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: The Dark Knight Rises

IMDB: 8.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%(critics), 92%(audience)
Roger Ebert: 3/4 stars

Stars: Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine
Directed By: Christopher Nolan
Written By: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan

Release Date: 20 July 2012
Described by IMDB as: "Despite his tarnished reputation after the events of The Dark Knight, in which he took the rap for Dent's crimes, Batman feels compelled to intervene to assist the city and its police force which is struggling to cope with Bane's plans to destroy the city."

*This review has some SPOILERS*

 I really loved the whole opening scene of this film. I mean, I knew the whole time that Bane(Tom Hardy) was one of the "prisoners", but I don't think Nolan was necessarily trying to hide that, I think you were probably supposed to be aware of that. When the other plane hooks on and it pulls the first plane forward and the wings break off, amazing shot, so cool. I loved at the end of that scene when Bane(Hardy) and his scientist prisoner are hanging onto the rope, and the plane lets go and falls down around them. It looked amazing! Very Nolanesque. He just keeps getting bigger and better stunts. The scale of this film is so much larger then the last two, its really amazing.

I thought the character development in this film was really great in this film. Obviously it helps that there were 3 films to develop them over time, but still, even knew characters I felt were properly developed. I really liked the more vulnerable side of Bruce Wayne/Batman(Christian Bale) in this film, both physically and mentally he's been very beaten down since the last time we saw him, 8 years ago. Our first view of him is seeing him limping with a cane, which he does for the first 1/4 of the movie. When he gets past that you really see him break down when Alfred(Michael Caine) has "the talk" with him. Speaking of Alfred, how great was he in this film? He's not in it as much as the last two, but the scenes he is in are very emotional and powerful. You really get the full impact of his love for Bruce(Bale) in this film.

I've heard a lot of people saying how they didn't like Anne Hathaway, and I have to say that I wasn't completely sure she could handle this role, but I've loved her in other films so I wanted to keep an open mind. I thought she did an amazing job, her first scene when she's upstairs and you see the difference between her acting when Bruce finds her in the room, and her behaviour when he catches her having stolen from him was really fantastic. It definitely solidified her in the rest of the film for me. I'm glad that her first scene was such a great one for portraying her acting abilities because I didn't really think about it after that scene. Another thing I've heard a lot of criticism about is Bane(Hardy). Not so much the acting or the character, but the voice. I can definitely understand it because it is a pretty strange voice and sound but I think it fits the character well. It is a little hard to understand sometimes, but I don't think you really miss anything super important.

I absolutely love both Joseph Gordon Levitt and Gary Oldman in this film. Oldman as Commissioner Gordon is so good. He's an amazing actor in all of his roles, but I think that this character

I don't want to get too much into the storyline because I don't want to give anything away. This film has more story and substance then most movies I've ever seen. Some people have said that they think its too much, but I totally disagree. At no point is this film dull or long, its constantly exciting and I think it was exactly the right length of time. I loved how connected it was to both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight with lots of cameos of characters from the films and a ton of references to both. I'd be really interested in seeing if/how the Joker(Ledger) would've fit into it if Heath Ledger hadn't died before the filming began.

I loved absolutely everything about this film. The acting was outstanding, writing was amazing, and the cinematography is absolutely beautiful. This film is a must-see, but I think that its important to watch the first two films first as this is definitely a well formed trilogy.

I'm giving it a 10/10. I have basically no problems with it at all. I'm a huge Nolan fan and a huge Batman fan so this is right up my ally. I watched it for the 4th time tonight, and it was still wonderful.