View Poll Results: Favorite Paul Schrader film?
American Gigolo
0
0%
Patty Hearst
0
0%
The Comfort of Strangers
0
0%
Light Sleeper
0
0%
Touch
0
0%
Forever Mine
0
0%
The Walker
0
0%
Voters: 28. You may not vote on this poll
Paul Schrader
#1
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
Paul Schrader
An accomplished screenwriter, (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Rolling Thunder, The Mosquito Coast, The Last Temptation of Christ etc...) he has also directed some very fine motion pictures.
What is your favorite Paul Schrader film?
What is your favorite Paul Schrader film?
#2
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Formerly known as "Solid Snake PAC"/Denton, Tx
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4 Posts
Re: Paul Schrader
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#3
Re: Paul Schrader
Yeah, I have to say Cat People although Blue Collar is pretty good and I need to see Hardcore, if only for the awesome George C Scott screech.
As a screenwriter, I'd have to go with the Yakuza.
As a screenwriter, I'd have to go with the Yakuza.
#4
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Paul Schrader
I never cared for Cat People. Sure Kinski was easy on the eyes but the movie was such crap.
#5
Re: Paul Schrader
Favorite-Blue Collar
Best-Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
Best-Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
#15
Re: Paul Schrader
I had the pleasure of seeing Mishima restored, on the big screen and followed by Q 'n A with Schrader. What a great time, he's a funny, affable and very humble guy. I remember Hardcore and Cat People on cable from when they were still new movies, and now I wanna see 'em again!
#16
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Paul Schrader
"Cat People", hands down. "Hardcore" was also great but so hard to watch.
#18
Challenge Guru & Comic Nerd
Re: Paul Schrader
Wow, never realized how diverse his filmography is, or how many of his films are in my unwatched piles. Have seen too few of his to even vote, but hope to correct that.
#20
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Paul Schrader
Voted for Blue Collar, though I haven't seen most of his recent stuff. I much prefer him in his screenwriter guise, as I'm not really a fan of Hardcore, Cat People, or American Gigolo.
#21
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Paul Schrader
Haven't seen all of Scharder's body of work -- but I did watch Auto Focus yesterday and that's a masterpiece of a film, imo -- I wish they would release a BD of that already. The DVD is pretty packed with special features, too.
I rank 'em:
Auto Focus
Dominion
Cat People
Touch
I've been meaning to watch Hardcore for a while now.
I rank 'em:
Auto Focus
Dominion
Cat People
Touch
I've been meaning to watch Hardcore for a while now.
#22
Re: Paul Schrader
Haven't seen all of Scharder's body of work -- but I did watch Auto Focus yesterday and that's a masterpiece of a film, imo -- I wish they would release a BD of that already. The DVD is pretty packed with special features, too.
I rank 'em:
Auto Focus
Dominion
Cat People
Touch
I've been meaning to watch Hardcore for a while now.
I rank 'em:
Auto Focus
Dominion
Cat People
Touch
I've been meaning to watch Hardcore for a while now.
#23
Re: Paul Schrader
My favorite Schrader films are two that he wrote: THE YAKUZA and TAXI DRIVER.
#24
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Paul Schrader
The Canyons is not included with the great James Deen lol?
I noticed this thread was created in 2010.
I noticed this thread was created in 2010.
#25
DVD Talk Special Edition
Best Paul Schrader Films Ranked
Hi All,
As per usual, there's still several of his films I haven't yet watched (including American Gigolo, Forever Mine, and his Exorcist movie...all of which I own...I'll get around to watching them eventually), but of the ones I have seen, here are my thoughts...
1. Affliction - Maybe Nolte's best performance, with an equally great turn by the great James Coburn. Based on a Russell Banks novel (as was The Sweet Hereafter), just a great movie. Sissy Spacek is good in a supporting role. Very open-ended movie, and Nolte seems to channel a lot of what was going on in his personal life to this movie...Also love the wintry setting...
2. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters - Surprised how much I loved this, and a lot of it has to do with Philip Glass's phenomenal score. The instant you pop the movie in, it just propels itself forward...Really happy Criterion is releasing this on Blu-Ray...
3. Auto Focus - Usually not a big Greg Kinnear fan, but he was excellent in this role. The scenes with him and Willem Dafoe are heart-breaking...Still has its funny moments and scenes of levity, but ultimately a tragic tale...The extras on the DVD are also great...They have a very disturbing extra that shows actual crime scene footage...And the three commentaries are all terrific and informative...
4. Hardcore - George C. Scott was great in his role as a strict Calvinist whose daughter may or may not have joined the porn industry...Shows another seedy side of New York...Just a tough movie to watch and Schrader took a lot of his upbringing and put it in this movie...Harrowing...
5. Blue Collar - Great cast, and just a great story about members of a union who essentially end up screwing themselves. Kotto, Keitel, and especially Richard Pryor are terrific (famously, they didn't really get a long throughout the shoot)...One of the best '70s movies, and a great directorial debut for Schrader...
