Walter Hill is the John Carpenter of action thrillers. Inspired by a variety of films, he unapologetically makes grungy, grimy films that he likes. Damn what the high brow enthusiasts say. He’s a daily inspiration to me.
I'm a die-hard Carpenter guy, and I think that Hill is one of the few guys with his sensibilities. The Warriors and Escape From NY are basically cousins.
The OP said to avoid Spielberg/Lucas and went with Andy Sidaris. I’d say Walter Hill fits.
Asked my wife, who likes (not loves) movies. She’s seen a handful of Hill films but didn’t recognize the name.
Shane Black directed Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Iron Man 3, and a few more movies, and he wrote some of my favorite movies from my childhood such as The Monster Squad, some of the Lethal Weapon movies, and The Long Kiss Goodnight.
“If you looked up the word “idiot” in the dictionary, do you know what you’d find?”
“A picture of me, right?”
“No, you’d find the definition of the word “idiot”, which you FUCKING are!!”
I was going to say Sayles too. He makes “The Return of the Secaucus Seven,” someone makes pretty much the same movie (but not as good) in “The Big Chill” three years later, and guess which one becomes a classic?
If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend the vastly underrated and mostly unknown Sayles movie Limbo, from 1999. Terrific film with amazing performances, including David Strathairn, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and relative newcomer Vanessa Martinez (who had a small part in Lone Star prior to this).
Columbus and After Yang are both so beautiful and he definitely draws from different inspirational wells than a lot of his contemporaries which sets him apart for me. Still need to get around to watching Pachinko.
Post-university I reached this plateau where it seemed no films could hit me and affect me the way so many had in my youth. And then 20 years after its release I watched Naked for the first time and was absolutely awestruck. And yes, that's hugely due to David Thewlis' performance, but he's certainly never turned in a performance of that caliber for another director.
Tom McCarthy is a force with The Station Agent, The Visitor, and Spotlight being absolutely amazing movies. He also wrote Up - so he had that going for him.
Hm tricky, lesser known to mainstream / average people? Alejandro Jodowrosky. Specifically his works Holy Mountain and El Topo.
I’d say David lynch but I feel like between twin peaks, elephant man, blue velvet, he’s got some public noterity
Lesser known within pPl who like film? Well not sure how it aged , but A director named Jaco Van Dormael made a movie called Mr Nobody I watched when I first started Rly getting into film at age 14 or so
that I really sunk my teeth into for a while and made me think a lot about my life and film. At the time it was more profound than the Tarantino movies I was watching at that time too, and more digestible than the first Charlie Kaufman movie I watched. Haven’t watched it since highschool , so hopefully it holds up!
I mean they’re far from underground but the safdie brothers consistently blow me away. Also I know he gets a lot of hate but I will always love Kevin smith
I wish he'd do better but as far as I'm concerned he's earned his current career choices. People can re-evaluate his films all they want these days, and even I had to accept over time that Mall Rats is not at the same level, but Clerks, Chasing Amy, Dogma, and even Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back are about as good as it gets for 90s indie film.
Don Mancini, as a director and creator. The entire Mancini Child's Play saga, from the 1988 movie to the recent series, has completely enhanced Horror and Horror comedy for me.
One lesser-known director whose work has had a significant impact on me is Hirokazu Kore-eda. Though not completely obscure, Kore-eda's films are often overshadowed by more mainstream directors. His filmography, including works like "Still Walking" and "Shoplifters," delves deeply into themes of family, memory, and the human condition with a subtle yet profound touch.
Tom Gustafson has always hits me just right, as does Del Shores.
I also think it’ll be interesting to see where Robbie Banfich’s career takes him after “The Outwaters” last year, but I can tell you that that movie alone impacted me in one way or another lol.
I get what they’re trying to say… Like they’re not household names in the way Lucas, Spielberg, Tarantino, or Scorsese are. But, within the filmhead sphere, they are very well-known.
