Hello WORLD!!! I got my mind all set on seeing either INCEPTION (at the Imax, of course) or SALT today and watching which ever one I don’t see on Sunday, sandwiched between DESPICABLE ME w/my daughter Adria tomorrow on Saturday. I’m really leaning toward INCEPTION because of the director, Christopher Nolan, who directed one of my Top Ten favorite movies of all time, MEMENTO. If you seen this movie, you undoubtedly saw it more than once before you got a full understanding of it or you saw it multiple times and STILL don’t have a full understanding of it. Either way, I’m more than sure you enjoyed this movie, as you have most of his other movies, including THE PRESTIGE & last years smash hit, THE DARK KNIGHT. To be sure, he is one of the most sought after directors now, but definitely not one of your typical directors. I would categorize Mr. Nolan as a NEXT LEVEL director; a director that is not above taken risks. He would be in a class by himself if not for trailblazers like Sam Peckinpah, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and the likes. These directors told unconventional stories (like Kubrick’s CLOCKWORK ORANGE, 2001) or common stories in the most unconventional manner (like Spielberg's adorable alien classic ET or Scorsese award winning reimagining of the mobster genre, THE GODFATHER) So, who are the best Next Level currently making movies? Here’s my list:
5. Todd Solondz: You might not have heard of this director before, but I have a feeling he’ll be mentioned with the greats in no time. To prove my point, watch his movies STORYTELLING, HAPPINESS, and his debut film WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE. STORYTELLING is an instant classic that if you have not seen, then I strongly recommend you go watch before you even finish this blog post!
5. Christopher Nolan: The current IT director has not had many hits in his career. He has only made 7 movies starting with 1998’s cult classic FOLLOWING. Besides FOLLOWING, the other 6 movies could be considered hits. These hits include one of my Top Ten (& a future BIZZEE pick), MEMENTO (2000), the Al Pacino / Robin Williams powered INSOMNIA, and the Christian Bale / Hugh Jackman vehicle THE PRESTIGE. In my book each of his 6 previous movies, besides INCEPTION which I haven’t seen yet, are worth owning or at least worth multiple viewings. We’re going to end the discussion of Nolan’s skills on that note; not even mentioning how HUGELY successful his Batman reboot has been….
4. David Croenberg: I’ll admit, there are a handful of movies by this director that I haven’t seen yet, NAKED LUNCH, SHIVERS, & THE BROOD among them, but the ones I have seen have been strange but satisfying. The fact that he started out in 1969 w/ STEREO and hasn’t slowed down yet is a testament to his longevity; he just released a his take on modern mafia movies with EASTERN PROMISES last year and has a plan to release another feature next year. Without knowing any details, I’m sure it can be no stranger than VIDEODROME, his remake of THE FLY or his Steven King penned classic THE DEAD ZONE.
2. Quentin Tarantino: Do I even have to explain who he is? The most recognizable name on this list, which movie of his has been conventional and has NOT been a hit? Nuff said!
1. David Lynch: The UNDISPUTED master of WTF?!?! movies and OMG directing these days is David Lynch. While I’ve seen his last movie, INLAND EMPIRES, over a 100, I cannot explain it nor do I even try to understand it anymore. That does not make it any less than the beautiful movie experience it is. Oh, and did I mention that his MULHOLLUND DRIVE is ranked higher than MEMENTO in my top ten movies of all time? If you haven’t checked out those movies or his classics like BLUE VELVET or WILD AT HEART then you owe that to yourself too.
Well, that’s it for now WORLD, but isn’t that enough? My take on INCEPTION & SALT next Monday!
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