Which director from the Alien series is the best overall as a filmmaker?

[Russ]

Purely coincidentally, I saw this on DoG today:

http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/james-cameron/256781/aliens-and-terminator-2-how-james-cameron-crafts-perfect-sequels

[StrangeShape]

Purely coincidentally, I saw this on DoG today:

http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/james-cameron/256781/aliens-and-terminator-2-how-james-cameron-crafts-perfect-sequels

Thats cool but Ive seen better, more detailed articles on the sbject. Plus Cameron didnt write Rambo 2, only two scenes made it from his script despite the credit, and he hates the movie with passion since its release

[PierreVW]

Purely coincidentally, I saw this on DoG today:

http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/james-cameron/256781/aliens-and-terminator-2-how-james-cameron-crafts-perfect-sequels

Thats cool but Ive seen better, more detailed articles on the sbject. Plus Cameron didnt write Rambo 2, only two scenes made it from his script despite the credit, and he hates the movie with passion since its release

Yesterday, I saw the trailer for T2 3D before my movie.

I'm NOT interested but the people at my theater cheered it.

[The Cruentus]

This was a bit difficult for me as Ridley and David have both proven themselves as filmmakers and have made brilliant movies, however, I personally believe Cameron is a bit more consistent in his streak than at least Ridley.
Quality over quantity is much better, I would rather wait five or even ten years for really good Alien or Terminator movie than watch some weaker version that comes out every year like a COD game and with just as much depth.

Cameron has his flaws however and one of them interestingly enough is that like Sil said, he does raise the bar. Which means sequels will have a had time matching his film's success and will seem at worst, bad or mediocre in comparison to what Cameron did.. Alien3 has many issues but I think it coming after a film like Aliens did not help one bit.

Concerning Anderson, I think his heart is in the right place and he does have sound ideas but his execution of them is flawed, AVP could have been much better given just more character development, being more lore friendly, better creature designs and maybe not having the film as a pg 13.

It's weird people here prefer AVP:R over AVP.

AVP is better than AVP:R by far.

AVP:R is THE WORST MOVIE EVER of 2 Franchises by far.

Not sure if you are being serious or trolling but I assure you that the majority on the site (well presumably anyway) prefer AVP to Requiem anyday, there is even a vs thread about it.

[HuDaFuK]

I'd probably go for Cameron, just because I've really enjoyed every movie he's made, whereas the others I can pick at least a few that I didn't.

[KiramidHead]

I voted Cameron, as I've been highly entertained by all of his films, except Titanic which I haven't seen yet. And I'm not exactly hyped for 15 Avatar sequels. But T1, Aliens, Abyss, and T2 are enough to win out for me.

Fincher would be my second, since he's had a couple of films that don't work for me, but Seven and Fight Club are among my all time favorites, and he's done plenty of solid work aside.

Ridley would be third. He's done plenty of great work, but he's made two of the most f**k awful bad films I've sat through in the theater. "But the greed is a symptom of the evil is a symptom of the corruption in the fabric of the universe..." grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I can't really speak for Jeunet, as I've only seen Rez and Lost Children, both of which left me kind of befuddled. Like, that weird Santa scene in the latter... WTF?

[monkeylove]

They generally do very well in various genres. Any problems in the Alien films that they made probably had to do with the story.

[Salt The Fries]

For me Scott > Fincher > = Jeunet > Cameron, I think. I really enjoyed Terminator 1 and 2 as well as Aliens and I even think Abyss had great potential, but the rest of his filmography isn't so stellar, plus I don't regard any of his films as an absolute masterpiece, so there it goes. I prefer quirky and idiosyncratic, unique Delicatessen and City of Lost Children over whatever Cameron had ever done, any day.

[PierreVW]

For me Scott > Fincher > = Jeunet > Cameron, I think. I really enjoyed Terminator 1 and 2 as well as Aliens and I even think Abyss had great potential, but the rest of his filmography isn't so stellar, plus I don't regard any of his films as an absolute masterpiece, so there it goes. I prefer quirky and idiosyncratic, unique Delicatessen and City of Lost Children over whatever Cameron had ever done, any day.

