There are so many amazing movies with first time directors it is nearly incomprehensible. This is proven by just how packed our “Also See” section is with spectacular movies. Depending upon the day, you could shake this list up dramatically and no one would complain. With this many awesome movies with first time directors, my assumption has to be that directing is MUCH easier than we all originally thought. Right?
When the world’s greatest sketch comedy team made the switch the big screen, how did they make their movie twice as funny as their show? Easy, twice as many directors. The Holy Grail was the directorial debut for both Terry’s, and since, has become a right of passage for film/comedy lovers, and fundamental in the language of either subculture. “Nee!” A loose narrative about King Arthur and his knight’s quest for the Holy Grail, gives the comedy crew ample opportunity to non-sequitur all over the place, for the good of the funny. The team as a whole is responsible for the genius of the movie, but Terry G. and Terry J. steered the ship and made magic out of chaos. They continued to play on camera with the rest of the team, and shared the director chair again for Monty Python’s 3rd feature, The Meaning of Life, but other than that, they focused on their individual careers. Jones was still adding to his director reel as recently as 2015, when sadly he was diagnosed with Frontotemporal Dementia. But I’ve always been partial to Gilliam’s career (Brazil, Fisher King, and Time Bandits are among my favorite all time films). (Joshua Childs)
Have you ever sat at work and thought “Hey, this would make for a really cool film!”? Well that is how the incredible career of Dr. George Miller began. The horrors of the emergency room gave way to The Wasteland. The vicious roads of havoc where gangs rule the land and the last of the Interceptors attempt to keep order. Is the original Mad Maxfilm a perfect masterpiece of classic cinema. Not quite. Some of the acting is stilted and the story is loose. But what it accomplishes is telling the origin story of the legendary cinematic figure, Max, which catapults Mel Gibson to the skies of celebrity, and launches one of the greatest action franchises in the history of film. The pieces and ambition are there. The story is set. Mad Max opens the door for The Road Warrior and Mad Max: Fury Road to blow our collective minds! Also, you can welcome Saw for the premise of your franchise with the haunting finale to this post-apocalyptic joy ride. (Shane Conto)
The Coen Brothers legendary career started 35 years ago with this Texas flavored neo-noir. The Coens take what could be a simple premise (a man hires a private investigator to kill his cheating wife and her lover) and turn it into something really special. The story isn’t ground breaking but it is full of twists and turns and it’s wonderfully acted and the writing is superb. The Coens made the most of a small budget, and employ plenty of energetic and innovative camerawork, that’s partially inspired by their friend Sam Raimi, who had just finished making The Evil Dead. By the Coens own admission, the movie is bit “crude”, but it has an energy and a vibe that is hard to capture. Also, it’s important for not only launching their careers, but also the careers of Frances McDormand, and the film’s cinematographer, Barry Sonnenfeld. Blood Simple is still one of the Coen Brothers’ best films, and laid the groundwork for their later classics, Fargo and No Country for Old men. (Matthew Bledsoe)
Before Eighth Grade, we already knew Bo Burnham was musicals and comedy, but the fact that he was able to successfully write and direct a movie on his first attempt just bolstered his already impressive resume. This is a beautfiul film on so many levels. It is relatable in the sense that everyone goes through middle school – or more generally, being a teenager – and has to deal with everything that comes along with that. Peer pressure, bullying, and the struggle to fit in, among other things are depicted in impressive detail. But they present the quickly-changing times in a way that those who experienced it at a different time can empathize with those who are experiencing it now. It’s anchored by a real and honest performance from Elsie Fisher who, along with Burnham, has nowhere to go but up. (Robert Bouffard)
