Best Decade: Francis Ford Coppola. Imagine directing The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather II, and Apocalypse Now in a single nine-year span. That's three generational grand-slams and one merely great film in the 1970s. Nothing bombastic or showoffy about Coppola, he just digs deep into each scene to create brilliant textures for his stories.
Best Living Director: Martin Scorsese. This guy is so good that Gangs of New York, Wolf Of Wall Street, and The Departed are demoted to his 2nd-line forwards. Understandable, when you have Goodfellas, Casino, and Raging Bull as your HoF 1st-line. Fans continue to argue over where Taxi Driver, King Of Comedy, The Aviator, The Irishman, and Mean Streets belong in his lineup. Cue the rock soundtrack.
Favourite All-Time: In 1968, my hippie aunt brought me to the theatre to see 2001: A Space Odyssey. I was 6. I was wowed by the visuals but, obviously, didn't understand what was going on. I then found out nobody did. Wait... are films allowed to do that? Thus began my reverence for Stanley Kubrick. Upon repeat viewings, 2001 could use a little editing, but it remains the smartest film ever made. Oh yeah... this dude also directed A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, and Paths of Glory. A fun debate: Was Eyes Wide Shut a great film or a pretentious, colourful mess? Discuss.
His Own Genre: Has any director fused intellect and humour as successfully as Woody Allen? At the two far edges, Allen pumped out a few early films that were rip-roaring hilarious, followed by a few more that were morose, plodding, and full of themselves. But down the middle, he found a sweet spot with a perfect blend of depth and comedy that's uniquely his. Nobody else could've created Annie Hall, Manhattan, The Purple Rose of Cairo, or my favourite - Crimes And Misdemeanors. Deeply smart and really funny. Zelig, Match Point, and Midnight In Paris are right up there. Cue the jazz soundtrack.
The Film-Lover's Film-Maker: One day, a future filmmaker will attempt to launch a film that is louder, bloodier, and queasier than Quentin Tarantino. That filmmaker will be consumed by an explosion of sound and primary colours. Nobody can travel at the speed of Tarantino. Tarantino ripped off every other genre to create his own. He bends and reshapes history, timelines, plot irony, good & bad-guys, and, of course, body parts. He boldly goes where no Director had the stomach to go before. Not everyone likes his ouevre, but those who do recognize Pulp Fiction as a modern-day Citizen Kane. You know the others. Underrated gem: Jackie Brown. Cue "Stuck in the Middle With You".