Allen, Scorsese, Spielberg: Three masters still going strong

Without question, three of the greatest living American directors are Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. All three started making movies around the late 1960s, and all three are still doing it.
In 2011, they each earned themselves Oscar nominations for making films that were nominated for Best Picture. Allen is nominated for writing and directing Midnight in Paris. Scorsese is nominated for directing and producing Hugo. Spielberg is nominated for producing War Horse. He also directed The Adventures of Tin Tin, which earned John Williams a nod for Best Original Score. While Allen made one of his best films in years, he pretty much stayed true to his normal formula. However, Scorsese took his first shot at a family film with Hugo and Spielberg directed his first animated movie in Tin Tin.
All three men have made very important contributions to film and it's great to see they haven't lost it.
To celebrate these guys, I would like to share my five favorite films of each director. Of course, I haven't seen every movie each man has made, but I've seen enough to make a list of films I feel very strongly about.


Woody Allen
First up, the man I call the best screenwriter in movie history, Woody Allen. Allen has written and directed some amazing movies in his day. He's also become an actress' best friend having created parts that have earned several women Academy Awards, including Diane Keaton (Best Actress in Annie Hall), Mira Sorvino (Best Supporting Actress in Mighty Aphrodite) and Penelope Cruz (Best Supporting Actress in Vicky Cristina Barcelona). Best of all, Dianne Wiest has one two Oscars for Allen movies. She's won Best Supporting Actress for Hannah and Her Sisters and Bullets Over Broadway.

5. Match Point (2005)
Allen's look at upper-class British life, in which a retired tennis pro (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) marries into a rich family, but has an affair with his brother-in-law's girlfriend (Scarlett Johansson). The story takes a very dark turn, but just hold on because right when you think the story's going out of control, you soon realize Allen's script is very decisive and very focused on getting certain points across. It's certainly an unusual film for Woody Allen, and it's good to see him show some range.


4. Annie Hall (1977)

Probably his big one. I don't think it's his best, but maybe I'm bitter because it beat out Star Wars for Best Picture. His writing gift is really on display with the layered scenes and breaking the fourth wall and all those things he did years ago that were pretty innovative. What's funny is this is usually called a romantic comedy, which it probably is, but not your normal one. Diane Keaton won an Oscar for playing Hall and her character's relationship with Allen's is good, but difficult which is easy for the viewer to relate to.

3. Sweet and Lowdown (1999)
A biopic about fictional 1930s guitarist Emmett Ray (Sean Penn in a great, under rated role).  He's a self-loving, obnoxious alcoholic who happens to be the best guitarist in the world. Allen is fond of making his lead characters unlikable, but with the addition of the mute Hattie (Samantha Morton) with her comes a subtle sweetness to the film. It also has some great jazz guitar music which is, alone, a good reason to watch it.


2. Manhattan (1979)

The first thing I noticed about this movie is how different Diane Keaton's role is compared to Annie Hall. She's kind of an uppity snob, but still likable enough that Isaac (Allen) would be obsessed with her, even though she's having an affair with a married man. Isaac, a 40-something divorcee meets her when he's dating 17-year-old Tracy (Muriel Hemingway). There's all sorts of infidelity and game-playing going on, but it turns out to be one of Allen's most personal and, in a way, uplifting films of his career.


1. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

It's up against Planes, Trains and Automobiles as the best Thanksgiving movie, and it would probably win. At a Thanksgiving dinner we meet the leads Hannah (Mia Farrow), Lee (Barbara Hershey) and Holly (Dianne Wiest in an Oscar-winning role). As often happens in big families, problems ensue when Hannah's husband (Michael Caine in an Oscar-winning role) falls for Lee. Hannah is the cornerstone of the family, thus this disrupts things immensely. Anybody who has a large family can heavily relate to this movie. It's probably Allen's purest script, and also probably his greatest cast.


Martin Scorsese
And now Marty. During his excellent career, he's redefined the mafia genre and stirred up a lot of controversy with The Last Temptation of Christ and even showed he can freak us out a bit with his remake of Cape Fear. I've heard Roger Ebert call him the best living director. It's hard to argue with that.
And here are five pieces of evidence.


5. The Aviator (2004)

This is the true story of film and aviation tycoon, Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) depicting him as a larger-than-life character who had some dark secrets. I saw this film in the first row, which is something I'm not usually a fan of, but it ended up being one of my favorite movie-going experiences. There's a plane crash scene that completely blew me away. It's incredible.


