Movie Directors' Top Films

[ManPerson]

I could see Bad Taste vs BotFA going either way.

[pauldrach]

Updates for page 17:

Norman Jewison (1926-2024)
1. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
2. Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
3. Moonstruck (1987)
4. ...And Justice for All (1979)
5. Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
6. The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966)
7. The Hurricane (1999)
8. The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
9. A Soldier's Story (1984)
10. The Cincinnati Kid (1965)

Jia Zhangke
1. Platform (2000)
2. Still Life (2006)
3. The World (2004)
4. A Touch of Sin (2013)
5. The Pickpocket (1997)
6. Unknown Pleasures (2002)
7. Ash Is Purest White (2018)
8. Caught by the Tides (2024)
9. 24 City (2008)
10. Mountains May Depart (2015)

Alejandro Jodorowsky
1. El Topo (1970)
2. The Holy Mountain (1973)
3. Santa sangre (1989)
4. The Dance of Reality (2013)
5. Endless Poetry (2016)
6. Fando and Lis (1968)
7. La cravate [with Saul Gilbert & Ruth Michelly] (1957)
8. The Rainbow Thief (1990)
9. Psychomagic, a Healing Art (2019)
10. Tusk (1980)

Rian Johnson
1. Ozymandias [Breaking Bad episode] (2013)
2. Knives Out (2019)
3. Looper (2012)
4. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
5. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
6. Poker Face (2023-)
7. Brick (2005)
8. Fifty-One [Breaking Bad episode] (2012)
9. Fly [Breaking Bad episode] (2010)
10. The Brothers Bloom (2008)

Joe Johnston
1. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
2. Jumanji (1995)
3. October Sky (1999)
4. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
5. The Rocketeer (1991)
6. Hidalgo (2003)
7. Jurassic Park III (2001)
8. The Wolfman (2010)
9. The Pagemaster [with Pixote Hunt] (1994)
10. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms [with Lasse Hallström] (2018)

Chuck Jones
2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! [with Ben Washam] (1966)

Spike Jonze
1. Being John Malkovich (1999)
2. Her (2013)
3. Adaptation. (2002)
4. Beastie Boys: Sabotage (1994)
5. Weezer: Buddy Holly (1994)
6. Fatboy Slim: Weapon of Choice (2001)
7. Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
8. Fatboy Slim: Praise You (1999)
9. Björk: It's Oh So Quiet (1995)
10. Beastie Boys Story (2020)

Neil Jordan
1. The Crying Game (1992)
2. Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
3. Mona Lisa (1986)
4. The Borgias (2011-2013)
5. The Company of Wolves (1984)
6. Michael Collins (1996)
7. The Butcher Boy (1997)
8. The End of the Affair (1999)
9. Byzantium (2012)
10. Breakfast on Pluto (2005)

Mikhail Kalatozov
1. The Cranes Are Flying (1957)
2. I Am Cuba (1964)
3. Letter Never Sent (1960)
4. Salt for Svanetia (1930)
5. True Friends (1954)
6. The Red Tent (1969)
7. Nail in the Boot (1931)
8. Valery Chkalov (1941)
9. The First Echelon (1956)
10. Hostile Whirlwinds (1953)

Raj Kapoor
1. Awaara (1951)
2. Shree 420 (1955)
3. Mera Naam Joker (1970)
4. Bobby (1973)
5. Sangam (1964)
6. Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985)
7. Barsaat (1949)
8. Prem Rog (1982)
9. Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978)
10. Aag (1948)

Phil Karlson
1. Kansas City Confidential (1952)
2. The Silencers (1966)
3. Walking Tall (1973)
4. The Phenix City Story (1955)
5. Scandal Sheet (1952)
6. 99 River Street (1953)
7. Gunman's Walk (1958)
8. Tight Spot (1955)
9. Kid Galahad (1962)
10. Hell to Eternity (1960)

Philip Kaufman
1. The Right Stuff (1983)
2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
3. The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)
4. The Wanderers (1979)
5. Quills (2000)
6. Henry & June (1990)
7. Rising Sun (1993)
8. Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012)
9. The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972)
10. Goldstein [with Benjamin Manaster] (1964)

Aki Kaurismäki
1. The Man Without a Past (2002)
2. Le Havre (2011)
3. Fallen Leaves (2023)
4. The Match Factory Girl (1990)
5. The Other Side of Hope (2017)
6. Drifting Clouds (1996)
7. La vie de bohème (1992)
8. Ariel (1988)
9. Leningrad Cowboys Go America (1989)
10. I Hired a Contract Killer (1990)

Jerzy Kawalerowicz
1. Mother Joan of the Angels (1961)
2. Night Train (1959)
3. Pharaoh (1966)
4. Death of a President (1977)
5. Shadow (1956)
6. Austeria (1982)
7. Quo vadis (2001)
8. The Real End of the Great War (1957)
9. Cellulose (1954)
10. Maddalena (1971)

Elia Kazan
1. On the Waterfront (1954)
2. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
3. East of Eden (1955)
4. Splendor in the Grass (1961)
5. A Face in the Crowd (1957)
6. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)
7. Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
8. Baby Doll (1956)
9. Viva Zapata! (1952)
10. Wild River (1960)

