Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, author, film critic, and actor. In January 1992, Tarantino’s neo-noir crime thriller Reservoir Dogs which he wrote, directed, and acted in as Mr. Brown was screened at the Sundance Film Festival. It was an immediate hit, with the film receiving a positive response from critics. Tarantino then wrote, directed, and acted in the black comedy crime film Pulp Fiction in 1994, maintaining the aestheticization of violence for which he is known, as well as his non-linear storylines. Tarantino received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, which he shared with Roger Avary, who contributed to the story. He also received a nomination in the Best Director category. The film received another five nominations, including for Best Picture. Tarantino also won the Palme d’Or for the film at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival. The film grossed over $200 million and earned positive reviews. His third feature film was Jackie Brown, an adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s novel Rum Punch. An homage to blaxploitation films, it starred Pam Grier, who starred in many of the films of that genre in the 1970s. It received positive reviews and was called a “comeback” for Grier and co-star Robert Forster. Leonard considered Jackie Brown to be his favourite of the 26 different screen adaptations of his novels and short stories. In 2003 and 2004 Tarantino wrote and directed Kill Bill a highly stylized revenge film in the cinematic traditions of combing Chinese martial arts, Japanese period cinema, Spaghetti Westerns and Italian horror. It was originally set for a single theatrical release, but its 4-hour running time prompted Tarantino to divide it into two movies. Tarantino says he still considers it a single film in his overall filmography. Tarantino’s next film project was Grindhouse, which he co-directed with director Robert Rodriguez. Released in theatres on April 6, 2007, Tarantino’s contribution to the Grindhouse project was titled Death Proof. It began as a take on 1970s slasher films, but evolved dramatically as the project unfolded. Box-office sales were low, but the film garnered mostly positive reviews. Tarantino’s film Inglourious Basterds, released in 2009, is the story of a group of Jewish-American guerrilla soldiers in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. Filming began in October 2008. The film opened on August 21, 2009, to very-positive reviews and reached the #1 spot at the box office worldwide. In 2011, production began on Django Unchained, a film about the revenge of a former slave in the U.S. South in 1858. The film stemmed from Tarantino’s desire to produce a Spaghetti Western set in America’s Deep South. Tarantino called the proposed style “a southern”, stating that he wanted “to do movies that deal with America’s horrible past with slavery and stuff but do them like spaghetti westerns, not like big issue movies. I want to do them like they’re genre films, but they deal with everything that America has never dealt with because it’s ashamed of it, and other countries don’t really deal with because they don’t feel they have the right to”. The film was released on December 25, 2012. Tarantino’s next film The Hateful Eight was released on December 25, 2015, as a roadshow presentation in 70 mm film-format theatres, before being released in digital theatres on December 30, 2015. Tarantino narrated several scenes in the film. He edited two versions of the film, one for the roadshow version and the other for general release. The roadshow version runs for three hours and two minutes, and includes an overture and intermission, after the fashion of big-budget films of the 1960s and early 1970s; the general release is six minutes shorter and contains alternate takes of some scenes. Tarantino has stated that the general release cut was created as he felt that some of the footage, he shot for 70 mm would not play well on smaller screens. The film has received mostly positive reviews from critics, with a score of 74% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
In 2019 Tarantino’s ninth film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was released the film was set within the changing landscape of late sixties Hollywood whilst taking place within the backdrop of the Manson Family murders. The Film stared Leonardo DiCaprio as fictional TV western star Rick Dalton and Brad Pitt as his long-time stunt double Cliff Booth as well as Margot Robbie as actress Sharon Tate. The film was released by Sony Pictures as Tarantino severed his ties with the company in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein abuse allegations. The film received positive reviews with DiCaprio’s, Pitt’s and Robbie’s performances receiving praise although the reactions to the films ending were mixed.
Quentin Tarantino was the first director that ignited my passion for cinema. The first director I knew by name in the work of Tarantino I noticed a cinematic style to his work as a director. It is from him that I learnt the ways a director expresses himself as an active component in the film making process which allowed him to be the first director, I was a fan of. There are several elements to Tarantino’s work that makes him special. The violence in his work is immense with the blood being over the top but never without a sense of comedy to help it along. Speaking of comedy, the way he crates moments of genuine tension juxtaposed by moments of hilarity with the film never becoming a comedy is incredible and shows the range of experiences you get from one of his films. The dialogue and charters are also incredible with his worlds having a quality that bounces off the walls whenever you hear it and sicks with you for a long time. This combined with his ability to make just about every charter in his films iconic and memorable in my eyes makes him one of my favourite directors.
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Kubrick first feature film was Fear and Desire in 1953. The film centres around a team of soldiers who survive a plane crash and are caught behind enemy lines in a war. During the film, one of the soldiers becomes infatuated with an attractive girl in the woods and binds her to a tree. The film was a commercial failure but received positive reviews from critics. They believed that Kubrick’s professionalism as a photographer helped with the cinematography. Kubrick then made Killers Kiss about a young heavy weight boxer who gets involved with a woman being abused by her criminal boss. The film was a limited success and made hardly any money. The Killing was then made in 1956 about a robbery gone wrong. The film was Kubrick’s first full-length feature with a professional cast and crew. The film failed to get a proper distribution in the United States and was screened as a double feature, although the film was praised by critics praising the camera work.
Kubrick made Paths of Glory in 1957 a World War one anti-war film. The film follows a French army unit ordered to complete a highly difficult mission and the war trial of three of three soldiers. Paths of Glory became Kubrick’s first significant commercial success. Critics praised the film’s unsentimental, spare, and unvarnished combat scenes and its raw, black-and-white cinematography. In 1960 Kubrick directed Spartacus staring Kurk Douglas. Disputes broke out during production regarding Kubrick not having as much creative control. The film was a financial success and established Kubrick as a major director and was nominated for six academy awards winning four. Kubrick’s next film was Lolita in 1962. The film was Kubrick’s first black comedy an adaption of Vladimir Nabokov’s novel of the same name about a middle-aged man being sexually attracted to a 12-year-old girl. The content of the film caused a lot of controversy and Kubrick was forced to remove the more erotic elements of the novel. The film was not a critical or commercial success when it was first released but overtime the film has become critical acclaimed.
Kubrick’s next film was Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. The film is political satire and black comedy about the cold war about the world being on the verge of disaster when a brigadier deploys a B-52 bomber on the Russians without informing his suspires. Kubrick adapted the book red alert a serious political thriller with its author Peter George into a comedy. The film had a $2 million production. Despite having mixed options upon its release, the film is now considered one of the greatest films and one of the greatest comedies of all time. Kubrick’s next film was 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968. The film was adapted from Sci-Fi author Arthur C. Clarke’s short story The Sentinel with both Kubrick and Clarke working on the screenplay. The film contains themes of one form of intelligence birthing the other which is at the centre of the story. Kubrick was grated special access to NASA for research on the film and hired a special effects team that took a year to complete everything with the movie. On its release the film was received negatively who criticised the lack of dialog, slow pacing and hard to follow story line. The film redefined the sci-fi genre and was different from any other Kubrick film that came before it. The film is now critically acclaimed and is now one of greatest films ever made.
Kubrick’s next film A Clockwork Orange about a psychopathic teenager that is the leader of a gang gets arrested and after horrific treatment is reformed but his life becomes terrible as a result. The film was shot over 1970-71 on a budget of 2 million. The film features erotic pop art of the period in order to give the film a futuristic dystopian feeling. A Clockwork Orange is one of the most controversial films of all time and received a x rating. Kubrick personally pulled the film from UK distributions due to receiving death threats for the film copycat crimes and was not officially available in the UK until 2000 after Kubrick’s death. The film was a critical and commercial success however and received four academy award nominations.
Kubrick’s next film was Barry Lyndon in 1975 about a 18th century Irish immigrant and the rise and fall of his life. Kubrick did a lot of reach in 18thcentury history for the film and as shot in Ireland on a budget of $11 million. A lot of the scenes were shot during natural light with candles and were filmed with high-speed lenses used by NASA. The film was a box office failure. The three-hour running time put off American audiences and critics, the film was nominated for seven academy awards and won four best art direction, cinematography, costume design and musical score. The film is now considered a classic and one of the greatest films ever made. The Shining was Kubrick’s next film in 1980 a horror film based off the Stephen King film of the same name. The film starring Jack Nicholson centres around a writer who takes the job of a caretaker with his wife and son and slowly goes insane due to supernatural encounters. The film made back it box office returns but received mixed reviews with Steven King disliking the film. The film is now conserved a classic and one of the greatest horror films of all time.
Kubrick Directed the film Full Metal Jacket in 1987. The film was based on Gustav Hasfords novel The Short-Timers with a script created by Gustav and Kubrick. The film is split into two sections of we follow charters namely the protagonist private joker as him and a group of others go through boot camp before experiencing the horrors of war. The film made its money at the box office but was overshadowed by the film Platoon. Kubrick’s final film Eyes Wide Shut stares Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. The film centres around a doctor who after his wife reveals to him, she almost cheated goes to find a similar experience and gets involved with a cult with sexual rituals that threatens his life. The film received mixed reviews and was overall seen less favourable than Kubrick’s other work, but overtime has been seen in a more positive light.
