Movie Directors' Top Films

[ManPerson]

I'm curious how The River compares with Boudu Saved from Drowning and La Chinese.

[pauldrach]

I'm curious how The River compares with Boudu Saved from Drowning and La Chinese.

I may have overvalued the latter two's influence in comparison with "The River". They should probably be below it.

[pauldrach]

Updates for page 29:

Martin Ritt
1. Hud (1963)
2. The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965)
3. The Long, Hot Summer (1958)
4. Norma Rae (1979)
5. Sounder (1972)
6. Hombre (1967)
7. The Front (1976)
8. Edge of the City (1957)
9. The Great White Hope (1970)
10. Pete 'n' Tillie (1972)

Jacques Rivette
1. Céline and Julie Go Boating (1974)
2. La belle noiseuse (1991)
3. Out 1: Noli me tangere [with Suzanne Schiffman] (1971)
4. L'amour fou (1969)
5. Paris Belongs to Us (1961)
6. The Nun (1966)
7. Duelle (1976)
8. Va savoir (2001)
9. Le Pont du Nord (1981)
10. The Duchess of Langeais (2007)

Jay Roach
1. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
2. Meet the Parents (2000)
3. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
4. Bombshell (2019)
5. Meet the Fockers (2004)
6. Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
7. Game Change (2012)
8. Recount (2008)
9. Trumbo (2015)
10. All the Way (2016)

Mark Robson
1. The Seventh Victim (1943)
2. Von Ryan's Express (1965)
3. Valley of the Dolls (1967)
4. Champion (1949)
5. Peyton Place (1957)
6. The Harder They Fall (1956)
7. The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954)
8. Earthquake (1974)
9. The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958)
10. The Ghost Ship (1943)

Robert Rodríguez
1. Sin City [with Frank Miller] (2005)
2. From Dusk till Dawn (1996)
3. El mariachi (1992)
4. Desperado (1995)
5. Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
6. Spy Kids (2001)
7. The Faculty (1998)
8. Planet Terror (2007)
9. Machete [with Ethan Maniquis] (2010)
10. Once upon a Time in Mexico (2003)

Nicolas Roeg
1. Don't Look Now (1973)
2. Walkabout (1971)
3. Performance [with Donald Cammell] (1970)
4. The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
5. Bad Timing (1980)
6. The Witches (1990)
7. Insignificance (1985)
8. Eureka (1983)
9. Castaway (1986)
10. Track 29 (1988)

Éric Rohmer
1. My Night at Maud's (1969)
2. Claire's Knee (1970)
3. The Green Ray (1986)
4. La collectionneuse (1967)
5. Love in the Afternoon (1972)
6. The Marquise of O (1976)
7. Pauline at the Beach (1983)
8. The Sign of Leo (1962)
9. Full Moon in Paris (1984)
10. A Summer's Tale (1996)

Stuart Rosenberg
1. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
2. The Amityville Horror (1979)
3. Brubaker (1980)
4. The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984)
5. The April Fools (1969)
6. Voyage of the Damned (1976)
7. The Laughing Policeman (1973)
8. The Drowning Pool (1975)
9. Murder, Inc. [with Burt Balaban] (1960)
10. Question 7 (1961)

Francesco Rosi
1. Salvatore Giuliano (1962)
2. Hands over the City (1963)
3. Christ Stopped at Eboli (1979)
4. The Mattei Affair (1972)
5. Illustrious Corpses (1976)
6. Carmen (1984)
7. The Moment of Truth (1965)
8. Three Brothers (1981)
9. Many Wars Ago (1970)
10. Lucky Luciano (1973)

Herbert Ross
1. The Goodbye Girl (1977)
2. Play It Again, Sam (1972)
3. Steel Magnolias (1989)
4. The Turning Point (1977)
5. Footloose (1984)
6. California Suite (1978)
7. The Sunshine Boys (1975)
8. Pennies from Heaven (1981)
9. Funny Lady (1975)
10. The Owl and the Pussycat (1970)

Roberto Rossellini
1. Rome, Open City (1945)
2. Paisan (1946)
3. Journey to Italy (1954)
4. Germany, Year Zero (1948)
5. Stromboli (1950)
6. Europa '51 (1952)
7. The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)
8. General della Rovere (1959)
9. The Taking of Power by Louis XIV (1966)
10. India: Matri Bhumi (1959)

Robert Rossen
1. The Hustler (1961)
2. All the King's Men (1949)
3. Body and Soul (1947)
4. Island in the Sun (1957)
5. Lilith (1964)
6. Alexander the Great (1956)
7. Johnny O'Clock (1947)
8. They Came to Cordura (1959)
9. The Brave Bulls (1951)
10. Mambo (1954)

Eli Roth
1. Hostel (2005)
2. Cabin Fever (2002)
3. Thanksgiving (2023)
4. Death Wish (2018)
5. The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)
6. Hostel: Part II (2007)
7. Knock Knock (2015)
8. The Green Inferno (2013)
9. Borderlands (2024)
10. Fin (2021)

