Discuss: Who Is the Filmmaker of the Decade…You Decide!
With 2009 ending and 10 years into the new millennium passed we have decided to look at who should be considered the filmmaker of the decade. The guy or perhaps girl who has really made a presence and stamp on cinema and filmmaking over the past 10 years. So tell us – is it Steven Soderbergh, the Coen Brothers, Chris Nolan, Michael Bay perhaps?
Think back to 2000 and all the films that have come out since then, all the directors out there. There is such an amazing amount of movies and directors that stand out in this decade and we feel like at FusedFilm.com that this list features all the appropriate names that should be considered Filmmaker of the Decade. We are proud to announce our choice for Filmmaker of the Decade…Mr. Christopher Nolan, beating out Peter Jackson by 1 vote.
Our vote comprised of 12 voters from FusedFilm’s staff and 3 from outside sites – MarketSaw, ScreenRant and The FilmFeed Podcast.
The Full List of Candidates
- JJ Abrams
- Chris Nolan
- James Cameron
- Steven Spielberg
- Sam Raimi
- Michael Bay
- Danny Boyle
- Peter Jackson
- Coen Brothers
- Wachowski Brothers
- Bryan Singer
- Clint Eastwood
- Jason Reitman
Our Executive Editor and President, Kevin Coll, says that Chris Nolan is the best choice due to the fact “he makes movies that make you think, that make you really want to watch. He directs intelligent and entertaining films that Hollywood used to make. He has done small and big films all the way he wants to make them. He succeeded in making two very different Batman films that offer themselves up completely differently than any other comic-book film made before it. Memento is an instant classic.”
Chris Nolan since 2000 has gone from indie filmmaker with the cult hit Memento to ushering in arguably one of the most iconic comic-book film adaptations ever with The Dark Knight. The son of an English father and an American mother, Nolan is a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and the United States. He is married to Emma Thomas, his longtime producer. Nolan’s next project is the mysterious sci-fi thriller Inception.
Sean Hunter, an avid Podcaster/Movie Enthusiast, who has been a host on FS.net’s The Film Feed says, “my vote has to go to Chris Nolan! He just makes hit after hit, other people fluctuate but he has made a profitable business out of doing the kind of films HE wants to make. Pretty impressive if I do say so myself!”
Other members at FusedFilm agree such as our EO podcast co-hosts, Ben Songer and Justin Vactor, who call Nolan a standout, “with The Prestige, Memento and Insomnia but what really stands out for us is what he did with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Two of our favorite super hero movies. Nolan did what not all director’s have been able to do, which is capture the true essence of a super hero origin story and more. That is a great accomplishment.”
Although Chris Nolan has got a lot attention and the ultimate publisher choice it seems some our friends and staff believe that Peter Jackson is the man of the decade not just in the director chair but his writing and producing hits home as well. Jim Dorey of MarketSaw says there is “no question” Jackson is the Filmmaker of the Decade, “I would have loved to have selected James Cameron but he hasn’t done anything before AVATAR and post TITANIC cinematically.”
One the main arguments for Jackson comes from his work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Previous to directing LOTR, Jackson, had directed quirky horror films like The Frighteners and Bad Taste. Being entrusted with something so “precious” as LOTR was a concern but proved to be a gamble worth taking as he took home more Awards than any other movie trilogy in film history not to mention he ushered in the special effects house WETA digital. His remake of King Kong was met with interesting reception but that is a movie “that took considerable testicular fortitude, as not only is the original a favorite of cinephiles everywhere, but others have tried and failed spectacularly before him, but Jackson turned in a movie that had passion and respect for the original,” says Hunter Duesing, from the Memphis Film and TV Commission, “2009 hasn’t been his strongest, as he produced the overrated District 9 and directed The Lovely Bones, a contender for the biggest disappointment of the year, however having not yet seen James Cameron’s Avatar, I can say that in mainstream cinema, Jackson had the biggest breakthrough, becoming a household name synonymous with Spielberg.”
Our pal Vic from Screenrant, talked to us about the filmmaker of the decade as well and said with out a doubt it had to be Peter Jackson, saying, “even though it’s a few years behind us now I’d have to say the monumental accomplishment that was the Lord of the Rings trilogy has to take it: Peter Jackson.”