Stanley Kubrick is one of the greatest directors of all time. All his films are beautiful with an incredible attention to detail in every frame making every scene a painting. What I find most impressive about Kubrick is his ability to mix high art and philosophical themes with his ability to ground them in a sense of reality. All Kubrick films have a straightforward narrative but hide a hidden depth to the story. Kubrick is ultimately a master of the hidden details. All of Kubrick’s films have lays of meaning depth and symbolism wrapped up in an easy-to-follow story and this combined with beautiful visuals makes Kubrick one of my favourite directors of all time.
Park Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, producer, and former film critic. Park-Chan-wook’s debut feature film was The Moon Is… the Sun’s Dream in 1992 followed by Trio in 1997. These films were not successful however and made him peruse a career as a film critic instead. Parks break out success came in 2000 with the film Joint Security Area which was commercially and critically well received. This success allowed him the creative freedom to create the first part of his vengeance trilogy entitled Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance in 2002. This was then followed by his film Oldboy in 2003 the most well-known of all his films winning the Grand Prix prize at Cannes Film Festival. The final part of the vengeance trilogy Lady Vengeance was realised in 2005.
In 2007 I’m a Cyborg, But That’s Ok was released winning the Alfred Baueer Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival. Then in 2009 he directed the vampire film Thirst, witch one the Prix du Jury at the 2009 Cannes film festival. In 2013 he directed his first English-language film Stoker. A faster production process than his previous films, Park used an interpreter on set whilst directing. In 2016 Park directed the film The Handmaiden an erotic drama which was an adaptation of Sarah Walters historical crime novel Fingersmith. The film opened to rave reviews being a box office success in south Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States as well as the film winning best new actress and best art direction at the 2016 Buil Film Awards. In 2018 Park directed the TV miniseries Little Drummer Girl for the BBC.
Park Chan-wook is one of the directors who got me into foreign cinema. The vengeance trilogy, practically Oldboy being the first of his films that I saw blew me away when I first watched it. The violence, in his works combined with such beauty depth and fascinating stories is what inspired me to look more into this directors’ work. From this I decided more of his work and breed a love for Korean cinema and foreign cinema in general. Park Chan-wook will always bare a significance to me for being one of the main directors who ignited my love for foreign language cinema.
Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Tarkovsky was a Russian film writer/director and theorist. Tarkovsky’s debut feature film came in 1962 with Ivan’s Childhood. The film earned Tarkovsky international acclaim and won a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Awards. This success allowed him to go on the directed bigger projects. The first of these epics was Andrei Rublev in 1965 about the life of a fifteenth century Russian painter. The film was not initially released due to problems with the soviet government and was re-cut several times. The film was released in 1971 with a budget of 1.3 million making it a very expensive Russian film at the time, the film was also entered into the Cannes Film Festival in 1969 winning the International Federation of Film Critics Prize. In 1972 Tarkovsky made a departure from his previous works with on his most famous movies the Sci-Fi film epic Solaris based on the 1961 novel of the same. The film centres around a space station orbiting the planet Solaris where a phycologist is sent in to help a team of scientists who have gone insane. The film received critical acclaim and won Grand Prix Spécial du Jury at the Cannes Film festival. Tarkovskys next film was Mirror at an autobiography film based in his childhood told in an unconventional and artistic manner, the film showcases the effect the war had on his childhood. The film was not well received in the Soviet Union due to its content and there believe the film was elitist in nature and was given a very limited release making Tarkovsky go abroad to make his other films.
The last film Tarkovsky completed in the Soviet Union was stalker in 1979 based of the novel Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Stugatsky. The film centres around the character of the stalker who leads a writer and a scientist into a dangerous area known as the zone to find a place called the room that supposedly grants any wish. The production was problematic from start to finish. At first all the footage was destroyed due to development troubles causing the whole film to be re-shot with a different cinematographer. Tarkovsky also suffered a heart attack causing delay to the filming. The film was completed and released in 1979 winning the Ecumenical jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Tarkovsky completed the film Nostalgia in 1983 with Italian backing after Mosfilm withdrew from the project. The film centres around a Russian poet and his interpreter who visit Italy to reach the life on an 18th century composer before his suicide and get involved with a crazy person. The film was presented at the Cannes film festival and won both the International Federation of Film Critics prize and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury Tarkovsky also shared a special prize called Grand Prix du cinéma de creation with Robert Bresson. Soviet authorities lobbied to prevent the film from winning the Palme d’Or, this angered Tarkovsky so much that he decided to never work in the Soviet Union again. His last film The Sacrifice was released in 1986. The film is about the dawn of World War Three and the end of the world were a man makes a bargain with God to give up everything he has in order to survive. The film won the Grand Prix Special du Jury, the FIPRESCI prize and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. Tarkovsky died of lung cancer in 1986.
Andrei Tarkovsky is my favourite director of all time. He is the only director a can think of where I consider every film, he ever made to be a masterpiece. His films are deep and philosophical filled with subtext and beautiful often dreamlike in tone Tarkovskys unique style captures a vison of cinema unlike any other and creates truly unique masterpieces. Emotions are often king in his films a traditional narrative and other classical elements are commonly but aside for a powerful feeling and tone coming from every scene. This films also feel grandees in scope and scale both in their philosophical subtext and in the elements of filmmaking Tarkovsky masters in. Andrei Tarkovsky was a director like no other before or since and is my favourite filmmaker of all time.
Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard is a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and critic. Godard first feature film came in 1960 with the film Breathless. The film helped to cement the French new wave style with several elements of the film taken by other elements of pop culture by other countries. The film incorporated several elements that were seen as experimental for the time such as jump cuts, breaking the fourth wall and not adhering to continuity editing by not matching up the eyelines. Several import motives were established in this film that became highly important to French new wave cinema and film in general. One was the blatant use of film references embracing all the elements that help to inspire his films. Another technique was a documentary style of shooting with handheld cameras given the film a sense of realism. The film gained critical acclaim and received a Jean Vigo Prize to encourage an auteur of the future.
The film was followed by The Little Soldier in 1963. In the film a photojournalist who has links with a right-wing government group who is ordered to murder a professor connected to the Algerian resistance. Due to its political nature the film was banned by the French government until 1963. Godard then made My Life To Live the film is about a mother and aspiring actress who due to money problems becomes a prostitute. The film gained positive reviews and was a success and lead to him singing a deal with Columbia. The same year he created the film Les Carabiniers about the horrors of war. The film follows two peasants who join a king’s army only to find futility in what he does as the king reveals his deception. After this he made his most commercially successful film Contempt in 1963. The film follows a screenwriter who is commissioned by an American producer to rewrite a script. Godard then directed Band of Outsiders in1964. The film follows two young men planning a heist that fall in love with the same woman. A Married Woman came out in 1964 one of his most experimental films it is slow, toned down, in black and white, and without a real story. In 1965 Godard made Alphaville a blend of science fiction and film noir. The film revolves around a detective who is sent to a city controlled by a giant computer in order to contact a famous scientist that they believe the computer is suppressing. Pierrot le Fou his next film featured an equally experimental plot. The film centres around a Bonnie and Clyde-esc couple who run away together and the strains their dangerous life causes on their relationship. Shot in colour and with an extensive cast and locations the film was his departure from minimalistic works showcasing his talents as a filmmaker and as such ran into troubles during funding but received rave reviews from critics called it one of his best.
After Pierrot le Fou Godard made Masculin Feminin in 1966 about the French youth and their involvement with culture politics. This was followed by Made in U.S.A the same year about a housewife leading a double life as a prostrate whilst searching for her murdered lover. The film is seen as a classic new wave crime thriller and was heavily inspired by American film noirs. In 1967 Godard then made La Chinoise, about a group of students that become left wing activists and campaign though violence. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1967 Venice Film Festival. The film is widely considered one of Godard’s best works and heavily showcased his political leanings at that time. The same year Godard also made the film Weekend. The film follows a couple on the way to the woman’s mothers house to kill her to collect the inertance, both with a secret lover and a plan to kill the other. However, along the way the film turns postapocalyptic and becomes a surreal tale of survival and cannibalism. The film contains a famous eight-minute tracking shot of the couple stuck in traffic. Godard then made Tout Va Bien in 1972 about the destruction of western imperialist ideology. In 1975 he made Number Two an experiential film about a young family in a social housing complex in France.
After a break from film Godard returned in 1980 with Every Man For Himself. More traditional than his previous works the film was the first in a line of more mainstream films created by Godard. This was followed by passion in 1982 about the problems a director and producer go through in making a documentary, and First Name Carmen about a woman involved. With a terrorist group who gets involved with the police offer that guards the bank they are going to rob. In 1985 Hail Mary was released a film that proved controversial and condemned by the catholic church for it being a modern retelling of the virgin birth.