4. Mean Streets (1977)
This is probably when Scorsese let everyone know he's going to be around for a while. Mean Streets isn't perfect, but the style is there. Harvey Keitel plays a small-time hood trying to make a life out of crime in the streets of Little Italy in New York. The fact that he's probably too nice and the fact that crazy Johnny Boy (Robert DeNiro) is always hanging around him, makes success seem unlikely. One can say Scorsese perfected the gangster genre, and this is a great early sample of that.


3. Goodfellas (1990)

Now here is the best sample of Scorsese's mastery of the gangster movie. Ray Liotta plays Henry Hill who ever since he could remember he wanted to be a gangster. It's a sharp look into mafia hierarchy in which you're always one step away from getting betrayed or killed. DeNiro and Joe Pesci (in his Oscar-winning role) are Hill's closest allies and the three of them plan to go big places if things work out. Editor Thelma Schoonmaker is at her best in this movie making it fluid and fast-paced and very solid all around.

2. Raging Bull (1980)
Another Scorsese biopic this time featuring Robert DeNiro (in an Oscar-winning performance) as boxer Jake La Motta. DeNiro is great, Joe Pesci, as Jake's brother, is great, but the best thing about it is the look. Scorsese makes the risky decision of making this film in black and white which really works with the whole boxing world and gives it a great old-fashion feel. Widely regarded as one of the best sports movies ever made.


1. Taxi Driver (1973)

Awesome. Just awesome. If you want to see New York City depicted as the scummy, dirty, pimp and prostitute filled, crime infested city we sometimes here it was in the 1970s, then look no further. And I know DeNiro is all over this Scorsese list, but to me this is the best performance of his career. He plays cabbie Travis Bickle who we know is uneducated and awkward, but we never think of him as a bad guy. That's DeNiro looking deep into the character and realizing that even though Travis does some questionable things, his intentions are always very simple and usually good. Look for Keitel again as a pimp and a young Jodie Foster as way-too-young prostitute that Travis wants to help. Also look for Scorsese himself in a very memorable scene as one of Travis' clients. Just a great, great film.


Steven Spielberg
And last, but not least by any means, is probably the most successful film maker ever. In the 50s and 60s directors were finding ways to makes films bigger and better. Once Spielberg dropped Jaws on us in 1975, the blockbuster was born, and so too was his outstanding directing career. Of course, he's got his blockbusters like Jurassic Park and the Indiana Jones pictures, but he also has a knack for hard drama in films like The Color Purple and Munich. And, of course, you can't forget his excellent family films like E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial and Hook. And if you get a chance, check out Duel. It's one of his early films which was made for TV. You'll see he was destined for great things.

5. Schindler's List (1993)
This is probably not a movie one can watch over and over again, but it's brutally honest and very real. At points, it truly feels like you're watching real holocaust footage. And on the acting side, Liam Neeson and Ben Kingsley really bring it, but the stand out is Ralph Fiennes in a bone-chilling performance.


4. E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (1982)
This movie is really one of a kind. It's called a family movie, but it's also very action-packed, very science fiction and very, very deep. Elliot becomes quick friends with E.T. and wants to help him get back to his home planet. In this film you'll find some of the most classic movie scenes like when E.T. drinks beer and since he and Elliot have that powerful connection, Elliot becomes drunk while in Science class and frees all the frogs from being dissected. And of course, who could forget the bicycles flying through the sky passing by the moon. That's magical stuff.

3. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
I love the Indiana Jones movies, but Raiders is by far my favorite. I'd put it into consideration as one of the best action movies ever. Harrison Ford has a thing for playing iconic characters and he really does give Indiana a lot of life. The story has Jones being hired by the American government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis. Let's face it, that's ridiculous, but somehow Spielberg and company make it work.


2. Jaws (1975)

The first real blockbuster and the movie that put Spielberg on the map. A lot of people, cast and crew members included, thought it was going to be a bomb, but it ended up grossing more money than any movie ever at that time. And Spielberg, taking a page from King Kong's book, decided to hold off on showing the shark until the middle of the movie. It's just a classic man vs. beast tale, with Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and, the standout Robert Shaw, making it work.


1. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

This is not the alien film Spielberg is really known for, but it's my personal favorite film he's ever done. It's got serious awe and wonder around every corner. Richard Dreyfuss again plays a line worker who, after an alien encounter, becomes obsessed with the image of a squared-top mountain to the point that, in a classic scene, he starts carving it in his mashed potatoes. You know something really important is behind all of this and you get to follow Dreyfuss as he fights through government conspiracies and such to reveal very huge happenings. If you like this movie, check out the under rated Super 8 from 2011. It's actually produced by Spielberg and has a very similar feel to Close Encounters.


There you have it. Stay tuned for more lists this week as I plan to reveal my favorite movies of the year and much more.