It’s hard to think of a filmmaker more influential than David Lynch. His Eraserhead became the first arthouse cult film, and no one had ever seen anything on TV like his Twin Peaks. He had a popular and critical success with Elephant Man, but remained defiantly artistic with his masterpieces, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive. His last film work was a hoot – an acting cameo as John Ford in The Fabelmans.
In the period between 1984 and 1996, few directors had as impressive and as varied a body of work as did Rob Reiner: This Is Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally, Princess Bride, A Few Good Men, Misery and Ghosts of Mississippi.
Director Masahiro Shinoda was a groundbreaking auteur, best known for his bracing neo-noir Pale Flower.
Lee Tamahori directed the intense and authentic Once Were Warriors, perhaps the best contemporary film on the Māori people and widely considered the greatest New Zealand film, and several Hollywood films, involving the James Bond Die Another Day.
Indie writer-director Henry Jaglom was known internationally among cinephiles for his artsy, individualistic, women-centered films like Eating and Venice/Venice. I attended an in-person Jaglom presentation of his film Hollywood Dreams.
