Joe Swanberg: My favorite American Director
 

I bought the film "LOL" on DVD a few years back knowing nothing about it. After watching it, Joe Swanberg became my favorite American director. The Chicago native makes simply amazing movies and all have been good (except for "Alexander the Last" which was only ok)

Here are his films in order from my favorite to least favorite:

1. Night and Weekends
Amazing! definately his best work so far.

2. LOL
Not as good as Nights and Weekends but my first Swanberg film

3. Hannah takes the Stairs

4. Alexander the Last

I have not seen his 1st film "Kissing on the Mouth" yet.

Swanberg is also an actor (he is going to be starring in Adam Wingard's upcoming "A Horrible Way to Die") and is the creator of the popular web series Young American Bodies.

I love this guy!

Re: Joe Swanberg: My favorite American Director
 

Humpday, Quiet City,and the Duplass's stuff are the only mumblecores I've seen. Generally they are quite enjoyable.

Re: Joe Swanberg: My favorite American Director
 

Who?

Joe Swanberg. I explained who he was lol :p

He isn't as big a "name" as Bujalski or Duplass but his films are amazing.

And "mumblecore" is a dirty word. The filmmakers don't like that term.

Re: Joe Swanberg: My favorite American Director
 

It basically means low budget. Look at Cyrus. As soon as the Duplass brothers could afford it, they jumped on professional equipment. It's not like Von Trier's Dogme or anything. They don't really purposefully constrict themselves for any reason. They just try and make the best film possible without pro stuff.

Right. It's just a term created by critics who wanted to create a new term. Most supposed Mumblecore movies don't even fit the supposed "rules".

Supposedly, all "mumblecore" films are about white upper middle class American 20-somethings but most movies considered mumblecore aren't

Take Medicine for Melancholy for example

Re: Joe Swanberg: My favorite American Director
 

>white upper middle class American 20-somethings

In other words, the class of people who make mumblecore films.

Right....

But then look at Barry Jenkins, he's not white and Alexis Dos Santos isn't American so even though their films are considered mumblecore, they don't fit the supposed rules.