Director Ranking
by Brendina94 | created - 09 Mar 2013 | updated - 23 Dec 2013 | PublicI devised a formula, by using average ratings per movies, to see who my favorite directors were (according to the formula). The scares are not a basic average, a few things are taken into account. Its a fun little experiment. Only directors I have seen at least 5 movies from are included, and the movies will be listen, in random order. So, here we go.
1. Stanley Kubrick
Director | 2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick was born in Manhattan, New York City, to Sadie Gertrude (Perveler) and Jacob Leonard Kubrick, a physician. His family were Jewish immigrants (from Austria, Romania, and Russia). Stanley was considered intelligent, despite poor grades at school. Hoping that a change of scenery would ...
Score: 9.13
Seen:
Eyes Wide Shut
Full Metal Jacket
The Shining
Barry Lyndon
A Clockwork Orange
2001: A Space Odyssey
Dr. Strangelove
Lolita
The Killing
2. Steven Spielberg
Producer | Schindler's List
One of the most influential personalities in the history of cinema, Steven Spielberg is Hollywood's best known director and one of the wealthiest filmmakers in the world. He has an extraordinary number of commercially successful and critically acclaimed credits to his name, either as a director, ...
Score: 8.73
Seen:
Lincoln
War Horse
Adventures of Tintin
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
War of the Worlds
The Terminal
Minority Report
A.I
Saving Private Ryan
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Schindler's List
Jurassic Park
Hook
Always
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Twilight Zone: The Movie (Segment 2)
E.T
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Jaws
Sugarland Express
Duel
Night Gallery: Make Me Laugh
Night Gallery: Eyes
Amazing Stories: Ghost Train
3. James Cameron
Writer | Avatar: The Way of Water
James Francis Cameron was born on August 16, 1954 in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada. He moved to the United States in 1971. The son of an engineer, he majored in physics at California State University before switching to English, and eventually dropping out. He then drove a truck to support his ...
Score: 8.54
Seen:
The Terminator
Aliens
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
Titanic
The Abyss
Avatar
4. David Lynch
Writer | Twin Peaks
Born in precisely the kind of small-town American setting so familiar from his films, David Lynch spent his childhood being shunted from one state to another as his research scientist father kept getting relocated. He attended various art schools, married Peggy Lynch and then fathered future ...
Score: 8.15
Seen:
Mulholland Dr.
Blue Velvet
The Elephant Man
Lost Highway
Inland Empire
The Straight Story
Wind at Heart
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Twin Peaks Pilot
Twin Peaks Episode 3
Twin Peaks Episode 9
Twin Peaks Episode 10
Twin Peaks Episode 15
Wild at Heart
Eraserhead
Rabbits
5. Martin Scorsese
Producer | Killers of the Flower Moon
Martin Charles Scorsese was born on November 17, 1942 in Queens, New York City, to Catherine Scorsese (née Cappa) and Charles Scorsese, who both worked in Manhattan's garment district, and whose families both came from Palermo, Sicily. He was raised in the neighborhood of Little Italy, which later ...
Score: 8.09
Seen:
Goodfellas
After Hours
Age of Innocence
Taxi Driver
The Last Temptation of Christ
Shutter Island
Raging Bull
The Departed
King of Comedy
Cape Fear
6. Woody Allen
Writer | Annie Hall
Woody Allen was born on November 30, 1935, as Allen Konigsberg, in The Bronx, NY, the son of Martin Konigsberg and Nettie Konigsberg. He has one younger sister, Letty Aronson. As a young boy, he became intrigued with magic tricks and playing the clarinet, two hobbies that he continues today.
Allen ...
Score: 7.96
Seen:
Love and Death
Annie Hall
Sleeper
Midnight in Paris
Purple Rose of Cairo
Manhattan
7. Mel Brooks
Actor | Spaceballs
Mel Brooks was born Melvin Kaminsky on June 28, 1926 in Brooklyn, New York. He served in WWII, and afterwards got a job playing the drums at nightclubs in the Catskills. Brooks eventually started a comedy act and also worked in radio and as Master Entertainer at Grossinger's Resort before going to ...
