At least I’m not alone …
Two thumbs down, one for each of your two eyes?
I don’t really have that many favourite directors. I think as soon as you pick one, they disappoint you, cause they all do not only come up with top class flicks.
I’m a fan of movies and not of directors.
So many directors have their so called best period where they made alot of good films, and then just sort of fizzle out a little. Think some burn themselves out…John Carpenter springs to mind here. Others become fat and lazy. Some seem to run out of ideas.
Some die too early… some too late…
So true.
I watch every flick by Tarantino, I sort of lke his flicks, I love some of them, but I wouldn’t say he’s one of my favourite directors. Apparently I really don’t have any…
No, my eyes are wide open and apparently they see more clearly than others … 
Not me…
I am the same way here. I recognize a good director and keep an eye out for their work, but there are not really any I can think of that have made all good films, and all have made some really horrible ones.
Aute spoke for me there.
- Jean-Pierre Melville
- Sergio Leone
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Wong Kar-Wai
- Jean-Luc Godard
- Billy Wilder
- Johnnie To
- John Huston
- Orson Welles
- Quentine Tarantino
In no order
Sergio Leone
Chang Cheh
Umberto Lenzi
Sergio Corbucci
Sergio Martino
Walter Hill
Clint Eastwood
Ho Meng Hua
Lucio Fulci
Enzo G Castellari
Have you seen Lifeline?
Nope, I’m guessing it’s either really good or really bad by the way you ask. 
[quote=“The Gringo, post:155, topic:2038”]Nope, I’m guessing it’s either really good or really bad by the way you ask. :P[/quote]Great film, the first half is so so but the last 40 minutes or so is incredible.
[quote=“The Gringo, post:152, topic:2038”]1. Jean-Pierre Melville
2. Sergio Leone
3. Alfred Hitchcock
4. Wong Kar-Wai
5. Jean-Luc Godard
6. Billy Wilder
7. Johnnie To
8. John Huston
9. Orson Welles
10. Quentine Tarantino[/quote]
You have a pretty electric list here. I’ve seen at least one film from every director except Johnnie To, Wong Kar-Wai and Jean-Pierre Melville (but I’ll soon be seeing a film by him). I wouldn’t have put Welles or Huston so low, however.
I’m surprised that a student of the cinema like yourself hasn’t seen a Jean-Pierre Melville film, up to this point!
Glad to see you are about to remedy that situation.
What Melville film do you plan to watch?
Might I suggest LE SAMOURAI?
Johnnie To has directed somewhere around 50 films since about 1980. Not all of them are classics, of course.
But, he has turned out some truly brilliant bits of cinema and is one of the greatest directors working in the world, today (in my opinion).
Personally, I see him as somewhat of a modern-day Melville.
And with a forum name like John Welles—it is no surprise that you would rank Welles and Huston higher! ha ha!
But, again…we are talking about “favorites” here. I didn’t even list Welles or Huston among my favorite directors even though I do like TOUCH OF EVIL, THE MALTESE FALCON, and TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE a great deal.
I second Le samourai.
IMO Johnnie To is the best active HK director atm, and he has made some of my favourite asian films ever, The Mission, Election 1 & 2, Exiled and Sparrow. 
You should also check out Wong Kar-Wai, I recommend Chungking Express and As Tears Go By.
I’m the odd man out again. It’s almost comical. I’ve noticed (not only here) the great adulation for Le Samouri but the film didn’t do anything for me, except give me a chance to watch Alain Delon be cool. But I am going to watch it again. I think something subtle must have slipped past me for some reason.
But I love many other Meliville films. I especially recommend:
Le Doulos - an exceptional noir
Army of Shadows (L’armée des ombres) - hard core, a very powerful film about the French resistance during world war II
Le Cercle Rouge - famous for the lengthy tense robbery sequence at the end of the film, but for me the first two thirds of this crime film might be the absolute best work Melville did. Spaghetti Western favorite Gian Maria Volonte will please everyone on this board with his kick ass performance. Delon delivers the goods also. Highly recommended to someone new to Melville’s movies.
PS. Word has it a remake of Cercle Rouge is about to begin. God I hope not. Why do they keep ruining these wonderful tension filled movies by remaking them with constant explosions and fights, reducing them to nothing but special effect exhibitions? I HATE CGI. I’d rather see a real model someone made than a cartoon drawn on a computer. Seperate topic though.