New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

3. Iron Man by Jon Favreau

I don’t really think that Iron Man is a better movie than the last two I just listed, but as an actor/director, Jon Favreau is truly impressive. Sure, he may not have the cachet of Costner or Gibson, but let's not forget that Iron Man took the comic book hero genre to a whole new level, and perhaps ushered in a new era for Hollywood box office. Whatever else you may think of comic book movies, the achievement is deserving of a spot today.

Favreau also directed a beloved Christmas classic, Elf, which features his signature quirky and silly comedic style. On top of all this, the list of movies in which Favreau has turned in strong roles stretches all the way back to Rudy, and makes it all the way to The Wolf of Wall Street (that movie again!). He also directed himself in his movies, of course, and it is in the well-received Iron Man that he finessed his careful but not-overly serious style.

2. Dead Man Walking by Tim Robbins

The Directors' branch of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences likes to think of itself as progressive and forward thinking. They routinely nominate foreign-auteurs or ingénue newcomers over well-known names. But, by contrast, when it comes to gender-diversity, their record is, to be blunt, abysmal. What else explains that Penny Marshall's movie gets in to the Picture but not Director category, while Robbins' does the exact opposite?

Anyway, rant aside, Robbins' career has spanned a successful turn as an actor, winning an Oscar for his chilling portrayal of the not-all-there brother in Mystic River, but also at least two movie masterpieces. Indeed, this entry probably should read Cradle Will Rock, the movie Robbins directed after Dead Man, a brilliant social commentary about life in the 1930s. But, to be fair, Dead Man Walking is noteworthy because Robbins directed his then-partner, Susan Sarandon, to a Best Actress Oscar, and because Robbins pours his heart out with his signature methodic and thoughtful style. Wearing his politics on his sleeve like Clooney, Robbins does not hesitate to show his distaste for the death penalty while exposing the evil nature of the individual on death row. The result is one of the most heart-wrenching and haunting movies you will ever see.

1. Reds by Warren Beatty

Warren Beatty's roles as an actor are awards-worthy. The horny teenager in Splendor in the Grass, the anxious villain in Bonnie and Clyde, the flamboyant womanizer in Shampoo. His turns as a director are awards-worthy. The dramatization or reinvention of It's a Wonderful Life in Heaven Can Wait. The important, timeless political drama Reds (for which he did win an Oscar), the mafia biopic Bugsy and, yes, even the much-maligned but on-the-nose Bulworth (his last serious project until an upcoming unnamed 2016 film).

It is Reds that stands out, however, because of the vastness of its scope, the sheer majesty of its production values, the richness of the performances, and the importance of the story. It tells the story of John Reed, a real-life American journalist (a profession that appears a lot, it seems, in movies by directors that were actors, from Spotlight to Good Night) that joins the Russian Revolution after 1917, on the side of the Reds, and the challenges he faces throughout his life both to understand his own politics and the currents that are sweeping the world. With stunning performances by Beatty himself, as well as Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson (as Eugene O’Neill), Gene Hackman, and Maureen Stapleton, among others, the movie chronicles a historical event that was pivotal in 20th century history that has by now been largely left to obscurity given the decline of communism.

But nothing is better about Reds than Beatty's directorial style, which is apparent throughout. His tendency to over-dramatize and preach are there, but they work in the context of the subject matter. Beatty’s compulsive attention to detail is evident in the lack of a misstep anywhere in the production. And, most of all, his love for film, the art of film, and the importance of film all combine to give the movie a majestic feeling where majesty is deserved.

Beatty may never be crowned the Babe Ruth of movies with awards in both roles by the highest body in charge of awards, but, he arguably is such a talented maker of motion pictures anyway.

Continued:       1       2       3