NationStates Jolt Archive

So, I just watched Sunshine and I thought it was truly a brilliant film. Parts of it are awe-inspiring, and parts of it are quite terrifying, and Danny Boyle does amazingly well to mix the two.
So who is your favourite director? Mine would be, at least for the moment, Danny Boyle. With films like 28 Days Later (which I'm watching now) and Sunshine you have to respect him.

I fully acknowledge that he is not a great director, but I really like Kevin Smith.

Almodovar kicks major ass as a filmmaker, however.

Baz Luhrmann.

Uwe Boll.

To be honest, I don't pay all that much attention to directors, unless something about it really strikes me. As far as it goes for me, I would say either David Fincher or David Lynch.

Benito Mussolini.

...

Oh! Director! Not dictator. Sorry.

In that case, I must say Ridley Scott.

Really? I think Steven Spillberg.

The guy havent done much in the last years, but he did a lot of amazing movies. And most of the movies he did were Sci-fi, so that is a plus.

Just last night I watched Back to the Future 2, and what an amazing film that was. And its one of his worsts.

Really? I think Steven Spielberg.

The guy havent done much in the last years, but he did a lot of amazing movies. And most of the movies he did were Sci-fi, so that is a plus.

Just last night I watched Back to the Future 2, and what an amazing film that was. And its one of his worsts.

Fixed ;)

I always thought he was a bit overrated. Oh, and I have oodles of respect for Stanley Kubrick.

I'd probably have to say Quentin Tarantino. Excellent movies.

It would be sacrilege of me not to mention Bergman... but him notwithstanding, I would have to say that I very much enjoy Almodovar and certain films that Luc Besson (Léon, Nikita, Le Grand bleu) has made. Too bad the latter has been making some very crap films since the turn of the century.

Oh, Alfonso Cuarón of "Y tu mamá también" and "Children of Men" fame is decent, if but a bit hit and miss (why he ever did that Harry Potter film, only he knows).

Favourite director don't have

director's i don't mind are
Wolfgang Petersen
Jin-Roh
an who ever made the Germany war movie Stalingrad

To be honest, I don't pay all that much attention to directors, unless something about it really strikes me. As far as it goes for me, I would say either David Fincher or David Lynch.

I'm quite a David Fincher fan, myself.

Uwe Boll.

Boo-urns!

Oh, Alfonso Cuarón of "Y tu mamá también" and "Children of Men" fame is decent, if but a bit hit and miss (why he ever did that Harry Potter film, only he knows).
My guess is that Harry Potter made him enough money to be able to do more stuff like Children of Men.

My guess is that Harry Potter made him enough money to be able to do more stuff like Children of Men.

Such tawdry financial realities are too probable for my liking. :\

Possibly Sidney Lumet just for the huge number of what many would call "classic" films..

Network, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, The Verdict, 12 Angry Men, and The Pawnbroker will probably still be considered classics in fifty years. Another half dozen of his might belong on the list, but I haven't seen them, so I'll leave it there.. but he might be at the top of the list of "most prolific" directors where some variety is present.

Martin Scorsese is my favorite. I just saw Casino. I thought it was better than Goodfellas. And I love Taxi Driver.

Francis Ford Coppola did excellent work with Apocalypse Now and with the first two Godfather movies.

Fritz Lang is an amazing director. Metropolis is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I think everyone should see M.

Fritz Lang is an amazing director. Metropolis is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I think everyone should see M.

Absolutely. Probably the most visually inspiring director I can think of..

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Danny Boyle, and Quentin Tarantino are probably my top favorites, while Richard Kelly and Spielberg are also close seconds. And although its strange, I actually like Sofia Coppola movies...

My favourite is probably David Cronenberg. His stuff is very hit and miss, but when he gets it right, he gets it perfect. I agree that Alfonso Cauron is brilliant, as is a lot of Luc Besson. Some of Danny Boyle's is good, but he has a really nasty habit of letting the final chapter of a film let the rest down. Adrian Lyne is also brilliant, if underrated and underemployed.

So, I just watched Sunshine and I thought it was truly a brilliant film. Parts of it are awe-inspiring, and parts of it are quite terrifying, and Danny Boyle does amazingly well to mix the two.
So who is your favourite director? Mine would be, at least for the moment, Danny Boyle. With films like 28 Days Later (which I'm watching now) and Sunshine you have to respect him.

They've been playing Shallow Grave on t.v. a lot lately.. he did a pretty good job with that one. Great ending.

