Links to sites about my favourite film-makers, and a selection of other films I really like and recommend.

David Fincher
A director to watch in the 21st century. After cutting his teeth with music videos for Madonna and other he made an interesting feature debut with Alien3 which, while flawed, showed a director of great intelligence and visual style. His next film, Se7en, made no mistakes. One of the best American films of the 90s, and one of the best thrillers ever, it explored the detective genre in a quite original and challenging way, with Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt playing detectives on the track of a demented serial killer (Kevin Spacey) who is committing an horrific sequence of murders inspired by an obsession with the Seven Deadly Sins. The plot is both gripping and intruiging; set in an nameless city, the mood and look of the film is gloomy, shadowy and claustrophobic and the editing is truly superb. Potential viewers should be warned, however, that Se7en is definitely not for the faint-hearted - although there is little on-screen gore, the implied violence and sadism of the crimes is among the most extreme and shocking yet portrayed in a mainstream film.

His third feature, The Game (1997), didn’t do as well at the box office, being esentially a dark solo turn by Michael Douglas and perhaps too clever for the average audience. A redemption fable which plays on the theme of appearance-vs-reality, it's strongly reminiscent of the best episodes of The Twilight Zone. Millionaire financier Nicholas Van Orton (Douglas) is a hollow man, mean-spirited, obsessed with business and emotially dead to those around him, including his ex-wife and their daughter. On his 48th birthday - the same age his father was when he committed suicide - his tearaway brother Conrad (Sean Penn) presents him with a gift certificate from a mysterious company called Consumer Recreation Services, who provide a service known only as The Game; he promising that it will change Nicholas'  life. As soon as he accepts the offer, he is through the looking-glass. The Game becomes a no-holds-barred assault on him and everything he values and thinks true, and his ordered life and business empire rapidly disintegrate as The Game takes control. Although marred by a rather trite ending, the screenplay is extremely clever, has some great twists, and overall is well worth a look. As the name implies, the film is itself a game, peppered with references to other mysteries- like the Hitchcock classics Vertigo and North By Northwest - and there are in-jokes galore; set in San Francisco, casting Douglas is an obvious reference to his first major screen role, as the young detective in TV’s Streets of San Francisco.

His fourth film was another masterpiece. Fight Club was a tour de force. Confronting, disturbing, deeply strange, wildly funny, it is without doubt Fincher's best film yet and certainly the best American film of the 90s, in my opinion. (Empire magazine rates it as the sixth-greatest film of all time). Brad Pitt shows again why he is one of the greatest actors of his generation; Edward Norton matches him all the way and Helena Bonham-Carter is amazing, her role perhaps the most brilliant piece of casting-against type in recent years.

Fincher's next feature due in 2002, is another thriller, The Panic Room, starring Jodie Foster. The synopsis describes it as a thriller about a woman whose home is repeatedly invaded by robbers searching for a treasure supposedly hidden in the house.

Fincher is still slated to direct the long-awaited $100m film version of Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous With Rama starring Morgan Freeman (whose production company owns the screen rights). Although it's been in "development hell" for several years, it looks set to go ahead next year and is currently being touted for a 2003 release.

Sergei Parajanov 1924-1990
Georgian-born, of Armenian parents, writer, filmmaker and painter Parajanov directed a handful of extraordinary films: Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1964), The Colour of Pomegranate (1969), Legend of the Suram Fortress (1984) and Ashik Kerib (1988) which he dedicated to Andrei Tarkovsky. Although he devised and started many film projects, only these four films were completed in his lifetime and he died in 1990 while working on a film called Confession. Influenced by his own work as a painter, and by folk tales, his films have an unique sensibility and a glorious visual style. He is now recognised as one of the greatest 20th century directors. Like Tarkovsky, his iconoclastic style enraged the Soviet regime and he was constantly persecuted by the Georgian and Ukranian authorities; at least two partly-completed productions were shut down, and he was jailed several times on trumped up charges, including a five-year sentence in the mid-70s. He was released in 1977, largely thanks to a direct appeal to Brezhnev by poet Louis Aragon, and he made two more film before his untimely death in 1990.

Check out the new official Parajanov website at www.parajanov.com

Powell's career was marked by many difficulties and battles with producers and studios over the direction of his films, which helped to undermine his career. After the war came more amazing films - Gone To Earth, A Matter Of Life And Death (which helped launch the career of David Niven), the famous music/ballet fantasies The Red Shoes and Tales of Hoffman, and the Oscar-winning Black Narcissus. HIs career,and the Archers partnership, began to unravel in the 1950s. Then, at virtually the same time that Hitchcock was enjoying his greatest success with Psycho, Powell's career came to an abrupt halt - ironically, due to controversy over what is perhaps his best film. The Freudian thriller Peeping Tom (1960) tells of a deeply disturbed young photographer, Mark, who has been driven mad by systematic and vicious abuse as a child, inflicted by his scientist father, as part of his research into fear. Mark commits a series of horrific murders of young women, whom he photographs as they die.

