2010...best year for directors?

True Grit is the Coen Bros masterpiece?

It's not, although it is a masterpiece. Inception isn't Nolan's, either. In fact, all of those are arguable, if you're talking about the signature work (especially since their careers are far from over, so it's hard to judge the oeuvre as a whole.)

I'd be comfortable calling INCEPTION Nolan's best/most complete work....yet. I agree it's a bit early to call it as the high point of a career that hopefully has many films left in it.

Masterpiece is a funny word, in terms of a filmography it means different things to different people. To me it means a director's best work, and that clearly disqualifies all but 1 on your list. Aronofsky is the only one that's debatable to me.

He also refers to them as "their respective masterpieces", implying just that definition. For arguments sake lets just ignore the fact that all of these filmmakers are still making movies. I think the way he phrased it just meant their best work (and, in itself a masterpiece). Aronofsky and Nolan I think undoubtedly apply, but that's me. But True Grit and The Social Network? Come on. To say nothing of Barton Fink, Fargo, The Big Lebowski and Raising Arizona, the Coens are coming off of A Serious Man and No Country, and you're going to argue that True Grit is their masterpiece? And even if I'm in the minority on not totally falling for The Social Network, Fight Club HAS to be in the argument as to which is Fincher's masterpiece.

1999 has this year beat, hands down.

Fincher: Fight Club
Spike Jonze: Being John Malcovich
Kubrick: Eyes Wide Shut
Cronenberg: eXistenZ
Jarmusch: Ghost Dog
Mann: The Insider
Brad Bird: The Iron Giant
Soderbergh: The Limey
Paul Thomas Anderson: Magnolia
The Wachowski Bros: The Matrix
Shaymalan: The Sixth Sense
Lynch: The Straight Story
Woody: Sweet and Lowdown
David O Russel: Three Kings
Sofia Coppola: The Virgin Suicides.

Plus, Bringing out the Dead from Scorsese. I know a lot of people don't dig it, but I do, so fuck off.

ETA: No way is True Grit the Coens masterpiece. Not even close.

I think Zodiac is Fincher's masterpiece if we're talking about "best work". The other argument is "most important work" or "most ambitious work", which is the only way Fight Club applies. For my money at least.

I haven't seen a masterpieces thread around here in awhile. Cue the Rushmore v. Royal Tenebaums debate for 5 pages.

Did you read the first post? Surely you're not suggesting Sweet and Lowdown is Allen's masterpiece, or Eyes Wide Shut Kubrick's? Your entire list is highly debatable, except The Matrix.

And Memento is better than Inception on every level except for shootouts/explosions.

Yeah, I read it. But I don't consider any of those movies in the original post to be masterpieces, so it's kind of a moot point for me. All I'm saying is that, in comparison, 1999 was a better year for established (or establishing) directors.

In Kubrick's case, it was his last film, so I feel like that's important to point out. And Sweet and Lowdown might be my favorite Woody Allen movie, so while it might not be his masterpiece, it's an often overlooked great film in his filmography.

I mean, we could just all sit around and agree that this year is a great year for those directors listed if that's what your insisting. Seems like it''d be a short thread and one not worthy of discussing. Or you could bite my head off for listing a good year in film direction. Christ.

Am I the only one who thinks calling Inception more complete than Memento is crazy talk? Inception's high concept, while well thought out, and handled very elegantly, is still a little clunky. It's almost ALL concept, and comes off a little cold. Plus, Nolan's action sequences are not as visceral as some of his contemporaries, and the snow sequence goes on way too long. There's also a lot less wry humor than Memento, and it lacks that film's great central performance.

edit- well, I see thecynic agrees.

Memento would be a hard movie to top for any director. I love Nolan and Inception (The Prestige might give Memento more of a run for my money) but Memento is still his best.

No one would disagree that 1999 was a better year overall for directors, with lots of great movies. My only point was no one's best movie came out in 1999, just a ton of really great flicks. And this seems to be a thread specifically about great directors' best movies.

