On the occasion of Stanley Kubrick’s 85th birthday, Nick Wrigley explores the director’s favorite films and viewing habits with the help of Kubrick’s right-hand man, Jan Harlan. Nick Wrigley, with the help of Jan Harlan, Kubrick's producer and brother-in-law, have explored the director's list of favorite 10 films. What did one of the greatest directors of all time think were the greatest films of all time?

The first and only (as far as we know) Top 10 list Kubrick submitted to anyone was in 1963 for a fledgling American magazine named Cinema (which had been founded the previous year and ceased publication in 1976). Here’s that list:

1. I Vitelloni (Fellini, 1953)

2. Wild Strawberries (Bergman, 1957)

3. Citizen Kane (Welles, 1941)

4. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Huston, 1948)

5. City Lights (Chaplin, 1931)

6. Henry V (Olivier, 1944)

7. La notte (Antonioni, 1961)

8. The Bank Dick (Fields, 1940)

9. Roxie Hart (Wellman, 1942)

10. Hell’s Angels (Hughes, 1930)

In an early interview with Cahiers du cinéma in 1957, Kubrick said:

“Highest of all I would rate Max Ophuls, who for me possessed every possible quality. He has an exceptional flair for sniffing out good subjects, and he got the most out of them. He was also a marvelous director of actors.”

Also in 1957, Kubrick considered Elia Kazan:

“…without question the best director we have in America. And he’s capable of performing miracles with the actors he uses.”

In the 1960s, Kubrick said:

“I believe Bergman, De Sica and Fellini are the only three filmmakers in the world who are not just artistic opportunists. By this I mean they don’t just sit and wait for a good story to come along and then make it. They have a point of view which is expressed over and over and over again in their films, and they themselves write or have original material written for them.”

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It seems almost impossible to remember now, but their movies inspire and entertain people of all ages. These 10 most famous film directors have helped produce and direct movies that inspire and make such quotes as "Luke I am your father" and "I'll make you an offer you can't refuse" famous. Without these famous film directors, our modern day film industry would be non-existent.

These directors work day and night for the making of their movie and representing their thoughts. Their movies have made them popular all over the world.  Their moves managed to rank in the chart buster list because of their story, excellent screenplay and their direction. These are 10 upcoming movies to watch out for from the best filmmakers of our time.

10. Wes Anderson - The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Release Date: 2014

Director: Wes Anderson

Writer: Wes Anderson

Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Edward Norton, Jude Law.

"The Grand Budapest Hotel" has an amazing cast includes Ralph Fiennes as the concierge as well as Edward Norton, Owen Wilson, Tilda Swinton, Jude Law, Bill Murray, Adrien Brody, Harvey Keitel, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Saoirse Ronan, Tom Wilkinson, Mathieu Amalric, F Murray Abraham, and Bob Balaban.  

The indie subsidiary has previously worked with Anderson before, having previously released both The Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Darjeeling Limited. But that's not all. The report also has the first detailed description of what the movie is actually about, providing the following Synopsis:

"The Grand Budapest Hotel tells of a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars and his friendship with a young employee who becomes his trusted protégé. 

The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting, the battle for an enormous family fortune and the slow and then sudden upheavals that transformed Europe during the first half of the 20th century."

9. Ethan Coen, Joel Coen - Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Release Date: 6 December 2013

Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Writers: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Stars: Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman.

The Coen Brothers’ films include Blood Simple, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, No Country for Old Men, and True Grit.

“Inside Llewyn Davis,” the Coens’ upcoming look at folk music in 1960s New York, will get a limited release Dec. 6 before expanding wider later that month, CBS Films announced over the weekend, providing the following Synopsis:

" "Inside Llewyn Davis" follows an aspiring singer-songwriter (Isaac) as he navigates the 1960s folk-music scene in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Grammy-winner T Bone Burnett produced the film’s soundtrack which includes music performed by, among others, Oscar Isaac, Marcus Mumford and Justin Timberlake. Robert Graf served as executive producer, T Bone Burnett served as executive music producer and Marcus Mumford as associate music producer."

The film stars Oscar Isaac (from “Drive”) as the title musician. Carey Mulligan, John Goodman and Justin Timberlake all also on board. The film already has a trailer, and is set to play at the Cannes Film Festival later this month, but we won’t be seeing the completed project for seven more months.

