What's your favourite film director working today?

Stanley Kubrick is my favourite director ever, but from those that are still alive and/or making films these days, Darren Aronofsky is at the top of my list.
What about you guys/girls, what's your favourite director still working? Also feel free to share your favourite director ever, should they be different :)
 
edit: crap, I wrote "what" rather than "who" in the title-- sorry about that, I was distracted! ^^

I love tons of directors to be honest. Aronofsky has made some great movies. While Scorsese has had a few duds in the last decade he still has made some of my favourite films. The Coen Brothers as well would be high on my list. But I think I'll have to settle on Christopher Nolan as my all time favourite.

For me growing up I always envisioned the budget/spectacle of a big blockbuster film with the character and story of some of my favourite more low budget/underrated films. And while Nolans early work like Memento garnered him attention it never really brought him that, despite being a great film. However some of his later works being the Batman Trilogy, Inception and Prestige has allowed him the freedom/money to bring me that level of spectacle and immersion with solid storytelling and characters.

The Coen Brothers are awesome, as is Wes Anderson, but I vastly prefer his earlier works. Brad Bird's done me no wrong, and whilst Joe Cornish has only made one feature, I've loved the man's work for years, and can't wait to see what else he does.

Kubrick is my favorite director as well. I would have to say that PTA is the greatest director working today. I honestly think that The Master will go down as one of the best.

Scorsese. No question.

Ridley Scott. Still.

Do Coen Brothers count as a singular director? Because them.

Micheal Mann still makes movies right?

Im still waiting for Christopher Nolan to make a bad movie, IMO the Dark Knight Trilogy is the best trilogy ever told. Inception was mind blowing, The Prestige, Momento all great films.

Paul Thomas Anderson maybe?

Chan-wook Park is easily my favorite.

Scorsese, with the Coen Brothers and Paul Thomas Anderson close behind.

give me aronofsky or p.t. anderson any day of the week.

and at the risk of offending those with delicate sensibilities-

wes anderson (i just enjoy painfully dry humor)

and

terrence malick (i have a fondness and high tolerance for overwrought, long-winded, high-concept movies).

Terrence Malick, PTA & Wes Anderson.

Christopher Nolan.

Wes Anderson, i guess.

Scorsese and Tarantino are tied for 1st. Nolan is 2nd. Ridley Scott is probably 3rd. Can't think of anyone else right now besides them.

Edgar Wright: Shaun of the dead is one of my all time favorite movies. he did hot fuzz, scott pilgrim vs the world, and the tv show spaced. Chris Nolan is second place for me.

Kubrick is dead so Tarantino and Fincher will do

Brad Bird.

Kelly Reichardt.

More so because her films changed how I now view the medium, rather than her work being perfection manifested. I.E. she's my equivalent to a lot of people's Kubrick.

david fincherrrrr

Wes Anderson, David Fincher, Tarantino, and the Coen Bros.

David Fincher.

The best Director of All Time is Walter Hill and I will fight anyone who disagrees with me.

I will always love Quentin Tarantino because he always has the best camera shots/music scores/memorable characters/epic scripts. He brings the best out of his characters all while keeping their attitudes and personalities real. I think he is my favorite director because of his well-roundedness.

With that said I have seen some great directing this year.

Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive)

Leon Ford (Griff the Invisible)

Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer, The Amazing Spider-Man)

Probably Woody Allen or Hayao Miyazaki. Their bodies of work over several decades are exceptional and they're not all depressing dramas (although Woody has done quite a few of those in his time). I give them extra points because their films can make me laugh and feel good through to the end.

I don't really have one i prefer to judge a movie based on its story and overall presentation rather than who directed it or who acted in it.

Danny Boyle or Tarantino

Tarantino, Wes Anderson, Rian Johnson, & Thomas McCarthy.

Nolan, PTA, Aronofsky, Fincher, Cronenberg, Danny Boyle, Rian Johnson. I want to write Andrew Domink too because The Assassination Of Jesse James is one of my favourite movies, but I haven't seen his new one yet, and he's only made like three.

Lars Von Trier

Christopher Nolan

Jim Jarmusch

i forgot lynch! but that's mostly for blue velvet AND twin peaks- so it probably only counts half.

@Vonocourt said:

Kelly Reichardt.

