Directors

Ok, time for some great directors. Sometimes I think these guys, unless they’re really extraordinary, don’t get nearly enough credit. They’re like lineman in the NFL, you only seem to notice a director when he’s extremely good or extremely bad. The steady competent work doesn’t get you any recognition and as a result very few of these guys ever get to make a name for themselves outside of with big movie buffs. So here is my list of favorite directors; as with all these lists it’s not going to be complete but evolving. I should also note that this list is not in any particular order. They’re not ranked so you don’t have to write to me outraged that I put Lucas below Spielberg or vice versa.

1. Steven Spielberg: This ones a given. Jaws, Indiana Jones, Saving Private Ryan, what more do you need? Forgive him for A.I., he knows not what he did.
2. George Lucas: Easy.
3. M. Night Shyamalan: Strange name, amazing results. The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable put him on this list easily.
4. John Carpenter: The Fog, Precinct 13, Halloween. Instant horror classics.
5. George Romero: Night of the Dead, Day of the Dead..you get the idea. Horror movies with characterization? Social commentarty? Plot lines? Hubris!
6. Joel Schumacher: Unbelievable list of great movies for this guy. Flatliners, St. Elmos Fire, The Lost Boys, Falling Down, 8 MM, A Time to Kill, Batman & Robin and more.
7. Bryan Singer: The Usual Suspects, X-Men, X2 and Apt Pupil.
8. Ron Howard: Splash, Cocoon, Parenthood, Backdraft, A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13. I forgive him for Willow.
9. Robert Benson: The very underrated Nobody’s Fool with Paul Newman, the classic Kramer vs. Kramer, Places in the Heart and the critically acclaimed The Human Stain.
10. Christopher Nolan: Batman Begins and Memento. Talented guy just getting revved up, can’t wait to see what’s next.
11. Robert Rodriguez: Sin City, all of the Spy Kids franchise, El Mariachi, Desperado and From Dusk Till Dawn. Sin City 2 now in pre-production!
12. James Brooks:As Good As it Gets, Spanglish, Broadcast News, Terms of Endearment. Also producing the Simpsons Movie, and has produced the Simpsons for years, so he’s a sentimental favorite!
13. Gore Verbinski: Pirates of the Caribbean (and the upcoming sequels), The Ring, Mousehunt.
14. John Woo: Face-Off, Broken Arrow, Paycheck, Mission Impossible 2, Hard Target and Windtalkers.
15. Peter Jackson: Easy. King Kong, The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Frighteners.
16. Martin Scorsese: Gangs of New York, Cape Fear, Goodfellas, Casino and more.
17. Wolfgang Peterson: In the Line of Fire, Enemy Mine, Troy, The Perfect Storm, Outbreak and Air Force One. Coming soon is Poseidon.
18. James Cameron: The Terminator, T2, Titanic, The Abyss, Aliens and True Lies.
19. Bryan De Palma: Scarface, Mission Impossible, Carrie and Bonfire of the Vanities
20. Sam Raimi: Spiderman, Spiderman2, Spiderman 3, Evil Dead, Army of Darkness, For Love of the Game, the Gift and Darkman. The Evil Dead 2006 with a new screenplay and new Director has been announced!
21. Michael Curtiz: Casablanca.
22. Alfred Hitchock: The Birds, Vertigo, Rear Window. The best of the best here.
23. Clint Eastwood: Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River, Space Cowboys, True Crime, Bloodwork, Pale Rider, Unforgiven.
24. Ridley Scott: Alien, Blackhawk Down, Gladiator, Hannibal, Blade Runner, Kingdom of Heaven and more.
25. Tim Burton: Corpse Bride, Beetlejuice, Batman, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow.