[General Discussion] Favorites (Actor/Actress, Director, Composer...) in Film and Television Productions

Damn, great topic... I will limit it to 5 answers per category.

Actors (in no particular order)

- Daniel Day-Lewis – This guy gave my all-time favorite performance in There Will be Blood as Daniel Plainview. His skill is second-to-none.
- Christian Bale – A brilliant actor who has proven himself in a variety of roles. Notable performances - The Prestige, American Psycho, Rescue Dawn
- Brad Pitt - Loved this guy since I saw him in Fight Club. Most recently, he blew me away in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
- Humphrey Bogart - Who couldn't love Bogey? Favorite performance - The African Queen
- Takeshi Kitano - I wish I could understand Japanese so I don't have to read subtitles. Regardless, he has an incredibly unique screen presence that doesn't require subtitles to appreciate. Bonus points: He's also a well-respected director

Directors (in no particular order)

- Christopher Nolan - He's proven himself as an auteur so soon into his career that it's mindblowing. His style, skill, and commanding directorial abilities over the medium are commendable.
- Bong Joon-Ho - Director of the Korean films The Host and Memories of Murder, two of my all-time favorite films. He is probably the most unique visionary coming out of Korea, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. He's only just begun his career, too. Can't wait to see where he goes from here.
- David Cronenberg - Besides making mind-bending films, I always commend Cronenberg's ability to make a film that is as lean as can be. His films are always short, sweet, but to the point. Never any excess. The Fly is one of my all-time faves, and his two most recent films (A History of Violence, Eastern Promises) are stunningly powerful.
- Stanley Kubrick - One of the most influential directors of all time. Nothing more needs to be said.
- Quentin Tarantino - While Death Proof sucked ass, and he tends to pander with his dialogue (especially in Death Proof), I wouldn't be making my own movies today if it wasn't for him and Kill Bill. It sparks a lot of nerd rage because it rips off a lot of older films that it was inspired by, but who cares. It takes balls to try and make a film like Kill Bill in this day and age with CG robots and movies based on theme park rides, and it takes skill to do it so fucking well. I'm hoping he rebounds after the stunning failure that Death Proof was.

Composers

Aside from Ennio Morricone, I unfortunately don't know enough about film composers to make a full-blown list, but I will list a few that jump to mind:

- Ennio Morricone
- Howard Shore
- Vangelis
- Bernard Herrmann
- Alan Silvestri

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Denicalis

Tarantino is fucking rubbish. He should be relegated to making music videos.

Music videos? I could see someone saying that for someone like Paul WS Anderson or Steven Sommers, guys who make 90-minute music videos, but QT? Come on now. At least say something like "he should be relegated to making student films" if you're going to insult him

Also, agree ten-fold on Natalie Portman. Beautiful, elegant, and talented as all hell. She's brilliant, as is Scarlett Johansson.

How ya doing, buddy?

Great fucking list. I also completely second your comment on Fincher's incorporation of CG. THAT'S the point of CG and special effects, to be seamless and blend into the background. Zodiac has some of the best CG I've ever seen, mostly because I flat-out had no idea there WAS any CG in it.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.