6. Light Sleeper - Willem Dafoe plays a low-level drug dealer. Just a solid movie...Nothing bombastic happens in the plot, it's just a low-key great little movie...
7. Patty Hearst - Ving Rhames was awesome in this. I had always been fascinated by the story, and this movie holds up very well today...Really shows a fascinating view of someone being brainwashed (I know this is still open to dispute)...He took a story ripped from the headlines and made a great movie...
8. Dying of the Light - Rewatched this recently. Cage gives a great performance and I'm still convinced this has been unfairly maligned...I know Schrader was not satisfied with the movie, and largely blamed interference from the producers, but I think he managed to make a good movie despite of that...
9. Dog Eat Dog - One of his most recent, featuring standout performances from Cage and Dafoe. The plot kind of bounces all over the place, but there's simply too many great scenes to discount the movie...Also extremely violent at times, but all of those scenes suit the tone of the movie...
10. Cat People - For whatever reason, I'm not a giant fan of this one...The Scream Factory release is great and all, but the movie has never really grown on me...The one plus is the awesome David Bowie song that features in the movie, later to be reused by Tarantino on Inglourious Bastereds...
11. Adam Resurrected - Couldn't stand this. The subject matter is obviously extremely grim, but I didn't think Schrader did a good job conveying that. It's also one of the few movies where I didn't much care for Jeff Goldblum...The movie seemed rushed to me...
In addition to these, he's obviously also written a number of other great movies (including many for Scorsese, and Obsession for De Palma), but in this instance I'm only ranking movies he actually directed...
Thanks
As per usual, there's still several of his films I haven't yet watched (including American Gigolo, Forever Mine, and his Exorcist movie...all of which I own...I'll get around to watching them eventually), but of the ones I have seen, here are my thoughts...
1. Affliction - Maybe Nolte's best performance, with an equally great turn by the great James Coburn. Based on a Russell Banks novel (as was The Sweet Hereafter), just a great movie. Sissy Spacek is good in a supporting role. Very open-ended movie, and Nolte seems to channel a lot of what was going on in his personal life to this movie...Also love the wintry setting...
2. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters - Surprised how much I loved this, and a lot of it has to do with Philip Glass's phenomenal score. The instant you pop the movie in, it just propels itself forward...Really happy Criterion is releasing this on Blu-Ray...
3. Auto Focus - Usually not a big Greg Kinnear fan, but he was excellent in this role. The scenes with him and Willem Dafoe are heart-breaking...Still has its funny moments and scenes of levity, but ultimately a tragic tale...The extras on the DVD are also great...They have a very disturbing extra that shows actual crime scene footage...And the three commentaries are all terrific and informative...
4. Hardcore - George C. Scott was great in his role as a strict Calvinist whose daughter may or may not have joined the porn industry...Shows another seedy side of New York...Just a tough movie to watch and Schrader took a lot of his upbringing and put it in this movie...Harrowing...
5. Blue Collar - Great cast, and just a great story about members of a union who essentially end up screwing themselves. Kotto, Keitel, and especially Richard Pryor are terrific (famously, they didn't really get a long throughout the shoot)...One of the best '70s movies, and a great directorial debut for Schrader...
6. Light Sleeper - Willem Dafoe plays a low-level drug dealer. Just a solid movie...Nothing bombastic happens in the plot, it's just a low-key great little movie...
7. Patty Hearst - Ving Rhames was awesome in this. I had always been fascinated by the story, and this movie holds up very well today...Really shows a fascinating view of someone being brainwashed (I know this is still open to dispute)...He took a story ripped from the headlines and made a great movie...
8. Dying of the Light - Rewatched this recently. Cage gives a great performance and I'm still convinced this has been unfairly maligned...I know Schrader was not satisfied with the movie, and largely blamed interference from the producers, but I think he managed to make a good movie despite of that...
9. Dog Eat Dog - One of his most recent, featuring standout performances from Cage and Dafoe. The plot kind of bounces all over the place, but there's simply too many great scenes to discount the movie...Also extremely violent at times, but all of those scenes suit the tone of the movie...
10. Cat People - For whatever reason, I'm not a giant fan of this one...The Scream Factory release is great and all, but the movie has never really grown on me...The one plus is the awesome David Bowie song that features in the movie, later to be reused by Tarantino on Inglourious Bastereds...
11. Adam Resurrected - Couldn't stand this. The subject matter is obviously extremely grim, but I didn't think Schrader did a good job conveying that. It's also one of the few movies where I didn't much care for Jeff Goldblum...The movie seemed rushed to me...
In addition to these, he's obviously also written a number of other great movies (including many for Scorsese, and Obsession for De Palma), but in this instance I'm only ranking movies he actually directed...
Thanks