8. Woody Allen - Blue Jasmine (2013)

Release Date: 26 July 2013

Director: Woody Allen

Writer: Woody Allen

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Peter Sarsgaard

In 2011, Woody Allen earned a revival in relevance and praise thanks to his nostalgic romance Midnight in Paris, which not only earned Allen a Best Director Oscar nod and a win for Best Original Screenplay, but also made a whopping $150 million worldwide. His follow-up, "To Rome With Love", was not too warmly received by critics, but it still made an impressive $73 million worldwide. Now, Sony Classics, which distributed both of the above, is prepping the path for the domestic release of Allen's recently wrapped latest, revealing its title, providing the following Synopsis:

"Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine tells us it's a story centered on a fashionable New York housewife who has her life together and a neurotic in the midst of the final stages of an acute crisis. I know Cate Blanchett plays the title character, Jasmine, and Sally Hawkins plays Ginger, which tells me Hawkins is the New York housewife and Blanchett is the neurotic if I'm to take the title literally."

The cast members for his enticing ensemble, including Alec Baldwin, Cate Blanchett, Bobby Cannavale, Louis C.K., Andrew Dice Clay, Sally Hawkins, Peter Sarsgaard and Michael Stuhlbarg. Sadly, aside from guessing it might be Blanchett who played the aforementioned protagonist, we have no information in the way of what roles these performers play.

7. Darren Aronofsky - Noah (2014)

Release Date: 28 March 2014

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Writers: Darren Aronofsky, John Logan

Stars: Emma Watson, Russell Crowe, Logan Lerman

"Black Swan" director will bring his non-religious Noah epic film to theaters in 2014. If Aronofsky’s other films are an indication of what Noah‘s rating could possibly be, then we could be seeing a rather intense movie – and one that is not fit for younger audiences.

In an earlier report, Aronofsky described his Noah character as “a man who loves the Earth and all of its animal inhabitants but has become disillusioned with the way humans have treated their planet.” This coincides with Aronofsky’s earlier description of Noah’s “passion and perseverance”.

The official synopsis of the graphic novel reads as follows:

“It was a world without hope, a world with no rain and no crops, dominated by warlords and their barbarian hordes. In this cruel world, Noah was a good man. Seasoned fighter, mage and healer but he only wanted peace for him and his family. Yet every night, Noah was beset by visions of an endless flood, symbolizing the destruction of all life. Gradually he began to understand the message sent him by the Creator. He had decided to punish the men and kill them until the last. But he gave Noah a last chance to preserve life on Earth.” 

6. Ridley Scott - The Counselor (2013)

Release Date: 15 November 2013

Director: Ridley Scott

Writer: Cormac McCarthy

Stars: Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem

Ridley Scott's highly anticipated, Cormac McCarthy-penned "The Counselor" is now set for a November 15th release, the same weekend as another contender, the recently slated Wikileaks movie, "The Fifth Estate." Plan accordingly. 

"McCarthy's first venture into screenwriting here centers on Fassbender's titular character -- an attorney, whose name we never learn -- who is in search of a big payday after he proposes to his girlfriend, Laura. So he hooks up with Reiner, an acquaintance with deep criminal ties, for a new business proposition: they'll take $20 million worth of cocaine from south of the border and offload it themselves, aided by the no-good Westray. As you might imagine, things do not go well for anyone involved."

Starring a ridiculous ensemble including Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Dean Norris, Rosie Perez, John Leguizamo, Natalie Dormer and Goran Visnjic, the film, about a lawyer who gets mixed up in the drug trade, seems like a straight-up genre play. But we're guessing there may be a performance or two in here that could get some nomination consideration. The Counselor: Watch Trailer And TV Spot Now Online!

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Luc Besson is a well known and celebrated French director , the  writer, and producer who is considered the French equivalent of Steven Spielberg, filmmaker Luc Besson has a reputation for making high-octane, fast-paced, ultra-stylish, and hugely budgeted movies with mass appeal. 

Either directing, writing, or producing, I always tend to enjoy his movies. Sure, a lot of it is mindless action, but some of it is much more than that. I'm including not only what he's directed, but movies he's written or produced, as well. He has been involved in a lot of European action movies. If you haven’t already seen the best, here’s a list of Luc Besson's ten ultra stylish action movies you should check out...

10. Taxi (1998)

***Quality Entertainment And Action Packed French Film***

"Emilien Coutant-Kerbalec: Oh my, they're gone!

Daniel Morales: 'Oh my, they're gone!' Let me ask you a question: Do your interrogations always end up like this, or are you just trying to impress me?

