These Are Our All-Time Favorite Productions & Production Designers

(Below are in alphabetical order to production with the production designers, then directors and year {and a test to my alphabetizing skills}. There was no special formula to this, but we live and work by these productions.

Agatha Christie: Poirot TV Series(1989-current)--The best display of art deco and David Suchet is a genius Belgian gentleman with his little gray cells. My parents got me into watching it and it still comforts me every time I watch it.
Amadeus (Patrizia von Brandenstein, Milo Forman, 1984)--Giant period costume dramas win hands down. The research that goes in to it and putting it to fruition. (Check out the Family Guy version of this.)
Amélie (Aline Bonetto, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001)--shear kookiness! Great use of reds and other primary colors and oooohhh the gnome!
The Cell (Tom Foden, Tarsem Singh, 2000)--One of the creepiest films, but that is why we love it. The dream sequences are amazing.
Beetlejuice (Bo Welch, Tim Burton, 1988)

Big Fish (Dennis Gassner, Tim Burton, 2003)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Alex McDowell,Tim Burton, 2005)--The combination of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp (not the only film on our list) are genius, but the combination of Alex and Tim's minds are beautiful. My favorite part is where Willy Wonka watches the theme song about himself with the dolls and then one of them burns up. It's hysterical, but demented; it's Tim Burton.

Chicago (John Myhre, Rob Marshall, 2002)--The dance sequences make our mouths drop against the contrast of everyday, drab life.
Citizen Kane (Van Nest Polglase, Orson Welles, 1941)
City of God (Tulé Peak, Fernando Meirelles, 2002)
Cleopatra (John DeCuir, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1963)
Edward Scissorhands (Bo Welch, Tim Burton, 1990)

Elizabeth (John Myhre, Shekhar Kapur,1998)

Fight Club (Alex McDowell, David Fincher, 1999)
The Fountain (James Chinlund, Darren Aronofsky 2006)
Ghostbusters (John DeCuir, Ivan Reitman, 1984)
Gladiator (Arthur Max, Ridley Scott, 2000)

Gone with the Wind (William Cameron Menzies, Victor Fleming, 1939)--This film is the definition of an EPIC. I still watch it every thanksgiving.
Harry Potter Series (Stuart Craig, current David Yates, 2001-ongoing)--Our #1 pick as it is the reason we decided to work in art department. I even did my thesis in college on it. We still have dreams that we will someday work on it before the series is over, even if it means having to sell everything, sleep at the studios, and work for free!
Lady Vengeance (Hwa-seong Jo, Chan-wook Park, 2005)
Lord of the Rings (Grant Major, Peter Jackson, 2001-3)
Marie Antoinette (K.K. Barrett, Sofia Coppola, 2006)--There are some script problems with this one, but we are about the design! This lucky production got to film at the real Versailles. The beautiful muted pastels used, scrumptious costumes, food, and decor, even the music is complementary, makes it a beautiful spectacle just to look at.

The Matrix (Owen Paterson, The Wachowski Brothers, 1999)--We never regret for a minute having taken the red pill.
Moulin Rouge (Catherine Martin, Baz Luhrmann, 2001)--Husband and Wife team!! It works and we love it! (Our secret hopes for the future.) And who knew Nicole Kidman & Ewan McGregor could sing?

The Neverending Story (Rolf Zehetbauer, Wolfgang Petersen,1984)
Night Watch: Nochnoi Dozor (Mukhtar Mirzakeyev/Valeri Viktorov, Timur Bekmambetov, 2004)
Oldboy (Seong-hie Ryu, Chan-wook Park, 2003)

Pirates of the Carribean (Brian Morris 2003, Rick Heinrichs 2006-7, Gore Verbinski, 2003/2006/2007)--Johnny Depp's character makes these movies; we just can't gush enough about his performance, but we love the adventures we get to go on & there is going to be a fourth one!
Pushing Daisies tv series (Michael Wylie, 2007-8)--So sad this got cancelled.
Schindler's List (Allan Starski, Steven Spielberg, 1993)

Se7en (Arthur Max, David Fincher, 1997)
Sleepy Hollow (Rick Henrichs, Tim Burton, 1999)

Star Wars Series (John Barry-George Lucas 1977, Norman Reynolds-Irvin Kershner 1980, Norman Reynolds-Richard Marquand 1983)--These films have created so many iconic items from them that it will be on everyone's #1 list for as long as films are made with: the introduction to new special effects, John Williams orchestrating, new fantastical creatures and worlds, Darth Vader, Leia's hairdo, and light sabers. I cannot wait to meet George Lucas and give him a big giant hug for making many childhood play-times so fabulous (and some adults).
Ugly Betty tv series (2006-current)

2001: A Space Odyssey (Harry Lange/Ernest Archer/Tony Masters, Stanely Kubrick, 1968)