Most Accomplished ACTIVE Directors (2013 Edition)

2012 Rank: #50
2011 Rank: #46
2010 Rank: #48
2009 Rank: #28

a. The Usual Suspects (1995)
b. Apt Pupil (1998)
c. X-Men (2000
d. X2: X-Men United (2003)
e. Superman Returns (2006)
f. Valkyrie (2008)
h. Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)

With no terribly interesting upcoming projects and his last project being "Valkyrie" it's tough to place him any higher than last, but hey, he's still on the list!

2012 Rank: #48
2011 Rank: #44 (Debut)
2010 Rank: #13 on Future Directing Greats
2009 Rank: #39 on Future Directing Greats

a. Face/Off (1997)
b. Mission: Impossible II (2000)
c. Windtalkers (2002)
d. Paycheck (2003)
e. Red Cliff I (2008)
f. Red Cliff II (2009)
g. The Crossing (2014)
h. Love and Let Love (2015)

A man who used to make a film every year/every other year still has yet to release a movie since his epic Red Cliff

2012 Rank: #47
2011 Rank: #32
2010 Rank: #34
2009 Rank: #41

a. Tommy Boy (1995)
b. My Fellow Americans (1996)
c. Anger Management (2003)
d. 50 First Dates (2004)
e. Get Smart (2008)
f. Grudge Match (2013)

It's tough for comedy directors to have lasting careers and I'm still holding on to the belief Segal has another solid one on deck with "Grudge Match".

**

Debut

**
2012 Rank: #13 on 'Top Future Directing Greats'
2011 Rank: #19 on 'Top Future Directing Greats'
2010 Rank: #30 on 'Top Future Directing Greats'
2009 Rank: #24 on 'Top Future Directing Greats'

a. My Own Private Idaho (1991)
b. To Die For (1995)
c. Good Will Hunting (1997)
d. Finding Forrester (2000)
e. Elephant (2003)
f. Milk (2008)
g. Promised Land (2012)

Van Sant has been so back and forth with each film he makes, it may seem surprising it's taken me this long to put him on the list. I just needed to see one more quality movie and while Promised Land was nothing special it was certainly good enough.

2012 Rank: #49
2011 Rank: #49
2010 Rank: #50
2009 Rank: #48

a. The Hit (1984)
b. Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
c. The Grifters (1990)
d. Hero (1992)
e. High Fidelity (2000)
f. Dirty Pretty Things (2002)
g. Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005)
h. The Queen (2006)
i. Tamera Drewe (2010)
j. Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight (2013)
k. Philomena (2013)

I wouldn't consider any of his movies great but he is consistent and he has a hell of a career. Philomena looks like it could be his best movie in more than a decade...

2012 Rank: #43
2011 Rank: #48 (Debut)
2010 Rank: #18 on Future Directing Greats
2009 Rank: #37 on Future Directing Greats

a. El Mariachi (1992)
b. Desperado (1995)
c. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
d. Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)
e. Sin City (2005)
f. Planet Terror (2007)
g. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)

When Rodriguez, who only makes a good movie out of every three attempts, came on the list it was more because others' careers waned even more so he just slipped in. I haven't seen Machete, because I don't care to yet, and I'm just hoping the long-awaited sequel to Sin City is worth the wait.

2012 Rank: #42
2011 Rank: #38
2010 Rank: #40
2009 Rank: #44

a. Something Wild (1986)
b. Married to the Mob (1988)
c. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
d. Philadelphia (1993)
e. The Agronomist (2003)
f. The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
g. Rachel Getting Married (2008)
h. Fear of Falling (2013)
i. Zeitoun (2014)

Demme's narrative career has slowed immensely but he's been busier with documentaries in the last half decade, none of which I've seen. With two upcoming narrative films maybe we'll see a resurgence...

2012 Rank: #44
2011 Rank: #42
2010 Rank: #47
2009 Rank: #47

a. Ordinary People (1980)
b. The Milagro Beanfield war (1988)
c. A River Runs Through It (1992)
d. Quiz Show (1994)
e. The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)
f. The Conspirator (2011)
g. The Company You Keep (2013)
h. A Walk in the Woods (2014)

Redford is a very busy man and it looks like he's staying busy over the next few years. I've never found his work amazing but I have yet to see I film I don't like come from him.