Buster Keaton
1. The General [with Clyde Bruckman] (1926)
2. Sherlock Jr. (1924)
3. Our Hospitality [with John G. Blystone] (1923)
4. The Cameraman [with Edward Sedgwick] (1928)
5. Steamboat Bill, Jr. [with Charles Reisner] (1928)
6. The Navigator [with Donald Crisp] (1924)
7. Seven Chances (1925)
8. One Week [with Edward F. Cline] (1920)
9. Cops [with Edward F. Cline] (1922)
10. The Playhouse [with Edward F. Cline] (1921)

Abdellatif Kechiche
1. Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013)
2. The Secret of the Grain (2007)
3. Mektoub, My Love: Canto Uno (2017)
4. Games of Love and Chance (2003)
5. Black Venus (2010)

William Keighley
1. The Adventures of Robin Hood [with Michael Curtiz] (1938)
2. The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941)
3. G Men (1935)
4. The Green Pastures [with Marc Connelly] (1936)
5. Each Dawn I Die (1939)
6. The Prince and the Pauper (1937)
7. Bullets or Ballots (1936)
8. The Fighting 69th (1940)
9. The Street with No Name (1948)
10. The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941)

And the new list of the week:

Robert Eggers (1983-)
1. The Lighthouse (2019)
2. The Witch (2015)
3. Nosferatu (2024)
4. The Northman (2022)
5. Brothers (2015)

...which means I'd replace "The Tell-Tale Heart" with "Brothers" for the last spot. Not that it matters much as "Werwulf" is sure to kick either off once it comes to fruition. I also disagree with having "Nosferatu" above "The Witch" as Dubrow suggested.

I'll send the page 16 updates (and the McDonagh list) to lew and leave the Jackson list as it is for now (with Bad Taste above Hobbit 3).

[ManPerson]

I'm curious how Jumanji and Captain America compare. Also, I could see Ozymandias at 1 or 2 for Johnson's list.

[pauldrach]

I'm curious how Jumanji and Captain America compare. Also, I could see Ozymandias at 1 or 2 for Johnson's list.

Re:Johnston: Yes, I wasn't sure about these two. Influence I'd give to Jumanji for its starting a franchise basically out of nothing, while Captain America did spawn two sequels but it was already produced as part of a franchise. Overall popularity should probably go to CA:TFA even though initial popularity is close. CA:TFA did gross more, even if adjusted for inflation but Jumanji was #7 for its year, CA:TFA down at #18. Initial acclaim clearly goes to CA:TFA, lasting acclaim is much closer with a slight edge to Jumanji. So as I see it, CA:TFA wins overall popularity and acclaim but neither by much. Jumanji wins influence but not by terribly much either. I'd keep CA:TFA ahead based on this breakdown but if anybody disagrees, let me know.

It's difficult to compare TV episodes and feature films but if any single TV episode deserves to top a list, it's probably "Ozymandias". Similar case as "Thriller" topping Landis' list. I'm cool with putting it on top.

[Zach]

Agreed on Ozymandias. One of the greatest episodes of TV ever made.

[Dubrow555]

The "S" of Sangre should be capitalized for Jodorowsky.

Might be my bias against music videos...but Where the Wild Things Are seems a little low. Other than that, looks good!

[pauldrach]

The "S" of Sangre should be capitalized for Jodorowsky.

Why's that? It's a Spanish-language title. Sangre is a common noun and those are not capitalized in Spanish. See, for instance, the Spanish Wikipedia: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_san ... C3%ADcula)

Might be my bias against music videos...but Where the Wild Things Are seems a little low. Other than that, looks good!

My general feeling was that I was rather wont to put music videos too low. What do others think?

[Dubrow555]

Every poster I am looking at + wiki/IMDB has it as a capital "S" - might be because I live in America??? IDK

[pauldrach]

Every poster I am looking at + wiki/IMDB has it as a capital "S" - might be because I live in America??? IDK

Every poster I found has the title stylized in all-caps, which means absolutely nothing. For title capitalization, I generally use the spelling rules of the title's language.

[Dubrow555]

I suppose we should follow the professional Spaniard on this one

[Tim]

@Fido

[Fido]

I don't think it's a big deal either way, but it's true that in Spanish "sangre" is not capitalized.

[ManPerson]

The "S" of Sangre should be capitalized for Jodorowsky.

Why's that? It's a Spanish-language title. Sangre is a common noun and those are not capitalized in Spanish. See, for instance, the Spanish Wikipedia: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_san ... C3%ADcula)

Might be my bias against music videos...but Where the Wild Things Are seems a little low. Other than that, looks good!

My general feeling was that I was rather wont to put music videos too low. What do others think?

I'm against moving up Where the Wild Things Are.

[Dubrow555]

Sounds good, we can probably move on.

[pauldrach]

I'll be without internet for a week from tomorrow and won't finish the huge Kubrick/Kurosawa page before that. So, don't wait for it. It will happen.

[Dubrow555]

2 Gods of cinema.....not bad.