Who would have ever thought that one half of Key & Peele would be one of Hollywood’s must watch new directors? Not this guy! But with Us in theaters, it is so worth the time to think about the triumph that is Jordan Peele’s directorial debut, Get Out. Get Out is also a star making turn for Daniel Kaluuya. What feels like a top tier Twilight Zone episode (no surprise that Jordan Peele is involved in the reboot), Get Out paints a picture of horror for a young African American man stuck with his girlfriend’s family. But they are definitely not what they seem. Taking on racial relations in a fresh and new way, Peele also brings a visual flare that is unnerving and terrifying. Oh…don’t forget some great laughs. After you watch this, you’ll be swearing off tea! (Shane Conto)
The Lion King is my all-time favorite Disney movie. I never expected it to be a directorial debut, so I was shocked to see it qualified for this week’s BEC. Even though it’s a cartoon, the film is done beautifully and it was the Hamlet for my generation. From beginning to end, you’re always lost in this film from the soundtrack to the animation. They captured Africa excellently and swept us up in their world. I found this to be the first Disney film (that I can remember) pulling at my heartstrings. I don’t think a cartoon from that era ever brought tears to my eyes like this and it still does to this day. The Lion King felt real. Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff made and kind of broke my childhood from this film alone. Thank you, Mr. Allers and Mr. Minkoff for the memories, I think. (Chantel Ashford)
Biopics, as my general rule, aren’t anything to write home about. They are often a paint by numbers affair where we see a distortion of true events, played in a dramatic fashion. Flaws of our protagonist are glossed over to highlight their achievements or triumphs over adversity. Coogler’s debut subverts this style in breathtaking fashion. Coogler does not shy away from showing us Oscar Grant’s short-comings. In the beginning of the film, Grant (Michale B. Jordan) and his girlfriend (Melonie Diaz) are arguing about his infidelity. Later we learn he had been fired from his job at the local grocery store—and is now pondering over slinging drugs to support his family. Most directors don’t want to draw attention to these inadequacies for fear of alienating the audience. Coogler frames Grant so that he is not only humanized, but the audience begins to empathize with him. This empathy morphs into tension as the fateful Fruitvale Station arrives. In the hands of a lesser director, this final scene would not have been handled with the care Coogler places on it. (Dexter Hansen)
What’s most surprising about Ex Machina isn’t it’s laser accurate tone, knock out performances, or science fiction prescience. What’s most surprising is that it seems to have emerged from Alex Garland’s mind a fully formed and completely in tact piece of art in his first time sitting in the director’s chair. The movie is so competently assembled that the story feels as observational as it does revolutionary with thematic and metaphorical interplay that it usually takes directors years to hone. It’s always exhilarating when a voice is found the second the sound begins, and Garland is just such a voice. (Aaron Dicer)
Before he was a sad meme, before he was Batman, even before he won an Oscar, Ben Affleck gave us the best neo-noir/mystery of the 21 st century in a stunning directorial debut. Gone Baby Gone is a gritty story about a young Private Investigator’s search for an abducted child in a city where everyone has a history and personal motivations. But that’s just the plot. The philosophical themes this film explorers are limited only to your willingness to explore them: Can innocence be protected in a corrupt environment? Do the ends justify the means? Can you save your soul at the cost of someone else’s? How far are you willing to go for justice? Is a lie better than the truth when the truth hurts those you love? The questions this movie has the guts to ask and not provide easy answers. With such a captivating story told by so many powerful performances, especially a scene stealing Ed Harris, it’s not hard to see why this is one of the greatest directorial debuts of all time. (Isaac Horvat)