Moving into the nineties New Wave was released about a hitchhiker taken in by a wealthy industrialist. The film Self-Portrait in December was released in 1995 an autobiographical film about Godard’s life. He then created For Ever Mozart in 1996 four short films examining the Bosnian war. The year 2001 sore the release of In Praise of Love about a man connected to his previous romances that comes across a former lover. The film is notable for incorporating both film and video with first half whilst transitioning into black and white of 35mm film and the second half in colour. Notre Musique made in 2004 was Godards take on a war movie. Like most of Godards work the film is structured surreally showcasing wars such as the war in Sarajevo, the American civil war, the conflict between the US and the native Americans and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2010 Film Socialisme came out. The film gained mixed reviews from critics with come praising the Avent Garde style and humour whilst others criticising the film calling it incoherent. In 2014 he made the film Goodbye the Language about a couple who cannot comminate with each other, so their pet dog acts as an interpreter. The film won the Jury Prize at the Cannes film festival. Godard’s The Image Book was released in 2018. An experiential film using colour-saturated film clips as Godard provides social commentary in the form of narration. The film received positive reviews amongst critics who praised its depth and imagery.
Jean-Luc Godard creatives films unlike anything else I have ever seen. My introduction to French new wave cinema the way that Godard is constantly unafraid to bend and break the rules of filmmaking is amazing. All his plots contain content that truly pushed the boundaries of there time containing violence, death and subject matters and characters that weren’t always morally sound. But on top of that Godard broke the traditional rules of cinema. His experimentation with story structure, camerawork and editing incorporating elements such as forth wall breaks and plain text makes for a truly unique and distinctive cinematic language and established Godard as one of the greatest and important directors in cinema.
Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Aronofsky’s breakthrough came in 1998. With his film Pi about a mathematician that uncovers numbers pattens related to the universe as he slowly descends into paranoia. The film was made on a low budget of $60,000 and premiered at the Sundance film festival where he won best director and was a box office. Success. He then followed this with Requiem for a Dream in 2000 based on the Hubert Selby Jr novel of the same name. the film centres around four drug addicts who lives are slowly ruined by addiction. Due to his finical success with his debut he manged to secure a budget of $3.5 million and cast established actors such as Ellen Burstyn and Jared Leto. The film was a box office success and archived critical acclaim and was praised for its stylish direction winning awards for best actress and best cinematography. After this success Aronofsky directed The Fountain in 2006 about a scientist looking for a cure for his wife’s cancer. The film was a box office failure grossing only $16 million against a $35 million budget. Reviews on the film were mixed with critics sating how to film is visually striking but ultimately confusing and hard to follow in a lot of places. The Wrestler then was released in 2008 and tells the story of a professional wrestler diagnosed with cancer who must retire and his struggles to live outside of fighting. The film received critical acclaim with the performances being praised. The film won best actor and best original song as well as being a box office success and at the time Aronofsky’s highest grossing film.
Aronofsky’s next film was Black Swan in 2010 about a ballet dancer that slowly goes insane after being given the lead role. The film was a box office success earing $329 million against a $13 million budget. Reviews of the film were split down the middle. Some critics praised the film highlighting Natalie portman’s performance and the direction. However other critics responded more negatively with some believing that ballet was portrayed overly negatively in the film. Portman won best actress for the film. As well as this the film won the PRISM award from the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration for its depiction of mental health. The film also won two Oscars being best supporting actor and best supporting actress.
In 2014 Noah was released a retelling of the biblical story. The film was a box office success grossing $359.2 million against a $160 million budget. The film gained positive reviews from critics with the performances, visuals and scope of the film being praised. Aronofsky then made Mother! In 2017 about guests that arrive at a couple’s house causing the wife to go insane. The film was a box office failure grossing $40 million against a $44.5 million budget. The film received generally positive reviews from critics who praised the direction and the performances. The. film was also met with negative reviews however calling the film pretentious and to ridiculous.
Darren Aronofsky always has a unique filmography that continues to surprise me. His films blend realism and surrealism seamless creating a unique cinematic experience. All his films start with a normalise lulling you into a false sense of reality, only for that to be shattered as the film becomes weirder and weirder as it goes on. This ability to slowly drag and audience into horror whilst effortlessly balancing realism and surrealism makes him one of my favourite directors.
Alejandro Jodorowsky
Alejandro Jodorowsky is a Chilean French filmmaker and artist. Jodorowsky’s first film came in 1967 with Fando Y Lis. The film is about a man called Fando and his disabled partner Lis as they search for the mythical city of Tar. The film caused a huge scandal in Mexico as a riot broke out at the premier and was banned. The film received negative reviews upon its release but has since gone to be looked at more favourably. Jodorowsky then created his big hit with his next film El Topo in 1970. The film is ultimately split into two acts with a gunslinger wandering the desert looking into defeat the four-gun masters, with the second act consisting of his liberating a society of deformed people from a nearby town. El Topo gathered mixed reviews amongst critics with the visuals being praised calling it a surrealist masterpiece. However, the film was also seen negatively as well with critics highlighting the violence and deeming it as exploitative.
Jodorowsky’s next film was The Holy Mountain in 1973. The film fallows the Thief as a metaphor for Jesus and the fool tarot card joins seven powerful businessmen representing the planets who all have some sort of big societal control over the world to be led by the alchemist to the holy mountain to gain immortality. During the production of the film Jodorowsky enlisted the help of a spiritual guru and took LSD as well as going into an isolation tank. The film premiered at the Cannes film festival where it was received positively. The film was subsequently shown as a double bill with El Topo, both of which become cult films and gained an influence on pop culture. Jodorowsky then made Tusk in 1980 the film follows the relationship between a young British woman living in India and a highly prized elephant she befriends and was based on the 1935 novel Poo Lorn of the Elephants by Reginald Campbell. The film was noticeably less surreal than his previous works and was never given a wide release.
Jodorowsky then made Santa Sangre in 1989. A surrealistic slasher horror film, it focuses on a former cirrus artist who after escaping a mental hospital re-joins his armless mother who is the leader of a strange religious cult and is forced to kill for her acting as her arms. The film was critically well received with some people citing it as one of the greatest films of all time and one of Jodorowsky’s best. The film is considered one of the greatest horror films of all time with critics praising the horror, surrealism and humour of the film. Jodorowsky then made The Rainbow Thief in 1990. Starring Peter O’Toole and Cristopher Lee the film is about a prince who lives in the sewers with his servant were a crook is after their money. The film was Jodorowsky’s first time working with big stars and as well as being a more mainstream movie. However, he was frequently threatened by the produces not to change anything in the script or else he will be fired. Due to this Jodorowsky disowned the film.
Jodorowsky returned to filmmaking with The Dance of Reality in 2013 a surrealist semi-autobiographic tale of his life. The film received positive reviews amongst critics calling it a great return to form for the director. The film was screened during the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. The film was shot in Jodorowsky’s childhood village in Chile called Toocopilla with Jodorowsky’s wife as the costume designer and his three sons acting in the film. The film is very Jodorowsky blending metaphors, mythology and poetry and is his most personal work. the film was funded through donations due to Jodorowsky distain towards the mainstream film industry. The film received a standing ovation and the Cannes Film Festival and positive revies form critics with people calling it a return to form for Jodorowsky and one of his best. Jodorowsky then created the sequel Endless Poetry in 2016. The film follows Jodorowsky in his teenage years and early twenties until he leaves for Paris. The film gained positive reviews praising the surrealism and emotion displayed as well as the cinematography.
Jodorowsky’s latest film Pyschomagic, An Art That Heals premiered in 2019. The documentary exams how Jodorowsky helps people using performance art as form of therapeutic healing. The film gained positive reviews with critics praising the subject matter and the verity of ways Jodorowsky helps the individuals.
Alejandro Jodorowsky is what I would call a mad genius. His films are surrealist masterpieces filled with depth and symbolism each one constructed in a way for you to slowly unravel and dig out the mysteries and metaphors throughout his work. However, this symbolism and depth his helped by truly beautiful incredibly imagery Jodorowsky creates some of the most insane set pieces in cinema and allows then to play out in full creating a truly unique experience. The directing, writing, editing, sound design and acting is always on point in a Jodorowsky film as his mastery of the fundamental elements of cinema only help to elevate the films more. Although, as opposed to falling into a boring philosophical movie trap Jodorowsky’s films are insane filled with great humour and a self-awareness at their own insanity making his films weirdly accessible despite their unusual nature. Overall, the work of Jodorowsky is truly unique to cinema and has given us some of the most unique cinematic masterpieces you must experience.
