EW's 25 greatest "active" film directors.

Originally Posted by RJman

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One of my favorite movies is a Roman Coppola movie.

Must be because of his name, right?

Originally Posted by RJman

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One of my favorite movies is a Roman Coppola movie.

I love CQ too...

Originally Posted by gdl203

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Kusturica, Polanski, Mikhalkov, WKWai, Kieslowski, C-W.Park, Kitano, N.Moretti, Zhang Yimou, G. NoÃ

...?

Gaspard? I liked Carne and Seul contre tous but is he top 25 worthy?

Originally Posted by Fuuma

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I love CQ too...

I was just about to say... how can you be sure it was CQ... but then I went and looked.



I liked CQ too.

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

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I was just about to say... how can you be sure it was CQ... but then I went and looked.

I liked CQ too.

CQ was made for movie nerds. And it got Angela Lindvall so I'm down.

You know what? Its really easy to just spout off people who you think should be on the list. That takes no balls. MAKE A LIST. Then we too can question everyone you've left off and mock you for being a complete wanker.

There are about 100 people I'd like to put in a top 25 active directors list. That's just the way it goes. I'm comfortable with my list.

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

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You know what? Its really easy to just spout off people who you think should be on the list. That takes no balls. MAKE A LIST. Then we too can question everyone you've left off and mock you for being a complete wanker. There are about 100 people I'd like to put in a top 25 active directors list. That's just the way it goes. I'm comfortable with my list.
Ok, I'll try to think of one tomorrow. I'll surely forget people. Do we have to include directors that suck now but were good in the last 25 yrs, do they have to be alive, etc? Note that I already posted a top 100 films (max 2 by director) or something...

Originally Posted by Fuuma

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Ok, I'll try to think of one tomorrow. I'll surely forget people. Do we have to include directors that suck now but were good in the last 25 yrs, do they have to be alive, etc?

I was pretty much forced to include Spielberg and Scorcese in the top spot on my list for lifetime accomplishments in moving forward the art of cinema, though I don't think either one of them is a particularly great practicing director anymore. "Great" can mean a lot of things. It can be greatness through being prolific (Miike), Greatness through being consistently good over the course of many years, though your output quantity sucks (Malick) Or anything else... One great movie might qualify a director for a spot on the list, but you better be able to defend that movie. Cause the "nerd" army is out in force with their torches, just waiting to burn someone down in this thread.

They have to be ALIVE, and also still making movies. Generally I would assume a 5 year grace period. So if they've had something come out, or are in the process of making something currently (Like Malick... woot!) They qualify. If they are retired, dead, or haven't put anything out in 6+ years and have nothing that they are working on, I don't think you should put them on the list.

What's Malick working on? The New World was probably my favorite film from the last 10 or so years, though I'm probably forgetting something.

Originally Posted by Baron

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What's Malick working on? The New World was probably my favorite film from the last 10 or so years, though I'm probably forgetting something.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478304/ I'll never understand how Malick's movies seem to be so criminally unappreciated. Badlands, The Thin Red Line, and The New World are amazing. I think that he just stays gone so long people forget about him.

Ok, 25, in no particular order beside alphabetical:

Arnaud Desplechin
Bertrand Tavernier
Brian DePalma
Chen Kaige
Chris Marker
Christophe HonorÃ
Clint Eastwood
Dardenne brothers
Hayao Miyazaki
Jean-Jacques Beineix
Jean-Luc Godard
Johnnie To
Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Michael Haneke
Patrice Leconte
Patrick Yau
Pedro Almodovar
Philippe Garrel
Roman Polanski
Takeshi Kitano
Aki Kaurismaki
Werner Herzog
Wong-Kar-Wai
Woody Allen
Zhang Yimou

I'm sure I forgot a shitlod of people so don't stone me.

Even though no one particularily asked for it, here's my list. Feel free to call me names or ignore it altogether. However, it's strictly based on who I find interesting and excellent at the moment and the names are in that order. For example, WKW would've topped my list after Happy Together, but now after he's stuck doing that slowmo-advertisement **** over and over again, I can't say I'm particularily interested in hunless he seriously reinvents himself.

