Director Dissection with Seanc and Rauldc
 

Glossary:
David O. Russell(With Special Guest Sexy Celebrity)
Alexander Payne (With Special Guest Camo)
Steven Spielberg (With Special Guest Mark F)
Christopher Nolan
Clint Eastwood
Elia Kazan(With Special Guest Citizen Rules)
Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton(With Special Guest Cobpyth)
David Fincher
Coen Brothers With Special Guest MovieMeditation
Howard Hawks With Special Guest CitizenRules
Jim Jarmusch With Special Guest Yam12

We've been thinking of doing this quite sometime so what better time to start now. Sean and I will go through the ins and outs of random directors, mainly ones that we both really appreciate (at least to start). We will spend a week or two talking about them and anyone else is of course free to chime in. We will ask each other questions and get down to particular favorites from each director of choice. Our first director of choice: David O. Russell.

http://thefilmstage.com/wp-content/u..._o_russell.jpg

Sean, I'll start by asking you, what was the first David O. Russell film you have seen?

How many times approximately have you seen his films? Any of them in the theater?

And then how would you rank his filmography?

Re: Director Dissection with Seanc and Rauldc
 

Excited for this. :up:

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Awesome! If you need any help, I have some veteran's tools I can sell for a fair price:

http://i.imgur.com/thhIaT2.jpg

Nah just kidding, good luck and I'm excited for this, especially since its you two. :D :up:

Re: Director Dissection with Seanc and Rauldc
 

Really excited we are finally doing this Raul. I hope you guys don't get frustrated if it takes me a little time to post, but I will get to your questions after work for sure. The weekend is always less hectic for me.

I'll try to start you with two questions as well.

Who is your favorite Russel character?

What is your favorite Russel scene?

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I never noticed those white moles on David Russell's face before.

Anyways, The Fighter is by far my favorite of his, I love it, great performances by Bale, Adams, Walhberg and the rest. I'd give it a rating.

So my first Russell movie was Three Kings, it was in the theater and I loved it. The caveat is that was long before I was watching movies for directors, so I had no clue who Russell was. Also I don't love Three Kings anymore. I watched it last year because I had not seen it since watching it in the theater, and I thought it was pretty average.

I have seen Flirting With Disaster once and within the last two years. Three Kings twice. I Heart Huckabees twice within the last two years. The Fighter three times, once in theater. Silver Linings Playbook twice, once in theater. American Hustle three times, once in theater.

American Hustle

The Fighter

I Heart Huckabees

Silver Linings Playbook

Three Kings

Flirting With Disaster

I will write up a little synopsis of why I love Russell so much either tonight or tomorrow. Then throughout the week I will pick a movie a day and write a little bit about it. Probably with the exception of Flirting With Disaster, which I like to pretend he didn't do.:D

Has anyone seen Spanking The Monkey. I am not sure I have heard anyone ever talk about that movie...EVER.

That's me! Holden too, I guess. I've had the VHS for about 18 years now. Probably seen it five times. Pretty low budget, quirky, definitely indie, straightforward about the incest. It was the first time I remember seeing Jeremy Davies, although he was in Guncrazy earlier. I had seen Alberta Watson naked in Michael Mann's The Keep so I thought to myself Spanking the Monkey would be something to see. :) I give it .

I think you probably know my tastes enough now. Should I bother?

Re: Director Dissection with Seanc and Rauldc
 

MovieGal will be jealous that you're dissecting directors without her.

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Probably not if you don't care for Flirting with Disaster which is his film it most closely resembles and I think is better. Maybe if you have a change of heart about it or come across it accidentally.

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I'm going to supper. When I come back I'll answer my initial questions.

Two very hard questions to answer off the bat.

I am a fan of so many Russell characters but I think he gets the most out of his female actresses certainly. My favorite performance from an actor is probably Christian Bale for The Fighter, but overall I wouldn't have it crack my top three.

When I think of my favorite Russell performance, the first three that come to mind is Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany in Silver Linings Playbook, Jennifer Lawrence as Rosalynn in American Hustle and Amy Adams as Sydney Prosser.

I think I would give the slight edge to Jennifer Lawrence as Rosalynn. She really doesn't have all that much screen time all things considered but every single one of her scenes is just simply stellar. I hadn't seen Lapita Noungo (sp.) in 12 Years a Slave but I couldn't help but be disappointed that Lawrence didn't take home an Oscar for this one. Russell has made both Lawrence and Adams two of my favorite actresses of all time.

Picking out just one scene is rather tough, but how about a scene with two of my favorite performances coming together in the same scene, the scene shown below. And of course, we all know how this scene ends.
http://theredlist.com/media/database...theredlist.jpg

There's certainly other scenes in contention but that's the one I would go with. I also loved the Bradley Cooper breakdown scene in Silver Linings Playbook and that would be my runner up choice.



Sean, you said that you would go in depth on a few of Russell's movie, well I am going to watch one of the flicks of his that I haven't seen yet, and I will report back on it. I'll definitely be chiming in with the other films too and hopefully answering more questions as well. Overall, I think this will be a real fun thread.

Bite me SC.. :p

No thanks. If I get too close, you'll catch me.

Re: Director Dissection with Seanc and Rauldc
 

You gotta watch Huckabees before we finish Russell Raul.

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What about Spanking the Monkey? :p

My favorite directors all do a few things very well. They create memorable characters and get great performances out of the actors who portray them. The last part of that statement may be debatable, I personally tend to think great actors easily fall into portraying really great characters. That is a chicken or the egg argument though, so a bit of a tangent. My favorite directors take dark themes and undercut them with humorous witty dialogue. They also undercut these dark themes by putting their characters in a world that, while in our reality, always seem like they are a bit other worldly as well. I mentioned the dialogue already but I want to emphasize that my favorite directors either write themselves or choose amazing scripts. For my tastes great writing and characters can overcome a multitude of sins.

