Top 10 Directors Working Today
Submitted by Eric on Fri, 06/05/2009 - 8:15amIntroduction:
With the recent release of two of the most anticipated movies of the summer, Star Trek and Terminator Salvation, we here at RawCritics started thinking about the importance of having a great director calling the shots. Most movies tend to get by with an average director who kind of knows what they are doing, but in the case of the aforementioned Star Trek and Terminator Salvation, you can easily see how important it was to have someone in the director's chair who really knows how to guide the ship. JJ Abrams' direction on Star Trek turned that movie into a must see sci-fi extravaganza that entertained pretty much everyone, while McG took over the Terminator franchise and well...let's just say it was like a fish out of water.
This brings us to our latest top ten list of the best directors working today. Now before you get all up in arms, let me add a disclaimer to say that you will not see directors such as Hitchcock or Welles as they were well before our time and are no longer active today. You will also not see the likes of the overrated Kubrick and Coppolla. With that in mind, here is our list of the Best Directors and their accomplishments along with their duds, and why these people are so special to us movie lovers. Enjoy!
#10:
David Fincher
The Good Stuff: Fight Club, Seven, Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Game
The Duds: Alien 3, Panic Room
Although David Fincher has only directed seven movies in his relatively short career, the small amount of movies that he has given us have been nothing short of 
greatness. For one, Fight Club has pretty much turned into a cult phenomenon, even though it was panned by critics everywhere upon it's release but nearly 10 years later, it's one of the most beloved "guy" movies of our time. Seven basically put Kevin Spacey on the map and turned him into one of the most sought after actors out there, not to mention it was a damn good thriller. Recently Fincher has been recognized for his critically acclaimed work on Zodiac, (which was highly underrated and snubbed by the Academy in 2008), but they made up for it with their multiple nominations of his latest film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button which may in the end go down as Fincher's most classic film. It's not just the story or plot of the movies that Fincher spins into an entertaining ride for us all, but the way his visuals speak to us with his fantastic work of the camera are what makes him a cut above most.
On the horizon: Fincher is currently developing a remake of Heavy Metal
#9:
Christopher Nolan
The Good Stuff: The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, The Prestige, Memento
The Duds: Insomnia (We had to pick one)
Another newcomer to the movie world, but nonetheless has already shown his greatness. Nolan graced us with his incredible comic book adaptations of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. These two movies basically turned the comic book movie upside down. What we once had were mostly mildly enjoyable, special effects laden superhero movies, Christopher Nolan was able to turn most people's opinions of comic book movies into serious, award contending material. The Dark Knight was not only a comic book adaptation, it turned out to be one of the best crime saga movies in recent memory. Oh yeah, and it was only the second movie ever to gross over $500 million domestically. Oh yeah, let's not forget about Memento, the movie that put Nolan on the map. The way he was able to mold that story and deliver it completely backwards was nothing short of a miracle.
On the horizon: Nolan is currently in production on his sci-fi thriller Inception starring Leonardo DiCaprio
#8:
The Coen Brothers
The Good Stuff: Fargo, No Country for Old Men, The Big Lebowski, Burn After Reading
The Duds: The Ladykillers, Intolerable Cruelty
The quirky Coen Brothers can only be described as just that, quirky. They are mostly known for their quirky characters, a la, Frances McDormand's Margie in Fargo, 
Brad Pitt's Chad Feldheimer in Burn After Reading. The characters, combined with the Coen's signature dialogue and incredible situations, always make for one hell of a journey through their movies. The best thing about the Coen Brothers is the way they focus on each of their characters in each of their films. These guys are the kings of independent pictures as they still haven't been given the budget they deserve, but they sure make the most of what they have. They can go from making a serious, blood splattering thriller like Fargo or No Country for Old Men, and without missing a bit can churn out the laughs as they focus on a slacker in The Big Lebowski. And did we mention they write all of their own movies as well? Yeah, that's talent.
