The Far Side of Paradise

If you are wondering what this is, please Read Introduction

These are the directors who fall short of the Pantheon either because of a fragmentation of their personal vision or because of disruptive career problems. (Notable films in Italics).

Aldrich, Robert (1918 -1983)

(Previous Ranking: The Far Side of Paradise. What Sarris said: "Aldrich's direction of his players generally creates a subtle frenzy on the screen, and his visual style suggests and unstable world full of awkward angles and harsh transitions.")

Aldrich never changed, and that is a good thing. His muscular and weird films of the 50s and 60s gave way to his muscular and weird anti-authoritarian 70s films, which were quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) subversive but still able to score at the box office more than once. The Longest Yard remains the first or second greatest sports film, and the terrible remake, which completely misses the transgressive nature of the original, offers evidence of Aldrich's seamless and no bullshit approach.

Too Late the Hero 1970, The Grissom Gang 1971, Ulzana's Raid 1972, Emperor of the North 1973, The Longest Yard 1974, Hustle 1975, The Choirboys 1977, Twilight's Last Gleaming 1977, The Frisco Kid 1979, ...All the Marbles 1981.

Altman, Robert (1925 - 2006)

Before beginning this project, I thought surely Altman would wind up in the pantheon, then a closer look at the films and especially the filmography, and I feel this is where he lands, especially when one strictly uses Sarris' definition for the category. Even revisiting his breakthrough, He didn't make a truly satisfying film after A Wedding, after all, and don't at me about the overrated The Player, a miscast exercise in sour grapes. His breakthrough, MASH, strikes me more as a heavily misogynist and only intermittently funny product of its time. However, his McCabe through Wedding run was like nothing else on the screen at the time (though there are those still trying – only PTA has come close).

M*A*S*H 1970, McCabe and Mrs. Miller 1970, Images 1971, The Long Goodbye 1972, California Split 1973, Thieves Like Us 1974, Nashville 1974, Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson 1975, 3 Women 1976, A Wedding 1977, A Perfect Couple 1978, Quintet 1979, Health 1979, Popeye 1980, Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean 1980, Streamers 1982, Secret Honor 1983, Fool for Love 1984, Beyond Therapy 1985, O.C. and Stiggs 1987, Vincent & Theo1987, The Player 1990, Short Cuts 1992, Kansas City 1993, The Gingerbread Man 1996, Dr. T & the Women 1998, Gosford Park 2000, The Company 2001, A Prairie Home Companion 2003.

Ashby, Hal (1929 - 1988)

As with Altman, Ritchie and Bogdanovich tremendous run in the 70s followed by a pretty precipitous decline will not, unfortunately, land you in the Pantheon. Additionally, it doesn't help to here the stories about his relative indifference to having certain projects taken over by stronger personalities (e.g. Shampoo). But we must be grateful for that run, and the influence he had on the next generation (in particular Alexander Payne).

Landlord 1970, Harold and Maude 1971, The Last Detail 1973, Shampoo 1975, Bound for Glory 1976, Coming Home 1978, Being There 1979, Second-Hand Hearts 1981, Let's Spend the Night Together 1982, Lookin' to Get Out 1982, The Slugger's Wife 1985, 8 Million Ways to Die 1986.

Bigelow, Kathryn (1951 - )

It is probably too late, after Oscars and Netflix dollars and everything, but I hope she goes back to the weird glories of her first four films, utterly unique personal visions about violence, community and toxic/not-toxic masculinity.

Near Dark 1987, Blue Steel 1990, Point Break 1991, Strange Days 1995, K-19: The Widowmaker 2002, The Hurt Locker 2009, Zero Dark Thirty 2012, Detroit 2017, A House of Dynamite 2025.

Bogdanovich, Peter (1939 - 2022)

His life was like an astonishing American novel, wasn't it? The early, Sammy Glick-like striver, the film geek willing himself into a plum writing job with MOMA. The entre into the film industry via Roger Corman. The incredible early successes, followed by the Hubris, fallowed by the fall. The true love, and the horrendous tragedy. As to his place in American history this feels right, as he didn't make a truly satisfying film after They All Laughed, but had several notable tries (especially the underrated Cat's Meow). One can say anything about the odd twists and turns of the man's life, but one cannot deny The Last Picture Show as one of the most emotionally true works of art of the modern cinema.

The Last Picture Show 1971, What's Up, Doc? 1972, Paper Moon 1973, Daisy Miller 1974, At Long Last Love 1975, Nickelodeon 1976, Saint Jack 1979, They All Laughed 1981, Mask 1985, Illegally Yours 1988 Texasville 1990, Noises Off 1992, The Thing Called Love 1993, To Sir, with Love II 1996, The Cat's Meow 2001, She's Funny That Way 2015.

Boorman, John (1933 - )

(Previous Ranking: Oddities, One-Shots and Newcomers. What Sarris said: "Even if Point Blank should turn out to be a one-shot for its director, it would deserve lasting admiration for treading over the slick surfaces of evil with the squeaky shoes of morality.")

