This is a list of visionaries, artists, and leaders of creative thinking. These directors helped shape the movie industry, making it into what it is today. And we present you their greatest works.
(P.S: The movie for each director was chosen based on Rotten Tomatoes ratings)
Wes Anderson – Moonrise Kingdom
Most directors on this list are instantly recognizable. that is not the case with Wes Anderson. It takes a couple of minutes for people who don’t watch his movies to recognize the name. His movies are generally quick-witted, fast paced, and very unconventional. And his talents are utilized the best in Moonrise Kingdom, a lover story/adventure movie.
Bong Joon-ho – Snowpiercer
This movie took us all by surprise. In an age where blockbuster movies of a formulaic plot made the norm, this South Korean director dared to dream otherwise. And the result was Parasite, a movie so visceral and intense that it kept us on the edges of our seats from start to finish.
Guillermo Del Toro – Pan’s Labyrinth
Pan’s Labyrinth shows what Del Toro does best – visual artistry at its best. The movie is so beautifully shot and each character is so amazingly crafted that we have no words. Del Toro is a fan of colors and creatures. He spares no expense in telling the world just that though this masterpiece of a movie.
Guy Ritchie – Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels
Guy Ritchie is clearly not interested in making blockbusters. All he wants is his works to have a unique identity. Guy Ritchie movies come with incredible dialogues and sound effects along with a sense of Americana. Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels also gives us another gem – Jason Statham cracking hilarious jokes.
Alejandro González Iñárritu – Birdman
Alejandro González Iñárritu’s works take into account two sides of human life. Human suffering is shown at its best and how humanity manages to triumph, rising above that suffering is also shown on screen. Iñárritu’s movies like Birdman and The Revenant tell us how everyone is flawed and that’s what makes us stronger.
Taika Waititi -What We Do In The Shadows
Waititi has a lot of range as a director. he can make mockumentary style movies like What We Do In The Shadows. He can also do superhero movies – Thor: Ragnarok. We chose the former because it was Waititi’s first ever attempt at doing everything. He was half the writing team. he directed and starred in this movie. The comic timing and dialogue delivery is absolute gold.
Stanley Kubrick – Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Kubrick is known for his anti war movies. And boy does he do it in style. Dr. Strangelove is the perfect example of how white collared bureaucrats will one day doom this world under the guise of nuclear diplomacy. And there’s nothing we could do about it.
Alfred Hitchcock – North By Northwest
Some may say it was Psycho. But we believe Hitchcock’s greatest work is North By Northwest. This movie helped kickstart the espionage thriller genre. And it also helped turn Directors into major driving forces of creativity in the film industry. It’s been nearly 60 years and this movie still entertains the hell out of us all.
Quentin Tarantino – Pulp Fiction
Tarantino loves ultra violent stories that are full of interesting characters and plot twists and turns. The camera action and screenplays in Tarantino movies are also stellar. Pulp Fiction was a true Tarantino movie. It was this movie that inspired tarantino to stick to this genre and give us Kill Bill and Django Unchained.
Steven Spielberg – E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
It’s been said that Spielberg decides if he wants to direct a movie a mere split second after he reads the script. E.T. was Spielberg’s first major experiment after Jaws. After showing us the horrors of the deep waters, E.T. showed us a fantasy world of aliens that come from outer space.
Francis Ford Coppola – The Godfather
Many forget just how much of a milestone The Godfather was. Francis Ford Coppola‘s magnum opus used experimental filmmaking techniques, laying down the groundwork for the future of cinema. The Godfather remains the most influential movie of all time with good reason.
Martin Scorsese – Taxi Driver
This iconic film remains Scorsese’s greatest tale. Who knew Scorsese’s knack for storytelling was this legendary. Taxi driver took us to the dark underbelly of the underworld. And it did it with style and panache.
Ridley Scott – Blade Runner
Ridley Scott’s movies are extremely detailed and armed with killer characters and plotlines. Scott is gifted in would building and when you watch his movies, you feel like you have entered an entirely different world where anything is possible. Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner was the first true ‘Ridley Scott’ movie but it was definitely not the last of its kind.
Christopher Nolan – The Dark Knight
When Nolan said he would be making a Batman movie, the world laughed at him. Who’s laughing now? Even today, despite the roaring and raging success of the MCU, people still claim 2008’s The Dark Knight remains the undefeated king of the genre. Nobody would argue with that.
