Five HUGE directors who have the balls to be themselves...but still like the taste of popcorn

Mainstream directors are often criticized for pandering to the masses, dumbing down to allow digestion for the more ADHD, red-cordialized 21st century viewer flicking through the chapters on their DVD remote. But there are still the odd auteurs hanging around who consistently deliver challenging, thought-provoking POPCORN films. So this is no time to mention David Lynch with his 3-hour opus Inland Empire (2006), or the Farrelly Brothers with their consistently silly (but usually great) slapstick comedies. Those guys generally have their thing and stick to it. No, this list is about those directors who have something unique - and maybe intellectual - to impart on us poor folks, and are able to convey that through commercially acceptable and non-experimental means.

Ridley Scott

Ever since one-time commercial director Ridley Scott made the switch to feature films with his artsy, beautifully-filmed if not a little stuffy period drama The Duellists (1977), Mr. Scott seemed to take it upon himself to tackle every single genre American cinema has to offer. Whether it be the swords and sandals epic (Gladiator), the fantasy (Legend), thriller (Alien), Sci-fi (Blade Runner) or the gangster film (last year’s American Gangster), Ridley has gained the film world’s respect, and somewhere along the way fallen in love with Russel Crowe, who seems to be in all of his films these days – not a bad team if you ask me!

Frequently criticized for valuing style over substance, it is my humble belief that Mr. Scott has eclipsed any possibility for negative evaluation by his devotion to always maintain a distinct visual style, which has worked in favour for his career, not against. Unlike fellow genre-explorers such as James Mangold (Walk the Line and 3:10 To Yuma), Ridley’s films are INSTANTLY recognizable simply based on their striking visuals, no matter where and when they are set. Not only this, but they are entirely engrossing and memorable.

"Please marry me, Russ. Please."

Martin Scorsese

We all know the man, but do enough people give him credit for not only crafting such brilliant films, but also consistently exhilarating, exciting journeys? I feel that only with The Departed (2007) did this become altogether apparent. Casino (1995) is my personal favourite Scorsese film, because despite its epic, sprawling structure, it is always intriguing me with new character insights and culturally specific anecdotes that add up to something larger and more profound by the time of its conclusion. I place a lot of this on the hands of his long-time collaborator, editor Thelma Schoonmaker, whose splicing is so quick and visually provoking that she creates a plot from mere moments. Scorsese admitted on the Casino DVD audio commentary that the initial script was so flimsy plot-wise, that it was left up to Schoonmaker to pick through the pieces, and boy does she.

Casino was their last film together.
Marty left Robbie for a younger man [Leo].

No matter what film (well, maybe not Kundun), Scorsese has always been about constructing films for a larger audience than the genre would generally allow. He is always personal, but never stuffy, oblique, wafty, or pretentious.

Christopher Nolan

The youngest member of the list, Chris Nolan must be included as ever since his debut low-budget feature film Following (1998), he has displayed an undeniable and unforgettable knack for twisting with genres and time chronology to place the viewer off balance, whilst never losing focus of the STORY and CHARACTERS. Memento (2000) is a dazzling display of screenplay construct that is gimmicky but never detracts from the plot of the film. It in facts adds to the film in many ways. The Prestige (2006) continued this trend, and both Batman films continued this trend of Nolan’s apparent obsession with repressed men unable to overcome their past to move onto the future. The Dark Knight (2008)’s Bruce Wayne is propelled by his unspoken desire to fix the past (his parent’s death, der!). Pacino’s character in Insomnia (2002) is a victim of extreme personal guilt, this efficiently portrayed through Nolan’s use of quick flashbacks. Nolan is a supreme talent, but perhaps his greatest asset is his desire to entertain an audience, and not just cram Freudian concepts down our throat via focussing on a coffee cup for four minutes (hello Ingmar Bergman).

What are they looking at??? It boggles my mind.

The Coen Brothers

No Country For Old Men (2007) really was a boom for modern cinema. Its success showed that audiences are intrigued by the darkness, and will jump into the deep end if properly convinced. Even their silly comedies like Raising Arizona (1987), or The Big Lebowski (1998) are so full of quirks and blink-or-you-miss-its that they demand to be re-watched multiple times. And no matter what genre they explore, whether it be 40s noir - The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001) – or the screwball comedy – Intolerable Cruelty (2003) they always remain distinctly the Coen Brothers, and distinctly entertaining.

We just have to blot The Ladykillers (2005) from our minds.

"C'mon guys, Ladykillers was FUNNY!!!"

Michael Mann

Heat (1995) is my favourite film. Period. Not only that, but it contains my favourite Robert De Niro performance. The man is so calm and collected, but there is something inside his eyes that is burning with desire. Michael Mann is perhaps the least out of this list who intentionally desires mainstream success. Unlike someone like Christopher Nolan, his films don’t have a pulpy, thriller-like feel. They simply exist in the world Mann has decided to explore. They are rarely funny, always intense.

Manhunter (1986) is a superior serial-killer film about a man drained by his instinctual knowledge of death and murderers. The underrated Miami Vice (2006) explored the life of people who can’t afford the luxury of a life, because their life is their job, which is fundamentally about lying and deception. Phew. But despite his predacity to shy away from complete mainstream or box-office hits, I simply HAD to include Mann on this list as he demonstrates that even a serious and decidedly earnest filmmaker is able to entertain his audience through the sheer brilliance and credibility of his characters.

His action scenes may lack the shock of a bus blowing up or a rocket jetting off to Mars, but they are still exciting because they seem so darn REALISTIC. And to believe that something is actually happening right in front of us is a truly thrilling sight.

I would turn gay for this man. Really. For his mind.

Mann takes his time with films, and has never attained the same degree of fame as someone like Scorsese, but if you see the pedigree of actors he attracts (his upcoming film Public Enemies has Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Channing Tatum, Billy Crudup, and that’s just the beginning!) you can see that the respect he commands is undeniable.

ONE FINAL NOTE:
There are few filmmakers who don’t fit into this category, such as Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg. The former because his most recent effort Youth Without Youth (2007) was just downright bizarre, and the latter because Indiana Jones 4 sucked balls.