Gakuryu Ishii
Gakuryu Ishii is a Japanese filmmaker known for his early stylistic punk films. Ishii first rose to prominence in 1978 with his first film Panic High School about a student who violently rebels against the school system after they refused to take responsibility for a student’s suicide. The film was adapted for Ishii’s short film of the same name with the same concept. The original short film was turned into a feature by the company Nikkatsu known for making pink films, Japanese porn movies. The film was co-directed by Yukihiro Sawada a director known for making pink films for the project to feel more professional. The film received positive reviews praising the soundtrack, camera work and horror elements.
After this Ishii made his second feature film Crazy Thunder Road. The film centres around a Japanese biker gang the leader of which falls in love with a barmaid and loses his rebellious streak. The rest of the gang feels betrayed by this especially a kid named ken who revolts against his former friend, forcing the ex-bike leader to return once more for an all-out gang warfare between bikers. Shot of 16mm as Iishi’s graduation project the film was distrusted by Toei. It is from this that Iishi gained a notoriety as a filmmaker making a 10-minute film Anarchy 80’ Ishin for the punk band Anarchy and half an hour short film Shuffle adapted from Katsuhiro Otomo’s manga Run.
In 1982 Ishii directed Burst city. The film centres around two distinctive plots that come together in the third act. The first centres around a group of punks staging a musical gig as a demonstration against a power plant being made by the Yakuza and two bikers of a quest for revenge to get same yakuza as they murdered one of the bikers’ brothers. The two plots intersect in the third act were the punks and biker team up to take down the yakuza and dystopian police force. Burst City encapsulated the punk movements in Japan with the soundtrack consisting of Japanese punk songs and band members playing parts in the film. All the cast and crew lived on the set they built during the production of the film. With this film Ishii experimented with different techniques with a fast-editing style and sped up footage. The film is also littered with musical numbers shot in a documentary style with thousands of punk extras shots on 16mm film. The film is highly regarded for its punk energy, music and innovation and centred Iishi as one of the most important contemporaries in Japanese cinema. The film features punk bands The Roosters, The Rockers, The Stalin and Inu. The film is also created as being a precursor to the underground Japanese cyberpunk film movement.
After this Iishi made a 30-minute film for his punk band Sogo Ishii and the Bacillus Army, before making his fourth film The Crazy Family in 1984. The film centres around a family who after discovering that terminates are slowly destroying their home break out into an all-out war with one another. The film won Best Newcomer for actress Youki Kudoh and 8thbest film at the Yokohama film festival. Less punk than Iishi’s previous works but nevertheless mad the film satirises the modern Japanese family and like all his other works is a criticism of Japanese society and culture making it just as punk as Panic High School, Crazy Thunder Road and Burst City.
After The Crazy Family Iishi went on a ten-year break form filmmaking as he struggled to find financing his film always performed well in foreign film festivals but not in Japan. Instead Iishi made concert films for The Roosters and Einstürzende Neubauten with the film Halber Mensch in 1986 a promotional piece for the band consisting of concert footage and music videos.
Finally in 1994 Iishi returned the feature films with Angel Dust. The film follows a psychiatrist who gats called in to assist the police with a series of murders involving young women on the subway. The film contains none of Iishi’s previous punk work but instead showcasing more traditional and mature form of filmmaking showcasing the ever-changing style of the director. Iishi followed this up with August in the Water in 1995. The film is about a girl that gains supranatural powers after a traffic accident where she gains visons of an asteroid destroying her town. The film was awarded best new director at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in 1998 and achieved critical acclaim. Critics called in a great coming of age sic fi dram commenting on modern Japanese life, aids and urban alienation. Iishi cites sci-fi authors Philip K. Dick and J. G. Ballard for his trippy metaphysical poetic spiritual films in the nineties that followed his previous punk films. Iishi then made Labyrinth of Dreams in 1997 about a female bus conductor who falls in love with a bus driver who she suspects of killing previous female conductors. The film was screened at the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival.
Iishi then made Gojoe in 2000 a historical fantasy martial arts film set in 12th century japan about an ex-killer converted to Buddhism whose is broken by attacks from a trio of fighters making him take up his sword one last time to end their murderous reign of terror. The film won best supporting actor at the Hochi Film Awards but ultimately received mixed reviews. The film was praised for its intensity and epic nature but was criticised for being too long. At the same time Iishi made Electric Dragon 80.000 V which was released in 2001. A throwback to his early punk films, the movie centres around lizard detective dragon eye Morison an electrically charged induvial who is challenged by vigilante thunderbolt buddha to a battle to the death to see who is the superior electrically changed hero. The film received positive reviews from critics commenting on the film being a throwback to Iishi’s earlier work whilst having the polished film techniques of his later films. Unfortunately, both Electric Dragon and GoJoe were commercial failures and caused the production company Sunset Cinema Works Inc to go under.
Iishi then made Dead End run in 2003. The 58-minute film incorporates Ishii’s earlier trademark flashy visual style centring around a man on the run on the run fleeing the police leading to a Mexican stand-off. After this Iishi took another break from filmmaking returning in 2012 with Isn’t Anyone Alive about people dying in a collage campus and with the discovery of their bodies more people die. The film gained mixed review from critics highlighting the performances but criticising the tone. The following year Iishi made The Flower of Shanidar in 2013 about a flower that grows on specific women’s breasts which are highly sort after causing the women to be taken care of. The film received mixed reviews from critics. Iishi then made That’s It in 2015 a return to his punk films the movie centres around a thief who wants out of his criminal life and is tortured by his boss after stealing a hard drive containing information on runways, homeless, prostitutes and the mysteries of his past. The film received mixed reviews from critics, praising the visuals and camerawork but criticizing the writing citing a lack of development of the main charter and the film feeling silly and cliché. Ishii then made Bitter Honey in 2016. The film is about a poet who is informed by his physician about his impending death. He then meets a girl and begins a relationship with her as she fends off other women being attracted to the poet. The film received mixed reviews from critics. They praised the visuals and the poetic qualities of the film. However, the film was criticised for its weak story arc and lacklustre sound design work.
Iishi then made Punk Samurai Slash Down in 2018. A return to his earlier punk work, the film centres around a samurai that has committed murder and looking for employment manages to lie to a clan that a religious cult is aiming to destroy them. He is then found out and given the death sentence as he works out a way to escape. The film received mixed reviews from critics Highlighting the insanity and return of Iishi’s punk spirit. The music, writing, acting, directing, cinematography and editing were also praised.
If punk is cinema, it would be Gakuryu Iishi. His films are unlike anything else with a crazy energetic energy running throughout. His combination of angsty teenage youthful rebellion and masculinity wrapped up in a punk punch in a face makes for some of the most insane and unique films ever created. Iishi is far from a one trek pony however with his later works showcasing his softer side and his ability to create great arthouse cinema. Gakuryu Iishi is one of my favourite Japanese directors and has a style unlike any other in cinema.
Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam is an American born British director most known for being a member of the comedy group Monty Python. Gilliam directorial debut came in 1970 with Cry of the Banshee in which he animated the Title sequence. The film centres around a cruel witch hunter that tortures villagers for fun that comes across a witch who summons a banshee to kill him and his family. The film was a commercial success, but director Gorden Hessler was disappointed with the film and called it boring. After this Gilliam joined Monty Python and directed several animated segments in the show. Gilliam’s true directorial debut came in 1975 with Monty Python and the Holy Grail witch he co-directed with Terry Jones. The film is a comedic take on king Arthur and his knight’s quest for the holy grail. Upon release reviews of the film were mixed. Some critics praised it highlighting the comedy and madness of the film. Other critics however were less pleased. They criticised the film for having some jokes that miss the mark and certain elements of the film being plane unfunny. Overtime however love for the film grew and is now considered one of the greatest comedy films of all time.
Gilliam then wrote and directed Jabberwocky in 1977. Staring phyton star Michael Palin the film follows Dennis a cobbler’s apprentice who after the death of his father is forced to hunt a dragon leading to funny slapstick situations. The film received mixed reviews form critics with come praising the demented dark imagination of the film.
Gilliam then made Time Bandits in 1981. The film centres around a young boy who accidently joining a band of time traveling dwarfs as they jump from era to era looking for treasure to steal. The film received critical acclaim with critics calling it a remarkable time-travel fantasy praising the set design, effects and originality, and the ability to break genre conventions. The film was a box office hit making $42.4 million against a $5 million budget and was Gilliam’s breakthrough hit in the United States.
Gilliam then made Brazil in 1985. The dystopian film centres around a low-ranking bureaucrat Sam Lowry who has visons of a woman appearing in his dreams as he lives in a small apartment in a dystopian world where there is an over-reliance on poorly maintained machines. The film is a satire of technology, bureaucracy, hyper-surveillance corporatism and state capitalism done as a darkly comedic take on George Orwell’s 1984.
The film was a box office flop when it was initially released making £9.9 million against a £15 million dollar budget. The film has now received critical acclaim with critics praising the dark comedy and visuals and well as acting as a cleaver piece of satire. However, at the time some critics were less favourable with the film calling it hard to follow with not well-established charters. Today Brazils influence can be seen across a verity of media with the films visual style and themes being replicated throughout a verity of other work.