On the horizon: The Coen's are currently in post-production on their latest feature: A Serious Man
#7:
Ron Howard
The Good Stuff: A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon, Cinderella Man, Apollo 13
The Duds: The Missing, Far and Away
That's right, little Opie Taylor himself from The Andy Griffith Show and Richie Cunningham from Happy Days has turned himself into one of the most recognizable directors of our time. If we just sit down and think about the amount of well known movies that Howard has done, we wouldn't believe it ourself. Think about this, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, Backdraft, Ransom, Cocoon, Splash, Willow, Parenthood, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The DaVinci Code, and Angels & Demons, and many more. Now if we rattled off those movies to anyone, even to someone who wasn't a huge movie buff, we bet that person has heard of at least half of those films. Ron Howard has in our opinion stayed under the radar, all the while churning out some great movies. Of course he's been critically acclaimed and has won an Oscar, but it seems that a lot of people tend to forget all he has provided us.
On the horizon: Howard's Angels & Demons is still currently in theaters and talks of an Arrested Development movie may be in the works
#6:
Michael Mann
The Good Stuff: Heat, The Insider, The Last of the Mohicans, Collateral
The Duds: Miami Vice
Here is the man who is slowly becoming the king of the crime saga. Case in point, Heat. The shootout scene alone is worth multiple viewings. That was the movie
where the big dogs, DeNiro and Pacino share the screen for the first time and Mann knocked it out of the park. The work that Mann gets out of his actors is special. Russell Crowe in The Insider, Will Smith in Ali, both nominated for an Oscar. Even with Collateral, Mann was able to get some of the best work out of Tom Cruise, where Cruise actually played the villain for once. And The Last of the Mohicans has to be one of the most underrated period movies of all time. We dare you to go back and watch and not be moved by what Mann put up on the screen. The best part is, Michael Mann is going to continue his crime saga streak with Public Enemies this summer!
On the horizon: Public Enemies starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale hits theaters in July
#5:
Quentin Tarantino
The Good Stuff: Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2
The Duds: Death Proof
Who is one of the only directors who can use the most gratuitous violence in a film, but yet have it be such an important part of the film that most people just look past it and realize how awesome it can be? Well, Mr. Tarantino of course. Tarantino has been a force since he arrived on the scene in 1992 with Reservoir Dogs are blew most of us away with his witty dialogue and gritty violence. Since then, Reservoir Dogs has turned into a cult phenomenon and Tarantino went on to write and direct Pulp Fiction which again became one of the most popular movies of the 20th century. The true talent of Tarantino not only lies in his directing but with his writing as well. Tarantino has had his hand in many other projects other than his own movies, True Romance, From Dusk Till Dawn, and Natural Born Killers, just to name a few. We should all be thanking Quentin Tarantino because he is one of the very few directors who still comes up with some original material in Hollywood.
On the horizon: Tarantino's WWII movie Inglourious Basterds starring Brad Pitt hits theaters in August
#4:
Ridley Scott
The Good Stuff: Gladiator, Alien, Blade Runner, Black Hawk Down, American Gangster
The Duds: A Good Year
Now here is a director who can pretty much do it all. Ridley Scott is a renaissance man when it comes to movie making. Scott is one of the very few directors who 
can make a great movie in pretty much every genre. Horror, check: Alien. Sci-Fi, check: Blade Runner. Fantasy, check: Legend. War movie, check: Black Hawk Down. Mob movie, check: American Gangster. You get the drift. The man is a genius. Ridley is able to blend great drama and action and the result always seems to produce something special. There's only one word to add it all up, Gladiator. One of the ultimate guy movies and the film that really established Russell Crowe as a leading man.
On the horizon: Scott is currently filming his Robin Hood film once again with his favorite lead actor, Russell Crowe
#3:
James Cameron
The Good Stuff: The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Aliens, The Abyss, True Lies, Titanic
The Duds: Piranha 2 (Does this even really count?)
