rank a director

[flavo5000]

BTW this is our 99th ranking a director exercise, let's make the 100th a special one!
I'm open to good ideas
(but also to a week or two breathing room for the current one(s) of course!!)

Maybe one of the classic Hollywood directors with large filmographies? It doesn't look like we've done Hawks, Ford, Huston, Wellman, or Cukor yet, among others.

No woman then?

Doris Wishman? Roberta Findlay?

[Torgo]

[tense music playing]

[flavo5000]

Doris Wishman it is, then!

Objectively, Wishman was a pretty bad director. BUT she really did make an impact on the exploitation sub-genres. In particular, she really pioneered the nudie cutie flick which paved the way for more mainstream acceptance of actual adult films later on. The ratings below are all relative to one another and not to other directors. A couple of comments on the Top Tier, Bad Girls Go to Hell is a pretty seminal roughie with some highly quotable, extremely awful but hilarious dialogue. It's a great cult movie. A Night To Dismember is a true masterpiece of incoherent incompetence. I could watch that movie a hundred times and not get bored of it.

Top Tier
Bad Girls Go to Hell (1965)
A Night to Dismember (1983)

Mid Tier
Nude on the Moon (1961)
The Sex Perils of Paulette (1965)
The Hot Month of August (1966)
Indecent Desires (1968)
Deadly Weapons (1974)
Double Agent 73 (1974)
Let Me Die a Woman (1977)

Bottom Tier
Diary of a Nudist (1961)
Blaze Starr Goes Nudist (1962)
Gentlemen Prefer Nature Girls (1963)
The Prince and the Nature Girl (1965)
My Brother's Wife (1966)
The Immoral Three (1975)
Satan Was a Lady (1975)
Come with Me My Love (1976)

[gunnar]

Doris Wishman

Top Tier

Mid Tier

Bottom Tier

[flavo5000]

Doris Wishman

Top Tier

Mid Tier

Bottom Tier

You should remedy that. It's Cult/Grindhouse month after all!

[Fergenaprido]

Never heard of her, nor any of her films, sorry.

Nudie cuties don't appeal to me.

[AB537]

I'm in the same situation as Fergenaprido, not familiar with her or her films.

[jal90]

Haven't watched anything from her, but she has a movie named Dildo Heaven and that's a strong argument I can't fight back.

[OldAle1]

I've known the name for a long time, but never seen anything. I have seen a few nudie cuties and roughies from the 60s from other directors and none of them have been any good at all really - mostly really, really tedious as well as being cheap and poorly made. I'll probably give a Wishman film a chance some day but this is an area of exploitation film that really has almost no appeal to me.

[Torgo]

[tense music playing]

If flavo had waited only one hour longer, I would've NOLAN'd the hell out of this thread and started a director with my own ratings also!!
All that could have been ..

[beavis]

oh the comedians of this forum, buncha flowers


1. Nude on the Moon - 3.0
2. Bad Girls go to Hell - 2.5
3. Let me Die a Woman - 1.5

ratings out of 5-stars

[Onderhond]

lol for picking a woman with a misogynist name. Haven't seen anything though.

[Y U M E]

Doris Wishman

I even named my daughter after her...

★¾ | 4.5
01. Bad Girls Go to Hell

★½ | 4.0
02. Nude on the Moon (as: Anthony Brooks)
03. Indecent Desires (as: Louis Silverman)

[Torgo]

You have a daughter named Wishman?!

Never seen anything by Doris Wishman cause I ain't watchin' them WOMAN DIRECTORS. Doing films is a boys club, hurr durr.

But have a look at the top reviews of her key film, Bad Girls Go to Hell, on Letterboxd: stuffed of 4 and 5 star-reviews, praising Doris' auteur direction and the feminist qualities of the piece.
https://letterboxd.com/film/bad-girls-g ... /activity/

[Lonewolf2003]

I almost watched my first of her this week, but decided to go with another nudie cutie for the cult-grindhouse challenge. So also pass for me.

[Arkantos]

Let's do Philippe Falardeau

Monsieur Lazhar - 5/5
C'est pas moi, je le jure! - 5/5

My Salinger Year - 4/5

[Y U M E]

Philippe Falardeau

★★★½ | 7.6
01. My Salinger Year
02. Monsieur Lazhar
03. C'Est Pas Moi, Je Le Jure!