I think Russell does all the things mentioned above extraordinarily well. For my money I think he has been on fire since Huckabees. I have loved his last four movies, two of them enough to put in my favorite 100 movies. I don't think plot matters in Russell films. Whether Ward wins or loses in The Fighter, the dance contest in Silver Linings Playbook, and the con in Hustle, they are completely incidental. Does Huckabees even have a plot? Russell makes me care about the characters. I think his movies are memorable and infinitely re-watchable because of it.

I mentioned that I enjoy dark themes earlier. Maybe my idea of that is not everyone's. That doesn't always mean murder or grisly violence. In Russell's case I am talking about making movies about deeply flawed characters who are searching for ways to make life better. Drug abuse, mental illness, white collar crime, and more are all dealt with in both a serious and humorous way in Russell's films. Loving four films may not seem like enough to some to consider a director your favorite. I think it is plenty though. I love these films and can't wait to see what he has for me next.

Re: Director Dissection with Seanc and Rauldc
 

Raul is watching Huckabees and I am very excited to see what he thinks. I feel alone in loving it. Here are three more questions for his return.

What movie made you realize you loved Russell?

Do you think Russell makes predominantly comedies?

Many directors are said to have a dominant theme that hovers over all their movies. Do you think Russell has one? If so what is it?

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1. The movie that really made me a Russell fan was Silver Linings Playbook. The themes of the movie appealed so much to me that it made me look forward to American Hustle, as well as wanting me to revisit The Fighter, watch Flirting With Disaster and I Heart Huckabees, and eventually finish the rest of his filmography. As his new films come out, those will be at the top of my watch list certainly.

2. That's a good question. There's definitely comedic elements in every movie I've seen, but I think a lot of them could certainly make a case for not predominantly being comedies. I would certainly classify Flirting With Disaster as an all out comedy. I pretty much feel the same with I Heart Huckabees, but one could also consider it a lighthearted drama.

3. I don't know if there's a dominant theme exactly, but I think Russell often likes to show us characters with faults and how they are able to overcome their faults. Like in Silver Linings Playbook, both Cooper and Lawrence are highly faulted characters, but in the end, they are two people who are made for each other.

Here's 3 more for you Sean:

1. Your favorite scene

2. Are Russell's two proposed next movies on your radar?

3. What film do you think had the best story and screenplay?


I'll also post my thoughts about I Heart Huckabees shortly, which I just finished.

Re: Director Dissection with Seanc and Rauldc
 

I Heart Huckabees

This film is like nothing else that Russell has ever made. Sean made the point of not knowing what the plot really is and I'm not sure I'm aware of what it 100% is either. That being said, it is still entertaining and fun. All of the characters were interesting to me. This may be a really bad comparison, but it seems like something that Wes Anderson would make to me. Because I would describe the film as a bit quirky.

All of the performances were good for me. I really liked Jason Schwartzmann and Jude Law playing off of each other. Jude Laws performance actually kind of reminds me of the characters that Bradley Cooper has played in Russell's films. And of course, I'm one of Naomi Watts biggest fans. She was both funny and stunning. And Dustin Hoffman is a legend in his own right. This isn't a noteworthy performance from him, but I think his presence still made the film a stronger one. Funny to see Jonah Hill in a few scenes too. The humor was there, with scenes like the bounce ball in the head scenes, and the you rock, rock scene near the beginning. The ending events for the characters were all interesting and quite fitting. Overall it was a pretty positive first experience with this film. Glad I have finally gotten to see it. It could be the type of film that would be even better on a repeat watch.

+

Glad you liked Huckabees. I think it does get better on a second viewing.

Russell's next movie Joy is definitely on my radar, anything he does will be. What is his other project?

I pick The Fighter for best story. I love sports drama so that story was right up my alley. Huckabees is my favorite screenplay but not by a wide margin. I love Russell's scripts.

I am going to think about the scene question for a bit.

Re: Director Dissection with Seanc and Rauldc
 

Accidental Love is supposedly completed. I think hes been working on it for quite some time, so who knows if it will actually release.

The Fighter is on FX right now. I turned it on for a bit before we go.

Great idea guys and some great thoughts so far, i skipped a few of your comments because they were related to films i've yet to watch. When you pick a director i'm more familiar with i will participate if that's cool, but so far i've only seen American Hustle and SLP by Russell and if i'm honest The Fighter is the only other one i'm interested in.

Just looked up his movies and i actually tried to watch Flirting With Disaster on Netflix once; i got about 5 minutes in and turned it off because the parents and social worker were annoying me. I may try to give it a proper shot in the future.

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I watched I Heart Huckabees a few nights ago. With the exception of Mark Wahlberg's character, I disliked everything about it. The tone and humor just didn't seem to suit Russell at all, in my opinion. The movie felt more in the wheelhouse of the Coen Brothers or even Wes Anderson or someone. Great cast, though, which seems to be true of every David O. Russell movie.

Here's how I rate/rank his filmography:

American Hustle
The Fighter
Three Kings
Silver Linings Playbook
I Heart Huckabees

Re: Director Dissection with Seanc and Rauldc
 

I Heart Huckabees is definitely NOT like the David O. Russell movies of today.

I don't think Huckabees is really all that great... but I actually went to the movies to see it (and I think that's probably the only David O. Russell movie I've seen in a theater) .... and I don't know... a friend of mine at the time really liked it. Said it was great. I somehow got really into it, too. I thought it was kind of a spiritual movie. And I really like Lily Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman's characters, as well as some of the others. I also love the soundtrack -- the score. I think it's a good movie. I need to rewatch it again. Maybe we could do a commentary.

Raul watched it? I need to go back and read his thoughts.

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I do not see I Heart Huckabees as being anything like a Wes Anderson movie. The only similarity is Jason Schwartzman is in it.

Wes Anderson movies are all about men who have daddy issues. Family issues. Stuff like that.

It's funny that you mention this because (imo) David O. Russell's topics may be dark but his direction isn't dark or ever as dark as his story, you get what I mean?

