Directors

Directors instill their vision bringing to life pages from scripts, ideas, amalgamating thespians and talents with breath taking locations, costumes and assets into one fine display of showmanship into the big screen!

For decades, it has transcended from silent black and white films to modern day’s technological aspects. Yet even within these configurations of the deux ex-machina, these professionals have time and again given, provided their instinctive guidance in bringing into fruition not just detailed imageries to astound audiences but to let them feel the excitement of another time, another love or loss, another hope for the hero to rise and conquer the hearts and minds of the movie public!

We present Summit10’s TOP TEN Best Directors!

10. Chan Park-Wook

Notable Works: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, Oldboy and Thirst

The critically acclaimed Korean Director gives his films the pure meaning of violence but with charisma and purpose! Very disturbing scenes which culminate from a twisted premise that involves rectification of past misdeeds and making the main protagonists suffer an inevitable fate of death or a life of misery. What makes me fascinated in his works is that it gives a “human” inclined justice for our corrupt society not contradicting my beliefs on eternal salvation but to let the way of life just take its intended course!

9. Gut Ritchie

Notable Works: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes

The Director from England gives his homeland more recognition for the international market. His films gave emphasis on intersecting plotlines which culminate to involvement of a payoff while squeezing humor in violent scenes and exchanging of banter between characters. Plenty of action and smart storytelling which only adds more interest in the narratives in between!

8. John and Ethan Coen

Notable Works: Fargo, The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men, True Grit and Burn After Reading

The brothers’ collaborations focused heavily on mundane living of main characters having to go through with extraordinary circumstances which leads to tragedy or worse a horrible death. The elder of the two is John who worked on earlier films while Ethan jumped on board acting as co-Director or Producer in 2004 onwards. I admire their tenacity in bringing drama and foreboding situations for the audience to really feel what’s going on in the outside world where violence in unpredictable and the people who does it can’t be compromised!

7. Christopher Nolan

Notable Works: Memento, Insomnia, The Prestige, The Dark Knight,  Inception and Interstellar

Some films you watch just to enjoy, be entertained, moved or compelled to be fascinated and this guy knocks it all out at the ball park! Chris even gives life to films and makes it mind numbing to the core. He injects nonlinear sequences that add vertigo to the psychological aspect of the story. Thought provoking and very precise to capture your imagination and some more…

6. Clint Eastwood

Notable Works: Bridges of Madison County, Unforgiven, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Letters from Iwo Jima, Changeling and Gran Torino

One of industry’s adulated actor and director, starting his career in the 1950’s, he progressed to better heights at the back of the camera from 1990’s. His works contemplate heavily on life’s experiences, grieving over a loss, over past mistakes which make it very emotional and heartfelt! He manages to keep his budget in line with very few takes and instill a low lighting on set to give it a noir feel. Always character driven especially to the male point of view but he never misses out on women who play pivotal roles to add, mentorship to younger juvenile protagonists are credited as well. I admire his work for its ability to let you think not “over obsessively” but just to let you realize enough what transpired in the story and learn from it.

5. Fernando Meirelles

Notable Works: Domesticas, City of God, The Constant Gardener and Blindness

A very selected few will stand up for marketing and commercialism. His works culminate social awareness that inspired the world to see even if it was made from a low budget. His principles are admired seeing that he can create films for the public without sacrificing value and be controlled by the Producers and Studios who provides the contracts. The passion he brings into the screen is well intended serving his ability to work from the ground up, meticulously made and serves its purpose for everyone to see.

4. Steven Soderbergh

Notable Works: Traffic, Erin Brockovich, Ocean’s Eleven, Solaris, Che and The Informant

One of his notable achievements was being nominated for Best Director after 6 decades in the same year in 2001. A multi-tasker, he even does the Photography for his films with another alias that compliments very well in the output. Loves working with celebrities and knowing how to take care of them is his talent while incorporates a selection of montage and putting in the right amount of dialogue and musical score which gives more intensity or upbeat moments for the project to give a lasting impression with the audience.

3. Martin Scorcese

Notable Works: Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed and Shutter Island

After almost taking the path of priesthood in 1956, he instead decided to put his gifts into film making! A man who has passion for the Big Apple, his works usually in centre stage within these areas. Coming from experience, he gives a clear sense of religion laid out in his stories while contrasting it with surreal violence depicted from his trademark of characters being sociopaths, womanizers, drug addiction which originates from a real bad childhood. He usually starts his films with a narrative from the main character and tells the tale of failure and downfall from society. Well known for his mastery in giving sequences and takes of dollying camera shots as needed. I got to give this man credit for being straightforward that life is not a “carnival” flowing with happiness, its derivative and ironic that we must understand this for it’s a fact of human life!

2. Steven Spielberg

Notable Works: E.T, Saving Private Ryan, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park and Raider’s of the Lost Ark

The man who gave birth to blockbusters in the early 80’s, known for his sci-fi and adventure films which make him attached with family audiences and yet, his themes do have some parent and child relationship concerns which permeate to a more character driven premise that people can relate to. My fascination with his works especially on aliens had greatly manifested when I watched E.T. on the big screen, it gave meaning to a genuine friendship even if it came from beyond the stars, an unforgettable experience indeed!

1. Ridley Scott

Notable Works: Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, G.I. Jane, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, American Gangster, Kingdom of Heaven, Body of Lies, Robin Hood and Prometheus

The English Director helmed some the finest in film’s history especially in the context of epics! Often regarded being harsh and with dictative demeanor from both casts and crew. He’s a perfectionist and draws upon several takes while setting up several cameras in different angles to keep his editing in line for the best results. He even honors his father’s military career which depicts to some of his films. His artistry combines self made illustrations of given sequences on the spot while choosing locations with great city and landscapes to capture the moment of filming which makes it so palpable and awe inspiring. I can easily relate to his works with character performances amalgamated with a story that really touches your senses!

