50 Movie Directors Selected By Ian Freer

Added on by C. Maoxian.

In 2009 Ian Freer wrote a book called Movie Makers: 50 Iconic Directors. He organized them by birth date, which is exactly how I would have done it, but he included a few directors I would have left out. Anyway, here’s his list. I’ve included a must-see movie from the director if I know of one:

  1. D.W. Griffith (born 1875)

  2. Cecil B. DeMille (born 1881)

  3. Michael Curtiz (born 1886)

  4. Charlie Chaplin (born 1889) — all until 1940

  5. Fritz Lang (born 1890) — M

  6. John Ford (born 1894) — Stagecoach

  7. Jean Renoir (born 1894)

  8. Josef von Sternberg (born 1894) — The Blue Angel

  9. Howard Hawks (born 1896)

  10. Frank Capra (born 1897)

  11. Sergei Eisenstein (born 1898)

  12. George Cukor (born 1899)

  13. Alfred Hitchcock (born 1899) — The 39 Steps, many more

  14. Luis Bunuel (born 1900) — Simon of the Desert

  15. Walt Disney (born 1901) — The Jungle Book

  16. William Wyler (born 1902) — Roman Holiday

  17. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (born 1905, 1902)

  18. John Huston (born 1906) — The Asphalt Jungle

  19. Roberto Rossellini (born 1906) — Germany Year Zero

  20. Billy Wilder (born 1906) — Some Like It Hot

  21. David Lean (born 1908)

  22. Elia Kazan (born 1909)

  23. Akira Kurosawa (born 1910)

  24. Orson Welles (born 1915)

  25. Ingmar Bergman (born 1918) — Sawdust and Tinsel

  26. Federico Fellini (born 1920)

  27. Satyajit Ray (born 1921)

  28. Robert Altman (born 1925) — Nashville

  29. Sam Peckinpah (born 1925)

  30. Stanley Kubrick (born 1928) — Dr. Strangelove, many more

  31. Sergio Leone (born 1929)

  32. Jean-Luc Godard (born 1930) — Breathless

  33. Francois Truffaut (born 1932) — Soft Skin

  34. Roman Polanski (born 1933) — Chinatown

  35. Woody Allen (born 1935) — Hannah and Her Sisters, many more

  36. Ridley Scott (born 1937) — Blade Runner

  37. Francis Ford Coppola (born 1939) — The Godfather

  38. Bernardo Bertolucci (born 1940)

  39. Krzysztof Kieslowski (born 1941) — Three Colors series

  40. Werner Herzog (born 1942)

  41. Martin Scorsese (born 1942) — Taxi Driver

  42. George Lucas (born 1944) — THX 1138, Star Wars series

  43. David Lynch (born 1946) — Eraserhead

  44. Steven Spielberg (born 1946) — Duel

  45. Pedro Almodovar (born 1949)

  46. Joel and Ethan Coen (born 1954, 1957) — Blood Simple, many more

  47. Spike Lee (born 1957)

  48. Tim Burton (born 1958) — Pee-wee's Big Adventure

  49. Peter Jackson (born 1961) — The Lord of the Rings series

  50. Quentin Tarantino (born 1963)

Newly Added to Criterion Channel in October 2026

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Index, Title, Year, Running Time