It would be sacrilege of me not to mention Bergman... but him notwithstanding, I would have to say that I very much enjoy Almodovar and certain films that Luc Besson (Léon, Nikita, Le Grand bleu) has made. Too bad the latter has been making some very crap films since the turn of the century.

Oh, Alfonso Cuarón of "Y tu mamá también" and "Children of Men" fame is decent, if but a bit hit and miss (why he ever did that Harry Potter film, only he knows).
You have to wonder why he made Children of Men as well. Predictable, dull, averagely acted...

Though I agree with you on Luc Besson. I do like Nikita and Léon, plus the Fifth Element.

Danny Boyle's best film is Trainspotting, and, to be honest, I don't think he'll ever do better. I want to see Sunshine, whether I'll get the chance to (at the cinema) is another matter.

I also like Fernando Meirelles (City of God, The Constant Gardener). He seems to have a talent of putting across the human side of a conflict very well.

But, mainly for the number of films he's made that I love, my favourite director is Terry Gilliam - Monty Python & the Holy Grail (which I think he co-directed), Jabberwocky, Time Bandits, Brazil, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Twelve Monkeys and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

You have to wonder why he made Children of Men as well. Predictable, dull, averagely acted...Thou shalt not speak evil of Children of Men!

It's the Eleventh Commandment. Or at least it should be.

Thou shalt not speak evil of Children of Men!

It's the Eleventh Commandment. Or at least it should be.
But it's poo (NB: not quite shit, just poo). Seriously. The story's interesting enough (just about, though they do kinda labour the point about there not being any kids, just a little teensy bit, if ya get my drift), but, as I said, it's predictable, kinda dull (except for (spoiler) that part in the immigrant town that's done in one shot (end spoiler)) and averagely acted.

When you have an actor of Julianne Moore's calibre in a film, you do not kill her off a third of the way through. Especially when she has more acting talent in her left arse-cheek than the rest of the cast combined (Michael Caine excepted).

Uwe Boll.

Uwe Boll's mother doesn't even like Uwe Boll's movies.

Boo-urns!
At least some one else gets that.

Hayao Miyazaki. The End.

But it's poo (NB: not quite shit, just poo). Seriously. The story's interesting enough (just about, though they do kinda labour the point about there not being any kids, just a little teensy bit, if ya get my drift), but, as I said, it's predictable, kinda dull (except for (spoiler) that part in the immigrant town that's done in one shot (end spoiler)) and averagely acted.

When you have an actor of Julianne Moore's calibre in a film, you do not kill her off a third of the way through. Especially when she has more acting talent in her left arse-cheek than the rest of the cast combined (Michael Caine excepted).*ignores*

*ignores*
Yeah, you just continue living in your little pink fluffy world. :p

Seriously, it's an average film.

Yeah, you just continue living in your little pink fluffy world. :p I didn't know it was pink and fluffy. Why am I always the last to know such things?

Seriously, it's an average film.On one hand, you're right. On the other hand, it was an amazingly well-done and non-average average movie. Kinda hard to explain. :p

I didn't know it was pink and fluffy. Why am I always the last to know such things?
Because you're living in your pink and fluffy world.

On one hand, you're right. On the other hand, it was an amazingly well-done and non-average average movie. Kinda hard to explain. :p
Meh. Guess we'll agree to disagree, then.

But you're so wrong.

I can't believe there is any debate here.
Obviously it's Kubrick.
no-one else comes close.

thumbs up also go towards Jackson, mainly for 'Meet the Feebles' and 'Bad Taste'.

Martin Scorcese (sp).

I like a lot of Kubrick's work, and a lot of Woody Allen's. Peter Jackson? Curse him for taking liberties with the Trilogy! Curse him thrice for doing it so well! Clint Eastwood has also done some surpisingly good work. But if I had to pick just one director, it would be

Terry Gilliam (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000416/#director)

So, I just watched Sunshine and I thought it was truly a brilliant film. Parts of it are awe-inspiring, and parts of it are quite terrifying, and Danny Boyle does amazingly well to mix the two.
So who is your favourite director? Mine would be, at least for the moment, Danny Boyle. With films like 28 Days Later (which I'm watching now) and Sunshine you have to respect him.