Gilliam then made The Adventures of Baron Munchausen in 1988. The film is about Baron Munchausen who along with his henchmen and an exuberant girl set out to save a town form being captured by the Turks. The film was a box office failure only making $8.1 million against a $46.53 million budget. The film did receive positive reviews praising the visuals and charters. Critics stated how the humour of Gilliam’s work shone through in the film. Gilliam then made The Fisher King in 1991. The film centred around a radio shock jock who tries help a man who’s life he indivertibly ruined. The film did well at the box office earning $41.9 million against a $24 million budget. The film received positive reviews amongst critics praising the humour and heart-breaking romance. The mixture of drama, comedy and fantasy was praised by critics also.
In 1995 Terry Gilliam made 12 Monkeys inspired by Chris Markers 1962 short film La Jetee and starring Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt the film tells the story of a convict sent back in time to gather information about and ultimately try to stop a man-made virus that whipped out most of the human population. Gilliam incorporated a similar style got Brazil with a retro future angel and an overreliance on technology. The film explores the idea of memories and how reality can change depending on how a person perceives the past. The use of time travel throughout the film showcases how the film is a study on how people cannot communicate in modern society anymore due to technology. The film received positive reviews praising the performances and plot twist. Critics praised the tone of the film and the direction with Gilliam’s ability to make a time travel film with is funny and bleak. Brad Pitt also won a golden globe for his performance as best supporting actor.
Gilliam the made Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in 1998 an adaption of Hunter S. Thompsons 1971 novel of the same name and starring Johnny Depp an Benicio del Toro. The film details journalist Hunter S. Thompson and his attorney as they go to Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race but end up abandoning the idea and instead get themselves into several crazy situations involving drugs. The film flopped at the box office making $10.6 million against a $18.5 million budget. The film reived polarising reviews from critics with people either loving or hating the film. Some critics praised the creativity, Gilliam’s direction and its attack on the American dream. Others however criticized the movie for its lack of story. Johnny Depp won the best foreign actor award for his for in the film at the Russian Guild of Film Critics in 1998.
Gilliam then returned to directing in 2005 with The Brothers Grim an eradiated portrait of the real-life brothers grim as con man who encounter a genuine curse. The film was a box office hit earning $105.3 million against a $88 million budget. The film received mixed reviews from critics. They praised the visuals, fantasy elements and dark comedy but criticised the story. The same year Gilliam made Tideland, based of Mitch Cullin’s novel of the same name. The film follows a girl left abandoned by her irrespirable parents as she wonders a decrypted country estate and loses herself in her imagination. Tideland received mixed reviews upon its release. Some critics loved the film calling it crazy dangerous and gorgeous. Other critics however hated it calling it self-indulgent.
Gillian made The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus in 2009. The film follows a travelling theatre troupe whose leader, having made a deal with the Devil, takes audience members through a magical mirror to explore their imaginations and present them with a choice between self-fulfilling enlightenment or gratifying ignorance. Production of the film was halted over lead actor Heath Ledgers death actors Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law were cast to replace him in certain scenes. The film received a Lukewarm response from critics parsing the imagination and performances making $64.4 million against a $30 million budget.
Gilliam then made The Zero Theorem in 2013 about a reclusive computer genius trying to work on a formal to determine if life holds any meaning. The film gained mixed reviews amongst critics praising the visuals and performances but finding the story to muddled. Gilliam then made The Man Who Killed Dom Quixote in 2018 about a disillusioned director who comes across a cobbler who believes he is Sancho Panza as he loses his grip on reality. The film gained positive reviews with critics saying the film is a treat for Gilliam fans. Other critics however went quite so positive calling the film an incoherent mess. Ultimately the film is considered fun but messy, good but not one of Gilliam’s best.
Terry Gilliam is a director with a unique vision unlike any other. All of his films are uncompromising their specific artistic vision. They are an assault on the senses filed with intense camera work, strong imagery and a mix of comedy and serious weaved perfectly throughout the plots. Gilliam makes films like no one else, and his distinctive fingerprints are all over his work his unique approach to breaking cinematic conventions allows him to create some off the most insane and inedible works of cinema.
John Carpenter
John Carpenter is a filmmaker, actor and composer. Carpenter stared his career in 1974 film the film Dark Star. A science fiction comedy the film was made on a low budget of $60.000 about a small crew exploring the far reaches of space that 20 years into their mission goes wrong. The film was not well received upon its initial release with critics calling it a poor comedic take on 2001: A Space Odyssey. However, over time the film has gained more of a positive response and was influential for writer Dan O’Bannon to create a serious take on this story with the film Alien. Carpenters next film was Assault on Precinct 13 in 1976. The film centres around the alliance between a highway patrol office and two criminals as they defend themselves against a siege by a street gang. The film flopped at the box office and received mixed reviews. Some critics praised the films action and raw gritty nature. Later, the film received a wider critical acclaim amongst critics. They praised the grizzly nature and the impressive cinematography despite the low budget. Over the years the film has garnered critical acclaim. Critics praised the pacing, editing, dialogue and humour.
Carpenters’ comical success came in 1978 with Halloween. The plot centres around mental patent Michael Myers who was committed to a mental hospital for murdering his teenage babysitter on Halloween night when he was six years old. Fifteen years later he escapes from the hospital where he stalkers a female babysitter and kills her friends whilst being perused by his psychiatrist. The film was a box office success making $70 million against a $325,000 budget. The film received positive reviews noting how the film was genuinely scary. Halloween is considered one of the best films of the slasher and horror genre. The film helped to spawn the slasher genre and is hugely influential to horror. Carpenters’ success in the seventies led into the eighties with The Fog in 1980 about a fog that rolls into town that contains the souls of ghost pirates. The film was a box office success making $21.3 million against a $1.1 million budget. The film was initially panned upon its release. The film was criticised for its production values. Later, however the film received more positive reviews as a genuinely effective horror film with great music.
Carpenter immediately followed The Fog with Escape from New York in 1981. A dystopian film starring Kurt Russell about a criminal who is given a mission to rescue the president from Manhattan Island that has become a maximum-security prison. The film was a box office success making $25.2 million against a $6 million budget. The film received positive reviews from critics. They praised the film for being a generally effective action thriller despite the low budget. The film was praised for its grittiness and atmosphere.
Carpenter then made The Thing in 1982. The film centres around a group of artic researchers who come across a parasitic alien lifeform that assimilates ad replicates other organisms. The group then descends into paranoia as anyone of them could be The Thing. The film is an adaptation of the book Who Goes There? As Carpenter was a fan of the 1951 adaptation The Thing from Another World witch plaid the story of as more of a traditional monster movie. Carpenter found the original novella was a lot different to the fifties film and instead decided to base his adaption more closely to the book. The film is noted for its practical creature effects. The films piratical designs took on serval forms for The Things mutations all designed by Rob Bottin. The idea was to have the creature constantly change over time. The film incorporated serval practical effects and designs for the creature in order to showcase the idea of an ever-changing organism.
The lighting of the film required the practical effects to clearly be showcased throughout the film whilst also adding to a sense of darkness within the film. This was done through blue tinted lighting allowing the effects to clearly be seen whilst also adding to the atmospheric horror element of the film. Basic colours were used within the locations such as black, white and grey in order to further emphases the cold cruel nature of the film. When the film was released, it was neither a huge box office success nor a financial failure the film grossed $19.6 million against a $15 million budget making it a reasonable success but not a runaway hit. The film received negative reviews upon its release. The film was criticised as being to client. The characters were considered boring, and the overall tone was deemed as to bleak and nihilistic.
Later, The Thing has been hailed as one of the greatest horror films ever made. The film is now praised for its visual effects, performances, camerawork and the true feeling of dead and terror within the film The Thing is one of the finest horror films ever made the special effects within the film are some of the best put to horror, with the film creating some of the most incredible gut wrenching moments in horror cinema. However, The Thing is a lot more than just a gore fest. The film runs a sharp line of true phycological terror throughout the narrative. The paranoia at the heart of the film is a glue that holds its body horror elements together creating a horror movie masterpiece.
Carpenter then made Starman in 1984. The film stands out as a softer affair in Carpenters filmography being a sci-fi romance about an alien who comes to earth. The film was a fair success making $28.7 million against a $24 million budget. The film gained mixed reviews upon its release. They praised the film for being a rather touching sweet story showcasing carpenter as going outside of his comfort zone and creating a sci-fi film the opposite of his last effort the thing. Other critics however weren’t so positive calling the film predicable with wooden performances.