Solaris (2002)

“Though lovers be lost love shall not. And death shall have no dominion!” – Dylan Thomas

20^th Century Fox in association with Lightstorm Entertainment present…

Solaris is a science fiction novel written by Stanislaw Lem and was first adapted in 1972 on the big screen by the late Director Andrey Tarkovsky. The Screenplay for the film gives us the whole nine yards from a psychological thriller standpoint as they centre its gravity on a love story while floating in the vacuum of space! The ghostly station Prometheus orbiting and exploring a new planet is in need of help to bring the people back home. The dilemma is this entity, this being draining out the subconscious aspect of the crew letting them see, interact, feel and speak with their eerie precedents playing with their psyche to fulfil their need which later turns into their worst fears!

The new take gives us the audience the chance to think thoroughly about what boundaries are being tested here to see how far each individual would go to let the people they love the reasons to move on with their lives. But sadly, it’s ironic for those who are meant for each other, I would not even think about losing my sanity while acknowledging the fact that my wife is already dead and the longing of her near and be alive again will be just absolute madness and illusory…

They’re back for more! Friends and former work mates from the blockbuster Ocean’s Trilogy,   George Clooney (The American) is Dr. Chris Kelvin a psychologist requested by his dear friend from a project gone wrong millions of miles away from Earth! He is tasked to oversee, investigate the phenomena that are unexplained even by the remaining survivors. George is a fan favourite what can I say! He’s articulate, smart and a versatile actor working with Soderbergh again is always a compliment, he played so many character driven roles but not in space not like this where his primary concern was to survive something that he doesn’t even know if it’s real or not!

The always classy Natascha McElhone (Ronin) plays Rheya the love of Dr. Kelvin was introduced to have passed away. Unbelievably mind numbing, my head keeps palpitating knowing that this is somewhat different or on another level gone awry and Dr. Kelvin does not realize what’s happening which makes it more interesting. Non-linear memories hit back and forth as the waves of energy surround the planet like synapses in our brain integrating so as the life and dreams he perceives recalling the memory of his wife. I can still feel my heart leapt seeing how she came to materialize out of nowhere. Is she a ghost? A figment of one’s imagination? We won’t know do we? Natascha gives a natural performance, a sight for the sore eyes! She’s like a child, curious, afraid, emotional and stubborn at the same time!

To coordinate key characters in the film was crucial since it only composed of a selected few to let them understand the complexity of their portrayal specifically in terms of interacting with the main protagonist as they were selected to weigh in with the intense dialogue and hit it spot on! Ulrich Tukur (The Lives of Others) is Dr. Gibarian who made a dull opening delivery in the film, it was half heartedly felt though simple was the terms of the intended message it didn’t sold me or made me felt its urgency!

Jeremy Davies (Saving Private Ryan) is the enigmatic Dr. Snow. He on the other hand was way better, his approach was definitely unorthodox and even for a shrink, Dr. Kelvin was dumbfounded on how this first alive crew member was able to relay what happened to their comrade, he’ll blow you away later on. Viola Davis (The Help) plays Dr. Gordon one of the primary surveyors of the planet testing for its marketability to potential investors her mind has gone out of the park since she has been hallucinating as well!

Academy Award Winner Director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) has the ability to make films with intellectual impact for the audience to experience. His intention was to expand, not duplicate the previous film made three decades ago. Always calm and collected, willing to take other point of views to make shot after shot covering every element of the story whether through its technical aspect or performance intensive sequences have that genuine delivery. It’s one of the basics of filmmaking where you never get through with the finished product unless everything falls into place and set-up to convey the intent of the premise. Academy Award Winner James Cameron (Titanic) is backing him up, also a film heavy weight in his own right who now turns into a Producer for the film.

Digital Backlot’s Robert Stromberg and Cinesite’s Tom Smith collaborated on the Visual Effects with the help of Rhythm and Hues Studios creativity giving emphasis on the host planet’s lucid and wavelike aura to make it surreal. It still gives proclivities of being able to affect the ship and its crew as they made it very authentic looking seeing how in depth the pixelization rendered on the backgrounds was breathtaking! Some thoughts being thrown in where if it was a supernatural being, a phenomenon or was it simply just too much gravity stuck inside their heads coming from a long slow decay in the vastness of space!

Fascinating and heartbreaking at the same time! I love these type of films, it connotes the many aspects of life exploring other worlds, galaxies and stars to reach beyond what any man or woman would dream of to one day co-exist with other life forms. But there is a downside you see, we humans have the innate ability to be greedy and our hunger for knowledge had made us victims of our own predicament! We follow our inner calling to conquer and when we do, it is inevitable not confront or in a worst case scenario be confronted by beings beyond our power or comprehension!

The film was ambitious to take part into, it was something more indulging as we still strive to see the universe with any regard from being curious rather than being cautious! The premise was so wonderfully written and produced coming from the book which defines a bigger aspect of not just exploring of what is beyond our planet’s borders but the courage to face it…although, uncanny as it may be, the manifestations brought forth by the surviving crew is convoluting knowing they already have sealed their fate! I remembered watching Brian de Palma’s Mission to Mars (yawn!) and Danny Boyle’s Sunshine (exceptional!) it had the same context of being objective centric not focusing on the input of space and its environments but tilting to the purpose on being there at the very precise moment of need!

There are still a lot of questions to be asked. Did Solaris become Dr. Kelvin’s new Earth? Did Dr. Kelvin and Rheya meet and they are in Heaven? Or is it another figment of his imagination while still being trapped in Prometheus? It had an open ended conclusion but it was worth the conundrum!