Movie Directors' Top Films

[pauldrach]

Ten new lists:

Herbert Brenon (1880-1958)
1. Peter Pan (1924)
2. Beau Geste (1926)
3. A Daughter of the Gods (1916)
4. Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928)
5. Ivanhoe (1913)
6. War Brides (1916)
7. The Spanish Dancer (1923)
8. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1913)
9. A Kiss for Cinderella (1925)
10. Neptune's Daughter (1914)

Irving Cummings (1888-1959)
1. In Old Arizona [with Raoul Walsh] (1928)
2. Down Argentine Way (1940)
3. Curly Top (1935)
4. Poor Little Rich Girl (1936)
5. Little Miss Broadway (1938)
6. The Johnstown Flood (1926)
7. The Dolly Sisters (1945)
8. The White Parade (1934)
9. Sweet Rosie O'Grady (1943)
10. That Night in Rio (1941)

Marguerite Duras (1914-1996)
1. India Song (1975)
2. The Lorry (1977)
3. Her Venetian Name in Deserted Calcutta (1976)
4. Baxter, Vera Baxter (1977)
5. Nathalie Granger (1972)
6. The Children (1985)
7. Le navire Night (1979)
8. Agatha and the Limitless Readings (1981)
9. L'homme atlantique (1981)
10. The Negative Hands (1978)

Jacques Feyder (1885-1948)
1. Carnival in Flanders (1935)
2. Le grand jeu (1934)
3. L'Atlantide (1921)
4. Crainquebille (1922)
5. Faces of Children (1925)
6. Knight Without Armour (1937)
7. The Kiss (1929)
8. Pension Mimosas (1935)
9. Gribiche (1926)
10. Anna Christie [German-language version] (1930)

James Gunn (1966-)
1. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
2. Superman (2025)
3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
4. Guardians of the Galacy Vol. 2 (2017)
5. The Suicide Squad (2021)
6. Peacemaker (2022-2025)
7. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)
8. Slither (2006)
9. Super (2010)
10. James Gunn's PG Porn (2008-2009)

Max Linder (1883-1925)
1. Seven Years Bad Luck (1921)
2. Les débuts de Max au cinéma [with Louis J. Gasnier] (1910)
3. Max victime du quinquina (1911)
4. Le duel de Max (1913)
5. The Three Must-Get-Theres (1922)
6. Max et sa belle-mère [with Lucien Nonguet] (1911)
7. Max reprend sa liberté (1912)
8. Be My Wife (1921)
9. Max en convalescence (1911)
10. Le chapeau de Max (1913)

Frank Perry (1930-1995)
1. The Swimmer (1968)
2. David and Lisa (1962)
3. Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970)
4. Mommie Dearest (1981)
5. Last Summer (1969)
6. Ladybug Ladybug (1963)
7. Rancho Deluxe (1975)
8. Doc (1971)
9. Dummy (1972)
10. Compromising Positions (1985)

Christian Petzold (1960-)
1. Phoenix (2014)
2. Barbara (2012)
3. Transit (2018)
4. Afire (2023)
5. Undine (2020)
6. Yella (2007)
7. Jerichow (2008)
8. The State I Am In (2000)
9. Ghosts (2005)
10. Wolfsburg (2003)

Larisa Shepitko (1938-1979)
1. The Ascent (1977)
2. Wings (1966)
3. You and Me (1971)
4. Beginning of an Unknown Era [with Genrikh Gabay & Andrei Smirnov] (1967)
5. Heat (1963)

Hiroshi Shimizu (1903-1966)
1. Ornamental Hairpin (1941)
2. Mr. Thank You (1936)
3. Children of the Beehive (1948)
4. Japanese Girls at the Harbor (1933)
5. The Masseurs and a Woman (1938)
6. Children in the Wind (1937)
7. Four Seasons of Children (1939)
8. Sound in the Mist (1956)
9. Fue no shiratama (1929)
10. Notes of an Itinerant Performer (1941)

[ManPerson]

We should probably wait until we make the 2025 list, but I think Superman should be higher on Gunn's list, probably #2.

[Dubrow555]

We should probably wait until we make the 2025 list, but I think Superman should be higher on Gunn's list, probably #2.

I would agree with that as well - was thinking either the 2nd or 3rd slot personally.

[pauldrach]

Moved it up to #2.

