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| Scene from Cinema Paradiso |
With the many lists and essays written on the subject of film, there has been one thing that The Oscar Buzz has tried to understand: Who is my favorite of the film world? For 10 weeks this summer, I will be exploring this with a countdown of the Top 50 names based on a numerical ranking of ratings from various sources, the following is a list of directors who rank above everyone else. With occasional upsets, this is intended as both a discussion opener as well as a better understanding of me as a film critic and fan. Please enjoy and leave any comments you have regarding the entry's selection.
GUILLERMO DEL TORO
Years Active: 1984-present
Films as Director: 8
Oscar Wins: 0
Who: If there is one achievement that can be attributed to Del Toro is that he is one of the few successful directors to have both his own authentic style and some commercial box office. From his debut Cronos, his films have appealed to the nerd fan base with his opaque monster designs and high strung drama that has helped to earn him recognition for his foreign films (Pan's Labyrinth) and mainstream American films (Hellboy). With a sense of humor added to his work, he is one of the most exciting voices that continues to bring an authentic look of excitement to contemporary cinema with strange imagery and stories that refuse to follow conventions. Even if he still has strains of being a cult director still in his veins, he has become widely accepted as a visionary by the nerd community and that has definitely helped to make him one of the most exciting, authentic voices of his generation.
POINT TALLY
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| Scene by Hellboy II: The Golden Army |
-- Hellboy (2004) --
Flickchart Ranking: #200 (700 points)
IMDb Rating: 7/10 (70 points)
Perks: None
Total: 770 points
-- Pan's Labyrinth (2006) --
Flickchart Ranking: #343 (600 points)
IMDb Rating: 7/10 (70 points)
Perks: None
Total: 670 points
-- The Devil's Backbone (2001) --
Flickchart Ranking: #508 (450 points)
IMDb Rating: 6/10 (60 points)
Perks: None
Total: 510 points
-- Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) --
Flickchart Ranking: #561 (450 points)
IMDb Rating: 6/10 (60 points)
Perks: None
Total: 510 points
OVERALL TOTAL: 2460 points
WHY DO I LOVE?
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| Scene from Pan's Labyrinth |
Even if there are directors who arguably make better monster movies, Del Toro is an enviable director when it comes to set design. When looking at his body of work, he is not only confident in his direction, but also his characters are some of the most exciting, original looking presences in film. With the Hellboy films being amongst my favorite comic book films of all time, he has quite a penchant for making nerd culture into high art. Even his early films, pre-accessible, like The Devil's Backbone, has weight in mixing macabre cinematography with subverted fairy tale elements that remain unmatched. Even if his latest film (Pacific Rim) is one of his few major misfires, I still hold out hope that he will continue to produce some of the most invigorating, beautiful films out there.
UP NEXT: A French New Wave romanticist who taught us that there is romance for cinephiles and that they could coexist together beautifully.
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