John Boorman, first and foremost, was an artist. The films that were successful at the box office (Deliverance, Emerald Forest, Excalibur, Hope and Glory) were never made with audience concession in mind, but in an unshakable belief in the material and his singular ability to make it his own. The films that were not "successful" are more interesting still. He did not attach himself to the Exorcist sequel to hit the big time, but to make a corrective to the original, which he hated. And they hated him for it.

Leo the Last 1970, Deliverance 1972, Zardoz 1974, Exorcist II: The Heretic 1977, Excalibur 1981, The Emerald Forest 1985, Hope and Glory 1987, Where the Heart Is 1990, Beyond Rangoon 1995, The General 1998, The Tailor of Panama 2001, The Tiger's Tail 2006, Queen and Country 2014.

Brooks, Albert (1947 - )

I would classify Brooks in the same category with Elaine May. They both started out as boundary-stretching comic performers. He has not so much a style as an anti-style. The comedy isn't funny ha ha, and the characters are largely punchable. That being said, I will take his first three films played on a loop in the film festival in my mind. He seems to have largely turned to supporting acting, I hope he can get another cringe-worthy classic in before the end.

Real Life 1979, Modern Romance 1981, Lost in America 1985, Defending Your Life 1991, Mother 1996, The Muse 1999.

Brooks, James L. (1940 - )

He shares with his namesake and frequent collaborator Albert a style/non-style, but unlike Albert actually loves his characters. It is as if, borrowing from his iconic television breakthrough, he believes "they are gonna make it after all." Whereas with Albert it is more "they actually think they are going to make it, don't they?"

Terms of Endearment 1983, Broadcast News 1987, I'll Do Anything 1994, As Good as It Gets 1997, Spanglish 2004, How Do You Know 2010, Ella Macay 2025.

Burnett, Charles (1944 - )

A phenomenal talent and who has persevered with almost literally no help from the industry. Perpetually on the outside looking in, but he shouldn't care, because he made Killer of Sheep, and everyone who is anyone knows that fact.

Killer of Sheep 1978, My Brother's Wedding 1983, To Sleep with Anger 1990, The Glass Shield 1995, The Annihilation of Fish 1999.

Campion, Jane (1954 - )

Her impact on the American cinema has been immense, if sporadic. It is fascinating to note that while she is largely regarded as a "feminist" director, she has come under intense scrutiny from feminists. The ambiguity in this regard in Holy Smoke, for example, makes it, to me, her most satisfying film.

Sweetie 1989, An Angel at My Table 1990, The Piano 1993, The Portrait of a Lady 1996, Holy Smoke 1999, In the Cut 2003, Bright Star 2009, Power of the Dog 2021.

Carpenter, John (1948 - )

He seems to have retired to a life of pot-smoking, video games and shit posting (with a little bit of highly profitable musical performances of his fantastic scores), and he has earned it. It does seem as though the fall off of quality of his films after In the Mouth of Madness is at least partially due to a bitterness that he is not adequately recognized in is own country (his oft quote "they love me in France but hate me in my own country" is a pretty wild exaggeration) or has not been adequately rewarded by big-budget Hollywood. But that run until 1995 is undeniable with very little filler to speak of. While the filmography is filled with misanthropy, misogyny and nihilism, Starman remains a lovely reminder that he had a spiky Spielbergian streak, not that he would probably care to admit it.

Dark Star 1974, Assault on Precinct 13 1976, Halloween 1978, The Fog 1980, Escape from New York 1981, The Thing 1982, Christine 1983, Starman 1984, Big Trouble in Little China 1986, Prince of Darkness 1987, They Live 1988, Memoirs of an Invisible Man 1992, In the Mouth of Madness 1995, Village of the Damned 1995, Escape from L.A. 1996, Vampires 1998, Ghosts of Mars 2001, The Ward 2010.

Cimino, Michael (1939 - 2016)

Did Heaven's Gate "ruin" Michael Cimino? Well, it didn't help. But as with every tale of Hollywood disaster there was blame to go around. Apparently there were projects constantly being discussed and getting close to fruition, but the lack of quality output after his neglected masterpiece indicates there was at least some element of self-destruction involved. Evidence indicates he could only be brilliant when given piles of cash and plenty of time, but the example of the wonderful Thunderbolt and Lightfoot indicates he was capable of a snappy genre exercise. I suppose Desperate Hours was an attempt at one, but it is a pretty dire watch, despite some brilliant Cimino compositions.

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot 1974, The Deer Hunter 1978, Heaven's Gate 1980, Year of the Dragon 1985, The Sicilian 1987, Desperate Hours 1990, The Sunchaser 1996.

Coppola, Sofia (1971 - )

She has been criticized for only making films about spoiled rich girls. First of all, not accurate (In Somewhere it is a spoiled rich boy, in The Beguiled there are a bunch of girls, but they aren't exactly spoiled) but so what? When you realize how much the Kardashians and their ilk have essentially co-opted culture to their evil ends, there is a critique going on here. Oh, and also, some absolutely lovely filmmaking.

The Virgin Suicides 1999, Lost in Translation 2003, Marie Antoinette 2006, Somewhere 2010, The Bling Ring 2013, The Beguiled 2017. On the Rocks 2020, Priscilla 2023.