American Hustle or The Fighter could've been a lot darker had it been under the direction of Darren Aronofsky or someone similar but I like David's style, it's warm and very Scorsese-like.

I have American Hustle at

I get exactly what you mean and I think it is a pattern for a few of the directors I love. I think you can put Payne, Tarantino, Wes Anderson, and the Coen brothers in the category of making many of these types of films as well.

Re: Director Dissection with Seanc and Rauldc
 

Performances from David O. Russell films

David O. Russell has the unique ability to get the most out of his actors and actresses. I certainly consider it a huge milestone that he was able to lead 4 performances from the same film to Oscar nominations twice. In Silver Linings Playbook, he led Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, and Jackie Weaver to nominations. Jennifer Lawrence was able to take home an Oscar, and I believe Silver Linings Playbook was Bradley Coopers best performance in his career thus far.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...52_636x358.jpg
He was also able to accomplish the same feat with American Hustle. Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, and Bradley Cooper. You could make an argument for any of them winning it, but it was a very stacked year so it was tough to win. I thought Adams and Lawrence both deserved it, though.

He led three people to nominations for The Fighter, with two of them ending up winning, Christian Bale won for best supporting actor as Dickie Eklund, while Melissa Leo won for her performance as Alice Ward. Also nominated was Amy Adams for her performance as Charlene Fleming. I thought Wahlberg was great too honestly.
http://alleynews.org/wp-content/uplo...he_fighter.jpg
The other films didn't recieve nominations, but the acting in his films is always strong. I consider Ben Stiller and Patricia Arquettes performances in Flirting With Disaster pretty darn good for comedies (and I'm not much of a Stiller fan). Schwartzmann, Jude Law, and Naomi Watts also did very well in I Heart Huckabees.

I haven't seen Three Kings, but I'd be surprised if I didn't enjoy George Clooney's performance as I usually do.

It's hard to compare supports to leads, but based off of my enjoyability of the performances, I'd rank the top ten as such:

1. Jennifer Lawrence- American Hustle
2. Amy Adams- American Hustle
3. Jennifer Lawrence- Silver Linings Playbook
4. Bradley Cooper- Silver Linings Playbook
5. Robert De Niro- Silver Linings Playbook
6. Christian Bale- The Fighter
7. Amy Adams- The Fighter
8. Mark Wahlberg- The Fighter
9. Christian Bale- American Hustle
10. Bradley Cooper- American Hustle

It's worth noting that all are very good though.

Re: Director Dissection with Seanc and Rauldc
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8NztyYiFxQ

Let's say that Lily Tomlin didn't really have the best time on the set of I Heart Huckabees.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SG43wa7Alo

Re: Director Dissection with Seanc and Rauldc
 

I read into that too SC. Apparently there was a scuffle between Russell and Amy Adams too. Russell isn't the most well liked guy so it seems. In real life he is kind of a douche.

Like I said earlier in the thread I loved this movie the first time I saw it in the theater. I think because I went in expecting a traditional war film and got a very unique experience. It was funny, stylized, and really wasn't about the war at all. It was about these three characters and their dynamic. Why I never revisited I don't know, just one of those things. About a year ago I decided to go back to it. Russell has grown to be one of my favorite directors and I was really hoping my second time with Three Kings would be at least as great as the first time, it wasn't.

I still think it is a good movie but I was hoping for greatness. I think what appealed to me the first time seemed mundane this time around. The stylized aspect felt like something I have seen 100 times before instead of the unique experience it was '99. The humorous dynamic I remember between Clooney, Wahlberg, and Ice Cube was mostly gone. This movie did not have near the laughs I remember the first time around. I still did mostly enjoy the characters and the story is fun. There is an energy to the movie that is quite enjoyable. It moves at a very nice pace.

Overall I would still recommend people see this if you have any interest in Russell at all. I think this is the place to start as I find Flirting With Disaster practically unwatchable.

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Its weird how Russell has used the same actors and actresses in multiple films. Maybe he will direct Clooney again?

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Weird? Like Scorsese, Altman, Woody Allen, Tim Burton, Capra, Preston Sturges, Fellini, Bergman, etc? :)

...Bergman, Kurosawa, this guy, that guy, everyone in between....

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Wes Anderson.

Christopher Nolan.

You get the picture.

Actors and directors get attached to each other for sure. I always like seeing Clooney so I would be cool with it. Maybe he is one of the actors that had a tough time with him though. I will have an answer for you for favorite scene tomorrow. I will talk about Huckabees too.

I would love to do a little MoFo award type thing at tge end of these, if enough people participate. Just PM me your vote for your favorite Russell movie in the following categories:

Best Film
Best Script
Best Cinematography
Best Male Performance
Best Female Performance

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Well, maybe weird wasn't the word.

I had a hard time coming up with my favorite scene. Russell's movies are full of great scenes in my opinion. I finally landed on the scene in The Fighter where Dicky (Bale) gets out of jail and comes back expecting to train Micky (Wahlberg). Instead he is informed that Micky is better off without him. That he has a new trainer and Dicky is no longer needed. It is a great scene for all the main players in the film. Micky being conflicted about choosing between his brother and what may be best for his career. His mother desperately fighting for what her broken son deserves. The girlfriend who is looking out for the best interest of her boyfriend. Then Dicky, who truly wants good things for Micky but doesn't ever consider that may be moving on without him. He is a truly flawed character who Russell manages to make infuriating and sympathetic all at the same time. Great scene in a great film.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-jErX76RVMU

This was my runner up scene. I actually love a lot of scenes from SLP, so it is really hard to choose for me. I think as times goes by this movie will make my top 100. I'd put it at the fringe of it currently, but there's just something about the film that appeals to me.

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My History with David O. Russell films

The first film that I saw of David O. Russell was The Fighter. I remember my roommate talking about how he had seen the film and really liked it, so I gave it a whirl. It was a good entertaining film the first time I saw it.

