Top 10 Living American Directors
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Joel Coen
wdashton43 — 17 years ago(March 09, 2009 05:58 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, Meb68l 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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blueandmaize — 16 years ago(April 20, 2009 06:11 AM)
best visually is burton dude,
lynch is cool
paul thomas is amazing, but there are too many great directors for me to make a top ten list me personally if i had to make a top 3 would b the coens, lynch and anderson -
zill_o_the_wisp — 16 years ago(April 22, 2009 06:33 PM)
I'll assume you mean No. American, as in Anglo-Am., or at least U.S. born; so
- Clint Eastwood
- Joel/Ethan Coen
- Walter Hill
- Richard Lester
- Michael Snow
- Albert Brooks
- Barbara Kopple
- Joan Micklin Silver
- Ken Jacobs
- Bob Rafelson
and the runner's-up are:
Woody Allen, Bruce Baillie, Paul Morrissey, Michael Moore, Monte Hellman, Steve James, Curtis Hanson, Yvonne Rainer, Sidney Lumet, Mel Brooks, Fredrick Wiseman, George A. Romero, Jerry Sshatzberg, Les Blank, Arthur Penn, Alexander Payne, Daniel Petrie, Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Scosese, Terry Zwigoff, Charles Burnett,b68 and early Robert Zemeckis.
The 10 Most Overrated:
Paul Th. Anderson, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, James Cameron, Quentin TArantino, David Fincher, Speven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, Ron Howard, and -if anyone cares anymore- John McTiernan.
The 10 Absolute Worst are: - James Mangold; 2. Tom Shadyac; 3. Michael Almereyda; 4. James Toback; 5. Terry Gilliam; 6. George Lucas; 7. Frank Darabont; 8. Kevin Smith; 9. Mel Gibson; and 10. (a six-way-tie) Michael Bay or Peter Hyams or Eli Roth or Jay Roach or Hal Hartley or Richard Donner
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aHardNightsDay — 16 years ago(May 13, 2009 08:54 AM)
wow we have almost exactly the same taste man, a couple of your guys ive not heard of, well ive heard of them but never seen their films, but the rest i agree with, exceptt for the coen brothers- theyre no way underrated in my books, theyd probably be my number 1- but i like what you said about tarantino, thats erxactly what i think i just couldnt explain it very well
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tfalc62 — 16 years ago(July 11, 2009 12:08 PM)
This list is just to tell everyone that posted why some directors they put are bogus.
David Lynch: i can honestly say i haven't seen one movie by this guy that i didn't hate. His movies don't make any sense what so ever and i love movies that you have think about and some of your questions are left unanswered, but this guy doesn't answer any question i have. His movies are wierd, sick, and stupid. Mulholland Drive and Blue Velvet are probally the most overrated movies i have ever seen.
Gus Van Sant: I cracked up when i saw this guy. His name should never be mentioned ever because he slaughtered Psycho, one of my favorite films, and if anybody says the new psycho is better in anyway they should not watch movies ever again. He made one great film, Good Will Hunting, but only because it had a great script and great acting it would be hard to screw that up. His films are ruined by is overbearing homosexuality. He has dull and boring movies such as Gerry, Elephant, and Paranoid Park. He ruins the rest by not being able to create a convincing heterosexual relationship.
Pual Thomas Anderson: I think this guy will be good very soon, but should not be in a top 10 list just yet. I hated Boogie Nights only because whatevr Mark Wahlberg touches is turned to beep except The Departed because Scorsese prevented it. I also hated There Will Be Blood just because of the script I thought DD lewis's acting was amazing and the cinematagraphy was great, but the movie suffered. Punch Drunk Love was okay, i think the sound editing really ruined it because it got very distracting, but he will be good in time.
Robert Rodriguez: I truly hate this guy. It's extremely ridiculous that he should be put on the same list of such greats when he has verbally disgraced most of these guys. The Spy Kids series was made for kids who don't know what a film is yet and is a joke to true film making. His recent Grindhouse was just an excuse for sick people do put in their most sick violent thoughts into a movie for people who lack any intelligence can enjoy. Sin City is overrated just because it could have been done so much better by a real director, instead it is unpleasing to look at with its ugly black and white picture and stupid looking fake blood. He should stay a horror director because that's all he is good for.
David Cronenberg: I don't know why people on this board are putting these awful horror directors on these lists. He has made nonsense disgustingly violent horror movies. He recently breached out to Eastern Promises, but failed horribly. I enjoy some horror movies and i don't mind violence, but when it comes to putting these guys on a top 10 list it's a huge no-no.
John Carpenter: One of this best horror movie dircetors, but he doesnt work out of that genre, so i couldnt give him a top 10 recognition.