And overall I didn't pay much attention to the order. Makim es no sense trying to figure out whether I genuinely like Roy Andersson or Aki Kaurismäki better.

1.Michael Mann
2.Abbas Kiarostami
3.David Cronenberg
4.Terrence Malick
5.Aki Kaurismäki
6.Christian Mungiu
7.Darren Aronofsky
8.Aleksandr Sokurov
9.Zhang Jia-Ke
10.The Coen brothers
11.David Mamet
12.The Dardenne brothers
13.David Lynch
14.Todd Haynes
15.Lars Von Trier
16.David Fincher
17.Roy Andersson
18.Paul Thomas Anderson
19.Clint Eastwood
20.Johan Kling
21.Johnny To
22.Ryan Fleck
23.Bong Joon-Ho
24.Denis Dercourt
25.Richard Linklater

I haven't really been keeping up with whatever's new and interesting in cinema, and I guess it shows here.

**** I forgot Tsui Hark, Claire Denis, Fruit Chan, Kiarostami, Egoyan, Blier, Koreeda, Jia-Zhang-Ke, Ozon, Rohmer!!!

Originally Posted by Johnny Amiga

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Even though no one particularily asked for it, here's my list. Feel free to call me names or ignore it altogether. However, it's strictly based on who I find interesting and excellent at the moment and the names are in that order. For example, WKW would've topped my list after Happy Together, but now after he's stuck doing that slowmo-advertisement **** over and over again, I can't say I'm particularily interested in hunless he seriously reinvents himself.

And overall I didn't pay much attention to the order. Makim es no sense trying to figure out whether I genuinely like Roy Andersson or Aki Kaurismäki better.

1.Michael Mann
2.Abbas Kiarostami
3.David Cronenberg
4.Terrence Malick
5.Aki Kaurismäki
6.Christian Mungiu
7.Darren Aronofsky
8.Aleksandr Sokurov
9.Zhang Jia-Ke
10.The Coen brothers
11.David Mamet
12.The Dardenne brothers
13.David Lynch
14.Todd Haynes
15.Lars Von Trier
16.David Fincher
17.Roy Andersson
18.Paul Thomas Anderson
19.Clint Eastwood
20.Johan Kling
21.Johnny To
22.Ryan Fleck
23.Bong Joon-Ho
24.Denis Dercourt
25.Richard Linklater

I haven't really been keeping up with whatever's new and interesting in cinema, and I guess it shows here.

Check out Il Divo (and his other stuff) and Gomorra, the Italians are back in a big way!

Oh ****, David Mamet, good choice.

Can you explain Aronofsky? I assume Bong-Joon-Ho is include because of memories of murder, a kickass movie I'm happy to have seen on the big screen for max immersive effect.

Originally Posted by Fuuma

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Check out Il Divo (and his other stuff) and Gomorra, the Italians are back in a big way!
Gomorra I've actually seen, but it didn't really appeal to me all that much. I loved the realism and I loved the setting, but I felt it was way too short. Another hour or so and I would've prolly liked it alot more. I need to check out Garrone's earlier work though (and Sorrentino), as there was much in Gomorra I did find interesting.

Oh ****, David Mamet, good choice.

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Yeah, he's really been busy perfecting his craft in his later films. I don't think he's ever made a weak film (hell, House Of Games is one of my all time favorite first films), but he's really found a voice of his own in the last few.

Can you explain Aronofsky? I assume Bong-Joon-Ho is include because of memories of murder, a kickass movie I'm happy to have seen on the big screen for max immersive effect.

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Yeah, Memories of Murder got him on the list. Did like The Host too, however. As for Aronofsky, I've quite liked all of his films, but I absolutely love The Fountain. It's a divisive film, but for me, it's somewhat of a minor masterpiece. It's absurd that a film like it ever got released and I love every minute of it. Am willing to defend it further, but I think it's one of those films where you either love it or don't get it. And I don't mean this in a derisive way, merely in the sense that The Fountain simply does not appeal to everyone. Explaining why I love it wouldn't mean much to anyone else.