Top 10: Directors

Directors almost never get the credit they deserve.  The exception of course being when you have a director so good his celebrity sometimes outshines the actors.  Every director has a unique style of storytelling.  So here is a list of some of my favorites.

10)  Tim Burton: This guy is just flat out crazy. In a visual medium, he has a style that is equal parts dark, gothic, and avante guarde. Sometimes his images cross over into the disturbing. My favorites: Batman, Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas

9)Robert Zemeckis: A director most famous for his use of special effects. What makes him different than most directors in fantastical movies is that he will use the effects less as the driving point of the movie but to enhance the story. While the effects are impressive they never dominate the story. Not an easy task. My favorites: Back To the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, The Polar Express

8) Quenton Tarantino: I love his movies because he is a true student of the game.  He knows so much about storytelling and cinematography that he continually finds new ways to take the rules and throw them out the window.  He definately has a style all his own and knows how to take an idea and run with it.  My favorites: Pulp Fiction, Deathproof, Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs

7) Ridley Scott: The guy did some of my favorite movies of all time.  A brilliant director of sci-fi, Ridley Scott was also notoriously hard to work with.  His directing style, while demanding, is also some of the most suspensful.  The tension builds up to the action scenes like none other.  My Favorites: Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, G.I. Jane, Hannibal, Gladiator

6) Stanley Kubrick: What is the best way to describe his directing style?  His movies are like a docudrama.  They have a very matter of fact feeling to them while also being extremely artistic and cinematic.  His movies are always open to interpretation.  They are the kind of movies to teach a moving making class because so many capture the essence of the original novels they were adapted from.  My favorites: 2001 A Space Odyssey, Full Metal Jacket, Clockwork Orange, The Shining

5) Martin Scorcese: Is this guy even capable of doing a bad movie?  Seriously, I can't name a movie he did that was even just okay.  They are just beautifully done in so many ways I can't even describe it.  They are tightly written with just enough in the ways of theatrics to make a once in a lifetime kind of talent.  My favorites: Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, Cape Fear, Casino, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, Shutter Island

4) David Fincher: So many great movies and so little time.  When it comes to David Fincher, you never really know what you're going to get.  Many of his stories will flow in a logical manner, while others take so many twists and turns you won't know what is happening until the very end.  What makes me so happy is that he is young enough to keep going for the next 20 years.  My Favorites: Seven, Alien 3, Fight Club, Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

3) John Carpenter: His is truely an inspiring story.  How he could get a small budget movie to become a cult classic.  His work with practical effects is legendary.  What I love most are his use of lighting and his commitment to minimalism.  He makes the most out of what he has rather than relying on huge budgets and computer effects.  In a word, brilliant.  My favorites: Halloween, The Thing, Escape From New York, Big Trouble in Little China
2) James Cameron: What can I say?  I can't argue with success.  His movies are not just a story.  They are an experience.  While the story may or may not be so great, there's one thing you can't say: he doesn't do small movies.  Everything he does is big and spectacular.  Many times he does movies so big they break the bank, yet manage to make record breaking profits.  My Favorites: The Terminator, Terminator 2, Aliens, The Abyss, Titanic

1) Steven Spielberg: I really hate to be obvious, but who else would be my #1?  I don't know of anyone that hasn't seen a Spielberg movie at this point.  His movies deal mostly with the fantastical and awe most kids would experience in extraordinary situations.  Many of his movies are highly emotional.  My Favorites: Indiana Jones (except for #4), Jaws, E.T., The Color Purple, Schindler's List, Catch Me if You Can

Honorable Mentions: Woody Allen, Alfred Hitchcock, The Coen Brothers, Orsen Welles, Clint Eastwood, Ron Howard, Francis Ford Coppola, Christopher Nolan.