You could argue it was just as much a thread about the years then it is about the directors best. What makes a year better? The fact that one guy says that four of our best directors released masterpieces (in his oppinion) or that a dozen of our best directors (different generations, even) released several classic films? Since the word masterpiece is oben to oppinion and will only send us 'round and 'round, I think it's more interesting to look at the quality of the years not in the limited scope of what is or isn't a "masterpiece.".

And frankly, a couple of the directors I mentioned (Spike Jonze, Shaymalan, O'Russel and possibly Anderson and Fincher) had their best movies in 99, in my opinion.

But I think it's really boring to talk about what one movie is the best in a film maker's filmography. I think it's more interesting to talk about their filmography itself.

I've always felt that '74 was unique in that it had two directors who had their best two films released in the same year.

I liked SOCIAL NETWORK, but there is no way it's going down as Fincher's "Masterpiece". I don't care what the Academy says. Haven't seen TRUE GRIT, but I'm doubtful on that one sight unseen, at least in "masterpiece" terms.

You'll get no argument from me where BLACK SWAN is concerned.

INCEPTION could go either way. I think Nolan is so good that he has a potentially better film in him.

So then, why not last year? You had, arguably, Tarantino's best film, a real Coen masterpiece (although not their only one) in A Serious Man, Drag Me to Hell, Antichrist, The Hurt Locker and Avatar...

In 2007 you had Ratatouille, No Country, There Will Be Blood and Zodiac. Does The Assassination of Jesse James count or is Dominick's filmography too small?

In 2006 you had Children of Men, United 93, Letters From Iwo Jima and Casino Royale (you best believe it's Martin Campbell's masterpiece).

In 2001 Battle Royale, Moulin Rouge, The Royale Tennanbaums, Mulholland Dr., Y Tu Mama Tambien, The Devil's Backbone (I would argue, likely futilely, that it's Del Toro's best), Fellowship of the Ring and Spirited Away...

My point is, landmark years for directors are a dime a dozen. One could argue that any one of the movies I just listed represents that director's best work, or most complete expression as an artist... though I'm still not quite sure what we're talking about.

The word 'masterpiece' is getting thrown around ridiculously lightly here. I'm not sure almost any of these movies qualify.

Indeed.

I'll argue that Seven is Fincher's masterpiece 'til the day I die.

In 1971...

Altman made his best movie (McCabe and Mrs. Miller)
Bogdanovich made his best movie (Last Picture Show)
Friedkin made his best movie (The French Connection)
Ashby made his best movie (Harold and Maude)
Roeg made his best movie (Walkabout)

Also...

Peckinpah did Straw Dogs
Kubrick did A Clockwork Orange
Bava did Twitch of the Death Nerve
Lucas did THX 1138
Parks did Shaft
Allen did Bananas
Polanski did MacBeth
Pakula did Klute
Jewison did Fiddler on the Roof
Leone did Duck, You Sucker!
Siegel did Dirty Harry

I wouldn't say masterpieces but would comment more on the fact that all of those directors, including David O'Russel, have films that are performing well at the box office this year and actually are making money. Not to say that they never have made a film that didn't turn a profit obviously, just all together within the same year their films have been received well at the box office when it's usually so hit and miss for these guys.

2010 is a year for actors, specifically female actors, and even more specifically, female actors in crazy Mom roles.

2010 could be the year of competent, (relatively) populist but still great films from master directors too, I guess.

That's the truth, right there. Solid performances in interesting roles for women seem to be all over the place.

No. Not even close.

And I haven't seen Black Swan yet, so I can't comment there. But I certainly wouldn't call Social Network Fincher's "masterpiece" either.

But True Grit is the only one of those that seems almost egregious to me. That's far, far from the Coen's "masterpiece" and in a year's time, people are going to simmer on that (despite how great it actually is).

Thusfar, No Country is pretty clearly their "masterpiece" if you're going to pick one, Fargo trailing slightly behind. Lebowski if you want to single out a "comedic masterpiece."