[pauldrach]

Ten new lists:

Ben Affleck (1972-)
1. Argo (2012)
2. The Town (2010)
3. Gone Baby Gone (2007)
4. Air (2023)
5. Live by Night (2016)

Alan Clarke (1935-1990)
1. Scum (1979)
2. Elephant (1989)
3. Made in Britain (1983)
4. The Firm (1989)
5. Penda's Fen (1974)
6. Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1987)
7. Christine (1987)
8. Road (1987)
9. Contact (1985)
10. Baal (1982)

Jean Grémillon (1901-1959)
1. Stormy Waters (1941)
2. Lady Killer (1937)
3. The Woman Who Dared (1944)
4. Summer Light (1943)
5. The Strange Monsieur Victor (1938)
6. Little Lise (1930)
7. Maldone (1928)
8. White Paws (1949)
9. The Love of a Woman (1953)
10. The Lighthouse Keepers (1929)

John Guillermin (1925-2015)
1. The Towering Inferno (1974)
2. Death on the Nile (1978)
3. The Blue Max (1966)
4. King Kong (1976)
5. The Bridge at Remagen (1969)
6. I Was Monty's Double (1958)
7. Tarzan's Greatest Adventure (1959)
8. Waltz of the Toreadors (1962)
9. Never Let Go (1960)
10. Guns at Batasi (1964)

Ted Kotcheff (1931-2025)
1. First Blood (1982)
2. Wake in Fright (1971)
3. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974)
4. North Dallas Forty (1979)
5. Weekend at Bernie's (1989)
6. Fun with Dick and Jane (1977)
7. Edna, the Inebriate Woman (1971)
8. Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978)
9. Uncommon Valor (1983)
10. Borrowed Hearts (1997)

David Mamet (1947-)
1. House of Games (1987)
2. The Spanish Prisoner (1997)
3. Heist (2001)
4. The Winslow Boy (1999)
5. Homicide (1991)
6. State and Main (2000)
7. Things Change (1988)
8. Spartan (2004)
9. Redbelt (2008)
10. Phil Spector (2013)

Elaine May (1932-)
1. A New Leaf (1971)
2. Mikey and Nicky (1976)
3. The Heartbreak Kid (1972)
4. Ishtar (1987)
5. American Masters: Mike Nichols (2016)

Bimal Roy (1909-1966)
1. Do Bigha Zamin (1953)
2. Madhumati (1958)
3. Devdas (1955)
4. Bandini (1963)
5. Sujata (1959)
6. Parakh (1960)
7. Parineeta (1953)
8. Yahudi (1958)
9. Biraj Bahu (1954)
10. Naukri (1955)

Benny & Josh Safdie (BS: 1986- | JS: 1984-)
1. Marty Supreme [JS] (2025)
2. Uncut Gems (2019)
3. Good Time (2017)
4. Heaven Knows What (2014)
5. The Smashing Machine [BS] (2025)
6. Daddy Longlegs (2009)
7. Adam Sandler: Love You [JS] (2014)
8. Lenny Cooke (2013)
9. Goldman v Silverman (2020)
10. The Pleasure of Being Robbed [JS] (2008)

Joachim Trier (1974-)
1. Sentimental Value (2025)
2. The Worst Person in the World (2021)
3. Oslo, August 31st (2011)
4. Reprise (2006)
5. Thelma (2017)
6. Louder than Bombs (2015)
7. Procter (2002)
8. The Other Munch [with Emil Trier] (2018)
9. Pietà (2000)
10. Still (2001)

I'll send the last batch of ten to lew.

[Dubrow555]

Hope you don't mind....but a few proposed updates as well:

Paul Thomas Anderson
1. There Will Be Blood (2007)
2. Boogie Nights (1997)
3. Magnolia (1999)
4. One Battle After Another (2025)
5. Phantom Thread (2017)
6. The Master (2012)
7. Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
8. Licorice Pizza (2021)
9. Inherent Vice (2014)
10. Hard Eight (1996)

Darren Aronofsky
1. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
2. Black Swan (2010)
3. The Wrestler (2008)
4. Pi (1998)
5. The Whale (2022)
6. Caught Stealing (2025)
7. The Fountain (2006)
8. mother! (2017)
9. Noah (2014)
10. Postcard from Earth (2023)