Emilien Coutant-Kerbalec: But no! I usually get to ask at least one question."

"Taxi" story is about how a nice young man , who just wants to be a taxi-driver, got caught up with an idiot cop  who's trying to impress his boss  – a busty blonde – by catching the feared and frenetic Mercedes Gang of bank robbers who have now invaded Marseilles to clean out all the local banks.

Producer and writer Luc Besson's touch is definitely notable throughout the movie. It has the same sort of humor, pace and overall style as his directed movies. It's the sort of entertainment he himself could had directed. I would recommend this film to anybody, although especially to Jackie Chan/John Woo Hong Kong movie fans as a lot of the action sequences have a similar hyper-real feel to them.

9. Unleashed (2005)

***An Enjoyable And Original Jet Li Movie***

"Infirmier: So let me work this through one more time now; I don't pay you, and you take his collar off.

Bart: Correctomundo.

Infirmier: You take his collar off, he beats us all to death."

"Unleashed (a.k.a "Danny The Dog") " plot about Danny (Jet Li) who loses his mother at a young age, and his then raised as a dog with a collar to serve only his master. His master is a ruthless, bloodhound who uses Danny to do his dirty work. When Danny escapes his master, he's taken in by a blind piano player (Morgan Freeman) . After trying to start a new life, his old master finds him and tries to bring him back to serve him. Now Dany must fight his way out of his old life so he can be able to live a normal life.

It was a pretty original movie along with a nice platform for Jet Li to show off his great martial arts skills. Not only did we get to see some fast and brutal action from Li, but we got to see a bit of acting as well.

I enjoyed Unleashed and would recommend it to fans of martial arts movies, Jet Li or both. I rank it up with Jet Li's "The One" with it's originality and great story.

8. District B13 Series (2004, 2009)

***The Stunts And Explosive Acrobatics Action Steals This Show***

"Damien: You really think the government would kill two million people just for having a few problems?

Leito: Six million died for not having blonde hair and blue eyes."

Luc Besson wrote the scripts, this plan of choreography, as there is not a lot of spoken dialogue in this fast-paced thriller series and Patrick Allessandrin directs a story of a region of Paris (District 13) that is cordoned off the rest of Paris by a group of five warlords who manage to control the drug ridden violent region.

In this age of CGI and wire assisted stunts, it's wonderful to watch real human beings doing amazing, acrobatic things. It is pure adrenaline and certainly one of the best action movies. The greatest attractions are the performances of David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli.

The cinematography is superb, the musical score is French rap music that while it suits the mood of the film becomes irritating in its repetitiveness. In all this is an escapist film that is high on excitement is not very high on intelligent dialogue.

7. Ong-bak (2003)

***Most Realistic, Violent Martial Arts Movie Ever Made***

"To fight for the honor of his village, he must unleash the ancient art of Muay Thai: 9 Body Weapons."

"Ong-bak" movie revolves around a young man from a small village, who is trained in martial arts, and sets off to find the man who stole the head of the village idol (Ong Bak). He is also to find a village elder son who is living in Bangkok. The son is a lowlife con-man who wants nothing to do with his past. The man who stole the head of the idol works for a mob boss, who collects artifacts and best of fights.

The undoubted star of this film is Tony Jaa. He is a truly talented martial artist, with the skills of a master, and the face of a leading man. He is a superstar who really has made a name for himself with this film.

There's only one thing to say. If you are a Martial Arts fan.. Definitely see it. If you're not - see it anyway.

6. The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999)

***Breathtaking Sword Fight And Brilliantly Crafted Movie***

"Joan of Arc: I am the drum on which God is beating out His messages. And right now He is beating so hard, it's splinting my ears."

"The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc", Joan's inner turmoil coming through during her trial which is stark contrast to the confident messenger she portrays in front of her judges. Dustin Hoffman who, as the cloaked figure seems to be her final tormentor and possible executioner, turns out to be the last person in her shrinking world to show her any selfless compassion.

Milla Jovovich is brilliant as the violent, aggressive, and a zealous titular character, with her hatred for the English and the desire to do God's will made plain on every shot of her face in battle.

The battle sequences are brilliant and brutally shot, specifically designed to do away with the glorification of war that is so frequently seen in movies such as this; men are decapitated, blood sprays, heads are smashed to a pulp. The savagery of 15th-century warfare is brought to the fore effectively and honestly.

5. Taken Series (2008, 2012)

***A Brilliant And Surprisingly Good Action Entertainer***

"Bryan: I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."

