Wes Anderson isn’t for everyone, but he’s one of my favorite directors working today. His style and sensibilities just work so well for me. The colors, the framing, the eccentric writing, it all makes for such fun and engaging films. A director with style like that is always going to stand out, and for me, it makes Anderson stand out above the rest.
Of course, he’s not the only one. There are plenty of directors who make me want to watch anything they do. It could be “untitled (director name here) film,” and I would be ready to purchase my ticket then and there. It was difficult to take this list down to five, as there are so many good and deserving directors who have my interest and attention.
Directors I Will Watch Everything From
Honorable Mentions: Paul Thomas Anderson, Christopher Nolan (the right but lazy take), Martin Scorsese (another right but lazy take), David Fincher, Bong Joon-Ho, Richard Linklater, Christopher McQuarrie, Danny Boyle, Edgar Wright, Mike Flanagan, and Chloe Zhao.
5. Jordan Peele
Jordan Peele has a very short filmography, but he has yet to miss. He’s perfect from the field, and his movies are absolutely incredible. They’re layered, deep, nuanced, and engaging. They’re entertaining, but they also give the audience so much to chew on, and they are always dripping with subtext. Whatever he does next will surely be a huge success.
4. Denis Villeneuve
Denis Villeneuve is not a perfect filmmaker (Enemy really hurts him here), but he’s pretty close to it. The Dune movies, Sicario, Arrival, and Prisoners would all probably be another filmmaker’s best movie, and he’s made all of them. That doesn’t even mention Blade Runner: 2049, which film nerds absolutely adore. He knows the sci-fi genre better than anyone, but he’s also more than capable of doing other things.
3. Greta Gerwig
Greta Gerwig, like Jordan Peele, doesn’t have that many movies, but she has pretty much hit on every single one. Her worst movie is probably Ladybird, and it’s still an easy 4.5/5. Barbie and Little Women are pretty much excellent masterpieces, too. She doesn’t have a distinct style, but you can generally tell when she’s worked on a movie. I’m really excited to see what she does with Narnia for Netflix.
2. Ryan Coogler
Ryan Coogler has five movies, and they’re all excellent. Not one of his films has been worse than a 4/5. He even survived being placed into the MCU machine, because both Black Panther and Wakanda Forever are quite good. Fruitvale Station is an amazing debut, and Creed is great, too, but his magnum opus is Sinners. It is difficult to envision him doing anything better, but I will happily see what he’s got in his next attempt.
1. Wes Anderson
As mentioned, Wes Anderson takes the top spot here. He’s one of the most distinct directors working today; you’d never mistake his movies for anyone else’s, and you’ll always know if he made a movie. He’s able to get unique performances out of every actor he works with, and the style, color, writing, and framing are all so good. I have not seen Bottle Rocket, but I’ve seen everything else, and not one of his 10 feature-length films is worse than a 3.5/5.
Conclusion
Directors are so important to a movie. They may not be on-screen, making any visible impact on what you see, but they do control pretty much everything. A director is responsible for making it all come together, and that includes sometimes getting a certain performance out of a certain actor. Fortunately, there are so many really good ones working today.
