My Favorite Directors

by Scholle2008 | created - 6 months ago | updated - 1 week ago | Public

1. Joel Coen

Producer | The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Joel Daniel Coen is an American filmmaker who regularly collaborates with his younger brother Ethan. They made Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, True Grit, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Burn After Reading, A Serious Man, Inside Llewyn Davis, Hail Caesar and other projects. Joel ...

The Coen Brothers

Fargo: 10 – THE BEST FILM EVER No Country for Old Men: 10 True Grit: 10

Average: 10

2. Martin Scorsese

Producer | Killers of the Flower Moon

Martin Charles Scorsese was born on November 17, 1942 in Queens, New York City, to Catherine Scorsese (née Cappa) and Charles Scorsese, who both worked in Manhattan's garment district, and whose families both came from Palermo, Sicily. He was raised in the neighborhood of Little Italy, which later ...

The Aviator: 8 The Departed: 10

Average: 9

3. Peter Weir

Director | Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Peter Weir was born on August 21, 1944 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He is a director and writer, known for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), The Way Back (2010) and Witness (1985). He has been married to Wendy Stites since 1966. They have two children.

Witness: 9 The Truman Show: 9

Average: 9

4. Denis Villeneuve

Director | Dune

Denis Villeneuve is a French Canadian film director and writer. He was born in 1967, in Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada. He started his career as a filmmaker at the National Film Board of Canada. He is best known for his feature films Arrival (2016), Sicario (2015), Prisoners (2013), Enemy (2013), ...

Prisoners: 8 Dune: 9 Dune: Part Two: 10

Average: 9

5. Lee Unkrich

Editor | Coco

Lee Unkrich is an Academy Award-winning director at Pixar Animation Studios. He most recently directed Disney.Pixar's critically-acclaimed "Coco", which received the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and Best Song.

As the director of Disney.Pixar's "Toy Story 3," Lee was also awarded an ...

Toy Story 3: 10 Coco: 8.5

Average: 9.3

6. Pete Docter

Writer | Up

Pete Docter is the Oscar®-winning director of "Monsters, Inc.," "Up," and "Inside Out," and Chief Creative Officer at Pixar Animation Studios. He is currently directing Pixar's feature film "Soul" with producer Dana Murray, which is set to release June 19, 2020.

Starting at Pixar in 1990 as the ...

The Monsters, Inc.: 8 Up: 9 Inside Out: 9 Soul: 9

Average: 8.8

7. Matt Reeves

Producer | The Batman

Matthew George "Matt" Reeves was born April 27, 1966 in Rockville Center, New York, USA and is a writer, director and producer. Reeves began making movies at age eight, directing friends and using a wind-up camera. He befriended filmmaker J.J. Abrams when both were 13 years old and a public-access ...

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: 8.5 War for the Planet of the Apes: 10 The Batman: 8

Average: 8.8

8. Brad Bird

Writer | The Incredibles

Phillip Bradley "Brad" Bird is an American director, screenwriter, animator, producer and occasional voice actor, known for both animated and live-action films. Bird was born in Kalispell, Montana, the youngest of four children of Marjorie A. (née Cross) and Philip Cullen Bird. His father worked in...

The Iron Giant: 8.5 The Incredibles: 9 Ratatouille: 9.5 Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol: 8

Average: 8.6

9. Christopher Nolan

Writer | Tenet

Best known for his cerebral, often nonlinear, storytelling, acclaimed Academy Award winner writer/director/producer Sir Christopher Nolan CBE was born in London, England. Over the course of more than 25 years of filmmaking, Nolan has gone from low-budget independent films to working on some of the ...

