favorite Top 5 Favorite Directors Of All Time?
- Thread starter Manchelli
- Start date
Might I suggest the OP lead by example?
Oh! Duh! Ha! I think you're on to something here...
Tarantino's directorial style is just wicked. He can bring out the best in anything. Every shot is beautiful, all dialogue exuisitely done (though that could be attributed to his genious writing), and he's never unoriginal or boring. Just explosive.
Tim Burton? Look at his creativity and sense of art. The darkness he brings makes everything delicately beautiful, and painfully real in the most surreal of ways.
David Fincher. Probably the most sleek and stylistic of my favorites. The way he maneuvers around in single shots and is one of the only directors who can achieve great technicalities in film is worthy of any salute. Plus, he's so raw and dirty in his sets and look. Wonderful.
Kevin Smith? One of the only great modern comedy directors around. And he has balls to do things no other director on a studio budget will do. He pushes taboo limits in the funniest and most attractive of ways comedy-wise. Snoogans.
Christopher Nolan. He is down to Earth, he is high above, he can be low-budget, mega-budget, he makes everything look good. The dude has a sense of what he's doing and he knows what looks good. He brings emotion, truth, and everything in between to his films which can be gripping and thrilling whilst never boring you.
Spielberg. Saving Private Ryan has to be one of my favorite movies of all time. Same with Goonies, Jurassic Park, Jaws, Minority Report, and on and on. His later stuff like Munich, ehhh, can't say I liked it as well as his 90's movies. Same with Indiana Jones. I can't say I liked the 4th one as much as the original 3. But, nevertheless, he's one of the greatest of all time. I love the suspense he creates and the "Spielberg Moments" he's famous for.
David Fincher. Benjamin Button IMO is almost a perfect movie. Plus, it hits a personal button of mine on the nose so I'm already attached to the movie But nevertheless, great film.
Robert Zemeckis - Aside from the fact I have seen Back to the Future about 300 times, I loved Cast Away's feel and look as well as Forest Gump. His emotional impact is great and he knows how to tell a story.
David Fincher. Benjamin Button IMO is almost a perfect movie. Plus, it hits a personal button of mine on the nose so I'm already attached to the movie But nevertheless, great film.
Robert Zemeckis - Aside from the fact I have seen Back to the Future about 300 times, I loved Cast Away's feel and look as well as Forest Gump. His emotional impact is great and he knows how to tell a story.
Alfred Hitchcock - knows the value of suspense, and that sometimes the chase is better than the catch. Accepts that we all wear our masks; not just the obvious players.
Tim Burton - stylistic & a dreamer. Not afraid of non-traditional mediums. This is the guy who should have made Dune... and who should make Gaiman's Sandman. Will Burton & Depp ever just tie the knot? Who knows.
Ridley Scott - actually, it's been a while since I've see a "great" flick by this guy, but he loves to let the audience experience & share the larger world/environment of his characters. His worlds are just "full". Hard to explain.
Ken Burns - yeah, the documentary guy. He'll get a V/O and a few old pictures, and will capture your attention for hours on end as he brings real history to life. The world needs more history buffs like him.
Ed Wood - Died drunk & penniless. If he can do it, so can I.
Tim Burton - stylistic & a dreamer. Not afraid of non-traditional mediums. This is the guy who should have made Dune... and who should make Gaiman's Sandman. Will Burton & Depp ever just tie the knot? Who knows.
Ridley Scott - actually, it's been a while since I've see a "great" flick by this guy, but he loves to let the audience experience & share the larger world/environment of his characters. His worlds are just "full". Hard to explain.
Ken Burns - yeah, the documentary guy. He'll get a V/O and a few old pictures, and will capture your attention for hours on end as he brings real history to life. The world needs more history buffs like him.
Ed Wood - Died drunk & penniless. If he can do it, so can I.
Tarantino - He's the painter, putting layer upon layer of detail, most of which the audience will never notice. He makes things that shouldn't work flow perfectly. Bill's car which sits in the background of his conversation with Budd is a De Tomaso Mangusta or Mongoose and a mongoose is famous for it's ability to kill deadly vipers. Of course, if you don't know that, its just a car in the background of the shot.
Eastwood - He's the sculptor, taking away everything that's not needed. He reveals the perfect form within a project. He is a master of minimalism and a testament to what can be accomplished by replacing the flashy with something perfect.
Scorsese - The quintesential lovey director, his colaborations with Robert Richardson and a slew of the most talented actors ever, have yeilded some of the most beautiful films ever to come out of Hollywood. His work bubbles over with life without ever seeming forced. A truly remarkable bit of work.
