inri222

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,2031...125145,00.html

A little better than some of the older ones, but still a joke.



Steven Spielberg
Quentin Tarantino
Martin Scorsese
Kathryn Bigelow
Terrence Malick
David Fincher
Joel and Ethan Coen
Paul Thomas Anderson
Woody Allen
Mike Leigh
Ben Affleck
Christopher Nolan
David O. Russell
Michael Haneke
Darren Aronofsky
James Cameron
Alexander Payne
Ang Lee
Roman Polanski
Peter Jackson
Lars Von Trier
Wes Anderson
Spike Lee
Pedro Almodovar
Clint Eastwood

RichC2

While I like most of those directors, it does seem like a very Hollywood-only list.

Why So Blu?

I agree with these.

RichC2

Also I gotta assume they mean the best working directors in terms of their current work.

Did you see Film socialisme?

Johnny Boy

Disagree strongly with Kathryn Bigelow. I loved Point Break though, but I don't like her current movies.

inri222

I have not seen Film Socialisme. Some of the current work by director's that are on that list is also questionable.

RichC2

To her credit, both ZD30 and Hurt Locker are very well directed, content is going to vary greatly.

Solid Snake

I couldn't stomach it. It was like watching a film student trying to be super deep and serious but failing so wonderfully at it. I'm not sure at what point Godard became irrelevant, I've only seen the films from Breathless to Made in U.S.A, but he sure as hell doesn't matter now in his filmmaking.

rocket1312

I know lists like this are stupid and there are probably dozens of obscure/non-hollywood directors that one could make an argument for, but where in the hell is Werner Herzog? Other than that, it's not a horrible list as far as these sort of things go.

Supermallet

And Spielberg does? Come on now.

Shannon Nutt

Peter Jackson's the name that I find insulting on that list. In my opinion he's made a couple of good movies (the original LOTR trilogy) and NO great ones.

inri222

David Cronenberg
Bela Tarr
Nicholas Winding Refn
The Dardenne Brothers
Steven Soderbergh
Claire Denis
Abbas Kiarostami
Jim Jarmusch
Gaspar Noe

JumpCutz

You don't consider Michael Haneke one of the greatest working directors?
Wow.

Solid Snake

I'd say he matters. But he's flawed. What I want him to do is to push himself in some form. He's too safe in his direction and narrative nowadays. Every once in a while we'll get something from him but he's not a bad director. He's not one of the best RIGHT NOW but he matters. Godard? I dunno when he fell off the boat.

I hear Munich was his last great film, though others say no. So I don't know. He's a director can do films that one else can. There are a few that copy him but they don't have spark his films do. Chris Columbus copies him but sure as hell doesn't have the imagination that Spielberg does.

BambooLounge

I actually laughed out loud when I noticed Ben Affleck is on that list.

One very good movie, one study in mediocrity, and a Best Picture winner should not get you on that list over any of the other unlisted directors noted in this thread.

PopcornTreeCt

inri222

My words exactly.

What's funny is that it takes a foreigner like Haneke who has been making good films for years a couple of Palme d'Or (The White Ribbon & Amour) & an Oscar in order to be recognized on this list.

Jules Winfield

I think Haneke thinks he's the world's greatest director.

inri222

Lars Von Trier disagrees.

Why So Blu?

Don't know his work. Did he do Funny Games and then remake with...Funny Games?

The original FG is the only I've ever seen if that's his work.

Jules Winfield

At least Lars Von Trier can make an interesting movie. Haneke just sets the camera down, films a freshly painted wall drying all day and decides to use that whole footage in the middle of his movie because you're an idiot for not seeing what's important about it.

Supermallet

Hitchcock also remade several of his own films.

Solid Snake

I know he did the man who knew too much but what others did he do?

Ash Ketchum

My list of "greatest working directors" would be quite short, given that there's nothing really "great" being made these days. I can understand why these directors are included, relative to what's being done out there, but the only name on this list I would include is Tarantino. I can't really think of any other Hollywood filmmaker I'd include, based on recent work vs. overall career output. Many of these directors do competent, interesting work, but I hesitate to call them great.

Nor have I seen much from Japan and Hong Kong/China lately that would qualify many filmmakers from those places, usually my favored filmmaking regions. I'm not so sure I'd include Hayao Miyazaki these days (his last "great" movie was 12 years ago--SPIRITED AWAY) and I'd certainly not include John Woo (although his last "great" movie, RED CLIFF, was more recent than Miyazaki's). I did see three films this week by Mamoru Hosoda (THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME, SUMMER WARS and WOLF CHILDREN), who may now be laying claim to Miyazaki's title as the greatest working anime director. I'd definitely put Hosoda's name on such a list.

Groucho

That's the full list.