2012 Rank: #41
2011 Rank: #28
2010 Rank: #31
2009 Rank: #23

a. Diner (1982)
b. The Natural (1984)
c. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
d. Rain Man (1988)
e. Avalon (1990)
f. Bugsy (1991)
g. Toys (1992)
h. Sleepers (1996)
i. Wag the Dog (1997)
j. Bandits (2001)
k. Man of the Year (2006)
l. You Don't Know Jack (2010)
m. The Day the Laughter Stopped (2013)

Like many busy 80s and 90s directors Levinson has been passed his prime for a decade but at least he is still trying and with every miss he has a mild hit.

2012 Rank: #39
2011 Rank: #37
2010 Rank: #39
2009 Rank: #42

a. Gallipoli (1981)
b. The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
c. Witness (1985)
d. The Mosquito Coast (1986)
e. Dead Poets Society (1989)
f. Fearless (1993)
g. The Truman Show (1998)
h. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
i. The Way Back (2011)

I liked The Way Back and I'm not entirely sure why that did so poorly at the box office and was absent from any award recognition, considering how much attention Wier has gotten in the past.

**

Debut

**
2012 Rank: #4 on 'Top Future Directing Greats'
2011 Rank: #8 on 'Top Future Directing Greats'
2010 Rank: Out
2009 Rank: #31 on 'Top Future Directing Greats'

a. Flirting with Disaster (1996)
b. Three Kings (1999)
c. I Heart Huckabees (2004)
d. The Fighter (2010)
e. The Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
f. American Hustle (2013)*
g. Nailed (2014)

Russell has a very solid record going for him and he needed just one more movie to prove worthy of being part of the "most accomplished". Silver Linings Playbook did just that and is likely already his most popular movie. With two upcoming movies boasting stellar ensembles I have little doubt he will keep entertaining us for awhile.

2012 Rank: #45
2011 Rank: #50 (Debut)
2010 Rank: #29 on Future Directing Greats
2009 Rank: #48 on Future Directing Greats

a. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)
b. Fitzcarraldo (1982)
c. My Best Friend (1999)
d. Grizzly Man (2005)
e. The Wild Blue Yonder (2006)
f. Rescue Dawn (2007)
g. Encounters at the End of the World (2008)
h. The Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2011)
i. Into the Abyss (2012)
j. Queen of the Desert (2015)

I finally got to see 'Aguirre' and also saw his latest, in the same year. I only enjoy half of Herzog's offerings but he's such an active and ambitious director it's difficult not to like him.

2012 Rank: #40
2011 Rank: #43 (Debut)
2010 Rank: #2 on Future Directing Greats
2009 Rank: #23 on Future Directing Greats

a. Delicatessen (1992)
b. The City of Lost Children (1995)
c. Alien: Resurrection (1997)
d. Amelie (2001)
e. A Very Long Engagement (2004)
f. Micmacs (2010)
g. The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet (2013)

Jeunet's films always offer a unique and colorful palette and perspective. I'm looking forward to being surprised by him once again, with 'Spivet'

**

Debut

**
2012 Rank: #1 on 'Top Future Directing Greats'
2011 Rank: #2 on 'Top Future Directing Greats'
2010 rank: #1 on 'Top Future Directing Greats'
2009 Rank: #7 on 'Top Future Directing Greats'

a. American Beauty (1999)
b. Road to Perdition (2002)
c. Revolutionary Road (2008)
d. Away We Go (2009)
e. Skyfall (2012)
f. Bond 24 (2015)*

Some people were upset Mendes wasn't on this list in the past but as surprising as it is he's only made six films. It took the stellar Skyfall to finally put it on the list.

2012 Rank: #36
2011 Rank: #36 (Debut)
2010 Rank: #14 (Future Directing Greats)
2009 Rank: #16 (Future Directing Greats)

a. The Evil Dead (1981)
b. The Evil Dead II (1987)
c. Army of Darkness (1993)
d. The Quick and the Dead (1995)
e. A Simple Plan (1998)
f. For Love of the Game (1999)
g. Spider-Man (2002)
h. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
i. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
j. Drag Me to Hell (2009)
k. Oz: The Great and Powerful (2013)
l. Warcraft (2014)

Previews for 'Oz' look strange but I'm still intrigued to see what Raimi can do with the material. As you can see he's all over the genre map.