Jean Rouch
1. Chronicle of a Summer [with Edgar Morin] (1961)
2. Moi, un noir (1958)
3. Les maîtres fous (1955)
4. La pyramide humaine (1961)
5. Jaguar (1967)
6. Petit à petit (1970)
7. Cocorico Monsieur Poulet [with Damouré Zika & Lam Ibrahim Dia] (1974)
8. La chasse au lion à l'arc (1966)
9. Bataille sur le grand fleuve (1951)
10. Les veuves de 15 ans (1964)

Alan Rudolph
1. Choose Me (1984)
2. Trouble in Mind (1985)
3. Mortal Thoughts (1991)
4. Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994)
5. The Moderns (1988)
6. The Secret Lives of Dentists (2002)
7. Afterglow (1997)
8. Remember My Name (1978)
9. Songwriter (1984)
10. Love at Large (1990)

Raúl Ruiz
1. Mysteries of Lisbon (2011)
2. The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting (1978)
3. Three Crowns of the Sailor (1982)
4. City of Pirates (1983)
5. Three Sad Tigers (1968)
6. Time Regained (1999)
7. Manoel's Destinies (1984)
8. Three Lives and Only One Death (1996)
9. Dog's Dialogue (1977)
10. Love Torn in a Dream (2000)

And the new list:

Richard Quine (1920-1989)
1. Bell, Book and Candle (1958)
2. Pushover (1954)
3. The World of Suzie Wong (1960)
4. Strangers When We Meet (1960)
5. The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956)
6. How to Murder Your Wife (1965)
7. Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
8. Sex and the Single Girl (1964)
9. Paris When It Sizzles (1964)
10. My Sister Eileen (1955)

[ManPerson]

I'm curious how The Turning Point compares with the two films below it.

[pauldrach]

I'm curious how The Turning Point compares with the two films below it.

Initial popularity goes Footloose > SM (>) TTP (the latter two being almost equal for adjusted box office and box office rank of the year).
Lasting popularity is clearly Footloose > SM >> TTP.

Initial acclaim goes TTP > SM >> Footloose.
Lasting critical acclaim goes TTP > SM (>) Footloose.
Lasting audience acclaim goes SM > TTP = Footloose.

Influence for any of the three films is insignificant and should not be decisive.

With Steel Magnolias's strong audience acclaim and popularity, I'd say it should probably top this trio. The other two I would consider pretty much tied and leave them in the order they currently are.

[Dubrow555]

Fun fact - I recently met someone who was an extra in Footloose.

[pauldrach]

Fun fact - I recently met someone who was an extra in Footloose.

That's precisely the sort of cultural impact that might elevate Footloose above The Turning Point after all.

[pauldrach]

Who here has recently met someone who was an extra in The Turning Point?

[Dubrow555]

lol

[pauldrach]

Just sent the page 28 updates.

[pauldrach]

Updates for the long-awaited page 30:

David O. Russell
1. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
2. Three Kings (1999)
3. American Hustle (2013)
4. The Fighter (2010)
5. I ♥ Huckabees (2004)
6. Joy (2015)
7. Flirting with Disaster (1996)
8. Spanking the Monkey (1994)
9. Amsterdam (2022)
10. Accidental Love (2015)

Anthony & Joe Russo
1. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
2. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
3. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
5. The Gray Man (2022)
6. Cherry (2021)
7. You, Me and Dupree (2006)
8. Welcome to Collinwood (2002)
9. The Electric State (2025)
10. Pieces (1997)

Eldar Ryazanov
1. The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! (1976)
2. Carnival Night (1956)
3. Beware of the Car (1966)
4. Office Romance (1977)
5. Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia [with Franco Prosperi] (1974)
6. Station for Two (1983)
7. A Cruel Romance (1984)
8. The Garage (1980)
9. Hussar Ballad (1962)
10. Grandads-Robbers (1972)

Walter Salles
1. Central Station (1998)
2. I'm Still Here (2024)
3. The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
4. Behind the Sun (2001)
5. Foreign Land [with Daniela Thomas] (1995)
6. Linha de Passe [with Daniela Thomas] (2008)
7. On the Road (2012)
8. Midnight [with Daniela Thomas] (1998)
9. Dark Water (2005)
10. Jia Zhangke, a Guy from Fenyang (2014)

Mark Sandrich
1. Top Hat (1935)
2. The Gay Divorcee (1934)
3. Holiday Inn (1942)
4. Shall We Dance (1937)
5. Follow the Fleet (1936)
6. So Proudly We Hail! (1943)
7. Carefree (1938)
8. Here Come the Waves (1944)
9. Melody Cruise (1933)
10. Skylark (1941)

Carlos Saura
RIP 1932-2023

John Sayles
1. Lone Star (1996)
2. Matewan (1987)
3. Eight Men Out (1988)
4. The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
5. The Brother from Another Planet (1984)
6. Passion Fish (1992)
7. Men with Guns (1997)
8. Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980)
9. City of Hope (1991)
10. Limbo (1999)

