Curtis Hanson, Director of Great Women, Dies at 71

It turned out that I was a big fan of Curtis Hanson’s. Yes, LA Confidential was one of the best films to never win Best Picture but I’d also grown quite fond of The Hand that Rocks the Cradle and even The River Wild with Meryl Streep. Hanson had an ability to bring out fierce performances in his actresses – from Kim Basinger, who won an Oscar in LA Confidential, to the absolutely fantastic Rebecca DeMornay in the Hand that Rocks the Cradle. She should have gotten an Oscar nomination for that movie.. And what can you say about The River Wild except that it’s a much better movie than it’s been given credit for, thank in large part to Meryl Streep – but also Hanson was a good director of thrillers, usually those that revolved around female characters, but he also directed 8 Mile with Eminem which came close to getting a Best Picture nomination. I was waiting for audiences to really begin to appreciate the Hand that Rocks the Cradle for years and had always meant to pay Hanson a kind of tribute for it. Rest in peace. [Hollywood Reporter]