2012 Rank: #35
2011 Rank: #20
2010 Rank: #14
2009 Rank: #17

a. Do the Right Thing (1989)
b. Malcolm X (1992)
c. He Got Game (1998)
d. 25th Hour (2002)
e. Inside Man (2006)
f. Oldboy (2013)
g. Da Blood of Jesus (2014)

As much as I like Oldboy and don't think it needs a remake I'm intrigued to see what Spike Lee will do. It's been far too long since we've gotten a good Spike Lee joint.

2012 Rank: #37
2011 Rank: #27
2010 Rank: #29
2009 Rank: #29

a. Say Anything… (1989)
b. Jerry Maguire (1996)
c. Almost Famous (2000)
d. Vanilla Sky (2001)
e. Elizabethtown (2005)
f. We Bought a Zoo (2011)
g. Pearl Jam: Twenty (2011)
h. The Contractor (2014)

He's made some of the best musical decisions in film history, including one of the better music docs in the past decade.

2012 Rank: #34
2011 Rank: #29
2010 Rank: #33
2009 Rank: #27

a. The Fourth Man (1983)
b. RoboCop (1987)
c. Total Recall (1990)
d. Basic Instinct (1992)
e. Showgirls (1995)
f. Starship Troopers (1997)
g. Black Book (2007)
h. Hidden Force (2014)

Verhoeven always brings something controversial to his films which makes each upcoming project intriguing...

2012 Rank: #33
2011 Rank: #47
2010 Rank: #49
2009 Rank: #49

a. Scanners (1981)
b. Videodrome (1983)
c. The Dead Zone (1983)
d. The Fly (1986)
e. Dead Ringers (1988)
f. A History of Violence (2005)
g. Eastern Promises (2007)
h. A Dangerous Method (2011)
i. Cosmopolis (2012)
j. Maps to the Stars (2014)

Cosmopolis angered a lot of people and while I agree it's one of his weaker efforts it's abnormal presentation actually kept me more interested in this director who clearly likes to still challenge himself and his audience after four decades of filmmaking.

2012 Rank: #30
2011 Rank: #30
2010 Rank: #30
2009 Rank: #46

a. About Last Night… (1986)
b. Glory (1989)
c. Legends of the Fall (1994)
d. Courage Under Fire (1996)
e. The Siege (1998)
f. The Last Samurai (2003)
g. Blood Diamond (2006)
h. Defiance (2008)
i. Love and Other Drugs (2010)
j. Pawn Sacrifice (2014)
k. The American Can (2015)

Zwick surprised us all when he chose to direct "Love and Other Drugs" something not in his wheelhouse, but he pulled it off. He'll back to his genre with the upcoming Will Smith movie but then another direction with a movie about Bobby Fisher.

2012 Rank: #32 (Debut)
2011 Rank: #1 on Top Future Directing Greats
2010 Rank: #8 on Top Future Directing Greats
2009 Rank: #6 on Top Future Directing Greats

a. Pi (1998)
b. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
c. The Fountain (2006)
d. The Wrestler (2008)
e. Black Swan (2010)
f. Noah (2014)*

I continue to gain anticipation for "Noah", the next film by one of the most consistently innovative and challenging directors around.

2012 Rank: #31
2011 Rank: #41
2010 Rank: #45 (Debut)
2009 Rank: #17 on Future Directing Greats

a. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
b. Snatch (2000)
c. Revolver (2005)
d. RocknRolla (2008)
e. Sherlock Holmes (2009)
f. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
g. The Man from UNCLE (2014)

I respect Ritchie because all his movies have the same style (Except for the horrific 'Swept Away') and people want to complain about that, but it's his still and he nails it.

