RE: Artists with style - First Edition - Paul Verhoeven
I only know a few Verhoeven movies. The usual suspects like Robocop, Total Recall, Starship Troopers, and Showgirls I guess. Besides that I've seen Flesh and Blood and a few episode of Floris. Flesh and Blood for that matter was a kind of edgy portrayel of the middle ages, at least in terms of a mainstream movie (predating the Name of the Rose adapation by a year or so). Heresy, rape and murder. That sort of stuff, sprinkled with some thinly veiled social commentary and blurring of the lines. All in all probably a good indicator of the things to come, given how Robocop was released a few years later.
Overall I think Verhoeven is pretty underrated, or at least he seems a lot smarter than people might give him credit for at first glance. He doesn't seem to take himself too seriously as well, which seems like a rare combination. Particularly in context of the genre and schlocky action movies in general. Starship Trooper being a great example. A kind of satirical take on Heinlein and the kind of space fascism that's far less ironic in the source material. But then I guess this flew over most people's head at first. A bit like Showgirls, in terms of criticising show business. It seems kind of mean spirited, but in a fun way. Then I guess you could argue it might be misogynistic, like the main character arc revolving around the protagonist coming to terms with her being a whore. Or such.
Imho one of Vehoeven's greatest accomplishments was discovering Rutger Hauer, with Floris. That alone changed movie history. Same goes for Peter Weller to a smaller extend, the actor who played the first Robocop.