Has James Cameron ever made a bad movie? And in our opinion, no, Piranha 2 doesn't count. Just look at his filmography. The Terminator: classic, Terminator 2: classic, Aliens: classic, Titanic: classic. Oh yeah, if anyone didn't know, highest grossing movie of all time! $600 million!!! A feat that will probably never be broken. Here's the thing about Cameron. A complete action director from the get go with the Terminator movies and Aliens and True Lies but then he goes out and creates this epic love story around the sinking of the most famous ship of all time. Adds his incredible touch of special effects and boom, biggest movie ever. Without James Cameron, special effects would have never turned out the way they have today. Terminator 2 came out in 1991 and the effects from that film are still better than a lot of movies we see today. Now we know he wasn't the special effects wizard who actually created the effects, but his vision is what made those effects what they were. This man was an innovator and he's probably going to blow us all away again this December when he releases Avatar.
On the horizon: The long in the works digital 3-D extravaganza Avatar comes out this December
#2:
Martin Scorsese
The Good Stuff: Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs of New York, The Departed
The Duds: Bringing Out the Dead
Scorsese has been around longer than any other director on this list but he has continued to churn out the hits in recent times. It's a shame that it took him all the 
way until The Departed to win a Best Director Oscar. The ultimate mob movie director. Goodfellas, what more can you really say about it that hasn't already been said. Everyone knows how great it is and still holds up today. Then Scorsese comes back five years later with DeNiro and Pesci and makes Casino and does it again. Let's all not forget that Marty was giving us the gritty violence long before Tarantino with movies like Taxi Driver and Mean Streets, and this was back in the 70s. Scorsese has an extensive knowledge matched by no other when it comes to mob/gangster films. Nobody will ever match him no matter how hard they try.
On the horizon: Once again working with new favorite leading man Leonardo DiCaprio, Shutter Island hits the big screen in October
#1:
Steven Spielberg
The Good Stuff: Jaws, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, Minority Report
The Duds: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Always
Well, here we are. How did you all guess Spielberg would be our number 1? Come on now, it wasn't that hard to decide this one. This legend was one of the most important people of our childhoods, well...depending on how old you are. Another director like Ridley Scott who has the ability to make movies in many different genres. He gave us the first real blockbuster with Jaws and had people afraid of sharks for years. He's also the king of adventure and sci-fi. He touched millions of hearts with E.T. Thrilled everyone with Raiders of the Lost Ark. Amazed everyone with Jurassic Park. And made the greatest war movie of all time in Saving Private Ryan. How in the world did Saving Private Ryan not win Best Picture over Shakespeare in Love? Makes no sense. At least Spielberg won Best Director. Just think about this, Spielberg is the highest grossing director of all time in terms of box office with $3.7 billion. Behind him, Robert Zemeckis with $1.8 billion. Pretty big gap there. Spielberg just knows what audiences want to see. He knows that we all go to the movies to be taken out of reality for a little while and he delivers almost every time. Thank you Steven for all you've done!
On the horizon: Spielberg is currently working with Peter Jackson on their animated collaboration of The Adventures of Tintin as well as his long gestating Abraham Lincoln project with Liam Neeson set to star
(6 votes)
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Comments:
Really?
Submitted by Anacin on Fri, 07/03/2009 - 12:43am.
Michael Mann? Seriously? There had to have been other great directors you could have picked over him. Public Enemies was nothing special.
Michael Mann is a master at his craft
Submitted by Eric on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 4:00pm.
I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one. Michael Mann definitely deserves to be on the list. Public Enemies may not be his best movie, but it was still one of the best movies that has been put out this year, and personally I think Mann deserves an Oscar nomination for Directing. His visual style is a character on it's own. The thing about Mann is that he puts everything he has into every one of his movies. He pays close attention to detail on everything. Watching Public Enemies made me feel like the movie was actually taking place in 1933...not just because it said it was 1933, but I felt I was there.
Plus, as Ben mentioned in his comment...the shootouts were incredibly well done. And not just in Public Enemies...but also in Heat and Collateral for that matter. I think you should go back and watch some of his other films. His worst movie is probably Miami Vice, and I even think that's better than most of the drivel put out every week. Mann is a master, and we know that we are getting at least a really well put together film every time.
But...
Submitted by Anacin on Mon, 07/13/2009 - 6:35pm.
