There are a lot of great directors over the years that have created amazing films on their own (with the help of the cast and crew, of course). But there are some films that are so great that not just one, but two people have directed them. Director duos have been making waves in the film industry recently, and here are just some of the best pairs:
You'll probably first think of these two when it comes to sibling filmmakers. The Coen brothers have been a well-known duo in the industry for consistently creating memorable works of art. From their first collaboration in Blood Simple (1984) to their memorable classics like No Country for Old Men (2007), Fargo (1996), and True Grit (2010), the Coens have cemented their names and great talent in film history. Their most recent film, Inside Llweyn Davis (2013) is so gorgeously shot you can't help but be captivated by it. (Also, Oscar Isaac is not hard on the eyes, to be quite honest.)
If America has the Coens, France has the Dardennes. Their simple yet stunning movies have garnered much deserved recognition, including not one, but two Palme D'Or awards from the Cannes Film Festival. These two movies are Rosetta (1999) and L'enfant / The Child (2005). Last year, they came out with Deux Jours, Une Nuit / Two Days, One Night (2014) which had critics buzzing and even garnered a Best Actress nomination for lead actress Marion Cotillard during this year's Academy Awards.
This brother-and-sister duo is pretty much a hit or miss. They found a really great cult classic in The Matrix (1999), but they also had a major flop in their most recent venture this year in Jupiter Ascending (2015). Either way, these two are still interesting artists in the film industry, who take the sci-fi genre and give it their unique twist which makes their films stand out. This distinct vision can be seen in their foray into television -- Netflix's Sense8, which features a just-weird-enough-to-work storyline that has had critics and fans buzzing this year.
These two have done excellent directing jobs, both together and separately, in hit comedy shows like Arrested Development (for which they won an Emmy) and Community. But, their first film ventures, Welcome to Collinwood (2002) and You, Me and Dupree (2006), were just plain meh. That is, until they directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) together and it was phenomenal -- dare I say, it's a vast improvement from Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and one of the best movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date. Their next projects are the sequels to Captain America and The Avengers, so we definitely have high hopes for them!
This married couple have directed over 30 music videos of a variety of great artists, from The Ramones to R.E.M. to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Though they only have two feature films to their name, both movies have been very well received by critics as well as audiences everywhere. These two films are the Oscar-winning Little Miss Sunshine (2006) and Ruby Sparks (2012). And if you haven't seen either of these films, I highly suggest you do!
College best buds Lord & Miller have had hit movie after hit movie, it's unlikely that you don't recognize their names. They directed Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs (2009) and its sequel which came out four years later. After that came the surprisingly successful reboot of 21 Jump Street (2012) starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum which had everyone in stitches. Its sequel, 22 Jump Street (2014), though wasn't as good, still made it big in the box office. Their best work to date can be found in The Lego Movie (2014) which was just, for lack of a better word, awesome!!!
- Isis Evangelista
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