Kathryn Bigelow
1. The Hurt Locker (2008)
2. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
3. Near Dark (1987)
4. Point Break (1991)
5. Strange Days (1995)
6. Detroit (2017)
7. A House of Dynamite (2025)
8. The Loveless [with Monty Montgomery] (1981)
9. Blue Steel (1990)
10. K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)

Bong Joon-Ho
1. Parasite (2019)
2. Memories of Murder (2003)
3. The Host (2006)
4. Mother (2009)
5. Snowpiercer (2013)
6. Okja (2017)
7. Mickey 17 (2025)
8. Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000)
9. Incoherence (1994)
10. Influenza (2004)

Danny Boyle​​​​​​​
1. Trainspotting (1996)
2. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
3. 28 Days Later (2002)
4. 127 Hours (2010)
5. Shallow Grave (1994)
6. Sunshine (2007)
7. 28 Years Later (2025)
8. Steve Jobs (2015)
9. Yesterday (2019)
10. T2 Trainspotting (2017)

James Cameron
1. The Terminator (1984)
2. Titanic (1997)
3. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
4. Avatar (2009)
5. Aliens (1986)
6. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
7. The Abyss (1989)
8. Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025)
9. True Lies (1994)
10. Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)

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. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025)
7. Poker Face (2023-)
8. Brick (2005)
9. Fifty-One [Breaking Bad episode] (2012)
10. Fly [Breaking Bad episode] (2010)

Kiyoshi Kurosawa
1. Cure (1997)
2. Pulse (2001)
3. Tokyo Sonata (2008)
4. Bright Future (2002)
5. Cloud (2024)
6. Wife of a Spy (2020)
7. To the Ends of the Earth (2019)
8. Creepy (2016)
9. Charisma (1999)
10. Chime (2024)

Yorgos Lanthimos
1. Poor Things (2023)
2. The Favourite (2018)
3. Dogtooth (2009)
4. The Lobster (2015)
5. Bugonia (2025)

Francis Lawrence
1. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
2. I Am Legend (2007)
3. Lady Gaga: Bad Romance (2009)
4. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014)
5. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015)
6. The Long Walk (2025)
7. Constantine (2005)
8. Jennifer Lopez: Waiting for Tonight (1999)
9. Justin Timberlake: Cry Me a River (2002)
10. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbird & Snakes (2022)

Jafar Panahi
1. It Was Just an Accident (2025)
2. Taxi (2015)
3. The White Balloon (1995)
4. The Circle (2000)
5. This Is Not a Film [with Mojtaba Mirtahmasb] (2011)
6. Crimson Gold (2003)
7. Offside (2006)
8. The Mirror (1997)
9. No Bears (2022)
10. 3 Faces (2018)

Park Chan-Wook
1. Oldboy (2003)
2. The Handmaiden (2016)
3. Decision to Leave (2022)
4. No Other Choice (2025)
5. Lady Vengeance (2005)
6. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
7. J.S.A.: Joint Security Area (2000)
8. Thirst (2009)
9. The Little Drummer Girl (2018)
10. I'm a Cyborg, but That's OK (2006)

Kelly Reichardt
1. First Cow (2019)
2. Wendy and Lucy (2008)
3. Meek's Cutoff (2010)
4. Old Joy (2006)
5. Certain Women (2016)
6. The Mastermind (2025)
7. Showing Up (2022)
8. River of Grass (1994)
9. Night Moves (2013)
10. Ode (1999)

Guillermo del Toro
1. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
2. The Shape of Water (2017)
3. Frankenstein (2025)
4. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio [with Mark Gustafson] (2022)
5. The Devil's Backbone (2001)
6. Pacific Rim (2013)
7. Hellboy (2004)
8. Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
9. Nightmare Alley (2021)
10. Blade II (2002)


AND FINALLY, a proposed new list:

Gareth Edwards
1. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
2. Godzilla (2014)
3. The Creator
4. Jurassic Park Rebirth
5. Monsters


I'm very meh if new Baumbach, Guadagnino, Jarmusch, Linklater, Soderbergh, Spike Lee, or Greengrass movies should make their respective lists. Also, I'm pretty on board with Man's previous comment about moving "Sinners" up for R. Coogler

[ManPerson]

I think we should finish the 2025 list first, though those all look pretty reasonable.