I have seen those movies. Heat was probably the only good one that I enjoyed and could be sucked into. When I was watching Public Enemies, what I got from the movie is that the actors knew they were in present time just playing dress-up. The acting wasn't very enthusiastic. Just something to get paid for. Collateral had a compelling story, but nothing oscar-worthy. Tom Cruise is a good actor but it wasn't impressive. What am I supposed to think, that it's groundbreaking caus he's got silver hair and it's another shooting movie?
You have to admit...he brings
Submitted by Ben on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 7:47am.
You have to admit...he brings gunplay to the screen like no other director today.
Cannot really disagree, well...
Submitted by JVM on Sat, 06/06/2009 - 6:44pm.
except that if you are going to call Coppola overrated take Scorsese and Scott off the list. For the first 2 Godfathers and Apocalypse Now alone he rates above Scorsese who makes a fine movie but seems to get accolades for adding f bombs and blood to something that Coppola did better. Gangs Of New York to me is his finest effort and The Departed was no better than a 7 out of 10, it was a remake for fuck's sake! Rumble Fish, for being a Hinton tale, was a very underrated film. The Conversation is as good as anything Scorsese has produced. Even Dracula was a fine film.
Scott may be even more overrated than Kubrick, whom may be the most overrated good director ever. Alien, Blade Runner, for me that pretty much ends the list. American Gangster was fine, Gladiator may be the most overrated Best Picture winner. Add at least 35 minutes of character development and a villain that I don't think could be taken out by a particularly aggressive wet willy and I may change my mind. His credits also include: Someone To Watch Over Me, Black Rain(not too bad examination of U.S. VS. Japanese culture in a crime setting), Thelma & Louise, 1492, White Squall, G.I. Jane, Hannibal, Matchstick Men, Kingdom Of Heaven, Body Of Lies.
Besides making 2 of the most egregious girl power films of the decade, both of which that drip with so much estrogen that they completely counter act any positives of Gladiator, he has made some very forgettable films. Take Hannibal, a fine novel, has a sequel ever fallen so far from the series when given to a competent director that has made good films already? Alien 3 is a possibility but I still think Fincher did a fine job with it. Arguably the studio neutered the tale and Foster didn't like Harris' take in his creation. A better director wouldn't have let the ending change, Starling and Hannibal as a couple had a fantastic setting for continuing their respective tales. Kingdom OF Heaven: what is with casting Orlando Bloom? Take away his blonde wig and pointy ears and he is WORTHLESS.
I dare say Tony Scott, before he began driving Denzel into the ground, has a better credit list at this point behind the camera. He certainly has a more credible list of "guy" movies. Beverly Hills Cop 2, The Last Boyscout, True Romance, Crimson Tide. All fantastic. Enemy Of The State was an entertaining bit, I know Ben LOVES The Fan, Top Gun and Days Of Thunder even made Tom Cruise interesting for a moment. Spy Game was good enough that Ridley tweaked it, and called it Body Of Lies.
As for the Coens I say eliminate Burn After Reading and No Country For Old Men for The Hudsucker Proxy and O, Brother Where Art Though. Spielberg really deserves to have War Of The Worlds on his bad list, it was a bigger failure to me than Crystal Skull. I will take Empire Of The Sun and Munich over Jurassic Park anyday, Close Encounters too for that matter. Collateral should not be given accolades. I enjoyed The Missing but liked Parenthood even better for Howard. Death Proof wasn't awful(enjoyed Planet Terror much more.) but Reservoir Dogs is given too much credit.
Ridley Scott more overrated
Submitted by Kable on Tue, 06/09/2009 - 12:31pm.
Ridley Scott more overrated than Kubrick? No way man! Scorsese I can agree with, though my alum...but Scott just makes damn good entertaining films.
Eh, what's 8 months?
Submitted by JVM on Thu, 02/25/2010 - 5:24am.
Having FINALLY scene 2001, I can say that Scott should NEVER even be listed with Kubrick. Minute for minute of work Scott is buried by his own excess.
Also..
I would think that Aronofsky would have been mentioned somewhere here. He always brings incredible cinematics to the big screen.