Greatest Film Director, vol. II

[Eldritch]

Right, here's the poll for still living, possibly/presumably working film directors.

The rules are the same as before: what constitutes greatness is entirely up to you, the poll is multiple choice but I'm asking you to limit your choices to no more than 5-10 individuals.

And also while you're at it, please vote & comment on Greatest Film Director, vol. I (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27852).

[Eldritch]

And don't ask where Spielberg and Tarantino are unless you want me to tell you where to stick them. :p

[Zankapfel]

^ LMAO. I concur.

Nice touch, adding Herzog :thumbs

[Eldritch]

As an aside: do you all think vols. IIIa/b, IVa/b and Va/b of the poll, for dead/living Anglo, Euro and Far-East/Rest of the World directors would be necessary?

[Laudanum]

I don't know which one is the best.:( So many of them are good!

[Eldritch]

I don't know which one is the best.:( So many of them are good!

You're allowed to choose several. ;)

[Birka]

Frank Capra

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Capra#Film_career

Orson Wells

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_Welles

Billy Wilder

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Wilder

Sam Peckinpah

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Peckinpah

[Eldritch]

Frank Capra

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Capra#Film_career

Orson Wells

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_Welles

Billy Wilder

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Wilder

Sam Peckinpah

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Peckinpah

Those are all in the previous poll (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27852), for film directors who are no longer alive and working.

[Birka]

Those are all in the previous poll (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27852), for film directors who are no longer alive and working.
Thanks, I did not see this poll. Good topics.

[Raikaswinþs]

last 15 years, Miike Takashi has been the most prolific and one of the most influencial.

Love many of his experiments. Zebraman and the Happines of the Katakuris are simply mind-blowing. Just watched 13 assassins at the Cinema a couple of weeks ago, and that was another class of how to make a movie.


Also, that list is rubbish. Nolan? gus van saant? lars von fucking trier?? where are buñuel, fukasaku, kiarostami


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[Eldritch]

last 15 years, Miike Takashi has been the most prolific and one of the most influencial.

Love many of his experiments. Zebraman and the Happines of the Katakuris are simply mind-blowing. Just watched 13 assassins at the Cinema a couple of weeks ago, and that was another class of how to make a movie.



I considered including him on the poll, but finally decided against it. The maximum number of options is 40, after all.

And my own humble opinion is that even a Batman movie directed by Christopher Nolan blows anything by him I've seen out of the water. Just because Nolan is successful doesn't mean he's rubbish, nor does Miike being controversial and transgressive automatically mean he's any good.

In fact, Takeshi Kitano (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeshi_Kitano) came quite a bit closer to making the nominee list than Miike.

EDIT:


where are buñuel, fukasaku, kiarostami

Do people not read the OP's in the threads they reply to anymore? Buñuel is in the poll for already dead directors -- as is Fukasaku, under the "other(s), please elaborate" option.

As for Kiarostami, he was another director I considered including, but decided against. Btw I personally despise von Trier's films. And Gus van Sant isn't much better. But that's just my own opinion.

[Blossom]

Where's Emir Kusturica? :( that man is hilarious...

[Laudanum]

You're allowed to choose several. ;)

Oh, I didn't know that.:D

[Turkophagos]

Where's Zhang Yimou and Mike Leigh?

[Lucretius]

Pasolini Fellini Sergio Leone Bunuel Takashi Mike David Lynch Truffaut et cetera...

[Troll's Puzzle]

where is Michael Bay? :confused:

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[Eldritch]

Pasolini Fellini Sergio Leone Bunuel Takashi Mike David Lynch Truffaut et cetera...

Please read posts #8 and #11 (and #1) of the thread again. ;)


where is Michael Bay? :confused:


Just for you (MB has had this erased from his resume, but such hack tactics of course cannot fool Eld):

5PnDcjtYGzI

[Psychonaut]

From your list (not in any particular order):
Ridley Scott: How many genre defining movies has Scott made? Highlights:
Blade Runner
Alien
Darren Arnofsky: Makes the most gorgeous films! Highlights:
The Fountain
Pi
Christopher Nolan: The ultimate in non-linear puzzle films. Highlights:
Memento
Inception
Martin Scorsese: Probably the best living director of epics. Highlights:
The Aviator
Gangs of New York
John Carpenter (I forgot to click him, I know): The master of 80s and 90s camp. Highlights:
The Thing
Big Trouble in Little China

Not on your list:
Wes Anderson: Love him or hate him, every cell of his movies are crafted with exquisite care and detail. Highlights:
The Royal Tennenbaums
Rushmore
Zach Snyder: Complain all you want about his films' substance, but it's undeniable that they've got style. Highlights:
Watchmen
300

[Raikaswinþs]

I considered including him on the poll, but finally decided against it. The maximum number of options is 40, after all.

And my own humble opinion is that even a Batman movie directed by Christopher Nolan blows anything by him I've seen out of the water. Just because Nolan is successful doesn't mean he's rubbish, nor does Miike being controversial and transgressive automatically mean he's any good.

In fact, Takeshi Kitano (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeshi_Kitano) came quite a bit closer to making the nominee list than Miike.

EDIT:



Do people not read the OP's in the threads they reply to anymore? Buñuel is in the poll for already dead directors -- as is Fukasaku, under the "other(s), please elaborate" option.

As for Kiarostami, he was another director I considered including, but decided against. Btw I personally despise von Trier's films. And Gus van Sant isn't much better. But that's just my own opinion.




So let me understand that: you considered including Kiarostami, which is a brilliant diretor and instead you included two pseudo intelectual twats that you don't even like?

Didn't say that Nolan is bad , liked most of his films, but including him in a list of the 40 best directors where Einsenstein and Bunuel are not even mentioned seems a bit odd to me.


About Miike, the body of his work is immense and doesn't cover just controversial and experimental films. He has basically make pretty good films in every damn genre.

Kitano is a declared admirer of Miike. As are a few of the ones you included in that list

[Eldritch]

So let me understand that: you considered including Kiarostami, which is a brilliant diretor and instead you included two pseudo intelectual twats that you don't even like?

What do my likes or dislikes have to do with anything?


Didn't say that Nolan is bad , liked most of his films, but including him in a list of the 40 best directors where Einsenstein and Bunuel are not even mentioned seems a bit odd to me.

What is it going to take to get you to read the OP or the poll question? Eisenstein and Buñuel are dead.

[Turkophagos]

David Lynch, Tim Burton and Zhang Yimou are the greatest living directors imho.

[Raikaswinþs]

What do my likes or dislikes have to do with anything?



What is it going to take to get you to read the OP or the poll question? Eisenstein and Buñuel are dead.

thanks for the correction, I only read the thread title and not the poll title.

[Eldritch]

thanks for the correction, I only read the thread title and not the poll title.

No prob -- notice both were in the previous poll, for film directors who are no longer living.

Yimou is another one I probably should have included.

[Eldritch]

To my horror, I realised there was a duplicate entry. I added Zhang Yimou on the poll instead. Anyone who's already voted, let me know if you would have wanted to vote for him too (Chimo's and Safinator's votes are added already).

[Raskolnikov]

I voted for Christopher Nolan since he convinced everyone Heath Ledger Does Drugs was a good movie.

[Curtis24]

Alfred Hitchcock. Simply because Grace Kelly in Rear Window is the most beautiful that any actress has ever been portrayed in any movie. What can I say? :)

[The Journeyman]

Martin Scorcese looks like he has fun being creative with his films.

Terry Gilliam is a highly underrated and imaginative director/writer. I was looking forward to seeing his Don Quixote film, but some idiots pulled the plug on the project midway into filming. :mad:

And I think Bernard Rose deserved an academy award for Immortal Beloved.

[SwordoftheVistula]

Spielberg and Tarantino have some bad & overrated movies, but they also made some really good ones, so judging their work as a whole I'd say they should rate as a couple of the best living directors, better than a number of those on the list.

Guy Ritchie is another one who had a couple really superbly done films, worth adding to the list.

Kevin Smith should definitely be on the list if it's going to count comedy movies, which also did a good job of capturing the culture of that time period.



Alfred Hitchcock.