I then saw Silver Linings Playbook. This was on my radar as this was when I started to watch a lot of the Oscar nominated films and performances before the Oscars actually aired. I really liked it the first time I saw it, though I didn't get to make it to the theater with that one. Once I saw it I decided to Rewatch The Fighter and I considered the film even better. I know it's hard to call a director a favorite after watching two films, but Russell had me hooked.

American Hustle was on my radar list for a long time. This was one of I believe three films that I had seen at the theater and went by myself, because I was so pumped for the film. I was really looking forward to it because of its all star cast. It didn't disappoint and has just gotten stronger with time. It's probably in my top 25 at this point, certainly top 50. I have already seen it five times.

I caught Flirting With Disaster on Netflix about a year ago. I know it isn't a popular film, but I did think it was a decent watch. Obviously nothing stellar, but watchable and enjoyable.

And then I Heart Huckabees this week, a long overdue watch. My thoughts were listed previously.

Approximate total watches
Silver Linings Playbook 4
American Hustle 5
The Figher 3
Flirting With Disaster 1
I Heart Huckabees 1

That's not going to happen. The two can't stand eachother. Clooney actually punched Russell in the face after he verbally abused an extra on the set of Three Kings (according to George).

Good for Clooney.

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I just listened to Schwartzman on WTF today. He had really nice things to say about Russell. Weird how different people's experiences can be. Maron asked him about Tomlin too. He pretty much blew past it to talk about Hoffman.

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I want a David O. Russell movie where it's just two hours (or longer) of David O. Russell and Lily Tomlin fighting each other. It could be a "vs." movie. One of them kills the other at the end.

This movie has all the ingredients that appeal to me. It has a variety of fun and interesting characters. It is sharply written and funny as hell. Every duo plays perfectly off of each other. Schwartzman and Wahlberg are my favorites. Both are great but I find Wahlberg to be exceptional as the off the wall fireman. I think Russell has a very good eye behind the camera but what I think probably appeals to me the most is his writing. Huckabees is the first of his movies that proves that to me. The dialogue is dense but you never feel bogged down in it. It flows with the story that moves at a brisk pace. At its heart it is just a simple story of people who are trying to find themselves in a world where it feels like it is becoming increasingly harder to do that. Russell is just toying with that deep theme here though and the end result is a laugh out loud comedy.

I have seen Huckabees twice now and it has gotten better with each viewing. An excellent movie that is certainly a part of what I think makes Russell great.

I saw this before really knowing who Russell was as a director. This movie is ridiculously in my wheel house. Its a sports film, which you have to mess up pretty badly to get me to hate. It is about broken people but still has plenty of humor and hope to offer. It is an ensemble full of great performances.It is extremely well written which for my blind eye usually goes hand in hand with the great performances. In fact as I am typing this I am realizing it is a wonder that it isn't in my top 10-25. It is in my favorite 100 and was my favorite Russell film before American Hustle came along.

The Fighter is most definitely an ensemble but the relationship between Mickey(Wahlberg) and Dicky(Bale) is at its heart. Dicky is played amazingly by Bale and is the most tragically flawed character in a film that is full of very flawed people. Watching Mickey struggle with who is brother was, is, and wants him to be is incredible. Mickey finds something to cling to pretty early in the story in Charlene(Adams). She is far removed from who Dicky is to his family, so naturally she is trying to get Mickey to distance himself from this drug addicted tornado. Mickey has always been loyal to his brother because in his own many times messed up way his brother has always been loyal to him. Watching these dysfunctional relationships play out is really great, it is at times heart warming, at times heart breaking, and at times hilarious. Wahlberg, Bale, and Adams are all as good as I have ever seen them.

All that alone would be enough to make The Fighter a really great movie. There is more though. Mickey's family outside of Dicky may be even more messed up than Dicky himself. Although we don't really get to know these his sisters extremely well, I can never shake the feeling that they just want Mickey to hit it big because for them it would be the equivalent of winning the lottery. The mother(Leo) has a little more nuance. Her focus is on Dicky returning to his glory days. I think she believes that this is the only way Dicky will ever remain clean and have some peace in his life. On paper this probably sounds like a typical nurturing mother character. She is far from that however. One of the main reasons for that is she is delusional about who Dicky was as a boxer. Dicky once got to fight Sugar Ray Leonard and for Dicky and his mother this is their entire world. They cling to that great moment in Dicky's life and try to translate that into Dicky having a great present. She sees Mickey as being Dicky's future and is more than willing to try and steam roll anyone who she thinks is getting in the way of that. This also makes for a mixture of humorous yet upsetting scenes. Another great Russell character played perfectly by Leo.

This movie has many more threads running through it. Dicky is involved in the making of an HBO documentary that he thinks is about boxing but is actually about crack addiction. Mickey and Dicky's father is present but nearly invisible which seems like the way it has always been and could be a theme unto itself. Mickey's trainer and family friend plays a prominent role. In many was this feels the least like a Russell movie of all his films. It is the only movie of his I don't consider a straight up comedy. As I write about it though I realize it is very much playing in the same realm as his other films. It is about fixing relationships, about trying to build new relationships in a healthy way, it is about trying to reconcile your past with your future. It is all about the characters and their journey. That is why I love his films and that is why I love The Fighter.

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Still hoping some of you will send me PM letting me know what your favorites from Russell are in the following categories:

Favorite Film
Favorite Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Male Performance
Best Female Performance

Here is what I wrote about Silver Linings Playbook a couple of years ago. It was my first time writing about a movie on this site, and probably my first time writing about a movie ever. As you can see I was not even aware of who Russell was at this point. I thought this would be a standard romantic comedy but went based on the word of mouth the film was getting. I didn't care about Russell, Lawrence, or Cooper at this point. Now all three can almost always draw me towards a movie on their own, with the exception of Hunger Games of course.:D


I still feel the same way about the film. I have watched it twice since then. The tropes towards the end bother me a bit, but I love that central relationship. I love these two broken people trying to find their way in an upside down world, and ultimately finding each other. Plus the movie is erally flippin' funny. Good stuff from Russell.