In a world of James Bonds, Jason Bournes, and Frank Martins, it's hard for a little random ex-spy named Brian Mills to get some love. On the surface, his film seems a little formulaic, and he seems a little...well...old. However, once we get into the Mills's story, and see how infinitely badass the wonderful Liam Neeson plays him, you'll probably be saying something along the lines of "James who?". 'Taken', which follows Mills as he pursues those responsible for kidnapping his daughter, is a heart pounding thriller with a stupendous display of badassery from Liam Neeson. It may have a plot that's sort of unbelievable, but it's one of the best action thrillers in years.

I highly recommend this action entertainer to those who really wants to get blown away with real hard hitting action.

4. The Transporter Series (2002, 2005, 2008)

***An Exciting, Adrenaline Pumping Action Series Ever***

"Lai: You're always complaining, except when we make love. Then you say nothing."

"If You Need It To Arrive Safe and In One Piece -- Hire A Professional"

This frantic , adrenaline motion pictures are lavishly produced by the French producer and director Luc Besson with his production company called Europacops. Based on the characters created by Robert Mark Kamen and Luc Besson , deals with the former mercenary Frank Martin (Jason Statham), he is an expert on deliveries of high risk.

This exciting series gets noisy action , suspense , tension and lots of violence when the thrilling fights and murders take place , being pretty entertaining . Chases galore abounds with breathtaking velocities and rousing pursuits where the cars leap and fly . It's a run-of-the-mill action series as from the beginning to the end the action-packed is interminable.

3. The Fifth Element (1997)

***Sci-Fi At It's Best And Very Entertaining Movie***

"Korben Dallas: What's your name? 

Leeloo: Leeloo Minai Lekarariba-Laminai-Tchai Ekbat De Sebat.

Korben Dallas: Good. That... that whole thing's your name, huh? Do you have, uh... a shorter name?

Leeloo: Uh, Leeloo."

Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) is a former special agent, now taxi driver turned special agent again in order to save the world from an ever growing evil in the form of a giant burning evil 'scare the pants of The President' ball of fire. In order to save the world from this said evil he needs five elements, 4 of which are unknown to everybody except the fifth element who he predictably meets after she falls into his taxi after being chased by cops.

Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Milla Jovovich, and Ian Holm all produce the necessary passion for their deep characters and the splendid dialog. The Fifth Element is a fantastic sci-fi action film that's as good to look at as anything out there, the style together with an entertaining story & Bruce Willis pretty much means The Fifth Element is a personal favorite of mine, what can I say? Watch it as soon as you can.

2. La Femme Nikita (1990)

***An Action Flick With Refreshing Substance***

"Amande: Let your pleasure be your guide."

"Amande: There are two things that are infinite: femininity and means to take advantage of it."

 "La Femme Nikita" story follows a street punk named Nikita (Anne Parillaud) is sentenced to life imprisonment after purposely killing a police officer. The French government fakes her suicide and starts training her to be a killer for them. She succeeds and they set her free. She meets and falls in love with friendly, handsome Marco (Jean-Hughes Anglade) but the government keeps calling her to do jobs and she hates it. But she can't escape.

Anne Parillaud won the Cesar for her performance as the title character and its easy to see why. She is utterly convincing whatever she is playing.

Perhaps 20 years ago the flaws would have been hidden somewhat by the exciting style of film making that Besson employed. But since many many movies have copied this style since, you will be watching nothing new.

1. Leon: The Professional (1994)

***A Visceral And Intelligent - Besson's Masterpiece***

"Leon: You need some time to grow up a little.

Mathilda: I finished growing up, Leon. I just get older.

Leon: For me it's the opposite. I'm old enough. I need time to grow up."

"Mathilda: Is life always this hard, or is it just when you're a kid?

Leon: Always like this."

Luc Besson gives us an exciting movie here that should excite, shock and keep you locked into the movie. "Leon: The Professional" is the story of a very smart and calculating professional killer named Leon (Jean Reno) who ends up with a burden in his arms, a twelve year old girl named Matilda (Natalie Portman). Matilda's fate is almost met when a very crooked DEA Agent Stansfield (Gary Oldman) murders her family while she is out buying milk - Leon saves her life and teaches her the trade of "cleaning". Superb actors, electric performances from Reno, Portman and Oldman.

The killing and action scenes throughout the film are spectacular, and the cinematography is surprisingly stunning. This is a film that most certainly deserves its 'Cult Classic' label, and is a movie that should be a trailblazer for the genre.