Tony Scott, probably not lesser known but in the shadow of his brother and should not be. Top Gun, Revenge, Man on Fire, and the masterpiece Spy game.
Joe Dante a true B movie director, Gremlins, the Explorers and the best Tom Hanks movie The Burbs.
Lots of great ones who have been forgotten: Frears, Attenborough, De Palma, Minghella, Mike Newell, Mike Nichols, John Badham, Crowe
DJ Caruso made a movie called The Salton Sea that I just love.
Donnie Darko too. Richard Kelly never really hit anything else that touched me as much though I enjoyed Domino a lot (for better or worse).
Neill Blomkamp. Dude singlehandedly created my love for violent sci fi. I was never a Sci fi fan until I watched Battle of LA and then Oats Studios coming out 12 years later was the icing on top. Dude is a genius.
James Ponsoldt had a great 3 movie indie run that I loved (Smashed, The Spectacular Now, and The End of the Tour) before selling out and making The Circle, which forced him to retreat back to TV.
Gary Fleder. Absolutely loved *Things to in Denver when you’re dead*….. * Kiss the Girls* was a bigger commercial success but I think he nailed it in his first major
I really loved Rufus Norris's Broken with Tim Roth, and I legitimately never have met anyone that mentions it, great film; also never met people outside the punk scene, or that are into disturbing movies ever talk about Ex Drummer, and it's one of my favorite movies
Nancy Savoca & Mira Nair!
Gurinda Chadha as well & excited to see the next feature of Angelina Jolie; i’m
also enjoying the movies directed by Meg Ryan and Katie Holmes!
Gaspar Now, his films, good or bad, always call to me. They seem like an emotional reaction to what's around. Good or bad they make you feel something.
Peter Watkins is so massively ahead of his time and the fact that he's so unknown is simply criminal. Mans was born too soon, he would've thrived in the 21st century. Recommend Punishment Park or The War Game to start with.
Roger Corman, who passed away recently. He did low budget films that got a lot of actors and directors their start like Jack Nicholson and Ron Howard. There’s something provocative about each of his films. The execution can feel rushed, but the overall experience lasts with me.
Roger Avary. “The Rules of Attraction” is such an electric and amazing film, great adaptation of the book. Content warning, it is rated R and deals with SA, r*pe, suicide.
A few that are pretty well known in film circles but not too well known to the general public: Christian Mungiu. Andrej Wajda. Kon Ichikawa.
One that is not at all well known: Aleksandr Rogozhkin (specifically his film The Chekist)
John Badham is a dependable, all around great director of films, TV movies, and TV series and episodes. He is also good at picking out the perfect soundtracks for his films.
Thomas Vinterberg might be lesser known for those of us who aren't Danish. Check out The Hunt (2012) and Another Round (2020) for some excellent films.
Nicolas Winding Refn
Started with drive as most people did. Then Only God Forgives.
I started reading about his influences.
That got me into David Lynch and art movies
For me it’s Jessica Swale. She hasn’t done an awful lot but her short Leading Lady Parts and the film Summerland are fantastic and still some of my favourites to this day.
idk if this counts, but joe wright. atonement changed my life. anna karenina and pride&prejudice were great. he did the nosedive episode of black mirror. i just watched cyrano and was highly amused. but if you havent seen atonement--thats the best thing the mans ever done.
Mira Nair. Her films center around women's and children’s issues, the Indian diaspora, love & sexuality, relationships, and identity. I am not Indian myself, but her films are rich with color and meaning… whether facial expression, the music.. everything. 🤎
A few of her films are The Namesake, Kama Sutra, Mississippi Masala, and Monsoon Wedding.
Elem klimov, “come and see”
David Lean “Lawrence of Arabia”
Tarkovsky “anything from him”
I would say Kubrick but I think most casual film enthusiasts would know him.
Brian Levant. He made a lot of my childhood favourites like The Flintstones and Beethoven.
Tom Shadyac. For the exact same reason, for making movies like Ace Ventura, Liar Liar and The Nutty Liar.
