Top 10 Living American Directors
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Jim Jarmusch
wdashton43 — 17 years ago(March 09, 2009 06:06 PM)
My top 3 are in order, but after that it is random. I am sure I forgot a big name or two, but whatever.
- Martin Scorsese - I dont think there is much argument with him as number one. Goodfellas, The Departed, Mean Streets, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Gangs of New York, etc etc
- David Lynch Nobody makes films like Lynch. Period. They are unique, complex, disturbing and utterly mesmerizing. A true visionary.
- Clint Eastwood Everything this guy touches turns to gold. He just doesnt make bad films.
- Paul Thomas Anderson Almost put him as third.
- Terrence Malick Visually, is the best.
- Steven Spielberg Its Speilberg.
- David Fincher - Any top ten list that does not include this guy is bogus.
- Francis Ford Coppola The guy made Godfather 1 and 2 and Apocalypse Now.
- Gus Van Sant A personal favorite. He is a brilliant artist.
- Quentin Tarantino Its become trendy to hate him, but this guy is extremely talented.
Honorable Mention: Darren Aronofsky, Mel Gibson, Ron Howard, Michael Mann, Harmony Korine, Jim Jarmusch, Steven Soderbergh, Woody Allen, Kevin Smith, George Lucas, John Carpenter, Spike Lee, Frank Darabont, Tim Burton
Overrated: Coen brothers, Oliver Stone
This shark, swallow you whole.
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IndiegroundFilms — 17 years ago(March 12, 2009 01:38 AM)
In some sort of rough order, my favorite American filmmakers are Jim Jarmusch, Terrence Malick, Gus Van Sant, Darren Aronofsky, Paul Thomas Anderson, Woody Allen, John Sayles, Clint Eastwood, Wes Anderson, and the Coen Brothers. I would definitely consider Spike Jonze on this list but I'll wait until after Where the Wild Things Are has been released. Also, to put Ron Howard, George Lucas, and Kevin Smith on your list is questionable, and Spielberg only makes a good movie every 5 years or so, and Frank Darabont has only made one great film and a lot of mediocre ones.
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slidedawg — 17 years ago(March 18, 2009 02:25 PM)
Spielberg is a good producer mediocre director, tarantino a great writer as a director eh, and Lucas is awful as is spike lee. I agree that stone is overrated and coen bros are a lot better than you are giving them credit for
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kodax2 — 17 years ago(March 24, 2009 11:10 AM)
Hmm. I agree on Van Sant. He is going to be remembered as one of the great directors of his time. In addition to Van Sant, I would also add the Cohens, Eastwood, and Cronenburg to my top 4. I like Wes Anderson but he just does do it fo me like these other guys.
I think Sophia Coppola might make this list eventually. -
hendrixx-1 — 16 years ago(May 06, 2009 02:41 AM)
In alphabetical order:
Woody Allen
P.T. Anderson
Tim Burton
The Coen Brothers (except their comedies)
Julian Schnabel
Steven Spielberg
and thats all! There is no Top 10.
There are some who are still alive, used to be interesting but are not interesting anymore: Scorsese, Lynch, Tarantino and Jim Jarmusch. -
antmat1 — 13 years ago(April 10, 2012 01:09 AM)
1 Scorsese - since the mid 70's consistently the best
2 P T Anderson - still quite young and has already made several great films and an excellent writer
3 Coen brothers - equally capable of handling different genres, yet all their films feel distinctive
4 Fincher - Visually great, and a brilliant storyteller
5 Allen - Recent worb68k has been hit and miss (and miss) but made alot of good pictures in the late 70's and throughout the 80's. Demonstrated he still has 'it' with Match Point
6 Aronofsky - Inventive and exciting director
7 Malick - small volume of output however he always makes good to great films
8 Wes Anderson - possesses a unique and consistent visual style
9 Lynch - A true artist
10 Francis Ford Coppola - Great during the 70's also made interesting films outside that period (Rumble Fish)
If I could add and eleventh it would be Tarantino or Gus Van Sant
You don't make up for your sins in the church, you do it on the streets. -
joekiddlouischama — 9 years ago(February 16, 2017 04:04 AM)
I will be the first to mention Robert Zemeckis, along with Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, and Joel and Ethan Cohen.
To reach ten, I will need to contemplate some others. I am not counting Francis Ford Coppola simply because I am considering directors actively making an impact today.
