Top 50 Directors
30. Paul Haggis
Haggis is actually better known as a writer, and he's won two Oscars. Both were for 2005's Crash. One was for best original screenplay and the other was for best picture. His third film hits theaters this Friday (The Next Three Days, starring Russell Crowe). He has written both new Bond films, as well as three recent Clint Eastwood films.
-Crash
-In the Valley of Elah
-The Next Three Days (11/19)
29. Alejandro González Iñárritu
To date, Alejandro has released three films. The "death trilogy" started with 2000's Amores Perros and ended with 2006's Babel. The middle film was 2003's 21 Grams. All three films have the same theme and slightly tie together. He has a fourth film, Biutiful, set to be released in late December. We shall see if it ties together with the other three films. I can't wait!
-21 Grams
-Amores Perros
-Babel
28. Ben Stiller
Stiller is one of the best comedic actors in Hollywood, but he's also a terrific director. Remember, he did have his own show back in the early 90's. He usually stars in his films, but he has just a small role in The Cable Guy. That might be his best work as a director, though.
-Tropic Thunder
-The Cable Guy
-Zoolander
27. Sam Raimi
Raimi is best known for his Spider-Man trilogy, without a doubt. But he actually got his start in horror. He directed The Evil Dead trilogy, as well as the first Darkman (the only watchable one). He returned to the horror genre with 2009's Drag Me to Hell. That film had timely laughs and scares.
-Spider-Man 2
-Spider-Man
-Darkman
26. Greg Mottola
Mottola has made two of the best coming-of-age films I've ever seen (Superbad, Adventureland). His third film, Paul, comes out in March. Adventureland is loosely based on a summer in his teen years. It's always enjoyable to see something so personal. Mottola is another guy who started his career working with Judd Apatow. That's never a bad thing.
-Superbad
-Adventureland
-Paul (3/18/2011)
25. Tony Gilroy
Michael Clayon is an experience that has to be seen. It's going to be hard to top that film. His sophomore film, Duplicity, was very witty and smart. Gilroy's another director better known as a writer. He wrote all three Bourne films, as well as Armageddon and State of Play. Word on the street is that his script for the fourth Bourne film is ready; he will also be directing it. Hooray!
-Michael Clayton
-Duplicity
-The Bourne Legacy (2012)
24. Darren Aronofsky
Aronofsky is a terrific filmmaker, even if the film isn't any good (The Fountain). Requiem for a Dream is one of a kind, and The Wrestler is simply fantastic. His new film, Black Swan, drops December 3rd. If it's anywhere near as twisted as his previous work, we're in for a treat. -Requiem for a Dream
-The Wrestler
-π
23. Michael Mann
Mann has a tremendous body of work that includes: Heat, The Insider, Ali, Collateral, Miami Vice and Public Enemies to name a few. His new style of film-making can be frustrating for some, but I rather like it. It looks real and makes the experience more enjoyable.
-Collateral
-Public Enemies
-Heat
22. Peter and Bobby Farrelly
The Farrelly brothers are masters of comedy. Even their weaker comedies have something to offer. I think it's safe to say that they're the most experienced directors of comedy around. They have a new film called Hall Pass, starring Owen Wilson, that releases February 25th.
-Dumb & Dumber
-There's Something About Mary
-Me, Myself & Irene
21. Zack Snyder
Snyder is quickly becoming one of the best directors in the business. I can not freakin' wait until Sucker Punch (March 25th)! He has proven he can work with anything, whether it be zombies, super-heroes or an epic battle between Greeks and Persians.
-Watchmen
-Dawn of the Dead
-300
20. Michel Gondry
Gondry is still reasonable new in Hollywood, even though he's approaching 50. Eternal Sunshine (a film he won an Oscar for) is one of the most rewarding films you'll ever see. Even though his latest film (Be Kind Rewind) was disappointing, there's no denying his film-making abilities. His new project, The Green Hornet, is scheduled for a January 14th release date. But that has been moved before.
-Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
-The Science of Sleep
-Be Kind Rewind
19. Clint Eastwood
There aren't many actors who've made such a fantastic transition into film-making better than Clint. He started directing his own films way back in 1971, and hasn't looked back. He really hit his stride this past decade, and I look for that to continue.
-Million Dollar Baby
-Mystic River
-Gran Torino
18. Quentin Tarantino
Tarantino's work certainly isn't for everyone. And although I didn't exactly enjoy the Kill Bill franchise or the Grindhouse films, you can never doubt he creative film-making. He also produces a lot of good horror and action films.