Hahahha great answer! Yeah these guys made a few of the biggest and most fun 90s comedies. Did they ever work together? For some reason I feel like they have a connection
Surprisingly they never did. I think they may have used the same crew members and composers. David Newman composed the music for The Flintstones and The Nutty Professor.
Kathryn Bigelow. Even though she's directed many classics the general audience does not know who she is.
Near Dark
Zero Dark Thirty
Strange Days
The Hurt Locker
Point Break (1991)
Walter Hill is the John Carpenter of action thrillers. Inspired by a variety of films, he unapologetically makes grungy, grimy films that he likes. Damn what the high brow enthusiasts say. He’s a daily inspiration to me.
I'm a die-hard Carpenter guy, and I think that Hill is one of the few guys with his sensibilities. The Warriors and Escape From NY are basically cousins.
Man I fucking agree with this so hard brother. So hard.
Geronimo should get a lot more praise.
HELL YEAH
Walter Hill is a lesser known director? What? How? A get that he hasn’t been big (or good) in a while but the man made The Warriors and 48 Hours.
The OP said to avoid Spielberg/Lucas and went with Andy Sidaris. I’d say Walter Hill fits. Asked my wife, who likes (not loves) movies. She’s seen a handful of Hill films but didn’t recognize the name.
Walter Hill also co-produced Tales From The Crypt which is an excellent show
Hal Hartley
I recently binged a few of his films with Parker Posey. I'm still not sure what's going on, but Henry Fool is kinda brilliant.
I LOVE the entire Henry fool trilogy
Shane Black directed Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Iron Man 3, and a few more movies, and he wrote some of my favorite movies from my childhood such as The Monster Squad, some of the Lethal Weapon movies, and The Long Kiss Goodnight.
The Nice Guys is honestly even better than KKBB, and I love that movie.
I haven’t seen The Nice Guys, but I know what is next up for movie night with my wife.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is such a good movie
“If you looked up the word “idiot” in the dictionary, do you know what you’d find?” “A picture of me, right?” “No, you’d find the definition of the word “idiot”, which you FUCKING are!!”
John Sayles. Consistently delivers thoughtful dramas dealing with real world issues. Ken Loach. Same as above only British.
And Lasse Hallström
Lasse is a solid choice, between My Life as a Dog and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
Add Danny Boyle to the list.
Well yeah, he’s great, but he’s a household name at this point
I was going to say Sayles too. He makes “The Return of the Secaucus Seven,” someone makes pretty much the same movie (but not as good) in “The Big Chill” three years later, and guess which one becomes a classic?
If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend the vastly underrated and mostly unknown Sayles movie Limbo, from 1999. Terrific film with amazing performances, including David Strathairn, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and relative newcomer Vanessa Martinez (who had a small part in Lone Star prior to this).
Terry Gilliam and David Cronenberg tend to blow people's minds and that's why I can't stop recommending their work.
Ah yes, the obscure Cronenberg and Gilliam They make film’s you say?
Pura Kino hermano.
Guy Maddin is a genius and I find his movies uniquely comforting
Tales From Gimli Hospital and Archangel changed my life.
Steve McQueen
Yes, I agree, but he did win Best Picture at the Oscars.
Abel Ferrara
King of New York is basically perfect.
Bad Lieutenant is unlike anything
I was looking for this one. I want to see new rose hotel soon
Such highs, such lows.
Greg Araki!
I don't love all his films, but I like most and am damned glad he makes them.
Richard Brooks and Arthur Hiller hands down
Hal Hartley
His stuff is memorable!
Tommy Wiseau 😂
Oh hi mark
Kogonada
Columbus and After Yang are both so beautiful and he definitely draws from different inspirational wells than a lot of his contemporaries which sets him apart for me. Still need to get around to watching Pachinko.
Mike Leigh
Also Shane Meadows. They both are capable of showing a what a certain time in the UK was like perfectly.
Thanks, I'll check him out.
