Joe Dante — American Director born on November 28, 1946,

Joseph James "Joe" Dante, Jr. is an American film director, producer, editor and actor. His films—notably Gremlins—often mix fantastical storylines with comedic elements... (wikipedia)

Editing is kind of a solitary job.
I love 'Evil Dead 2!' Who doesn't love 'Evil Dead 2?'
Finding a writer who can write decent kids' dialog and finding kids that can act realistically and not 'cute' is an effort.
I think 'Pan's Labyrinth' is genius.
It's very hard to have lived through the Sixties and not be political.