1969

Easy Rider

• I was surprised that Jack Nicholson was only in the movie for a fraction of the full running time.
• Nicholson's performance and character definitely are the highlight of the movie, I can see how this could launch a person's career.
• It was a weird movie because it wasn't totally clear to me what was going on with those guys; they never discuss their plans in-depth.

1973

Westworld

...

• Movies that seem to clearly draw from this film:
  • Jurassic Park
    • "Shut it all down" - It's said in Westworld, and I vaguely remember it being said in Jurassic Park, although maybe it was another film.
  • The Terminator
    • The portrayal of the menacing robot is very similar. Arnold said in an interview with Graham Besinger(?) that he was explicitly trying to emulate the performance that was given in Westworld. It wasn't explained how Arnold had come to watch Westworld: had someone in the film industry recommended it to prepare for the movie? Or had he just watched it randomly for fun?
  • The Truman Show
    • They share the two-sided story, where you see the person in the environment and the guys behind the scenes, directing everything.

2011

Cowboys and Aliens

• Liked the fusion of genres: western, sci-fi, and a little horror (for the abduction flashbacks)
• I really liked when they played it straight and realistic; it felt very immersive.
• I got taken out of the immersion when I saw the cowboys do things that seemed to clearly be things that people wouldn't actually do, like not running away when facing a *clearly* superior force. And throughout the movie they continued to carry guns around like they were useful, when it became clear during the first encounter that guns don't do much damage.
• All the actors were good except for that one guy who played the bratty son. It may have just been the script, and it may have been because they put him right at the beginning of the movie, where everything up until then has been pretty realistic, but I remember watching his first scene and going "ugh". I feel like the guy from the hateful eight who was in this movie could've maybe played that part.

Check this out:
http://explore.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound ... directors/


Woody Allen (Annie Hall, Manhattan) - Top 10 favorite films
The 400 Blows (1959) – Francois Truffaut
8½ (1963) – Federico Fellini
Amarcord (1972) – Federico Fellini
The Bicycle Theives (1948) – Vittorio de Sica
Citizen Kane (1941) – Orson Welles
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) – Luis Bunel
La grand illusion (1937) – Jean Renoir
Paths of Glory (1957) – Stanley Kubrick
Rashomon (1950) – Akira Kurosawa
The Seventh Seal (1957) – Ingmar Bergman


Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill)
Apocalypse Now (1976) – Francis Ford Coppola
The Bad News Bears (1976) – Michael Ritchie
Carrie (1976) – Brian De Palma
Dazed and Confused (1993) – Richard Linklater
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966) – Sergio Leone
The Great Escape (1963) – John Sturges
His Girl Friday (1939) – Howard Hawks
Jaws (1975) – Steven Spielberg
Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971) – Roger Vadium
Rolling Thunder (1997) – John Flynn
Sorcerer (1977) – William Friedkin
Taxi Driver (1976) – Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese (Raging Bull, Goodfellas)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – Stanley Kubrick
8½ (1963) – Federico Fellini
Ashes and Diamonds (1958) – Andrzej Wajda
Citizen Kane (1941) – Orson Welles
The Leopard (1963) – Luchino Visconti
Paisa (1946) – Roberto Rossellini
The Red Shoes (1948) – Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger
The River (1951) – Jean Renoir
Salvatore Giuliano (1962) – Francesco Rosi
The Searchers (1956) – John Ford
Ugetsu Monogatari (1953) – Mizoguchi Kenji
Vertigo (1958) – Alfred Hitchcock

Read more at http://collider.com/sight-sound-directo ... XYr5Bbz.99
Read more at http://collider.com/sight-sound-directo ... XYr5Bbz.99
Read more at http://collider.com/sight-sound-directo ... XYr5Bbz.99

...