My favorite is Tim Burton. I don't think he's the greatest or anything, but I consistently enjoy his work. When I see a Tim Burton movie I know what to expect. He's the only movie maker about whom I can say that in a positive way. The others, like Eew Bol, John Carpenter, and Quentin Tarentino also let me know in advance what I'm going to get. So I don't go to see their films anymore.

Most movies, I don't even notice who the director is. Nothing about Spielberg ever catches my attention as particularly Sielbergian, nor James Cameron. They're just guys who make movies. Other than Titanic and E.T. I honestly can't name a single movie that either of them has made, but I know they've made lots. The only thing the name Spielberg tells me about an upcoming movie, is that it will have cost the studio a lot of money.

Uwe Boll.
:D :rolleyes: :eek:
How did you delete all of the ironic smilies that show up when positive things are said about him? :D It's not like it's a feature of Windows or anything, it's just a built in feature of the universe that when :confused: things as bad as the filmography of Uwe Boll :p are praised even inanimate objects must laugh.

Even just quoting :) your post has filled my post with such smilies. How in the world did you prevent them from :headbang: auto-spawning?

I haven't seen enough movies to say that I have a favorite director but to whoever created this thread kudos to you for not putting in a poll. Way to much disagreement.

Most movies, I don't even notice who the director is. Nothing about Spielberg ever catches my attention as particularly Sielbergian, nor James Cameron. They're just guys who make movies. Other than Titanic and E.T. I honestly can't name a single movie that either of them has made, but I know they've made lots. The only thing the name Spielberg tells me about an upcoming movie, is that it will have cost the studio a lot of money.

All you have to do is watch AI and you'll see what makes a film Spielbergian. Everything but the last 20 minutes was taken from Kubrick's copious notes and preparation, and is infused with Kubrick. The last 20 minutes is all Spielberg, and it's easily the worst part of the film. That's not to say it would have been great without those 20 minutes--it had major flaws--but those last 20 minutes make it awful.

So much to respond to, so little reason. Gonna do it anyway.
I fully acknowledge that he is not a great director, but I really like Kevin Smith.

I do to. He's a bit of a clumsy filmmaker, but there is something there, something considered. He doesn't have the control of a 'seasoned' filmmaker, but...ah, I like him.
Baz Luhrmann.
You're such a weird chick. ;p
I'd probably have to say Quentin Tarantino. Excellent movies.
I literally just got out of The Grindhouse. This is a hard one, I tend to feel like I don't like him for the same reasons everyone else likes him and sometimes get the feeling that even he doesn't know what makes his movies work, but then he's consistant in what I like in his films. It just makes it hard for me to say I like him but really, I do.
Boo-urns!
"I was saying 'boo-urns'..."
My guess is that Harry Potter made him enough money to be able to do more stuff like Children of Men.Such tawdry financial realities are too probable for my liking. :\

Getting what you want made made calls for more than a little whoring now and then.


Possibly Sidney Lumet just for the huge number of what many would call "classic" films..

Network, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, The Verdict, 12 Angry Men, and The Pawnbroker will probably still be considered classics in fifty years. Another half dozen of his might belong on the list, but I haven't seen them, so I'll leave it there.. but he might be at the top of the list of "most prolific" directors where some variety is present.
I was just talking about Network and its companion films Face in the Crowd and Bamboozled. And right before the movie there was a pretty cool little Cingular ad with Lumet directing someones phone call until the guy hangs up and then says, "I'm sorry, is my directing disturbing your phone call?" telling us to turn off our phones.


Fritz Lang is an amazing director. Metropolis is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I think everyone should see M.
I am practically obsessed with Metropolis and Fritz Lang. M gives me Lang and Peter Lorre.
I can't believe there is any debate here.
Obviously it's Kubrick.
no-one else comes close.

thumbs up also go towards Jackson, mainly for 'Meet the Feebles' and 'Bad Taste'.
I really like Kubrick, like a bunch.


Terry Gilliam (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000416/#director)
Him more than a bunch. He's the only one I'll watch regardless. Whatever he does, I'll watch.
All you have to do is watch AI and you'll see what makes a film Spielbergian. Everything but the last 20 minutes was taken from Kubrick's copious notes and preparation, and is infused with Kubrick. The last 20 minutes is all Spielberg, and it's easily the worst part of the film. That's not to say it would have been great without those 20 minutes--it had major flaws--but those last 20 minutes make it awful.
Ain't that the truth. Really Speilberg's 'thing' is putting children in peril.

I think had Kubrick gotten the chance to do A.I. I think it would have been fantastic.