Carpenter followed this with Big Trouble in Little China in 1986. The martial arts comedy action film starring Kurt Russell centres around his charter Jack Burton and his friend Wang Chi who reassure Wangs green-eyed fiancé from San Francisco Chinatown. Along the way they discover a secret underground filled with wizards as a sorcerer plans on sacrificing wangs fiancé to rid him of his curse. The film was a commercial failure making $2.7 million against a $25 million budget. The film gained positive reviews upon its release. Critics stated that the film is a fun tribute to kung fu films and westerns and praised the over-the-top nature of the film. Other critics however were less positive criticising the charters and Asian depiction in the film. Although the film went on to become a cult classic carpenters experience with the film made him go back to smaller independent projects without the reliance on a big studio.
Carpenters first lower budget film post-big troubles failure was Prince of Darkness in 1987. The film centres around a group of students and their teacher who come across a container in an abandoned church unleashing the pure essence of evil. The film was a commercial success garnering $14.1 million against a $3 million budget. The film received mixed to positive reviews upon its release. Critics criticised characters but praised the directing calling the film good but not one carpenter’s strongest outings.
Carpenter followed this up with They Live in 1988. The film centres around a drifter who with a special pair on sunglasses discovers that the ruling class are aliens that as well as concealing their appearance are manipulating people and controlling them through socio-political messaging and the media. They Live is ultimately a commentary on the political era of Ronald Ragan and criticism of eighties capitalism. The film examines the way society can be corrupted through elite induvial and how most of society becomes suppressed and subservient to the ruling class. The film received mixed to positive reviews upon its release. Critics praised certain areas. Some critics criticised the plot for making little sense whilst others believed the film contains a fascinating ideological message. The film has since gone on the gain a cult following with critics praising the social-political commentary at the heart of the film.
The nineties signalled a comical decline for Carpenter and projects that weren’t as well received and considered weaker overall. Carpenter started the decade with Memoirs of an Invisible Man in 1992 about a man rendered invisible by a nuclear experiment that is perused by an FBI agent. The film was a box office failure making $14.4 million against a $40 million budget. The film gained negative reviews. Critics stated that although the effects and cast were good the plot and tone of the film suffered. Carpenter then made Village of the Dammed a remake of the 1960 film of the same name about hostile alien children posing as humans. The film was a box office flop making $9.4 million against a $22 million budget. The film gained mixed to negative reviews. Critics hated the pacing and writing however some did respect Carpenters efforts to revitalise an old classic horror film. Carpenter also made In the Mouth of Madness in 1995 about a horror novelist whose fiction blurs into reality. The film was a box office failure and received mixed reviews amongst critics. The special effects, acting and directing were praised but the writing is the films let down becoming confusing, underwhelming and pretentious.
Carpenter made Escape form LA in 1996 a sequel to Escape from New York. Kurt Russell once again reprises his role as Snake Plissken who must retrieve a dentation device from a terrorist overrun L.A. the film was a box office failure and received mixed reviews. Some critics praised the satirical and comedic elements of the film but criticised the movie for being incoherent with a hard to follow plot. Carpenter returned to filmmaking in 2001 with Ghosts of Mars. The film centres around officers that transport prisoner out of a mining outpost on mars, only to find that accent Martian demons have possessed the outpost. The film was a box office flop making $14 million against a $28 million budget. The film received negative reviews. Critics criticised the dialogue and acting calling the film Shockley and poor by carpenter’s standards.
After another long break Carpenter made The Ward in 2010 about a woman who is haunted by the ghost of a former patent at a psychiatric hospital. The Ward received negative reviews. Criticising the charters and lack of horror atmosphere. The film had a been there done that quality with Carpenter seemly reminding audiences of better films in his career the film.
John Carpenter is a master of horror and cult cinema. All his films have such a unique distinctive style that is unlike his previous work but still distinctly his. Where it be the paranoid fuelled body horror of The Thing or a criticism on Reagan era capitalism disguised as a b-movie like They Live, Carpenter is always able to constantly re-eventing himself whilst making a style throughout all his works that is uniquely his resulting in one of the most impressive bodies of work in all of cinema.
David Cronenberg
David Cronenberg is a director most known for making films in the Body Horror genre that deal with bodily transformation, infection the infiltration of technology into the human body. Cronenberg’s first two short films Stereo and Crimes of the future. These films focused on themes that would become prevalent throughout Cronenberg’s works being human experimentation and sexuality. Cronenberg then made Shivers in 1975 about parasites that were created by a scientist/serial killer before he kills himself that get loose in an apartment complex and turn people into sex crazed maniacs. The film made $1 million against a $179,000 budget but was received negatively calling it an exploitation film crammed with blood, violence and sex just for the sake of it. Cronenberg then made Rabid in 1977. The film centres around a woman who after being injured in a motorcycle accident undergoes surgery and develops a stinger under her armpit that feeds on human blood. The film was a box office success making $1 million against a $530,000 budget and received positive reviews praising the violence and effects. After this Cronenberg made a brief departure from body horror to make Fast Company an action film in 1979 about a racer who gets replaced by his sponsor by his rival causing him to steal the car and race it himself, the film received positive reviews.
Cronenberg then returned to Body Horror with The Brood in 1979. Staring Oliver Reed, the film centres around a Psychotherapist and his mentally ill wife who undergoes controversial therapy. The Brood was a box office success making $5 million against a $1.5 million budget and received positive reviews. Critics praised the characters, acting, camerawork and effects of the film however the violence was criticised like a lot of horror films of the period.
Cronenberg then made Scanners in 1981. Starring Michael Ironside, the film centres around Darryl Revok a scanner, a person that uses telepathic and telekinetic powers who rages war against ConSec a weapons and security systems manufacture causing them to send out a scanner called Cameron Vale to stop him. The film is famous for its head explosion effect in which a plastic head was filled with latex and wax and was shot with a shotgun to give the desired effect. The film received mixed to positive reviews praising the story and special effects. Other critics however were more negative criticising the charters and violence of the film. David Cronenberg then made Videodrome in 1983 about the Max Renn the CEO of a television station that comes across a broadcasting of violence and torture. As he tries to find the source of the signal the layers of deception reveal themselves as he loses tough with reality resulting in a series of increasingly bizarre hallucinations. The film deals with serval themes including the influence technology has on humanity, humanities fascination with sex and violence and the nature of reality and consciousness. The film received positive reviews with critics highlighting the surrealism, uniqueness and depth of the film. The film is considered one of the greatest body horror films ever made. The film was praised for its performances and effects. The film’s themes resonate even now making Videodrome a film truly ahead of its time.
Cronenberg then made The Dead Zone the same year. The sci-fi thriller stars Cristopher Walken and Martin Sheen. Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name it tells the story of a schoolteacher who after awakening from a coma finds out he has psychic powers. The film was a box office success making $20.8 million against a $10 million budget and received positive reviews. Critics praised the performances calling it one of Cronenberg’s best films.
Cronenberg’s next film was The Fly in 1986 another body horror film starring Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis and John Getz the film is a remake of the 1958 film of the same name. The film follows an eccentric scientist who after one of his experiment’s goes wrong slowly turns into a fly-human hybrid creature. The film is noted for its practical effects created by Chris Wales. The final stage was created first with the other transformation make up made to resemble aging and cancer. Overall, there was seven unique stages of the fly transformation to slowly shows the loss of humanity within the character. The Fly gained critical acclaimed upon it release. The performances and effects were praised, and the film become a box office success making $60.6 million against a $15 million budget. The fly was also seen as a metaphor for the aid’s crisis with the decay of the charter seemly being reminiscent of HIV. The film reived positive revies praising the gore, horror and charters. The film is considered both one of the best horror films ever made as well as a brilliant tragedy.
Cronenberg then made Dead Ringers in 1988. The psychological thriller stars Jeremy irons as two identical twin gynaecologists. Both twins Elliot and Beverly work at the same practice. Elliot has affairs with multiple patents who gives them to Beverly. The meeker of the two twins once he is done with them without the women noticing. However, Beverly falls for one of the patents and when she invertedly deceives him he slips into a state of madness. The film was a success making $14 million against a $13 million budget and received positive reviews. The film received positive reviews with Cronenberg’s direction being praised. The film also revied praise with Jeremy irons performance with the actor seemly making each role very distinctive.
Cronenberg’s next film was naked lunch in 1991. A surest sci-fi drama based of the 1959 William S. Burroughs novel of the same name. Rather than being a straight adaption of the work the film incorporates both parts of the book and autobiographic accounts of Burroughs life. The plot ultimately centres around a bug exterminator who accidentally kills his wife after they get addicted to bug poison. After this he becomes involved in a secret government plot being orchestrated by giant bugs. The film received positive reviews. Critics admired the abstract nature of the film and overall dark nature of the story. The film was praised for its hallucinogenic imagery and well as being a very ambitious adaptation. Cronenberg then made M. Butterfly in 1993. The film is about a diplomat from France that goes to china and falls in love with an opera singer. The film focuses on oriental stereotypes and the roles of men and women. The film was a moderate box office success and received mixed to average reviews. Critics sate that although Cronenberg handles the film with respect the film is ultimately a tedious soap opera.
