Your favourite film directors?

Sentinel

Sentinel

Bionic Poster
Backbored said:
AS was mention above, Sir Richard Attenborough he did Chaplin (Robert Downey Jr. best work) and Gandhi. BTW his brother Sir David Attenborough,is not so shabby himself.
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"Not so shabby" - I love that phrase. Is it a typical English one?

Yeah, David is the TV series guy, right? Guinness Book of records, and various animal programs.

Richard later stated that ET (Spielberg) was a much better movie than Gandhi and should have won more awards. Later, he even had a role in Jurassic Park (Spielberg)
 
Backbored

Backbored

Hall of Fame
Sentinel said:
"Not so shabby" - I love that phrase. Is it a typical English one?

Yeah, David is the TV series guy, right? Guinness Book of records, and various animal programs.
Richard later stated that ET (Spielberg) was a much better movie than Gandhi and should have won more awards. Later, he even had a role in Jurassic Park (Spielberg)
Click to expand...

I think it is more of a Hobbitie expression.:???:

I have watched more of David’s work than all the other directors on the list combined. I’m not into the predation scenes. I close my eyes or switch channels, and then hope it is over by the time I come back. I can’t say watching his work has made me any smarter, but it has made me feel smarter and that’s all the really matters.:)
 
M

magnut

Hall of Fame
Elite said:
Terrence Malick's method of storytelling is much more inaccessible and unconventional than Kubrick yet you like his style? Kubrick was a simple director. It's a common misconception that Kubrick was like the William Blake of poetry (in terms of complexity and subtle, hidden meanings). His films are very thought-provoking, no doubt, but Eyes Wide Shut, for example, is often seen as Kubrick's critique of secret societies and elite groups and sexual repression... It's really just a film dealing with the difficulties and obstacles of a relationship. :-|


And people do care about storytelling just as much as ever. Hollywood and major film industries has just turned more corporate and capitalistic in time.
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Hey I never said he was a bad director. I like most of his films he is just not one of my favorites.

People care about storytelling? Have you seen the ratings for shows like Duck Dynasty?
 
N

North

Professional
Opie & Meathead - aka Ron Howard (already mentioned) and Rob Reiner. Reiner just knows how to make funny movies - not necessarily profound but really funny. Also really like Ang Lee - he gets wonderful emotions from the actors & handles tensions/conflicts in the screenplay so well.
 
Elite

Elite

Semi-Pro
magnut said:
Hey I never said he was a bad director. I like most of his films he is just not one of my favorites.

People care about storytelling? Have you seen the ratings for shows like Duck Dynasty?
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Well, the ratio of people caring/not caring about storytelling has always been the same. It just seems worse now, despite that being not true.
 
Backbored

Backbored

Hall of Fame
I don’t know if he has been mentioned yet but John Houston was terrific, with movies such as…

The African Queen
Prizzi's Honor (What a hoot)
Key Largo
The Maltese Falcon (My favorite)
Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison
And last but not least, he did the voice of Gandalf in the animated version of The Hobbit.
 
sdont

sdont

Legend
Great list you have there, Elite. Of course, Lynch being at the top is a bonus ;)

I'd add:
Tim Burton
Martin Scorcese
David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en)
Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream)
Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Danny Boyle (Trainspotting)
Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential)
 
sdont

sdont

Legend
magnut said:
My favorite is Carpenter when he was apiring up with Dean Kundy. Once that was over carpenters film lost the mood.

The best probably Hitchcock overall. Kubrick and Leoni are good as well as many others. I think Kubrick got a little stale at the end and forget how to tell a story well. Some people think thats great but the whole point of film is storytelling.
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Carpenter's The Thing is probably one of the greatest horror film of all time (arguably the greatest).
 
Backbored

Backbored

Hall of Fame
sdont said:
Great list you have there, Elite. Of course, Lynch being at the top is a bonus ;)

I'd add:
Tim Burton
Martin Scorcese
David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en)
Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream)
Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Danny Boyle (Trainspotting)
Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential)
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L.A. Confidential was such a well constructed movie. All the clues were there, and yet such a surprise on who was the villain.
 
TennisLovaLova

TennisLovaLova

Hall of Fame
Before:
Kubrick is the greatest ever, he had it all ,
David Lynch is in his own planet, being the boss of that planet so to speak
and Coppola did the Godfather series.

IMHO, those three are the best from last century.

Now:

Terrence Malick is obviously elitist, always trying to outsmart the audience, so I really didnt enjoy any of his movies. It's boring and presomptuous. Sadly even great photography doesnt save the boring plots... I dont really like watching movies with so many cultural references you have to be aware of in order to enjoy the story.