You put the words I wanted. I like almost all james cameron movies BUT his style is too comercial, too safe, too predictable and too easy.

I adore riskier Directors like Ridley Scott and David Fincher.

[Gash]

For me Scott > Fincher > = Jeunet > Cameron, I think. I really enjoyed Terminator 1 and 2 as well as Aliens and I even think Abyss had great potential, but the rest of his filmography isn't so stellar, plus I don't regard any of his films as an absolute masterpiece, so there it goes. I prefer quirky and idiosyncratic, unique Delicatessen and City of Lost Children over whatever Cameron had ever done, any day.

You put the words I wanted. I like almost all james cameron movies BUT his style is too commercial, too safe, too predictable and too easy.

I adore riskier Directors like Ridley Scott and David Fincher.

And you've summed up my feelings about Cameron too. I get nothing from his stuff, no food for thought, nothing to get the grey matter working. It's fast food cinema. Films that gamers reference as the high watermark in cinema. Perhaps his films satisfy the masses simply because every plot beat is so obvious. The spectacle carries it - but that's not enough for me. I'm actually delighted he's limited himself to Avatar because it's a franchise I have no interest in, so he can't screw up another historical event or badly remake Fantastic Voyage.

Scott perhaps had a lean time during the 90s, his output then was unremarkable generally, but far from him having lost it or being senile or whatever ageist drivel is moronically spouted about his status now, I think all of his films of the last 5 years have given me much to mull over thematically or just to simply enjoy the mastery of.

[PierreVW]

For me Scott > Fincher > = Jeunet > Cameron, I think. I really enjoyed Terminator 1 and 2 as well as Aliens and I even think Abyss had great potential, but the rest of his filmography isn't so stellar, plus I don't regard any of his films as an absolute masterpiece, so there it goes. I prefer quirky and idiosyncratic, unique Delicatessen and City of Lost Children over whatever Cameron had ever done, any day.

You put the words I wanted. I like almost all james cameron movies BUT his style is too commercial, too safe, too predictable and too easy.

I adore riskier Directors like Ridley Scott and David Fincher.

And you've summed up my feelings about Cameron too. I get nothing from his stuff, no food for thought, nothing to get the grey matter working. It's fast food cinema. Films that gamers reference as the high watermark in cinema. Perhaps his films satisfy the masses simply because every plot beat is so obvious. The spectacle carries it - but that's not enough for me. I'm actually delighted he's limited himself to Avatar because it's a franchise I have no interest in, so he can't screw up another historical event or badly remake Fantastic Voyage.

Scott perhaps had a lean time during the 90s, his output then was unremarkable generally, but far from him having lost it or being senile or whatever ageist drivel is moronically spouted about his status now, I think all of his films of the last 5 years have given me much to mull over thematically or just to simply enjoy the mastery of.

I agree. The plots of his movies are so obvious. In that aspect, Christopher Nolan is the new James Cameron. All FXs, no substance.

The career of Ridley Scott is so weird. That's beautiful. With his highs and lows.

I think THE COUNSELOR is so underrated. The same with HANNIBAL and KINGDOM OF HEAVEN: DIRECTOR'S CUT is one of the greatest films of all time.

[KiramidHead]

The Counselor is about as obvious as they come. Once you peel away the obnoxious purple prose, it basically amounts to about 99% of the cast lecturing Fassbender about how greed is bad, 'mkay?

[Gash]

I wouldn't say the Counselor was obvious, I'm still mulling over the motivations and maneuvering of Diaz's character - easily her best film.

Of course the IMDB crowd think she's too old and ugly to be playing a character in any film, yet alone one with weird and wild sexual predilections, such is the depth of their analysis.

[PierreVW]

The Counselor is about as obvious as they come. Once you peel away the obnoxious purple prose, it basically amounts to about 99% of the cast lecturing Fassbender about how greed is bad, 'mkay?

It's a very, very realistic film.

Guillermo Del Toro adores THE COUNSELOR. He even wrote an article about it. GDT was kidnapped 2 times by Mexican Cartels in real life and he said THE COUNSELOR is the most realistic Hollywood film of all time.