Dante, Joe (1946 - )

He made. arguably, the best sequel ever (Gremlins 2), the best werewolf movie (The Howling), the best "film about film" (Matinee) and the best animated feature (Small Soldiers). Oh, and while it doesn't count in this exercise, he also made, arguably, made the greatest t.v. movie (The Second Civil War). And yet he still seems underrated and underfinanced. He also gave the world of cinephiles The Movie Orgy and Trailers from Hell. Total mensch.

Hollywood Boulevard (co-directed) 1976, Piranha 1978, The Howling 1981, Gremlins 1984, Explorers 1985, Innerspace 1987, The 'Burbs 1989, Gremlins 2: The New Batch 1990, Matinee 1993, Small Soldiers 1998, Looney Tunes: Back in Action 2003, The Hole 2009, The Movie Orgy 2009, Burying the Ex 2014.

Demme, Jonathan (1944 - 2017)

I find the widely lauded direct-address-of-the-camera style to be more annoying than revolutionary, especially in the overrated Silence of the Lambs. I believe he lost his way after Something Wild, when the cash and the Oscars started to flow. It is a shame we will not get the director's cut of Swing Shift, because even the butchered version showed Demme's humanism on full display. Rachel Getting Married seemed to be a return to it, but, alas, his time ran out.

Caged Heat 1974, Crazy Mama 1975, Fighting Mad 1976, Citizens Band 1977, Last Embrace 1979, Melvin and Howard 1980, Stop Making Sense 1984, Swing Shift 1984, Something Wild 1986, Swimming to Cambodia 1987, Married to the Mob 1988, The Silence of the Lambs 1991, Philadelphia 1993, Beloved 1998, The Truth About Charlie 2002, The Manchurian Candidate 2004, Rachel Getting Married 2008

Eastwood, Clint (1930 - )

I struggled with this one, to be honest. Eastwood is a no-doubt authentic auteur with an instantly recognizable style and personality (best summed up with the two words "no nonsense."). But he just didn't pass the "worst film by auteur better than best film by non-auteur" test for me. In fact, I find Breezy, The Rookie, Changeling and Jersey Boys, among others, to be authentically bad. Others may disagree. What we can agree on is no one has meditated as masterfully on his own actor/director person as him, culminating in the exquisite Gran Torino.

Play Misty for Me 1971, Breezy 1973, High Plains Drifter 1973, The Eiger Sanction 1975, The Outlaw Josey Wales 1976, The Gauntlet 1977, Bronco Billy 1980, Firefox 1982, Honkytonk Man 1982, Sudden Impact 1983, Pale Rider 1985, Heartbreak Ridge 1986, Bird 1988, The Rookie 1990, White Hunter Black Heart 1990, Unforgiven 1992, A Perfect World 1993, The Bridges of Madison County 1995, Absolute Power 1997, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil 1997, True Crime 1999, Space Cowboys 2000, Blood Work 2002, Mystic River 2003, Million Dollar Baby 2004, Flags of Our Fathers 2006, Letters from Iwo Jima 2006, Changeling 2008, Gran Torino 2008, Invictus 2009, Hereafter 2010, J. Edgar 2011, American Sniper 2014, Jersey Boys 2014, Sully 2016, The 15:17 to Paris 2018, The Mule 2018, Richard Jewell 2019, Cry Macho 2021, Juror #2 2024.

Edwards, Blake (1922 - 2010)

(Previous Ranking: The Far Side of Paradise. What Sarris said: "The world he celebrates is cold, heartless, and inhuman, but the people in it manage to preserve a marginal integrity and individuality.")

It is often thought Edwards went on a downward spiral late in his career, making lame sitcom-ish comedies with t.v. actors. Upon revisit, I find Blind Date, Sunset and especially That's Life to be of a career piece, autobiographical, elegiac, sad but, as if he couldn't help himself, often hysterically funny.

Darling Lili 1970, Wild Rovers 1971, The Carey Treatment 1972, The Tamarind Seed 1974, The Pink Panther Strikes Again 1976, Revenge of the Pink Panther 1978, 10 1979, S.O.B. 1981, Victor Victoria 1982, The Man Who Loved Women 1983, Micki and Maude 1984, A Fine Mess 1986, That's Life! 1986, Blind Date 1987, Justin Case 1988, Sunset 1988, Skin Deep 1989, Switch 1991, Son of the Pink Panther 1993.

Fosse, Bob (1927 - 1987)

Sarris was an admirer with a dose of skepticism, stating (I paraphrase) "talent is the next best thing to genius." There is really nothing like his two masterpieces, though, is there?

Sweet Charity 1969, Cabaret 1972, Lenny 1974, All That Jazz 1979, Star 80 1983.

Frankenheimer, John (1930 - 2002)

(Previous ranking: Strained Seriousness. What Sarris said: "A director of parts at the expense of the whole, Frankenheimer betrays his television origins by pumping synthetic technique into penultimate scenes as if he had to grab the audience before the commercial break.")