2012 Rank: #27
2011 Rank: #39 (Debut)
2010 Rank: #3 (Future Directing Greats)
2009 Rank: #18 (Future Directing Greats)

a. Road Trip (2000)
b. Old School (2003)
c. Starsky & Hutch (2004)
d. The Hangover (2009)
e. Due Date (2010)
f. The Hangover Part II (2011)
g. The Hangover Part III (2013)
h. Murray at Large (2015)

Hopefully after Phillips is done getting the paychecks from the Hangover trilogy he'll be back to making awesome comedies.

2012 Rank: #28 (Debut)
2011 Rank: #6 on 'Top Future Directing Greats'
2010 Rank: #10 on 'Top Future Directing Greats'
2009 Rank: #44 on 'Top Future Directing Greats'

a. Badlands (1973)
b. Days of Heaven (1978)
c. The Thin Red Line (1998)
d. The New World (2005)
e. The Tree of Life (2011)
f. To the Wonder (2013)*
g. Knight of Cups (2013)
h. Voyage of Time (2014)

The man with infamous career gaps has three films coming out in the next two years...

2012 Rank: #26
2011 Rank: #24
2010 Rank: #27 (Debut)
2009 Rank: #1 on 'Future Directing Greats'

a. Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)
b. Schizopolis (1997)
c. Out of Sight (1998)
d. The Limey (1999)
e. Erin Brockovich (2000)
f. Traffic (2000)
g. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
h. Solaris (2002)
i. Ocean's Twelve (2004)
j. The Good German (2006)
k. Ocean's Thirteen (2007)
l. Che: Parts One and Two (2008)
m. The Informant! (2009)
n. Contagion (2011)
o. Side Effects (2013)
p. Behind the Candelabra (2013)

Soderbergh continues his career-end push. Will he really retire? Let's hope not.

2012 Rank: #21
2011 Rank: UNRANKED
2010 Rank: #25
2009 Rank: #19

a. Platoon (1986)
b. Wall Street (1987)
c. Talk Radio (1988)
d. Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
e. The Doors (1991)
f. JFK (1991)
g. Natural Born Killers (1994)
h. Nixon (1995)
i. Any Given Sunday (1999)
j. W. (2008)
k. Savages (2012)
l. The Power Broker (2014)

Hopefully The Power Broker is better than Savages, which wasn't bad just a disappointment. If not, I might officially give up on a director who was once in my top five favorites.

2012 Rank: #25
2011 Rank: #26 (Debut)
2010 Rank: #5 on Future Directing Greats List
2009 Rank: #13 on Future Directing Greats List

a. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
b. Mystery, Alaska (1999)
c. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
d. Meet the Parents (2000)
e. Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
f. Meet the Fockers (2004)
g. Dinner for Schmucks (2010)
h. Game Change (2012)
i. The Campaign (2012)
j. K Blows Top

Directing one of the funniest trilogies ever keeps Roach standing high because his recent efforts, while not bad, are lacking in the brilliance of his earlier films.

2012 Rank: #29
2011 Rank: #40
2010 Rank: #42
2009 Rank: #32

a. Slacker (1991)
b. Dazed and Confused (1993)
c. Before Sunrise (1995)
d. Waking Life (2001)
e. The School of Rock (2003)
f. Before Sunset (2004)
g. Fast Food Nation (2006)
h. A Scanner Darkly (2006)
i. Me and Orson Wells (2008)
j. Bernie (2012)
k. Before Midnight (2013)*
l. Boyhood {12-Year Long Project} (2014)*

Linklater continues to come out with great films, scripts, and inventive ideas for movies. Anticipation for 'Boyhood' continues to grow...

2012 Rank: #24
2011 Rank: #22
2010 Rank: #15
2009 Rank: #26

a. Manhunter (1986)
b. The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
c. Heat (1995)
d. The Insider (1999)
e. Ali (2001)
f. Collateral (2004)
g. Miami Vice (2006)
h. Public Enemies (2009)
i. Cyber (2014)*
j. Waiting for Robert Capa (2015)

Looking forward to 'Cyber'. While Mann doesn't appeal to everyone I can't help but like what he does with each film, even 'Ali'.

