Favorite director?

[Hector]

Tarantino

Have you seen The Hateful Eight yet?

Friggin awesome flick...

[RickD]

Michael Mann is one of them

Directed two of my favorite movies:

Last of the Mohicans and Heat

[Iron Mego]

The Big Guys:

--David Lynch
--Scorsese
--Kubrick
--Polanski

My Generation:

--Wes Anderson
--Quentin Tarantino

[Mikey]

Have you seen The Hateful Eight yet?

Friggin awesome flick...

Not yet -- not till it comes on video.

Surprised nobody mentioned John Ford, Hitchcock and Billy Wilder

[thunderbolt]

Not yet -- not till it comes on video.

Surprised nobody mentioned John Ford, Hitchcock and Billy Wilder

I was just going to mention Wilder, along with William Castle. Castle was the master of the b-movie and great at working audiences and gimmicks.

[enyawd72]

I'd have to say Mel Brooks. I love all his stuff, but Young Frankenstein is the funniest movie ever made IMO. No matter how many times I've seen it I still LMAO.

[Gorn Captain]

How could I forget Carpenter?!?!?!

But like so many, he had a golden period that was a while ago.

Oh, yeah, how could I not have him on that list?
Escape, The Fog, Halloween, The Thing. Yeah, put him in the top three, maybe even on number one.
In more recent interviews, he said he's having a hard time actually getting a movie financed. Which is a real shame. And he's not in the best of health anymore.

[Hedji]

Thing is, you can tell a John Carpenter film immediately. The score, the cinematography... it's got that atmosphere and texture. Love his stuff. And unlike, say, Spielberg, he never abandoned the genre. The man stayed the course of fantasy, scifi, and horror. (except for Elvis and Taking of Pelham, but those were early in his career).

[Mongoose1983]

Stanley Kubrick and Sydney Pollack.

[PNGwynne]

At opposite ends of the spectrum, del Toro and Wilder.

I like a lot of Burton, but he's uneven and self-indulgent.

[fallensaviour]

In no particular order;
Sam Pekinpah
Tarantino
Joss whedon
Del toro
Jackson
Carpenter
Eastwood
Miller
George Romero
Sam Raimi
Kurt Russell because we all know he really directed Tombstone!!!

[J.B.]

Quentin Tarantino and David Lynch

[Gorn Captain]

Nobody mentioned Michael Bay...

[Gorn Captain]

Thing is, you can tell a John Carpenter film immediately. The score, the cinematography... it's got that atmosphere and texture. Love his stuff. And unlike, say, Spielberg, he never abandoned the genre. The man stayed the course of fantasy, scifi, and horror. (except for Elvis and Taking of Pelham, but those were early in his career).

Carpenter is, to me, the only guy who never sold out. A guy who can make a movie with a tiny budget. Always interesting. The only time he went a little "Hollywood" (Escape from LA, for example), it showed that he wasn't himself, that he didn't feel comfortable. He's a rebel. Studios should just give him 20 million and say "John, let us know when the movie is finished". He'll always deliver on time, and make a profit. And it will be a cool, little movie.

[Donkey Hoatie]

Man, this is such a tough question. I think about some of the movies I enjoy and wonder if I enjoy them because of the story, the acting, or the direction.

On the one hand, some times a director is recognized for a certain style (Wes Anderson, etc.). But, is the director's style more important in making a good film, or should he/she adjust the style to better reflect the content.

For me, I think I'd have to say the following have made movies that look great and consistently surprise and delight me:

Spielberg - I think he does the best job of adjusting his style to fit the story.
The Coen Brothers
Clint Eastwood
David Fincher
Rob Reiner - While I don't think from a technical standpoint, he's the best, boy has he made some of the movies I enjoy immensely (Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, This is Spinal Tap, etc.).