-Pulp Fiction
-Inglourious Basterds
-Reservoir Dogs
17. Marc Forster
The film that put Forster on the map was the tremendous Monster's Ball. Since then he has gone on a great run of films. At one point he directed a film five consecutive years (2004-2008). His latest film was Quantum of Solace. His next film, Machine Gun Preacher, has an extremely interesting premise. It stars Gerard Butler and is scheduled to be released in September.
-Monster's Ball
-Stay
-Stranger Than Fiction
16. Ridley Scott
Scott came out of nowhere in 1979 with a little film called Alien. Ever heard of it? In 1982, he released the futuristic Blade Runner, which had great success. He then had a rough go at things up until 2000's Gladiator. Since then he's pretty much been money. Two Alien prequels are set to be released in 2011 and 2012.
-Alien
-Gladiator
-American Gangster
15. Todd Phillips
Todd knows what he's doing when it comes to comedy. The Hangover became the highest-grossing R-rated comedy ever made in 2009. The Hangover Part II is set to arrive on May 26th. We can only hope it's as much fun as the original.
-Old School
-The Hangover
-Starsky & Hutch
14. Adam McKay
Mckay's first feature film is in my view, the funniest film ever made. All four of his films have starred Will Ferrell, and Adam always seems to get the best out of him. Mckay has released a film every two years since 2004's Anchorman. Look for him to release another Ferrell film in 2012.
-Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
-Step Brothers
-The Other Guys
13. Jason Reitman
Jason's last two films have been nominated for multiple Oscars. Not bad for a Canadian. He always gets the best of his actors...Ellen Page in Juno...George Clooney, Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air...and Aaron Eckhart in Thank You for Smoking. He's the son of legendary director Ivan Reitman (Stripes, Ghost Busters).
-Up in the Air
-Juno
-Thank You for Smoking
12. Judd Apatow
Apatow has revolutionized the comedy genre. He's had his hand in dozens of good/great comedies for over a decade. He got his start on The Ben Stiller Show, like many others. The first film he wrote and produced was none other than Heavy Weights. That "Disney" film was the start of something beautiful.
-The 40 Year Old Virgin
-Knocked Up
-Funny People
11. Steven Spielberg
Spielberg will inevitably go down as one of the greatest directors/producers of all-time. The only reason he isn't higher is because he has been taking a lot of time off recently. The last 12 years, although good, haven't been great. I still haven't gotten over the last Indiana Jones film. Honestly, what was that?
-Saving Private Ryan
-Raiders of the Lost Ark
-Jurassic Park
Haggis is actually better known as a writer, and he's won two Oscars. Both were for 2005's Crash. One was for best original screenplay and the other was for best picture. His third film hits theaters this Friday (The Next Three Days, starring Russell Crowe). He has written both new Bond films, as well as three recent Clint Eastwood films.
-Crash
-In the Valley of Elah
-The Next Three Days (11/19)
29. Alejandro González Iñárritu
To date, Alejandro has released three films. The "death trilogy" started with 2000's Amores Perros and ended with 2006's Babel. The middle film was 2003's 21 Grams. All three films have the same theme and slightly tie together. He has a fourth film, Biutiful, set to be released in late December. We shall see if it ties together with the other three films. I can't wait!
-21 Grams
-Amores Perros
-Babel
28. Ben Stiller
Stiller is one of the best comedic actors in Hollywood, but he's also a terrific director. Remember, he did have his own show back in the early 90's. He usually stars in his films, but he has just a small role in The Cable Guy. That might be his best work as a director, though.
-Tropic Thunder
-The Cable Guy
-Zoolander
27. Sam Raimi
Raimi is best known for his Spider-Man trilogy, without a doubt. But he actually got his start in horror. He directed The Evil Dead trilogy, as well as the first Darkman (the only watchable one). He returned to the horror genre with 2009's Drag Me to Hell. That film had timely laughs and scares.
-Spider-Man 2
-Spider-Man
-Darkman
26. Greg Mottola
Mottola has made two of the best coming-of-age films I've ever seen (Superbad, Adventureland). His third film, Paul, comes out in March. Adventureland is loosely based on a summer in his teen years. It's always enjoyable to see something so personal. Mottola is another guy who started his career working with Judd Apatow. That's never a bad thing.
-Superbad
-Adventureland
-Paul (3/18/2011)
25. Tony Gilroy
Michael Clayon is an experience that has to be seen. It's going to be hard to top that film. His sophomore film, Duplicity, was very witty and smart. Gilroy's another director better known as a writer. He wrote all three Bourne films, as well as Armageddon and State of Play. Word on the street is that his script for the fourth Bourne film is ready; he will also be directing it. Hooray!
