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The Guardian's '23 best film directors in the world today'

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W

Wilbur

Banned
I love Nolan and actually perhaps I would put him on this list... but Whedon, certainly not. Especially if you're going to refer to him as an auteur.

Personally, a list of 23 for me would look more like:

PTA
Scorsese
Tarantino
Herzog
W Anderson
Malick
von Trier
Coens
Lynch
Miyazaki
Wong Kar-Wai
Almodovar
del Toro
Haneke
Bong Joon-ho
Park Chan-wook
Nolan
Aronofsky
Dominik
Kaurismaki
Kim Ji-woon
Fincher

And despite me not liking much of their recent output, Spielberg and Cameron are obviously very good directors.
 
A

AAequal

Banned
Wilbury said:
I love Nolan and actually perhaps I would put him on this list... but Whedon, certainly not. Especially if you're going to refer to him as an auteur.

Personally, a list of 23 for me would look more like:

PTA
Scorsese
Tarantino
Herzog
W Anderson
Malick
von Trier
Coens
Lynch
Miyazaki
Wong Kar-Wai
Almodovar
del Toro
Haneke
Bong Joon-ho
Park Chan-wook
Nolan
Aronofsky
Dominik
Kaurismaki
Kim Ji-woon
Fincher

And despite me not liking much of their recent output, Spielberg and Cameron are obviously very good directors.
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My list would probably look pretty much the same, I still would cut Lynch. MAKE SOME GOD DAM MOVIES! :D Also it will be interesting to see how Hollywood works for Bong Joon-ho.
 
W

Wilbur

Banned
AAequal said:
My list would probably look pretty much the same, I still would cut Lynch. MAKE SOME GOD DAM MOVIES! :D Also it will be interesting to see how Hollywood works for Bong Joon-ho.
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Yeah it's a pretty obvious list (not to the Guardian writers!) but that's why... they're generally the best directors so they're bound to be on here. You could make a claim for someone like Noe I suppose, or Weerasethakul (but I haven't really seen much of his stuff)
 
S

Starsunder

Member
This isn't a best Directors Of All Time list people, it's a list of exciting directors for 2012.

People throwing out names of their favorite directors need to ask what have they done to excite you this year, not what have they done in the past and what will they do in a few years.

That's why Whedons on the list.
 
T

travisbickle

Member
Do we really need another list with Speilberg, Coen Bros, Scorcese?

Leave those guys for lists of the best film directors ever. I want to know who to look out for today, and this list is ok.
 
W

Wilbur

Banned
Starsunder said:
This isn't a best Directors Of All Time list people, it's a list of exciting directors for 2012.

People throwing out names of their favorite directors need to ask what have they done to excite you this year, not what have they done in the past and what will they do in a few years.

That's why Whedons on the list.
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Except the headline is 'The best film directors in the world today'. They then say 'who are the auteurs that excite us in the year to come?'

That implies that Whedon is one of the best film directors in the world and an auteur.
 
C

CiSTM

Banned
Starsunder said:
This isn't a best Directors Of All Time list people, it's a list of exciting directors for 2012.

People throwing out names of their favorite directors need to ask what have they done to excite you this year, not what have they done in the past and what will they do in a few years.

That's why Whedons on the list.
Click to expand...
No it's The 23 best film directors in the world today. Not list of exciting directors for 2012.
 
E

EliCash

Member
Starsunder said:
This isn't a best Directors Of All Time list people, it's a list of exciting directors for 2012.

People throwing out names of their favorite directors need to ask what have they done to excite you this year, not what have they done in the past and what will they do in a few years.

That's why Whedons on the list.
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they should have called it that then.
 
S

Starsunder

Member
EliCash said:
they should have called it that then.
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If you actually read the article they say that.

But yes, the title is misleading.

Edit:

From The Master to Holy Motors, this autumn promises to be a strong season for director-led cinema. But who are the auteurs that are exciting us in 2012?
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That's what I'm referring to. But whatever. All anyone is going to do is name their favorite directors.
 
T

travisbickle

Member
Lists, serious business.

99% of the people who read that list will understand that they are talking about the best directors you can see a new release now or soon. Only geeks obsess over superlatives in an article title!!
 
J

Jb

Member
Whedon is up there but no Coens bros or Scorsese? Get the fuck out. Way to pander to the nerd crowd.
I'm ok with PTA being numero uno though.
 
S

ScreenSplitter

Member
Chinner said:
why isn't Christopher Nolan #1?
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Because there's many, many better directors on that list.

I ctrl+F'd "Peter" and "Jackson". What is this shit? Happy to see Edgar Wright on there though. Not made a bad film, as far as I've concerned. Even people who don't agree with the casting of Cera as Scott Pilgrim still agree with me the cinematography is brilliant.


Meadows said:
Danny Boyle?
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His omission is odd. Though arguably he's done more amazing things on stage lately with Frankenstein and the Olympic opening ceremony.
 
J

Jburton

Banned
Chinner said:
why isn't Christopher Nolan #1?
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Please!

If we want to get serious and are including directors who used to be good / have not made a film in years / populist etc.

Then fuck, just because he is dead won't stop me from saying Stanley Kubrick shits on them all from a great height!


...... why is Nolan not number 1? ..... smh.
 
G

GavinGT

Banned
travisbickle said:
Lists, serious business.

99% of the people who read that list will understand that they are talking about the best directors you can see a new release now or soon. Only geeks obsess over superlatives in an article title!!
Click to expand...