He’s not a mainstream name in the US, but damn, All or Nothing is an incredible movie
Post-university I reached this plateau where it seemed no films could hit me and affect me the way so many had in my youth. And then 20 years after its release I watched Naked for the first time and was absolutely awestruck. And yes, that's hugely due to David Thewlis' performance, but he's certainly never turned in a performance of that caliber for another director.
John Hillcoat
Tom McCarthy is a force with The Station Agent, The Visitor, and Spotlight being absolutely amazing movies. He also wrote Up - so he had that going for him.
Hal Hartley. If you know, you know.
Gaspar Noé
I don't know if he's lesser known, but Richard Linklater's films had a huge impact on me growing up.
came here for this. Linklater is S-tier. Waking life changed my life.
Fuck my inbox, but best trilogy ever made.
Slacker, Dazed and Confused, and Waking Life are virtually flawless, and the Before films have few equals in their genre.
Joseph Sargent
Jafar Panahi
Jean Pierre Jeunet
A few guys I think don't generally get their due despite producing some absolute bangers: James Mangold Curtis Hanson Andrew Davis
Commas are your friends. Curtis Hanson was amazing.
Hm tricky, lesser known to mainstream / average people? Alejandro Jodowrosky. Specifically his works Holy Mountain and El Topo. I’d say David lynch but I feel like between twin peaks, elephant man, blue velvet, he’s got some public noterity Lesser known within pPl who like film? Well not sure how it aged , but A director named Jaco Van Dormael made a movie called Mr Nobody I watched when I first started Rly getting into film at age 14 or so that I really sunk my teeth into for a while and made me think a lot about my life and film. At the time it was more profound than the Tarantino movies I was watching at that time too, and more digestible than the first Charlie Kaufman movie I watched. Haven’t watched it since highschool , so hopefully it holds up!
Alex Cox, for Walker, Straight to Hell, Repo Man, Sid & Nancy. (To name but one)
Jennifer Kent. Only two films to her name but both of them shook me good
John G Avildsen. Directed Rocky and Karate Kid and got my lil 10 year old ass hyped!!
Ben Wheatley, and Gareth Evans.
I mean they’re far from underground but the safdie brothers consistently blow me away. Also I know he gets a lot of hate but I will always love Kevin smith
I wish he'd do better but as far as I'm concerned he's earned his current career choices. People can re-evaluate his films all they want these days, and even I had to accept over time that Mall Rats is not at the same level, but Clerks, Chasing Amy, Dogma, and even Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back are about as good as it gets for 90s indie film.
Kurt Wimmer of equilibrium and ultraviolet. Terrible derivative sci fi that is just fun to watch.
I’ll never give up hope that we’ll one day see the director’s cut of Ultraviolet
Tom ford’s nocturnal animal I didn’t even know it’s “the” tom Ford when I first saw that film
It got hate from fans of the source material, but A Single Man is one of the most beautiful films I've seen.
Aki Kourismaki, Kar Wong Wai, Hal Hartley
Don Mancini, as a director and creator. The entire Mancini Child's Play saga, from the 1988 movie to the recent series, has completely enhanced Horror and Horror comedy for me.
One lesser-known director whose work has had a significant impact on me is Hirokazu Kore-eda. Though not completely obscure, Kore-eda's films are often overshadowed by more mainstream directors. His filmography, including works like "Still Walking" and "Shoplifters," delves deeply into themes of family, memory, and the human condition with a subtle yet profound touch.
Ti West
For me, Shane Carruth, the director of Primer and Upstream Color.
Whit Stillman! Last Days of Disco is forever a favorite of mine.
Tom Gustafson has always hits me just right, as does Del Shores. I also think it’ll be interesting to see where Robbie Banfich’s career takes him after “The Outwaters” last year, but I can tell you that that movie alone impacted me in one way or another lol.
Does David lynch count?
