Directors no longer filmmakers

[Kevin Trotter]

Are there any directors out there who put asses in seats and/or create films that move people and drive pop culture anymore? As a film buff I like to watch movies by specfic directors to study thier style, approach and how they view the world. Ford , Wyler, Wilder and Huston i really dig. I also love Kramer, Welles, Hitchcock, Kubrick, not to mention foriegn film directors Kurasawa, Bergman and Almodovar (Women onthe Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.. Tie Me up.etc..)I can also see anything by John Sayles (Matewan& Lone Star standout) However I can barely name any director sans Speilberg and Scorcese that standout as dominant forces in American film. So many movies now or either "indie" films which means no box office or blockbusters which generally means no plot story or creativity, and we are asked to choose between the two since having both is a no-no. Maybe I'm dense but can someone (Scriv maybe) restore my faith that every film isnt a product of a corporate board or the vanity project of an overexposed under talent "movie star" Cite examples please.

[Gryphon]

::you hear the sound of crickets chirping::

[Scrivener]

I'd like to restore your faith but I don't have much myself any more.

There are less than a handful of american directors (still living) that I manage to inspire and drive the imagination.

Terry Gilliam - With the exception of 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' (which I didn't much care for) his films are always daring and inventive. Look at Baron Munchausen, 12 Monkeys, Brazil, Time Bandits, Fischer King, and Life of Brian. Great movies all. Unfortunately Hollywood had labeled him as box office poison after Fear & Loathing, so he's been out of work for a very long time (Not counting the complete disaster that was The Man Who Killed Don Quixote).

David Fincher - While he's done a lot of bad movies, it's obviously not been the fault of his directing, but the fault of the lousy scripts he's been forced to work with. Se7en,Fight Club, and Alien 3 (watch HIS version on the Quadrilogy DVD, far better than the studio-edited chopshop theatrical version). He's got talent, he just needs to get some more good scripts. This, unfortunately, may not happen - unlike Gilliam, Fincher seems to take whatever he's given. Gilliam fights tooth and nail to get his way or he just dosn't work.

On another note, Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko) are both talented up-and-comers. Interestingly, they are collaberating on a new project called 'The Box'... about a little box that, when opened, grants your wishes - but kills someone at random whenever you do. Heheheh, I can't wait.

[Kevin Trotter]

I like Fincher, Fight Club was brilliant as was Se7en. I don't know about the other guy. I wasn't a fan of Donnie Darko. What ever happened to Richard Linklater? ( Dazed and Confused , Slackers)

he showed some promise.