★★★ | 6.8
04. The Bleeder

[Fergenaprido]

1. 8.2 - Monsieur Lazhar (2011) - just rewatched this a few months ago and successfully introduced it to my mom when it was playing on Netflix. Originally saw this in theatres when I lived in Spain, so only Spanish subtitles back then. Had it rated 7.6 before.
2. 8.0 - C'est pas moi, je le jure! [It's Not Me, I Swear!] (2008)

I've been putting off La moitié gauche du frigo [The Left-Hand Side of the Fridge] (2000) for years; I should really get around to watching it.

[AB537]

Only seen Monsieur Lazhar, I'd put it in the weaker end of my "good" category.

[gunnar]

I've only seen Monsieur Lazhar as well. I gave it 8.5/10 when I watched it.

[Lonewolf2003]

I third the above. I gave it a 7.5

[Silga]

Only seen 1:

Chuck (2016) 7/10

Better than I anticipated and a great performance by Liev Schreiber.

[Good_Will_Harding]

Today marks the 82nd birthday of Japanese filmmaking legend, Hayao Miyazaki. So, let's celebrate whom I'd consider to be one of the precious few geniuses still living and working in film today, with his newest work, appropriately titled How Do You Live?, slated for release in Japan later this year.



10

Mononoke-hime
Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi
Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta
Kaze tachinu
Majo no takkyûbin
On Your Mark

9

Tonari no Totoro
Hauru no ugoku shiro

8

Kurenai no buta
Kaze no tani no Naushika

7

Gake no ue no Ponyo
Rupan sansei: Kariosutoro no shiro

Bottom few could use another viewing, since at this point I'm confident that the sheer craftsmanship of the animation alone would earn them a higher rating from me now.

And as an added bonus, this never fails to bring me amusement:

[pitchorneirda]

1. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi 7/10
2. Mononoke-hime 6/10
3. Kaze tachinu 5/10
4. Hauru no ugoku shiro
5. Tonari no Totoro
6. Gake no ue no Ponyo

[Onderhond]

Not quite as good as Takahata, but it's hard to be mad at Miyazaki, the man made some lovely films.

01. 4.5* - My Neighbor Totoro [Tonari no Totoro] (1988) (#76)
02. 4.5* - Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea [Gake no Ue no Ponyo] (2008) (#122)
03. 4.5* - The Wind Rises [Kaze Tachinu] (2013) (#192)
04. 4.5* - Porco Rosso [Kurenai no Buta] (1992) (#253)
05. 4.0* - Laputa: Castle in the Sky [Tenkû no Shiro Rapyuta] (1986) (#595)
06. 4.0* - Kiki's Delivery Service [Majo no Takkyûbin] (1989) (#684)
07. 4.0* - Spirited Away [Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi] (2001) (#764)
08. 4.0* - Howl's Moving Castle [Hauru no Ugoku Shiro] (2004) (#815)
09. 3.5* - Princess Mononoke [Mononoke-Hime] (1997)
10. 3.5* - Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro [Rupan Sansei: Kariosutoro no Shiro] (1979)
11. 2.5* - Conan the Future Boy: The Big Giant Robot's Resurrection [Mirai Shônen Konan Tokubetsu-hen: Kyodaiki Giganto no Fukkatsu] (1984)
12. 1.5* - Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind [Kaze no Tani no Naushika] (1984)

[Torgo]

(10/10)
1. Mononoke
2. Chihiro
(9/10)
3. Ponyo
4. Nausicaä
5. Totoro
(8/10)
6. Howl
7. Laputa
8. Porco
9. Wind
10. Kiki
11. Lupin

Disclaimer: I like the work of this director.

[Silga]

1. Spirited Away - 10
2. Castle in the Sky - 9
3. Howl's Moving Castle - 8
4. Ponyo - 8

I still can't understand why some people in this thread or any other thread write film titles in original language. How does it make for better understanding of what films are mentioned? Do we ever discuss Japanese films in Japanese language, or, say, films from Spain in Spanish?

Does writing a film title in Korean, Arabic or Hebrew make one more knowledgeable?

