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A group of unique directors and the essential works that you've got to see.

||| Frank Capra |||
Frank Capra

It goes without saying that Capra is one of the greatest and most beloved directors of all time, especially renowned for his madcap romantic comedies. He is one of the few directors who ever managed to balance whimsy with meaningfulness without loosing the ability to entertain.

Only Frank Capra, with his light hand and good sense of allowing the actors to be their roles, could carry off this tale of a naive average American used by an unscrupulous politician through a nationwide goodwill drive. No one was ever better at having strong yet vulnerable women not only aid, but often come to the rescue, of the leading man.

Frank Capra's final film is a hilarious translation of a Damon Runyon tale set in 1930s New York, as gangster Glenn Ford repays street peddler Bette Davis for her "good luck" apples by passing her off as a well-to-do society lady for her visiting daughter (Ann-Margret in her film debut). This excellent and thoroughly enjoyable remake of his own 1933 "Lady for a Day" is a beautiful swan song to a master storyteller. Widescreen!

In this black comedy about two sweet old ladies whose basement holds a murderously funny secret, Capra utilizes star Cary Grant to his zany, patented “double take” best. Capra’s brilliance in comic casting is demonstrated with such reliable character actors as Raymond Massey, Peter Lorre and Jack Carson who manage to play their parts to the hilt without chewing up the scenery.

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Why all films in 2008 will own to "Eagle Eye"

By EdwardHavens

September 21st, 2007

Look out, "Sex and the City" and "Kung Fu Panda." "Keep your eyes peeled, "Get Smart" and "The Dark Knight." Even you, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Dark Crystal Krull," better get out of town before late summer. DJ Caruso's upcoming thriller "Eagle Eye" is destined to be the greatest film of all time. Here's why...

Why all films in 2008 will own to

1) The film is directed by Caruso, who parlayed his career directing television shows like "Dark Angel" and "Buddy Faro" into a feature career that includes "The Salton Sea," "Taking Lives" and "Two for the Money." Okay, he also directed "Disturbia," which hailed him as the new Hitchcock. 2) The story, about a young slacker and a single mom who get tangled up in a terrorist cell plotting a political assassination, was dreamed up by none other than Steven Spielberg. You may have heard of this guy. Amongst the movies with screenplays or stories by Mr. Spielberg: "Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Poltergeist," "The Goonies," "Batteries Not Included" and "Animaniacs." (And let me stop here for a second to seriously suggest that Mr. Spielberg consider a remake of "Batteries Not Included," which had a strong central story but got too immersed in its own childish whimsy.) 3) The first draft of the screenplay for "Eagle Eye" was written by Dan McDermott, who doesn't have much on his C.V. besides the one-season-and-out Lifetime series "Angela's Eyes," but gets 20,000 Cool Points for being the father of Maria Bello's child. 4) The first series of revisions on the script were by the writing team of John Glenn and Travis Wright. Again, very few credits, but the team did write the upcoming "Warriors" remake (which is not needed) and, with Glenn directing, the upcoming Paul Walker film "The Heaven Project." 5) The next set of revisions were done by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. After working on "Xena" and "Hercules", and with J.J. Abrams on "Alias," Kurtzman and Orci were responsible for "The Island," Michael Bay's one true flop, "The Legend of Zorro," which couldn't recapture the magic that made the first film so much fun, "Mission: Impossible III," the least performing film in the series, and "Transformers," which may end up being the biggest film of 2007 if today's IMAX release of the film gets people excited to see it again. 6) Then J.J. Abrams himself came in for some doctoring. Why not? He is currently Paramount's golden boy, being in charge of "Snakes in the Hudson River" and the "Star Trek" reboot. 7) And with the film prepping for a November start date, the studio has brought Hilary Seitz in for one last set of tweaks. Seitz wrote the American remake of Erik Skjoldbjærg's "Insomnia," but despite the film's success, she hasn't worked since. With so many great writers aboard, if this film doesn't top the 2012 BFI "Greatest Films of All Time" list, something will have gone very very wrong.


"Eagle Eye" Scorecard
Director: DJ Caruso
Producers: Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, Pat Crowley, Ed McDonnell
:Screenwriters: Dan McDermott and John Glenn & Travis Wright and Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci and J.J. Abrams and Hillary Seitz, story by Steven Spielberg
Executive Producer: Steven Spielberg
Production Start Date: November 2007
Production Shooting Location: Los Angeles
U.S. Distributor: DreamWorks Pictures/Paramount Pictures
Scheduled U.S. Release Date: October 10, 2008