Ten filmmakers everyone should be thankful for

Drew Barrymore at the LA Premiere of "Everybody's
Fine":  AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

In the spirit of the holidays, it seems appropriate to give thanks for the filmmakers that have touched so many lives with their work. So without wasting any more time, here are ten filmmakers everyone should be thankful for. This list is by no means complete, so feel free to leave a comment or shoot an email to tucsonfilmexaminer@gmail.com.

10. Charlie Kaufman
After crafting the brilliant screenplays for Being John Malkovich, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Adaptation, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Kaufman finally stepped behind the camera as well to direct the utterly mind-boggling Synecdoche, N.Y. This film is so rich and complex, maybe like Ulysses by James Joyce, that after four viewings, new levels of understanding are still happening in every scene. Thank you so much Charlie for providing a true challenge that requires almost as much of the viewer as it does of the filmmakers to fully appreciate your work and a tireless dedication to your craft.

9. Drew Barrymore
One of the true champions of independent filmmakers, and female filmmakers, Drew Barrymore has risen from Hollywood starlet to one of the most important female filmmakers in the business. Her acting profile is long, some good, some great, some not so much. But it is what she has done with her success that should be inspiring. Her supporting role in one of this decade’s most important films, Donnie Darko by Richard Kelly, was superb, but it was her behind the scenes support and flag waving for this film that helped allow the cult classic to come to be. Her most recent effort, Whip It, is almost a perfect film in what it attempts, which is to tell a story about women instead of the same diatribe on male existence that seems to endlessly flow from Hollywood. Thank you Drew for allowing this writer to understand the female existence in a much deeper way.

Werner Herzog and Nic Cage pose for this portrait at
the 34th Toronto International Film Festival:  AP
Photo/Carlo Allegri

8. Paul Greengrass
The action, spy-thriller was in essence redefined by the masterful work of Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass in The Bourne films. Taking nothing away from Doug Liman, as he directed the first in the series, Greengrass brought an intelligence and depth to the genre that stepped beyond those constraints to create truly great films, not just great thrillers. His experience as a documentary filmmaker allowed him to shoot in places most filmmakers would simply not ever attempt, think the scene in The Bourne Ultimatum in London’s insanely busy Waterloo train station, which was not shut down for filming. Thank you Paul for the exciting, intelligent, and fascinating style you have injected into the film industry.

7. Kevin Smith
All everyone talks about in the world of naughty, raunchy, adult themed comedy is Judd Apatow. As great as Apatow has been for comedy films, Kevin Smith was doing it before anyone else really dared. He took the art of swearing and having frank conversations about sex to a new level, while weaving intelligent heartfelt narratives that were the true star of his films. Chasing Amy remains one of the five best films ever, period. This space is very excited for his upcoming films, one tentatively titled A Couple of Dicks with Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan, and his collaboration with Mitch Albom on the hockey film, Hit Somebody. Good on you Kevin for bringing a world so many recognize to the big screen as an alternative to campy, unimaginative, and tired cinematic recipes. Thank you very much sir.

6. Jane Campion
Most well known for her Oscar winning film The Piano, starring Holly Hunter and Harvey Keitel, Campion has become one of the most important female figures in the film industry. Her tireless work to promote female filmmakers is terribly important, as current figures according to the arts charity Birds Eye View show females make up only 6% of film directors. At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Campion was fighting again to help women break through the web of old men that currently control the film industry, while releasing her superbly crafted film about poet John Keats and his love affair with Fanny Brawne titled Bright Star. Thank you so much Jane for helping to inspire and promote the important voices of females in the unfortunately male dominated film business.

Christopher Plummer and Terry Gilliam at "The
Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" Premiere in LA:  AP
Photo/Chris Pizzello

5. Werner Herzog
The mad cap genius, arrogant codger, or passionate artist depending on who you ask, Werner Herzog is undeniably one of the most important filmmakers of all time. He redefined the auteur theory of cinema, which places creative control of a movie solely in the hands of the director, while inspiring enough in the industry to make films for nearly fifty years on every continent of the globe. His legendary reputation was originally made for his ability to be the only director who could work with the great German actor Klaus Kinski, probably best known for their work on Aguirre, Wrath of God. More recently, Herzog revolutionized the nature documentary with Grizzly Man, and his ground breaking photography in Encounters at the End of the World. His reboot, yet reimagining of Abel Ferrera’s classic Bad Lieutenant starring Harvey Keitel, The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is opening this weekend. Thank you Werner for your tireless commitment to film as an art form, and for leading the way for filmmakers who will not settle for mediocrity.