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Power Rankings: Russell Edition

I have only actually seen 5 of his films (still need to see Spanking the Monkey and Three Kings), but this is how I would rank them.

5. Flirting With Disaster- Quite an obvious candidate for a last place finish, but as I have said in a few earlier threads I think I enjoyed it a lot more than many others have. It's a pretty simple rom com on the surface but there were some good moments as well.
MVP- Ben Stiller- I am anything but a Stiller fan overall and I find most of his work to be rather obnoxious, but I thought Russell used him pretty well here actually.
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http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dblp-autim...81996%2529.jpg

4. I Heart Huckabees- it's really different from any other Russell, so I do have to give him props for that. I stated before that the film has a type of quirkiness to it in my opinion. The cast is full of many capable actors and actresses who come together very well as a whole. Obviously something that Russell has been able to do consistently since he directed this film.
MVP- Mark Wahlberg- Like most of this, could have gone in many different directions but ultimately I think Wahlberg gives the best performance of the crew. Really tough call.
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http://www.anonlineuniverse.com/wp-c.../huckabees.png

3. The Fighter- Probably Russell's overall strongest storyline, and it may be his film that looks the best. Although he didn't lead four performances to Oscar nominations (he slacked with three), Melissa Leo and Christian Bale were winners. I personally thought Adams deserved it over Leo, but that's that. And again, Wahlberg was a really strong presence in this film. Just bout the film last week and I am assuming with rewatches this film will become a bigger favorite.
MVP- Christian Bale- Just an astounding performance as he basically transformed in his character, not only mentally, but physically as well.

http://www.dagensfilmtips.com/wp-con...e-fighter1.jpg

2. Silver Linings Playbook- Perhaps his most fun film to watch. It's funny, it's a eye catching story, it's performances are great, and it has great repeatability. This is the film that will be known for springing Cooper and Lawrence certainly. Some of Russell's best scenes have come from this film, such as the aforementioned scene that I posted earlier in this thread. It has definitely only gotten stronger with time for me.
MVP- Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence- I can't truly pick one or the other. So I cheated.

http://filmracket.com/wp-content/upl...s-Playbook.jpg

1. American Hustle- Awesome performances, awesome script, awesome storyline, awesome directing, awesome cinematography, and my favorite of all, a killer soundtrack, perhaps my favorite of any film. It pains me that people don't like this film, but I guess that makes it a more personal favorite for me. It rocks. The costumes are great and it really gives off a sweet 70s vibe in the film.
MVP- Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams- the female performances of this film are just awesome. Lawrence with a slight edge, but I had to include Adams too.

http://d1oi7t5trwfj5d.cloudfront.net...can-hustle.jpg

I gave this a 4/5 when I saw it for the first time. I have watched it two more times this year and have since moved it to a full 5 stars. Here is what I wrote about it December 2013:

David O'Russell cares about characters and his movies are better for it. Whether or not Wahlberg wins his last fight, whether Lawrence and Cooper end up together, or who wins the end game in Hustle. All these things become incidental because it is about the characters. The way they interact with each other is more important than why they interact with each other. I have to admit I was a little nervous the first twenty minutes or so of American Hustle. I wasn't hating the movie by any means, but I didn't connect with Bale and Adam's characters as quickly as I would have liked. I quickly settled in though. Once Cooper's character shows up and shortly after Lawrence's I was all in and enjoyed every frame of the film.


There is so much to enjoy and glean from every single relationship, and there are a plethora of them. Bale and Adams, Adams and Cooper, Cooper and Bale, Bale and Lawrence, Bale and Renner. Every single interaction is complex, humorous, intense, and most importantly intriguing. O'Russell has become a master film maker in my opinion. His dialogue is spot right down to each actor's accent being perfect. The way he dresses his characters adds a dimension to them as well. It may be trite to say, but everything about American Hustle just feels lived in.


I cannot do a movie like this justice by writing about it but I cannot recommend this movie enough. I know there are some ho-hum reviews out there and frankly I am baffled by them. I have fawned over the characters but would be remiss if I didn't mention the plot which is intriguing. O'Russell doesn't let it get too convoluted or step on the character's toes however which is why this film worked so well for me. The soundtrack is also phenomenal. In your face and fun when it needs to be but in the background when more appropriate. Great music used perfectly. I could go on about this movie all day. It's one of the year's, and possibly O'Russell's, best. See it now.


I still feel the same way but I think I under estimated the re-watchability. This movie is loads of fun. Now nestled nicely within my favorites.

Do you guys know about this?

http://www.movieforums.com/community...1&d=1422573901

It's a movie David O. Russell was filming in 2008 but it ran into some problems and wasn't going to be finished... but now it is and it's finally coming out. I'm still not sure of all the details going on about this, but it was a David O. Russell movie. It says it's directed by Stephen Greene, but that's a fake name to hide David's name -- he wants nothing to do with this now.

And yes, my Jake Gyllenhaal is in it.

And yes, that is Paul Reubens, AKA Pee Wee Herman, underneath my Jake Gyllenhaal on the poster, which is totally terrifying. It should be illegal for Jake Gyllenhaal and Pee Wee Herman to be on the same movie poster. It just should, and I say that as a Pee Wee fan.

It's called Accidental Love, but it was originally called Nailed.

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I don't have an official top 100 anymore (my last one is well out of date), but American Hustle is certainly in the 8-25 range in my opinion. I currently have it showcased as a top 10 film for my profile. Like you Sean, I originally rated it somewhere around an 8.5/10. Its now a 10/10 (or 9.5 at worst). Its the best cast of characters that Russell has put together. And yes, that soundtrack is one of the best if not THE best. Plus, Adams and Lawrence has never looked or acted better.

And SC, I have heard about that. I'm surprised he's not listed as director but blindly judging by the look of the film he may not want to lay claim to it.

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I'd claim anything if Jake Gyllenhaal was in it. Even if Pee Wee Herman was, too. But not everyone's me.

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I have heard about it as well SC. I am trying to pretend that I haven't though.

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Russell was trying to make something bad for once it looks like.