I'll add to the list:
Werner Herzog. Look for the first few minutes of the film to provide a thesis for the rest of the film. I really like Herzog a bunch.

I like Ridley Scott, but not everything. But even the things I don't 'like' are still well done.

Fassbinder is pretty cool. A lot of German filmmakers are pretty good. It's too bad that Oberhausen went from Wim Wender to Uwe Boll...

I'm blanking right now, there are more.

Stanley Kubrick. Or Terry Gilliam.

Lately I've been starting to like the works of Sergei Eisenstien. A true revolutionary of film.

Lately I've been starting to like the works of Sergei Eisenstien. A true revolutionary of film.

Well, yeah...

Alfred Hitchcock FTW!

Jim Abrahams! Hot shots, and hot shots part deux were genius.

But if I had to pick just one director, it would be

Terry Gilliam (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000416/#director)
Yay! The man's a genius. Gilliam, I mean, not you. Though you might be. :)

The only thing the name Spielberg tells me about an upcoming movie, is that it will have cost the studio a lot of money.
QFT. And I can't believe I forgot about Tim Burton. His films are always incredibly well made (though I don't always necessarily like them, I can at least appreciate that).


Can't believe I forgot about David Lynch...Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man, Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive. :)

And Dune...:p

Darren Aronofsky. Every movie of his I've seen (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain) has been utterly brilliant.

Emeric Pressburger And Michael Powell
Alexander Korda

I can't believe there is any debate here.
Obviously it's Kubrick.
no-one else comes close.

Indeed.

I

This is the worst movie-type question!
Simply because I never can tell... Here I go and notice a director who makes great films, and think to myself "This guy knows what he's doing", then he goes and makes a craptastic movie like Superman Returns (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001741/) or Jeanne d'Arc (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000108/) :(

So I'd just name some random directors that I like, none of whom can be called my favourite:

See the two mentioned above
James Cameron
Richard Linklater
Robert Rodriguez
Quentin Tarantino
Ang Lee
Martin Scorsese
Michael Mann
Frank Darabont

There, that's ten. I'll mention John Landis too, but I'll not mention Steven Spielberg 'cause he's all over the place! (Hook? Please! :rolleyes: )

Yeah... That's all, I guess.

Ah, another one I forgot (thanks to Gravlen for reminding me) - Christopher Nolan. Memento, Batman Begins and The Prestige are all excellent films (even if the twist in The Prestige is a bit easy to see coming), and I have high hopes for The Dark Knight and The Prisoner.

Ah, another one I forgot (thanks to Gravlen for reminding me) - Christopher Nolan. Memento, Batman Begins and The Prestige are all excellent films (even if the twist in The Prestige is a bit easy to see coming), and I have high hopes for The Dark Knight and The Prisoner.

I just saw The Prestige last night. Good film, and the twist wasn't apparent annoyingly early I felt :) (And a bonus point given since I did not recognize David Bowie :p)

Memento and The Prestige were great, Batman Begins had promise but left me unfulfilled (there were some serious screw-ups) - and Insomnia kinda left me in an opposite state...

Still, let's see what he can do to Batman. It surely can't possibly be worse than what's been done to him in the past. :)

have to mention Ken Russell only for the weird shit and sex and as well as Tommy

I haven't seen enough movies to say that I have a favorite director but to whoever created this thread kudos to you for not putting in a poll. Way to much disagreement.

Thanks. I didn't know what people like, so I just let people state it. I mean, I didn't know Ruffy would say Uwe Boll.

Apparently everyone has something against anime.

Apparently everyone has something against anime.

jin roh

Adding Rob Reiner to the list. Both Spinal Tap and Princess Bride deserve mention.

Michael Curtiz has a very good shout. A very talented director - not auteur - who actually had a place in the collaborative scheme of things. The antithesis of the pathetic auteur posturing done by the likes of the obscenely overrated Scorcese.

Alfred Hitchcock has to be mentioned as well. Influencial, prolific and brilliant.

So, I just watched Sunshine and I thought it was truly a brilliant film.
Hmm really? I was pretty let down by it. Maybe I expected too much, but I just got bored.

My favourites... a quick browse of my dvd collection tells me I like Stanley Kubrick, Ridley Scott, Jim Henson and Tim Burton (with the exception of Big Fish. I saw that on a first date and we both almost died of boredom). Oh hell I'll throw Spielberg in too. I absolutely adored Indiana Jones when I was a kid.