1 Magazine 2026 11

2 The Last Jiangshi 2026 20

3 Hideous 2022 22

4 Hustler White 1996 80

5 Gerontophilia 2013 82

6 Spider's Eyes 1998 83

7 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 1974 83

8 Cohen and Tate 1989 85

9 Serpent's Path 1998 85

10 Dust Devil 1992 87

11 Door III 1996 88

12 Race with the Devil 1975 88

13 Duel 1971 89

14 The Appointment 1981 89

15 The Wraith 1986 92

16 Highway to Hell 1991 93

17 When a Stranger Calls Back 1993 93

18 Demon Seed 1977 94

19 Homebodies 1974 94

20 Party Girl 1995 94

21 You're Next 2011 94

22 Otto; or, Up with Dead People 2008 94

23 Ring 2 1999 95

24 The Keep 1983 95

25 The Bird with the Crystal Plumage 1970 96

26 Alone 2020 97

27 Dark Night of the Scarecrow 1981 97

28 Joy Ride 2001 97

29 Someone's Watching Me! 1978 97

30 The Hitcher 1986 97

31 Maximum Overdrive 1986 98

32 And Soon the Darkness 1970 99

33 Kisapmata 1981 99

34 By Hook or by Crook 2001 100

35 Road Games 1981 100

36 The Last One for the Road 2025 100

37 Tenebrae 1982 101

38 Jennifer's Body 2009 102

39 Play Misty for Me 1971 102

40 Altered States 1980 103

41 Charisma 1999 104

42 The Faculty 1998 104

43 Batch '81 1982 105

44 The Others 2001 105

45 Inferno 1980 106

46 Will Your Heart Beat Faster? 1980 106

47 Itim 1976 107

48 The Gift 2015 108

49 Don't Look Now 1973 110

50 The Cat o' Nine Tails 1971 111

51 The Omen 1976 111

52 Serpent's Path 2024 113

53 Bright Future 2002 115

54 Dead Ringers 1988 115

55 Lifeforce 1985 116

56 Pulse 2001 119

57 The Social Network 2010 120

58 To the Ends of the Earth 2019 120

59 Two Evil Eyes 1991 120

60 The Entity 1982 125

61 Three 2002 128

62 Creepy 2016 130

63 Rosemary's Baby 1968 136

64 Lolita 1962 153

65 The Wailing 2016 156

66 Eyes Wide Shut 1999 159

67 Salem's Lot 1979 183

68 Barry Lyndon 1975 185

69 Terror in Resonance 2014 253

Maoxian's One a Day Playlist for September 2026

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Here is the One a Day playlist for September 2026. Check out the One a Day playlists for August, July, June, May, April, March, February and January.

30 amazing songs, 1 hour 58 minute running time. Talented human curation still way better than GIGO (what I call AI). I hope you discover some new music that you like. Kendra Morris, Erykah Badu, Bob Marley, and Van Morrison talented enough to appear as coveted repeat artists.

The songs are ordered chronologically from latest to earliest:

  1. MorMor, Celeste, Like Heaven

  2. Joey Quinones, Don't Be Late

  3. Bel Cobain, Am I Dumb

  4. Degiheugi, Ipanemax

  5. Nubiyan Twist, Mamani Keita, Slow Breath

  6. TAMTAM, Seven Seas

  7. Peter Somuah, Pat Thomas, We Give Thanks

  8. 30/70, HOLY ROLLER

  9. Kendra Morris, Cry Sometimes

  10. Weyes Blood, Andromeda

  11. Pat Thomas, Kwashibu Area Band, Onfa Nkosi Hwee

  12. Laura Cahen, Ca Depend Des Saisons

  13. Charles Bradley, Menahan Street Band, The World (Is Going Up in Flames)

  14. Angie Stone, Wish I Didn't Miss You

  15. Erykah Badu, Didn't Cha Know

  16. Mos Def, Ms. Fat Booty

  17. Fugees, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Pras, Fu-Gee-La

  18. A Tribe Called Quest, Can I Kick It? 

  19. Jungle Brothers, What's Going On

  20. Cheb Hasni, Nebhilk mani hani

  21. Bob Marley & the Wailers, So Much Trouble In The World

  22. William Onyeabor, Heaven and Hell

  23. Gospel Comforters, Jesus Will Help Me

  24. Hector Lavoe, El Todopoderoso

  25. Big Star, September Gurls

  26. Van Morrison, Crazy Love

  27. It's A  Beautiful Day, White Bird

  28. Big Brother & the Holding Company, Summertime

  29. The Beatles, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

  30. Jefferson Airplane, White Rabbit

Bosley Crowther on James Dean

Added on by C. Maoxian.