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American Hustle

So why do I love American Hustle? Well it's just a movie that has no faults for me. I understand the plot may have holes but it's entertaining to me and there isn't nearly enough missing from it for it to drag my thoughts on it down. In this film we see 4 performances that are at a very high level. That is just something that I think is rare and I'm always a sucker for films with multiple performances that are the pinnacle of their careers. They will be looked upon as career defining for the main four certainly. AmyAdams and Jennifer Lawrence will be stars if not considered already and American Hustle will be at or near the top of their filmography performance lists.

The soundtrack fits in so well with the movie. Every song was picked in the exact perfect scene to match it up with. Especially the Live and Let Die and How Do You Mend a Broken Heart scenes. It's rare in my opinion that music can influence how much I may like a film, but in this case it worked greatly. It also just gives out that 70s vibe, with the costumes provided for the cast helping that cause. The film does a tremendous job mixing humor in as well. Scenes like the microwave scene are both funny but yet engaging to the film. A nice blend and Russell knows just how far to take it.

It's a personal favorite that will just get stronger with time for me. As stated before this is my vote for Best David O. Russell Film.

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runnin...city-photo.jpg

Accidental Love has that kind of goofy I Heart Huckabees look to it.

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Will you be watching Accidental Love SC?

At some point I'm sure I'll see it / buy it.

American Hustle has my vote for the only Russell film I have seen.



Sorry Rauldc. I really hated AH.

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Sean, should we wrap Russell up? I was thinking of writing a bit about my votes for those categories you posted.

Sounds good, I will follow up. :cool:

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Russell Wrap Up

Best Film- It's clearly American Hustle for me. It is in my top 50 of all time (more than likely). Silver Linings Playbook and The Fighter are both edged right on the cusp of the top 100 more than likely, so yes, they are great, but not to Hustle level for me.

Best Screenplay- I don't think Russell has had a bad screenplay. Even Flirting With Disaster I would stick up for in that regard. It would probably be a final two of Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle. In the end, American Hustle.

Best Cinematography- they are all pretty solid. I think Silver Linings Playbook uses some really effective scenes, and of course Hustle as well. I'd give it to The Fighter though.

Best Male Performance- I think Bale in The Fighter would be a pretty odds on favorite for the majority of people. For me, I couldn't vote against Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook though. They both transform into their characters in incredible ways. I just think Cooper is the more enjoyable, likeable character, so he edges out Bale as Dickie.

Best Female Performance- the hardest of these categories for me to choose. He has made stars out of Adams and Lawrence. I think Lawrence gives us the most bang for her buck in American Hustle and I will vow to say it was Oscar worthy.

Interested on your takes Sean and maybe the people who responded to you.

Russell Wrap Up

Best Film- American Hustle for me as well. Everything comes together here. Great writing, acting, music, and atmosphere. I love this movie.

Best Screenplay- I Heart Huckabees. From a pure writing stand point I find it extraordinary.

Best Cinematography- The Fighter. Another hard decision, but the atmosohere set here is fantastic.

Best Male Performance- Bale, The Fighter. The movie that made me decide I do like Bale as an actor. Complete transfromation.

Best Female Performance- Adams, American Hustle. Could have went with either Adams performance or either Lawrence performance here. So I went with my favorite.

I really enjoyed this trip down memory lane with Russell's films. Like a lot of the directors I love he combines dark themes with humor and great characters. I am looking forward to our next director. Glad you came up with the idea for this thread Raul.

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I think Russell was a great place to start certainly since we both seem to have the same admiration and respect for his films. I really look forward to his upcoming films. At this rate, he could be one of my favorite directors of the 2010's if he keeps up his pace.

I'll have our next director starting point up in a bit.

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Up Next: Alexander Payne

http://www.filmequals.com/wp-content...nder-Payne.jpg

Like Russell, Alexander Payne doesn't have a huge filmography, but it's still an admirable one.

I have extended a request to Camo to be a part of this dissection, so he can feel free to chime in as well (anybody can really).

My opening questions for Sean C and Camo are as follows:
1. Do you think Alexander Payne has a main theme that he tries to hit in his movies? If so, what is it?
2. In what film do you think the dialogue is the strongest?
3. Is there any film that has gotten stronger with time or that you believe has the potential to?

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Raul, I hope its cool if I start getting into this tomorrow. I have had a lot of basketball with my boys this week, so getting home late

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I quite like David O. Russell, although I have only seen a few of his films, and a couple could probably do with a rewatch.

I believe that I watched Silver Linings Playbook and The Fighter at around the same time, and I enjoyed them both a lot. Good, strong performances, and although plausability/characterisation is stretched at points, I found myself honestly liking them a lot. I'm not sure if that would change for better or worse on further watches, but I own The Fighter so we'll see. It probably helps that I'm one of few people who actually likes Mark Wahlberg, he's not great or anything, but it's a decent role for him.

I think I watched Three Kings next. I put it on Sky Movies and thought it seemed really weird at first, what the hell was this war film with Wahlberg, Clooney and Ice Cube? Once it settled down and I realised the comedy it was going for, I thought it worked great. I can't remember much specifics though, but I laughed a lot. I'll have to see this again too.

I watch American Hustle when it came out, and I also liked it a lot. I think once again its a little superficial, and it was hard to understand at points, but it was just a whole lot of fun again. These characters, real or not, are ones you want to watch together on screen. I think Jeremy Renner gives possibly the best and definitely the most underrated performance here

I thought you guys might do Payne next. I've only seen Nebraska, that was at the cinemas. I thought it was great though, beautifully written with touching and often hilarious human characters. My friend who I went with highly recommended checking out his other films, but I for some reason or another haven't got round to it, even though I have Sideways and The Descendants available to me. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

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I am interested in seeing what you guys have to say about Payne, I've seen four of his films and I like each of them.

My rank:

1. Election
2. The Descendants
3. About Schmidt
4. Sideways

I've not seen Nebraska or Citizen Ruth.