Score: 7.79
Seen:
Young Frankenstein
Blazing Saddles
Spaceballs
History of the World Part 1
Silent Movie
The Producers
8. Alfred Hitchcock
Director | Psycho
Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born in Leytonstone, Essex, England. He was the son of Emma Jane (Whelan; 1863 - 1942) and East End greengrocer William Hitchcock (1862 - 1914). His parents were both of half English and half Irish ancestry. He had two older siblings, William Hitchcock (born 1890) and ...
Score: 7.81
Seen:
Psycho
Vertigo
North by Northwest
Rear Window
Rebecca
Dial M for Murder
Suspicion
Shadow of a Doubt
The Birds
Rope
9. Brian De Palma
Director | Body Double
Brian De Palma is one of the well-known directors who spear-headed the new movement in Hollywood during the 1970s. He is known for his many films that go from violent pictures, to Hitchcock-like thrillers. Born on September 11, 1940, De Palma was born in Newark, New Jersey in an Italian-American ...
Score: 7.66
Seen:
Mission Impossible
Scarface
The Untouchables
Obsession
Phantom of the Paradise
Dressed to Kill
Blow-Out
Carrie
Body Double
Sisters
Mission to Mars
Greetings
The Fury
Passion
The Black Dalhia
Bonfire of the Vanities
Snake Eyes
Femme Fatale
Raising Cain
Casualties of War
Wise Guys
Redacted
10. Robert Zemeckis
Writer | Back to the Future
A whiz-kid with special effects, Robert is from the Spielberg camp of film-making (Steven Spielberg produced many of his films). Usually working with writing partner Bob Gale, Robert's earlier films show he has a talent for zany comedy (Romancing the Stone (1984), 1941 (1979)) and special effect ...
Score: 7.66
Seen:
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
What Lies Beneath
The Polar Express
Cast Away
Back to the Future
Back to the Future II
Back to the Future III
Romancing the Stone
Forrest Gump
Contact
Tales From the Crypt: And All Through the House
Tales From the Crypt: You, Murderer
Tales From the Crypt: Yellow
11. Christopher Nolan
Writer | Tenet
Best known for his cerebral, often nonlinear, storytelling, acclaimed Academy Award winner writer/director/producer Sir Christopher Nolan CBE was born in London, England. Over the course of more than 25 years of filmmaking, Nolan has gone from low-budget independent films to working on some of the ...
Score: 7.58
Seen:
Following
Memento
Insomnia
The Prestige
The Dark Knight
Batman Begins
The Dark Knight Rises
Inception
12. Orson Welles
Actor | Citizen Kane
His father, Richard Head Welles, was a well-to-do inventor, his mother, Beatrice (Ives) Welles, a beautiful concert pianist; Orson Welles was gifted in many arts (magic, piano, painting) as a child. When his mother died in 1924 (when he was nine) he traveled the world with his father. He was ...
Score: 7.36
Seen:
The Trial
Citizen Kane
Touch of Evil
F for Fake
The Lady From Shanghai
The Magnificent Ambersons
13. Sam Raimi
Director | Spider-Man
Highly inventive U.S. film director/producer/writer/actor Sam Raimi first came to the attention of film fans with the savage, yet darkly humorous, low-budget horror film, The Evil Dead (1981). From his childhood, Raimi was a fan of the cinema and, before he was ten-years-old, he was out making ...
Score: 7.33
Seen:
Darkman
Evil Dead
Evil Dead II
Army of Darkness
Spider-Man
Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 3
Drag Me to Hell
14. Wes Craven
Writer | A Nightmare on Elm Street
Wes Craven has become synonymous with genre bending and innovative horror, challenging audiences with his bold vision.
Wesley Earl Craven was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Caroline (Miller) and Paul Eugene Craven. He had a midwestern suburban upbringing. His first feature film was The Last House on ...
