Movie Directors - your favorites and their body of work

[Jerjo]

I just saw this list over on Metafilter. While I thought of just posting this on the movie thread I think it deserves its own discussion. On this list I'd have to add the Coen brothers, whose streak from Blood Simple to O Brother was incredibly solid, plus David Fincher, Billy Wilder, and Woody Allen. I'd have to go to IMDB and spend hours to figure what I've missed.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/n...reat-films-row

But I love obsessing about movie directors and screenwriters. My wife focuses on actors and while I do love a good performance, they are so dependent on the script and the direction. If I'm picking out a movie I pay far more attention to those who were behind the camera.

It's also intriguing to me that while so many of our musical heroes have that great four-five album run, there's very few that can deliver a lifetime of substantial work. But there's plenty of directors that have enormous careers of substantive work. Oh, there may be ups and downs (The Coens should really issue an apology for Ladykillers) but they seem less prone to burning bright and then burning out.

Discuss

[hippypants]

They're always going to have their ups and downs

Spielberg has had a lot of ups. He's popular too and needs no introduction.
I'd agree with Woody Allen, some don't like him, but he's fairly consistent.
Jim Jarmusch--doing a new doc on the Stooges
Hitchcock
Coen Brothers
Scorsese
Kubrick

[JKL2000]

For me:

David Cronenberg
Hitchcock
Kubrick
Woody Allen (I might not have thought to mention him if he wasn't mentioned above.)

The more you find out about directors' personal lives, the more fascinating their films become. I know this goes for any artist who is honest in creating art using material from his or her own life.
My two favorite examples:

- The Fly takes on a new dimension when you know that both of Cronenberg's parents died when he was pretty young, of degenerative diseases.
- Hitchcock was apparently very afraid of being mistakenly pursued by the police.

Woody Allen is obviously obsessed with the idea of illicit affairs.

[nycsteve]

I like the movie related threads, thanks for starting this, good topic.
As far as modern, current, the Coen Bros come to mind.
Martin Scorsese has a consistently good body of work.
Spielburg can be good but I don't include him as theres more not to like of his than to like, for me.
Tarrentino can be very good.
Going back theres many I really like;
John Ford
Anthony Mann
Hitchcock
Wells
Billy Wilder for sure
John Houstan
Michael Curtiz
Budd Boetticher

[mozo-pg]

Ridley Scott - for my all time favourite movie, Bladerunner
Clint Eastwood - really like Million Dollar Baby.
David Lynch - for demented movies like Blue Velvet.

I agree with all the others listed here but I likely have a lot more but these immediately come to mind.

[JKL2000]

Robert Wise

So hard to believe the same person directed The Sound of Music and The Andromeda Strain! The Andromeda Strain has always been one of the ultimate Science Fiction movies to me.

[mogrooves]

Altman
Kubrick
Fassbinder
Polanski
Lindsay Anderson
Herzog
Cassavettes
Fellini

[Rogue Mail]

Michael Mann.

I know his output has been patch and far from perfect, but I saw his first film The Jericho Mile when it was released, and knew there was some talent there.

I then watched Thief and was blown away, and its still my favourite movie of his, though Heat runs it a close second.

After that I followed his career...The Keep was problematic but there were production problems behind the scenes. But its still a fascinating failure, and I would love to see a decent remastered version of it.

Though he has worked a lot in the thriller/police procedural genre, with movies like Last of the Mohicans, Ali and The Insider he has shown he can tackle different genres.

I think Collateral is a very underrated movie, great performance from Cruise and Foxx, and superb photography.

Black Hat was...ok. Maybe his best years are behind him, but I still think he has a lot of talent, and was one of the best proponents of marrying music and visuals in a non music-video style.

[nycsteve]

Michael Mann.

I know his output has been patch and far from perfect, but I saw his first film The Jericho Mile when it was released, and knew there was some talent there.

I then watched Thief and was blown away, and its still my favourite movie of his, though Heat runs it a close second.