-Michael Clayton
-Duplicity
-The Bourne Legacy (2012)
24. Darren Aronofsky
Aronofsky is a terrific filmmaker, even if the film isn't any good (The Fountain). Requiem for a Dream is one of a kind, and The Wrestler is simply fantastic. His new film, Black Swan, drops December 3rd. If it's anywhere near as twisted as his previous work, we're in for a treat. -Requiem for a Dream
-The Wrestler
-π
23. Michael Mann
Mann has a tremendous body of work that includes: Heat, The Insider, Ali, Collateral, Miami Vice and Public Enemies to name a few. His new style of film-making can be frustrating for some, but I rather like it. It looks real and makes the experience more enjoyable.
-Collateral
-Public Enemies
-Heat
22. Peter and Bobby Farrelly
The Farrelly brothers are masters of comedy. Even their weaker comedies have something to offer. I think it's safe to say that they're the most experienced directors of comedy around. They have a new film called Hall Pass, starring Owen Wilson, that releases February 25th.
-Dumb & Dumber
-There's Something About Mary
-Me, Myself & Irene
21. Zack Snyder
Snyder is quickly becoming one of the best directors in the business. I can not freakin' wait until Sucker Punch (March 25th)! He has proven he can work with anything, whether it be zombies, super-heroes or an epic battle between Greeks and Persians.
-Watchmen
-Dawn of the Dead
-300
20. Michel Gondry
Gondry is still reasonable new in Hollywood, even though he's approaching 50. Eternal Sunshine (a film he won an Oscar for) is one of the most rewarding films you'll ever see. Even though his latest film (Be Kind Rewind) was disappointing, there's no denying his film-making abilities. His new project, The Green Hornet, is scheduled for a January 14th release date. But that has been moved before.
-Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
-The Science of Sleep
-Be Kind Rewind
19. Clint Eastwood
There aren't many actors who've made such a fantastic transition into film-making better than Clint. He started directing his own films way back in 1971, and hasn't looked back. He really hit his stride this past decade, and I look for that to continue.
-Million Dollar Baby
-Mystic River
-Gran Torino
18. Quentin Tarantino
Tarantino's work certainly isn't for everyone. And although I didn't exactly enjoy the Kill Bill franchise or the Grindhouse films, you can never doubt he creative film-making. He also produces a lot of good horror and action films.
-Pulp Fiction
-Inglourious Basterds
-Reservoir Dogs
17. Marc Forster
The film that put Forster on the map was the tremendous Monster's Ball. Since then he has gone on a great run of films. At one point he directed a film five consecutive years (2004-2008). His latest film was Quantum of Solace. His next film, Machine Gun Preacher, has an extremely interesting premise. It stars Gerard Butler and is scheduled to be released in September.
-Monster's Ball
-Stay
-Stranger Than Fiction
16. Ridley Scott
Scott came out of nowhere in 1979 with a little film called Alien. Ever heard of it? In 1982, he released the futuristic Blade Runner, which had great success. He then had a rough go at things up until 2000's Gladiator. Since then he's pretty much been money. Two Alien prequels are set to be released in 2011 and 2012.
-Alien
-Gladiator
-American Gangster
15. Todd Phillips
Todd knows what he's doing when it comes to comedy. The Hangover became the highest-grossing R-rated comedy ever made in 2009. The Hangover Part II is set to arrive on May 26th. We can only hope it's as much fun as the original.
-Old School
-The Hangover
-Starsky & Hutch
14. Adam McKay
Mckay's first feature film is in my view, the funniest film ever made. All four of his films have starred Will Ferrell, and Adam always seems to get the best out of him. Mckay has released a film every two years since 2004's Anchorman. Look for him to release another Ferrell film in 2012.
-Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
-Step Brothers
-The Other Guys
13. Jason Reitman
Jason's last two films have been nominated for multiple Oscars. Not bad for a Canadian. He always gets the best of his actors...Ellen Page in Juno...George Clooney, Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air...and Aaron Eckhart in Thank You for Smoking. He's the son of legendary director Ivan Reitman (Stripes, Ghost Busters).
-Up in the Air
-Juno
-Thank You for Smoking
12. Judd Apatow
Apatow has revolutionized the comedy genre. He's had his hand in dozens of good/great comedies for over a decade. He got his start on The Ben Stiller Show, like many others. The first film he wrote and produced was none other than Heavy Weights. That "Disney" film was the start of something beautiful.
-The 40 Year Old Virgin
-Knocked Up
-Funny People
11. Steven Spielberg
Spielberg will inevitably go down as one of the greatest directors/producers of all-time. The only reason he isn't higher is because he has been taking a lot of time off recently. The last 12 years, although good, haven't been great. I still haven't gotten over the last Indiana Jones film. Honestly, what was that?
-Saving Private Ryan
-Raiders of the Lost Ark
-Jurassic Park
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