Our Favourite Directors
Our Favourite Directors
To celebrate hitting 1000 views, we thought we would each
dive into our five favourite directors. With so many great choices available
there’s a good chance these lists could change day to day, but right now, here
are each of our favourites!
1. Taika Waititi
Taika Waititi is undoubtedly one
of the most in-demand directors in current cinema, but I’m going to be honest,
like a lot of other people, my first introduction to Waititi’s work was through
2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. Waititi’s ability to completely revitalise the Thor
franchise, which was otherwise bland and largely considered to be the worst of the
MCU titles, into a vibrant comedy that embraced the craziness of its source
material within the first five minutes of its’ runtime is something to be
marvelled at (excuse the pun). His work outside of the land of superheroes,
however, is even more impressive. Oscar-winning Jojo Rabbit is a touching, yet
absurd, film set in Nazi Germany that highlights the importance of thinking for
yourself. Criminally underrated, and utterly laugh-out-loud funny vampire mockumentary,
What We Do In The Shadows has gained a cult following and has achieved a rare
feat in spawning an equally as funny TV spin-off of the same name. Then there’s
Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Waiti’s breakthrough, a film that highlights the
importance of a child having an understanding adult in their life, in a
poignant and light-hearted manner, all whilst showcasing New Zealand’s
landscape in all its glory
Favourite film: Hunt for the
Wilderpeople
2. Damien Chazelle
Despite not having directed a lot
of films as of yet, the ones Damien Chazelle has directed, have been nothing
short of modern-day classics, and that alone warrants a place this high on my
list. Chazelle’s work on 2016’s La La Land and 2014’s Whiplash changed the way
in which I view music-focused films, all whilst achieving the unthinkable and making jazz interesting, with
the latter being arguably my favourite film of all time. Chazelle’s most
recognised work is La La Land, where he was able to recreate the magic of
classic musicals like Singin’ in the Rain almost seamlessly. However, for me
his most impressive work is Whiplash, where he managed to turn a simple
concept, the relationship between a music student and his teacher, into one of the most intense pieces of cinema I have ever seen, whilst also
creating a film that I would use as my answer to the question ‘What is the
perfect film?’
Favourite film: Whiplash
3. James Gunn
James Gunn may have started out
making the horror-comedy Slither in 2006, but it’s his work on the superhero
genre that has earned him a place in the list of my favourite directors. Gunn’s
ability to turn little-known characters with the most ridiculous attributes,
such as an anthropomorphic raccoon in Guardians of the Galaxy, or a girl who
can talk to rats in 2021’s The Suicide Squad, into household names that audiences actually care about should be
commended. Gunn is also extremely gifted in his ability to bring a crushing
sense of emotion to even the funniest of films. Oh, and he knows how to use a
needle drop too.
Favourite film: Guardians of the Galaxy
4. Greta Gerwig
Favourite film: Lady Bird
5. Edgar Wright
Edgar Wright makes great films,
simple as that. Wright has quickly made a name for himself as one of the most
visually recognisable directors in modern cinema. His use of popular music and
particular editing style has enabled him to create iconic films such as The
Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, Baby Driver, and Scott Pilgrim vs the World,
with the latter holding the title of one of the best comic book adaptations
ever brought to the silver screen. Edgar Wright is truly one of the best
Britain has offered up to the world in decades.
Favourite film: Scott Pilgrim
vs the World
1. Dario Argento
Dario Argento is a name not all
that many people might recognise but his influence is colossal. The master of
Giallo, a genre of horror-thriller-mystery films from Italy that in many ways
acted as a precursor to American slasher movies, Argento crafted a string of
incredible films in this style throughout the 70s and 80s, peaking with 1975’s
“Profondo Rosso”. He also made Suspiria, the best witchcraft-themed horror ever
made and perhaps his best-known film. All his films merge an intriguing mystery
with moments of extreme yet oddly beautiful violence, as well as some
incredible set design and a whole host of fun camera tricks. This leads to some
gorgeous, exciting, and at times genuinely scary films. Sure, some of them are
a little clunky and poorly dubbed and some of his later films aren’t up to the
same standard, but no one has ever made murder look so good as Dario Argento.
Favourite film: Deep Red
2. Zack Snyder
Zack Snyder is a somewhat controversial figure, often criticised for being all style and no substance. The thing is that this style is so gorgeous and distinctively his own that I find the occasional lack of substance in some of his films (300, Army of the Dead) isn’t enough to detract from the fun I have watching the action. You can pull a random frame from a random Snyder movie and chances are it would make for a beautiful piece of wall art. Beyond this, though there is real substance in many of these films. Sucker Punch for example takes an interesting look at trauma, Watchmen is a pitch-perfect adaptation of a very complex graphic novel and Zack Snyder’s Justice League is an absolutely huge movie that manages to juggle a huge cast of characters while still giving each of them chances to shine. One thing I will say is that for a lot of his movies you really need to see the director’s cut to get the full experience, but when the only negative I can think of is that you need to see more of his work, I think you know you’ve got a winner.
Favourite Film: Sucker Punch
3. Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan makes
intelligent movies for the masses. No one else in modern cinema seems capable
of making high-quality and utterly unique blockbusters so consistently, and he
seems to be the only man in Hollywood who can get his visons to screen without
studios trying to reign him in or dumb him down. Beyond this, he has proven
himself capable of making films on a variety of scales, going from a tight high-concept
thriller in Memento to a massive interstellar epic in, well, Interstellar,
without ever having his films feel unfocused. Elsewhere let’s not forget that
this is the man who first made us take superhero movies as something serious
when he made Batman Begins. To make films at the scale he does while still
having them be highly complex, with twisting narratives often jumping through
time, and characters often being shades of grey rather than clear heroes or
villains is impressive. That he does all this while delivering first-rate
visual flair and spectacle is miraculous.
Favourite Film: Interstellar
4. Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi not only created the
best horror franchise of all time with the Evil Dead which also somehow manages
to be one of the funniest franchises of all time, but he also kickstarted the
modern Superhero movie trend with his Spider-Man trilogy. Even if you discount
the rest of his filmography these alone make him more than worthy of a spot as
one of my favourite directors. Fortunately, even his deeper cuts are great with
films like “The Quick and the Dead” and “Drag Me to Hell” really rounding out
his filmography nicely. With kinetic camera work and Stooges-inspired slapstick
as his trademarks, Sam Raimi earns his place in my favourites from a sheer fun
factor alone.
Favourite Film: The Evil Dead
5. Wes Anderson
“Quirky” is probably the word
people would most associate with Wes Anderson, but this does him a disservice.
His films are incredibly idiosyncratic, you can take a single frame from almost
any moment in any of his films, and it’s instantly recognisable as his. But the
key here is that despite this incredible style each holds real heart, managing
to balance cheerful and yes, quirky comedy with moments of real emotional
impact as he spins tales of dysfunctional families, star-crossed lovers, and
grief. A key strength of Wes Anderson these days is his ability to create these
hyper stylised tales in both live-action and animation. Of course, many
directors have tried their hand at both mediums, but few have managed to pull
it off so seamlessly without giving up even a hint of his own visionary style.
All in all Wes Anderson’s quirkiness is more than matched by his knack for
telling a fun but emotionally impactful story, his visuals matched by his
dialogue making him a modern auteur.
Favourite Film: Fantastic Mr
Fox
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