Batman Begins: 8 The Prestige: 9 The Dark Knight: 9.5 Inception: 8.5 The Dark Knight Rises: 7.5 Interstellar: 7.8 Tenet: 8 Oppenheimer: 10

Average: 8.5

10. Peter Jackson

Producer | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Sir Peter Jackson made history with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, becoming the first person to direct three major feature films simultaneously. The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King were nominated for and collected a slew of awards from around the globe, with The ...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: 10 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: 9 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: 10 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: 5

Average: 8.5

11. Andrew Stanton

Writer | WALL·E

Andrew Stanton has been a major creative force at Pixar Animation Studios since 1990, when he became the second animator and ninth employee to join the company's elite group of computer animation pioneers. As Vice President, Creative he currently oversees all shorts and feature projects at the ...

A Bug's Life: 7.5 Finding Nemo: 9 WALL·E: 10 John Carter: 6 Finding Dorie: 8

Average: 8.1

12. Christopher McQuarrie

Writer | The Usual Suspects

Christopher McQuarrie is an acclaimed producer, director and an Academy Award® winning writer. McQuarrie grew up in Princeton Junction, New Jersey and in lieu of college, he spent the first five years out of school traveling and working at a detective agency. He later moved to Los Angeles to pursue...

Jack Reacher: 7 Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation: 8 Mission: Impossible – Fallout: 9 Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One: 8

Average: 8

13. Brian De Palma

Director | Body Double

Brian De Palma is one of the well-known directors who spear-headed the new movement in Hollywood during the 1970s. He is known for his many films that go from violent pictures, to Hitchcock-like thrillers. Born on September 11, 1940, De Palma was born in Newark, New Jersey in an Italian-American ...

Blow Out: 9 The Untouchables: 8 Mission: Impossible: 7

Average: 8

14. Ridley Scott

Producer | The Martian

Described by film producer Michael Deeley as "the very best eye in the business", director Ridley Scott was born on November 30, 1937 in South Shields, Tyne and Wear. His father was an officer in the Royal Engineers and the family followed him as his career posted him throughout the United Kingdom ...

Alien: 10 Blade Runner: 9 Gladiator: 8 Kingdom of Heaven: 6 Robin Hood: 6 The Martian: 8.5

Average: 7.9

15. James Cameron

Writer | Avatar: The Way of Water

James Francis Cameron was born on August 16, 1954 in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada. He moved to the United States in 1971. The son of an engineer, he majored in physics at California State University before switching to English, and eventually dropping out. He then drove a truck to support his ...

The Terminator: 9 Aliens: 9 Terminator 2: Judgment Day: 9 True Lies: 6.5 Avatar: 8 Avatar: The Way of Water: 6

Average: 7.9

16. Steven Spielberg

Producer | Schindler's List

One of the most influential personalities in the history of cinema, Steven Spielberg is Hollywood's best known director and one of the wealthiest filmmakers in the world. He has an extraordinary number of commercially successful and critically acclaimed credits to his name, either as a director, ...

Raiders of the Lost Ark: 10 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: 7 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: 8.5 Jurassic Park: 9 The Lost World: Jurassic Park: 6.5 A.I. – Artificial Intilligence: 7 Minority Report: 10 Catch Me If You Can: 8 War of the Worlds: 7.5 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: 6 The Adventures of Tintin: 7 Ready Player One: 7

Average: 7.9

17. Clint Eastwood

Actor | Million Dollar Baby

Clint Eastwood was born May 31, 1930 in San Francisco, to Clinton Eastwood Sr., a bond salesman and later manufacturing executive for Georgia-Pacific Corporation, and Ruth Wood (née Margret Ruth Runner), a housewife turned IBM clerk. He grew up in nearby Piedmont. At school Clint took interest in ...

Absolute Power: 8 Space Cowboys: 7.5

Average: 7.8

18. Robert Zemeckis

Writer | Back to the Future

A whiz-kid with special effects, Robert is from the Spielberg camp of film-making (Steven Spielberg produced many of his films). Usually working with writing partner Bob Gale, Robert's earlier films show he has a talent for zany comedy (Romancing the Stone (1984), 1941 (1979)) and special effect ...