Score: 7.28
Seen:
Scream
Scream 2
Scream 3
Scream 4
The People Under the Stairs
Nightmare on Elm Street
New Nightmare
Red Eye
Twilight Zone: Shatterday
Twilight Zone: Peace and Quiet
Twilight Zone: Wordplay
Twilight Zone: Chameleon
Twilight Zone: Road Less Traveled
Twilight Zone: Dealers Choice
15. Peter Jackson
Producer | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Sir Peter Jackson made history with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, becoming the first person to direct three major feature films simultaneously. The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King were nominated for and collected a slew of awards from around the globe, with The ...
Score: 7.39
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
King Kong
Heavenly Creatures
Dead Alive
16. Quentin Tarantino
Writer | Reservoir Dogs
Quentin Jerome Tarantino was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. His father, Tony Tarantino, is an Italian-American actor and musician from New York, and his mother, Connie (McHugh), is a nurse from Tennessee. Quentin moved with his mother to Torrance, California, when he was four years old.
In January of...
Score: 7.41
Seen:
Pulp Fiction
Reservoir Dogs
Kill Bill Vol. 1
Kill Bill Vol. 2
Death Proof
Django Unchained
17. Richard Donner
Director | Superman
Richard Donner was born on April 24, 1930 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Superman (1978), Ladyhawke (1985) and Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (1980). He was married to Lauren Shuler Donner. He died on July 5, 2021 in Los Angeles, ...
Score: 7.16
Seen:
The Omen
Superman
The Goonies
Maverick
Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon 2
Lethal Weapon 3
Lethal Weapon 4
Scrooged
18. Francis Ford Coppola
Producer | Apocalypse Now
Francis Ford Coppola was born in 1939 in Detroit, Michigan, but grew up in a New York suburb in a creative, supportive Italian-American family. His father, Carmine Coppola, was a composer and musician. His mother, Italia Coppola (née Pennino), had been an actress. Francis Ford Coppola graduated ...
Score: 7.14
Seen:
The Godfather
The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part III
Dracula
Jack
The Conversation
19. George Lucas
Writer | Star Wars
George Walton Lucas, Jr. was raised on a walnut ranch in Modesto, California. His father was a stationery store owner and he had three siblings. During his late teen years, he went to Thomas Downey High School and was very much interested in drag racing. He planned to become a professional racecar ...
Score: 7.08
Score:
Star Wars
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
THX 1138
20. Roman Polanski
Director | Chinatown
Roman Polanski is a Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few truly international filmmakers. Roman Polanski was born in Paris in 1933.
His parents returned to Poland from France in 1936, three years ...
Score: 7.03
Seen:
Rosemary's Baby
The Pianist
The Tenant
Death and the Maiden
Carnage
Chinatown
Oliver Twist
21. Guillermo del Toro
Writer | El laberinto del fauno
Guillermo del Toro was born October 9, 1964 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Raised by his Catholic grandmother, del Toro developed an interest in filmmaking in his early teens. Later, he learned about makeup and effects from the legendary Dick Smith (The Exorcist (1973)) and worked on making his ...
Score: 6.88
Seen:
Pan's Labyrinth
Pacific Rim
Cronos
Mimic
Hellboy
22. Tim Burton
Producer | Edward Scissorhands
Timothy Walter Burton was born in Burbank, California, to Jean Rae (Erickson), who owned a cat-themed gift shop, and William Reed Burton, who worked for the Burbank Park and Recreation Department. He spent most of his childhood as a recluse, drawing cartoons, and watching old movies (he was ...
Score: 6.85
Seen:
Pee Wee's Big Adventure
Beetlejuice
Batman
Batman Returns
Edward Scissorhands
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Alice in Wonderland
Planet of the Apes
Sleepy Hollow
23. Chris Columbus
Producer | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Born in Pennsylvania and raised in Ohio, Chris Columbus was first inspired to make movies after seeing "The Godfather" at age 15. After enrolling at NYU film school, he sold his first screenplay (never produced) while a sophomore there. After graduation Columbus tried to sell his fourth script, "...
