Jetée: some of those suggestions were semi-serious but most of them were downright stupid or something as far as possible from what I suppose that director would want to watch. Not too much thought went into it I'm afraid!
A few years ago when I was studying film, having just found out about auteur theory, I would place much more importance on a film's director than I do now. I would try to follow a director's career in order, indiscriminately watching good and bad. I follow particular stars/actors far more these days. I will sit through a film I know will be bad for the sake of watching a particular star but the same couldn't be said for a particular director, anymore.
You can make a great film without a great director; to make one without either great acting or great writing (or both) is, I think, rare to the point of anomaly. Everyone notices and comments on bad acting and writing; when did you last see a bad bit of directing? If there is such a thing, surely nobody except a film director or maybe a cynical critic with an agenda to pursue would notice. Bad directing to Joe Schmoe would be if you didn't see what you were supposed to see, which NEVER happens. The work of the writer(s) and actors is solid and tangible whereas the work of the director is (not always but often) vague and abstract. Part of the director's job, I think, especially these days, is to be seen - on both sides of the camera - to be spinning magic and making things happen almost by sheer force of will. A lot of it's flim-flam. How many films are sold as coming "from visionary director ----"? What does that mean? That the director has either vision, foresight, or both. One would hope so. Great films used to be made by competent directors who kept their vision to themselves, and concentrated on telling their actors how to act, and the photographer what to shoot. I'd welcome a return to that sort of work ethic; and it would surely save money too.
BUT, having said that there's a few directors I follow closely (and probably watch all the future films of, sooner or later) because I've been very impressed with their output the last few years, and because they've managed to be independent and fend off interference from their financiers: Alfonso Cuarón, Martin Scorsese, Alexander Payne, Darren Aronofsky, maybe Brad Bird.
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