Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro
Favorite Films: The King of Comedy (1982), Goodfellas (1990), Raging Bull (1980)
This is coming from a biased view point, but Scorsese and De Niro together is the best duo in film history. Scorsese has directed nine films with De Niro in them and is currently working on number ten. I can barely contain my excitement. What makes these two working together so unique is how much range they’ve showed off. Obviously the mob films that De Niro has starred in like Goodfellas and Casino are gems, but how about flicks like The King of Comedy or Taxi Driver? Both are cult classics that are so deep. They tackle topics of loneliness and mental health through violence and rage. It’s quite beautiful.
Then, Scorsese directed De Niro as Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull. Mwah, mwah, mwah; CHEFS KISS. To go from directing De Niro as Travis Bickle, a loner veteran taxi driver, to directing him as a dominant boxer with a troubled past is wonderful. Traditionally these director-actor duos will last a few years, but not De Niro and Scorsese. Their first film together was in 1973 with Mean Streets and it appears that Killers of the Flower Moon will release this year. THAT’S FIFTY YEARS TOGETHER.
Wes Anderson and Adrien Brody
Favorite Films: Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) The Darjeeling Unlimited (2007), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Wes Anderson is notorious for his loaded casts, quick panning shots, and vibrant colors in films. While Anderson does have a great stock of recurring performers, my favorite in his films is Adrien Brody. The first Wes Anderson film I ever watched was The Grand Budapest Hotel and my favorite moment was when Brody stood up and screamed at Ralph Fiennes “You’re not getting “Boy with Apple”, you goddamn little fruit!” In films like The Grand Budapest Hotel and The French Dispatch, Anderson brings out a comedically manic performance from Brody, but in The Darjeeling Unlimited, Brody is a bit more laid back. Anderson gets a lot out of his actors and makes them play fun roles, but none are more fun in my eyes than Adrien Brody.
Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale
Favorite Films: The Dark Knight (2008), The Prestige (2006), The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
The man who has mastered the twist. In the past few years, Nolan may have gone too far with his twists, but when he works with Christian Bale he makes perfection. Outside of working with Nolan, Bale has done his fair share of films with monumental twists like American Psycho and The Machinist. These two were made for one another. Their relationship began with Batman Begins and then parlayed into the best superhero trilogy ever and a film about pure obsession. When Nolan was casting for The Prestige, Bale approached him about playing Alfred Borden. Due to their experience with one another, Nolan felt like it was a fit. And thank God he obliged. Bale’s performance in The Prestige is maniacal and deep and couples beautifully with the twist we get.
For the Dark Knight trilogy, I think Bale is the best Batman ever. That’s assisted by Nolan’s direction because he makes you feel like Batman is invincible in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, but then shows the vulnerable side of Batman in The Dark Knight Rises. It’s beautifully done and Bale’s embrace of playing Batman is really great. These two working together is guaranteed to be a massive hit and I’d love to see them come back together in the near future.
Paul Thomas Anderson and Philip Seymour Hoffman
Favorite Films: The Master (2012), Boogie Nights (1997), Magnolia (1999)
Is Paul Thomas Anderson pretentious in his directing? Yes. But sometimes it works very well. I feel movies like Licorice Pizza and The Phantom Thread are in the realm of too pretentious, but The Master isn’t. One of Anderson’s frequent collaborators was the late great Philip Seymour Hoffman. He was in five of Andersons films and in each one, he played a different character that really stole the show every time (except for Hard Eight because he had a very small role). I think his character in Boogie Nights is iconic. Scotty was a gay misfit who tried to put himself out there in the worst attempts possible. “I’m a fuggin’ idiot. I’m a fuggin’ idiot. Fuggin’ idiot, fuggin’ idiot, fuggin’ idiot..“
In Magnolia, his role is more tame, yet you still invest in him because his main purpose is to connect a dying father with his estranged son. A few years later, he was an aggressive mattress store owner in a film I don’t love, Punch-Drunk Love. While I think the premise of the film is utter rubbish, Hoffman is unreal. He’s the lone bright spot that I really locked into. His final film with Anderson was The Master and he’s so believable as a cult leader in his later years as an actor. Hoffman just fits the role so great because you see the rage he holds that’s hidden under a professional facade. Anderson transformed this Academy Award winning actor in five different films into five entertaining characters.
The Coen Brothers and Frances McDormand
Favorite Films: Burn After Reading (2008), Fargo (1996)
Looking at the Coen Brothers films, they are geniuses when it comes to implementing comedy into films that you wouldn’t expect. A prime example of this is in one of their best films, Fargo. The actress they use as a vessel for humor in Fargo is Frances McDormand. In a film revolving around murder and moronic moves to make money, McDormand injects a needed chuckle. She does this on many occasions, but my favorite is in Burn After Reading. The crux of her character is to be a ditzy gym worker who is unhappy with her body. Now you interject her into a crossed wires plot of people who would never interact and you have a hilarious crime drama. What I admire most about McDormand in a Coen Brothers film is her chemistry with other actors like Brad Pitt and William H. Macy.
Sam Mendes and Daniel Craig
Favorite Films: Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015), Road To Perdition (2002)
When you think of the Mendes-Craig duo, the Bond films come to the brain first. They’re truly great action films in an era where action films are most prevalent. What people forget about is the 2002 crime drama Road To Perdition. The best part of Craig with Mendes is that Mendes doesn’t make Craig an invincible figure. In Road To Perdition, Craig is a weasel with a silver spoon in his mouth. He’s a character that you absolutely hate because everything he does is unethical.
Then with the Bond films, Mendes does a great job softening Daniel Craig. When Pierce Brosnan and Sean Connery played Bond he was the absolute rizz-lord that was invincible. It was always fun to watch, but when Daniel Craig gets the ever-living shit kicked out him, you feel bad for him and see him as more of a sympathetic character. The way Sam Mendes adds depth to characters is second to none with Kevin Spacey in American Beauty and Jake Gyllenhaal in Jarhead. He just does it multiple times with Daniel Craig.
