EW's Top 25 Active Directors (It's worse than you can imagine)

[Watashi]

Link
(http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20259843,00.html)
1. Steven Spielberg
2. Peter Jackson
3. Martin Scorsese
4. Christopher Nolan
5. Steven Soderbergh
6. Ridley Scott
7. Quentin Tarantino
8. Michael Mann
9. James Cameron
10. Joel and Ethan Coen
11. Guillermo del Toro
12. David Fincher
13. Tim Burton
14. Judd Apatow
15. Sam Raimi
16. Zack Snyder
17. Darren Aronofsky
18. Danny Boyle
19. Clint Eastwood
20. Ron Howard
21. Ang Lee
22. Paul Thomas Anderson
23. Paul Greengrass
24. Pedro Almodóvar
25. Jon Favreau

[Wryan]

Wasn't there at least one woman better than Ron Howard?

[Ivan Drago]

20. Ron Howard
22. Paul Thomas Anderson

Say what?

[Derek]

James Cameron's directorial work in the last 11 years is tough to top. Surprised he's so low.

[Wryan]

James Cameron's directorial work in the last 11 years is tough to top. Surprised he's so low.

I think it was subtle innuendo for him to hurry up on Avatar. Presuming EW can do "subtle."

[soitgoes...]

Three foreign directors? Judd Apatow being better than all foreign language directors sans one? World cinema must be in an awful place.

[Sycophant]

Went to the website. Saw their write-up for Jon Favreau. Said "fuck this." Came back here to type that.

[D_Davis]

Johnny To?

Hello?

That dude makes like 3 films a year, and at least one of them is usually pretty good.

Takashi Miike? Wong Kar Wai? David Lynch?

[Sycophant]

Entertainment Weekly?

[DavidSeven]

14. Judd Apatow
16. Zack Snyder
. . .
22. Paul Thomas Anderson


lolwat.

[Melville]

Johnny To?

Hello?

That dude makes like 3 films a year, and at least one of them is usually pretty good.

Takashi Miike? Wong Kar Wai? David Lynch?

The full list (http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20259527_24,00.html) goes to 50, and it includes Wong Kar Wai and David Lynch. But it still sucks.

[D_Davis]

25. JON FAVREAU
THE EVIDENCE: Elf (2003), Iron Man (2008)


What is this evidence for?

[Sycophant]

What is this evidence for?
It is "This List is Bullshit," Exhibit "A."

[DavidSeven]

25. JON FAVREAU
THE EVIDENCE: Elf (2003), Iron Man (2008)

26. WOODY ALLEN
THE EVIDENCE: Annie Hall (1977), Manhattan (1979), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)

lolwat.

[Russ]

You know it's bad when you can't even make a snide comment about how they've damaged their credibility.

[Amnesiac]

14. Judd Apatow
16. Zack Snyder
. . .
22. Paul Thomas Anderson
lolwat.

Yeah, that's ridiculous.

[D_Davis]

It is "This List is Bullshit," Exhibit "A."

Exactly.

Never once have I thought of Elf whilst pondering the terms "Great directors," and "Great films."

Maybe whilst pondering "serviceable, harmless, kind-of-a-little-bit charming family comedy."

Tim Burton? Really?

Has James Cameron even made a movie in the last 25 years?

Judd Apatow being that high is simply insane.

Might as well put Kevin Smith on there.

What about Paul W.S. Anderson?

[D_Davis]

25. JON FAVREAU
THE EVIDENCE: Elf (2003), Iron Man (2008)

26. WOODY ALLEN
THE EVIDENCE: Annie Hall (1977), Manhattan (1979), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)lolwat.

:eek:

Wow.

...

Oh..

Wait. I see.

Now it makes sense.

[DavidSeven]

The evidence speaks for itself, Davis. That's Journalism with a capital J.

[Watashi]

Forget Favreau, how is J.J. Abrams on that list.

[D_Davis]

The evidence speaks for itself, Davis. That's Journalism with a capital J.

I was never good at logic.

[D_Davis]

Forget Favreau, how is J.J. Abrams on that list.

Evidence: Mission Impossible III

[Winston*]

I can't be bothered going through their horrible entry a page list. Is Herzog in the 50-26?

[D_Davis]

I can't be bothered going through their horrible entry a page list. Is Herzog in the 50-26?

Don't be absurd. We're talking GREAT directors here. You know, people like Judd Apatow, and Zack Snyder.

[Pop Trash]

Don't be absurd. We're talking GREAT directors here. You know, people like Judd Apatow, and Zack Snyder.

I like Judd Apatow.

[D_Davis]

I like Judd Apatow.

I don't mind him. Freaks and Geeks is awesome.

But he should in no way be considered a great director, he should especially not be listed above those who he is listed above.

He's basically a better writer than Kevin Smith, and a slightly better director - but just barely.

[number8]

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

[Raiders]

I could say a bunch of negative stuff and be all "elitist-like," but instead I'll congratulate them for listing Peter Jackson rightfully so high.

I do find it funny that Sidney Lumet is all the way at #50. I wouldn't think even EW would give him such a cold shoulder.

[Sycophant]

I actually like quite a number of these directors, but it's just such a... dull and American list.

[ledfloyd]

Wasn't there at least one woman better than Ron Howard?
women don't direct movies.

[Sycophant]

women don't direct movies.

Out of American female directors right now, who do we have?

1) Sofia Coppola -- not commercial; disqualified
2) Catherine Hardwicke -- lol; no (not even for EW)
3) Nancy Myers -- hasn't had a smash hit in a while
4) Nora Ephron -- hasn't had a smash hit in a while

We really need more women directing movies. The gender line isn't as terribly pronounced as it is in any other filmmaking position, it seems, as directing (well, maybe cinematographers?).