[pauldrach]

Hope you don't mind....but a few proposed updates as well:

I'd actually even like to wait till we have wrapped up 2026 before a (kind of) final word on the ranks of 2025 films. Of course, it is possible to update these lists all the time but that's work, and more time-consuming than what my limited resources in that area allow me to do.

[pauldrach]

Also, Gareth Edwards was among the ten names I had scheduled for the next batch so I'll look at him soon.

[pauldrach]

Ten new lists:

Bruno Dumont (1958-)
1. L'humanité (1999)
2. The Life of Jesus (1997)
3. Twentynine Palms (2003)
4. Li'l Quinquin (2014)
5. Camille Claudel 1915 (2013)
6. Flanders (2006)
7. Hadewijch (2009)
8. France (2021)
9. Slack Bay (2016)
10. Outside Satan (2011)

Gareth Edwards (1975-)
1. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
2. Godzilla (2014)
3. The Creator (2023)
4. Monsters (2010)
5. Jurassic World Rebirth (2025)

Meaning Dubrow and I disagree only in our ranking of "Monsters".

Alfred E. Green (1889-1960)
1. Baby Face (1933)
2. The Jolson Story (1946)
3. Little Lord Fauntleroy [with Jack Pickford] (1921)
4. Ella Cinders (1926)
5. Disraeli (1929)
6. Dangerous (1935)
7. Smart Money (1931)
8. Through the Back Door [with Jack Pickford] (1921)
9. The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)
10. Back Home and Broke (1922)

Alain Guiraudie (1964-)
1. Stranger by the Lake (2013)
2. Misericordia (2024)
3. Staying Vertical (2016)
4. Nobody's Hero (2022)
5. The King of Escape (2009)
6. That Old Dream That Moves (2001)
7. No Rest for the Brave (2003)
8. Sunshine for the Poor (2001)
9. Time Has Come (2005)
10. Heroes Never Die (1990)

Ken Jacobs (1933-2025)
1. Star Spangled to Death (2004)
2. Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son (1969)
3. Little Stabs at Happiness (1960)
4. Blonde Cobra (1963)
5. Capitalism: Child Labor (2006)
6. Perfect Film (1986)
7. Capitalism: Slavery (2007)
8. Orchard Street (1955)
9. The Sky Socialist (1968)
10. Window (1964)

Christopher McQuarrie (1968-)
1. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
2. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
3. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
4. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025)
5. Jack Reacher (2012)

Kira Muratova (1934-2018)
1. The Asthenic Syndrome (1989)
2. The Long Farewell (1971)
3. Brief Encounters (1967)
4. Getting to Know the Big, Wide World (1978)
5. The Tuner (2004)
6. Three Stories (1997)
7. Chekhov's Motifs (2002)
8. Melody for a Street Organ (2009)
9. Eternal Homecoming (2012)
10. Passions (1994)

Ladislas Starevich (1882-1965)
1. The Cameraman's Revenge (1912)
2. The Tale of the Fox [with Irene Starevich] (1937)
3. The Beautiful Leukanida (1912)
4. The Insects' Christmas (1913)
5. The Mascot (1933)
6. The Frogs Who Wanted a King (1922)
7. The Voice of the Nightingale (1923)
8. The Night Before Christmas (1913)
9. The Grasshopper and the Ant (1913)
10. The Lily of Belgium (1915)

Wayne Wang (1949-)
1. Smoke (1995)
2. The Joy Luck Club (1993)
3. Chan Is Missing (1982)
4. Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart (1985)
5. Chinese Box (1997)
6. A Thousand Years of Good Prayers (2007)
7. Maid in Manhattan (2002)
8. Coming Home Again (2019)
9. Last Holiday (2006)
10. Life Is Cheap... but Toilet Paper Is Expensive (1989)

James Williamson (1855-1933)
1. The Big Swallow (1901)
2. Fire! (1901)
3. Attack on a China Mission (1900)
4. The Little Match Seller (1902)
5. An Interesting Story (1904)
6. Stop Thief! (1901)
7. Our New Errand Boy (1905)
8. Flying the Foam and Some Fancy Diving (1906)
9. The Clown Barber (1898)
10. The Magic Extinguisher (1901)

[pauldrach]

Re: Edwards

"Monsters" is Edwards' highest ranked film on TSPDT and also seems to be his most acclaimed film among cinephiles after "Rogue One" and possible tied with "The Creator". It's quite obviously his weakest in popularity but was a surprise success and immediately made Edwards sought after by the big studios. I would definitely have it above JW:Rebirth and still see it just ahead of "The Creator" but might be convinced otherwise.