Peeping Tom is still strong stuff - the sadistic twist to the murders (which I won't reveal) is still quite shocking, and its disquieting portrayal of the abuse of the young boy is rendered even more uncomfortable by the fact that the father and son sequences were played by Powell himself and his son Columba. Unfortunately, Powell completely underestimated the conservatism of the British public - the press launched a uniquely savage campaign attacking the film; the distributor panicked, and it was withdrawn from release, Powell was tagged as "sick" and "degenerate" and the affair effectively ending his career. It is today regarded as a film landmark, especially for its innovative examination of the relationship between camera, subject and audience, and for its terrifying portrayal of child abuse. After a decade in the wilderness Powell came to Australia in the late 60s and directed They're A Weird Mob and Age Of Consent, his last major films.He moved to California in 1980 and became close friends with his ardent admirer Martin Scorcese. Scorccese became a major champion of Powell's work, organising a re-release of the full version of Peeping Tom in the U.S., and his long-time editor Thelma Schoonmaker became Powell's second wife. In his last years Powell worked on many unfulfilled film projects, and wrote a wonderful two-volume autobiography (A Life In Film, Million Dollar Movie). He died in 1990.

• BritMovie Directors - Michael Powell
• It's Not Just Michael Powell - British Films of the 30s, 40s and 50s
• Archers Deluxe

Sayles' filmography includes: Lianna (1983); Baby, It's You (1983); The Brother from Another Planet (1984) is an off-beat sci-fi drama about a mute, black alien stranded in New York; Matewan (1987) is a compelling historical drama based on the brutal repression on the Appalachian miners' strikes in the '20s; Eight Men Out (1988) is a unique insight into one of America's most notorious sport scandals, the infamous' throwing' of the 1919 baseball World Series by the Boston Black Sox; City of Hope (1991); Passion Fish (1992) examines the friendship between an embittered, paralysed ex-TV star and her live-in housekeeper (beautifully played by Alfre Woodard); The Secret of Roan Inish (1994), is perhaps his most surprising film to date, a beautiful and poetic mythical tale of childhood and magic, set in Ireland, and filmed by the legendary Haskell Wexler.

Sayles' gritty murder drama Lone Star (1996) gave Kris Kristofferson one of his best-ever screen roles, received critical raves and gained an Oscar nomination for the Best Screenplay. Sayles' latest film is Men With Guns, and is currently at work on a new project called Limbo. As well as his own film work, Sayles has written novels, plays and short stories, appeared in small roles for other directors (Malcolm X, Something Wild), worked (often uncredited) on other screenplays including Apollo 13, The Quick and the Dead and The Howling. He also directed videos for three tracks from Bruce Springsteen's famous Born in the USA album.

"The world is divided into two unequal camps ... those who have never heard of Jan Svankmajer and those who happen upon his work and know that they have come face to face with genius."
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker

Andrei Tarkovsky

One of the greatest filmmakers of the century, Tarkovsky is frequently compared with Kubrick, whom he admired. Once seen, never forgotten, his films are haunting, strange, dreamlike and poetic, with a stunning and highly individual visual style. They can be challenging for viewers used to strightforward narrative structures, but immensely rewarding once you get his drift. Like Paradjanov, he was harrassed by the authorities, and many of his films were held back for years from international release. He is best known for his two 'SF' films, Solaris, based on the famous novel by Stanislaw Lem, Stalker,  which eerily presaged the Chernobyl disaster, and was first recognised in the west for the epic historical drama Andrei Rublev.

Peter Sellers was fortunate that his last film was also perhaps his best. He had apparently read the Jerzy Kosysnky novel when it was published, fallen in love with it and planned to make a film version for years. Happily it came to fruition just in time. The film is a wonderful and witty meditation on celebrity, politics and the power of appearances. Sellers totally owns the role of Chance, the strange, blank character who becomes whatever the people around him believe him to be. The great support cast includes Shirley Maclaine and Melvyn Douglas, in his last screen appearance. There are scores of great scenes, but Shirley's bedroom scene is a howler. "I like to watch."