I watched East of Eden last night and wasn’t thrilled. I hate James Dean. I watched Rebel Without a Cause recently and wasn’t thrilled with that one either. Anyway, here’s an excerpt from Bosley Crowther’s movie review of East of Eden, written in 1955:

“This young actor [James Dean], who is here doing his first big screen stint, is a mass of histrionic gingerbread. He scuffs his feet, he whirls, he pouts, he sputters, he leans against walls, he rolls his eyes, he swallows his words, he ambles slack-kneed-all like Marlon Brando used to do. Never have we seen a performer so clearly follow another’s style. Mr. Kazan should be spanked for permitting him to do such a sophomoric thing. Whatever there might be of reasonable torment in this youngster is buried beneath the clumsy display.”

Bingo and amen.

Spritz Generously

Added on by C. Maoxian.

“Apply at least a 1-inch strip of the product onto a soft bristled toothbrush.” This always makes me laugh, but I’m a cheap date.

Maoxian's One a Day Playlist for August 2026

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Here is the One a Day playlist for August 2026. Check out the One a Day playlists for July, June, May, April, March, February and January.

Another amazing collection of songs, clearly curated by a straight, white, over-educated, Gen-X male with an enormous amount of time on his hands.

The songs are ordered chronologically from latest to earliest:

  1. Vulfmon, Jackie Evans, Leave You

  2. Alela, Diane Could Be

  3. Searows, Photograph of a Cyclone

  4. Luna Li, That's Life

  5. Brooke Combe, This Town

  6. Charif Megardbane, Souk el Ahad

  7. Mitski, The Frost

  8. Jemba Groove, K.O.G., Sweet My Ear

  9. Ana Layla, Someone

  10. Kazam, Litchi

  11. Jack Harlow, WHATS POPPIN

  12. Vicente Amigo, Nina Pastori, Amor de Nadie 

  13. The Blind Boys of Alabama, Way Down in the Hole

  14. People Under the Stairs, San Francisco Knights

  15. Slide Five, Outerspace

  16. Elia des Ochoa, Llora Mi Nena

  17. 4 non Blondes, What's Up?

  18. De La Soul, (3 Is) The Magic Number

  19. The Smiths, The Boy With The Thorn In His Side

  20. The Jesus and Mary Chain, Just Like Honey

  21. Martha and the Muffins, Echo Beach

  22. The Jam, Girl on the Phone

  23. John Renbourn, Stefan Grossman, Bermuda Triangle Exit

  24. Bob Marley & the Wailers, Crazy Baldhead

  25. Peter Tosh, Legalize It

  26. Steely Dan, Kid Charlemagne

  27. Tim Maia, Over Again

  28. Elia y Elizabeth, Descripcion

  29. The Braen's Machine, Description

  30. Jeannie Piersol, The Nest

  31. Nina Simone, Ain't Got No - I Got Life

Rec League Categories

Added on by C. Maoxian.

There’s some new social media thingie someone told me about called Rec League. Their canned categories “that interest you” I found very interesting:

  1. Books

  2. Music

  3. Film

  4. Foundations and Historic Buildings

  5. Art

  6. Vintage

  7. Antiques

  8. Silver Things

  9. Scent

  10. Menwear

  11. Lighting

  12. Women’s Style

  13. Brooches

  14. Video

  15. Parenting

  16. Travel

  17. Home Renovation

  18. Wine

  19. The Great Outdoors

  20. Essays

  21. Magazine Stand

  22. Gardening

  23. Great Rugs

  24. Board Games

  25. Pantry Shelf

  26. Cooking

  27. Ski & Bike & Climb

  28. Beauty

  29. Design

Pee Wee's Big Red Bull Adventure

Added on by C. Maoxian.

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