2012 Rank: #22
2011 Rank: #31
2010 Rank: #37
2009 Rank: #37

a. Repulsion (1965)
b. Cul-de-Sac (1966)
c. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
d. Chinatown (1974)
e. Frantic (1988)
f. Death and the Maiden (1994)
g. The Pianist (2002)
h. The Ghost Writer (2010)
i. Carnage (2011)
j. Venus in Fur (2013)*

Polanski, one of the greats, is having a surprising resurgence and 'Venus in Fur' looks like it could be one of his best...

2012 Rank: #20
2011 Rank: #16
2010 Rank: #13
2009 Rank: #20

a. Sleeper (1973)
b. Annie Hall (1977)
c. Manhattan (1979)
d. Zelig (1983)
e. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
f. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
g. Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
h. Husbands and Wives (1992)
i. Mighty Aphrodite (1995)
j. Match Point (2005)
k. Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008)
l. Whatever Works (2009)
m. Midnight in Paris (2011)
n. To Rome with Love (2012)
o. Blue Jasmine (2013)

Dude still comes out with a movie every year, and the best part is he doesn't star in any of them anymore!

AND Bobby Farrelly

2012 Rank: #17
2011 Rank #11
2010 Rank: #9
2009 Rank: #5

a. Dumb & Dumber (1994)
b. Kingpin (1996)
c. There’s Something About Mary (1998)
d. Me, Myself and Irene (2000)
e. Shallow Hal (2001)
f. Stuck On You (2003)
g. Fever Pitch (2005)
h. The Heartbreak Kid (2007)
i. Movie 43 (2013)
j. Dumb and Dumber Sequel (2015)

At one time my favorite directors, now just a couple of sad clowns who have lost their touch. Still on the list but clearly falling.

2012 Rank: #19
2011 Rank: #10
2010 Rank: #10
2009 Rank: #4

a. Splash (1984)
b. Cocoon (1985)
c. Parenthood (1989)
d. Backdraft (1991)
e. Far and Away (1992)
f. The Paper (1994)
g. Apollo 13 (1995)
h. Ransom (1996)
i. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
j. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
k. Cinderella Man (2005)
l. The Da Vinci Code (2006)
m. Frost/Nixon (2008)
n. Angels & Demons (2009)
o. Rush (2013)*
p. Jay-Z: Made in America (2014)
q. In the Heart of the Sea (2015)

An unusual gap in movies looks to be over this year and he thankfully has more projects on tap...

2012 Rank: #18
2011 Rank: #25
2010 Rank: #28
2009 Rank: #22

a. Heavenly Creatures (1994)
b. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
c. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
d. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
e. King Kong (2005)
f. The Lovely Bones (2009)
g. The Hobbit: Part I: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
h. The Hobbit: Part II: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)*
i. The Hobbit: Part III: There and Back Again (2014)
j. The Adventures of Tintin: Prisoners of the Sun (2015)

After seeing the first Hobbit it's clear Jackson should have just kept it to two films. I'm assuming it's a money and studio decision. Hopefully with lower expectation the next two installments will be better. I'm not saying The Hobbit was bad, it just didn't have the magic of the first trilogy.

2012 Rank: #15
2011 Rank: #23
2010 Rank: #21
2009 Rank: #9

a. Finian’s Rainbow (1968)
b. The Godfather (1972)
c. The Conversation (1974)
d. Godfather Part II (1974)
e. Apocalypse Now (1979)
f. Godfather Part III (1990)
g. Dracula (1992)
h. The Rainmaker (1997)
i. Tetro (2009)
j. Twixt (2011)

I really like the turn Coppola has taken with his last few films, but if I'm being honest, I'd like to see a big epic from him again before he retires.

2012 Rank: #16
2011 Rank: #21
2010 Rank: #23
2009 Rank: #30

a. Play Misty for Me (1971)
b. Sudden Impact (1983)
c. Pale Rider (1985)
d. Unforgiven (1992)
e. Absolute Power (1997)
f. Blood Work (2002)
g. Mystic River (2003)
h. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
i. Letters From Iwo Jima (2006)
j. Changeling (2008)
k. Gran Torino (2008)
l. Invictus (2009)
m. The Hereafter (2010)
n. J. Edgar (2011)
o. Jersey Boys (2014)*

True, J Edgar wasn't the amazing biopic it should have been, but it was still solid. I find an Eastwood 'Jersey Boys' project one of the most intriguing collaborations on this list...