Back to the Future: 9 Back to the Future Part II: 6.5 Back to the Future Part III: 8 Forrest Gump: 9 Cast Away: 8 The Polar Express: 6.5

Average: 7.8

19. Dean DeBlois

Writer | Lilo & Stitch

Dean DeBlois is a Canadian writer, director, and producer known best for having co-written and co-directed Disney's Lilo & Stitch (2002) and Dreamworks' How to Train Your Dragon (2010), both Oscar nominated. While working as an assistant animator and layout artist for Hinton Animation Studios ...

Lilo & Stitch: 7.5 How To Train Your Dragon: 8 How To Train Your Dragon 2: 8 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World: 7.5

Average: 7.8

20. Paul Greengrass

Director | United 93

Paul Greengrass started his filmmaking career with a super 8 camera he found in his art room in secondary school. Those short movies were animation horror films he made using old dolls, artist dummies, and the general art room clutter.

After studying in Cambridge University he got into Granada ...

The Bourne Supremacy: 8 The Bourne Ultimatum: 9 Jason Bourne: 6

Average: 7.7

21. John Lasseter

Writer | Toy Story 2

Although born in Hollywood, John and his twin sister Johanna were raised in Whittier near Los Angeles. His parents were Jewell Mae (Risley), an art teacher, and Paul Eual Lasseter, a parts manager at a Chevrolet dealership. His mother's profession contributed to his interest in animation and ...

Toy Story: 9 A Bug's Life: 7.5 Toy Story 2: 8 Cars: 7.5 Cars 2: 6.5

Average: 7.7

22. Alex Proyas

Director | Dark City

Alex Proyas has moved effortlessly between helming TV commercials and music videos to feature films. Born to Greek parents in Egypt, Proyas relocated to Australia with his family when he was three years old. He began making films at age ten and went on to attend the Australian Film Television and ...

I, Robot: 7 Knowing: 8

Average: 7.5

23. Bryan Singer

Director | X-Men

Bryan Singer is an American film director and producer who got his start writing and co-directing the short film Lions Den with his classmates while he attended USC. He was hired by 20th Century Fox to direct X-Men, which helped kick-start the superhero renaissance. He later directed three sequels....

X-Men: 7.5 X 2: 8 X-Men: Days of Future Past: 8.5 X-Men: Apocalypse: 5.5

Average: 7.4

24. John Carpenter

Writer | The Fog

John Howard Carpenter was born in Carthage, New York, to mother Milton Jean (Carter) and father Howard Ralph Carpenter. His family moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where his father, a professor, was head of the music department at Western Kentucky University. He attended Western Kentucky ...

Halloween: 10 The Thing From Another World: 7 Big Trouble in Little China: 5

Average: 7.3

25. John Woo

Director | Ying hung boon sik

Born in southern China, John Woo grew up in Hong Kong, where he began his film career as an assistant director in 1969, working for Shaw Brothers Studios. He directed his first feature in 1973 and has been a prolific director ever since, working in a wide variety of genres before A Better Tomorrow ...

Face/Off: 9 Mission: Impossible II: 6 Red Cliff: 7

Average: 7.3

26. James Gunn

Writer | Guardians of the Galaxy

James Gunn was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, to Leota and James Francis Gunn. He is from a large Catholic family, with Irish and Czech ancestry. His father and his uncles were all lawyers. He has been writing and performing as long as he can remember. He began making 8mm films at the age ...

Guardians of the Galaxy: 8 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: 7 The Suicide Squad: 8 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: 6

Average: 7.3

27. Wes Craven

Writer | A Nightmare on Elm Street

Wes Craven has become synonymous with genre bending and innovative horror, challenging audiences with his bold vision.

Wesley Earl Craven was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Caroline (Miller) and Paul Eugene Craven. He had a midwestern suburban upbringing. His first feature film was The Last House on ...