I understand when, for example, some French titles retain their simplistic original title for International markets because it is easily understood, but what benefit does one get by naming Hauru no ugoku shiro, instead of Howl's Moving Castle?

[Y U M E]

Congrats to you Miyazaki-san! (luckily not the only genius to be still alive of the director's bunch...)

★★★★¼ | 8.8
01. Laputa - Castle in the Sky (#49)
02. My Neighbour Totoro (#80)

★★★★ | 8.4
03. Spirited Away (#122)
04. Princess Mononoke (#176)
05. Howl's Moving Castle (#200)

★★★¾ | 8.0
06. Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (#261)

★★★½ | 7.6
07. Kiki's Delivery Service
08. Porco Rosso
09. The Wind Rises
10. Nausicää of the Valley of the Wind

★★★ | 6.8
11. Lupin the Third – The Castle of Cagliostro


And in the series 'Like Father Like Son' (not really a son that can live up to the expectations so far - a heavy burden (??))

Goro

★★★¼ | 7.2
01. From Up on Poppy Hill

★★★ | 6.8
02. Tales from Earth Sea
03. Earwig and the Witch

[Good_Will_Harding]

Ah yes, the son Goro. A perfectly fine director in his own right, but having to live in the shadow of arguably the most celebrated director of feature animation in film history? Not an enviable task.

9

Kokuriko-zaka kara

6

Gedo senki

Morbidly curious about his latest effort, but the word of mouth and generally off-putting look haven't done it any favors.

And regarding the usage of original Japanese titles in these ranking lists... ehh, I don't really have an answer here. Sometimes I use them, sometimes not. Regarding the works of Miyazaki-san in particular, I went with the original titles mainly as a form of reverence towards the films themselves. Also, most of the titles have enough context clues for international viewers (Totoro, Mononoke, Ponyo, etc) that a person could pretty easily figure out which film is which.

[Fergenaprido]

1. 8.8 - Kaze no tani no Naushika [Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind] (1984) (dubbed)
2. 8.4 - Hauru no ugoku shiro [Howl's Moving Castle] (2004) (dubbed)
3. 8.2 - Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi [Spirited Away] (2002)
4. 8.2 - Mononoke-hime [Princess Mononoke] (1997) (dubbed)

x. 8.0 - From Up on Poppy Hill (2011) (Goro Miyazaki)

5. 7.8 - Majo no takkyūbin [Kiki's Delivery Service] (1989) (dubbed)
6. 7.8 - Kurenai no Buta [Porco Rosso] (1992) (dubbed)
7. 7.8 - Kaze tachinu [The Wind Rises] (2013)
8. 7.8 - Tonari no Totoro [My Neighbour Totoro] (1988) (dubbed)
9. 7.8 - Rupan Sansei: Kariosutoro no shiro [Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro] (1979)
10. 7.6 - Gake no ue no Ponyo [Ponyo] (2008)

11. 7.2 - Tenkū no shiro Rapyuta] Castle in the Sky (1986) (dubbed)

I plan to rewatch in the original Japanese all of the films I saw the English dub for; Spirited Away already improved from such a rewatch the other year.

I think it's funny how my rankings are almost completely reverse of Onder's - we only seem to agree on Lupin being one of the lesser works.

As for language of titles, I know some people just copy them from other sites, which list them in the original language (or in a Latin transliteration of the original). Others might just prefer the original titles and think they're more distinctive and memorable than some of the generic English-language titles some foreign films get. I generally use both, as it removes most ambiguity of which film I'm talking about, and caters to most audiences.

Ikiru, for example, has been titled both Doomed and To Live in English. Using only the English title isn't likely to trigger the same level of recognition as the original Japanese.

[Cinepolis]

1. My Neighbor Totoro (1988) - 8/10
2. Princess Mononoke (1997) - 8/10
3. Spirited Away (2001) - 8/10
4. Castle in the Sky (1986) - 7/10
5. Howl's Moving Castle (2004) - 7/10
6. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) - 7/10
7. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds (1984) - 7/10

[blocho]

Having finally seen several Ghibli movies, I remain underwhelmed. I have mixed feelings about the animation, and what stands out about the narratives is that they are rushed, unwieldy, and tend to fall apart in the third act. That being said, his movies are not bad by any means, and I am impressed by their thematic depth.

