When it comes to downsizing a list of directors who have made (or will make) an abundance of movies that feel tailor made for you, the task seems impossible. No matter who is in that grouping you always feel like you’re leaving someone else off that deserves just as much attention in that respective slot. Not that this is a measured list by any means, it’s completely arbitrary (as most film specific lists are), but how do you begin to weigh who becomes a favorite director? Is it enjoying all of their films? Liking most of them and still appreciating what you don’t? Maybe they only made one or two movies, but the impact is so overwhelming you have to include them because they channel your greatest emotions. No matter what guidelines you follow (whether they be an intricate rubric or gut instinct), we all have a list of directors who embody our greatest indulgences, harbor our greatest fears, or seamlessly explore our deepest emotions we wish to understand.
Most Honorable:
Christopher Nolan
Kelly Reichardt
Steven Soderbergh
Spike Lee
Zack Snyder
This small list of most honorable directors contains some of the pioneers of modern cinema. All but Lee, starting in the late 90s to early 00s paved the way for blockbusters, quirky indies, personal reflections of class, romance, war, and people amongst varied backgrounds. At one point I considered Christopher Nolan my favorite director, but he has lost a bit of his luster as I continue to explore the furthest reaches that cinema has to offer. Not that he makes bad films by any means (Interstellar and Tenet are miraculous achievements), but his weaknesses glare a bit more than they used to. As for Kelly, she’s a newcomer to being in a list of my favorite directors. Having traversed her entire filmography in 2020’s quarantine period, I found plenty of new ways to spread empathy to different people despite my literal distance from them. Her quiet, meditative, emotionally secure style is something I never knew I needed until I found it. As for the other three; what more can be said? Spike Lee changed the game, so did Soderbergh, as did Zack Snyder in their own unique ways that might not work for everyone, but have certainly found their way to many someones. Whether it’s caped crusading epics, socio-political clashings, or goofy heist movies with an all-star cast, these guys all bring something different to the table that give me a reason to continue watching movies. I feel weird leaving off directors such as Wong-Kar Wai, Akira Kurosawa, or Steven Spielberg, but it’d be redundant and an easier chore if I just let loose on a list of 30+ directors that are all extremely talented.
5. Brian De Palma
Favorites:
Blow Out
Carlito’s Way
Cinema screens desperately miss Brian De Palma. Having also tasked myself with completing a majority of his filmography in 2020, I found a new way to enjoy movies. In an Internet landscape dominated in trying to outsmart self-serious movies, it was pretty cool to see De Palma relish in his influences and twisting them to become his very own. You could spend all day pointing at the screen and comparing shots or sequences to Hitchcock or Giallo pictures; but where’s the fun in that? De Palma has fun with himself and his toys (an innuendo perfectly suited for the man), and his filmography is distinct because of that. Nearly all of them are overtly horny and sexually invasive, but it’s from a bygone era of film where sex sold and the mystery blanketed naked or mutilated bodies. Whether it’s a split diopter, split screen, an abundance of color and sound, or phallic imagery, it’s all signature De Palma that is significantly different from his last attempt. Although he’s seemingly become less “fun” over the years, he’s always adored giving his movies an undercurrent of social themes to stay true to the times. Despite the fact much of it wouldn’t fly in today’s era considering how he passes off sexual identity, the transgender community, amongst others, it’s still worth noting how specific, unique, and one of a kind De Palma was. He defied the studio system, made movies for himself, and had fun with his friends and lovers along the way. I miss the type of film-making that wasn’t afraid to be silly and horny.
4. Michael Mann
Favorites:
The Insider
Thief
Where De Palma was flirtatious and heightened, Michael Mann is mechanical, specific, and proficient. There’s something incredibly rewarding about the way Mann makes movies. Maybe it’s because he’s good at making dudes into bros, and making them look and sound cool while they’re bro-ing out, but he’s so much more than that. I feel as if an argument can be made that all of his movies are the best example of his craft, but Manhunter might be the easiest example to give for those who haven’t watched close enough. Mann thrives in the specifics of his movies. The rules, the characters, what they will or won’t do, their code, the way they speak about weapons, their jobs, but what this allows him to do is open up these characters to lather in their desires. It’s a way to present your project as something very particular, and finding a way to generate empathy. In Manhunter, Will Graham is wrapped up in the case, and the plotting and character speech is so tactile that it almost feels cold. When he speaks with his wife the movie glows with warmth to offset that because he has emotional desires that are suppressed by a “man vs man” conflict (note the entirety of Heat). That’s because the desire for every character outweighs the color palette or uber specific dialogue, and all of his movies do that. Miami Vice may not be as explicit with it via dialogue, but that’s explored through romantic boat rides, chilled drinks and bursts of wind tossing hair over the faces of people who want to arrive at a specific destination with someone special alongside them.
