Looking for something to take your mind off politics before 7pm tomorrow night? John Foote's put together his list of the 10 best directors working in the English language (so people like Pedro Almodovar aren't eligible). That's a very tough cut to make. How do you get it down to 10? And presumably "working" implies still making top-level work. And if they are not still among the best, I presume they should be excluded (sorry Woody Allen).
Reserving the right to change my list as more names occur to me my list would include: Ang Lee, Roman Polanski, David Lynch, Tim Burton, Wes Anderson, Marc Forster (yes, I know many people disagree, but I really like him), Stephen Frears, Paul Greengrass, Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, and Michel Gondry. Whoops, that's 11. Well, fine, make a list of 10 or 11 if you feel like playing the game.
Posted by armand at November 3, 2008 04:46 PM | TrackBack | Posted to MoviesWow, it would be nice to sneak a woman onto that list. Sarah Polley? Or? It's a pitifully small list of possibilities, isn't it.
But you know how much I agree with you on Woody Allen. If it weren't for the fact that it's awfulness caused long-term bonding with such a good friend, armand, I'd still be having bad dreams over Curse of the Jade Dragon.
Posted by: elizabeth at November 3, 2008 06:43 PM | PERMALINKAnd I'd say that wasn't even the low point of his output over the last few years. :(
And yeah, the fact that my list was such a sausage fest struck me as I was compiling it. But sadly Hollywood continues to do a terrible job of employing female directors. I mean who is there? Jodie Foster (rarely directs), Kathryn Bigelow (am much looking forward to the Hurt Locker), Nora Ephron (uh, no), Nancy Meyers (OMG no), Polley (I've only see Away From Her - which of course was quite good), Jane Campion, Gillian Armstrong, Sofia Coppola. Mary Harron and Kimberly Peirce might come closest to making my list, but they don't seem Top 10 material (haven't made many films). Happily Europe is better at embracing female directors, but in terms of English-language films it's still a hugely male world.
Posted by: Armand at November 4, 2008 12:29 PM | PERMALINK