In 1996 David Cronenberg made Crash. An erotic thriller about a film producer that gets involved with a group of people who are sexually aroused by car crashes. The film caused controversy upon its release due to the subject matter and was banned in several countries. The film received mixed to positive reviews upon its release. Critics praised the direction, originality and challenging content. However, some critics criticised the characters and world of the film as being flat. The film also won the Special Jury Prize at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. Cronenberg’s last film of the 90’s was Existenz in 1999 staring Jude Law and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The film follows a game designer who whilst playing her own virtual reality game is targeted by assassins. The film received positive reviews with critics calling it gooey, slimy, grotesque fun. The film was often compared to The Matrix albeit weirder with classic Cronenberg body horror. The film also gained some negative reviews with critics stating it felt disjointed and a missed opportunity.
Cronenberg’s first film of the 2000’s was Spider in 2002. A psychological thriller it centres around a schizophrenic man who believes that when he was a child his father murdered his mother and replaced her with a prostitute. The film gained positive reviews amongst critics highlighting the performances, direction and cinematography. The film also won a Genie Award for best director, the TIFF award for best Canadian feature film. Cronenberg then made A History of Violence in 2005. The film based on the 1997 graphic novel of the same name follows a small-town diner who is thrusted into the spotlight after confrontation two robbers in self-defence and how the lives of himself and his family are changed forever. The film was a box office hit earning $32 million against a $61.4 million budget. The film received positive reviews from critics. The film was praised for its depth and creativity highlighting Cronenberg’s skill as a director.
Cronenberg went on to make Eastern promises in 2007 a ganger film about a midwife that delivers the aby of a drug-addicted 14-year-old prostitute who dies in childbirth. The midwife then learns more about the prostate and gets mixed up with the mafia. The film gained $56.1 million against a $50 million budget and received positive reviews. Viggo Mortenson’s performance was praised the films gritty violent style as well as Cronenberg’s skill as a director was also praised. Cronenberg followed this up with his first film of the 2010’s A Dangerous Method in 2011 also staring Viggo Mortensen. Set just before World War one the film focuses on the relationships between Carl Jung Sigmund Freud and their patient. The film was a box office hit making $27.4 against a $14 million budget. The film received positive reviews from critics where they praised the performances and how the actors worked with one another. Cronenberg then returned in 2012 with Cosmopolis the film stars Robert Paterson as a rich currency speculator whose life unravels due to marital woes, health problems and the financial crisis. The film received positive reviews from critics who praised the direction and complexity. The performances, tone and style were also praised as well as how it satirised the current climate. Cronenberg then made Maps to the Stars in 2014 about a TV therapist who handles the case of an actress who wants to star in a remake of her deceased mothers most popular films. The film was a box office failure making $4 million against a $13 million budget. Despite this the film gained mostly positive reviews from critics. The stated that the film has that classic Cronenberg feel whilst exposing the sleaze of Hollywood. However, some critics weren’t as positive criticizing the narrative and tone.
David Cronenberg is responsible for one of the most unique films ever. His body horror films have helped to create some one the most insane and unsettling horror film experiences ever and has given him aa truly unique filmography unlike any other. However, what really makes Cronenberg’s films work is the level of intelligence, sophistication and depth behind their body horror exterior allowing his film to be as deep and complex as they are gory and insane.
Shohei Imamura
Shohei Imamura was a film director who was a key figure in the Japanese new wave cinema. In 1958 Imamura made his directorial debut Stolen Desire about a traveling theatre group that combed kabuki theatre with stripteases. After this Nikatsu studios assigned him to serval studio films. The first of these was Nishi Ginza Station, a comedy about a drug store manager having an affair whilst his wife is away at the weekend. Endless desire was then made in 1958, about five people reuniting ten years after World War two to uncover a stash of morphine. This film was his third with Nikatsu studios and was overshadowed by his film Pigs and Battleships. The film was also his first collaboration with cinematographer Shinsaku Himeda who worked on several of Imamura’s films. Imamura then made My Second Brother based on the diary of a Korean Japanese person that become a best seller, which tells the story of four orphans in an impoverished mining town and was considered a more tender film for the director.
Imamura then made Pigs and Battleships in 1961 about the black market’s trades between the U.S. military and the Yokosuka. During the film Imamura drew from his past as a black-market dealer. He conducted extensive research for the film and spend real life gangsters. The film was praised by critics calling time with it hilarious and unique praising the social satire. The Insect Woman was made in 1963. The film follows a young lower-class woman that rises to the stats to madam. When she is sentenced to jail her daughter becomes her patron’s lover then teals his money to build up a farming commune. During production Imamura hired Sachiko Hidari due to her vitality and energy. During production they clashed on how the character should be portrayed as well as bullying a then pregnant actress. The film gained positive reviews calling it poignant. The camerawork and performances were also praised as well as the episode nature of the film. He then made the film Unholy Desire in 1964. The film follows a housewife living under her tyrannical husband who has her life turned upside-down when she gets raped by a burglar. The film is about the struggles of classism and sexism in Japanese society. The film received positive reviews for it being a unique piece of Imamura’s work and showcasing his themes in the most complete way. The film won awards for best actor, best supporting actress, best cinematography, best sound recording and best supporting actor.
The Pornographers was then made in 1966 about a porn filmmaker whose business in under threat from thieves, the government and his own family. The film darkly cometic satire of the Japanese post-war economic miracle exposing the underbelly of japan filled with pornographers and small-time gangsters. The Pornographers was released in Japan on March 1966 where it was distributed by Nikkatsu. It was released in the United States by Toho International with English subtitles in August 1966. A Man Vanishes was then released I 1967 a fake documentary about a film crew searching for a missing man. The film was born out of people vanishing in japan. Imamura followed a woman who was searching for her husband but when he found out she was more interested in being in a movie he shifted his focus to her. The film gained mixed reviews with some critics as they criticised the lack of theme throughout. However, the film also gained positive reviews calling it provocative and a look and man his culture and his country exploring cinematic realism and how the camera changes everything.
Profound Desires of the Gods was then made in 1968. The film centres around Kurage Island and a disgraced, superstitious, inbred family who interact with a Tokyo engineer supervising the creation of a sugar mill on the island leading to conflict and complexity with all the individuals involved. His next film was a documentary called History of Post-war Japan as Told by a Bar Hostess. In the documentary a bar hostess is interviewed reflecting on her life as a prostitute. because of the box office failure of the profound desire of the gods Imamura decided to make the film on a more modest budget allowing it to be a box office success. Imamura’s next film was Vengeance is Mine in 1979 based on the book of the same name. the film is based on the true story of serial killer Akira Nishguchi going on the run and changing his name. The film gained positive reviews with critics praising the story, humour and its exploration of Japanese society. The way the hero was portrayed was also praised. As well as the film being called poignant and tragic. The film won the 1979 Best Picture Award at the Japanese Academy Awards and Best Screenplay and Best Actor the Yokohama Film Festival.
He then made the film Eijanaika in 1981. The film depicts the Japanese political protests of the late 60’s that ended up renouncing imperial rule. It examines the effects of the political and social upheaval of the time and culminates in a revolutionary march on the Tokyo Imperial Palace, which turns into a massacre. The film won several awards including best supporting actress newcomer of the year and best sound recording. Imamura’s next film was The Balled of Narayama about elderly people who are carried up a mountain to be abandoned and die. The film won several awards at the Cannes Film Festival, Japan Academy Film Prize, Blue Ribbon Awards, Excellence in Cinematography Award and Hochi Film Award. His next film was Zegen in 1987 based on the real-life story of Iheiji Muraoka who built brothers for the Japanese military. Imamura’s last film of the 80’s the film Black Rain centres around the aftermath of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and its effect on a surviving family. The film was met with mostly positive reviews critics praised the photography and message. The film won several awards. At Japanese Academy Awards in 1990 it won Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Film, Best Lighting, Best Music Score, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress. It won the 1990 Blue Ribbon Award it won Best Actress. At the 1989 Cannes Film Festival it won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Special Mention and Technical Grand Prize. At the Flanders International Film Festival Ghent in 1989 it won Georges Delerue Prize and Golden Spur. At the 1989 Hochi Film Awards it won best actress. At the 1990 Kinema Junpo Awards it won Best Actress, Best Art Direction and Best Film. At the 1990 Mainichi Film Concours it won Best Actress, Best Art Direction and Best Film. At the 1991 Sant Jordi Awards it won Best Foreign Film.