He kicked ass as late as 1998 (Ronin strikes me as an absolute classic, growing in stature upon every watch, and Reindeer Games has its moments). It is a wildly inconsistent filmography post-Sarris, and there is often more show than go, but The French Connection is one of the few truly great sequels, The Changeling one of the few truly terrifying horror films, and Black Sunday shows such an effortless ability with the action-blockbuster form that we forget that such films were once being released every couple of weeks back then.

I Walk the Line 1970, The Horsemen 1971, The Iceman Cometh 1973, 99 and 44/100% Dead 1974, French Connection II 1975, Black Sunday 1977, Prophecy 1979, The Changeling 1982, The Holcroft Covenant 1985, 52 Pick-Up 1986, Dead Bang 1989, The Fourth War 1990, Year of the Gun 1991, The Island of Dr. Moreau 1996, Ronin 1998, Reindeer Games 2000.

Hanson, Curtis (1945 - 2016)

Fascinating career. From some fairly seedy Corman-esque early features (Sweet Kill with Tab Hunter as an impotent serial killer, for instance, is really something to behold), to pseudonymity, to suddenly hitting box office respectability with genre potboilers, to helming one of the great American movies of the 90’s (Confidential). It would be interesting to know what, specifically, was the turning point, but perseverance and talent led to Oscar nominations and big budget respectability.

Sweet Kill 1973, Losin' It 1983, Evil Town (as Edward Collins) 1985, The Bedroom Window 1987, Bad Influence 1990, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle 1992, The River Wild 1994, L.A. Confidential 1997, Wonder Boys 2000, 8 Mile 2002, In Her Shoes 2005, Lucky You 2007.

Hartley, Hal (1959 - )

There is no one like Hartley, who continues to seek out funding to make more movies. Where to Land, his deeply auto-biographical "comeback," seems to have finally emerged despite Covid delays and the inevitable funding and re-funding that seems to have littered what was once a great and resolutely independent career.

The Unbelievable Truth 1989, Trust 1990, Simple Men 1992, Amateur 1994, Flirt 1995, Henry Fool 1997, Fay Grim 2006, Meanwhile 2011, Ned Rifle 2014, Where to Land 2025.

Haynes, Todd (1961 - )

What makes Haynes' referential works superior to Tarantino's is while Tarantino's homages often come across as parlor tricks, Haynes' are more reflective. Far From Heaven is an homage to Sirk, certainly, but also a meditation on what is was like to be a woman, a black, a closeted gay in the age of Sirk. As much a theoretician as a director, he has nonetheless shown the ability to make a straight forward film that dazzles the eye and tears at the heart. If he happens to be doing so in ways that seem to place quotation marks around the frame, so be it.

Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story 1987, Poison 1991, Safe 1995, Velvet Goldmine 1998, Far from Heaven 2002, I'm Not There 2007, Carol 2015, Wonderstruck 2017, Dark Waters 2019, May/December 2024.

Hill, Walter (1942 - )

The run between his debut and to Streets of Fire is Pantheon-level, for sure, but things drop off pretty precipitously. He kept working, but the inspiration seemed to elude him. Like his brother in gruff, John Milius, he may have simply been too mean for the Clinton years.

Hard Times 1975, The Driver 1978, The Warriors 1979, The Long Riders 1980, Southern Comfort 1981, 48 Hrs. 1982, Streets of Fire 1984, Brewster's Millions 1985, Crossroads 1986, Extreme Prejudice 1987, Red Heat 1988, Johnny Handsome 1989, Another 48 Hrs. 1990, Trespass 1992, Geronimo: An American Legend 1993, Wild Bill 1995, Last Man Standing 1996, Supernova 2000, Undisputed 2002, Bullet to the Head 2013.

Holofcener, Nicole (1960 - )

Her side-hustle of script polishes (most famously for The Last Duel) is clearly paying off, but we need more Holofcener-helmed films. She has an incredible hit rate.

Walking and Talking 1996, Lovely & Amazing 2001, Friends with Money 2006, Please Give 2010, Enough Said 2013, The Land of Steady Habits 2018, You Hurt My Feelings 2023.

Huston, John (1906 - 1987)

(Previous Ranking: Less Than Meets the Eye. What Sarris said: "As a stylist, Huston has always overloaded the physical with the moral. He never cared for that sissy stuff in drawing rooms where people try to communicate with each other through dialogue. Indeed, Huston's intimate scenes are offten staged as if he ere playing croquet with a sledgehammer.")

Has there ever been anything like Huston’s career resurrection of the 70’s and 80’s? I can’t think of anything. Always overpraised due to his literary rather than cinematic inclinations (Sarris had him nailed in this regard), he hit rock bottom in the mid sixties with frankly awful films like Night of the Iguana. And then? Voila. Several works which could arguably be regarded as the best American films of their given year. Even the misbegotten cash grab Annie and the Sly Stallone soccer movie have their moments. Huston always seemed to portray himself as bigger than his pictures, and perhaps the advancing years humbled him, I dunno. There still wasn't a lot of sissy stuff, but the wry take on the manly virtues and genuine despairing for the human condition spoke volumes. Auteurism speaks a lot about personality, but Huston putting his well behind the material did wonders. King Shit.