More so because her films changed how I now view the medium, rather than her work being perfection manifested. I.E. she's my equivalent to a lot of people's Kubrick.

nice avatar!

Fincher

Tarantino I guess. Or maybe Darren Aranofsky (hopefully I spelled that right). Both are pretty good.
There are not many new guys I know names of and current breed of high budget film is generally garbage. I love Ridley Scott, but it seems his modern films aren't so hot. He seems to have lost something somewhere along the way and his films generally seem to suffer now. 
I want to be able to name more, but with the recent trend of CGI a lot of films are just entertainment and I don't look to deep into them anymore. I like a lot of independent stuff still and stuff coming out of other countries (other then America I mean) but I don't know any names of those currently except Tarantino and Aranofsky.

Christopher Nolan.

@mellotronrules said:

wes anderson (i just enjoy painfully dry humor)

Wes Anderson is mine, guy is extremely creative, his style is what draws me to all his movies.

Classic Cameron is my all time favorite, Aliens, Terminator and Terminator 2. But today that would have to be David Fincher, mostly for Seven and The Zodiac, two movies i really love. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Social Network are also very good films, and Fight Club...well you dont talk about Fight Club.

I suspect Christopher Nolan would top most people's list today, just because of the high profile of his Batman movies, especially TDK and TDKR.

joss whedon

I just noticed that directors have such badass last names. Tarantino, Fincher, Scorcese, Nolan. Those are probably my favorites still working today.

@gaminghooligan said:

@mellotronrules said:

wes anderson (i just enjoy painfully dry humor)

Wes Anderson is mine, guy is extremely creative, his style is what draws me to all his movies.

exactly. i can acknowledge he's something of a one-trick-pony, but his style is just right up my alley.

@KillyDarko: We share similar favourites, but best current director I'd go with Paul Thomas Anderson, and beyond that probably Wes Anderson second and Aronofsky third. Best living director is probably Woody Allen.. but, the guy is clearly just still doing it because he loves it, so his best work is behind him.

I consider Michael Haneke to be one of the greatest directors alive today. It is either between him or Abbas Kiarostami.

@KillyDarko:

It's early in his career but Nicolas Winding Refn has been excellent, From Drive, Bronson to Valhalla Rising, his distinct style and fascination with the reality violence has re-invigorated a very stale and consequence free arena. I'm very interested in his new film "Only God Forgives".

Duncan Jones has displayed he has a voice, one that fought to be heard and deserves to be heard after his spectacular debut with Moon. His second film Source Code, not written by him, is a victim of Moon's impact which continues to play with the genre in an interesting and reverential way. Hopefully he gets the funding for his 3rd and self-exclaimed, (possible) final journey, into the Sci-fi universe. (For only a break, hopefully)

Continuing down the Sci-fi wormhole, Neill Blomkamp has an incredible ability of world building, District 9 felt so alive and lived in, it reminded me the worn and torn universe of Alien. Elysium looks to be the perfect extension and display of this prowess.

All these above Directors have successfully brought the edge back to their genres, Drive shows us how insane the typical movie protagonist would have to be and brings the reality of violence to the screen. Moon and District 9 are Sci-fi in its purest form, a medium of social commentary.

David Fincher would be one of my favourite prolific directors, not many can blend music with the moving image like he has. (Definitely attributed to his music video roots) The cinematography is also stunning and in the case of "Girl With the Dragon tattoo", genuinely chilling.

Christopher Nolan is such a master of his craft that he's changed the game, from his insistance of practical effects in a technology reliant industry but more importantly merging the boundaries between the blockbuster and the "intellectual" film. Proving to Hollywood that you don't need to dumb down your film in order to gather a large audience.

@Duff_McWhalen said:

@csl316 said:

Ridley Scott. Still.

The man directed Alien and Blade Runner. Even if some of his more recent films have been mediocre he is still my favorite.

I probably still need to watch Blade Runner someday, don't I?

I'd have to say Quentin Tarantino at this point.

Probably Nicolas Winding Refn.

Christopher Nolan is probably my favorite (got to see him briefly when I was in the audience for the stadium scene for the last Batman movie!), although Quentin Tarantino is slowly creeping up because I absolutely loved Inglourious B*st*rds, and I'm very excited about Django Unchained coming. Probably if I knew more directors, however, I may have different favorites.