3. Paul Thomas Anderson
Favorites: There Will Be Blood
Magnolia
I contend that if I were to make movies, I’d want to make them as well as Paul Thomas Anderson does. Cited regularly as “PTA”, his style is so specific that you almost can’t express how great he is. You just have to see them. It’s not freeing and plotless like Richard Linklater, but he manages to shed a light on casts of characters who defy norms or expectations of typical leading characters that aren’t restricted by plot. Many of his movies are led by “bad” or unlikable people, but the way he uses them to accentuate an overarching theme or idea about finding family, love, work in strange places is hard to find in another director’s filmography. At least done at an extremely high level like it is here. It’s impressive that PTA’s films are small scale but overflowing with these artistic strokes that make his movies emotional epics. Which is ultimately why I consider him a favorite director of mine. So many movies these days are interested in having a big scale purely for spectacle, but PTA prioritizes having emotions overtake the premise, which leaves room for finding new ways to channel empathy to people that are living in a dramatized reality bent by the forces of destiny, self-worth, and financial empires.
2. Martin Scorsese
Favorites:
Raging Bull
The Irishman
It feels typical to have Martin Scorsese in this listing, but it’s impossible to ignore that he is one of the greatest directors to ever live, as well as arguably being my favorite. Ignoring his Italian-Irish roots for a moment (which may be a big reason why I’m drawn to his style), no one can make a Martin Scorsese movie, and anyone else who has tried, fails. It says a lot about a guy who is making some of his best work at 78 years-old, and people are still trying to replicate what he was doing in the 80s. This goes without mentioning that he is a champion for film preservation, and maintaining the life of film history and it’s cultural significance even if he’s aware more people are interested in Spider-Mans or Batmans. His snappy style, laced with his favorite music, performed wonderfully by a great cast, and directed with seamless effort across a variety of genres is why he is who he is. For as many films, across as many decades, with milestones in film history over the last 45 years, Martin Scorsese may have the best accolades of any living director and there is no signs of slowing down any time soon. He lives and dies by the cinema, the power of it, the emotions it extracts, and why we continue to watch them.
1. Denis Villeneuve
Favorites:
Arrival
Sicario
In the Summer of 2013 I saw Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners and Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, and everything changed after that point. The crime drama starring some of my favorite actors, and a chilling mystery allowed me to sit and ruminate on the movie for a while. The whistling of a cold wind was sharp and heartbreaking, leaving me wondering what was next. Then came Enemy in 2014, and I went from watching movies, to actively looking at them on a deeper level. The symbolism of objects, editing techniques, and deliberate directing choices made me realize that movies can be so much more than what we initially perceive them as. The rest is history. His filmography is filled with different settings, color palettes, character types, music, and more, but he always finds a way to be about something bigger. I’ve said time and time again that Denis’ films are about borders. Literal, linguistic, psychological, gender, faith defined borders that relate to our very real problems outside of the theater. To me, he finds a way to leave us wanting to understand a bigger, complicated idea, on a better level. Whether it’s extending a hand, hugging your loved ones, or focusing on yourself by taking a look inward, I don’t believe another director has made me yearn for deeper evaluation of self and my surroundings. Surroundings filled with people who lead different lives, live with different pain, and personal stories to share. Which is something his movies excel at. Sharing stories about different people and the emotional tax that comes with trying to understand why you’re going through what you are. That’s something that did a lot for me at a tough time when I felt as if I was the only one struggling to get out of a hole, and why I consider him my favorite director.
As I’ve gotten older and dug deeper into the recesses of film history, I’ve discovered how much I value the director’s presence over just about anything else in a movie. The baggage they may or may not bring with them and how that shapes the movie we end up seeing. Sometimes that baggage can be for better or worse, but most of the time I find that it comes with an intent to share a part of themselves with the world and the stories they wish to share through different avenues, valleys, and channels of emotion unique to them. This is why our listing or arbitrary ranking of them and their movies is vastly different from the person sitting next to you, and with that, that means your favorite directors are just as special to you, as mine are to me. Sorry for getting all romantic about movies. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to extensively share why they mean so much to me, and how much I miss watching them as much as I used to.
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