JMaruyama’s MEGA-AoM aftershock! (Anarch-O-Meter turns 50, late submission)

Ardvark here: just when you thought it was safe to enter the website... there's another MEGA-ToM entry!

At the start of December we celebrated the 50th ScreenAnarchy-O-Meter article by making it a huge multi-part one, written by 9 writers who each gave a list of his 5 most favorite directors. James told me he had wanted to be part that but alas, he couldn't make it.
Well, I'm still interested to see his list of five favorite directors, so who cares if the MEGA-ToM was a month ago? Not me!

The stage is all yours James...

Sorry for this late entry to the Mega-ToM lists. Special thanks to Ardvark for letting me submit this after-the-fact.

Taking a cue from the other Mega-TOM entries, I tried to avoid going with well known directors as well as those directors who have already been mentioned (Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Peter Greengrass, Johnny To, John Woo, Akira Kurosawa, The Brothers Coen, The Brothers Wachoski, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro, Quentin Tarantino etc.) even though I definitely am a big fan of their works as well. Selecting just five favorite directors was difficult but I think I got some good choices down.

I tried to select at least one director from each of the last five/six decades for variety.

Here's my list...

Roman Polanski - Despite the controversy of his past, Polanski has given the cinema world some of the most memorable films. From his vampire horror/comedy "Fearless Vampire Killers" (1967) to the dark thriller "Repulsion (1965) to the chillingly horrific "Rosemary's Baby" (1968) Polanski is one of those rare directors who is able to tackle every genre. Polanski's art and talent as a director is unquestionable. The two films that I absolutely love from him are his film noir classic "Chinatown" (1974) and his touching and haunting "The Pianist" (2002). Hopefully Polanski will someday be able to return to the US to make films again.



Norifumi Suzuki - Audacious, sexy, outrageous and bold, Suzuki's film are never dull to say the least. From his earliest works like "Mesubachi No Gyakushu" (1971) to his "Truck Yarou" series of movies (1975 - 1979) to his later works like "Ooku Jyuhakkei" (1986), his films were surreal and violent but also beautiful to behold in an almost lurid way. His best works were those that pushed the envelop with regards to theme and taste such as his controversial "Seijû Gakuen" (AKA School of the Holy Beast; 1974) and his sadistic "David No Hoshi: Bishoujo-gari" (AKA Star of David: Beauty Hunting; 1979), Suzuki wasn't one to shy away from critics. Thanks to companies like Synapse and Panik House, foreign audiences were finally able to see some of his "pinky violence" works such as "Furyô Anego Den: Inoshika Ochô" (AKA Sex and Fury; 1973), "Sukeban Guerilla" (1972) and "Kyôfu Joshikôkô: Bôkô Lynch Kyôshitsu" (AKA Terrifying Girls' High School: Lynch Law Classroom; 1973). Similar to what Jack Hill did with "Coffy" and "Foxy Brown", Suzuki made films that while were sexploitation films, empowered the female character and set them up not as mere eye candy or sex slave but as angels of destruction who unleashed their mad fury upon their male tormentors. I'm glad that Suzuki is finally getting some attention from audiences abroad as his works are a unique find among the Japanese cinema world.

Corey Yuen - As a member of the famed "Seven Little Fortunes" Peking Opera troupe, Yuen performed alongside fellow "brothers" Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, Sammo Hung, Yuen Wah, Yuen Tak and Yuen Mo. Like Chan and Hung, Yuen has done some acting work (mostly in minor/bit parts), but it was behind the camera where this "Little Fortune" really made his mark, first as fight choreographer for such films like "Zu Warriors" (1983),"Yes, Madam" (1985) and "Righting Wrongs" (1986) and then as a director. "She Shoots Straight" (1990) was one of the first movies I saw that introduced me to his kinetic and hard action style and it was a blast. Only Yuen could pull off the impossible and make the final fight between model/actress Joyce Godenzi and Filipina body builder Agnes Aurelio look like a savage slugfest and not some lame catfight (the exact same fight sequence was used again in the movie "Cradle 2 The Grave" this time between Kelly Hu and Gabrielle Union). In fact Yuen has continued to make beautiful women look absolutely deadly (Shu Qi in "So Close", Jaime Pressly in "D.O.A.", "Twins" Charlene Choi/Gillian Chung in "Twins Effect II). While his movies have been criticized as reminiscent of vapid 80s action fare - short on story, long on action, they are definitely fun. From "Transporter" (2002) to the much lauded "D.O.A." Yuen's staged mayhem and action are absolutely thrilling and exciting to watch. Yuen has a way of making even the most silly movies like "Savior of The Soul" (1991) and "Avenging Fist" (2001) worth watching just for the action/fight pieces.

Martin Campbell - Not too many directors can take credit for directing a James Bond film but Campbell has not only directed two but helped launch the debut of two very distinct and different Bonds - Pierce Brosnan in "Goldeneye" (1995) and Daniel Craig in "Casino Royale" (2006). This British director first came to notice directing a number of British mini series and TV dramas. While I wasn't all that wowed by "GoldenEye", it wasn't until "The Mask of Zorro" (1998) that I was really impressed by him. "Mask of Zorro" helped to make a pulp hero and 1920's film character look modern and cool. Campbell's thrilling action style is awesome and he really makes movies that entertain. When Daniel Craig was first tapped to take over the Bond mantel, critics took up arms and harped much criticism and doubt over his selection, going so far as to setup the website "DanielCraigisNotBond" but when Campbell's "Casino Royale" was released, it was heralded by audiences as not only the best Bond movie since "Goldfinger" and helped to establish Craig as a worthy successor to the title of Bond. Campbell's "Casino..." took Bond from being a superhero spy back to his novel roots as a cold, assassin-like character. Campbell's films are definitely worth looking forward too as you can never know what over-the-top action pieces he will be unleashing on audiences.

Brad Bird - With only three major animated movies under his belt, Bird has firmly established himself as a major player in the world of animation. His "Iron Giant" (1999) was a surprisingly effective tale of a boy and his robot which (in less capable hands) could have turned into a silly "E.T." wannabe but with Bird's talent and vision resulted in a touching and dramatic story that transcended the cartoon medium. His second animated film went even further and became a major hit for Pixar Studio and is perhaps my favorite of the Pixar films. "The Incredibles" proved that you don't have to be a kid to dig CGI cartoon movies. Bird's also made quite an impression as a voice actor as well as can be evidenced in his hilarious portrayal of Edna Mode in "The Incredibles". Even his last film "Ratatouille" was a pleasant surprise as who would have thought a movie about French cooking and rats would be so touching.