a cult following. Some of his more famous films include Pulp Fiction, Resevior Dogs, Kill Bill(Vol. I & II), but it wasn't until I saw Inglorious Basterds that I felt like I finally understood him. When he realsed Django Unchained in December, I have to say I think it was his greatest film yet.

7.) Ron Howard
Ron Howard actually has a rather diverse directing career, but I love everything I've seen so far. The films that stick out most for me would have to be Apolo 13, Cinderella Man, Frost/Nixon but most of all A Beautiful Mind which made #3 on my Top 10 Films of all time list, but even more impressively managed to win 4 Oscars including Best Director and Best Picture. I find that his career has been super random but I think there will be many more interesting films coming out of Mr. Howard. 

6.) Ridley Scott

Few directors have as many classic films under their belts like Ridley Scott. His films are always huge productions that are often ahead of their time. He seems to have a thing with the future, but is equally as capable at capturing the past. His films include Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, American Gangster, and most recently, Prometheus, which I absolutely adored. He and Russell Crowe have had a very productive relationship which works out for all of us as their films are always interesting. Ridley Scott has been making groundbreaking films for decades, and I sure hope he doesn't slowdown anytime soon. 

Check out my review for Prometheus HERE

5.) Woody Allen
I think a lot of people will be surprised that I have Woody Allen so high, but I think that he has an incredible way of capturing people and regular life, like no one else. All of his films I have seen have been incredibly honest and have captured exactly what everyone thinks about when their sitting at home, or trying to get to sleep. Your neighbour mysteriously dies and you think "her husband is suspicious looking, I wonder if he did it." Your listening to your favorite song, or looking at your favorite painting and you think "man, I wish I was born in that decade, those were the golden years." He takes those thoughts and bring them to light. Some of his great films include Midnight In Paris(which made my top 10 flims of all time list), Manhattan, Manhattan Murder Mystery, and probably most famously, Annie Hall. I have many more of his films to see before I'm done, but the ones I have seen have all been enjoyable. 
Check out my Midnight In Paris review HERE 
Check out my Manhattan Murder Mystery review HERE

4.) David Fincher
I had honestly never heard of David Fincher until The Social Network. I was looking up who the director was of some movie and his name came up, and I noticed the unreal list of films with his name on them. Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, etc. I mean, give me a break, I just listed off some of my very favorite films, and some unbelievably ground-breaking ones. He is the master of thrillers, especially psychological ones. 

3.) Christopher Nolan
Chris Nolan only has 10 films under his directors belt, but so far he has made some amazing, mind-bending films that leave us wondering how his mind works. Memento, Insomnia, The Prestige, Inception, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises. Just take a moment to remember how amazing these films are and you will then understand why Mr. Nolan has made it to #3. What he did for Super Hero movies will never be forgotten. 
Check out my review for The Dark Knight Rises HERE

2.) Steven Spielberg
There simply cannot be a best directors list without Steven Spielberg. Spielberg is definitely the most famous director of all time, and I think that makes sense. The films that he has created are always big productions, and you know that you won't be bored or let down when you go into the theater to see them. Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, A.I (Artificial Intelligence), Indiana Jones Trilogy, Saving Private Ryan, Lincoln, War of the Worlds, Catch Me If You Can, Jurassic Park, and most famously ET. While writing this list I've realized how much his films have actually impacted my life. I'm so glad that my Dad showed me so many of these in my childhood. Indiana Jones shaped my love of history and adventure, A.I opened my eyes to amazing film and morality, and Schindler's List showed me how horrible the world can be, and how we need good people to survive. Bravo Mr. Spielberg. Bravo.

1.) Martin Scorcese
Scorcese is an absolute master at what he does. He has mastered crime films, and just thrillers in general. I want to live in his mind for a day to see where he gets the ideas for his films. We can thank him for films such as Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, The Departed, Shutter Island, Raging Bull, Cape Fear, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, and so many more. He creates films and characters that give the actors the incredible opportunity to showcase their amazing acting abilities. His films have entertained us for 4 decades, and I can't see him slowing down anytime soon. I think he impressed me the most when he showed that he could even conquer the genre of feel good family films when he released Hugo in 2011. That film fully solidified himself as my favorite director  and proved that he could really do anything. 