Kremlin Letter 1970, Fat City 1972, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean 1972, The Mackintosh Man 1973, The Man Who Would Be King 1975, Wise Blood 1979, Escape to Victory 1981 Annie 1982, Under the Volcano 1984, Prizzi’s Honor 1985, The Dead 1987.

Kaufman, Philip (1936 - )

Another whose early career string of never-less-than-interesting and often inspired films, topped by The Right Stuff, one of the greatest American films ever made, had him headed straight for the Pantheon. The Body Snatchers remake, which seemed unnecessary at the time, seems particularly adept (and timely!) today. But like so many others, the career stalled and, as of 2004, essentially stopped. He always gravitated towards the artsy and, at the same time, required substantial budgets. This combination likely led to the disappearing career in the Age of Marvel.

The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid 1972, The White Dawn 1974, Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1978, The Wanderers 1979, The Right Stuff 1983, The Unbearable Lightness of Being 1988, Henry & June 1990, Rising Sun 1993, Quills 2000, Twisted 2004.

Lee, Ang (1954 - )

A director of astonishing dexterity if not any particular personal style. It does matter what material you choose and how far out of the ballpark you hit it, and Ice Storm, Brokeback and Life of Pi are grand slams. You know what is also underrated? Hulk. It had the Saturday morning matinee energy that has largely been missing from the stentorian and grave Marvel films. He has been on a bit of a slump (stretching the baseball metaphor as far as it will go) since Pi. His Bruce Lee doc seems to have withered and died, but Gold Mountain sounds promising.

Pushing Hands 1992, The Wedding Banquet 1993, Eat Drink Man Woman 1994, Sense and Sensibility 1995, The Ice Storm 1997, Ride with the Devil 1999, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000, Hulk 2003, Brokeback Mountain 2005, Lust, Caution 2007, Taking Woodstock 2009, Life of Pi 2012, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk 2016, Gemini Man 2019.

Lester, Richard (1932 - )

(Previous Ranking: Strained Seriousness. What Sarris said: "It is now clear that one Beatle close-up is worth a thousand Lester cutups." )

The master director kept just short of the Pantheon due to an unfortunate eagerness to sign up for the sequel late in his career. The world weariness originating in his masterpiece Petulia (1968, of which Sarris, while clearly skeptical overall, was a major champion) continues to permeate his work in the 70s and 80s, especially in the first two Musketeer films, the wildly underrated Cuba, and, especially, in the sublime Robin and Marian. The latter strikes me as one of American film’s supreme examples of its characters nobly, and with grace and charm, moving aside to allow for the intransigence of time. Proust in a tunic.

The Three Musketeers 1973, The Four Musketeers 1973, Juggernaut 1974, Royal Flash 1975, Robin and Marian 1976, The Ritz 1976, Butch and Sundance: The Early Days 1979, Cuba 1979, Superman II 1980, Superman II 1981, Superman III 1983, Finders Keepers 1984, Return of the Musketeers 1989.

Miller, George (1945 - )

The good doctor continued to astound with the undeservedly under-loved Furiosa. Lest we ascribe to him auteurship for the Mad Max films along, let's not forget Lorenzo's Oil, a science-based personal tragedy drama that plays like a horror film, and Babe: Pig in the City, are masterpieces.

Mad Max 1979, The Road Warrior 1981, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome 1985, The Witches of Eastwick 1987, Lorenzo's Oil 1992, Babe 1995, Babe: Pig in the City 1998, Happy Feet 2006, Happy Feet Two 2011, Mad Max: Fury Road 2015, Three Thousand Years of Longing 2022, Max Max: Furiosa 2023.

McTiernan, John (1951 - )

While much of his decline seems to have been wholly self-inflicted, it is still a shame to see an artist who had so thoroughly mastered the intelligent, character-driven blockbuster so thoroughly disposed of.

Nomads 1986, Predator 1987, Die Hard 1988, The Hunt for Red October 1990, Medicine Man 1992, Last Action Hero 1993, Die Hard with a Vengeance 1995, The 13th Warrior 1999, The Thomas Crown Affair 1999, Rollerball 2002, Basic 2003.

Pakula, Alan J. (1928 - 1998)

The paranoia trilogy will never be topped. The best-seller adaptation phase of his career showed him to be a solid if not altogether inspired elder statesman. All in all, a more important Hollywood figure, as the recent doc on him demonstrates, than a director, per se (his impact as Producer for director Robert Mulligan's best films was clearly significant).

Klute 1971, Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing 1973, The Parallax View 1974, All the President's Men 1976, Comes a Horseman 1978, Starting Over 1979, Rollover 1981, Sophie's Choice 1982, Dream Lover 1986, Orphans 1987, See You in the Morning 1989, Presumed Innocent 1990, Consenting Adults 1992, The Pelican Brief 1993, The Devil's Own 1997.

Peckinpah, Sam (1925 - 1984)

(Previous Ranking: Oddities, One-Shots and Newcomers. What Sarris wrote: "Since Peckinpah considers himself too intellectual to tell a story, it remains to be seen whether he will be forceful enough to develop a theme.")