More people should see Election around here.

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I shout Election with heavenly praises, awesome comedy.

That's cool Sean. I'll probably be posting my initial thoughts tomorrow, since I work tonight.

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I'm going to watch Nebraska tomorrow night then the only Payne i haven't seen is Citizen Ruth, if Raul or Sean has seen it and think i'd possibly like it i'll go through with it but the trailer reminds me of certain parts of another Payne that i'll bring up in one of your questions Raul. From the trailer Nebraska really looks fantastic though, the sort of thing that will (and hopefully does) completely work for me.

The first question is a good one. I don't know if I think he has a main theme as much as the tone of his films are the same. I could say men in mid-life crisis, but then you have About Schmidt, Citizen Ruth, and Nebraska. I could say the plight of the middle class but once again you have Citizen Ruth, The Descendants, and Sideways. I do think his films are always exploring the frailty of man. This is probably super simplistic, but I think it is a good place to start for both humor and drama. Payne is great at both.

Like Russell, dialogue is a Payne strong suit. Hard to pick one for me, but I think its Sideways.

I really liked Sideways the first time I saw it. I didn't expect it to be one of my all time favorites though. I hope Nebraska grows on me more. I like it but not nearly as much as Sideways, The Descendants, About Schmidt, and Election. I think those four are all excellent films.

I will write about Citizen Ruth, and try to come up with some conversation starters tomorrow.

Didn't know those were all by the same guy.

I used to love Sideways. I probably still would - I just haven't seen it in awhile. About Schmidt was good. The Descendants is something I wouldn't mind seeing. Election is something I've never cared to see.

Citizen Ruth is the only movie of his I dislike. I would never steer someone towards it, I don't see any redeeming qualities.

1.I must admit when i read the questions i couldn't think of any major theme in Paynes movies, other than the failure of male characters. I'm assuming you and Raul are watching all of his films, so i'll wait to the discussion starts on this.

2.Agree with Sean, Sideways. Personally Payne is one of my favourite screenwriters, and i feel one of his has a very underrated script; but yeah it's Sideways.

"I AM NOT DRINKING ANY FU*KING MERLOT" :D

3.Not the question asked but i feel that Payne has evolved as a director more than any of his films have grown on me, the dialogue in Election has became alot more noticeable after a second watch; while that in itself hasn't changed my opinion of Election too much it did make me rethink Paynes films altogether. More than any single film i think he's done a remarkable job of turning his films from, amusing and thoughtful comedies full of utterly detestable characters (Election, and i imagine Citizen Ruth from the Trailer), to again thoughtful and funny comedies, with more relatable, less cartoonish (most in Election imo) yet still flawed characters.

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I think all of Paynes main characters show some faults. Matthew Broderick in Election is a great example when they show that he has moved and completely changed his lifestyle. Sideways characters faults are quite obvious too. But I believe that is what really draw me to the characters in the first place.

We come to a conclusive agreement that the best dialogue in a Payne film is Sideways. It is brilliantly written and directed. Of course, so is The Descendants and it really is the strong point of all of Paynes films.

I haven't seen it in awhile, but I think Nebraska is a film that has potential to grow on me. I would say Sideways but I rated it so highly when I saw it that it would be hard to improve upon me as much as Nebraska.



Camo, while I wouldn't necessarily recommend Citizen Ruth, there are a few scenes that I quite enjoyed. While overall the film was pretty much a mess, you can see some of Paynes traits for the first time. I'm glad that he really grew upon them.

I'm all ears for the next questions. Sorry I hadn't said anything until now.

So you will probably notice a lot of similarities about the way I talk about Payne and Russel. That extends to how I feel about their first movie. I watched Citizen Ruth late in the game, just a year ago at this point. As I have mentioned it hasn't been too long since I have paid attention to directors in general. When I did and realized I loved four of Payne's films the next step was to watch those that I hadn't yet. Enter Citizen Ruth. To me it is pretty much indistinguishable from his other films. In theory I think the concept is ripe for comedy. The pro choice and pro life movements both battling over this unborn child, who's mother can't take care of herself, much less a child. The problem is it isn't funny. At no point did I life at any of these caricatures that Payne creates. This movie may have worked better back when these two factions were much more, for lack of a better word, vocal. That is to say when there was a lot more protesting and things were more heightened physically.

Anyway, this movie didn't work for me on any level. I found Dern insufferable, which I guess is part of the point, but she would have worked better if she had been at least a little sympathetic. I thought it would be fun to see Kurtwood Smith playing against type, but that novelty didn't last long. I didn't find the usual greatness in Payne's dialogue. This feels like a first feature to me. i am glad it wasn't my first experience with Payne, that's for sure.

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Questions:

What was your first Payne film, and how did you react?

Payne is casting a movie with actors he has never used before, pick a male and female lead.

Pick a classic movie for Payne to remake, cast it if you wish. Why did you choose this movie?

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My first Alexander Payne film experience was actually The Descendants. I went with the wife to see it in the theater because I had been hearing great things about the movie and about George Clooney's performance in the film. It is now one of my favorite movies of all time and because off it I got curious about the rest of his filmography, although I didn't see a good chunk of it until these past couple of months. As for The Descendants I had a very positive reaction to it and I was definitely in its camp for the Oscar season. I mean, I didn't mind The Artist but I so badly wanted The Descendants to win all the awards. And predictably that did not happen. But overall I was just very happy that it was nominated and that other people appreciated the film.

If Payne were to have a male lead he's never used, I would think a cast choice of Bill Murray would be interesting. He just seems like a guy that could potentially fill an Alexander Payne role. For the females, I'd obviously like to see Rachel McAdams get a great character, I know she's capable of it and I know Payne could make it work.

I am about the last person that is rooting for remakes these days so I will have to think about that one for a moment.

Don't call her the wife. Say my wife.

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Bill Murray, awesome choice. He would be perfect.

You could go see that one with the old ball and chain.

