Anything Hal Ashby.... Movies, the man, etc.. He never got his due, despite making a great movie, one after the other.
-The Landlord
-Harold and Maude
-The Last Detail
-Shampoo
-Coming Home
-Bound For Glory
I liked his rebellious style, too.
I remember the name. These are very different movies. I like that in a director, but it keeps him from having a signature. I'd say both Wilder and Kubrick varied their style enough to not have a signature, but they made extremely popular movies. Ashby's look a little more personal, although I wouldn't say that about Shampoo.
share"Life is a state of mind."
Best last line in a movie ever.
Only Francis Ford Coppola and Friedkin probably had a better 70's. Altman had a good early 70's but he petered off a bit. Scorsese had a good later 70's. Ingmar Bergman, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders and Francois Truffaut had great 70's.
But Ashby is definitely in that group too. He had 7 classic films all in the 70's. He had a style that definitely was a middle finger to the studios. They ended up destroying him, as well as himself with his drug addiction. He also won a Oscar as a editor. The guy was a genius. I loved that he chose risky projects and never felt like judging the characters in his films.
Has anyone seen any of his 80s movies? I've only seen Second-Hand Hearts (and the Stones doc).. I'm trying to get them, but they are much more difficult.
shareI'd avoid them Bill if i was you, I can't recommend any of them to be fair. They sadly show a true artist in decline. There is a reason why they are difficult to find cause they are terrible.
shareThat's pretty sad. Then again, many directors didn't seem to do well in the 80s (who started at least a decade before), take Richard Brooks. Everyone says to avoid them all. In an interview, Brooks said, "You are judged by your last picture, and if you make one failure, you're probably done" (paraphrase).
shareOnly really a few had a great 80's, Woody Allen had a good 80's, Francis Ford Coppola had a underrated 80's, Oliver Stone had a great 80's, James Cameron too, Martin Scorsese had a good one.Louis Malle too. Lawrence Kasdan, Ridley Scott and Philip Kaufman had good 80's. Wim Wenders did his best work in the 80's. Akira Kurosawa returned to form in the 80's.
Greats like William Friedkin had a mixed 80's, Robert Altman didn't have a great one compared to his 70's stuff. Hal Ashby would be one of the biggest fall from graces sadly. I wouldn't put it all down to the studio's ruining him, he's to blame himself for his drug use taking him over.
For me Aki Kaurismaki is the guy who was really great in the 80s, but I think he started in 81'
shareHarold and Maude is fantastic. Enjoyed Being There and Coming Home, too. I don't think I've seen anything else of his.
shareHello again ! Although it's pretty much a guy flick, The Last Detail is well worth your time. Jack Nicholson, Randy Quaid and another guy are sailors and they are taking Quaid to "the brig," and decide to let him have some fun before he goes to prison. Unusual premise for a movie, and early Jack. I'd love to see it again myself.
share