Keyser's Top 100 Directors 2023 Edition
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91. Alfonso Cuaron
I'm not fully taken in with Cuaron just yet, but I often see value in the movies he makes. He's able to overcome whatever flaws there may be in his movies with a very strong persence within their greatest strengths. Gravity doesn't have enough plotting? It's easily the cinematography that keeps you engrossed. Roma's too slow? Great sense of drama. This is why I often look forward to Cuaron's newest announcements.
Harry Potter 3 (97), Gravity (86), Roma (83), Y Tu Mama Tambien (81)
AVERAGE SCORE: 86.75 / 4
92. Rob Reiner
Rob Reiner's good at dramedies. He really gets what people are about and goes a little deep with his characters much of the time, even if its for parody purposes like in Spinal Tap. Even the worst movie I've seen of his, The Bucket List, has incredible rewatch value for this quality.
The Princess Bride (97), Stand By Me (91), This Is Spinal Tap (80), The Bucket List (78)
AVERAGE SCORE: 86.5 / 4
93. Sergey Bondarchuk
Bondarchuk might've cut some meat out of the War and Peace story for the films, but he still did a bang up job delivering what the books were all about. He brought out the essence of war and all of its horrors with some of the finest filmmaking the 60's had to offer. He also reminds me of Orson Welles in the sense that he's a very good actor and did the right thing casting himself as Pierre.
War and Peace 4 (92), War and Peace 1 (91), War and Peace 3 (82), War and Peace 2 (81)
AVERAGE SCORE: 86.5 / 4
92. Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone is a more political director than most, but because he does a good job focusing on the people who madke either the fiction or the reality of whatever he touches, he always manages to make his movies engrossing. Even though Platoon is the better movie, I'd say the real testament to his skill and style lies in JFK.
Platoon (96), JFK (92), Wall Street (80), Snowden (76)
AVERGAE SCORE: 86 / 4
95. Preston Sturges
I don't really have a lot to say about Sturges as his three movies on this list all feel different.
Sullivan's Travels (96), The Lady Eve (91), The Great McGinty (72)
AVERAGE SCORE: 86.33 / 3
96. Errol Morris
The Thin Blue Line made me a bit of an Errol Morris fan. The guy is extremely informative and thorough. Even if the subject matter isn't always interesting, he gives you everything you need to know. This guy's documentary also had a heavy say on my perception of legalities and authorities, as I am now severely against people like Dr. Grigson. In fact, upon looking at the title, I though Mr. Death was a movie about HIM.
The Thin Blue Line (100), Mr. Death (91), Standard Operating Procedure (67)
AVERAGE SCORE: 86 / 3
97. Mike Newell
Again, not much to say except he did a fantastic job bringing Harry Potter 4 to the screen as it was a worthy sequel to Azkaban.
Harry Potter 4 (95), Donnie Brasco (85), Prince of Persia (78)
AVERAGE SCORE: 86 / 3
98. J.J. Abrams
This guy's a big nerd, and that's exactly what makes him a good filmmaker. This guy has a pretty good understanding of what makes both Star Wars and Star Trek what they are, and even though his stories occasionally need a little polishing (let's be honest, the first act of Star Trek is a freakin' fanfic), I would easily hire him to direct a movie based on one of my own sci-fi projects.
Star Wars 7 (92)
Star Trek (92)
Super 8 (86)
Star Trek Into Darkness (84)
Star Wars 9 (74)
AVERAGE SCORE: 86.5 / 4
99. Wolfgang Reitherman
Not my favorite Disney director, but he has his hits.
Sleeping Beauty (92), The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh (91), The Jungle Book (87), The Aristocats (82), The Rescuers (75)
AVERAGE SCORE: 85.4 / 5
100. Ron Howard
I admire Big Opie's willingness to branch out into many new areas. This doesn't always work out for him, but he never gives up. And much of the time, there's quite a bit to like about his movies if not a lot.
Apollo 13 (97), A Beautiful Mind (95), Solo: A Star Wars Story (90), The Da Vinci Code (72), Hillbilly Elegy (71)
AVERAGE SCORE: 85 / 5
I'm not fully taken in with Cuaron just yet, but I often see value in the movies he makes. He's able to overcome whatever flaws there may be in his movies with a very strong persence within their greatest strengths. Gravity doesn't have enough plotting? It's easily the cinematography that keeps you engrossed. Roma's too slow? Great sense of drama. This is why I often look forward to Cuaron's newest announcements.
