Interesting Thread Idea, let's see where it can go:
-Nolan = Memento - The Prestige - The Dark Knight - Inception
Memento is really well done given the small budget. Totally agree. Dark Knight I mostly agree (the movie's definitely better than the script), but the action sequences are a bit flawed. I think he really improved in that department with Inception though. The stuff in the spinning hallway was particularly well done. Jaw-dropping.
-Fincher = Fight Club (a truly unique film experience) - Seven (best crime/mystery film I've ever seen) - Benjamin Button
Fincher's probably the best director in Hollywood when it comes to how things look on film. Nobody else shoots footage like Fincher does. No one.
-Cameron -
-----The Terminator (A perfectly executed thriller)
-----Avatar (You can't help but admire the effort put into this film, despite its lack of literary depth)
-----Titanic (It's not often that a film completely captivates the emotions of millions through a tragic love story)
I would argue that James Cameron is the greatest director to ever live, with Spielberg as his only real competition. Cameron's career in terms of advancing the medium, the quality of his films, their cultural resonance, and ability to make money is staggering.
Whether or not Avatar is a good movie is up to you, that part of movie is subjective. But considering how much money it made and the fact that people have expressed the desire to commit suicide because they're not on Pandora, the fact that it's one of the most effective films ever made can't really be disputed. It wanted to produce a reaction and it did so. Titanic is the same way. Isn't this the primary goal of a director?
And are there people who really think the first Terminator is bad? I think Cameron's made better movies but it's still really really good.
-Snyder = 300 (In terms of screenplay, bad, but in terms of visuals, cinematography, and lighting... it's groundbreaking. I'll never forget seeing it opening weekend, I had never seen anything like it before)
I don't even mind the script, it is what it's supposed to be. I agree with you on the movie as a whole though, I was blown away when I saw it. That's a special reaction. While the acting in 300 isn't the most complex or nuanced, the fact that he got people to act at all in front of a green screen deserves some applause.
-Wachowskis = The Matrix trilogy (redefined the action genre, stylistically, visually, and technically. New technology was invented for this film to create bullet time. Not to mention it was pretty thought provoking for a pop-corn action flick)
This is the big one I can't agree on. I guess you can put the blame on the scripts, but the Wachowskis basically destroyed the reputation of the first movie with its sequels. Reloaded had a bunch of long and barely meaningful action sequences and Revolutions was obnoxiously obtuse.
Other films I'd mention as well directed:
Star Wars IV and V: For different reasons. Episode IV is amazing as an overall accomplishment. The conditions under which it was made were notoriously bad, and Lucas still shot some great footage that holds up today. The VFX work is obviously otherworldly as well. Episode V deserves mention for great acting (although I think the acting in Episode IV is underrated) and having a more intimate feel without losing the sense of scope that a movie called Star Wars should have.
Anything by Pixar: How can this not be mentioned? Especially Toy Story 3, since to me it made a leap where it had the sense that it was a live-action film that happened to be animated.
Jurassic Park: This movie owned my soul as a kid. It's so perfectly executed. Raiders of the Lost Ark and Schindler's list are also two notably well-directed Spielberg films. I haven't seen Jaws, so I'll refrain from commenting on that. Yeah, I'm a bad film dork.
Office Space/Airplane: Two comedy movies with very notable direction. With most comedies, there's a formula to follow. In the 80's, everything was shot semi-dingily with a lot of masters and big shots to give a sense of scope to the big party and chase scenes. In the 90's there were a lot of brighter colors to make everything feel fun. The 2000's gave us a lot of movies with a very neutral photography style so the characters felt like they were doing comedic things in the context of real life like normal people do. Office Space and Airplane both had humor that was dependent on creating a visual atmosphere, and in both cases the goal was accomplished from a directorial standpoint.
There's tons of others, but that's enough for one post.
Topic: The Most Skillfully Written/Directed Films (Read 4517 times)