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How would you define a Director?. Well, A film director is a person who gives a film creative direction by guiding actors through each scene. First of all, it's not the easiest job in the world. As a director, you have to be creative, open-minded and a very good dreamer. What Dreamer?. Silly, isn't it?. Yes. I know. But trust me it's one of the most common thing among all directors. Man is a genius when he is dreaming. A director must see things as audience and have ability to put thoughts together in such way that it reaches audience in simplistic and realistic way. It's really hard to rank them because each one of these filmmakers are fantastic and brilliant in their own ways.

"Film directors, or should I say people who create things, are very greedy and they can never be satisfied... That's why they can keep on working. I've been able to work for so long because I think next time, I'll make something good." - Akira Kurosawa. 

1. Akira Kurosawa (1910 - 1998)

***Akira Kurosawa Is The Greatest Director Ever Lived***

"In a mad world only the mad are sane." - Akira Kurosawa

"For me, film-making combines everything. That`s the reason I`ve made cinema my life`s work. In films painting and literature, theater and music come together. But a film is still a film." - Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa did what other great directors tried to do. To make an action/drama/love-story/martial-arts/historical correct and so much more film, making it last for almost 4hours,without us ever getting bored. The way Kurosawa films had lots of influence on later filmmakers. He inspired many prominent and acclaimed film directors, such as Steven Spielberg, Ingmar Bergman, John Frankenheimer, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and many, many, more. To say that Kurosawa was a great director is an understatement, he was more than a director, he was one of the figures who defined the meaning of the word director.

2. Hayao Miyazaki (1941)

  ***Most Acclaimed Animated Movie Director Ever***

“I'm not going to make movies that tell children, "You should despair and run away".” ― Hayao Miyazaki

“Is someone different at age 18 or 60? I believe one stays the same.” ― Hayao Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki, Japanese director had a fantastic flair for animated film, and the uncanny ability to engross his audiences beyond the normal movie-experience that makes him the King of Escapism. The motion picture is splendidly realized by Hayao Miyazaki and his movies accompanied by sensible music score composed by his usual music. Miyazaki directed excellent cartoon movies as ¨Howl's moving castle, Chihiro, Porco Rosso and My neighbor Tororo¨.

3. Satyajit Ray (1921 - 1992) 

***Unquestionably, The Best Indian Director Of All Time***

"The director is the only person who knows what the film is about." - Satyajit Ray

"I think they quite like me when I work because I'm one of the safer directors to back, because even if my films don't bring their costs in back home, once they're shown outside of India they manage to cover the costs." - Satyajit Ray.

Kurosawa said of Ray's work, "To have not seen the films of Ray is to have lived in the world without ever having seen the moon and the sun."

Satyajit Ray was an unpretentious filmmaker. He was genuinely uninterested in commercial considerations. His films were life-affirming, authentic and honest; gentle and poetic- truthful observations on human behavior that employed simple but strong themes. Satyajit Ray took Indian cinema to the world stage, not through the hollow men and women at Bollywood, but through the Berlin Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, etc. The sensitivity of his films makes watching them the best cinematic experience.

Satyajit Ray, who died in 1992, was still around to know that his film was yet influencing more people in the positive way all great art does, but realize, as he surely did, that he need not be, for great art always and eventually fills out the places the human body gives way to.

4. Ang Lee (1954)

***One Of The Greatest Contemporary Filmmakers***

"I did a women's movie, and I'm not a woman. I did a gay movie, and I'm not gay. I learned as I went along." - Ang Lee

 

"Directing, I get all kinds of inspiration. It's working with people. It's a lot more fun." - Ang Lee

You have to concede to the fact that Ang Lee is undoubtedly a visionary and amazing director. Ang Lee has a straightforward approach to human suffering that can appeal to anyone, anywhere, as well as a sense of humor that gives the audience just the right degree of distance without any feeling of estrangement. Ang Lee has done some remarkable work: Sense and Sensibility, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and Brokeback Mountain. The variety of genres he has tackled is evidence for an enlightened director, versatile and daring.