Scream: 8 Scream 2: 7 Red Eye: 7

Average: 7.3

28. Sam Raimi

Director | Spider-Man

Highly inventive U.S. film director/producer/writer/actor Sam Raimi first came to the attention of film fans with the savage, yet darkly humorous, low-budget horror film, The Evil Dead (1981). From his childhood, Raimi was a fan of the cinema and, before he was ten-years-old, he was out making ...

The Evil Dead: 8 Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn: 9 Army of Darkness: 3 Spider-Man: 8 Spider-Man 2: 10 Spider-Man 3: 7 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: 4

Average: 7

29. J.J. Abrams

Producer | Lost

Jeffrey Jacob Abrams was born in New York City and raised in Los Angeles, the son of TV producer parents. At 15, he wrote the music for Don Dohler's Nightbeast (1982). In his senior year of college, he and Jill Mazursky teamed up to write a feature film, which became Taking Care of Business (1990)....

Mission: Impossible III: 7 Star Trek: 9 Star Trek Into Darkness: 8 Star Wars: The Force Awakens: 7 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: 4

Average: 7.0

30. George Lucas

Writer | Star Wars

George Walton Lucas, Jr. was raised on a walnut ranch in Modesto, California. His father was a stationery store owner and he had three siblings. During his late teen years, he went to Thomas Downey High School and was very much interested in drag racing. He planned to become a professional racecar ...

Star Wars: 9 Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace: 5 Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones: 6 Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith: 8

Average: 6.9

31. Tim Burton

Producer | Edward Scissorhands

Timothy Walter Burton was born in Burbank, California, to Jean Rae (Erickson), who owned a cat-themed gift shop, and William Reed Burton, who worked for the Burbank Park and Recreation Department. He spent most of his childhood as a recluse, drawing cartoons, and watching old movies (he was ...

Batman: 7.5 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: 7.5 Dumbo: 5

Average: 6.7

32. David Fincher

Director | Se7en

David Fincher was born in 1962 in Denver, Colorado, and was raised in Marin County, California. When he was 18 years old he went to work for John Korty at Korty Films in Mill Valley. He subsequently worked at ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) from 1981-1983. Fincher left ILM to direct TV commercials...

Alien³: 5 Se7en: 8 Fight Club: 6

Average: 6.3

33. Taika Waititi

Producer | What We Do in the Shadows

Taika Waititi, also known as Taika Cohen, hails from the Raukokore region of the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand, and is the son of Robin (Cohen), a teacher, and Taika Waititi, an artist and farmer. His father is Maori (Te-Whanau-a-Apanui), and his mother is of Ashkenazi Jewish, Irish...

Thor: Ragnarok: 7.5 Thor: Love and Thunder: 5

Average: 6.3

34. Gareth Edwards

Visual_effects | Monsters

Gareth James Edwards was born on June 1, 1975 in the English town of Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Growing up, he admired movies such as the 1977 classic "Star Wars", and went on to pursue a film career. He even cites George Lucas and Steven Spielberg as his biggest influences. Edwards studied BA (Hons) ...

Godzilla: 5 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: 7.5 The Creator: 6.5

Average: 6.3

35. Phillip Noyce

Producer | Rabbit-Proof Fence

Born in the Australian rural town of Griffith, New South Wales, Phillip Noyce moved to Sydney with his family at the age of 12. As a teenager, he was introduced to underground films produced on shoestring budgets as well as mainstream American movies. He was 18 when he made his first film, the 15-...

Patriot Games: 6.5 Clear and Present Danger: 7 The Saint: 5

Average: 6.2

36. Jon Favreau

Producer | Chef

Initially an indie film favorite, actor Jon Favreau has progressed to strong mainstream visibility into the millennium and, after nearly two decades in the business, is still enjoying character stardom as well as earning notice as a writer/producer/director.

The amiable, husky-framed actor with the ...

Iron Man: 8 Iron Man 2: 5 The Jungle Book: 7.5 The Lion King: 4

Average: 6.1



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