As it concerns the topic of Best First Time Directors, one particular name immediately comes to the forefront; Frank Darabont. The film would be an adaptation of a Stephen King short story (Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption) and would be renamed The Shawshank Redemption. Darabont’s use of his terrific screenplay, splendid cast, brilliant cinematographer Roger Deakins, and beautiful score by Thomas Newman created one of the most beautiful stories ever brought to the big screen. By utilizing Morgan Freeman’s world class narrative talents, the story is brought to life and never fails to impress regardless of being the first or hundreth viewing. One of the most understated and close friendships is captured with great beauty in the relationship between Andy and Red. Darabont brought out the best aspects of Tim Robbins’ and Morgan Freeman’s performances, displaying a level of authenticity in their friendship that is not often witnessed in cinema. The building of admiration for each other is so genuine and believable throughout the film’s duration. As a whole, Frank Darabont created not only a great film for his first feature length outing, but he also developed The Shawshank Redemption into one of the most highly regarded films of all time. (Joseph Vargas)
Honorable Mentions
Edge of Seventeen
In her directorial debut, writer/director Kelly Fremon Craighas nailed the coming-of-age genre in The Edge of Seventeen. The film follows the dysfunctional life of Nadine, a downhearted teen, who is portrayed by the exceptionally talented Hailee Steinfeld. You can’t help but chuckle at all the complications that arise in her life and the inspirational advice from Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson). When I say, ‘inspirational,’ I mean dark, humorous lines of dialogue that translate to I don’t give a damn about your situation! Although, as the movie progresses he starts to display signs of compassion towards Nadine after realising her predicament. This picture uses the 80s John Hughes formula effectively, with the titular character corresponding to Molly Ringwald in Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink. The Edge of Seventeen acts as a homage to Hughes’ coming-of-age teen comedies that are still memorable to this day. (Zach Stephens)
Cabin in the Woods
As a guy who really doesn’t count myself a horror fan, I LOVE CABIN IN THE WOODS. Where to even start with the great set up of the teens going to a cabin in the woods trope, not seeing any of the warning signs we all see are there. Then there is the deconstruction of the horror genre as a whole and some amazing meta humor. It’s really hard to not dive into the film with more detail, but I don’t want to spoil this one for those readers who haven’t seen it yet. Just know, Drew Goddard shows he knows how to take the horror formula and really turn it on its head and its a spectacular premise done right. (Evan Lucken)
Hereditary
Hereditary is an absolutely stunning debut from Ari Aster. It’s a truly intense family drama wrapped in a horror movie. Aster manages to make a drama about loss, grief, mental illness, family turmoil, and guilt, that also happens to be scary as hell. It’s slow burn horror that actually pays off. Aster managed to create a sense of dread that runs throughout the whole movie, which leads to an ending that’s basically a panic attack in movie form. Also, there’s no way I can’t mention the performance of Toni Collette, and the emotion Aster pulls out of her is phenomenal. The amount of control and confidence shown from Aster in his debut is truly amazing, and something you would normally see from someone who’s much deeper into their career. Aster’s debut was truly something special. and it’ll be very interesting to see what he does next. (Matthew Bledsoe)
A Star is Born (2018)
A Star Is Born is a masterpiece. The acting, the directing, the soundtrack (Especially I’ll Never Love Again), and the incredible chemistry between the leads all take this familiar story we’ve seen before and push it to the next level. This film rocked me to my core. It takes you on this emotional journey with these two characters and gets you completely invested as the go through incredible highs and incredible lows. All this is due to the incredible direction of Bradley Cooper. This is even more impressive because it’s his first time directing a feature film. A Star is Born went on to be nominated for eight Oscar nominations including a win for Best Original Song. This was also my personal favorite film of 2018. (Ben Davis)
District 9
The big push when District 9 arrived in theaters, late Summer 2009 was that creative genius Peter Jackson had a lot to do with the film. However, it was Neil Blomkamp’s direction that made District 9 a unique Sci-Fi movie. Set in an alternate timeline, where an Insect-like alien race has been marooned on Earth (South Africa to be exact). Earthlings must learn to adapt to or control the new beings living on their planet. Many great parallels can be drawn between this film and the subplot to 2019’s Captain Marvel and the Skrulls from that movie. The Aliens are stranded without a home, unable to leave, and unable to rise up from the grips of the oppressors holding them down. Of course, in District 9 the main Human character ends up mutating into an Humanoid-Insect. Also, the insects spit nasty tar-like substances out of their Insect-Labrums (Wait? Is that right? Or did I just type something inappropriate? Oh well, no time to fact check). Needless to say, Blomkamp hasn’t struck the same tone with his other movies, Chappie and Elysium. District 9 though, is held in high regards by many for it’s Social message and it’s “Like Nothing Else” visuals. Labrums! (Jack Altermatt)