Ultimately the vote is out there and it seems Nolan and Jackson are the two heavyweights although some believe that a guy like Clint Eastwood should be considered for the title of Filmmaker of the Decade. Our Associate Editor, Will Melton, says that Eastwood has “an incredibly lauded list for the decade: Mystic River was nominated for six Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director and won for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. Million Dollar Baby won Best Picture and earned a Best Director nod. He received another Best Picture and Best Director nomination for Letter From Iwo Jima.”
Our Viral Director and Guru, Donnie Valentine put his vote in for JJ Abrams saying, “Abrams definitely. Cameron will get in on the next decade as JJ revolutionized marketing for films.”
J.J. Abrams has gotten big, but his level of success in movies is too recent and has yet to prove he can be in same level as Jackson or Nolan or even Eastwood. Where Abrams has truly excelled this decade is in television and in that regard he takes the cake.
Other candidates like Sam Raimi give a great challenge. Like Jackson he sits at a throne of success, as his Spider-Man films have catapulted him into the stratosphere and like Jackson, he comes from a background of making goofy cult horror movies. Raimi took something beloved to pop culture and made damn good movies out of it.
Say what you want of Michael Bay, he will never win an Oscar but you have to admit that he is an extremely talented visual stylist, unfortunately he handles most stories like a teenager and nowhere is this more apparent than in the Transformers films, filled with juvenile antics and leery looks at women. Their is no denying that the guy knows how to craft a damn fine action scene. He just has too many weaknesses as an artist that he refuses to acknowledge, let alone work on.
One Executive Editor Kevin’s favorite filmmakers, as well as Hunter’s, is Danny Boyle. He is one of the most talented filmmakers on the list with Sunshine as one of best sci-fi films of the decade, whereas his horror, 28 Days Later reinvigorated the zombie genre, and his most recent triumph, Slumdog Millionaire was a one of the better Oscar movies in recent memory.
So the question is what do you think? Who should be the filmmaker of the decade! Tell us by voting and commenting below.
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About the Author
Fused Film is an online magazine style film blog. All Our posts are sourced with news from all around the film world and they are “fused” with intriguing and intelligent commentary from film fanatic fanboys/gals. We also feature a one-of-kind podcast giving us perspectives from fanboys Justin Vactor, Willie Gillis and Ben Songer. Check out our daily features such as our weekly podcasts, videos of the day, trailer of the week, DVD Release Tuesdays, feature articles, hot-lists, Movie Reviews, Fused Film Friday Classics and more!
View Comments to Discuss: Who Is the Filmmaker of the Decade…You Decide!
by monkhkh
On December 21, 2009 at 1:05 am
fuck you for not having Fincher
by Dr. S. M. Hasinur Rahman
On December 21, 2009 at 1:07 am
Avatar is the movie of the decade; so my vote is for James Cameron.
by A. Gorilla
On December 21, 2009 at 1:55 am
PT Anderson?
by (classified) Vecause I can!
On December 21, 2009 at 2:52 am
Yeah while all these director's have at least one great film up their sleeve in this decade, Christopher Nolan has only just started his career and each of his 5 films he's released in the 2000s have been acclaimed. And 4 of them have made it into IMDB's TOP 250.
MEMENTO – A mindblower film that's regarded as among the best independent films ever made.
Insomnia – A rare US remake that's equally as spectacular as the foreign original or even exceeds it in every way.
Batman Begins – The ultimate example of resurrection in the media. The Batman franchise has decayed and he revived and has gotten it beyond what it ever was…and that's what the world thought then.
The Prestige – Smaller film, but with a fasinating premise and just as mindblowing if not confusing twist ending.
THE DARK KNIGHT – Do I have to describe how this film triumphed last year?
I give all deserving credit to the other contenders each doing spectacular film(s), but what we have before us is the greatest thing Great Britain has given to Hollywood since Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock shook the foundations of Hollywood so many times over his 40+ year career, and here is Christopher Nolan only wrapping up on his first decade.