Check out my Top 10 Films of All Time list HERE to see where I rank the products of some of these amazing directors.

Honourable Mentions: Peter Jackson, Stanley Kubirck, Alfred Hitchcock, Kevin Smith, James Cameron, Oliver Stone, Darren Aronofsky, JJ Abrams, John Hughes, Frances Ford 
Coppola, 

Kiwi Film Review: Midnight In Paris

IMDB: 8.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Roger Ebert: 3.5/4

Directed & Written By: Woody Allen

Stars: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen.

IMDB discribes it as: “A romantic comedy about a family traveling to the French capital for business. The party includes a young engaged couple forced to confront the illusion that a life different from their own is better.”

I heard a lot about this movie before I saw it, but I had no idea what it was about. This movie is without a doubt my favorite Owen Wilson movie I’ve ever seen. It starts off with this engaged couple travelling to Paris on vacation, then after walking around the city at Midnight, Gil(Wilson) is transported to the 1920’s in Paris where he spends his nights hanging out with Hemmingway, Picaso, and pretty much every other famous writer or artist from the 20’s. He slowly realizes that his fiancée Inez(McAdams) isn’t really the woman for him. She doesn’t understand his love for the city of Paris, or his love for rain. He meets a woman in the 20’s who’s gorgeous and charming, and he falls in love with her as well. When she discovers time travel herself, he realizes that he can’t live in the past and that everyone wishes they could’ve lived in a different time, but thats not really living.

I just loved this movie! I’ve gotta catch up on my Woody Allen movies. They’re always so complicated but romantic in a logical way. It was such a great concept and perfectly orchestrated. It was constantly interesting and imaginative, which is makes it stand out in a sea of mediocre films. The concept is completely true, I always wish I was born in the 70’s or 80’s, but you really have to just live in the moment.

Honestly, I don’t find Owen Wilson a very good actor, I surprisingly liked him in this movie. I pretty much wanted to punch Rachel McAdams in the face everytime she spoke. The rest of the cast was also very good, but the thing that really made the movie was the writing, and just the concept in general. This movie is a must see for sure. God damn, Woody Allen I love you. Off to find some more of his movies.

I’ll give this movie a 8.5/10. Soo good, seriously go see it!

Kiwi Film Review: Manhattan Murder Mystery

IMDB: 7.3

Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Roger Ebert: 3/4 stars

Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Alan Alda, and Anjelica Huston

Written & Directed by: Woody Allen

Described by IMDB as: “Larry and Carol are fairly normal New Yorkers who have sent their son off to college. They meet an elderly couple down the hall and later in the week find that the wife has suddenly died. Carol becomes suspicious of Paul who seems to be too cheerful and too ready to move on. She begins her investigation. Larry insists she is becoming too fixated on their neighbor as all of the irregularities seem to have simple non-homicidal explanations. Ted, a recently divorced friend helps her investigation and Larry begins to become jealous of their relationship and agrees to help her.”

I watched Midnight in Paris a few months ago, and I said in the review that I needed to watch some more Woody Allen movies, and I’ve finally gotten around to it. This movie was actually really good, I don’t think I’ve seen one with a similar story line, which is a great start. The thing I like most about Allen’s films is that they’re such simple ideas, but they’re exactly what I think about. Those times you think “damn, I wish I was alive in the 80’s, or the 70’s, or the 20’s,” or those times when you think you and your friends can figure out a mystery. He’s a genius, they just eat away at my mind. Amazing cast, Diane Keaton and Woody Allen work so well together, it saddens me that they aren’t still together. At first Anjelica Huston’s character was sort of random, but in the end it made sense. Its funny because at the core of the story its actually about jealousy and trying to make sure the couple doesn’t get boring as they get older. The whole movie all I could think was I want my relationship to be like this when I’m married and old. I can’t wait to be able to go out to a nice restaurant with my closest friend every week.

Overall I really enjoyed this movie. Everytime I watch one of his movies I desperately want to move to wherever the movie takes place, whether thats New York or Paris, he’s such an amazing storyteller. I’m definitely going to try and watch all of his movies as soon as possible.

I’m giving this movie a 8/10.