That's why I prefer Lars Von Trier for the psychological violence and dramatic themes/plots he presents and photography
and of course Emir Kusturica for the way he depicts eastern european subnations with humour, style and roughness. He's a modern poet.

And for the young generation directors who are making a change in the industry I'd say Zack Snyder (Watchmen was just monumental) and David Ayer, who also writes a lot (End of Watch, Harsh Times, Street Kings).
 
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N

NLBwell

Legend
Lars Von Trier's Medea still disturbs me.

Anybody watch Dario Argento movies?
I don't think they are enjoyable, but my son loves them.
 
M

magnut

Hall of Fame
sdont said:
Carpenter's The Thing is probably one of the greatest horror film of all time (arguably the greatest).
Click to expand...

Yeah its probably my favorite Carpenter film. Escape from New York is pretty darn good as well. Then theres Big Trouble in Little Chine which is a classic. Carpenter is one of the few directors that can really do any genre. Along with that he wrote produced and did most of the music as well.

He really had some magic in the late 70s to mid 90s

Assault on Precint 13
Halloween
The Fog
Escape from New York
The Thing
Starman
Prince Of Darkness
Big Trouble in Little China
They Live
Invisible Man


Thats quite a diverse set of films in terms of style.... Horror, Comedy, Political Thriller, Sci Fi, Action, Love Story etc. etc. He was quite the visionary when it came to effective storytelling in multiple formats. Many different moods and many different looks to his films. Carpenter really shuffled his style around to fit different types of stories and found new ways to keep things fresh and entertaining. Looking back I dont know of many Directors that have pulled that off. It might be one of the reasons hes my all time favorite. Its too bad Hollywood burned him because he was a real artist when he had the motivation to tell a story.

Even now most directors have a certain stle that they cling to. In the end things can get stale for both them and the audience. I think most directors now are overated to be honest. There are those like Fincher, Nolan, Malick etc. that are good with certain types of films but dont seem to ever go out of there comfort zone like Carpenter did. Most of these new directors dont write either. Carpenter (along with partner Debra Hill) wrote a lot of good stuff (almost prophetic in some films).

I guess thats the difference between a true artist and just a director though. Similar to a singer that cant wright their own music.
 
Mike Bulgakov

Mike Bulgakov

G.O.A.T.
Sentinel said:
Mike,

What is your opinion of Tarkovsky ? I've been coming across his name quite a bit.
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He is an incredibly influential director in film history. That being said, most people find his films slow and hard to watch. I have Andrei Rublev, The Mirror, Stalker, and Solaris on DVD, but rarely watch these films. Solaris is probably my favourite.

You need to let Tarkovsky films take over you, and lead you to a dreamy and hypnotic state. He likes to employ long takes with slow camera movement. Many scenes have beautiful cinematography with little action. Takovsky's films require patience, but have rewarded me for my patience when watching them.
 
Feather

Feather

Legend
Lovely Topic

My favorite directors

Martin Scorsese
Quentin Tarantino
Richard Linklater
Stanley Kubrick
Coen Brothers
Ingrid Bergman
Majid Majidi
Alfred Hitchcock
Padmarajan India Malayalam
Jafar Panahi
 
Elite

Elite

Semi-Pro
TennisLovaLova said:
Before:

Terrence Malick is obviously elitist, always trying to outsmart the audience, so I really didnt enjoy any of his movies. It's boring and presomptuous. Sadly even great photography doesnt save the boring plots... I dont really like watching movies with so many cultural references you have to be aware of in order to enjoy the story.
Click to expand...

How does Terrence Malick try to outsmart his audiences? His films are relatively simple and not presumptuous in the least. His style is inaccessible but I don't see how that affects the thematic framework of his films.

Mike Bulgakov said:
He is an incredibly influential director in film history. That being said, most people find his films slow and hard to watch. I have Andrei Rublev, The Mirror, Stalker, and Solaris on DVD, but rarely watch these films. Solaris is probably my favourite.

You need to let Tarkovsky films take over you, and lead you to a dreamy and hypnotic state. He likes to employ long takes with slow camera movement. Many scenes have beautiful cinematography with little action. Takovsky's films require patience, but have rewarded me for my patience when watching them.
Click to expand...

This is an interesting analysis and I agree. Tarkovsky had to be one of the most unconventional Soviet directors out there. I first watched his work at 14 years of age and found myself bored to death. Fast forward some years and he is now one of my favourite directors. He really encapsulates what personal filmmaking is all about. The term "avant-garde" best describes it.

If anyone here is interested in Tarkovsky, watch Ivan's Childhood, his first motion picture. It's much more accessible than his other films. Don't jump straight into Stalker or The Mirror like I did.
 