2012 Rank: #14
2011 Rank: #17
2010 Rank: #19
2009 Rank: #7

a. Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
b. Beetle Juice (1988)
c. Batman (1989)
d. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
e. Batman Returns (1992)
f. Ed Wood (1994)
g. Mars Attacks! (1996)
h. Sleepy Hollow (1999)
i. Big Fish (2003)
j. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
k. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
l. Alice in Wonderland (2010)
m. Frankenweenie (2012)
n. Big Eyes (2014)

Luckily the remake of his own work, with 'Frankenweenie' was great, to wash out the bad taste from 'Dark Shadows'. I think his upcoming 'Big Eyes' is great material for Burton...

2012 Rank: #12
2011 Rank: #18
2010 Rank: #20
2009 Rank: #24

a. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
b. Time Bandits (1981)
c. The Meaning of Life (1983)
d. Brazil (1985)
e. The Fisher King (1991)
f. Twelve Monkeys (1995)
g. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
h. Tideland (2006)
i. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
j. The Zero Theorem (2013)*

There is so much to say about Gilliam, he continues to awe and his upcoming movie, with a bald Christoph Waltz, looks amazing.

2012 Rank: #13
2011 Rank: #19
2010 Rank: #26
2009 Rank: #21

a. Trainspotting (1996)
b. A Life Less Ordinary (1997)
c. The Beach (2000)
d. 28 Days Later (2002)
e. Millions (2004)
f. Sunshine (2007)
g. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
h. 127 Hours (2010)
i. Trance (2013)*

Even after his success with 'Slumdog' I feel like Boyle is underrated. His upcoming 'Trance' is one of my most anticipated films of 2013.

2012 Rank: #3
2011 Rank: #6
2010 Rank: #4
2009 Rank: #6

a. Alien (1979)
b. Blade Runner (1982)
c. Thelma & Louise (1991)
d. White Squal (1996)
e. G.I. Jane (1997)
f. Gladiator (2000)
g. Black Hawk Down (2001)
h. Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
i. American Gangster (2007)
j. Body of Lies (2008)
k. Robin Hood (2010)
l. The Counselor (2013)
m. The Vatican (2014)

One of the biggest disappoints of my lifetime is the movie "Prometheus". I still can't believe what a mess of a move that was. I can't help but still have love for Scott, let's just hope "The Counselor" doesn't disappoint half as much.

2012 Rank: #6
2011 Rank: #7
2010 Rank: #6
2009 Rank: #11

a. The Terminator (1984)
b. Aliens (1986)
c. The Abyss (1989)
d. Terminator II: Judgment Day (1991)
e. True Lies (1994)
f. Titanic (1997)
g. Avatar (2009)
h. Avatar Two (2015)
i. Battle Angel (2016)
j. Avatar Three (2017)

Cameron's commitment to "Avatar" is disappointing. I just want to see that damn "Battle Angel" he's been kind of talking about for years.

2012 Rank: #10
2011 Rank: #15
2010 Rank: #18
2009 Rank: #19

a. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
b. Pulp Fiction (1994)
c. Jackie Brown (1997)
d. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
e. Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)
f. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
g. Django Unchained (2012)
h. Kill Bill Vol. 3 (2015)

No surprise "Django" was awesome.

2012 Rank: #8
2011 Rank: #14
2010 Rank: #24
2009 Rank: #18

a. Alien 3 (1992)
b. Seven (1995)
c. The Game (1997)
d. Fight Club (1999)
e. Zodiac (2007)
f. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
g. The Social Network (2010)
h. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

For the first time in a while I'm kind of worried about Fincher's career. He has nothing on the horizon still.

2012 Rank: #5
2011 Rank: #9
2010 Rank: #22
2009 Rank: #15

a. Memento (2000)
b. Insomnia (2002)
c. Batman Begins (2005)
d. The Prestige (2006)
e. The Dark Knight (2008)
f. Inception (2010)
g. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
h. Interstellar (2014)*

True, 'Rises' was no 'Dark Knight' but hell, it was still damn entertaining. Interstellar is already looking to be another masterpiece like 'Inception'. I just hope impossible expectations don't ruin it.

