Three Controversial Movie Directors I Can't Live Without

Ayanna Guyhto, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Dec 2, 2011 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

I tend to enjoy movies that are directed by controversial filmmakers. Those who push the envelope or explore unpopular themes are usually the ones that strike my fancy. Some directors simply have The Touch -- the ability to create visual trademarks with their directing style.

Plenty of movies have touched me. But few filmmakers have touched my psyche the way the following directors have. Suffice it to say, I would probably watch (almost) anything these guys direct …

M. Night Shyamalan

Here's one director I think gets the short end of the stick. When "The Sixth Sense" came out in 1999, everyone loved him. That whole Surprise Ending thing was still pretty fresh in cinema. It was hard for him to live up to the great reputation that that movie created.

But then he released "Unbreakable" and "Signs" and continued to reap rave reviews. By the time he brought us "Lady in the Water," audiences had become jaded. But not me. I accept the fact that M. Night's films have multiple layers beneath those supernatural twist-endings. No matter the subject matter, his filmmaking techniques are always crisp, emotional, and stunning. Bringing us "The Happening," his first R-rated affair, just made me love him even more.

Spike Lee

I would be lying if I said that I've seen every Spike Lee film ever made. But whenever I see this man's name attached to a project, I am immediately interested.

Spike has a way of presenting New York subcultures to the general public that tends to otherwise get overlooked. He delves into the heart of black family life in ways that few other directors have. And of course, I will always love that moving sidewalk effect he does with his characters -- something that has become his trademark.

But my respect for Spike increased triple-fold when he released "Summer of Sam" in 1999. Taking a horrifying incident from real life (the 1970s Son of Sam murders) and spinning it into a credible, star-studded affair was sheer brilliance.

Quentin Tarantino

There is no way I could omit controversial director Quentin Tarantino from this precious list. The number of ways "Q" rubs people the wrong way is perhaps too large to fathom. But I happen to love Tarantino's films for dozens of reasons: his frank portrayal of urban characters, his awesome soundtrack/score selections, the "clever" applications of gratuitous violence, his witty inclusion of obscure pop culture references, and those multilinear storylines are just a tip of the iceberg.

Honorable Mentions:

Todd Solondz - "Happiness" (1998), "Storytelling" (2001)

Larry Clark - "Kids" (1995), "Bully" (2001), "Ken Park" (2002)

SOURCES:

www.movies.yahoo.com

www.omg.yahoo.com