Best Film? Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS, assuming part 3 is of the same standard as parts 1 and 2: the STAR WARS trilogy isn't what we should be using as a comparison for Jackson's achievement; its true peers are the grand epics of Lean and Kurosawa. Closely following are Kurosawa's SEVEN SAMURAI (absolutely 100% magnificent, my undisputed favourite film until LOTR came along); Lean's LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (the most beutiful film of all time?); and Coppola's APOCOLYPSE NOW, just edging ahead of his GODFATHER duology for me. After this I can't really rank them, but my 10/10 films include RASHOMON; SOME LIKE IT HOT; JEAN DE FLORETTE and its second part MANON DES SOURCES; PATHS OF GLORY and DR STRANGELOVE; PULP FICTION; CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON; HEAVENLY CREATURES; THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY; AGUIRRE, WRATH OF GOD; TAXI DRIVER; THE THIRD MAN; THE WICKER MAN; THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS; IF... etc etc etc
Best Director? Akira Kurosawa without a doubt, followed by (in no particular order) Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Howard Hawks, Stanley Kubrick, Quentin Tarantino, Peter Jackson, Orson Welles, Werner Herzog, Roman Polanski (anyody else out there think his best film is FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS?) etc etc
Sexiest Female Actress? Either Marilyn Monroe in SOME LIKE IT HOT (I never understood her appeal until I watched this) or Lauren Bacall in Hawks' TO HAVE AND TO HAVE NOT. You know how to whistle, don't ya...?
hrothgar
Best Director? Akira Kurosawa without a doubt, followed by (in no particular order) Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Howard Hawks, Stanley Kubrick, Quentin Tarantino, Peter Jackson, Orson Welles, Werner Herzog, Roman Polanski (anyody else out there think his best film is FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS?) etc etc
Sexiest Female Actress? Either Marilyn Monroe in SOME LIKE IT HOT (I never understood her appeal until I watched this) or Lauren Bacall in Hawks' TO HAVE AND TO HAVE NOT. You know how to whistle, don't ya...?

hrothgar