What's next to expect from him?
by Glass
On December 21, 2009 at 9:10 am
My vote easily goes to Nolan. Abrams is average. Cameron hasn't really done much to be considered the director of the decade. But I think your list is lacking. Bay makes the list but PT Anderson, Aronofsky, Herzog and many other directors don't?
by Glass
On December 21, 2009 at 9:12 am
I don't think Cameron's done enough to be considered a direcotr who defined the decade of cinema. There are many other directors such as Nolan who've come to prominenece this decade and have done more to judge by.
by fusedfilm
On December 21, 2009 at 10:47 am
Yeah we took an internal vote and those were all the names that cropped up in our meetings. I think there are a lot of names that should be on there like the ones you mentioned. Bay came up because he has done 2 very hot films in the Transformers series and we just thought he would spire interesting conversation.
by tarantula
On December 21, 2009 at 12:47 pm
no scorsese??
by fusedfilm
On December 21, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Yeah I thought it interesting he didn't make it on the list either. I think he really hasn't had anything stand out in this decade that compares specifically to Jackson and Nolan. Nor have his films really hit the mainstream radar like the others on the list with Raimi, Bay and others. He argulably could have been exchanged for Reitman though. WE had to include guys on the list though that had some good movies during the decade even from the small film arena so that is why Boyle and Reitman fit on the list, we wanted to keep it diverse.
by Hunter Duesing
On December 22, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Scorsese's era is behind him, it ended before this decade. He won his Oscar, that's about it.
by Hunter Duesing
On December 22, 2009 at 4:03 pm
To think that Bay is the director of the decade is beyond absurd, however I like that he is included here since I think Bay is a fun director to discuss, mainly because he inspires such impassioned reactions from people, both positive and negative.
by Hunter Duesing
On December 22, 2009 at 4:07 pm
I still think it's Jackson. The guy started out making movies about as far away from Hollywood as you can get, making splatter movies like BAD TASTE and BRAINDEAD in New Zealand. In the past decade, he brought LORD OF THE RINGS to the screen in what was a ballsy and ambitious adaptation that paid off big, making him a household name, a rare feat for a director. He also gave filmmakers a high-quality alternative to ILM, an effects house that isn't really all that great, in the form of Weta. To all of you voting for James Cameron, the effects in AVATAR wouldn't be nearly as good if it wasn't for Peter Jackson ushering Weta into Hollywood. Sure LOVELY BONES and DISTRICT 9 sucked, but the guy climbed to the highest of highs from the lowest of lows, the chasm he crossed was further and deeper than the one traversed by Nolan (although I can't protest him winning, the guy is great).
by Hunter Duesing
On December 22, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Also, why are there two peter jackson fields in the voting?
by cfc
On December 28, 2009 at 3:54 pm
has to be nolan, sure insomnia wasnt a big hit but have u ever thought of the writer of that movie was? nolan has made 6 films so far and have been writer for 5 of them exception being insomnia. Anyways nolan makes interesting and rather dark movies and thats the best thing abt him. The movies r fresh and with a air of originality. As for the other contenders eastwood,jackson and coen brothers stand out from the rest. Eastwood movies r good but not pathbreaking. Jackson has mad LOTR trilogy and thats abt it, king kong was good but not that gr8. Coen brothers films r good but not all of them. Surprising not to see darron aronosky, tarantino and ridley scott in the list, they r better than rietman,singer and boyle/abrams
by cfc
On December 28, 2009 at 8:54 pm
has to be nolan, sure insomnia wasnt a big hit but have u ever thought of the writer of that movie was? nolan has made 6 films so far and have been writer for 5 of them exception being insomnia. Anyways nolan makes interesting and rather dark movies and thats the best thing abt him. The movies r fresh and with a air of originality. As for the other contenders eastwood,jackson and coen brothers stand out from the rest. Eastwood movies r good but not pathbreaking. Jackson has mad LOTR trilogy and thats abt it, king kong was good but not that gr8. Coen brothers films r good but not all of them. Surprising not to see darron aronosky, tarantino and ridley scott in the list, they r better than rietman,singer and boyle/abrams