Written on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 at 4:20pm by Christopher Smith | 6 Comments

The Film Test

Via Jason Kottke, the ultimate film personality test.

It’s not strange to disagree about movies that are wildly different, and there are surely a few random movies that are very polarizing. What I find most interesting is which movie people consider the best movie from a particular director, as it is usually very telling and polarizing in a different way, so to this point I will propose a new personality test where you reblog your favorite movie from each of these directors:

  1. Joel Coen: No Country for Old Men, The Big Lebowski, Fargo, The Hudsucker Proxy, Miller’s Crossing, Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, Blood Simple, O Brother, Where Art Thou, etc
  2. Wes Anderson: The Darjeeling Limited, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Royal Tennenbaums, Rushmore, Bottle Rocket, etc
  3. Hal Ashby: Being There, Coming Home, Shampoo, Harold and Maude, etc
  4. Kevin Smith: Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Dogma, Chasing Amy, Mallrats, Clerks, etc
  5. Quentin Tarantino: Grindhouse, Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, etc

Kottke goes on to add a few more directors

6.  Stanley Kubrick: 2001, The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, Dr. Strangelove, Lolita, etc.
7.  P.T. Anderson: Boogie Nights, Hard Eight, There Will Be Blood, Punch-Drunk Love, Magnolia.
8.  Errol Morris: Thin Blue Line, The Fog of War, Mr. Death, Fast, Cheap and Out of Control, Gates of Heaven, etc.

And I’ll go ahead and add one more:

9.  Martin Scorsese:  Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, The Departed, etc.

When asked what my favorite movie is, I typically reply with a litany of 15-20 that I feel worthy of mention.  I’ll cite anything from the above directors to other fare that can range from the claustrophobic drama of Das Boot to the sublime humor of Blazing Saddles to the beautifully constructed science fiction of Blade Runner.  There really isn’t a right answer.  It’s more revealing to discuss the finest work of our greatest directors, which is why I like this idea so much.

For the record, I’m a RRCCRFMFD (Raising Arizona, Rushmore, Coming Home, Chasing Amy, Reservoir Dogs, Full Metal Jacket, Magnolia, The Fog of War, The Departed) kinda guy.

What about you?

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6 Comments

  1. Mike Brennan says:
    December 2, 2008 at 6:29 pm

    Love this and totally agree this is the way fav films should be measured (if you can even call it measuring).

    BRLCPCTD

    The Big Lebowski, The Royal Tennenbaums, The Last Detail, Chasing Amy, Pulp Fiction, A Clockwork Orange, There Will Be Blood, The Departed.

  2. pauldub says:
    December 2, 2008 at 9:01 pm

    Would you expect me to be anything other than a Big Lebowski Fan?
    Wes Anderson? Nothing Seen by him. Being there, Harold & Maude, Clerks, Dogma, fine stuff. Kill Bill. I saw 2001 at the old Holiday theater. We were the only ones there and we sat on the floor in front of the first row. Pretty heady stuff. The shining still gives a bit of a chill and Clockwork Orange is a masterpiece. And Taxi Driver.

  3. S.S. McSnarkamaphone says:
    December 5, 2008 at 1:00 pm

    Coen Bros: Big Lebowski (followed very closely by Raising Arizona)
    Wes Anderson: Royal T. all the way
    Hal Ashby- Harold (having seen no others, especially)
    Kevin Smith- Clerks, sorry. He really never got better.
    Qunetin- Reservoir Dogs, no doubt.
    Kubrick- it has to be The Shining.
    P.T. Anderson- meh.
    Errol Morris- don’t see a lot of documentaries
    Scorsese- Taxi Driver, sure.

    No love for Ridley Scott? You mentioned it- Blade Runner is an insane film.
    No love for David Lynch? Black Velvet, please!
    No love for Gus Van Sant? Drugstore Cowboy!
    No love for Jim Jarmusch? Ghost Dog! Ghost Dog! Ghost Dog!
    No love for Cronenberg? Dead Ringers- never fails to creep you out!
    No love for Coppola? For Speilberg? For Hitchcock, Wells or Woody Allen? c’mon, man!

  4. S.S. McSnarkamaphone says:
    December 5, 2008 at 1:06 pm

    er, “Blue Velvet”, natch.

    I’d never consider adulterating a Guinness with champaign.

  5. Chris Smith says:
    December 5, 2008 at 3:29 pm

    I started writing this post and included Lynch, Allen and Van Sant but decided they really each only had one obvious choice in their careers, IMO. Also, that’s what comments are for, if you say it all in the post, what do the people have to say? :-)

  6. S.S. McSnarkamaphone says:
    December 7, 2008 at 5:14 pm

    ok, Lynch, possibly only one, but I tend to think Eraserhead is on a par with Blue Velvet
    Woody Allen, only one? Do tell? Because frankly, Sleeper is way better than Annie Hall, but how can you not like Everything… Sex?
    Van Sant- no, no, no… D.C. is the king, certainly, but it’s hard not to like Private Idaho and well c’mon- haven’t seen Milk yet, but all indicators are it’s quality stuff.

    anyhoo… trains, trains, trains!

 

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