Cohen Bros - I'll count them as Two. They have a large body of brillinant and diverse work. It defies explaination that Oh Brother Where Art Thou and No Country for Old Men could come from the same film makers. Truely exceptional.
Honorable mentions: Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Kevin Smith, Chan-wook Park, Takashi Miike, Robert Rodriguez, Mel Gibson, (edit: almost forgot some) Leone, Gilliam, Burton
Eastwood - He's the sculptor, taking away everything that's not needed. He reveals the perfect form within a project. He is a master of minimalism and a testament to what can be accomplished by replacing the flashy with something perfect.
Scorsese - The quintesential lovey director, his colaborations with Robert Richardson and a slew of the most talented actors ever, have yeilded some of the most beautiful films ever to come out of Hollywood. His work bubbles over with life without ever seeming forced. A truly remarkable bit of work.
Cohen Bros - I'll count them as Two. They have a large body of brillinant and diverse work. It defies explaination that Oh Brother Where Art Thou and No Country for Old Men could come from the same film makers. Truely exceptional.
Honorable mentions: Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Kevin Smith, Chan-wook Park, Takashi Miike, Robert Rodriguez, Mel Gibson, (edit: almost forgot some) Leone, Gilliam, Burton
Last edited:
Alfred Hitchcock - knows the value of suspense, and that sometimes the chase is better than the catch. Accepts that we all wear our masks; not just the obvious players.
Tim Burton - stylistic & a dreamer. Not afraid of non-traditional mediums. This is the guy who should have made Dune... and who should make Gaiman's Sandman. Will Burton & Depp ever just tie the knot? Who knows.
Ridley Scott - actually, it's been a while since I've see a "great" flick by this guy, but he loves to let the audience experience & share the larger world/environment of his characters. His worlds are just "full". Hard to explain.
Ken Burns - yeah, the documentary guy. He'll get a V/O and a few old pictures, and will capture your attention for hours on end as he brings real history to life. The world needs more history buffs like him.
Ed Wood - Died drunk & penniless. If he can do it, so can I.
Your Ed Wood quote literally made me laugh out loud. Great stuff.
About Spielberg, while he's not my favorite director I still admire and acknowledge that he is one of the best in popular opinion, but I actually thought "Munich" was one of his best. I don't know why, I just found it brilliantly done. But "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" sucked. Throughout the whole film it was okay, nothing to write home about, and I would've given it a solid 2 and 1/2 starts out of 4 if it weren't for the out-of-nowhere-suddenly-un-Indiana-Jones ending.
Very good call on Gilliam. He's done some fantastic work. I have this tendancy to view him as a python and completely forget about the films he's directed.
Funny you should ask. The local newspaper asked me the same question a year ago:
http://www.coastweekend.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=42077&SectionID=13&SubSectionID=13&S=1
http://www.coastweekend.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=42077&SectionID=13&SubSectionID=13&S=1
Yeah I agree completely about Crystal Skull. Now I hear they are making ANOTHER one...
Munich - Dunno. Maybe I just didn't track with the storyline too well. I was born YEARS after the Olympic incident, so I had nothing to relate to. The arm hanging from the fan was a nice touch, though. The sound was great - Ben Burtt is a genius.
Gilliam is my favorite director of all time. I love all of his movies--some are weaker than others, but I just love this man's mind and eye.
Oddly, most of Python didn't like Gilliam. Sad. But true.
Neil Labute - but only for IN THE COMPANY OF MEN, YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, and THE SHAPES OF THINGS. I forget the other crap he's directed because they weren't written by him too.
Woody Allen - One hell of a work ethic and consistently great material. Even when Woody has his worst days, it's still better work than most filmmakers' best material.
Joss Whedon - So far only one feature film, but a body of work that kills.
Akira Kurasawa - The master who inspired George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, John Milius, and a few million other filmmakers in history.
Peter Jackson - Going from low budget horror to the emotionally gripping Lord of the Rings with some King Kong, Frighteners, Heavenly Creatures, and Lovely Bones to boot. His appeal is in his willingness to teach and apprentice, as well as on set demeanor.
Woody Allen - One hell of a work ethic and consistently great material. Even when Woody has his worst days, it's still better work than most filmmakers' best material.
Joss Whedon - So far only one feature film, but a body of work that kills.
Akira Kurasawa - The master who inspired George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, John Milius, and a few million other filmmakers in history.
Peter Jackson - Going from low budget horror to the emotionally gripping Lord of the Rings with some King Kong, Frighteners, Heavenly Creatures, and Lovely Bones to boot. His appeal is in his willingness to teach and apprentice, as well as on set demeanor.
