Know Your Analyst—Thomas Kase Picks His Favorite Films and Directors

A horribly challenging proposition that Sydney handed me – wow. I love movies and films, as the pickier expression goes, and also the noir genre. I think I’ll flip the answer around to my top ten directors instead, as I usually follow directors rather than movies. I’ll toss in some “serious” movies and some that are more fun.

1. Luc Besson – Léon, and the Taxi series (the French versions only!)

2. Jim Jarmusch – Dead Man, Stranger Than Paradise, his Coffee and Cigarettes series

3. Juzo Itami – The Funeral, Tampopo (sic) – “tanpopo” in Japanese – his many “Woman” movies, such as A Taxing Woman

4. Akira Kurosawa – Seven Samurai, The Bodyguard – the latter an action comedy

5. Katsuhiro Otomo – for the genre-defining Akira – although Steamboy is fun

6. Yasujiro Ozu – so many great movies – Tokyo Story obviously, but so many of his “everyday” type movies are worth it

7. Martin Scorsese – Taxi Driver

8. Quentin Tarantino – Pulp Fiction. Many of his others disappoint, but he got that one right. Also check out Four Rooms. It’s co-directed by Tarantino along with three others, and Tim Roth gives an outstanding performance.

9. Jacques Tati – Mr. Hulot’s Holiday – or any other Mr. Hulot film

10. Wachowski Brothers – the Matrix – the sequels are distant relatives

Also, the Studio Ghibli productions – Hayao Miyazaki’s studio. Many of Miyazaki’s films come with thinly veiled greenie plots – and a bit pacifist at that – but his family had a factory that built Mitsubishi Zero-sen parts during WWII, so that’s an understandable attitude. Anyway, his movies are well-made, beyond brilliant, and extremely creative. Totoro, Spirited Away, Castle in the Sky – and many more.

Happy viewing!