This snippet is pretty funny to read as I don't believe anyone thinks of the Bloody Sam of the 70s as intellectual. And as to theme, what more can be said other than "trust no one, and, if the move, shoot 'em." But that was likely all bluster. He has said that his hope in making Wild Bunch was to put an end to glorifying violence. It probably had the opposite effect, and that seems to have really wounded him. Moving him up to Far Side of Paradise.

The Wild Bunch 1969, Ballad of Cable Hogue 1970, Straw Dogs 1971, Junior Bonner 1972, The Getaway 1972, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid 1973, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia 1974, The Killer Elite 1975, Convoy 1978, The Osterman Weekend 1983.

Penn, Arthur (1922 - 2010)

(Previous Ranking: Expressive Esoterica. What Sarris wrote: "A director of force rather than grace, Penn may yet reassert the plastic role of the actor in the scheme of things.)

As with Peckinpah, I am making the call to move Penn up a notch on the strength of a really remarkable run in the 70s. Night Moves, in particular, a work that has grown in stature enormously since its release, should be included in every "end of innocence" film festival you would ever care to curate.

Alice’s Restaurant 1969, Little Big Man 1970, Night Moves 1975, The Missouri Breaks 1976, Four Friends 1981, Target 1985, Dead of Winter 1987.

Perry, Frank (1930 - 1995)

(Previous Ranking: Oddities, one-shots and Newcomers. What Sarris said: "...it would seem that more may be heard from the Perrys before David and Lisa is written off once and for all as a one-shot...")

Few films have had their reputations so thoroughly rehabilited as The Swimmer. Thought silly and pretentious and preposterous (a man swims home?) upon release and some years thereafter, it is now considered a masterpiece of 60s suburban malaise. It certainly opened my eyes up to the possibility that Perry might actually be great, a fact which later viewings of Play It as It Lays and Rancho Deluxe confirmed. It is only the inconsistency of his source material choices that knock him down a peg.

The Swimmer 1968, Diary of a Mad Housewife 1970, Doc 1971, Play It as It Lays 1972, Man on a Swing 1974, Rancho Deluxe 1975, Mommie Dearest 1981, Monsignor 1982, Compromising Positions 1985, Hello Again 1987.

Polanski, Roman (1933 - )

(Previous Ranking: Fringe Benefits. What Sarris said: "At his best, Polanski is genuinely unpredictable. At his worst, grievously pretentious.")

Focusing again as we must on the film maker. The American productions are scant and have become non-existent mostly due to his own self-imposed circumstances. but Chinatown is undeniable, Macbeth the truest of the Shakespeare adaptations, and Pirates and Frantic grievously underrated.

Macbeth 1971, What? 1972, Chinatown 1974, The Tenant 1976, Tess 1979, Pirates 1986, Frantic 1988, Bitter Moon 1982, Death and the Maiden 1994, The Ninth Gate 1999, The Pianist 2002, Oliver Twist 2005, The Ghost Writer 2010, Carnage 2011, Venus in Fur 2013, Based on a True Story 2017, An Officer and a Spy 2019, The Palace 2013.

Pollack, Sydney (1934- 2008)

The hyphenates-hyphenate, as accomplished a producer and actor as director. You would be hard-pressed to define the "Pollack style" other than good taste in projects both behind and in front of the camera. And "beloved by his actors" is hardly anything to scoff at. The Pro's Pro.

The Scalphunters 1968, Castle Keep 1969, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, Jeremiah Johnson 1972, The Way We Were 1973, The Yakuza 1974, Three Days of the Condor 1975, Bobby Deerfield 1977, The Electric Horseman 1979, Absence of Malice 1981, Tootsie 1982, Out of Africa 1985, Havana 1990, The Firm 1993, Sabrina 1995, Random Hearts 1999, The Interpreter 2005.

Ritchie, Michael (1938 - 2001)

What to make of Mr. Ritchie? He was sailing on top of the world, both critically and commercially, with an incredible run from Downhill Racer to his masterpiece The Bad News Bears. It appeared that a true auteur, deft with camera and never shy of social commentary, had been born, a Preston Sturges for the modern age. Then, while fairly steadily working, the great works dried up. Preston Sturges became Norman Panama. There were the usual rumors of a prickly disposition, perhaps best illustrated over the kerfuffle over Prime Cut (which is still a great movie, despite studio meddling, if unsettling seen today in the Age of Epstein). Fletch has its admirers, but it is no Michael Ritchie film. The work most closely resembling the Ritchie touch amongst later works was the marvelous t.v. movie The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom. It was a real Ritchie. Would that we would have gotten more.

Downhill Racer 1969, Prime Cut 1972, The Candidate 1972, Smile 1975, The Bad News Bears 1976, Semi-Tough 1977, An Almost Perfect Affair 1979, Divine Madness! 1980, The Island 1980, The Survivors 1983, Fletch 1985, The Golden Child 1986, Wildcats 1986, The Couch Trip 1988, Fletch Lives 1989, Diggstown 1992, Cops and Robbersons 1994, The Scout 1994, A Simple Wish 1997, The Fantasticks 2000.