5. Masaki Kobayashi (1916 - 1996)

  ***A Perfectionist And Brilliant Story Teller***

Known For: The Human Condition Trilogy, Harakiri (1962), Samurai Rebellion (1967)

Masaki Kobayashi is certainly the second greatest period director following Akira Kurosawa. Samurai Rebellion, along with Harakiri, are two of the best samurai films ever made, belonging to the small group that includes the masterpiece Seven Samurai. Unlike Kurosawa, director Masaki Kobayashi doesn't add much Western-style "flair" to his movies; instead, his films  are more starkly beautiful and gradually paced. With films like "Hara-Kiri" and "Kwaidan", he came to be feted in the 1960's as a master of both the samurai movie and the supernatural genre. I truly appreciate Masaki Kobayashi for the respect he shows to his viewer's intelligence, for intelligently presenting the true heroism of a human standing up against impossible odds.

6. Abbas Kiarostami (1940) 

***Soulful Writer And A Great Iranian Director***

"Before the revolution we had 300 for six million people in Tehran, but now we have less than 200 for 16 million people." - Abbas Kiarostami

"This is a real problem because people are interested to watch more movies but there is no opportunity." - Abbas Kiarostami

Abbas Kiarostami: Legendary Iranian filmmaker world renowned for making artistic cinema. What do you expect from somebody of that calibre when you watch a movie of his for the first time? Certainly something cinematic ally classy and encyclopaedic, and inspiring for an aspiring filmmaker. Abbas Kiarostami has not only been critically lauded by film critics and theorists, but also by some of the greatest directors, from the late Akira Kurosawa and Atom Egoyan to the legendary 'Film God' Jean-Luc Godard. This is probably of his fresh use of ideas and spiritual/humanism way to directing and writing his films. His methods of rubbing the line between fiction and nonfiction is an excellent way, a common theme in his films.

7. Yimou Zhang (1951)

***One Of The Most Acclaimed Chinese Director***

"Only people have been through that miserable time will recall the pass from their deep memory." - Zhang Yimou

"To do art, one thing should always remember - subjects of people in misery have deep meanings." - Zhang Yimou

Yimou Zhang, once-photographer-turned-director, knows how to conjure up magic in celluloid and pulls absolutely no punches. Zhang Yimou, one of China's greatest directors, first ventured into the realm of the martial arts film with his classic "Hero". "Hero" was a stylistic triumph; here, Zhang aims even higher, and he succeeds. Yimou Zhang produces a work that retains his position as one of the master builders of contemporary cinema. His ability to capture an intricate story historically based in a setting of splendor is up there with the great filmmakers.

8. Majid Majidi (1959) 

***A Passionate And  Brilliant Iranian Writer-Filmmaker***

Known For: Children of Heaven (1997), The Color of Paradise (1999), Baran (2001)

Majid Majidi, director and writer of the much-acclaimed "The Children of Heaven" has proven to the world that he is able to demonstrate weighty ideas through simple depictions of everyday life in Iran. He shows audiences that his country is not just a place where reform movements, revolutions, and embassy seizing take place; but also where beautiful films are made. His ability to let the audience experience both the visually impaired and visually unimpaired worlds without ever abandoning one for the other is simply remarkable.

Majid Majidi has the ability to make every frame and every shot beautiful and enigmatic. Nobody like Majid Majidi has recreated poverty and suffering of millions of people all over the world. His films show in a very natural, but dramatic way how poverty and culture and domination, both work together to cause social pain.

9. Kar Wai Wong (1958)

***A Highly Imaginative Writer Director***

Known For: In the Mood for Love (2000), Chungking Express (1994), Fallen Angels (1995), Happy Together (1997), 2046 (2004).

Kar Wai Wong is more than a film director. He is a visual, poetic, creative and daring artist capable of more cinematic miracles in one isolated film than most directors achieve in a lifetime. They are visually stunning, intellectually challenging, emotionally charged view of love and lust in today's kinetically dysfunctional society. Kar Wai Wong, the writer, director, choreographer, colorist, visionary that makes this excursion into the interstices of the mind/imagination so overwhelmingly satisfying.

10. Chan-wook Park (1963)

***No One Portrayed Revenge Films Like Chan-woo Park***

"Living without hate for people is almost impossible. There is nothing wrong with fantasizing about revenge. You can have that feeling. You just shouldn't act on it." - Chan-wook Park

"In my films, I focus on pain and fear. The fear just before an act of violence and the pain after. This applies to the perpetrators as well as the victims." - Chan-wook Park

Chan-wook Park is a very skilled filmmaker; he has created a signature visual style that is present in most of his works – a morbid coldness that gives viewers a sense of unease through odd color tones, unorthodox shots, and numbing violence that seem almost too nonchalant. he is specializes in incredible stylistic camera work and artistic cinematography within a carefully constructed narrative. He is well known for his work such as "Vengeance Trilogy", "Oldboy", "Thirst".