(Am I missing anyone active and significant?)

[Raiders]

(Am I missing anyone active and significant?)

Kelly Reichardt. But, heh, not for EW I guess.

[Sycophant]

Kelly Reichardt. But, heh, not for EW I guess.

I... still haven't seen her movies. Shit. Need to get on that.

[Raiders]

I... still haven't seen her movies. Shit. Need to get on that.

Neither have I.

[Sycophant]

Neither have I.

...Touché?

[Winston*]

Julie Taymor, even though Across the Universe was terrible.

[amberlita]

Out of American female directors right now, who do we have?

1) Sofia Coppola -- not commercial; disqualified
2) Catherine Hardwicke -- lol; no (not even for EW)
3) Nancy Myers -- hasn't had a smash hit in a while
4) Nora Ephron -- hasn't had a smash hit in a while

We really need more women directing movies. The gender line isn't as terribly pronounced as it is in any other filmmaking position, it seems, as directing (well, maybe cinematographers?).

(Am I missing anyone active and significant?)


Hopefully Kathryn Bigelow will qualify as active and significant if The Hurt Locker turns out to be good.

[D_Davis]

Hopefully Kathryn Bigelow will qualify as active and significant if The Hurt Locker turns out to be good.

Was going to say Bigelow. She's awesome.

[Dukefrukem]

Zack Snyder over Eastwood???

[DavidSeven]

I could say a bunch of negative stuff and be all "elitist-like," but instead I'll congratulate them for listing Peter Jackson rightfully so high.

But relying solely on Lord of the Rings and King Kong as their evidence diminishes it a bit, no?

[/elitist]

[Dead & Messed Up]

They have some great directors on that list, but the ordering makes you sit up and go "WHAAAAAAA?!"

Not that it matters, but my ten faves would be:

01) Martin Scorsese
02) Alfonso Cuaron
03) Sidney Lumet
04) Andrew Stanton
05) David Fincher
06) Kiyoshi Kurosawa
07) Werner Herzog
08) The Coen Brothers
09) Steven Spielberg
10) Brad Anderson

[balmakboor]

I guess my first thought -- given the thread title -- was, yes, I can imagine much worse. I count at least 15 directors on the list that I admire.

I haven't seen anything by Zack Snyder yet and have been meaning to check him out. Stephen King is a big fan of his Dawn of the Dead is nothing else.

Oh, and btw, Frost/Nixon has erased a lot of bad Ron Howard memories for me. I now feel about him the way I felt after Apollo 13.

[Amnesiac]

(Am I missing anyone active and significant?)

Perhaps Susanne Bier, although the only film of hers that I have seen was her 2006 Dogme 95 contribution, After The Wedding.

[Winston*]

Perhaps Susanne Bier, although the only film of hers that I have seen was her 2006 Dogme 95 contribution, After The Wedding.
She's pretty Danish IMHO.

[Amnesiac]

She's pretty Danish IMHO.

And?

[Winston*]

And?
That precludes her from being classified as an American female director.

[Boner M]

Oh, and btw, Frost/Nixon has erased a lot of bad Ron Howard memories for me. I now feel about him the way I felt after Apollo 13.
But why? None of the mild success of that film can be attributed to Howard's input.

[Amnesiac]

That precludes her from being classified as an American female director.

Ha, yeah, must have skimmed right over that part of Sycophant's post. Sorry.

[ledfloyd]

i love Coppola and Reichardt. can't think of many other american female directors that i really dig.

[origami_mustache]

good for a laugh

[Ezee E]

Hopefully Kathryn Bigelow will qualify as active and significant if The Hurt Locker turns out to be good.
It's like you're questioning if The Hurt Locker will be good or not. Of course it will be. :)

[number8]

Oh, and btw, Frost/Nixon has erased a lot of bad Ron Howard memories for me. I now feel about him the way I felt after Apollo 13.

It's the Akiva Effect.

[baby doll]

I guess if raking in tons of cash is your only criteria (as opposed to storytelling, framing or mise en scène) than these guys are way better directors than Wes Anderson, Roy Andersson, Theo Angelopoulos, Olivier Assayas, Bernardo Bertolucci, Leos Carax, Claire Denis, Atom Egoyan, Philippe Garrel, Jean-Luc Godard, Peter Greenaway, Michael Haneke, Todd Haynes, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Jia Zhang-ke, Abbas Kiarostami, Mike Leigh, Guy Maddin, Lucrecia Martel, Alain Resnais, Jacques Rivette, André Téchiné, Tsai Ming-liang, Agnès Varda and Wong Kar-wai.

EDIT: I can't believe I forgot Jim Jarmusch.

[baby doll]

Kelly Reichardt. But, heh, not for EW I guess.Didn't he say "significant"--as opposed to pretty good and accidentally topical?

[baby doll]

1) Sofia Coppola -- not commercialWhat? Since when?

[Wryan]

Julie Taymor, even though Across the Universe was terrible.

But Titus and Frieda weren't. I like Taymor, too.

[Wryan]

But relying solely on Lord of the Rings and King Kong as their evidence diminishes it a bit, no?

[/elitist]

Heck no. Terrific films. :)

[Raiders]

Didn't he say "significant"--as opposed to pretty good and accidentally topical?

Well, I haven't seen her films, but considering his post listed Nora Ephron, I think you can find it even in your icy heart to allow Reichardt a mention.

[Qrazy]

EDIT: I can't believe I forgot Jim Jarmusch.

I can believe it and I'd prefer to keep it that way.