4. Terry Gilliam
People toss the word maverick around fairly easily, but Terry Gilliam is a true maverick, working on his own terms within the Hollywood system while maintaining his unique voice and cinematic style. His story can best be seen in the book The Battle of Brazil, which was written about his struggles to maintain creative control of the dystopian futuristic classic Brazil. His greatest films include Time Bandits, Twelve Monkeys, and the psychedelic, thought to be unfilmable book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Gilliam’s new film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, starred Heath Ledger until his unfortunate death, at which point the production looked lost until Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law stepped in to finish the film as different incarnations of the main character Tony. Thank you so much Terry for your unabashed visionary style, and your unwillingness to bend your creative vision to the power of the studios.
 

Quentin Tarantino and Brad Pitt at a press event in
Tokyo for a screening of Inglorious Basterds:  AP
Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi

3.  Vince Vaughn
No, this is not a misprint. In the last twenty years, no comedic personality has done more for independent film and as of yet known comics hoping for a big break. And it is always a struggle to find someone who has not been put into fits of laughter by Vaughn. This power began as he and constant collaborator Jon Favreau brought cult classic Swingers to the big screen during the last great era of independent film in the mid to late 1990s. The film that was most important though for this writer was oft forgotten Made, which featured Favreau and Vaughn, along with Peter Falk, Famke Janssen, Faizon Love, and Sean Combs. Of more recent importance though seems to be the film that makes people succumb to laughter again and again, the outrageously good Wedding Crashers. His contributions to the development of young talent in comedy are what put him so high on this list. The most well known is the comedy tour that was done with four relatively unknown comics called Vince Vaughn’ s Wild West Comedy Show, 30 Days and 30 Nights. The heart of Vaughn somehow seemed to grow with this endeavor, if that’s even possible. Thank you very much Vince for your tireless commitment to new talent and for always providing your audiences with wild laughter.

2. Quentin Tarantino
Back in the mid 1990s, films were really starting to take hold of this writer’s life, and usually it was the films of Quentin Tarantino that were responsible. His early turns as a screenwriter were great, True Romance and Natural Born Killers, but is was his directorial turns in Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction that pushed this writer on the current path. Tarantino brought a cool and attention to narrative detail that went far beyond anything else that was out there. Moreover, he changed the idea of how a narrative could be told, moving into a more non linear method of storytelling that was a staple in the classic literary world. Tarantino has certainly had filmmaking moments that would not be considered greatness, see Jackie Brown, which was good, just not as good as it should have been with its all star cast. But with his most recent work on Inglorious Basterds, Tarantino reminded everyone why he is one of the truly genius filmmakers of the modern era weaving a trying tale of the heroic actions of an all Jewish hit squad fighting against the Fascist Nazi power structure. Thank you Quentin for always trying to make entertaining movies, and thank you for all of your efforts to remember and pay homage to the great films and filmmakers of the past.

1. Stanley Kubrick
The most simple and succinct way to put this is when you ask great filmmakers who the best filmmaker ever was or is, 99 times out of 100, the name they will utter is Stanley Kubrick. He simply reinvented the art form time and time again, always pushing the limits both in subject matter and technically with the tools of his craft. To thank Kubrick for all he has done would take more space than is available here, but probably his most important contribution was his unwavering vision and his relentless desire to carry it out his way or not at all. Films like Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and A Clockwork Orange cemented his place in history as the most daring and powerful filmmaking force to ever stand behind the cameras. To gain a deeper understanding of Kubrick, it is highly recommended that you watch the documentary about him that was released with the new remastered box set of his films called Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures. It will really deepen your understanding and passion for his work. Thank you Stanley so very much for inspiring so many to become filmmakers and thank you for always staying true to yourself and showing the way for other filmmakers to do the same.