Peter Jackson

Peter Jackson.

If you don't know who he is, what are you doing here?

Fine, I'll tell you.

Peter Jackson is the New Zealand-based film director who struck big with his film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings. The three movies were all nominated for multiple Oscars, with Return of the King eventually winning him the Best Picture and Best Director Oscar, among numerous other prizes, making it the first fantasy film to win the Best Picture Oscar.

There has been much controversy over Jackson's portrayal of the Rings trilogy - some fans feel Jackson nailed the series, while others feel that Jackson left out too much stuff and portrayed in a weird manner what he did include. These criticisms usually stem from the removal of Tom Bombadil from the first movie, Saruman seemingly disappearing without a trace in Return of the King, and the now-infamous Flaming Denethor incident.

Jackson has also crafted some other great films, including The Frighteners (Michael J. Fox plays a paranormal investigator up against the Grim Reaper), Heavenly Creatures (the Gilliam-esque, disturbing true story of two girls who plot to kill one of the girls' mother), and the 2006 remake of King Kong. Chekc them out if you can.