Oh, Show! How could I forget Ron Howard!!! It's like forgetting to thank your parents when you win an award! He's had some clunkers, but generally I love Ron's movies. At first you think, "No way can Opie/Richie Cunningham really 'get down' into the real dirt of life." But he does, and I love his sense of humor. In "Parenthood" when the kids are singing the diahrea song in the car and the daughter pukes right into her father's lap, I knew Ron could put real life on screen. I usually don't like fantasy movies, but between Howard's deft touch and Tom Hanks' performance, I was completely taken in. He really should have won best director for "Apollo 13," but as long as he won it for something and "A Beautiful Mind" was good enough. Thanks for reminding me.
I also can't believe I left out Steven Soderbergh. "Erin Brockvich" was overhyped, IMO, but I could watch "Ocean's Eleven" and "Solaris" all day, not to mention "Sex, Lies, and Videotape" (even if the end did suck). But my absolute favorite SS movie is "The Limey." If you're fans of Terance Stamp and Peter Fonda, rent this flick. Soderbergh said he hired Stamp because, "He was the last of that group of great British actors from the '60s who can still walk into a room and cause trouble." And in "The Limey" Stamp does just that. And the direction by SS is so cool.
Rgirl