baumer Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 (edited) http://www.top10films.co.uk/archives/15699The difficult second album has troubled and frustrated musicians since people started buying vinyl. But what about filmmakers and their second feature-length film..? Here’s ten of the best.There are many directors who explode onto the scene with incredible first films. There are too many to mention here but a few would-be artists like Sam Mendes, who won best director for American Beauty, Wes Craven for his intestine-squeezing, pulse-pounding, heart-stopping film Last House on the Left and even lesser known films like Arlington Road by director Mark Pellington, who made what I consider one of the best of 1999.But what about those directors who might have made good films for their first one, but absolutely blew us (me) away with their second ones? I find this to be a bit more interesting as we may have not even seen their brilliance coming, and yet their second films were absolutely astonishing in so many ways.Here, I take a look at what I consider to be the top 10 best second films from a director. One caveat to this is that I will admit that my point of reference doesn’t go back before 1970. I am simply not knowledgeable enough to speak intelligently, or remotely coherently about these films. So this will be from 1970 until now. I’m sure some of these choices will be a big WTF to some of you, but these are the artists and films that have left an impact on me and on the film world.Other top 10s you might like: Top 10 Sequels Of All Time | Top 10 Science-Fiction Films of the 1990s | Top 30 Horror Films 1967 – 1979 | Top 10 films to have driven people to murder10. Katherine Bigelow – Near Dark (1987)Bigelow made a film in 1982 called Loveless. No one really saw it. It took her 5 years until she would make her next film. And a strange one it was. Near Dark was blessed with a terrific cast highlighted of course by three of the main actors from Aliens, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen and Jeanette Goldstein. It came out the same year as the other vampire film, Lost Boys. Both films were terrific but told and shot in as diametric polars as one could possibly imagine. Her comedic timing, intensity and ability to get fantastic performances out of her entire cast was never more on display than it was here. It’s no wonder, at least to this author, that she won the Oscar for best director 23 years later.9. Sylvester Stallone – Rocky II (1979)Stallone, in my opinion, is one of the all time underrated directors. He hasn’t done many films but the ones he has done have, for the most part, been some of the most entertaining films of their respective years. He has been the punchline all of his professional life. Even in success, his detractors would go after his speech impediment, husky voice and/or his “dumb jock” reputation. Nothing is further from the truth as he is an Oscar-nominated actor and writer and has written more than 20 films. Rocky II is almost as good as the original. Stallone says he learned how to direct when he did Paradise Alley. And when John G. Alvidsen wasn’t asked back for the sequel, Stallone stepped in and showed his ability. His choreography of the fight is better than Alvidsen’s vision. Rocky II is just one of the strong entries in the Rocky saga.8. John Hughes – The Breakfast Club (1985)One of the all time under-appreciated writer/director’s in the history of film. John Hughes could direct a film that takes place in a phone booth and it would be interesting. Never has anyone been able to relate to one generation as well as he. He just understood what it was like to be a teen in the 80′s. Sixteen Candles started this wonderful journey but The Breakfast Club simply transcends a generation. It examines the high school pyramids, paradigms and parameters of jocks, beauty queens, brainiacs, basketcases and criminals. There’s a reason why this film has remained relevant over a quarter of a century later.7. Joss Whedon – The Avengers (2012)If you are Marvel and you are ready to spend about 350 million dollars on a one of a kind film, who do you hire to helm it? That’s simple…the man who has one directing credit to his name and (ostensibly) has no idea how to handle a budget of that size. And yet The Avengers turned out to be one of the best films of 2012 and is spoken about in the pantheon of great superhero films like The Dark Knight and Spiderman 2. Whedon brought his own geeky sensibilities to the film. There are scenes in it that are right from his childlike mind, like playing Galaga in the floating fortress. So many tiny touches of brilliance were brought to the film because of him. A truly ballsy move by producers Kevin Feige and Alan Fine (among others).6. Tobe Hooper – The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)There are films that are remembered for being great. There are films that are remembered for winning Oscars and there are films that are remembered for making gajillions of dollars. Then there is Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This is a film that once you see it, it will never leave you, at least it hasn’t me. It’s ephemeral and one film that will still be spoken about 50 years from now. Based loosely on Ed Gein, who was also the basis for Psycho, Hooper should be lauded for his raw and innovative film making. This was filmed in July and August in Texas, which is the hottest time of year. The feeling of this film is painted brilliantly in every shot. The dinner table scene is one of the most iconic scenes in any horror film. And the blood in some of the shots near the end is real. Marilyn Burns did twist her ankle jumping through the window and Gunnar Hansen chased the actors with a real chainsaw. This