[pauldrach]

Also sent the Affleck-Trier bunch to lew.

[ManPerson]

Re: Edwards

"Monsters" is Edwards' highest ranked film on TSPDT and also seems to be his most acclaimed film among cinephiles after "Rogue One" and possible tied with "The Creator". It's quite obviously his weakest in popularity but was a surprise success and immediately made Edwards sought after by the big studios. I would definitely have it above JW:Rebirth and still see it just ahead of "The Creator" but might be convinced otherwise.

The Creator definitely seems to have a clear edge in audience acclaim over Monsters fwiw, but I could be convinced that Monsters' win in critical acclaim and influence is decisive enough to take the matchup anyway.

[pauldrach]

Moved The Creator ahead of Monsters now as a sort of compromise.

[pauldrach]

Ten new lists:

J. A. Bayona (1975-)
1. Society of the Snow (2023)
2. The Orphanage (2007)
3. The Impossible (2012)
4. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
5. A Monster Calls (2016)

Shirley Clarke (1919-1997)
1. Portrait of Jason (1967)
2. The Connection (1961)
3. The Cool World (1963)
4. Ornette: Made in America (1985)
5. Bridges-Go-Round (1958)
6. Skyscraper (1959)
7. Robert Frost: A Lover's Quarrel with the World (1963)
8. Dance in the Sun (1953)
9. A Moment in Love (1956)
10. In Paris Parks (1954)

George Fitzmaurice (1885-1940)
1. The Son of the Sheik (1926)
2. Mata Hari (1931)
3. The Dark Angel (1925)
4. Lilac Time (1928)
5. The Devil to Pay! (1930)
6. Raffles (1930)
7. The Barker (1928)
8. As You Desire Me (1932)
9. The Cheat (1923)
10. To Have and to Hold (1922)

Radu Jude (1977-)
1. Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (2023)
2. Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (2021)
3. Aferim! (2015)
4. Kontinental '25 (2025)
5. I Do Not Care if We Go Down in History as Barbarians (2018)
6. Everybody in Our Family (2012)
7. Dracula (2025)
8. Scarred Hearts (2016)
9. The Happiest Girl in the World (2009)
10. Lampa cu căciulă (2006)

Shane Meadows (1972-)
1. This Is England (2006)
2. Dead Man's Shoes (2004)
3. This Is England '86 [with Tom Harper] (2010)
4. This Is England '88 (2011)
5. This Is England '90 (2015)
6. The Virtues (2019)
7. A Room for Romeo Brass (1999)
8. Somers Town (2008)
9. TwentyFourSeven (1997)
10. The Stone Roses: Made of Stone (2013)

Kleber Mendonça Filho (1968-)
1. The Secret Agent (2025)
2. Bacurau [with Juliano Dornelles] (2019)
3. Aquarius (2016)
4. Neighboring Sounds (2012)
5. Pictures of Ghosts (2023)

Ruben Östlund (1974-)
1. Triangle of Sadness (2022)
2. Force Majeure (2014)
3. The Square (2017)
4. Play (2011)
5. Involuntary (2008)

William A. Seiter (1890-1964)
1. Sons of the Desert (1933)
2. Roberta (1935)
3. You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
4. Room Service (1938)
5. If You Could Only Cook (1935)
6. Allegheny Uprising (1938)
7. One Touch of Venus (1948)
8. The Beautiful and Damned (1922)
9. The Richest Girl in the World (1934)
10. A Lady Takes a Chance (1943)

Vincent Sherman (1906-2006)
1. Mr. Skeffington (1944)
2. Old Acquaintance (1943)
3. Affair in Trinidad (1952)
4. Adventures of Don Juan (1948)
5. All Through the Night (1942)
6. The Young Philadelphians (1959)
7. The Damned Don't Cry (1950)
8. The Hard Way (1943)
9. Nora Prentiss (1947)
10. The Hasty Heart (1949)

Sylvester Stallone (1946-)
1. Rocky II (1979)
2. Rocky IV (1985)
3. Rocky Balboa (2006)
4. Rocky III (1982)
5. The Expendables (2010)

I'll send the previous group to lew.