My Favourite Directors

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Wright is one of the few director's who has not taken a single wrong step in his career, still very new to cinema, he created one of the very best horror comedies ever in Shaun of the Dead; combining a genuinely touching story with hilarious action set pieces and a cast of characters you just can't help but fall in love with.

I know I've put Scott Pilgrim vs The World as Wright's "worst" movie but that's only because it's a criteria I've included in my write ups. 'Pilgrim is easily one of the best movies over the last decade and only marginal behind Hot Fuzz in the entertainment department. Wright is working on another collaboration with Pegg and Frost, entitled The World's End and is the guy who will be directing the much anticipated Antman movie. This is a director who has the world at his feet.

Snyder is a product of modern cinema, a man in love with the ability to twist and form reality the way he wants using CGI technology which has become a staple of his movies.

He's had a few missteps along the way, namely the rather disappointing 'Guardians. Sucker Punch received a bit of stick but it was exactly what I expected, a hard knuckle adrenaline ride of action.

Watchmen however is an underrated classic in my opinion, a solemn comic book tale about the dangers of immense power and the sacrifices heroes must make. This is a story inhabited by morally ambiguous characters and despicable villains, a graphic novel which was at one time thought to be un-filmable was brought to life by the only director who could. Let's just hope his up coming Man of Steel lives up to the billing.

An almost faultless director with the ability to direct epics the likes of which are rarely scene in modern cinema, which not only portray scope but real emotion too. His greatest work, both in terms of scope and story telling is the epic Lawrence of Arabia. From the opening to the final scenes, this is Lean at his very best, a film maker who approached his peak with grandeur.

There are a still a handful of his movies that I must watch (Blithe Spirit, Summertime and Hobson's Choice) but the ones that I have seen are nothing short of pure satisfaction. I begrudgingly picked Madeleine as his "worst" movie but by no means is it bad. It goes a long way that even Lean's worst films are above average in comparison to most other directors.

Lean was one of Hollywood's greatest story tellers and visionaries.

This is the man who single handedly revived the comic book movie. We, the cinema going many had spent a decade watching the likes of Batman and Robin and Steel, with comic books given an almost farcical image by the directors responsible for portraying their greatest characters on screen. Admittedly Bryan Singer's Xmen had already made a splash at the box office but it was Raimi's Spiderman that became the mega blockbuster that the comics industry needed. It's hard to imagine a Batman re-imagining, or the arrival of Sin City or Watchmen without the financial and critical success of Spiderman, which showed Hollywood that they could still count on spandex heroes for big bucks and awards.

With all the success Raimi has had with the Spiderman franchise, it's easy to forget some of his best work was on the Evil Dead series, each movie a ridiculous ride through demons, death and gore. His recent big money movie has been a prequel to The Wizard of Oz and although it isn't an instant children's classic the predecessor was, it is the first 3D movie that has convinced me that the medium can bring something new to cinema.

Sam Raimi may just be Hollywood's unsung revolutionary.

Best Film: Spirited Away
Worst Film: Kiki's Delivery Service


I've been a fan of Japanese cinema for a long time now but it's only recently that I've allowed myself to be taken into the magical world of Studio Ghibli and it's finest component, Hayao Miyazaki.

Miyazaki's films have common themes running through them all, specifically a fascination with air craft, the environment and strong female characters. At times Miyazaki suffers from what I call "Japanese animation syndrome" whereby every little story detail seems to be spelled out and many of the characters look very much alike. However, this is no way detracts from Miyazaki creating some of the most iconic animated movies of the last 20 years.

I've listed Spirited Away as his best work but I could have easily put Porco Rosso, My Neighbour Tortoro or Princess Monoke up there, each one being a classic. Kiki's Delivery Service was his only directorial misstep, a slow, pondering movie which fails to ignite yet is still vastly better than sub par animations from across the pond (I'm looking at you Cars, and Shrek 2, 3 and 4).