obviously adds to the authenticity of the film, making Texas Chainsaw Massacre one of the all time greats.5. Ridley Scott – Alien (1979)Is there a more gut wrenching scene than the alien chest bursting scene? If there is, I can’t think of one. It terrified a generation of movie goers and it is still imitated today, some 30-plus years later. For a man who directed a fencing movie starring Harvey Keitel and Albert Finney, to suddenly show off his immense talents with Alien, it was truly a surprise. Alien has stood the test of time and even though there has been 5 other alien films (including his pairing with the Predator) none has been able to match the sheer audacity of the first one. Scott is now an Oscar nominated director and one of the most revered men in the business. Alien started it all.4. Quentin Tarantino – Pulp Fiction (1994)The film that changed the way we see films today. And that is not hyperbolic in any way. QT came along and turned everything upside down. This is a film that will often be imitated but never duplicated. That is an old cliche but it is so true in this case. It is completely original and without a doubt, what makes it so original and so great is simply the writing and directing. What other film can have gangsters talking about foot massages and the importance of them just before they are about to perform a hit. What other film can describe in great detail what a pilot for a film is and then talk about a man that fell through a four story window and develop a speech impediment, all before entering into a room to ramble on about the Bible and how tasty the burgers are before executing them with extreme prejudice. There is a simple and definitive answer to that question – no film. Pulp fiction takes violence and surrounds it with every day conversations with people that seem to be in a different world yet they jump through some strange porthole and into ours by discussing things like blueberry muffins, how good coffee is, cleaning a blood smeared car with domesticated products that are located under Jimmy’s sink, oral pleasure, speaking Bora Bora, getting day jobs as opposed to robbing banks, being cool like Fonzie and five dollar milkshakes. A giant among giants.3. The Wachowski Brothers – The Matrix (1999)Another game changer. We all know about bullet time but what is also so iconic about this film, is, well everything. The story of a computer hacker who just knows that something isn’t quite right with the world, but he can’t put his finger on it. This is a film that is about as symbolic as they come. We are all living in The Matrix. We are all asleep and somewhere out there, people like Morpheus do exist and they are trying to tell us something. Unquestionably one of the best films of 1999 and in so many ways, much more memorable than American Beauty. The Wachowskis were never able to duplicate their success here although the sequel, for all of its detractors, is a remarkable film as well. But to go from Bound (a film about lesbians trying to steal mob money) to this genre bending, iconic film, is just mind blowing.2. James Cameron – The Terminator (1984)In 1982, James Cameron directed the sequel to Joe Dante’s cult classic Piranha. He didn’t get along with the crew, pissed everyone off and was reportedly fired with about a quarter of the film still to be shot. How on earth did this (allegedly) temperamental young Canadian manage to secure a 6 million dollar budget, with a world champion bodybuilder as the main bad guy and then have it go on to make 6 times its budget in North America alone? Balls, brains, and a je ne sais quoi attitude. Cameron is one of the most brilliant director’s to ever grace Hollywood and The Terminator is the film that got him noticed. This is the stuff of legend.1. Steven Spielberg – Jaws (1975)Sugarland Express is a nice movie. JAWS is as good as they come! For those of you who have read some of my other pieces, you will know of my love for JAWS. It is the best film ever made in my opinion. I don’t want to repeat myself too much when it comes to JAWS, but just know this. Spielberg had to make things up on the fly. The script was written, at times, 5 minutes before they were going to shoot the scene. He had to invent ways to create suspense because the main prop wasn’t working. He had a drunk and a playboy as two of his main leads. And yet when the camera rolled, the green, 26-year-old filmmaker managed to make magic. There is no finer film. To borrow a line from wrestling legend Bret Hart – It’s the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. Edited January 28, 2013 by baumer 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuart360 Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Cameron is top for me because Terminator is his second film but if you ignore Piranha 2 (which many people do as rumours are he was in the directors chair for about a week before he was fired) then ALIENS is his second film and thats an even better film that 'The Terminator imo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumer Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 Cameron is top for me because Terminator is his second film but if you ignore Piranha 2 (which many people do as rumours are he was in the directors chair for about a week before he was fired) then ALIENS is his second film and thats an even better film that 'The Terminator imo. I don't ignore Piranha because his name is above credits. So to me Terminator is his second film. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuart360 Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I don't ignore Piranha because his name is above credits. So to me Terminator is his second film. Ok cool, i probably agree with Jaws and Speilberg being top then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumer Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 Ok cool, i probably agree with Jaws and Speilberg being top then. Nothing against your opinion. If you feel that Aliens is his second film, then cool. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peludo Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Others not mentioned: Orson Welles: The Magnificent Ambersons (after Citizen Kane) George Clooney: Good night and good luck (after Confessions of a dangerous mind) David Lynch: The elephant man (after Eraserhead) The Coen Brothers: Raising Arizona (after Blood simple) John Lasseter: A bug's life (after Toy Story) Terrence Malick: Days of heaven (after Badlands) Terry Jones: Life of Brian (after Monty Python and the Holy Grail) Frank Darabont: The Green Mile (after The Shawshank Redemption) Alejandro González Iñarritu: 21 grams (after Amores perros) Juan Antonio Bayona: The Impossible (after The Orphanage) Alejandro Amenábar: Open your eyes (after Tesis) Christopher Nolan: Memento (after Following) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Gary Scott Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Pulp Fiction would probably top my list 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Gary Scott Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Oh and Brad Bird for the incredibles. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumer Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 Others not mentioned: Orson Welles: The Magnificent Ambersons (after Citizen Kane)George Clooney: Good night and good luck (after Confessions of a dangerous mind)David Lynch: The elephant man (after Eraserhead)The Coen Brothers: Raising Arizona (after Blood simple)John Lasseter: A bug's life (after Toy Story)Terrence Malick: Days of heaven (after Badlands)Terry Jones: Life of Brian (after Monty Python and the Holy Grail)Frank Darabont: The Green Mile (after The Shawshank Redemption)Alejandro González Iñarritu: 21 grams (after Amores perros)Juan Antonio Bayona: The Impossible (after The Orphanage)Alejandro Amenábar: Open your eyes (after Tesis)Christopher Nolan: Memento (after Following)Very nice list. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peludo Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Very nice list. Thank you very much. Your list is great too . I think this thread is a very good idea. As we already have a good number of movies, my top 10 right now is: 1. Terry Jones - Life of Brian2. Alejandro Amenábar - Open your eyes3. Quentin Tarantino - Pulp Fiction4. Ridley Scott - Alien5. Christopher Nolan - Memento6. The Coen Brothers - Raising Arizona (in my opinion, very underrated)7. Alejandro González Iñarritu - 21 grams8. Steven Spielberg - Jaws9. George Clooney - Good night and good luck10. The Wachowski Brothers - The Matrix 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4815162342 Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 others: Andrew Dominik- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford David Fincher- Se7en Bryan Singer- The Usual Suspects 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Stingray Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 J.J. Abrams - Star Trek 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Stingray Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 P.T. Anderson - Boogie Nights 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Stingray Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Tommy Lee Jones - The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peludo Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 others: Andrew Dominik- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford David Fincher- Se7en Bryan Singer- The Usual Suspects Great examples. I have to edit my top 10: 1. Terry Jones - Life of Brian2. Alejandro Amenábar - Open your eyes 3. David Fincher- Se7en4. Quentin Tarantino - Pulp Fiction 5. Bryan Singer - The Usual Suspects6. Ridley Scott - Alien7. Christopher Nolan - Memento8. The Coen Brothers - Raising Arizona (in my opinion, very underrated)9. Alejandro González Iñarritu - 21 grams10. Steven Spielberg - Jaws 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumer Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 others: Andrew Dominik- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert FordDavid Fincher- Se7enBryan Singer- The Usual SuspectsI'll be honest with you, if I had known Singer's second film was TUS, it would have made my list for sure. I completely forgot about it being his second film.There are literally dozens of directors you can have on this list. That's what makes it fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peludo Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I'll be honest with you, if I had known Singer's second film was TUS, it would have made my list for sure. I completely forgot about it being his second film.There are literally dozens of directors you can have on this list. That's what makes it fun. Very true. It is curious how many directors have very good second movies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Gary Scott Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 J.J. Abrams - Star TrekHow did i forget that one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Stingray Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Too many to wrap my head around and rank. But Pulp Fiction, Jaws, Alien and Se7en are some of my favorite movies of all time so they would definitely be in my Top-5. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolioD1 Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Trainspotting and Broadcast News. idk, there's probably a bunch of others I'm blanking on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