Franklin J. Schaffner
1. Patton (1970)
2. Planet of the Apes (1968)
3. Papillon (1973)
4. The Boys from Brazil (1978)
5. The Best Man (1964)
6. Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
7. The War Lord (1965)
8. Islands in the Stream (1977)
9. Twelve Angry Men [Studio One] (1954)
10. The Stripper (1963)

John Schlesinger
1. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
2. Marathon Man (1976)
3. Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)
4. Billy Liar (1963)
5. Darling (1965)
6. The Day of the Locust (1975)
7. Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)
8. A Kind of Loving (1962)
9. The Falcon and the Snowman (1985)
10. Cold Comfort Farm (1995)

Volker Schlöndorff
1. The Tin Drum (1979)
2. The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum [with Margarethe von Trotta] (1975)
3. Young Törless (1966)
4. Death of a Salesman (1985)
5. The Ogre (1996)
6. Diplomacy (2014)
7. The Legend of Rita (2000)
8. Voyager (1991)
9. Coup de grâce (1976)
10. Circle of Deceit (1981)

Paul Schrader
1. American Gigolo (1980)
2. First Reformed (2017)
3. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)
4. Blue Collar (1978)
5. The Card Counter (2021)
6. Affliction (1997)
7. Light Sleeper (1992)
8. Hardcore (1979)
9. Cat People (1982)
10. Auto Focus (2002)

Joel Schumacher (1939-2020)
1. The Lost Boys (1987)
2. Falling Down (1993)
3. A Time to Kill (1996)
4. The Client (1994)
5. Flatliners (1990)
6. Batman Forever (1995)
7. Phone Booth (2002)
8. The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
9. St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
10. Dying Young (1991)

Ettore Scola
1. We All Loved Each Other So Much (1974)
2. A Special Day (1977)
3. Le bal (1983)
4. Ugly, Dirty and Bad (1976)
5. The Family (1987)
6. That Night in Varennes (1982)
7. The Pizza Triangle (1970)
8. What Time Is It? (1989)
9. La terrazza (1980)
10. Captain Fracassa's Journey (1990)

Martin Scorsese
1. Taxi Driver (1976)
2. GoodFellas (1990)
3. Raging Bull (1980)
4. Mean Streets (1973)
5. The Departed (2006)
6. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
7. Casino (1995)
8. The Irishman (2019)
9. The King of Comedy (1982)
10. Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

Ridley Scott
1. Alien (1979)
2. Blade Runner (1982)
3. Gladiator (2000)
4. Thelma & Louise (1991)
5. The Martian (2015)
6. American Gangster (2007)
7. Black Hawk Down (2001)
8. The Duellists (1977)
9. Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
10. Prometheus (2012)

Tony Scott
1. Top Gun (1986)
2. True Romance (1993)
3. Man on Fire (2004)
4. Enemy of the State (1998)
5. Crimson Tide (1995)
6. The Hunger (1983)
7. The Last Boy Scout (1991)
8. Spy Game (2001)
9. Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
10. Unstoppable (2010)

And the new list:

Ryan Coogler (1986-)
1. Black Panther (2018)
2. Sinners (2025)
3. Creed (2015)
4. Fruitvale Station (2013)
5. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

[ManPerson]

Depending on how it does in award season, I could maybe even see Sinners at #1.

[ManPerson]

I'm curious about I'm Still Here vs Central Station, Mishima vs First Reformed and King of Comedy vs The Irishman.

[pauldrach]

Depending on how it does in award season, I could maybe even see Sinners at #1.

I definitely don't see that yet.

I'm curious about I'm Still Here vs Central Station, Mishima vs First Reformed and King of Comedy vs The Irishman.

"I'm Still Here" already takes lasting popularity, also initial acclaim though that is very close. Initial popularity and influence are so close that I wouldn't want to choose a winner. Lasting acclaim can't be judged yet.

"First Reformed" clearly takes overall popularity. Initial critical acclaim is another close win for "First Reformed". I don't think either has much influence. Audience acclaim is a win for "Mishima" though I'd take that with a grain of salt since the higher user ratings at RT or the IMDb might stem from Mishima's more exclusive viewership while "First Reformed" with its star power may simply have drawn more people who are not that much into arthouse. Also, First Reformed already has gained a very respectable place in the TSPDT all-time list, sitting just outside the top 2,500. All in all, I consider 1stR's popularity win much more decisive than Mishima's acclaim win.

In terms of popularity, "The Irishman" clearly blows "The King of Comedy" out of the water. It grossed thrice as much despite only a limited theatrical release, and the difference on rating sites is even more profound. Initial acclaim is another obvious win for TI. TKoC may just win influence but clearly by less than TI takes popularity and initial acclaim. Lasting acclaim is the only criterion I'd say TKoC takes with relative ease but again TI already has a very respectable rank within TSPDT's all-time top 2,500, a rare feat for such a recent film.

[Dubrow555]

Central Station is fairly high on the 90's list - not sure how high I'm Still Here would rank (with the 90's clearly being a superior decade)

[Dubrow555]

Depending on how it does in award season, I could maybe even see Sinners at #1.

(SPOILER) "Sinners" is eying that top spot for the 2025 list (but it could very well be toppled by OBAA)