15. Francis Ford Coppola
Films: The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Apocalypse Now, The Outsiders, The Godfather Part III
Francis Ford Coppola is responsible for what many people consider to be the greatest film of all time, The Godfather. He is also responsible for the sequels to the crime family film. Coppola has directed 32 films and has been a very flexible director over the years. His films range from gangster flicks (The Godfather), to war movies (Apocalypse Now), to monster movies (Dracula), to touching coming of age movies (Jack). Coppola has also been a very successful producer taking part in the production of American Graffiti, Jeepers Creepers, Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, The Good Shepherd, and the upcoming film adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s novel On the Road. Directing prowess may run in the family. Although she will not be included on the list, Coppola’s daughter, Sofia Coppola is a very good director herself. Sofia’s second feature film, Lost in Translation won 71 various awards, including one Oscar. She followed this movie up with a fairly interesting film in Marie Antoinette. Although Francis Ford Coppola isn’t primarily directing anymore, he is certainly lending his daughter a helping hand. We will have films directed by a Coppola for many years to come.
14. Danny Boyle
Films: Trainspotting, 28 Days Later…, Sunshine, Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours
Danny Boyle is one of seven directors to win the Golden Globe, Director’s Guild, BAFTA, and Oscar for the same film (Slumdog Millionaire). He has shown us disturbingly realistic view of the life of a drug addict (Trainspotting), he has shown us, in my opinion, the best zombie movie ever made (28 Days Later…), he has taken us to the sun (Sunshine), and he has shown us life in the slums of India (Slumdog Millionaire). His next film, 127 Hours, is one of my most anticipated films of the year. Boyle has flown under the radar for the most part. I look forward to seeing any films directed by Danny Boyle in the future. He clearly as a gift and he will continue to share that gift with us for many years to come.
13. Oliver Stone
Films: Platoon, Wall Street, The Doors, JFK, Natural Born Killers, Any Given Sunday, World Trade Center, W., Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Oliver Stone just keeps going. He has a knack for violence, but he is clearly not limited. He loves handling controversial topics and I applaud for that. Stone’s films cover controversies that range from the shooting of President John F. Kennedy, two glorified psychotic serial killers who become lovers and were victims of traumatic childhoods, greed, a man who many consider to be the worst president in the history of the US, war crimes, and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. I could watch any of Stone’s films and be entertained. Not all of his films are excellent, but they are all fairly good, and that is saying something since the man has directed 24 films. Stone also wrote the screenplay for the cult classic, Scarface. He has also signed on to produce the upcoming film Pablo Escobar, a chronicling of the life of the famed drug dealer and Medellin cartel boss.
12. Sergio Leone
Films: A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, Once Upon a Time in America
Sergio Leone is the man behind the “Spaghetti Westerns”. He directed my third all time favorite film, The Good the Bad and the Ugly. Leone formed what I consider to be the greatest ever director/composer relationship with classmate, Ennio Morricone. Leone made westerns extremely fun to watch and although he has passed away, we see a lot of his style in Quentin Tarantino’s films. Leone died in 1989 at the age of 60 and we missed out on everything he could have done with today’s technology. Leone was loyal to the actors in his films; he featured many of the people he worked with in 3 or more of his films. Before his death he planned on directing a re-make of the 1939 classic, Gone With the Wind, that would have stayed more true to the novel. Normally I would not condone a remake of a classic, but if anybody could have pulled it off, Sergio Leone would have been that person.
11. Paul Thomas Anderson
Films: Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love, There Will be Blood
It is quite the coincidence that the man who has the best chance of climbing this list and finding a spot in the top 5 is currently directing a film that will be released in 2011 titled, The Master. Paul Thomas Anderson just may be a master. He has been nominated for Academy Awards for 3 of his 5 films (Magnolia, Boogie Nights, and my favorite film of all time: There Will be Blood. He is only 40 years old and we will be seeing a lot from him in the future, though I feel he may end up being the Terrence Malick type and only release 1 film every 20 years... exaggeration of course. Anderson is a “Self-taught” filmmaker like Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh; he was not born into the film business. Anderson’s films deal with deep personality issues such as depression, dysfunctional family relationships, alienation, regret, loneliness, and greed. If you could gamble on the future success of directors like you gamble on the success of athletic programs or stocks, I would put a lot of money on PTA.
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