Best film director

[Jason Murphy]

Malick's a better filmmaker than both Spielberg and Ken Loach. I think it's very fair to say that it's clear from his films and his other work that Malick's thought more deeply and seriously about film form and syntax, and aesthetics in general than both of them. Which is not to say that they haven't thought about it - both Spielberg and Loach have made fine films, and both are talented, but Malick's of a different order altogether. One of the few working filmmakers who could feasibly lay claim to being visionary.

Put another way, I think Badlands, Days of Heaven and Thin Red Line are all better films than anything either Spielberg and Loach have made. Which again is not to say their films are all bad, or aren't works of art (far from it). Just that Malick has them outgunned by far.

Incidentally, I've never seen realism or verisimilitude as being remotely what Malick is interested in. He's much more interested in exploring the world in a transcendent, visionary, poetic way, more akin to some of the concerns of Emerson or Whitman than anything like "kitchen sink" realism.

 

[scott william]

Malick is pretentious, overdrawn and boring.

Just kidding! I like his films 'day’s of heaven' was a revelation.

Spielberg has grossed over One Billion $

 

[scott william]

The best thing Malick has done was produce David Gordon Green's undertow!


KEN LOACH's AWARDS

1. Venice Film Festival (2007) Best Screenplay - "It's a Free World..."
2. Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or (2006) - "Wind That Shakes The Barley, The"
3. British Independent Film (1998) Best Film - "My Name is Joe"
4. British Independent Film (1998) Best British Director - "My Name is Joe"
5. British Independent Film Award (1998) Best Film - "My Name is Joe"
6. Cesar (1996) Best Foreign Film - "Land and Freedom"
7. Venice Film Festival Italian Senate's Gold Medal (1996) - "Carla's Song"
8. Cannes Film Festival International Critics Prize (1995) - "Land and Freedom"
9. Berlin Film Festival International Critics Prize (1994) - "Ladybird, Ladybird"
10. BAFTA (1993) Outstanding Contribution to Cinema
11. BAFTA Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding Contribution to Cinema (1993)
12. Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize (1993) - "Raining Stones"
13. Felix (1991) Best European Film - "Riff-Raff"
14. Cannes Film Festival International Critics' Award (1991) - "Riff-Raff"
15. Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize (1990) - "Hidden Agenda"
16. Festival dei Popoli Gold Medal (1984) - "Which Side Are You On?"
17. Cannes Film Festival Prix du Cinema Contemporain au Festival International du Film (long metrage) (1981) - "Looks and Smiles"
18. Cannes Film Festival International Critics Prize (1979) - "Black Jack"
19. Berlin Film Festival International Critics Prize (1972) - "Family Life"
20. British TV Guild Award (1965) Director of the Year - "The Coming Out Party"
21. Italia Festival Prize (1965) - "Cathy Come Home"
22. British TV Guild (1965) Director of the Year - "The Coming Out Party"

 

[Sanjin Jukic]

Malick is a guy that obviously have something to say and show with his movies.

Spielberg is a guy that obviously sells a "pop corn" pretty successful because he is working hard

on his movies "ingredients and recipes" because he always wants to have a consumer product at first,

second he adds some of artistic flavors to it just to roll that product even better on the market.

An artist, a manipulator, a businessman, ... = Steven Spielberg.

An artist, a visionary, a philosopher, ... = Terrence Malick.

 

[Craig W. Bickerstaff]

Malick is a guy that obviously have something to say and show with his movies.

Spielberg is a guy that obviously sells a "pop corn" pretty successful because he is working hard

on his movies "ingredients and recipes" because he always wants to have a consumer product at first,

second he adds some of artistic flavors to it just to roll that product even better on the market.

An artist, a manipulator, a businessman, ... = Steven Spielberg.

An artist, a visionary, a philosopher, ... = Terrence Malick.

Oh cut the elitist crap, if Spielberg's movies didn't have powerful underlying messages they wouldn't be as memorable as they are.

 

[Sanjin Jukic]

Oh cut the elitist crap, if Spielberg's movies didn't have powerful underlying messages they wouldn't be as memorable as they are.

Please, show us some of those "powerful underlying messages"...

 

[Roberto B]

Back to the real world>>>

Somehow there is a guy that claims himself

that he is the best living movie director today at this Spring 2009:

LARS VON TRIER>>>Cannes "Antichrist" Press Conference>>>

The BEST DIRECTOR

he is.

 

[Tom Lowe]

The best thing Malick has done was produce David Gordon Green's undertow!

:furious3: :mad5::smilielol5::emote_head_explode::gun::cuss:

 

[Tom Lowe]

Spielberg is a guy that obviously sells a "pop corn" pretty successful because he is working hard

:smilielol5:

 

[hans de vries]

I'm outta here. Not that anyone will miss me

 

[Emanuel A.]

From those already referred, 2/3rds of them are effectively great ones along the classic masters Mr. Ford, A. Hitchcock, Welles without forgetting Murnau, Lang and so on. De Sica (...), Rossellini, the father of all modern cinema (not exactly contemporary , Visconti, Fellini, Kieślowski, Tarkovsky, Bergman and yes LVT or Wong Kar Wai have a single and unique place. Nuri Ceylan is very promising, my youngest favorite. And Antonioni...well, are there any words? Aside this question with no detailed answer, he is bigger than cinema IMHO.

 

[Yousuf Abbasi]

I'm outta here. Not that anyone will miss me

I'll miss you :emote_hanged:

 

[hans de vries]

okay I'm back. what about the iranians?!! one of my favourite scenes: a girl with a headscarf racing on a bicycle, several old men half naked on horses trying to convince her that it is inappropriate; I forgot the name of the director, she is a young woman. Oh and another one, from the film Kandahar: several men with only one leg racing toward a dropping of artificial legs on parachutes, dropped by a medical team from an aircraft! These scenes, my friends, can hardly be matched

 

[Emanuel A.]

You're fully right. Abbas Kiarostami hadn't been mentioned yet. He is the best contemporary specimen of poetry in a realistic cinema, unique in its genre (don't mix up with poetic realism) and a master for any generation. His work will prevail and be older than any list. Probably more author than (just) director.

If LVT placed RED in the middle of the aesthetics map (space) of its age (time), I can't imagine what Kiarostami might bring to here. Or can I?

Ceylan would be my other choice. Jim, you need to know these fellows.

 

[hans de vries]

I think it's his daughter who made the film with the bicycle scene I mentioned. And there is also Makhmalbaf.

 

[Emanuel A.]

I love the cinema from that region of the world.

Here's from Ceylan official website -- BTW, he's photographer as his elder sister [ LINK to Emine Ceylan's work ] too:

TURKEY CINEMASCOPE [ LINK ]

From that series...

 

[hans de vries]

the spielberg people have been awfully quiet for a while; would they know that Iran is not just a place to be bombed? :001_smileor am I being too naughty now?)

 

[Ace]

Heres a question to throw into the mix...

Women directors.. Any that step up?

 

[hans de vries]

uhmm, didn't she make Marie Antoinette? That was certainly a film a man would have made differently, so that is, as far as I'm concerned, definitely a contribution. And only recently have the Dutch begun making Dutch films that really attract international attention (I don't consider a movie like Robocop a Dutch movie despite the fact it was directed and dominated by Paul Verhoeven), and they are made by women. But it is peculiar that most directors so far have been men. Old boys networks?

 

[Ace]

Well i mentioned her specifically because of one of my favorite films, Lost in Translation..

Marie Antoinette? Not so much..