I have no idea how Stanley Kubrick has not been mentioned once this entire time!
He is definitely my favorite and he won me over as soon as I saw 2001. I just love him to death.
Aside from that, I can't really rank my favorite directors.
Aside from Kubrick is Akira Kurosawa. I'm going to take a bit of a stretch here that I shouldn't be taking since I've only seen his film Ran, but the directing in that film was so superb that I don't need to see his other films to be convinced. They are majestically slow and progress in beautiful ways.
Cristopher Nolan is also a really cool director and I love the Philosophical elements he adds to his films. I mean, he was even able to add in concepts into two comic book films. In fact, whenever I think of the Dark Knight, I feel a little strange when I acknowledge the intellectual side of it since it's in the place I least expect it.
Quentin Tarantino has to be in here, I suppose because his films are a reflection of a love that he holds for films which transcends everything he makes. Upon viewing Pulp Fiction, I was astounded at the fact that someone had made a 2 hour roller-coaster ride about absolutely nothing but a celebration of Pulp-Fiction literature. When watching Inglourious Basterds on Blu-Ray, I watched again the next day.
Finally, David Lynch. All I have to say is Eraserhead.
He is definitely my favorite and he won me over as soon as I saw 2001. I just love him to death.
Aside from that, I can't really rank my favorite directors.
Aside from Kubrick is Akira Kurosawa. I'm going to take a bit of a stretch here that I shouldn't be taking since I've only seen his film Ran, but the directing in that film was so superb that I don't need to see his other films to be convinced. They are majestically slow and progress in beautiful ways.
Cristopher Nolan is also a really cool director and I love the Philosophical elements he adds to his films. I mean, he was even able to add in concepts into two comic book films. In fact, whenever I think of the Dark Knight, I feel a little strange when I acknowledge the intellectual side of it since it's in the place I least expect it.
Quentin Tarantino has to be in here, I suppose because his films are a reflection of a love that he holds for films which transcends everything he makes. Upon viewing Pulp Fiction, I was astounded at the fact that someone had made a 2 hour roller-coaster ride about absolutely nothing but a celebration of Pulp-Fiction literature. When watching Inglourious Basterds on Blu-Ray, I watched again the next day.
Finally, David Lynch. All I have to say is Eraserhead.
Well, I re-thought this and realized that I missed something. That is the "of all time" bit. That makes it tougher... or easier, I don't know. Of all time? Then I better re-think it, and try again.
Spielburg.
Well, he's just so talented and able. He usually delivers the goods. I know, not always. Like ROC wrote... he's one of the greatest. For: Jaws, E.T., Raiders, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List (a masterpiece), Private Ryan, War of the Worlds. I know, a lot of you didn’t like War of the Worlds, but I think it’s excellent. Other ones like Minority Report and AI had good things about them, too. People like to point out his disappointing films as though they should define him. But, with a filmography as long as his, a few are more than likely to rise a little lower than all the other exellant ones.
James Cameron.
I'm a geeky person who loves science fiction and action-adventure. So is Cameron. And, that's what he makes. He's a great writer, and he’s great at making what he writes into awesome movies.
Francis Ford Coppola.
Apocalypse Now, the God Father films, Dracula. The guy who could co-write a screen adaptation of Heart of Darkness set in the American/Vietnamese war and turn it into one of the most amazing movies ever made needs to be on this list. I didn't love Youth without Youth, but it was at least interesting.
Ridley Scott.
The man is an artist. And having made what have proven to be at least two of the most important and influential movies ever, Alien and Blade Runner, as well a long list of interesting movies.
Guillermo del Toro.
Brilliant Sci-Fi and fantasy director. Blade II. Hell Boy and Hell Boy II. Sad he's off The Hobbit.
***************
Other favorites:
Alfonso Cuaron.
Also an artist, it seems everything he does (I haven’t seen everything, though) seems beautifully made, if not just plain beautiful, as well as interesting. The Little Princess, Great Expectations, Y tu Mama Tambien, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Children of Men…
Sam Raimi.
Brilliant director of fun, action-packed movies.
Scorsese.
'Cause he's the Man. For things like The Last Temptation of Christ and his infectious love for film.
David Lynch.
For films like Muholland Drive.
Joss Whedon
Serenity and Buffy. There’s reasonable hope that this guy has more cool movies in him. What a writer, too.
Brian Singer.
Woody Allen. One of the greats.
Fincher… Seven, Fight Club… always interesting with a great aesthetic sense and style.