After that I followed his career...The Keep was problematic but there were production problems behind the scenes. But its still a fascinating failure, and I would love to see a decent remastered version of it.

Though he has worked a lot in the thriller/police procedural genre, with movies like Last of the Mohicans, Ali and The Insider he has shown he can tackle different genres.

I think Collateral is a very underrated movie, great performance from Cruise and Foxx, and superb photography.

Black Hat was...ok. Maybe his best years are behind him, but I still think he has a lot of talent, and was one of the best proponents of marrying music and visuals in a non music-video style.

I also thought Collateral was very good. Cruise playing against type was actually very good. Great look and action.
I'll have to add Clint Eastwood after seeing him mentioned. Some excellent flicks have been made under his direction. Even at his age he shows no sign of quality loss.

[Jerjo]

Michael Mann.

I know his output has been patch and far from perfect, but I saw his first film The Jericho Mile when it was released, and knew there was some talent there.

I then watched Thief and was blown away, and its still my favourite movie of his, though Heat runs it a close second.

After that I followed his career...The Keep was problematic but there were production problems behind the scenes. But its still a fascinating failure, and I would love to see a decent remastered version of it.

Though he has worked a lot in the thriller/police procedural genre, with movies like Last of the Mohicans, Ali and The Insider he has shown he can tackle different genres.

I think Collateral is a very underrated movie, great performance from Cruise and Foxx, and superb photography.

Black Hat was...ok. Maybe his best years are behind him, but I still think he has a lot of talent, and was one of the best proponents of marrying music and visuals in a non music-video style.

What? No mention of Manhunter?!

[selmer]

John Carpenter - at least from 1974 to 1988. I don't like Christine very much, but I can't find a single movie in that period that I would call bad.

Dario Argento - from 1970 (well, maybe 1968 as he was one of the writers on OUATITW) up until the end of the 80's.

Both have very recognizable style.

There are lots who made at least a couple good ones.

[Rogue Mail]

What? No mention of Manhunter?!

I was trying to avoid listing everything but I guess you're right. It's one of his best. I just got the soundtrack on CD yesterday, only ever had it on cassette before. Also picked up the recent blu ray a few weeks back and watched it again.

One thing that struck me was how it must have been fascinating back then to have not only a cop who can empathise with killers (de rigeur these days, even in TV), but also going off on a complete tangent and showing you the killers life, and even suggesting some understanding and sympathy with Dollarhyde.

But I love that whole sequence - the tiger, the incredible sequence with the Prime Movers Strong As I Am... 'No...not Francis. Francis is gone. Francis is gone forever'. Chilling.

And of course I love the subtlety and quiet menace of Brian Cox' Lektor. The way he says that line 'Would you like to leave me your home phone number?' just cuts right through to Graham.

It has a little bit of the 80's Miami Vice sheen to it, but I don't think that detracts from the enjoyment.

[Rogue Mail]

John Carpenter - at least from 1974 to 1988. I don't like Christine very much, but I can't find a single movie in that period that I would call bad.

Dario Argento - from 1970 (well, maybe 1968 as he was one of the writers on OUATITW) up until the end of the 80's.

Both have very recognizable style.

There are lots who made at least a couple good ones.

Two directors I also loved but once they lost their 'mojo', they never really got it back. But...when they were on form they were brilliant.

Argento made some truly atrocious films from the 90's onwards, and Carpenters' They Live was the last one of any quality IMHO.

[hippypants]

Akira Kurosawa--like Woody Allen even his bad films are more competent than some other directors. You get good stories, excellent cinematography, etc.

Hayao Miyazaki--although some might avoid him due to his working within the anime industry, his work has a heart and soul to it, but most of his films have something to say, are witty, entertaining, etc. I recommend starting maybe with Howl's Moving Castle first.

Ridley Scott--hard to dismiss him, he has been pretty consistent with making well crafted films although a few are misses.

