Responses to this message:
Obviously, you have your Spielbergs, Scorseses, Manns, etc. out there who have been making great films for decades. But who is the best out there who still has many great films ahead of him/her?
2 would have to be the current sequel darlings, Richard Linlater and Sam Raimi. The Coens would go in there as well.
Wes Anderson and P.T. Anderson would likely be a few steps behind, but they could catch up with a few more great films each.
Tarantino would definitely be there, but it's tough to say with his long periods of inactivity. Some would say Jonze or Coppola, but they need a few more good films each to convince me. The same would go for Alexander Payne.
As I look at these directors, though, what surprises me is that Linklater really has to be considered at the head of the pack. A few years ago, I would easily have said that the Coens win, but they've gone way down after their last few films. Raimi has picked it up with the "Spider-Man" movies, but he had a few misfires.
Linklater, on the other hand, has made 9 films. 7 of these got great acclaim from critics. While this is a little inaccurate (based on less reviews for earlier films), rotten tomatoes has these 7 averaging an 88.7% fresh rating.
Linklater's other 2 films weren't exactly poorly received, either..."The Newton Boys" at 62% fresh and "SubUrbia" at 59% fresh. And the thing is that he just seems to be getting better with age. "School or Rock" and "Before Sunset" are arguably his best received movies ever.
And he basically helped create the new 'rotoscoping' technique for "Waking Life" that he's now using on "A Scanner Darkly," that I expect to innovate the way animated films are made in the future. And his Sunrise/Sunset/?? trilogy might just end up being the best trilogy ever.
And yet (probably b/c his films make no $$) he's still not widely acclaimed. I wonder if he will eventually get his repsect.
Responses to this message:
Post a response to this discussion thread
And check this out: The Top Posters' Page