George Miller Movies Ranked
Over the last few months, I marathoned and wrote about every Tony Scott movie (culminating in a post just like this one – Tony Scott Movies Ranked), but somewhat more quietly, I’ve been running through the filmography of Australian director George Miller. This was primarily in an effort to keep up with the podcast Blank […]
Darren Aronofsky Movies
A formerly regular column returns this week with some thoughts on the career and films of a personal favorite filmmaker. Darren Aronofsky’s absence from the cineplexes since the real social media boon means he isn’t mentioned as often among contemporaries like Wes Anderson, PT Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, and others, but anyone who’s paying attention knows […]
Alexander Payne Movies
“Call Alexander Payne movies slight if you must, but the man has an uncanny knack for tackling the human condition with complexity and honesty, levity and sadness.” That’s how I opened my review of The Descendants almost two years ago to the day I’m writing this, and my opinion of Payne’s movies hasn’t changed a […]
Zack Snyder Movies
One of the easiest ways to elicit groans out of a cinephile is to bring up director Zack Snyder’s name in a non-pejorative way. The guy is synonymous with mindless action movies in a way that would make Michael Bay jealous. Zack Snyder movies are big, loud, and unapologetic. They’re poorly written masterpieces of visual […]
Alex Gibney Movies
Directors like Woody Allen and Steven Soderbergh are rightfully praised for their seemingly innate ability to churn out films at such a rapid pace. But neither of these men have anything on documentarian Alex Gibney. Some will chide the fact that Gibney seems to perpetually have a film in theaters. This year, he brought us […]
Wes Anderson Movies
Wes Anderson is one of the few directors whose name has become an acceptable adjective to describe his own movies. And there’s a good reason for that. Wes Anderson movies are stylistically and tonally identifiable in ways almost no other working director’s movies are. Wes Anderson movies have experienced a rejuvenation of sorts recently with […]
Alfonso Cuaron Movies
Alfonso Cuaron movies are incredibly, delightfully varied. If not for his recent bend toward science-fiction (even of the two visions of the future in question couldn’t be less similar), we might be labeling Cuaron a possible heir apparent to the auteur-theory-destroying throne of Steven Soderbergh. Of course, like Steven Soderbergh movies, those of Alfonso Cuaron […]
Ron Howard Movies
Ron Howard movies are often the source of jokes and derision aimed at their soft, gooey centers, but like cookies, I’ll take my Ron Howard movies as soft and gooey as possible without all the softness and gooeyness causing them to fall apart and make a mess. Ron Howard, of course, was a famous child […]
Steven Soderbergh Movies
My post on Steven Soderbergh movies is the first Director Spotlight I’ve done of filmmaker who’s no longer actively making movies, but with Soderbergh’s retirement so new and so odd (at least to me), it doesn’t yet feel like he’s gone away. Steven Soderbergh started making movies around the same time the Coen Brothers did, […]
JJ Abrams Movies
I think I’ve probably railed against JJ Abrams movies around these parts more than those of any other director, and that’s probably unfair. JJ Abrams has a flair for a very specific type of entertainment, and it’s one that I’ve simply grown out of favor with over the years. “Too slick for its own good” […]
Lynn Shelton Movies
Lynn Shelton movies? Consider me a late convert. I’m one of the few I know who wasn’t swooning over Lynn Shelton’s Your Sister’s Sister when it hit theaters in the summer of 2012. You can read more of my thoughts regarding that film below (and here), but it had completely shaped my opinion of Lynn […]
Michael Bay Movies
Michael Bay movies take a lot of grief, and for good reason. A lot of Michael Bay movies are genuinely awful. The Transformers thing is something I’ll never fully grasp (I’ve tried three times), and you’ll see Michael Bay movies falter, too, the more their fearless leader tries to blend often juvenile humor with intense […]
Lee Daniels Movies
Lee Daniels movies…yeesh, where do you begin discussing Lee Daniels movies? A lot of people don’t have many good things to say about Lee Daniels movies; even Lee Daniels’ best movie—Precious—has some pretty passionate detractors. I think Lee Daniels movies (including Precious) have a lot of problems, but there’s plenty of good among the bad, […]
Jeff Nichols Movies
Jeff Nichols movies are almost synonymous with the American South, and while they’re few in number, Jeff Nichols movies have made an indelible mark on the independent film world over the past half-decade or so. At just 34 years of age, Jeff Nichols has accomplished a ton. He’s opened films at Sundance, Viennale, and Cannes […]
Christopher Nolan Movies
Christopher Nolan movies carry a mark that’s easy to spot from a mile away. Forget if you can the almost overwhelming hype that, like clockwork, accompanies each and every Christopher Nolan movie (or at least every film of his since The Dark Knight), Christopher Nolan movies also feature labyrinthine stories, blaring scores, and Michael Caine. […]
Woody Allen Movies
Woody Allen movies, perhaps more so than those of any other director working today, are easily identifiable. And that isn’t to say Woody Allen movies repeat themselves. On the contrary, though there has been a Woody Allen movie almost every year since the early 1970s, he’s explored themes as wide-ranging as falling in love, falling […]