Play Misty for Me
Nearly 90 years old. 40 director credits under his belt. And most of them actually good. Play Misty for Me was that first thrilling step behind the camera. Eastwood (directing himself, as he would later do a lot) plays a disc jockey who becomes the victim of a female listener’s obsession. If it wasn’t the first legit stalker thriller, it was certainly the one that put the genre on the map. (Joshua Childs)
16 Candles
He may have only directed 8 movies, but half of them are cultural icons, 3 of them are quintessential 80’s movie, and one of them has become a holiday classic. 16 Candles, is one of the “quintessentials”. It’s Samantha’s (Molly Ringwald) 16th birthday, but her family forgets in the shadow of her older sister’s upcoming wedding. Who knows what turned Hughes into a hermit in the 90’s (I don’t think it’s Curly Sue’s fault), but in 1984, we had a whole world of misfits ahead of us. (Joshua Childs)
George Washington
Few filmmakers have captured the essence of Terrence Malick better than David Gordon Green. With his 2000 debut “George Washington”, the Little Rock, Arkansas native delivers a genuine American classic. Aimlessly structured, Green along with the exquisite work of cinematographer Tim Orr, winds viewers through an impoverished North Carolina town populated by nowhere adults and the haunting lives of young kids forced to grow up without warning. It’s an astonishing start that ultimately makes Green’s filmography that much more fascinating. If you’re hailed as the next savior of film, how does that affect the career choices you make?
In the 12 movies that followed, Green shifts between stoner comedies, real life tales of heartbreak and with his most recent movie, an attempt at revive a classic horror franchise back to its roots. Results are mixed but the man behind the camera remains one to be respected. (Drew Douglas)
That Thing You Do
Tom Hanks has shown time and time again that he is a great actor. When you watch That Thing You Do! for the first time you might not realize that Tom Hanks is in the directors seat. I think one of the best decisions Hanks makes in the film is keeping himself in a bit part and letting the main cast really have the fun. It’s amazing how well he does with the flow and vibe of the film as we follow The Wonders (The Oneders!) as they rise from their local gymnasium performance to a nationwide phenomenon. The cast is absolute gold and the music is so catchy I find myself going back to the album out of pure enjoyment. It makes me wonder why we didn’t get more of Hanks as a director, with his only other film being Larry Crown 25 years later. (Evan Lucken)
Also See:
Who’s Afriad of Virginia Woolf? (Mike Nichols), Boyz N the Hood (John Singleton), Sex Lies and Video Tape (Steven Soderbergh), Citizen Kane (Orson Welles), 12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet), Caddyshack (Harold Ramis), Chariots of Fire (Hugh Hudson), Dances with Wolves (Kevin Costner), That Thing You Do (Tom Hanks), Gattaca (Andrew Niccol), Newsies (Kenny Ortega), Speed (Jan de Bont), The Prince of Egypt (Brenda Chapman and Steve Hickner), A Bug’s Life (Andrew Stanton), The Iron Giant (Brad Bird), Being John Malcovich (Spike Jonze), Toy Story (John Lasseter), 40 Year Old Virgin (Judd Apatow), Monsters Inc (Pete Doctor), MI3 (JJ Abrams), King of Kong (Seth Gordon), In Bruges (Martin McDonagh), Napoleon Dynamite (Jared Hess), Moon (Duncan Jones), Anchorman (Adam McKay), 500 Days of Summer (Marc Webb), Up (Bob Peterson), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Lord and Miller), The Gift (Joel Edgerton), Kubo and the Two Strings (Travis Knight), Atomic Blonde (David Leitch), Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig), 10 Cloverfield Lane (Dan Trachtenberg), Pitch Perfect (Jason Moore), Wreck it Ralph (Rich Moore), Coco (Adrian Molina, Frozen (Jennifer Lee), Don Jon (Joseph Gordon Levitt), The Way Way Back (Nat Faxon and Jim Rash), Nightcrawler (Dan Gilroy), John Wick (Chad Stahelski), The Cabin in the Woods (Drew Goddard), Say Anything… (Cameron Crowe), Lion (Garth Davis) Bottle Rocket (Wes Anderson), Brick (Rian Johnson).