Like Being There, Bliss is another of those rare birds - a perfect film adaptations of a great book, by Peter Carey and director Ray Lawrence, from Carey's novel. Advertising executive Harry Joy (Barry Otto) has a near-death experience - but when he recovers he is convinced he is in hell. And no wonder - his bitchy wife is having a torrid affair under his nose, his depraved son is trading drugs for sex with his own sister, and his ad agency represents the most destructive and polluting companies in town. His life spirals out of control until he breaks away from his hideous family and finds redemption in his love for the beautiful Honey Barbara. Barry Otto is perfect as Harry, Lynette Curran gives the performance of her career as Harry's wife, and the film has a superb supporting cast. Incredibly, this is Ray Lawrence's only feature film to date, but it remains one of the landmarks of Australian cinema and is filled with wondrous and unforgettable images. Try to see the director's cut, which features about 12 minutes of footage cut from the original release, including a spell-binding monologue by Otto.

The original TV version of this great Dennis Potter black comedy was made for the BBC in 1976 but it was canned due to its content and not shown until the time of Potter's death a few years ago. The movie version, directed by Dennis Loncraine, is a major improvement - tight, funny, very black, with superb performances all round. The plot centres on Tom and Norma Bates, whose lives have been catastrophically changed by an accident which has left their daughter comatose, and totally dependent on her parents for care. Their sad, grim existence is changed when Tom "bumps into" a young man on his way home from work. Martin (who may or may not be an old friend of their daughter) inviegles his way into the Bates' household, ingratiating himself to the long-suffering Norma. In spite of Tom's suspicions, Martin is soon "one of the family" - but what does he really want? The late Denholm Elliott is superb (as always), reprising his role as the guilt-ridden father, the wonderful Joan Plowright (Mrs Olivier) plays his wife Norma, and Sting is perfectly cast as Martin, really excelling in his first major screen role.

Two very funny western spoofs, both starring John Astin. Made for TV by "Happy Days" creator Garry Marshall, Evil Roy Slade stars Astin in the title role of the meanest cowboy in the west; orphaned by an Indian attack, Roy is so evil that even the coyotes wouldn't raise him. He falls in love with a beautiful school-marm, who tries to change his evil ways, but can he find happiness before he is hunted down by singing Sheriff Bing Bell ("Was that the door?") played by Dick Shawn, and ruthless railroad boss Nelson Stool (Mickey Rooney)?

The film is crammed with great gags and lines - the "Stubby Index Finger" song, which celebrates Stool's days as a telegraph operator, is totally mental. Top cast also includes Milton Berle, Dom De Luise, Pat Morita and Henry Gibson, cameos by youngsters Penny Marshall and John Ritter, and narration by Pat (Mr Haney) Buttram. This film must have been a major influence on Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles, made in 1974.

In The Brothers O'Toole, Astin stars as one of two fortune hunting brothers who drift into the town of "Molly B. Damn" - so called because the dopey locals can't pronounce its real name, Molybdenum, and have no idea of the colossal value of the mine the town is sitting on. Although not a sequel, this film has a similar feel to Evil Roy Slade and is also well worth seeing.

After making his name with some diverting French language films, Besson pulled one out of the hat with this stylish, rollicking sci-fi adventure, which works effortlessly achieving where Independence Day labours. Critics of this film obviously missed the point. Bruce Willis, tongue firmly in cheek, reprises his reluctant hero schtick to fine effect and saves the world yet again, Ian Holm is great as the bumbling priest Vito Cornelius, Gary Oldman hams it up magnificently as the villainous Zorg, and there are celebrity cameos galore, including music star Tricky, veteran British actors John Bluthal and John Neville, 90210’s Luke Perry, fashion desiger Isaac Misrahi, standup comedian Lee Evans, and a bevy of supermodels. The film looks fantastic, not least for the superb costumes by Jean-Paul Gaultier and boasts eyepopping make-up, scenic design and special effects. The hilarious script rips along at a cracking pace, piling parody on top of postmodern referentialism, and it doffs its haute-couture hat to almost every sci-fi film and action/adventure film ever made.

Hal Ashby's classic black comedy is too rarely seen these days. It stars Bud Cort as Harold, a bored rich boy who indulges his creativity - and his need for love and attention - by staging a series of hilarious fake suicides; he also drives around in a hearse and attends funerals. His well-meaing but ditzy mother tries to find a wife and career for young Harold, but it all goes wrong until a chance meeting with Maude (the wonderful Ruth Gordon), a free-spirited old woman who shows him what living is all about.

The infamous Monkees movie, made at the tail-end of their hugely successful TV career. I can't imagine what kiddie fans would have made of this when it came out, but it stands the test of time. Directed by Bob Rafelson and co-written by Rafelson and Jack Nicholson, it pulls out all the stops as it deflates the Monkees' image and celebrity. It's certainly one of the best psychedelic films of the era, and it's also very funny, with a cool circular plot, great songs by Goffin & King and others, and cameo appearances by Frank Zappa, Annette Funicello, Sonny Liston and Victor Mature.