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Abbas Kiarostami is a well known and worldwide acclaimed Iranian director, writer and producer. He has written and directed around 40 plus films and documentaries. He is very passionate about photography, May be that's why his films has beautiful picturization and locations. Most Iranian films stories and documentaries based on female protagonists and their social-emotional struggle. But Abbas Kiarostami has a reputation for using child protagonists portray stories and his very brilliant at it. Let's have a look at Abbas Kiarostami's ten most beautifully pictured and directed films.

1. Where is the Friend's Home? (1987) 

 ***Gorgeous Film And One Of The Best Film On Child Psychology***

"Where Is My Friend's Home?" watches as eight year old Ahmed sneaks away from home and embarks on a quest to return a tattered notebook to a classmate. The classmate, young Mohammed Nematzedah, lives in another village. Ahmed never finds Mohammed's home, and so completes his friend's homework so that Mohammed won't get punished at school. "Good boy," a teacher says the following day. She's referring to Mohammed and his homework. Kiarostami's patting Ahmed on the back.

The performances are all convincingly natural and the camera could easily not have been there. Babek Ahmed Poor's Ahmed naturally steals the film and, although he doesn't show a great range he is as natural and as likable as the film required him to be – you forget he is acting and this could easily be fly-on-the-wall stuff.

It is a beautiful story, and it is a beautiful experience to sit and take in this magnificent film!

2. Close-Up (1990)

  ***A Notable Achievement And Well Crafted Film***

" 'Close-Up' Hailed By Famous Directors Like Tarantino, Martin Scorsese And Werner Herzog"

"Close-Up", a poor man who wants to make a movie to expose or transpose the suffering of the simple low-class worker (like himself). He commits the crime of using another known director's identity, lying to an upper-medium class family, just to get some resources for his film. We can see from his statements, later, that he wouldn't want to do any harm to the family. He just saw an easy way out of his daily routine and awareness of not having the money to make something.

All the credit must go to Kiarostami- a man whose art clearly is a synergy of lesser things. People tend to quote that Abbas Kiarostami's style is a slow paced coupled with dry documentary images, but I've found his films to be wonderfully unraveling puzzles and moments of perfect understanding. Close-Up is a film any lover of cinema should see, and even those who are vapid, because Hossain Sabzian is likely the best mirror those sorts will ever get.

3. Life, and Nothing More... (1992)

***Absorbing And Masterfully Filmed***

The story follows a filmmaker on a journey with his son across earthquake-ravage Iran to find two boys that were in his previous film, to see if they are still alive. Kiarostami follows the two in their car as their search progresses and they meet various people displaced by the earthquake along the way. It's an extraordinarily slow process.

Kiarostami presents life in such a naturalistic way that we are sitting in the back seat of the car taking the journey as well. That is the perfection of the this film, the real life, the carnage of life, the people striving for life, all add up to one up-lifting experience. You see none of the horrific footage of mangled bodies and uncontrollably hysterical victims that we usually associate with natural disasters. You only see people who have experienced tragedy, but continue to live and endure.

4. The White Balloon (1995) 

***Charming And Delightful To Watch***

"The White Ballon", a young girl is given a 500-toman banknote to buy a goldfish for the Iranian New Year. On the way to the market, she loses the money down a sewer grate, and spends the rest of the film trying to get it back, either ignored or aided by the strangers she meets.

Beautiful cinematography, memorable characters, and stunning direction backed by Kiarostami's expertly written script make for a great film. It is a simple story, simply done. The little girl that is the star isn't exactly a sympathetic character. Mostly because of her whining performance. The young actor who plays her brother practically steals the show. I hope to see more of him in the future. Having said all this, I do recommend the movie. 

5. Taste of Cherry (1997)

 ***Artistic And Pure Cinematic Brilliance***

"Mr. Bagheri: If you look at the four seasons, each season brings fruit. In summer, there's fruit, in autumn, too. Winter brings different fruit and spring, too. No mother can fill her fridge with such a variety of fruit for her children. No mother can do as much for her children as God does for His creatures. You want to refuse all that? You want to give it all up? You want to give up the taste of cherries? "

The story drives around a dusty wasteland, looking for help in committing suicide. Neither a soldier nor a seminary student will help him. A doctor asks him if he is willing to surrender all of the physical and emotional immediacies of life, just to end his unspecified suffering. The man takes too many sleeping pills and lies down in the grave he's dug, as the sounds of rain and nature, along with the darkness, enveloped him.