Harry Potter 3 (97), Gravity (86), Roma (83), Y Tu Mama Tambien (81)
AVERAGE SCORE: 86.75 / 4
92. Rob Reiner
Rob Reiner's good at dramedies. He really gets what people are about and goes a little deep with his characters much of the time, even if its for parody purposes like in Spinal Tap. Even the worst movie I've seen of his, The Bucket List, has incredible rewatch value for this quality.
The Princess Bride (97), Stand By Me (91), This Is Spinal Tap (80), The Bucket List (78)
AVERAGE SCORE: 86.5 / 4
93. Sergey Bondarchuk
Bondarchuk might've cut some meat out of the War and Peace story for the films, but he still did a bang up job delivering what the books were all about. He brought out the essence of war and all of its horrors with some of the finest filmmaking the 60's had to offer. He also reminds me of Orson Welles in the sense that he's a very good actor and did the right thing casting himself as Pierre.
War and Peace 4 (92), War and Peace 1 (91), War and Peace 3 (82), War and Peace 2 (81)
AVERAGE SCORE: 86.5 / 4
92. Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone is a more political director than most, but because he does a good job focusing on the people who madke either the fiction or the reality of whatever he touches, he always manages to make his movies engrossing. Even though Platoon is the better movie, I'd say the real testament to his skill and style lies in JFK.
Platoon (96), JFK (92), Wall Street (80), Snowden (76)
AVERGAE SCORE: 86 / 4
95. Preston Sturges
I don't really have a lot to say about Sturges as his three movies on this list all feel different.
Sullivan's Travels (96), The Lady Eve (91), The Great McGinty (72)
AVERAGE SCORE: 86.33 / 3
96. Errol Morris
The Thin Blue Line made me a bit of an Errol Morris fan. The guy is extremely informative and thorough. Even if the subject matter isn't always interesting, he gives you everything you need to know. This guy's documentary also had a heavy say on my perception of legalities and authorities, as I am now severely against people like Dr. Grigson. In fact, upon looking at the title, I though Mr. Death was a movie about HIM.
The Thin Blue Line (100), Mr. Death (91), Standard Operating Procedure (67)
AVERAGE SCORE: 86 / 3
97. Mike Newell
Again, not much to say except he did a fantastic job bringing Harry Potter 4 to the screen as it was a worthy sequel to Azkaban.
Harry Potter 4 (95), Donnie Brasco (85), Prince of Persia (78)
AVERAGE SCORE: 86 / 3
98. J.J. Abrams
This guy's a big nerd, and that's exactly what makes him a good filmmaker. This guy has a pretty good understanding of what makes both Star Wars and Star Trek what they are, and even though his stories occasionally need a little polishing (let's be honest, the first act of Star Trek is a freakin' fanfic), I would easily hire him to direct a movie based on one of my own sci-fi projects.
Star Wars 7 (92)
Star Trek (92)
Super 8 (86)
Star Trek Into Darkness (84)
Star Wars 9 (74)
AVERAGE SCORE: 86.5 / 4
99. Wolfgang Reitherman
Not my favorite Disney director, but he has his hits.
Sleeping Beauty (92), The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh (91), The Jungle Book (87), The Aristocats (82), The Rescuers (75)
AVERAGE SCORE: 85.4 / 5
100. Ron Howard
I admire Big Opie's willingness to branch out into many new areas. This doesn't always work out for him, but he never gives up. And much of the time, there's quite a bit to like about his movies if not a lot.
Apollo 13 (97), A Beautiful Mind (95), Solo: A Star Wars Story (90), The Da Vinci Code (72), Hillbilly Elegy (71)
AVERAGE SCORE: 85 / 5
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Well, there we go, my top 100 for 2024. I know it kinda sucks at the bottom half, but don't worry. By next New Year's Day, it's gonna look quite different. Many of the directors with only three movies will be more thoroughly explored, and many of these directors are gonna either raise or leave. In the meantime, I'm gonna work on some of the things I need to research, like which Disney directors did what. Because next time there's an edit on these websites, I'm not even gonna bother.
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