Romero, George A. (1940 - 2017)

It still amazes that the most influential film of the latter half of the 20th century was made by a dude from Pittsburgh (Brooklyn, actually, but when we think Romero we think Pittsburgh) and his crew who had just come off shooting an industrial video of Fred "Mister" Rogers getting a tonsillectomy. His best film is arguably his most personal, Knightriders, an Arthurian study of agrarian community, an alternative to the urban blight which the Dead traffics in. It would make a perfect double-bill partner with Lester's equally elegiac Robin and Marian.

Night of the Living Dead 1968, There's Always Vanilla 1971, The Crazies 1973, Dawn of the Dead 1978, Knightriders 1981, Creepshow 1982, Day of the Dead 1985, Monkey Shines 1988, The Dark Half 1993, Land of the Dead 2005, The Phobic 2006.

Rudolph, Alan (1943 - )

The facile comparisons to friend, mentor and employer Robert Altman always seem to manage to denigrate Rudolph in comparison. In many ways I find Rudolph to be more varied, more consistent and certainly more hopeful for the human species. His two most underrated films, Songwriter and Breakfast of Champions, reach Preston Sturges-like levels of absurd, character driven comedy and love for his people. He seems to be in the reflective phase of his career, but I bet he has another one in him, if he should so choose.

Nightmare Circus 1974, Welcome to L.A. 1976, Remember My Name 1978, Roadie 1980, Endangered Species 1982, Choose Me 1984, Songwriter 1984, Trouble in Mind 1985, Made in Heaven 1987, The Moderns 1988, Love at Large 1990, Mortal Thoughts 1991, Equinox 1992, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle 1994, Afterglow 1997, Breakfast of Champions 1999, Trixie 2000, Intimate Affairs 2001, The Secret Lives of Dentists 2002, Ray Meets Helen 2017.

Sayles, John (1950 - )

Matewan strikes me as a great American epic, in a league with Bound for Glory, The Right Stuff or Little Big Man. A dramatization of the Battle of Matewan, when coal miners reluctantly got the Union and had to fight for their lives and livelihoods against "The Company," Sayles offers no easy bromides or solutions. Union, Yes! but what chance does it have against a voracious system bent on capital over everything else. The final shootout, while brilliantly staged and shot (by the great D.P. Haskell Wexler), is one of the least cathartic I can remember. Yes, a few very bad men get what's coming to them, but good men die, too. A wobbly balance exists, but nobody wins. Which come to think of it is a fine summary of the ethos of John Sayles.

Return of the Secaucus Seven 1980, Baby It's You 1983, Lianna 1983, The Brother from Another Planet 1984, Matewan 1987, Eight Men Out 1988, City of Hope 1991, Passion Fish 1992, The Secret of Roan Inish 1994, Lone Star 1996, Men with Guns 1997, Limbo 1999, Sunshine State 2002, Casa de los Babys 2003, Silver City 2004, Honeydripper 2007, Go for Sisters 2013.

Schrader, Paul (1946 - )

The Man in a Room films are one of the most consistent forces in auteurist cinema. America Gigolo, his best film and a great work of American art, is often not included in these, but it is at its best when Julian is working out or shopping or dismantling a Mercedes, alone, a beautiful body who is ultimately as alone and disturbed as Travis Bickle, Wade Whitehouse or Reverend Toller.

Blue Collar 1978, Hardcore 1979, American Gigolo 1980, Cat People 1982, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters 1985, Light of Day 1987, Patty Hearst 1988, Light Sleeper 1992, Affliction 1997, Touch 1997, Forever Mine 1999, Auto Focus 2002, Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist 2005, The Walker 2007, Adam Resurrected 2008, The Canyons 2013, Dying of the Light 2014, Dog Eat Dog 2016, First Reformed 2018, The Master Gardener 2022.

Siegel, Don (1912 - 1991)

(Previous Ranking: Expressive Esoterica. What Sarris said: "Siegel's most successful films express the doomed peculiarity of the antisocial outcast.")

Another graduation up a notch in the categories due to a great run in the 70s. Always able to elevate B material to art, and he would punch you in the nose if you told him so.

Coogan’s Bluff 1968, Madigan 1968, Two Mules for Sister Sara 1970, Dirty Harry 1971, The Beguiled 1971, Charley Varrick 1973, The Black Windmill 1974, The Shootist 1976, Telefon 1977, Escape from Alcatraz 1979, Rough Cut 1980, Jinxed! 1982.

Soderberg, Steven (1946 - )

A manically busy director, which is ironic considering he talked about retirement for a time. There is getting your second wind, then there is Soderberg's 2017 - 2025 run. But perspiration does not always translate to inspiration. The films don't all hit, but when they do, we are reminded of the blessed relief of a solidly made genre film.

Sex, Lies, and Videotape 1989, Kafka 1991, King of the Hill 1993, Underneath 1995, Gray's Anatomy 1996, Schizopolis 1996, Out of Sight 1998, The Limey 1999, Erin Brockovich 2000, Traffic 2000, Ocean's Eleven 2001, Full Frontal 2002, Solaris 2002, Ocean's Twelve 2004, The Good German 2006, Ocean's Thirteen 2007, Che 2008, The Girlfriend Experience 2009, The Informant! 2009, Contagion 2011, Haywire 2012, Magic Mike 2012, Side Effects 2013, Logan Lucky 2017, Unsane 2018, High Flying Bird 2019, The Laundromat 2019, Let Them All Talk 2020, No Sudden Move 2021, Kimi 2022, Magic Mike's Last Dance 2023, Presence 2024, Black Bag 2025.