Superlative

Very Good

Good
My Neighbor Totoro
Princess Mononoke
Spirited Away

OK
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Kiki's Delivery Service

Misfires
Howl's Moving Castle

[Lonewolf2003]

What a respectable age to be still working. Surely one of the greats. Nothing less than good.

Masterpiece
1. Spirited Away (2001): 10!
2. My Neighbor Totoro (1988): 10!

Excellent
3. Howl's Moving Castle (2004): 9.2
4. Princess Mononoke (1997): 9.0

Good
5. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984): 8.5
6. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989): 8.5
7. The Castle of Cagliostro (1979): 8.5
8. The Castle in the Sky (1986): 8.5
9. Porco Rosso (1992): 8.0
10. The Wind Rises (2013): 8.0
11. Ponyo (2008): 7.8
12. On Your Mark (1995) - Short Film: 7.8

[Lakigigar]

Hayao Miyazaki

seen 9

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) - 4.5*
Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) - 4.5*
My Neighbor Totoro (1988) - 4.0*
Castle in the Sky (1986) - 4.0*
Princess Mononoke (1997) - 4.0*
Howl's Moving Castle (2004) - 4.0*
Spirited Away (2001) - 3.5*
Ponyo (2008) - 3.5*
The Wind Rises (2013) - 3.0*

All good films of course, so it's really my personal taste. In case of Spirited Away, that one could use a rewatch, it was literally the first anime i saw (outside Pokemon as a kid), so when I watched i needed to adjust to the style etc., and i think older work has more of an atmospheric touch.

[beavis]

1. 5 - Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001) Spirited Away
2. 5 - Tonari no Totoro (1988) My Neighbor Totoro
3. 4,5 - Mononoke-hime (1997) Princess Mononoke
4. 4 - Kaze no tani no Naushika (1984) Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
5. 4 - Gake no ue no Ponyo (2008) Ponyo
6. 4 - Kaze tachinu (2013) The Wind Rises
7. 4 - Majo no takkyūbin (1989) Kiki's Delivery Service
8. 4 - Hauru no ugoku shiro (2004) Howl's Moving Castle
9. 3,5 - Kurenai no buta (1992) Porco Rosso
10. 3 - Rupan sansei: Kariosutoro no shiro (1979) Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro
11. 3 - Tenkū no shiro Rapyuta (1986) Castle in the Sky

ratings out of 5
Have seen all of these ages ago, and haven't started on the Gorro Miyazaki movies yet. Porco Rosso was one of the first I saw and deserves a re-evaluation, as does Nausicaa.
Great director fo sure. I saw https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/snezhnaya+koroleva/ a few days ago, which is supposedly one of Miyazak's favorite movies. The way it has a little girl in the main part who talks in a friendly and respectful way with everone see comes across, including animals, certainly makes it a proto-Miyazaki movie!!

[pitchorneirda]

I am genuinely surprised by how many of you rank Princess Mononoke higher than Spirited Away

[Torgo]

I am genuinely surprised by how many of you rank Princess Mononoke higher than Spirited Away

Snopes fact check coming in:

Spoiler

People who ranked + rated Mononoke higher than Spirited Away: 1
Lakigigar:
Princess Mononoke (1997) - 4.0*
Spirited Away (2001) - 3.5*


People who ranked Mononoke higher, but at the same rating: 4 [blocho and Good_Will remain a bit unclear, blocho could as well just be sorted chronologically within the tier]
blocho:
Good
Princess Mononoke
Spirited Away

Cinepolis:
2. Princess Mononoke (1997) - 8/10
3. Spirited Away (2001) - 8/10

Torgo:
(10/10)
1. Mononoke
2. Chihiro

Good_Will
10
Mononoke-hime
Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi


People who ranked Mononoke lower than Spirited Away, but at the same rating (down to the decimal!): 2

Ferg:
3. 8.2 - Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi [Spirited Away] (2002)
4. 8.2 - Mononoke-hime [Princess Mononoke] (1997) (dubbed)

YUME:
★★★★ | 8.4
03. Spirited Away (#122)
04. Princess Mononoke (#176)


