My Favourite Directors

Kiki's Delivery Device was awesome! It's certainly not a misstep.

Well. I think that Totoro has a purest distillation of childhood wonder than anything else. Kiki is a bit more subtle but it is hard to compare. Both are masterpieces for me but Totoro is significantly more powerful.

Miyazaki's worst film for me is either Lupin or Ponyo. Those two are still better than 95% of the movies I have watched. In fact it is not possible to say that Miyazaki has a worst film because he never made a straight bad or mediocre movie. Lupin is the favorite of many anime critics, for instance.

Walter Hill
Sam Peckinpah
John Carpenter
James Cameron

I just didn't like it. Personal preference maybe but I found it to have no...what word am I looking for...gravitas. All of Miyazaki's movies have some sort of impact, an overall theme of impending doom which is eventually resolved. I know, I know, Kiki loses her powers and much of the story is about the loss of childhood innocence and growing up but it just didn't quite connect iwth me.

Agree with your first paragraph. Second, not so much. Ponyo is a terrific movie, very weird but heart felt and touching none the less.

Now a question for you guys, do you like the movies dubbed or with subs?

Subs.

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Agreed on the most part. I've listened to some of the voice work of earlier Japanese movies, not just the animated ones and it feels like who ever is doing the subbing is simply reading and not voice acting. The newer stuff, Arriety as a prime example, is a lot better.

I'm just not a fan of Carpenter. I don't see what all the fuss is about.

What films of his have you seen? If your not into horror I can understand not liking him, because that's basically all he does.

Love that line of yours. Do you calculate it?

It's actually 94.96%.

Miyazaki is probably my favorite director too, but I am a little more negative on his step-downs I guess, and Howl's moving castle is for me. Still, a very solid filmography.

Guillermo Del Toro, has a real visual flair and knows how to play with composition and lighting.

James Cameron, pre-Avatar, knew how to craft scifi and action films that weren't insultingly dumb.

Paul Verhoven, knows how to incorporate dark humor and tongue in cheek, over-the-top violence into otherwise straight forward Hollwood schlock, i.e. Robocop and Starship Troopers.

I'll have to contemplate on further directors I appreciate.

These are my faves, including why and my favorite films/projects from them.

David Lynch - the man has such a unique visual and directorial style, and the man is a genius with mysteries. Fave film(s): Mulholland Drive and Twin Peaks (TV series)

Steven Spielberg - He makes everything so personal and emotional, even with some of the big action stuff he makes. Fave film: Raiders of the Lost Ark

James Cameron - His action work is top-notch, and his visual taste is amazing, pre- and post-Avatar. Fave film: Avatar (sorry if this offends anybody)

David Fincher - He's dark, gritty, and knows how to make a damn good thriller. Fave film: Fight Club

Stanley Kubrick - No matter which film of his I see, he never disappoints. His style is amazing, and his direction is near flawless. Fave film: A Clockwork Orange

Christopher Nolan - One, he brought the best film versions of Batman I've ever seen. Two, he can take so many good ideas and make them look amazing on the big screen. Fave film(s): Inception, The Dark Knight

You got me, I'm not really a horror fan but Escape from NY wasn't that good and Assault on Precinct 13 was barely average. I've seen a few other movies and while they range from bad to average there isn't a single stand out.

Some of you have already mentioned him and now it's my turn, the man with the best resume over the last decade, Mr Batman himself:

The Batman series made him probably the most discussed director in the world.
It's unbelievable how much a big (and succesfully executed) concept can make a director so immensely popular. Tim Burton, for instance, is still reaping the benefits of his Batman films.

Because of this great succes, he can now make movies with enormous budgets. It's a good thing in Nolan's case (it also was a good thing in Burton's case, in my opinion), because he makes great movies.
I would certainly not call him the best director of the present, though. He makes solid and entertaining movies, but he still has to make a movie, IN MY OPINION (Inception and The Dark Knight were his closest attempts yet).

Not all of his films are great, some are down right terrible (Ghosts of Mars). The Thing is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's one of a very few films that I watch multiple times a year.

Rating the John Carpenter films I've seen:

Dark Star- 6/10
Halloween 10/10
The Fog 8/10
Escape From New York 7.5/10
The Thing 10/10
Christine- 8/10
Big Trouble in Little China- 7/10
Prince of Darkness- 4/10
They Live- 9/10
In the Mouth of Madness- 8.5/10
Village of the Damned- 5/10
Escape from L.A.- 6/10
Ghosts of Mars- 1/10

Ahhh I forgot about Big Trouble in Little China, loved that movie and The Thing isn't too bad but when ever I watch a horror movie I want to be scared and I never am so that's a real downer.

I remember when I made my wife watch The Thing she jumped at the blood test scene. The only other films I remember her doing that to are "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2", and "The Descent".

I've read this somewhere before. Re-posting?

But yes, many directors have similar themes running through out their movies, that is in noway detrimental if the content and the story is still great.

Chan-wook Park

Best Film: OldBoy
Worst Film: N/A