TennisLovaLova

TennisLovaLova

Hall of Fame
Unless you read kant, schopenhauer or jp sartre, it's very unlikely to get the deep philosophical message that most of his movies contain.
I'm not the one saying this, but the critics. When I finished the tree of life, I read some reviews with the philosophical explanations and insights. Totally different feeling about the movie after reading that I must admit.
And I guess people dont really enjoy having to do some homework before watching a movie.
So yes, mallick does not make mainstream movies for mainstream audiences cause he outsmarts them with strong and massive intellectual references people need to have to get the message.
I hope I answered you question.
 
TennisLovaLova

TennisLovaLova

Hall of Fame
Also: if by style you mean the photography of his movies yep you're right.
His movies are incredibly beautiful.
I prefer his older movies personnaly, the red line is a masterpiece.
 
Elite

Elite

Semi-Pro
TennisLovaLova said:
Unless you read kant, schopenhauer or jp sartre, it's very unlikely to get the deep philosophical message that most of his movies contain.
I'm not the one saying this, but the critics. When I finished the tree of life, I read some reviews with the philosophical explanations and insights. Totally different feeling about the movie after reading that I must admit.
And I guess people dont really enjoy having to do some homework before watching a movie.
So yes, mallick does not make mainstream movies for mainstream audiences cause he outsmarts them with strong and massive intellectual references people need to have to get the message.
I hope I answered you question.
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You're making little sense. Just because you don't make a mainstream movie doesn't automatically make you trying to outsmart the audiences. Independent horror films are a perfect example of this. And I don't think he makes "massive intellectual references", but that's just me.
 
ollinger

ollinger

G.O.A.T.
^^ if a film's message is that obscure and inaccessable, I don't think I'd consider the director to be a significant talent.
 
TennisLovaLova

TennisLovaLova

Hall of Fame
Elite said:
You're making little sense. Just because you don't make a mainstream movie doesn't automatically make you trying to outsmart the audiences. Independent horror films are a perfect example of this. And I don't think he makes "massive intellectual references", but that's just me.
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I guess you just like his movies then!
And obviously all the hidden references you dont get dont bother you
Good for you!
 
kiki

kiki

Banned
Godard,Borman,Truffaut,Fellini,Bergmark and Visconti along classics Von Stronhaum,Chaplin,Kubrick,Hitchcock,Houston,Vidor,Ford,Altman and Wyler,Capra and Wilder
Over last yrs ni doubt it is Eastwood
 
The Meat

The Meat

Hall of Fame
Nolan, Tarantino, and De Palma are my favorites. David Fincher gets a nomination, only because of Fight Club.

No love for M. Night Shyamalan? :)
 
Relinquis

Relinquis

Hall of Fame
Night is great... Loved "The Village". Very underrated. Night can make horror genre intelligent and touching at the same time.

Skill.
 
R

Ross K

Legend
Only just seen this thread and I'm glad I have as I want to nominate the director of this movie - he certainly is one of my all time fav film makers...



^ Such a truly great film, a surreal nightmare, an incomparable, stunningly well realised satire.

But it wasn't as if Stanley Kubrick just made one excellent film...

Barry Lyndon (such an unheralded masterpiece)... 2001 - A Space Odyssey (just insanely breathtaking in its scope and meaning and execution)... A Clockwork Orange (so stylish, subversive and influential)... Paths of Glory (just incomparable)... The Killing (love this movie - and so does Q. Tarantino)... The Shining (I mean, come on, how good a film is that?!)... Full Metal Jacket (work of art right here, work... of... art...) - indeed, IMO most of his output is just pure class, genius even (with the single exception of Eyes Wide Shut, which I couldn't take seriously for one single minute.)

Anyhow, I'm a massive Stanley Kubrick fan. :)
 
Sentinel

Sentinel

Bionic Poster
kiki said:
Godard,Borman,Truffaut,Fellini,Bergmark and Visconti along classics Von Stronhaum,Chaplin,Kubrick,Hitchcock,Houston,Vidor,Ford,Altman and Wyler,Capra and Wilder
Over last yrs ni doubt it is Eastwood
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Your taste is phenomenal ! I dont think anyone has mentioned Wyler before ... won 3 Oscars for Best Director. Capra won three too - saw his films as a kid.
 
kiki

kiki

Banned
Sentinel said:
Your taste is phenomenal ! I dont think anyone has mentioned Wyler before ... won 3 Oscars for Best Director. Capra won three too - saw his films as a kid.
Click to expand...

very polivalent and talented director.Capra was great for comedies, so was Lubitsch.Great directors take the best of great actors and great actors imporve with great directors.
 
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