Shane Meadows:
Dead Man's Shoes (2004)
Like this one a lot. Paddy Considine is really, really good as Richard, who returns to his home town after spending some time in the army. There's a score to settle.
I really should watch some more movies directed by Meadows, 'This is England' was amazing but these two are the only ones I've seen thus far.
Abel Ferrara:
Bad Lieutenant (1992)
Harvey Keitel plays LT, a cop who is moore crooked than most of the criminals in NYC. Will a heinous crime nudge him towards redemption?
Amazing movie. So amazing, in fact, that I've owned the DVD for about fifteen years and only watched it for the second time earlier today. Not that the images, or the story, are forgettable, the movie packs the same punch as it did when I first saw it. Keitel's best work? Likely.
Larry Clark:
Bully (2001)
A group of teens, spending much of their time stoned out of their gourds and not doing much else, want to kill a particularly vile member of their group. Based on real events.
Larry Clark is one of those directors that you either hate or, not love, but like. Or at least tolerate. Not one to shy away from showing his viewers transgressive things usually involving people who are just a little bit too young, there are films of his that are actually really good. Bully is one of those. It's hard to sympathize with any of the characters, and as the late great Roger Ebert once said, in the end they do deserve each other. The cast does a great job.
After finishing the double feature of Bad Lieutenant and Bully, I need to take a long shower and after that look at many videos of puppies.