The film's cinematography is brilliant. The reddish tone given throughout to maintain the graveness of the matter, and the greenish tone at the end to depict wellness, is excellent! Of course, the director has due contribution in it..

Taste of Cherry is strongly recommended as a unique film by Abbas Kiarostami.Its usefulness comes from the fact that it prepares admirers of Abbas Kiarostami for other films directed by him.

6. The Wind Will Carry Us (1999)

  ***Simple, Poetic And Good Journey***

"Farzad: "What happens to the Good and Evil on Judgment day? "

Engineer: That's obvious. The Good go to hell and the Evil to heaven. Is that right?

Farzad: Yes.

Engineer: No. the Good go to heaven, the Evil go to hell. Hurry in and write that, then come back."

"The Wind Will Carry Us", the engineer is thrown into the village, he is alone and he is waiting for the death of an old villager. The stasis eventually dissolves when he leaves his role as observer and becomes involved, and we can move on, too.

It's a great attempt to depict the artist's philosophy of life. It is simple and complicated at the same time. Our beautiful and mysterious world, the tight connection between human and nature, our obsession with death and meaning of life and so many other unanswered questions.

A good film is largely what you make of it, and Kiarostami does set this film up to be very accessible to international viewers without specific knowledge of Iranian culture if they choose to give it a real shot.

7. Through the Olive Trees (1994) 

***Graceful, Emotional And Simple Drama***

"If short men only married short women they would have short children and no-one would be able to reach the top of the cupboard."

"Through The Olive Trees", opens with a film crew trying to cast for a movie in a provincial village, in the aftermath of A devastating earthquake which has claimed many, many lives. We then are shown that the remaining people are trying to rebuild their lives, picking up bits and pieces of the past, but with an eye to the future.example of these people are the boy and the girl who are selected to play the protagonists of the melodrama to be made.

A very sensitive and emotional film. Hussein's character, always dreaming and fantasizing about things that cannot be, is touching and endearing. The issue of fiction vs. reality, imagination vs. real life, is dealt with great wisdom and subtlety. One of Kiarostami's best.

8. Certified Copy (2010) 

***An Engaging, Beautiful And Mysterious Film***

"Elle: I know you hate me. There's nothing I can do about that. But at least try to be a little consistent."

"James Miller: I didn't mean to sound so cynical, but when I saw all their hopes and dreams in their eyes, I just couldn't support their illusion."

In "Certified Copy," a man and a woman who've just met go through all the rituals of courtship and marriage in a single afternoon. Or are they an actual married couple simply pretending to be strangers as a means of seeing their relationship from a fresh perspective and perhaps starting over again as a couple?

Juliette Binoche won the Best Actress award for this role, but she deserves an award for most roles she has had. She is beautiful and proves her talent is beyond any limitations when she talks in three different languages non stop without any sort of discomfort. Abbas Kiarostami is a genius man who created a masterpiece. I loved it how in some scenes he will place the camera on characters like they are talking or in their own point of view. 

9. Ten (2002)

***Not Perfect But A Good Hyper-Realistic Drama***

The central character is a divorced woman in post-revolutionary Iran. Her recurrent argument is with her young son, angry about his parents' divorce. She is torn between her son and her desire for independence. The other characters, representing women at different stages of life, carry on the argument with the driver about women's role in society.

I believe this movie provides a unique opportunity to touch deeply some of the important human interactions and find a real context to think about love, hate, relationship, parenting and the child's world. It's gripping, funny, eye-opening but also strikingly close-to-home.

10. Crimson Gold (2003)

***A Brave Attempt And A Modern Persian Drama***

"Winner of the Jury Award at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival but sadly banned in Iran."

Hussein's job is poorly paid pizza delivery and it cannot provide him with enough money to buy simple jewels for his future wife, but can clearly show him that some other people do not have such problems. His customers often have fun with prostitutes, buy modern, expensive jewels from abroad, have parties in luxury apartments and obviously do not have money-related problems while Hussein and his best friend and future brother-in-law are not even allowed to enter the fancy jewels store.

It's not only about Iran, as many reviewers consider. This film is a metaphor, and a metaphor is universal. The movie is banned in Iran while its director was not allowed to enter US to assist in the screening there. Director Jafar Panahi is banned in his own country and is suspected elsewhere as coming from his own country.

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