TALK Paul Verhoeven

[trailergod]

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http://us.imdb.com/Name?Verhoeven,%20Paul

Date of birth (location)
18 July 1938
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Trade mark
Famous for his extremely violent, yet intelligent, science fiction films

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Trivia
Notice on his American films, see any type of numerical pattern? Look carefully it goes like this in years between each movie. (2,3,2,3,2,3 ext.)

Became the first person in history to actually show up at the Razzie Awards. Where he personally accepted his Worst Director "award" for Showgirls (1995).

So who is Paul Verhoeven to you?
Do you like his movies?
What is your favorite movie that he directed?

I like
Starship Troopers
&
Showgirls (1995)
and maybe the 1st RoboCop (1987) ....

yes I LIKE SHOWGIRLS... coz maybe it was the 1st "erotic" movie i have seen in theatres :big grin:

[RoboDan]

Paul Verhoeven is one of my top 3 fav. directors. I like his "naturalistic" sense of violence in movies, that almost all other filmmakers lack. My favorite film from him will always be Robocop (1987). Total Recall & Basic Instinct also top the list.

Starship Troopers was a blast (I understood it for what it really was). I actually quite enjoyed Hollow Man too. For his earlier work, the 4th Man & Soldier of Orange are classics. Can't wait to get that PV DVD collection. Great stuff. I await his latest film from New Line, and sadly...it seems that 2,3,2,3 year streak has been demolished!

--Dan

[trailergod]

the last movie listed is Hallow Man, any new projects from him?

[editman]

So who is Paul Verhoeven to you?

Ultrasex and ultraviolence... that's what you'll find in his films.

Do you like his movies?

Half and half... Showgirls is horrifying but Robocop is a classic

What is your favorite movie that he directed?

editman likes Robocop & Basic Instinct. Starship Trooper is not bad. Showgirls is... my favourite comedy... j/k

[carl]

Born in Amsterdam in 1938, some of director Paul Verhoeven's earliest memories are of Nazi and Allied planes falling from the sky into nearby fields. Verhoeven as a child let his curiosity lead him to visit the dead pilots, potentially molding his psyche to allow for the possibility that war holds more ambiguity than right versus wrong. Verhoeven's work is considered by many violent and misogynistic, but in looking at his films, there is a clear sense not of hatred, but of yearning for a missing piece -- of love, passion, memory, or fulfillment -- that touches all his creations. His films may not have the warm-fuzzy images that make them easy to digest. He freely admits his films are violent, not for the sake of violence, but, he says, because "...it is my sincere opinion film only reflects the violence of society." Verhoeven is what film buffs want most in a filmmaker, someone who is complicated, an enigma who brings his complexities to the screen.

Verhoeven earned his Ph.D. in mathematics and physics from the prestigious University of Leiden and soon joined the Royal Dutch Navy, making documentaries and short films for the military. In 1969, Verhoeven moved into fictional filmmaking with a popular Dutch TV series (Floris), in which he first cast an unknown Rutger Hauer, before making his first theatrical feature, Business Is Business (1971). Turkish Delight (1973), which paired him with cinematographer and frequent collaborator Jan de Bont, was his first international success; in 1999, it garnered the prestigious Netherlands Golden Calf as the Best Dutch Film of the Century. It shows Verhoeven's first real leanings toward a reoccurring theme of erotic obsession. He followed that with Cathy Tippel (1975), a story of a young girl forced into prostitution because of her family's poverty. In 1979 he made Soldier of Orange, a grim coming-of-age story set during World War II, which became a staple of the more esoteric movie houses when it was released in the U.S. and later enjoyed a resurgence amongst film aficionados on VHS and DVD. With his now-favorite actor Rutger Hauer, Verhoeven furthered his reputation with erotic, violence-laden adolescent fantasy Spetters (1980), about three motorcycle racers obsessed over a young woman who sells hot dogs in a concession where they race. Verhoeven spiced his suspense levels with the psycho-sexual thriller The Fourth Man (1983) about a bisexual writer, overwhelmed by his attraction to a beautiful hairdresser. The director's first English-language film was Flesh + Blood (1985), a 16th century adventure film re-titled The Sword and the Rose in re-release; it involves kidnapping and revenge, with a little plague thrown in for fun. Verhoeven moved to international attention with Robocop (1986), the story of a cop brought back to life by technology and haunted by memories of his past. Sharon Stone, a supporting actress in his 1990 release Total Recall, starred in Verhoeven's most notorious film, Basic Instinct (1992). Utilizing much of the premise of his earlier The Fourth Man, Verhoeven managed to combine many of his past sub themes -- political duplicity, urban decay, sexual ambiguity, appalling violence, and abnormality lurking within normality, to his highest commercial and critical acclaim. Verhoeven's 1995 film Showgirls, about Vegas showgirls trying to overcome difficult life choices, was equally controversial and almost universally panned by critics and the public. In 1997, he returned to the sci-fi action/adventure mode with Starship Troopers. Though a critical flop, Troopers was lauded for its groundbreaking special effects, showcasing amazing gigantic bugs and their battle scenes with human soldiers sent to obliterate them. Verhoeven delved further into the sci-fi jumbo-effects genre with his next film, Hollow Man. Kevin Bacon starred in the remake of the H.G. Wells classic of moral deterioration that occurs after experimenting with human invisibility. ~ All Movie Guide

Put simply one of the worst directors on the scene. Verhoeven is a sadistic pervert who admits to making films like Basic Instinct and Show Girls simply because he likes looking at naked people, and admits to films like Robocop and Total recall because he likes to see violence. He relishes flesh be it male or female and isn't too bothered whether it's on display or being ripped to shreds. A few of his films have had a strong satrical edge running through them (Star Ship Troopers, Robocop) but to date none of his films have ever made me laugh, think, or even care. He never worries about developing the characters or telling a full story as long as the screen is soaked in blood, and to date his best flm that I have seen would be Hollow Man. The sex and violence was not as extreme as his previous work, and as a result it was much easier to laugh at, even though the film wasn't satrical.