Michael Moore--for some he's a polarizing director, but I've enjoyed most of his films if for no other reason it's food for thought.

Christopher Nolan--a popular director, but he's already made some pretty amazing films.

David Fincher--the same is true for Fincher: Fight Club, Zodiac, Seven, The Game, The Social Network.

[BaldFriede]

François Truffaut
Werner Herzog
Akira Kurosawa
Alain Resnais
Carlos Saura
Fritz Lang
Jean-Luc Godard
Alfred Hitchcock
Peter Greenaway

[battema]

Tarkovsky and Carpenter are on there...happiness abounds

[Oreb]

Antonioni, Ozu and Bergman.

[GAP]

Syberberg, Zinneman, Bresson, Rohmer.

[GAP]

Kurosawa.

[GAP]

The rest.

[JKL2000]

I'm surprised no one else has mentioned Cronenberg.

[mozo-pg]

What about M. Night Shyamalan? He is a director that could have been amazing if he keep up the high quality of filming making like the excellent Six Sense. His follow-up, Unbreakable, was actually pretty decent but not the caliber of Six Sense. After that, I'm afraid a string of really horrible movies (don't think there was another strong release since that time).

[Jerjo]

I'm surprised no one else has mentioned Cronenberg.

Yeah, when he's on his game he's spectacular: History of Violence - the coffee shop scene!

[JKL2000]

Yeah, when he's on his game he's spectacular: History of Violence - the coffee shop scene!

Eastern Promises - the steam bath scene!

[selmer]

Two directors I also loved but once they lost their 'mojo', they never really got it back. But...when they were on form they were brilliant.

Argento made some truly atrocious films from the 90's onwards, and Carpenters' They Live was the last one of any quality IMHO.

Nowdays Carpenter only collects paychecks for the remakes of his own films. And he says that's the only thing he wants to do.
As for Argento, it's the same as with Carpenter - as soon as the 90's came, the widescreen compositions and synth scores were no longer in vogue so they had some of the elements which worked taken away. Just listen to that guitar driven Escape From LA score.

[SteveSly]

What about M. Night Shyamalan? He is a director that could have been amazing if he keep up the high quality of filming making like the excellent Six Sense. His follow-up, Unbreakable, was actually pretty decent but not the caliber of Six Sense. After that, I'm afraid a string of really horrible movies (don't think there was another strong release since that time).

I also thought "Signs" and "The Village" were pretty good as well, but yea he has made some bad ones too.

[dropforge]

Michael Mann.

I know his output has been patch and far from perfect, but I saw his first film The Jericho Mile when it was released, and knew there was some talent there.

I then watched Thief and was blown away, and its still my favourite movie of his, though Heat runs it a close second.

After that I followed his career...The Keep was problematic but there were production problems behind the scenes. But its still a fascinating failure, and I would love to see a decent remastered version of it.

Though he has worked a lot in the thriller/police procedural genre, with movies like Last of the Mohicans, Ali and The Insider he has shown he can tackle different genres.

I think Collateral is a very underrated movie, great performance from Cruise and Foxx, and superb photography.

Black Hat was...ok. Maybe his best years are behind him, but I still think he has a lot of talent, and was one of the best proponents of marrying music and visuals in a non music-video style.

Jerjo mentioned Manhunter, but I'll mention Heat. Of course, I agree with most that Thief is his best film. Caan + Mann + Tangerine Dream = one of the best films ever. The Keep is an atmospheric tour de force until the narrative becomes garbled somewhere past the halfway point (but that happens with a three-hour film is forced to become a 100-minute film). Beautiful cinematography in all those, and Collateral. And I'm going to do something unexpected and compliment his 2006 revisiting of Miami Vice. I didn't expect to like it, but I did.

[dropforge]

I like a bunch of movies directed by the late Michael Winner:

Chato's Land, The Mechanic, The Stone Killer, Death Wish, The Sentinel, Death Wish II... (Yes, Charles Bronson's the lead in all but one of those, too.)