Tarantino, Quentin (1963 - )

This ranking probably won't make me many friends. Homage does not equal art, but Tarantino's best films are still skillful, entertaining and filled with love of cinema. His two best films are his most personal, and least crowded with references: Jackie Brown and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. His worst films (Kill Bill 1 and 2, Django, Hateful, Grindhouse), are homage at best and pastiche at worst. Inglorious Basterds, Pulp and Dogs fall somewhere betwixt and between, and remain incredibly watchable if ultimately frivolous and self-indulgent.

My Best Friend's Birthday 1987, Reservoir Dogs 1992, Pulp Fiction 1994, Jackie Brown 1997, Kill Bill: Volume 1 2003, Kill Bill Volume 2 2004, Grindhouse 2007, Inglorious Basterds 2009, Django Unchained 2012, The Hateful Eight 2015, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 2019.

Van Sant, Gus (1952 - )

Like Zemeckis (see below), his concern is primarily formalist, with Gerry, the Psycho shot-for-shot and Last Days practically a fuck you for audiences. Which makes his rather largely effective latest film, a hired job, perplexing. Is Gus trying to prove he can play the game? Does it matter? The filmography speaks for itself.

Mala Noche 1986, Drugstore Cowboy 1989, My Own Private Idaho 1991, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues 1994, To Die For 1995, Good Will Hunting 1997, Psycho 1998, Finding Forrester 2000, Elephant 2003, Last Days 2005, Paranoid Park 2007, Milk 2008, Restless 2011, Promised Land 2012, Gerry 2012, The Sea of Trees 2015, Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot 2018, Dead Man's Wire 2025.

Verhoeven, Paul (1938 - )

I'd like to imagine that when Paul Verhoeven showed up at the Razzie Awards to happily accept his "Worst Director" award for Showgirls a few years back he was not being clueless or a smart ass. It was to be a one-man repudiation of the very nature of the Razzie charter. There is no such thing as a bad movie, at least the way they mean. Verhoeven would gladly admit to having bad taste, but he could never make a Green Book, or Crazy Rich Asians or Wonka. If the Razzies must exist (must they?) they should be saving their awards for films like that.

Turkish Delight 1973, Katie Tippel 1975, Soldier of Orange 1977, Spetters 1980, The 4th Man 1983, Flesh and Blood 1985, RoboCop 1987, Total Recall 1990, Basic Instinct 1992, Showgirls 1995, Starship Troopers 1997, Hollow Man 2000, Black Book 2006, Tricked 2012, Elle 2016, Bendetta 2021.

Weir, Peter (1944 - )

He made his mark on the American Cinema with carefully chosen, professionally made, if not terrible inspired works. He had a bit of David Lean in him, without the recognizable style and pretentions. Film Bros seem to love Master and Commander. Not sure I get it, but you have to admire the ambition.

The Cars that Ate Paris 1974, Picnic at Hanging Rock 1975, The Last Wave 1977, The Plumber 1979, Gallipoli 1981, The Year of Living Dangerously 1982, Witness 1985, The Mosquito Coast 1986, Dead Poets Society 1989, Green Card 1990, Fearless 1993, The Truman Show 1998, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World 2003, The Way Back 2010.

Wilder, Billy (1906 - 2002)

(Previous Ranking: Less Than Meets the Eye. What Sarris said: "Billy Wilder is too cynical to believe even his own cynicism.")

Wilder's career wind down is really something to behold. One could make a case Sherlock, then Avanti, and finally Fedora were his greatest films, each topping the other. Sarris also re-appraised Wilder over time. A slightly larger output in the 70s, where even a living legend struggled to get pictures made (the concessions towards the box office with the surefire teaming of Lemmon and Matthau, twice, didn't do him any favors) would have elevated him into the Pantheon.

Private Life of Sherlock Holmes 1970, Avanti! 1972, The Front Page 1974, Fedora 1978, Buddy Buddy 1981.

Zemeckis, Robert (1952 - )

After he established himself in Hollywood, he was always formalist first, everything else second. Successes (Roger Rabbit, Cast Away, et al) were always about "how can we do this with that?" That's pretty admirable, no matter how difficult it is to watch Here and the Polar Express. When he did settle into straight forward genre exercises, the results were generally very, very good (What Likes Beneath, Flight).

I Wanna Hold Your Hand 1978, Used Cars 1980, Romancing the Stone 1984, Back to the Future 1985, Who Framed Roger Rabbit 1988, Back to the Future Part II 1989, Back to the Future Part III 1990, Death Becomes Her 1992, Forrest Gump 1994, Contact 1997, Cast Away 2000, What Lies Beneath 2000, The Polar Express 2004, Beowulf 2007, A Christmas Carol 2009, Flight 2012, The Walk 2015, Allied 2016, Welcome to Marwen 2018, The Witches 2020, Pinocchio 2022, Here 2024.