Directors' out-of-the-box films.

Paul Thomas Anderson – There will be Blood.

People who’ve seen PT Anderson’s works often think him as an ultimately experienced director we have today of his generation. For his age, Anderson directs films as if he’s been making films for more than a century, such is his grasp on making films into something that the audiences have never experienced. ‘There will be Blood’ is such a film. Every now and then you’re in for a surprise when you’re watching this film. The lengthy tracking shots, the huge production design that makes the frame and the scale of the film seem infinite are the major part of this epic journey of a man, Daniel Plainview, who starts from scratch to being a successful oil businessman. This epic saga tells us how success affects an individual extensively and descends him into being a paranoid ruthless murderer. Daniel Day Lewis – This film is impossible without this man who earned the ‘Best Actor’ at the Oscars for his performance making this film a must watch.
P.S. - Don’t miss his expression ‘I drink your milkshake! Slurrp!!’

Christopher Nolan – Insomnia.

‘We should take the audiences into a trance where they should wonder if whatever they are seeing is the truth or just a hallucination!’ – Nolan says talking about the kind of mind game films he makes. From the very beginning of his career he made films that deal with the minds and the psychological elements of the protagonists. Same thing in case of ‘Insomnia’. The film is about a detective, Will Dormer (Al Pacino) who suffers from insomnia out of guilt for accidentally killing his partner in a shootout. The regret is buried deep inside his subconscious by the sole witness of that incident, Walter Finch (Robin Williams) who stands as the antagonist who arrives at every step of will’s life and reminds him of his act. Unlike other Nolan’s films, this film is linear narrative where visuals and editing stand as the distinctive elements apart from unforgettable performances from Al Pacino and Robin Williams. Al Pacino’s performance makes us feel that he is suffering from Insomnia literally. Such is the beauty and dignity Pacino brought to the character. This film made Nolan one of the most matured and brilliant filmmakers of his generation.

Quentin Tarantino – Jackie Brown.

Another typical noir from the master of non-linear narrative, Jackie Brown is a 1997 crime drama about a woman named Jackie who is on a run for money, well, likewise, everyone in the film is. This film can be called Tarantino’s mind game film because non-linear narrative along with complex plot points occupy most of the film’s content. These plot points are revealed one at a time as the film goes forward putting us into a little more confusion. Robert De Niro and Samuel L. Jackson along with Pam Grier form an excellent cast for this cat and mouse chase. Jackie wins the game at the end at the cost of Ordell (L. Jackson) and Louis (De Niro) making the film an interesting piece of art that every Tarantino fan must watch.

Martin Scorsese – Hugo.

After watching many years of gory violence, blood all over the frame, guns in every scene, money overflowing with power, nudity and explicit language in films like Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Mean Streets, Casino etc, one couldn’t possibly imagine Scorsese would make ‘Hugo’. Though he made a variety of genre mix like The king of comedy, Kundun, The last temptation of the Christ, they din’t preferably make his career but made him a better director. Hugo is a 2011 adventure drama film which describes the breath taking journey of Hugo, a kid who’s in search of a key for his father’s machine which further drags him into a mire of the world of films and filmmaking and its master, Georges Melies. Intriguing, ain’t it? Well, hold on to your seats, it’s going to be an epic journey. This film shows how much Scorsese appreciated the works of Melies and the approach to the subject is what made this film Scorsese’s out of the box artwork.

Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire.

Before making Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle hadn’t even had a nomination, let alone winning one. This British filmmaker intrigued by a novel comes to India, makes a film and bang – the film wins 8 Oscars which becomes one of the most critically acclaimed films. In contrast to Nolan, Danny shoots on digital eventually giving hope to all the budding filmmakers out there. The film’s non-linear structure and abrupt editing and yet making complete sense to the audiences made the film what it is, Danny’s finest. Resul Pookutty’s sound, A.R.Rahman’s score and the stunning visual imagery by Anthony Dod Mantle are huge assets to this film. The visual grammar in the film changes and has a fresh vision that pleases our eyes to the core. The journey of Jamal, Saleem, Latika in reaching their respective destinations is told with a raw flexible vision by Danny.