People who ranked Mononoke below Spirited Away: 4

beavis:
1. 5 - Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001) Spirited Away
3. 4,5 - Mononoke-hime (1997) Princess Mononoke

Lonewolf:
Masterpiece
1. Spirited Away (2001): 10!
Excellent
4. Princess Mononoke (1997): 9.0

Onderhond:
07. 4.0* - Spirited Away [Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi] (2001) (#764)
09. 3.5* - Princess Mononoke [Mononoke-Hime] (1997)

pitchor:
1. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi 7/10
2. Mononoke-hime 6/10

Verdict:
Nothing out of the ordinary here so far _{(considering Mononoke is the slightly better film )}

[Caracortada]

1. Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi 8
2. Mononoke-Hime 6
3. Tonari no Totoro 6
4. Tenkû no Shiro Rapyuta 5
5. Hauru no Ugoku Shiro 5
6. One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing 4

[OldAle1]

Like Onderhond, I probably overall prefer Takahata, but they are very close and certainly Miyazaki deserves his status IMO as one of the godfathers of Japanese animation. And modern Japanese film in general. I just re-watched Spirited Away a couple of days ago; it would have ranked a few spots lower before that viewing, and I suspect re-watches of most of the rest might jumble things around some more. Hope I get the chance.

* cinema + multiple viewings

PLATINUM
1. Kaze no tani no Naushika / Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
2. Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta / Castle in the Sky

GOLD
3. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi / Spirited Away +
4. Mononoke-hime / Princess Mononoke
5. Majo no takkyûbin / Kiki's Delivery Service

SILVER
6. Tonari no totoro / My Neighbor Totoro
7. Hauru no ugoku shiro / Howl's Moving Castle *
8. Rupan sansei: Kariosutoro no shiro / Lupin III: Cagliostro Castle
9. Kaze tachinu / The Wind Rises *
10. Kurenai no buta / Porco Rosso

[Fergenaprido]

I am genuinely surprised by how many of you rank Princess Mononoke higher than Spirited Away

Snopes fact check coming in:

Spoiler

People who ranked + rated Mononoke higher than Spirited Away: 1
Lakigigar:
Princess Mononoke (1997) - 4.0*
Spirited Away (2001) - 3.5*


People who ranked Mononoke higher, but at the same rating: 4 [blocho and Good_Will remain a bit unclear, blocho could as well just be sorted chronologically within the tier]
blocho:
Good
Princess Mononoke
Spirited Away

Cinepolis:
2. Princess Mononoke (1997) - 8/10
3. Spirited Away (2001) - 8/10

Torgo:
(10/10)
1. Mononoke
2. Chihiro

Good_Will
10
Mononoke-hime
Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi


People who ranked Mononoke lower than Spirited Away, but at the same rating (down to the decimal!): 2

Ferg:
3. 8.2 - Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi [Spirited Away] (2002)
4. 8.2 - Mononoke-hime [Princess Mononoke] (1997) (dubbed)

YUME:
★★★★ | 8.4
03. Spirited Away (#122)
04. Princess Mononoke (#176)


People who ranked Mononoke below Spirited Away: 4

beavis:
1. 5 - Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001) Spirited Away
3. 4,5 - Mononoke-hime (1997) Princess Mononoke

Lonewolf:
Masterpiece
1. Spirited Away (2001): 10!
Excellent
4. Princess Mononoke (1997): 9.0

Onderhond:
07. 4.0* - Spirited Away [Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi] (2001) (#764)
09. 3.5* - Princess Mononoke [Mononoke-Hime] (1997)

pitchor:
1. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi 7/10
2. Mononoke-hime 6/10

Verdict:
Nothing out of the ordinary here so far _{(considering Mononoke is the slightly better film )}

I think this post is your best contribution to this thread yet. And the funniest.

As to the original post, My rating for Spirited Away went up a bit after rewatching it, so the same might happen to Mononoke and break the virtual tie.

IIRC, Mononoke was Miyazaki's first big hit in the West, followed by Spirited Away a few years later. For many folks it was their first anime or even Japanese film, even if they saw the English dub, which could go either way: they hold it in high regard because it was something new, or it merits a rewatch since they've grown a lot as a cinephile since then. Or both.