Best Director?

Question

I would say Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain.)
Who do you think?

Answer 1

Aronofsky is a very good director. "Best" though, is particularly difficult with directors, because film is such a wide and varied medium that it's impossible to compare the work of all the great artists in the field.

Some other great directors:
Scorsese is a great director, though I wish he would add a few more colors to his artistic palette.
Spielberg is a great director, though I wish he would show a little more subtlety and restraint sometimes--his audience can be trusted to "get it" without being hit over the head.
Clint Eastwood is very good with casting. He chooses great actors, leaves them alone, puts great storytelling and technical people around them and gets great performances every time.
Alfonso Cuaron is a director with a wide range: children's films, the best of the Harry Potter series, "Children of Men" "Y tu mama tambien" etc. The man directs films in two different languages in all styles and they are all really good. No "duds" in his resume! (Can Spielberg say that?)

There are a lot of other directors' whose work I really like (Nair, Almodovar), and a lot of people who are just beginning to direct (Anand Tucker) who are doing great things, too. I loved "Good Night and Good Luck"--who knew George Clooney could make such a little gem of a movie?

It's a good thing we get to have directing awards every year, so we get multiple chances to reward all the great work people are doing!

Answer 2

Martin Scorsese - To name a few:

The Departed (2006)
The Aviator (2004)
Gangs of New York (2002)
Casino (1995)
Cape Fear (1991)
Goodfellas (1990)
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
The Color of Money (1986)
The King of Comedy (1983)
Raging Bull (1980)
The Last Waltz (1978)
Taxi Driver (1976)

Answer 3

My choice would be Alfred Hitchcock. I think that overall he had more great movies than anyone. Sure he had a few stinkers (Torn Curtain comes to mind) but look at all of the good ones:

Vertigo
Rear Window
Psycho
Shadow of a Doubt
The Birds
Strangers on a Train
Dial M for Murder
Notorious
Spellbound
Lifeboat
Saboteur
Suspicion
The Lady Vanishes
The Man Who Knew Too Much (2 versions!)
The 39 Steps

And many more. All of them good, some better than others. I don't think there are too many other directors out there with that kind of body of work. Hitchcock, The Master! :-)

Answer 4

I couldn't possibly pick a "best" director, but here are my favorites.

1. Ridley Scott

2. Martin Scorsese

3. Stanley Kubrick

4. David Lean

And, yes, I agree with everyone who said Spielberg and Ron Howard.

Answer 5

Michael Mann, I think is his name. Directed Miami Vice television series then went on to direct The Insider, an incredible adaptation, in many scenes precisely as it happened, Al Pacino, Russell Crowe and Christopher Plummer, about the tobacco industry expose by Sixty Minutes.

Answer 6

Steven Spielberg for Munich

Answer 7

Steven Spielberg.

Answer 8

I would list M Night Shyamalan but after seeing "Lady in the water" Im not too sure, he seems to be going downhill rapidly.

I really love Guillermo Del Toro (Hellboy, Pan's labyrinth etc).

Answer 9

William Wyler.

Answer 10

Martin Scorsese or Oliver Stone