best directed films

[kickureface]

i don't know much about directing, but iwould like to see some good directed films to see what it's all about, instead of the gunk that usually comes out in theatres.

 

[Aboleo]

"No Country for Old Men" directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen. Best movie I've seen in the last five years hands down. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBqmKSAHc6w


"Le Samouraï" directed by Jean-Pierre Melville is a great example. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joZRgs4Df1A&feature=related

"Into the Wild" directed by Sean Penn was a great film as well, if you're looking for something a bit newer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LAuzT_x8Ek

"The Fountain" directed by Darren Aronofsky is a really good movie, and a great example of lighting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IP_Rjx4wVY

I'll try to post more later... out of time for now.

 

[KarmaSutra]

As a film Director, the movies which have shaped the way I view scene cognition and continuity are:

Pulp Fiction - Quentin Tarantino

The Apartment - Billy Wilder

The Wild Bunch - Sam Peckinpah

Blade Runner - Ridley Scott

Aliens - James Cameron

Apocalypse Now - Francis Ford Coppola

Kagemusha / Ran - Akira Kurosawa

The Color of Money - Martin Scorsese

These are but a handful which I go back to if I'm having difficulty setting up a shot. Each of these films have an acute sense of awareness within each shot. Look specifically at the correlation of scope and breadth these Directors flex with thier eye.

 

[KontrollerX]

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
House of Flying Daggers
The Thing remake starring Kurt Russel
Terminator 2
Alien
28 Days Later
A Clockwork Orange
The Shining
The Patriot (Mel Gibson movie not that Steve Segal piece of fvcking garbage film)
From Dusk Till Dawn
Kill Bill volume 1&2
The Untouchables
Lethal Weapon 4

 

[Señor Fingers]

Three Ninjas
Jaws 4
The Mask 2
Cool as Ice (starring Vanilla Ice)
Police Academy 6
Anything by Steven Segal

 

[Paper Man]

Cidade de Deus (aka City of God).

 

[Deep Dish]

One most people would think of, but Casino Royale definitely. That films damn near perfect, and that of course extends to the direction. The film is well paced, and manages to keep potentially boring poker scenes interesting. The action is filmed well too, none of this shaky camera rubbish that ruins a good action/fight scene. There's other reasons too, but yeah, Casino Royale is pretty damn well directed.

Which one? The original with Orson Wells and Peter Sellers, or the recent remake?

As for myself, the best directed films include Paul T Anderson's Magnolia, David Fincher's Se7en and Zodiac, Quinten Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, David Lynch's Mulholland Drive and Lost Highway, and Bryan Singer's The Usual Suspects.

 

[kickureface]

what exactly is good directing and cinemetography

 

[KarmaSutra]

what exactly is good directing and cinemetography

They're completely different cogs in the same machine. The Cinematographer is responsible for the lighting aspect and the framing of a particular shot.

The Director's main responsibility is to get the best performance out of his actors. Only the best of Directors can tap into that part of his actors' psyche in order to get the performance the scene dictates.

Probably the best book on Directing films is from David Mamet as he really believes in Eisensteins Theory of Montage. Film school material aside, it's what I keep with me in my bag and what I reference more than anything else.

Also, I'll throw in David Fincher's Se7en and Brian Singers' The Usual Suspects as must watch films.