Only geeks respect the use of correct wording to indicate the true meaning of statements.
 
V

VALIS

Member
And the Coens are still making better movies than all of them.

Also, Cabin in the Woods better be brilliant, because otherwise Joss Whedon doesn't even belong on a top fucking 100 of a current best directors list.
 
C

Champomade

Member
Wilbury said:
Yep.

Whedon in fourth place is absolutely fucking mental.

Far too Eurocentric as well, a lot of South Korean directors I'd put on there especially.
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lol what, there are so many more US directors than European... I agree on the lack of Asian directors though...

For people complaining about Ridley Scott or Scorsese, i think the goal of the list is to put directors at their peak, it's not a list of 20th Century best...

I also don't like that they feel the need to put some women on it for the sake of it... I mean come on, Hansen Love, she's 30 and has done 3 minor movies... They should have put Assayas instead...
 
C

Cipherr

Member
4. Joss Whedon
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Awwww shieeeeeeeet


massoluk said:
LOL WUT.
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I think its long past time to stop pretending that some people weren't underwhelmed by TDKR. That quote is not the first, and it wont be the last person you see or hear say that they felt the movie was a step down from the second one. I can understand if you disagree, but its probably time to stop feigning surprise.
 
S

ScreenSplitter

Member
Cipherr said:
That quote is not the first, and it wont be the last person you see or hear say that they felt the movie was a step down from the second one. I can understand if you disagree, but its probably time to stop feigning surprise.
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Stop your lies! TKDR was flawless! Nolan is infallible! Batman clearly used magic teleportation to get back to Gotham!
 
T

Tim the Wiz

Banned
For me, PTA, von Trier and Steve McQueen don't look out of place in the top ten. Even though McQueen only has two films, I think you can make the argument; the same for Andrew Dominik, although he's invisible here. Refn, Reitman and Wright are talented but top ten is a stretch. And I'll frankly admit my ignorance of Lynne Ramsay and the others in that top ten bracket.

But Whedon? Now, I like Whedon: for all the detractors he has the kind of wit that few are brave or competent enough to make work. But even delivering - in some central capacity - the excellent Angel, the opening three-season arch of Buffy, the best space-western since Cowboy Bebop, a mildly clever genre deconstruction horror film and the best superhero film not made by Nolan or Raimi, a lot of that wasn't in the realm of film direction, and it's not enough to oust a good number of living film directors from the top ten, let alone the top twenty-three. He's definitely in my top ten for all-time television writers/showrunners though.

Otherwise, the list is an obvious train-wreck. Fincher, Werzog and Malick below Lena Dunham. (I suppose it might be considered "obvious" in some circles to cite Spielberg or Scorsese or Woody Allen, but:) No Coens. No Ridley Scott. No Cuaron. No Ang Lee. No Weir. No del Toro. No Campion. No Payne. No Wes Anderson. Might as well call it, 'Which film directors are so hot right now?' and be done with it. Fairly disappointing, trivial nonsense from the Guardian.
 
T

travisbickle

Member
ScreenSplitter said:
"Best Directors of 2012" or "The Best Film Directors of the Last Decade".

It isn't difficult.
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If we are being pedantic about titles, how would either of those preclude the inclusion of Scorsese, Speilberg, or any great living director. "Today" is also in "2012" and "the last decade".

What people want is a title something like:

"The best of the directors that have produced a movie that has received recognised acclaim within the previous 12 months, or are producing a movie within the next year or so and have had recognised acclaim on previous movies they have made (some of the movies may not be to your taste but they are based on a mixture of box office numbers and artistic beauty)".
 
M

massoluk

Banned
Cipherr said:
Awwww shieeeeeeeet




I think its long past time to stop pretending that some people weren't underwhelmed by TDKR. That quote is not the first, and it wont be the last person you see or hear say that they felt the movie was a step down from the second one. I can understand if you disagree, but its probably time to stop feigning surprise.
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87% on rotten tomatoes is not divided opinions. Titanic got 88%. When 9 out of ten think it's good, that's not divided.
 
E

ElectricBlue187

Member
Lynne Ramsay

When it was first announced that Lynne Ramsay was to direct an adaptation of We Need To Talk About Kevin, there were enormous sighs of relief all round: "It's in safe hands." And so it proved to be. Kevin was a heavenly marriage of the source material and its Glaswegian director's long-running preoccupations (kids, death, guilt), allied to her startling, hypnotic visual sense. Making her feature debut with 1999's hauntingly beautiful Ratcatcher (although a clutch of award-winning shorts preceded it), she's remained a critical darling ever since. Her forthcoming take on Moby Dick should be as powerful as it is personal. As Tilda Swinton says, "She's the real McCoy."
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Who the fuck
 
S

ScreenSplitter

Member
massoluk said:
87% on rotten tomatoes is not divided opinions. Titanic got 88%. When 9 out of ten think it's good, that's not divided.
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I'm sorry, just because the majority like it doesn't mean there aren't those with genuine, actual, PERSON qualms with the movie. I hope you realise that's ridiculous.
 
V

ViewtifulJC

Banned
ScreenSplitter said:
I'm sorry, just because the majority like it doesn't mean there aren't those with genuine, actual, PERSON qualms with the movie. I hope you realise that's ridiculous.
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Do you think that non-100% critical acclaim is "divided opinion"? Is Toy Story 3 divided opinion on RT because Armond White didn't like it?

Where do you draw the line on the official status of "divided opinions"
 
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