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As for Citizen Ruth, now this just was not good. I thought Laura Dern could have potentially been pretty decent for the role, unfortunately the premises of the film were all too faulty. The dilemma of her keeping or not keeping the baby weren't all that dramatic because she wasn't cast as the type of lead that you could really have any type of feeling or remorse for. They showed that she was fragile and dangerous but I think it would have been nice to see her being lead that way and once not being that type of person. They made her out as this person that has been this way for years. The story was just overall goofy. I wouldn't say terrible, I gave it a 4/10, but it is not at all a good film. Luckily I hadn't seen this film until about two weeks ago or it could have been a potential thorn in my liking of Alexander Payne movies. Still, it is the only one that I do not care for in the least that I have seen from Payne. I think Payne has certainly learned from it. It's weird that you can see a little glimmer of goodness in everyone's worst films for the most part though, so there's that.

http://subversify.com/wp-content/upl...itizenruth.jpg

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1.Election, and i despised it. At the time Reese Witherspoon was my sisters favourite actress, and i ended up watching it with her. Needless to say my opinions have greatly changed since i rewatched it, i'll wait until we get on to it to elaborate.

2.Alot of my absolute favourite actors wouldn't fit to great with Payne, while his films aren't pure comedies i feel you need to have some comedic ability to function in his films, and alot of my favourites happen to be largely Dramatic Actors.I'm going to back Rauls choice of McAdams, no joke i actually nodded my head in agreement when i saw his comment, she'd fit perfectly. For an Actor i'd pick one obviously influenced by a recent viewing, in Michael Keaton possibly used in a similar role to Nicholson in About Schmidt.

3.Like Raul i'm not a fan of remakes, but i like what you are getting at with this question. I can't think of a specific example, but i'd say a subtle comedy similar to The Apartment, not similar in story but in it's blend of comedy and drama. Something that's got some good ideas, but is somewhat lacking in Character Development and Dialogue. Sorry i couldn't come up with a title, but i honestly did rack my brains about this since this morning and could only really come up with a general idea of what Payne could improve on.

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For raul, I give Citizen Ruth 6/10 [], so it must be great!! :cool:

How would you rank/rate Paynes films Mark? Citizen Ruth really looks like something i'd dislike, but the negative comments seem to be having the opposite effect because i kinda want to see it now :D .

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Isn't a 5/10 :p

Citizen Ruth 6/10
Election 7/10
About Schmidt 6.5/10
Sideways 6.5/10
14e arrondissement from Paris, je t'aime 6.5/10
The Descendants 7/10
Nebraska 6.5/10

Clearly you like all of his films around the same, while agreeing with most that Citizen Ruth is his weakest. If i was to guess i would've said Election or About Schmidt would be your favourite from his, so it was good to see i was kinda half right ;) .

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Here's a few more questions:

Do you see any behind the camera trademarks that Payne is able execute well?

What is your favorite scene and why?

What will more than likely be the next film of his that you go to or REWATCH?

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Both of you come up with really great and difficult questions. I'll have to think more about the first question, i'd also like to see Nebraska before i comment on it.

2.Another impossible question you sadist :( . Anyway if i had to pick it would be one from my joint favourite Payne film, The Descendants. There's multiple scenes that i could pick from this, but i feel the scene when Clooneys daughter breaks to his completely oblivious self that his wife was cheating on him, Clooneys reaction feels unbelievably realistic; he can't start blurting out what he thinks of his wife in that moment, so all that comes out is this dismayed look, followed by as calm words as would be possible in that situation to his daughter.

I must admit i was kind of cheating picking that scene, since it was the game-changing one; either side of it could be said to be Part 1 and 2 imo.

3.Well it's going to be Nebraska, but as i said earlier the reaction to Citizen Ruth kind of makes me want to watch it. For a rewatch, The Descendants no doubt still only watched it once a few months after it was released.

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Camo you stole my scene. Him running out of the house and down the street in his boat shoes at full speed will never leave my mind. I am going to think about it and come up with another. I wanted to think about that first question for a bit anyway.

I will answer #3 now. About Schmidt is the only one that I haven't seen in a long time. I love it and am already thinking about watching it again since we started talking about Payne's movies.

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One of most emotional scenes for me is the Shailene Woodley pool scene in The Descendants. I think it really hits home for me because I've had devasting news like that in my past, and she truly made that a very heartbreaking scene. I know under water and on the surface the scene is just a girl crying but the lead up to that moment and the cinematography of the scene was executed perfectly. It is the first time that Shailene Woodley's character is shown as a vulnerable character. Before this scene you aren't sure if you can sympathize so much with her character. The first time we see her we see her drinking and sneaking out of her college after hours and she seems like an 100% problem child that just will not be able to grow up. However, you suddenly see that her life has been surrounded with tragic circumstances and you just really feel for her. But not only is this one of Paynes best scenes ever, it is one of the best executed scenes that I have ever seen of all time. Just the way George breaks the news to her and the under water camera work is truly sensational. A definite powerhouse scene.

http://cdn2.teen.com/wp-content/uplo...n-movies-5.gif

I legitimately believe I will be rewatching 3 of Paynes films this year. Nebraska, The Descendants, and Sideways. And it won't be long before I will want to watch Election again.

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About Schmidt is the other half of my joint favourites, it's also the underrated script i spoke of earlier. Seriously other than a few i disliked at first like Chinatown and The Royal Tenenbaums, About Schmidt is possibly my most rewarding rewatch, it's the main reason i have such high hopes for Nebraska.

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Have you seen About Schmidt Raul?

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Excellent scene and writeup Raul :up: . Hopefully that wasn't the next scene Sean was planning on picking :p .

Also Sean can i ask if there was a remake you had in mind for Payne, or if you could think of one now? I really thought that was an interesting question and forgot to ask if you had something in mind.

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I really didn't. I think he would do well with Wilder stuff which made me think of the question, so it is interesting you mentioned The Apartment. Of course I really wouldn't want to see most of Wilder's stuff touched. The Lost Weekend might be good. That is one that to me has potential but feels dated.