Tim Burton. Sleepy Hollow. Also, just a really creative guy. And, he seems like a nice guy, too.
David Lynch. For films like Muholland Drive.
Gilliam. Time Bandits, Brazil. Independent, original, creative, imaginative...
Tarantino. I haven’t really been much into his movies. But I love Kill Bill x10. His talent and his passion are undeniable. Didn’t care much for Inglorious Basterds, but loved individual scenes.
Kubrick. Full Metal Jacket. The Shinning. 2001…
Spielburg.
Well, he's just so talented and able. He usually delivers the goods. I know, not always. Like ROC wrote... he's one of the greatest. For: Jaws, E.T., Raiders, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List (a masterpiece), Private Ryan, War of the Worlds. I know, a lot of you didn’t like War of the Worlds, but I think it’s excellent. Other ones like Minority Report and AI had good things about them, too. People like to point out his disappointing films as though they should define him. But, with a filmography as long as his, a few are more than likely to rise a little lower than all the other exellant ones.
James Cameron.
I'm a geeky person who loves science fiction and action-adventure. So is Cameron. And, that's what he makes. He's a great writer, and he’s great at making what he writes into awesome movies.
Francis Ford Coppola.
Apocalypse Now, the God Father films, Dracula. The guy who could co-write a screen adaptation of Heart of Darkness set in the American/Vietnamese war and turn it into one of the most amazing movies ever made needs to be on this list. I didn't love Youth without Youth, but it was at least interesting.
Ridley Scott.
The man is an artist. And having made what have proven to be at least two of the most important and influential movies ever, Alien and Blade Runner, as well a long list of interesting movies.
Guillermo del Toro.
Brilliant Sci-Fi and fantasy director. Blade II. Hell Boy and Hell Boy II. Sad he's off The Hobbit.
***************
Other favorites:
Alfonso Cuaron.
Also an artist, it seems everything he does (I haven’t seen everything, though) seems beautifully made, if not just plain beautiful, as well as interesting. The Little Princess, Great Expectations, Y tu Mama Tambien, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Children of Men…
Sam Raimi.
Brilliant director of fun, action-packed movies.
Scorsese.
'Cause he's the Man. For things like The Last Temptation of Christ and his infectious love for film.
David Lynch.
For films like Muholland Drive.
Joss Whedon
Serenity and Buffy. There’s reasonable hope that this guy has more cool movies in him. What a writer, too.
Brian Singer.
Woody Allen. One of the greats.
Fincher… Seven, Fight Club… always interesting with a great aesthetic sense and style.
Tim Burton. Sleepy Hollow. Also, just a really creative guy. And, he seems like a nice guy, too.
David Lynch. For films like Muholland Drive.
Gilliam. Time Bandits, Brazil. Independent, original, creative, imaginative...
Tarantino. I haven’t really been much into his movies. But I love Kill Bill x10. His talent and his passion are undeniable. Didn’t care much for Inglorious Basterds, but loved individual scenes.
Kubrick. Full Metal Jacket. The Shinning. 2001…
Last edited:
Quentin Tarantino - He is a master of dialogue and in Inglourious Basterds a master of capturing the mood in every frame. From his signature shots to the just suspense building long shots. He IS my favorite Director.
Stanley Kubrick - I agree with Brent, I have no idea how no one else has mentioned him. He is one of the greatest directors ever, in my opinion. A Clockwork Orange was amazingly filmed. And I fell in love with Eyes Wide Shut.
Martin Scorsese - From Mean Streets and Taxi Driver to The Departed and Shutter Island. He is a fantastic director. He makes people fall in love with the way he captures everything.
The Cohen Brothers - Writing great films and Directing them, they easily make it to my top five. With No Country for Old Men, using dialogue as a suspense builder. To my favorite of their films and their newest one, A Serious Man making a great film and at the same time sending out a message about life. Great Directors
Stanley Kubrick - I agree with Brent, I have no idea how no one else has mentioned him. He is one of the greatest directors ever, in my opinion. A Clockwork Orange was amazingly filmed. And I fell in love with Eyes Wide Shut.
Martin Scorsese - From Mean Streets and Taxi Driver to The Departed and Shutter Island. He is a fantastic director. He makes people fall in love with the way he captures everything.
The Cohen Brothers - Writing great films and Directing them, they easily make it to my top five. With No Country for Old Men, using dialogue as a suspense builder. To my favorite of their films and their newest one, A Serious Man making a great film and at the same time sending out a message about life. Great Directors
um, ahem, he was at the top of my list, thank you very much...
It's no coincidence that my company (named in 197
is called 2001 Productions.