Score: 6.79
Seen:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Adventures in Babysitting
Mrs. Doubtfire
Home Alone
Home Alone 2
24. David Fincher
Director | Se7en
David Fincher was born in 1962 in Denver, Colorado, and was raised in Marin County, California. When he was 18 years old he went to work for John Korty at Korty Films in Mill Valley. He subsequently worked at ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) from 1981-1983. Fincher left ILM to direct TV commercials...
Score: 6.59
Seen:
Zodiac
Fight Club
The Social Network
Se7en
Alien 3 (plummeted his score)
The Game
25. Ridley Scott
Producer | The Martian
Described by film producer Michael Deeley as "the very best eye in the business", director Ridley Scott was born on November 30, 1937 in South Shields, Tyne and Wear. His father was an officer in the Royal Engineers and the family followed him as his career posted him throughout the United Kingdom ...
Score: 6.36
Seen:
Prometheus
Blade Runner
Alien
Matchstick Men
Hannibal
Legend
26. David Cronenberg
Actor | The Fly
David Cronenberg, also known as the King of Venereal Horror or the Baron of Blood, was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1943. His father, Milton Cronenberg, was a journalist and editor, and his mother, Esther (Sumberg), was a piano player. After showing an inclination for literature at an early...
Score: 6.25
Seen:
Videodrome
The Fly
Dead Ringers
The Dead Zone
Eastern Promises
A Dangerous Method
Naked Lunch
Cosmopolis
27. Ivan Reitman
Producer | Up in the Air
Canadian producer and director Ivan Reitman created many of American cinema's most successful and best loved feature film comedies and worked with Hollywood's acting elite. Reitman produced such hits as the ground-breaking sensation National Lampoon's National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), which ...
Score: 6.11
Seen:
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters 2
Kindergarten Cop
Twins
Junior
Stripes
28. Bobby Farrelly
Producer | There's Something About Mary
Bobby Farrelly was born on June 17, 1958 in Cumberland, Rhode Island, USA. He is a producer and director, known for There's Something About Mary (1998), Osmosis Jones (2001) and Me, Myself & Irene (2000). He has been married to Nancy Farrelly since 1990. They have two children.
Score: 6.06
Seen:
Dumb and Dumber
There's Something About Mary
Kingpin
Stuck on You
Osmosis Jones
Fever Pitch
Shallow Hal
29. Tom Shadyac
Director | The Nutty Professor
Tom Shadyac moved to Los Angeles in 1983 and, at age 24, became the youngest staff joke writer ever for comedian Bob Hope. Shadyac received his master's degree in film from UCLA in 1989 after completing the critically acclaimed short, Tom, Dick and Harry. He then worked on movies-of-the-week, ...
Score: 5.96
Seen:
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Liar Liar
Bruce Almighty
Patch Adams
The Nutty Professor
30. Jay Roach
Director | Trumbo
Jay Roach was born on June 14, 1957 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Trumbo (2015), Bombshell (2019) and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997). He has been married to Susanna Hoffs since April 17, 1993. They have two children.
Score: 5.92
Seen:
Meet The Parents
Meet the Fockers
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Austin Powers: Goldmember
31. Barry Levinson
Director | Rain Man
Barry Lee Levinson was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Violet (Krichinsky) and Irvin Levinson, who worked in furniture and appliance. He is of Russian Jewish descent. Levinson graduated from high school in 1960, attended college at American University in Washington, DC. He did well, but decided he ...
Score: 5.42
Seen:
Good Morning, Vietnam
Rain Man
Envy
Man of the Year
The Natural
32. Peter Segal
Director | Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult
Peter Segal was born in 1962. He is a director and producer, known for Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994), Get Smart (2008) and Second Act (2018). He is married to Linda Segal. They have three children.
Score: 5.25
Seen:
Tommy Boy
50 First Dates
The Longest Yard
Anger Management
Get Smart
Tell Your Friends