After Black Rain Imamura went on a long break from filmmaking before making The Eel in 1997. Based on the novel On Parole by Akira Yoshimura the film tells the story of a freed man who killed his unfaithful wife in a fit of violent rage and was sentenced to eight years in prison. Afterwards he opens of barber’s shop at looks after a pet eel he got in prison. One day he saves a young woman from committing suicide and offers her his shop. Although their relationship grows its ultimately stopped by Akira’s guilt over his wife’s murder. The film gained positive reviews amongst critics who praised the characters and the emotion. Imamura’s last film of the nineties was 1998’s Dr. Akagi. The film follows a doctor during World War 2 who runs into a conflict with the military whilst trying to combat an epidemic of hepatitis, the film won best score and the 1999 Mainichi film concours. Imamura’s last feature film was Warm Water Under a Red Bridge which was entered into the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. The film is about a salaryman who after being laid off is going through marital stress. When his old friend dies, he travels to a small fishing town and takes a job as a fisherman and becomes romantically involved with a woman interested in female ejaculation. Imamura’s last film director role came with a section of a film called 11’09”01 September 11 in 2002 were 11 different directors made short films surrounding the 9/11 attacks. Imamura’s segment enters around a soldier in 1945 who after returning home from war suffers from ptsd the film uses its setting o reflect the society of a 9/11 world. Imamura died on 30 May 2006, aged 79.
Shohei Imamura is an incredible director that has made masterpiece after masterpiece and is one of the greatest directors ever. All his films are fascinating tale both beautiful and brutal. The films centre around the lower parts of Japanese society shines a light onto the culture in a unique way. His films are both epic in nature whilst also feeling incredibly intermate allowing him the become of the greatest directors ever.
Nobuhiko Obayashi
Nobuhiko Obayashi was a Japanese filmmaker known for his more experimental films as well as more mainstream films later in his career. Obayashi’s film career started in 1977 with the experimental comedy horror film House. The film centres around a schoolgirl traveling with six of her classmates to her aunt’s house where they are killed one by one. Film was born when toho asked Obayashi to develop a film to capitalise on the success of jaws. Obayashi developed a story with his young daughter who came up with ideas for the film based on her own thoughts and nightmares. As well as this Obayashi incorporated themes of the atomic bomb into the film as he was born in Hiroshima and lost all his childhood friends to the bomb. These themes are shown with the female ghost waiting for her lover to return home from war. The woman’s bitterness towards the war turns her into an evil spirit that devours the girls as there live are unaffected form the bombings. The film received negative reviews upon its release with critics saying there wasn’t much to the film. However, over time the film gained more positive reviews with critics praising the bizarre nature of the film.
Obayashi then made The Visitor in the Eye the same year about a tennis student who loses sight in one of her eyes after an accident, the film received mixed reviews. His next film was Furiukeba Ai in 1978. The film is about two people who fall in love on a trip to San Francisco. They fall in love, but the man does not want to get married and decides to leave her when they get back to Tokyo. The film received mixed reviews. After this Obayashi made his first film of the eighties The Aimed School or School in the Crosshairs in 1981. The film centres around a shy middle school girl with psychic powers who with her friends try and stop a new2 student with similar powers from stealing the class election. The film received mixed to positive reviews.
I Are You, You Am Me was a fantasy film made in 1982, which won best film, best screenplay and best newcomer at the 4th Yakama film awards and received mixed to positive reviews. The film centres around a boy and a girl who falls at a temple in a small town on the Japanese coast. Through supernatural means they switch bodies and must adjust to school life as the opposite sex. He then made The Girl Who Leapt Through Time in 1983 based off the 1965 novel of the same name. The film is about a high-school girl who gains the ability to time travel and relives the same day in a time loop. The film was a box office success making 4.76 billion yen and was the second highest Japanese film of 1983. The film received positive reviews praising the lead actress.
He then made Kenya Boy in 1984 his only animated film. The film follows a Japanese kid living with his mum and dad living in Kenya in 1941. They suffer the threat of deportation as their country is on the brink of war with England. After this he made the film The Deserted City in 1983 about a man that reads a newspaper about a fire in Yamagata and recalls the summer he spent there as a student, the film received mixed the positive reviews. Lonely heart was his next film in 1985. The film follows a lonely and love stuck high school student that peruses a high school student as another girl appears in his life. As the love triangle is created, he questions what is and isn’t real. The film gained positive reviews and won 4th best film at the 7th Yokohama Film Festival. He then made Shimaizaka in 1985 about four half-sisters who gain a close bond in post war japan, the film gained mixed to positive reviews. His next film was His Motorbike, Her Island in 1986 about a temperamental young biker who meets a carefree rural girl. After a failed romance and whilst riding through her island hometown she becomes obsessed about riding a motorcycle. The film gained mixed to positive reviews and won awards at the 8th Yokohama Film Festival including best supporting actress, best newcomer and 3rd best film. Bounds for the Fields, the Mountains and the Seacoast was his next film in 1986. The film follows a teenage in pre-world War two japan joins forces with the school bully to save his sister who has been sold to a brothel, the. film gained mixed to positive reviews.
The Drifting Classroom was his next film in 1987 based on the manga of the same name, it follows a school that is mysteriously transported to a post-apocalyptic future, the film gained mixed reviews. The Discarnates was his next film in 1988 about a man meets a couple who resemble his deceased parents, who may be turning him into a zombie. The film gained mixed to positive reviews and won the blue-ribbon awards for best supporting action and actress as well as the hochi film award and Yokohama film festival for best supporting actor. His last film of the eighties was Beijing Watermelon in 1989 about a Tokyo greengrocer that helps chinse students sat the experience of his business and family the film gained mixed to positive reviews. His first film of the nineties was Chizuko’s Younger Sister in 1991. The film follows two sisters the older one a perfect child and the younger one clumsy and ignored. After the older one dies in an accident, she returns as a ghost to guide her little sister.
Samurai Kids was his next film in 1993 about an eight-year-old boy who encounters an ancient samurai warrior who is six inches tall. The film was distributed by Toho and in 1995cthe film was released in the Philippines as My Little Bodyguard. The film gained positive reviews winningExcellence-Silver Award for Japanese Movies in the 11th Golden Gloss Award, and at the Japanese, Academy Awards it won Best Music Score for Joe Hasashi and the Popularity Awards for the Most Popular Film.Turning Point was his next film in 1994. The film follows a middle-aged journalist looking for her big break and after working on the women’s page gets promoted to editorials. Goodbye for Tomorrow was his next film in 1995 the film follows people from all walks of life including a high-school student, a middle-aged businessman and yakuza chief all with receive a mysterious message from there loved one who were killed three months earlier in a shipwreck. They are instructed to go to a small island in that inland sea that evening. At the stroke of midnight, the lost ship emerges. From the sea and they are given a brief time to say their final words to their lost loved ones, before the deceased must once again board the ship and it sinks back into the depths. The film gained mixed the positive reviews. Obayashi’s last film of the nineties was Sada in 1998 based on the true story of Sada Abe. The film was set in 1936 and centred around a geisha and becomes an overnight celebrity after filling and castrating her over. The film gained positive reviews and was entered into the 48th Berlin International Film Festival. Obayashi’s last film of the nineties was I Want to Hear the Wind’s Song in 1998. Based on a true story the film centres on a hearing-impaired couple and participate in a triathlon as the wife awaits childbirth.
Obayashi then made The Last Snow in 2002. Based on a popular song the film follows a middle-aged man whose wife leaves him and as he is contemplating suicide, he gets a phone call from his old friend whose wife is in a coma. The film gained mixed reviews. The Reason was his next film in 2004 about four people who a murdered in an apartment block which seen unconnected. The film received mixed to positive reviews. Obayashi then started in his anti-war trilogy starting with Casting Blossoms to the Sky in 2012.The film centres around a journalist who reports the aftermath of an earthquake. During her visit she is approached by her ex-boyfriend who tries. To convince her to be the star in a play that takes place in the city during World War two. The film gained mixed to positive reviews. The next part of the anti-war trilogy was Seven Weeks in 2014. The film centres around a funeral were the family meet to discuss the person death. Most of the film is told in flashbacks to the person youth and covers the history of the town they grew up in in the 1930s covering different stores and characters from different decades. The film gained mixed to positive reviews. The last part of the anti-war trilogy was Hanagatami based on a 1937 novel. The film is set in 1941 and follows a sixteen-year-old who leaves Amsterdam to attend a school in Karatsu a small town in western japan were his aunt takes care of his ill cousin. Getting immersed in the seaside culture he boyfriends the towns seaside people as they all become concerned about the war. The film received critical acclaim and gained several awards. Critics praised the visuals, direction, editing, anti-war message and personal feeling. Obayashi’s final film was Labyrinth of Cinema in 2019. The film follows three present day moviegoers in Onomichi who are transported back to 1945 just before the atomic bomb. Obayashi made the film whilst receiving treatment for his cancer. The film received positive reviews with critics calling it his magnum opus praising the cinematography and editing as well as his blend of surrealism and emotion. Nobuhiko Obayashi died of lung cancer in 2020 at the age of 82.
Nobuhiko Obayashi was a one-of-a-kind genius. His films are surreal, experimental and crazy in nature incorporating unique filmmaking techniques unlike any other. But more than insanity what makes his films work is both the depth and themes of issues such as war prevalent throughout his work as well as his ability to create beautiful personal initiate moments amongst all the insanity, making him one of my favourite filmmakers.
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