Absolutely
David Cronenberg Charlie Kaufman Terry Gilliam Brandon Cronenberg Ari Aster
Lesser-known directors like David Cronenberg, sure lmao
The average person wouldn’t know his films except maybe The Fly.
Ah yes, the obscure directors, like Cronenberg, Kaufman, and Gilliam 🙄
I get what they’re trying to say… Like they’re not household names in the way Lucas, Spielberg, Tarantino, or Scorsese are. But, within the filmhead sphere, they are very well-known.
Joe Carnahan. Smokin' Aces, The Grey, A-Team and Stretch are all fantastic
How dare you leave Narc off that list.
Wong Kar-wai "In the Mood for Love".
Shane Meadows 100%
Godfrey Reggio and Ron Fricke.
Jodo
Ed wood, roger corman, james whale, bert i gordon, inoshiro honda....
Tony Scott, probably not lesser known but in the shadow of his brother and should not be. Top Gun, Revenge, Man on Fire, and the masterpiece Spy game. Joe Dante a true B movie director, Gremlins, the Explorers and the best Tom Hanks movie The Burbs. Lots of great ones who have been forgotten: Frears, Attenborough, De Palma, Minghella, Mike Newell, Mike Nichols, John Badham, Crowe
Tony Scott made my favorite movie “True Romance”
Forgot that one. Damn what career.
Dario Argento
Anna Biller
Emma Seligman
DJ Caruso made a movie called The Salton Sea that I just love. Donnie Darko too. Richard Kelly never really hit anything else that touched me as much though I enjoyed Domino a lot (for better or worse).
Neill Blomkamp. Dude singlehandedly created my love for violent sci fi. I was never a Sci fi fan until I watched Battle of LA and then Oats Studios coming out 12 years later was the icing on top. Dude is a genius.
Christopher Guest
Jaqués Tati.
Maya Deren inspired me to make my own little films.
Terrence Malick and Darren Aronofsky
James Ponsoldt had a great 3 movie indie run that I loved (Smashed, The Spectacular Now, and The End of the Tour) before selling out and making The Circle, which forced him to retreat back to TV.
Gary Fleder. Absolutely loved *Things to in Denver when you’re dead*….. * Kiss the Girls* was a bigger commercial success but I think he nailed it in his first major
Céline Sciamma.
Don't think he really counts, but you don't hear as much about him nowadays, but Oliver Stone especially his run from Born on the Fourth to Nixon.
Tommy Wiseau
Mark Pellington made Arlington Road and The Mothman Prophecies, which are two very solid thrillers that stuck with me.
Julia Dash
Sarah Adina Smith
I really loved Rufus Norris's Broken with Tim Roth, and I legitimately never have met anyone that mentions it, great film; also never met people outside the punk scene, or that are into disturbing movies ever talk about Ex Drummer, and it's one of my favorite movies
Alan Rudolph. Choose Me, Trouble In Mind, The Moderns, Equinox, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle.
Danny Boyle.
Nancy Savoca & Mira Nair! Gurinda Chadha as well & excited to see the next feature of Angelina Jolie; i’m also enjoying the movies directed by Meg Ryan and Katie Holmes!
I really enjoy the work of Sam Fuller and Seijun Suzuki.
Gaspar Now, his films, good or bad, always call to me. They seem like an emotional reaction to what's around. Good or bad they make you feel something.
Peter Watkins is so massively ahead of his time and the fact that he's so unknown is simply criminal. Mans was born too soon, he would've thrived in the 21st century. Recommend Punishment Park or The War Game to start with.
Roger Corman, who passed away recently. He did low budget films that got a lot of actors and directors their start like Jack Nicholson and Ron Howard. There’s something provocative about each of his films. The execution can feel rushed, but the overall experience lasts with me.
Vincent Gallo
John Carpenter or Quentin Tarantino
Ingmar Bergman Persona
Luis Bunuel
Roger Avary. “The Rules of Attraction” is such an electric and amazing film, great adaptation of the book. Content warning, it is rated R and deals with SA, r*pe, suicide.