Jim Jarmusch: Never impressed me with his low budget independent movies.
Walter Hill: Come on this guy has not directed one good movie. And his name is attached to the awful alien sequels. It is an embarrasment to see him on this list.
Everyone on the EnsconcingCloakSwaddler list besides eastwood, coens, and brooks. Everyone there is unpopular, unheard of, and untalented. Includes: Richard Lester, Michael Snow, Barbara Kopple, Joan Micklin Silver, Ken Jacobs, and Bob Rafelson(Directed one good movie which is Five Easy Pieces). This is the worst list i hope i will ever see.
Richard Linkalter: Not that bad, but not top 10 material. Besides Dazed and Confused and Before Sunset/Sunrise he hasn't made anything to imprresive. -
supernintendochalmers11 — 16 years ago(July 17, 2009 09:46 PM)
- Harmony Korine
- Jim Jarmusch - this is filmmaking
- Gus Van Sant - beauty is in the eye of the beholder
- Martin Scorsese - rollercoaster of a director
- Sofia Coppola - fine art
- Sidney Lumet - Classic films coming out on a conveyor belt (i mean that in a good way)
- Bob Rafelson - hypnotic
- Terrence Malick - this guy is the king of filmmaking
- Michael Cimino
- Terry Gilliam - movie magic
- Tobe Hooper - this is what horror movies are all about
- David Lynch - this list 2000is not in order
- Arthur Penn - filmmaking wouldnt be what it is without this man one of my favorites
- James Grey
- Elaine May
- Godfrey Reggio
- John Hughes
- Errol Morris
- Quay Brothers
- Jerry Shatzberg
- Peter Bogdonavich
- Terry Zwigoff
- Mel Brooks
- Sam Raimi
- Coens
- Vincent Gallo
- Spike Jonze
- Todd Solondz
- Jonathon Demme
- Paul Thomas Anderson
honorable mentions :
Ivan Reitman - Ghostbusters is the best film ever made
David Fincher - badass visionary Panic Room is the shiz
Tim Burton - what happened to this man his older films are amazing and now he just coughs up remakes like its nobudys bidness
i wanna see more Kenneth Anger his films are very interesting ive only seen like one and some of another though they were very good though i think he would make the list i just wanna see more.
i also wanna see more Monte Hellman - Two Lane Blacktop is amazing
James Cameron was awesome in the 80's- T2 is goods too
also wanna see films of all the directors EnsconcingCloakSwaddler listed that i havent seen or even heard off you have awesome taste dude
Woody Allen i need to see more hes hit and miss for me i like his zany comedies but thats about it i dont like him when hes serious but i still give anything he makes a chance i just dont like Annie Hall or Manhattan but i wanna see Interiors and Hannah and Her Sisters still
Ill watch any Aronofsky hes awesome
I really need to see some Michael Snow, Matthew Barney, Hal Hartley, Kirby Dick, and Les Blank.
Paul Auster seems interesting too.
im probably forgetting some
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zill_o_the_wisp — 15 years ago(July 25, 2010 09:08 PM)
I'm getting back to this so late because IMDb never sent me an email, and I forgot about it!
"
James Cameron was awesome in the 80's- T2 is goods too
also wanna see films of all the directors EnsconcingCloakSwaddler listed that i havent seen or even heard off you have awesome taste dude
Woody Allen i need to see more hes hit and miss for me i like his zany comedies but thats about it i dont like him when hes serious but i still give anything he makes a chance i just dont like Annie Hall or Manhattan but i wanna see Interiors and Hannah and Her Sisters still"
Yeah,
Terminator
and a couple other 80's things were cool, but he's no Walter Hill.
Thanks for the kind words. Have you seen
The Purple Rose of Cairo
?
I must make a change in my "overrated" list, too:
Inglourious Basterd
was good enough to nullify that statement, and make me want to put someone else there. I dunno, George Marshall. Judd Apatow. Whoeverthehell.
There's some mistake. I'm not a member of the
Columbian Record Club
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zill_o_the_wisp — 16 years ago(August 05, 2009 07:12 PM)
"Walter Hill: Come on this guy has not directed one good movie. And his name is attached to the awful alien sequels. It is an embarrasment to see him on this list. "
Anyone who writes that is an embarrasment to the
world
of film lovers. Hill's only made a couple bad movies. And Aliens is somewhat better than the first one. -
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SamCHANGEID — 16 years ago(July 26, 2009 01:59 PM)
- Woody Allen
- Clint Eastwood
- Coen Bros.
- Speilberg- overrated sure but Schliners list and Saving private ryan are masterpieces
5.Paul Thomas Anderson
6.Gus Van Saint - Spike Lee
8.David Fincher - Tim Burton- movies are okay but always visually impressive.
- Sidney Lumet