2012 Rank: #7
2011 Rank: #7
2010 Rank: #5
2009 Rank: #3

a. Back to the Future (1985)
b. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)
c. Back to the Future II (1989)
d. Back to the Future III (1990)
e. Forrest Gump (1994)
f. Contact (1997)
g. Cast Away (2000)
h. The Polar Express (2004)
i. A Christmas Carol (2009)
j. Flight (2012)
k. Major Matt Mason (2015)

It was rather refreshing to see Zemeckis back helming a live-action movie, with "Flight". Thankfully it was a solid return and Major Matt Mason could be another one...

2012 Rank: #11
2011 Rank: #13
2010 Rank: #12
2009 Rank: #33

a. Cigarettes & Coffee (1993)
b. Hard Eight (1996)
c. Boogie Nights (1997)
d. Magnolia (1999)
e. Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
f. There Will Be Blood (2007)
g. The Master (2012)
h. Inherent Vice (2014)*

The only thing that has kept Anderson outside of the top ten was the amount of films he's directed. With "The Master" I find it impossible not to put him in the top ten now. And for a real twist, he's already working on another film!

2012 Rank: #9
2011 Rank: #12
2010 Rank: #17
2009 Rank: #39

a. Bottle Rocket (1996)
b. Rushmore (1998)
c. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
d. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
e. The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
f. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
g. Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
h. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)*

Like with the other Anderson, Wes's rank has been held back simply because of the amount of films he's directed. After "Moonrise Kingdom" continued his flawless streak it's tough not to see him in the top five.

2012 Rank: #4
2011 Rank: #3
2010 Rank: #3
2009 Rank: #8

a. Blood Simple (1984)
b. Raising Arizona (1987)
c. Miller’s Crossing (1990)
d. Barton Fink (1991)
e. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
f. Fargo (1996)
g. The Big Lebowski (1998)
h. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
i. The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
j. Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
k. The Lady Killers (2004)
l. No Country for Old Men (2007)
m. Burn After Reading (2008)
n. A Serious Man (2009)
o. True Grit (2010)
p. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)*

The Coens are about to end their longest career gap (only three years) since 2004 - 2007. It was just announced "Inside Llewyn Davis" will be pushed from this spring to to autumn. I think this is actually a good sign that it's worthy of awards and will be released during "awards season".

2012 Rank: #2
2011 Rank: #2
2010 Rank: #2
2009 Rank: #2

a. The Sugarland Express (1974)
b. Jaws (1975)
c. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
d. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
e. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
f. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
g. The Color Purple (1985)
h. Empire of the Sun (1987)
i. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
j. Hook (1991)
k. Jurassic Park (1993)
l. Schindler’s List (1993)
m. Amistad (1997)
n. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
o. Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001)
p. Minority Report (2002)
q. Catch Me if You Can (2002)
r. The Terminal (2004)
s. Munich (2005)
t. The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
u. War Horse (2011)
v. Lincoln (2012)
w. Robopocalypse (2014)*
x. Indiana Jones 5 (2015)

After two decent movies Spielberg released "Lincoln" last year to show everyone he still has what it takes to make an audience and award-friendly picture.

2012 Rank: #1
2011 Rank: #1
2010 Rank: #1
2009 Rank: #1

a. Mean Streets (1973)
b. Taxi Driver (1976)
c. New York, New York (1977)
d. The Last Waltz (1978)
e. Raging Bull (1980)
f. The King of Comedy (1982)
g. After Hours (1985)
h. The Color of Money (1986)
i. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
j. Goodfellas (1990)
k. Cape Fear (1991)
l. The Age of Innocence (1993)
m. Casino (1995)
n. Kundun (1997)
o. Gangs of New York (2002)
p. The Aviator (2004)
q. The Departed (2006)
r. Shutter Island (2010)
s. Hugo (2011)
t. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)*
u. Silence (2015)*
v. Sinatra (2016)*

Will Scorsese ever get kicked out of the top spot? Not if he keeps making movies like "Hugo" and his upcoming "The Wolf of Wall Street" with none other than Leo DiCaprio.