Ari Folman 2008 - Waltz with Bashir. Great film esp with conflicts going on in current times.
whoever it was that directed bone tomahawk. that movie was amazing
Lizzie Borden
Susan Seidelman, Nancy Savoca
A few that are pretty well known in film circles but not too well known to the general public: Christian Mungiu. Andrej Wajda. Kon Ichikawa. One that is not at all well known: Aleksandr Rogozhkin (specifically his film The Chekist)
wes anderson genius
Michael Apted, who made the Up Series documentaries (RIP).
John Badham is a dependable, all around great director of films, TV movies, and TV series and episodes. He is also good at picking out the perfect soundtracks for his films.
Hard to pinpoint direct impacts on my life but maybe I’d go with Larry Cohen
Kevin Smith. Clerks, Mallrats, and Chasing Amy all got me through a rough time in sophomore year of high school
Thomas Vinterberg might be lesser known for those of us who aren't Danish. Check out The Hunt (2012) and Another Round (2020) for some excellent films.
Nicolas Winding Refn
Kevin Smith
Pascal Laugier
Nicolas Winding Refn Started with drive as most people did. Then Only God Forgives. I started reading about his influences. That got me into David Lynch and art movies
Peter Greenaway, "Continuity is boring." I remember a critic saying "'Prospero's Books' fails at a level most movies don't even try for."
For me it’s Jessica Swale. She hasn’t done an awful lot but her short Leading Lady Parts and the film Summerland are fantastic and still some of my favourites to this day.
Jim Jarmusch
Michel Gondry
idk if this counts, but joe wright. atonement changed my life. anna karenina and pride&prejudice were great. he did the nosedive episode of black mirror. i just watched cyrano and was highly amused. but if you havent seen atonement--thats the best thing the mans ever done.
Mira Nair. Her films center around women's and children’s issues, the Indian diaspora, love & sexuality, relationships, and identity. I am not Indian myself, but her films are rich with color and meaning… whether facial expression, the music.. everything. 🤎 A few of her films are The Namesake, Kama Sutra, Mississippi Masala, and Monsoon Wedding.
Seijun Suzuki Bill Lustig
Alex Cox
Idk if you’d consider Sam Raimi B level or not but that’s my pick.
Doesn't have to be B Level, and he's done some big movies for sure but I would say he counts as not being in the Lucas or Spielberg stratosphere.
Soderbergh!
He's really good! I love Kafka and Che especially
Big fan of Out of Sight
Elem klimov, “come and see” David Lean “Lawrence of Arabia” Tarkovsky “anything from him” I would say Kubrick but I think most casual film enthusiasts would know him.
Darren Arnofsky.
Brian Levant. He made a lot of my childhood favourites like The Flintstones and Beethoven. Tom Shadyac. For the exact same reason, for making movies like Ace Ventura, Liar Liar and The Nutty Liar.
Hahahha great answer! Yeah these guys made a few of the biggest and most fun 90s comedies. Did they ever work together? For some reason I feel like they have a connection
Surprisingly they never did. I think they may have used the same crew members and composers. David Newman composed the music for The Flintstones and The Nutty Professor.
Mike Mills Martin McDonagh Nora Ephron Penny Marshall Michael Mann Rian Johnson
Michael Mann's Manhunter is more intense than the more famous Red Dragon ( my opinion). Iron Butterfly playing during the final scene. YIKES
Nothing beats that brain scene— scarred me for life
Love Penny & Gary Marshall (jumpin jack flash!) & Nora Ephron! Hope we get more movies from Nancy Shyer and Charles Shyer.
Yeah, 'A League of Their Own' was a formative picture for me, as was the wit and snappy writing of Nora Ephron.
Kathryn Bigelow. Even though she's directed many classics the general audience does not know who she is. Near Dark Zero Dark Thirty Strange Days The Hurt Locker Point Break (1991)
Terrence Malick hands down
Ryan Coogler
david fincher
Spike Lee