I think you're gonna make him have a heart attack :D

[Jake Featherston]

And my own humble opinion is that even a Batman movie directed by Christopher Nolan blows anything by him I've seen out of the water. Just because Nolan is successful doesn't mean he's rubbish

I voted for Nolan, but was sorely tempted not to, because I strongly dislike "The Dark Knight" (and won't be viewing its sequel*), and I frankly didn't think much on "Inception," either. I voted for him for "Following," "Memento," "Insomnia," and (to a lesser extent) "The Prestige."


*Whereas I actually thought "Batman Begins" was pretty good, if a little too long and drawn-out.

[Jake Featherston]

I was also sorely tempted to vote for Vincenzo Natali,* because I'm one of the 47 people who actually saw "Cube" in the theater during its original cinematic run, and that movie blew me away at the time (I regard it as one of the best sci-fi films of all time). And "Splice" was another very good sci-fi film. But that's all of his work I've seen, and so while I wouldn't object to characterizing Natali as one of my favorite directors, "Greastest" doesn't really seem like an accurate descriptor (at least not until he puts out some more films and/or I see some of this other stuff).


*Although its probably better I didn't, since I'd probably already gone over the ten-vote limit (I didn't read the initial post, but rather just started voting right off).


I'd also like to nominate Koji Shiraishi for an Honorable Mention.

[Jake Featherston]

John Boorman should have been included in this poll.

Hell in the Pacific (1968)
Deliverance (1972)
Zardoz (1974)
Excalibur (1981)
The General (1998)

[The Alchemist]

Unofrtunately nobody has remembered the genious Luis Bunuel, great spanish film director.....

[Eldritch]

I was also sorely tempted to vote for Vincenzo Natali,* because I'm one of the 47 people who actually saw "Cube" in the theater during its original cinematic run [...] And "Splice" was another very good sci-fi film. But that's all of his work I've seen, and so while I wouldn't object to characterizing Natali as one of my favorite directors, "Greastest" doesn't really seem like an accurate descriptor (at least not until he puts out some more films and/or I see some of this other stuff).


Wow, how cool is that? Now if only the other 45 of them showed up here too ... ;)

Cypher (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0284978/) is the another quality Natali flick. It's not quite as good as Cube or Splice, but still definitely worth watching. I'm quite looking forward to Neuromancer (even though I didn't like the book).

[Eldritch]

Unofrtunately nobody has remembered the genious Luis Bunuel, great spanish film director.....

He is in the previous poll, for already dead directors. This one includes only ones who are still living.

[Sally]

John Boorman should have been included in this poll.

Hell in the Pacific (1968)
Deliverance (1972)
Zardoz (1974)
Excalibur (1981)
The General (1998)

Good observation! Boorman's films are excellent. You forgot The Emerald Forest (1985), though.

[The Alchemist]

He is in the previous poll, for already dead directors. This one includes only ones who are still living.
Ok, i can accept this explaination :thumb001:

[Scholarios]

Kim Ki Duk but no Park Chan Wook?

[Atlantic Islander]

Okay, found the correct thread.

I voted: other, Guillermo del Toro, Ang Lee, and Sam Raimi of course.

Joss Whedon is #1 IMO.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAMsDP_DMHE

Tarsem Singh is also fantastic, he only has a few movies under his belt but they're visually stunning - The Cell & The Fall in particular.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICqzcsQn8Wk


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO0LYcCoeJY

David Slade and Neil Marshall are also on my list:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxC0Um9zSqY


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-C2H4ipxz0


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_0Ej5N-hFQ

As well as Robert Rodriguez and Luc Besson (how in the heck were they not included in the poll?):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKFLrTYKIXk


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr7L-NhGZno

Special mention: Mary Harron for American Psycho and John Fawcett for Ginger Snaps.

[Anglojew]

Billy Wilder
John Hughes
Woody Allen

[alfieb]

http://www.miramax.com/subscript/scorseses-favorite-films

My cousin Martin Scorsese has released the list of his favorite films.

Unsurprising, quite a few are Sicilian (The Leopard, Salvatore Giuliano, Paisan)