A landmark ghost film, on a par with The Innocents as one of the best in the genre. Directed by the legendary Robert Wise, it stars Julie Harris, Claire Bloom and Russ Tamblyn as members of a team of psychic researchers, investigating a reputedly haunted mansion, Hill House. They quickly discover that the stories are real and are menaced by unseen and malevolent forces. Aided by excellent b/w photography, the film creates a highly-charged atmosphere and although we never actually see any ghosts, the tension and sense of fear it generates is unequalled. (There is also a lesbian subplot, rather daring for the time, played out between Harris and Bloom).

The supremely spooky adaptation of Henry James' classic ghost story, The Turn Of The Screw, directed by Jack Clayton (Creature from the Black Lagoon), with screenplay by William Archibald, Truman Capote and John ("Rumpole") Mortimer, music by noted French composer Georges Auric and matchless b/w cinematography by the great Freddie Francis. The film is a masterpiece of tension and paranoia, charged with menacing undercurrents of violence, sexual obsession and paedophilia. It stars Deborah Kerr in one of her best roles, and the children who play the brother and sister give extraordinary performances.

Shy, inexperienced Miss Giddens (Kerr) is hired as governess for Flora, an orphaned girl being raised by her rich, self-centred uncle (Michael Redgrave) on his country estate. Although Giddens' unease is at first dispelled by Flora's angelic nature, things take a turn for the worse when her brother Miles returns home, expelled from school for unnamed misbehaviour. The children's increasingly bizarre behaviour, and the strange events and apparitions which Miss Giddens experiences, reveal the twisted relationship between the children and their former governess and her lover, the valet Quint (Peter Wyngarde), who both died in strange circumstances. The scene where Giddens sees an apparition of the former governess, hovering in the lake, is electrifying. Even if you don't believe in ghosts, this will scare the pants off you.

For my money, still the best version of the oft-filmed Stevenson tale, directed by Reuben Mamoulian and starring the great Frederick March, who won the Oscar tha year for his amazing performance. The incredible scene in which Hyde terrorises and murders a prostitute, played by Miriam Hopkins, is one of the most terrifying ever filmed. The transformation effects are also great, using a very ingenious system of colour filters to gradually reveal the change from Jekyll to Hyde, rather than the usual time-lapse method.

Ultra-weird, ultra-cool Polish-language adaptation of the 1713 fantasy novel by Count Jan Potocki, Polish adventurer, diplomat, scientist and author. It was directed by Wojciech Has and stars Zbigniew Cybulski, known as the "Polish James Dean", and was filmed on incredible locations in Spain, with stunning b/w photography by Mieczyslaw Jahoda. This remarkable chinese-puzzle of a film is a must for any lover of fantasy and the surreal.

A funny, quirky, endearing comedy/mystery, written by James Goldman and directed by Anthony Harvey (who had previously collaborated on The Lion In Winter). George C. Scott is Justin Playfair, a man who thinks he is Sherlock Holmes, and Joanne Woodward as Dr (Mildred) Watson. He seems crazy - but is he? Notable as one of the rare American films with an unresolved ending. Also the source of the name for the eponymous 'zany' American pop duo.

Where's Poppa? He's been dead for years, but Momma thinks he just went out to get some cigarettes ... Uproarious black comedy made in 1970, directed by Carl Reiner, written by Robert Klane, based on his novel. Lawyer Gordon Hocheiser (George Segal) has a hard time living with his senile widowed mother (Ruth Gordon), especially when he falls in love with Louise (Trish Van Devere), the nurse he has just hired. Unfortunately, he promised Poppa, on his deathbed, that he would not put his mother in a home, and his selfish elder brother will do nothing to help him. So he tries every trick in the book to get rid of her. Gordon gives an outrageous performance as the  mother, and Segal is perfectly cast as the harrowed son. There are many sublime moments, but the love scene between Segal and Van Devere has to be one of the funniest ever filmed. The film was the direct inspiration for the Australian TV series Mother and Son; the idea was (poorly) revisited by Danny Devito in Throw Momma from The Train.. Watch out for future director Rob Reiner in a cameo role. His dad Carl Reiner was of course a legendary comedy writer/actor, with credits including the Syd Caesar and Carol Burnett shows, and he later directed Steve Martin in films like The Jerk and The Man With Two Brains.

Wanna find more movie stuff? Try

• the Internet Movie Database
• Coming Atttractions - tons of info.on coming movie projects