The Directors Series, Honorable Mention Directors


Throughout 2025 I'm turning my focus to Directors. They help craft the vision on screen that makes a movie work. This year I'm looking at five favorite films from 18 directors I admire and 10 films directed by different women that I have enjoyed. Join me Fridays and Saturdays throughout 2025 as we take this journey.

Today, before diving into the first of my selections, I'm looking at directors who just missed the cut. Below are a few of the directors I like and considered who didn't make the final list of filmmakers. Each has a body of work that's worth checking out and, in some cases, have directed some of my all time favorite films.

Wes Anderson: Anderson has a completely unique style for his films. I dearly love several, with my favorites being Moonrise Kingdom, The French Dispatch, and The Grand Budapest Hotel. He's a unique director whose films create fascinating and unique worlds.

Tim Burton: Burton also has a very unique style. I've been a fan since I was young, with his version of Batman from 1989 standing out as one of my favorite superhero films. He's delivered a number of films I love and I also love the look and feel of the worlds he creates.

Francis Ford Coppola: Coppola directed one of my favorite films of all time in The Godfather. That combined with a several other quality films made him one of the toughest cuts from this list. He's a talented filmmaker with a breadth of work that's worth seeking out.

Alfonso Cuaron: I dearly love a few of Cuaron's films, including Children of Men, which is a Top 20 film for me. Cuaron has a unique style and a unique way of seeing the world that often resonates with me.

Peter Jackson: This towering director delivered something special with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. We've seen him deliver a few other interesting films, too. But it's the Lord of the Rings that nearly had him on this list.

Rian Johnson: I love Knives Out. I love Star Wars, Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. Both are five-star films from me. That makes Johnson a special director. In the end, he didn't have quite the breadth of films for me to include him, but I love his style.

John Krasinski: A Quiet Place is a devastatingly beautiful film at times. Krasinski has talent behind the camera, and in time I think he could end up making my list.

George Lucas: He's a great storyteller. Some of his stories are among my favorite. As a director, he doesn't always quite live up to that great storytelling ability. Still, he's a talented filmmaker that has made a big impact on American cinema.

Ridley Scott: Scott is another great filmmaker who has been telling engaging stories for decades. Films like Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator are among those I return to time and again. He was another tough cut on this list.

M. Night Shymalan: Love him or hate him, Shymalan's films provoke a reaction. That's the sign of someone doing something. There are many of his films I love, chief among them Signs. But it wasn't quite enough to make this list.

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