Poll: Best Cinema Director of the last 50 years

[stvncpr236]

No Peter Jackson........really? Lord of The Rings, come on.

 

[NickCaligo42]

Martin Scorsese? Peter Jackson? Christopher Nolan? Instead you put George Lucas, a man who basically destroyed one of the greatest franchises of all time, and Micheal Bay, a man who made Transformers 2.

In point of fact, Michael Bay hasn't made anything good in the history of anything. He's been a noted jackass since he started working in commercials, and all his films are over-crowded, over-blown, overly long monstrosities. He's like Roland Emmerich, but more chauvinist, and at least Roland Emmerich made Stargate and Independence Day. Independence Day sucked, but at least it was watchable.

 

[oktalist]

From the list: Hitchcock, Kubrick and Cameron.

Would vote if I could:

The Wachowski Brothers
The Matrix
V for Vendetta[footnote]Only wrote and produced, didn't direct.[/footnote]

Terry Gilliam
Brazil
12 Monkeys
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Ridley Scott
Alien
Blade Runner
Black Hawk Down

Also, why only English language directors?

 

[Psykoma]

I'd put peter jackson at the top with spielberg and Brannagh.

 

[Semitendon]

No Nolan. . No Spielburg. . .No Coen Brothers, This list is significantly flawed.

Lucas and Cameron should be so far down the list, they wouldn't appear because there aren't enough poll options.

And Bay has never been on anyone's "greatest directors" list, so I don't even understand that choice.

Out of the choices listed, I am going to go with Hitchcock, with Coppola a close second.

George Lucas, lol.

But if we're being serious, I'd say Francis Ford Coppola.

Where the hell is Nolan?

In the parallel world where The Dark Knight didn't suck.

Even if you didn't like the Dark Knight, you'd still have to overlook Memento, The Prestige, Inception, Batman Begins, and Insomnia.

I would argue that Memento alone, launches Nolan into the 50 greatest directors ever, all the other movies simply keep moving him closer and closer to the top.

 

[electric_warrior]

I don't think you can really call Hitchcock a director of the last 50 years, most of his work was done prior to 1961.

I'm going to go for Kubrick, but where are Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese? Their absence basically renders this whole thing invalid. How can you include Michael Bay but not those two?

Also: Christopher Nolan, Danny Boyle, David Fincher, Milos Forman, Paul Thomas Anderson, Oliver Stone, The Coen Brothers, Robert Altman, Ridley Scott and Clint Eastwood

I know there are too many to list them all in one poll, but Michael Bay? Really?

 

[darkless]

M. Night Shamalan

 

[Alade]

Scorsese, Spielberg, Nolan and Singer are not on the list but Michael bay is? For shame sir, For shame!

Anyways, I can not decide between Noland and Singer myself, on one side, Nolan hasn't made a mistake so far, but Singer made "The Usual Suspects" which is a huge score in his favor.

 

[ImprovizoR]

Instead you put George Lucas, a man who basically destroyed one of the greatest franchises of all time

Ahem, you mean the man who CREATED one of greatest franchises of all time, which is still alive last time I checked. Traumatized, but alive.

Just because he had a good idea doesn't make him a good director. How about a little objectivity here?

I just remembered. What about the Coen brothers?!

 

[bootz]

Steven Spielberg
1978: Best Director (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, nominated)
1982: Best Director (Raiders of the Lost Ark, nominated)
1983: Best Director (E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, nominated)
1983: Best Picture (E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, nominated)
1986: Best Picture (The Color Purple, nominated)
1987: Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award (won)
1994: Best Director (Schindler's List, won)
1994: Best Picture (Schindler's List, won)
1999: Best Director (Saving Private Ryan, won)
1999: Best Picture (Saving Private Ryan, nominated)
2006: Best Director (Munich, nominated)
2006: Best Picture (Munich, nominated)
2007: Best Picture (Letters from Iwo Jima, nominated)

Jaws I mean come on not even on yout list

 

[ninja51]

No Nolan? Well then none of those are the best Cinema Directors of the last 50 years.

 

[ninja51]

Steven Spielberg
2007: Best Picture (Letters from Iwo Jima, nominated)

Steven Spielberg didnt direct Letters from Iwo Jima, Clint Eastwood did.

 

[diebane]

I'm going with Stanley Kubrick since there is an artistic side to his movies (or at least the ones I know about).
I was going to say Quentin Tarantino, but in comparison, Tarantino made more action based movies which everybody does (whereas his movies stick out due to his unique style and quality), while Kubrick had a talent for directing movies.

EDIT: fixed

mfG diebane

 

[2012 Wont Happen]

I really hope that the people who responded Michael Bay did so as a joke...

I answered Tarantino, but it was close between him and Kubrick.

edit-

Christ, more have answered Michael Bay than have answered James Cameron so far. Cameron has a couple of classics under his belt.

 

[Goofguy]

My favourites aren't even on that list. Oh and it has to come down to favourites because 'best' in this case is pretty darn subjective. Anyway, here they are:

Sergio Leone
Ridley Scott
Michael Mann
Christopher Nolan

 

[Will of One]

I simply can't take this poll seriously if it doesn't have David Fincher or Christopher Nolan in it.

 

[jakeblues1295]

This is probably the hardest choice i've seen on here in a while. I can't decide between Coppola and Kubrick. They're both masters of cinema. With Coppola's The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, and Kubricks Dr. Strangelove, Full Metal Jacket, 2001, The Shining. It's just too hard to tell. For me I think I'm gonna go with Kubrick because the attention to detail in his films is boarding on the obsessive-compulsive...and Dr. Strangelove is probably my favorite movie of all time.

"Gentlemen you can't fight in here, this is the War Room."

 

[Forgetitnow344]

George Lucas, lol.

But if we're being serious, I'd say Francis Ford Coppola.

Where the hell is Nolan?

In the parallel world where The Dark Knight didn't suck.

I wish this was Facebook and I could like this post. And then I wish you could like a post as many times as you want, because I would like this post so hard it would slow down the whole site.

OT: This thread sure is missing some Edgar Wright. He doesn't have the portfolio to stand up to some of the other directors in the poll, but he does have something the others don't have: a 100% track record with me, personally.

And you're gonna laugh, but I loved Armageddon. It's a flawless summer blockbuster. It has a rich cast whose dialogue is lovingly realistic and likable, its pacing is unparalleled when you consider just how much happened within the movie's runtime. The special effects are PHENOMENAL, especially when you consider it was done in 1998. That asteroid still looks fantastic. It doesn't have any real depth or intricacy, but the relationships are vivid, and every sacrifice feels like a true loss. It's quite possibly my favorite movie ever... Unfortunately, he hasn't done anything nearly as good.

As far as the poll goes... I guess I'd have to say Tarantino. As much as I hated Inglourious Basterds, Kill Bill (1 AND 2) is one of my favorite things to ever happen to cinema. His breakout hit is still considered one of the best-written movies ever, to boot. He used to be really good at what he did until he discovered what audiences will pay the most to see, giving us a predictable, poorly-assembled turd such as Inglourious Basterds.

I also hate The Godfather. What? Come at me!