Directors In Decline

[deathshead2]

Lucas was never a great director. He just had the good fortune back in the early to mid-1970s to fall in with actors who could do far more with each other than just be 'Faster' and 'More Intense', particularly the young actors of that time.

IMO pretty much all the big-name directors who hit it big in the '70s and '80s have either already lost whatever it was they had (like Carpenter) or are well on their way (like Spielberg).

I have to agree with this. All of them are pretty much terrible. I haven't liked a Spielberg movie since The Lost World.

 

[bullets]

Waht about Saving Private Ryan . I liked AI , Catch me if you can , and Minority Report. He got alot of praise for Munich but I wasn't too into that film.

 

[deathshead2]

Waht about Saving Private Ryan . I liked AI , Catch me if you can , and Minority Report. He got alot of praise for Munich but I wasn't too into that film.

The opening to Private Ryan is great, the rest not so much. And I don't like Catch me if you can it came from the time period where I couldn't stand Leo .The Terminal gave me a few good laughs though.

 

[Octoberist]

I agree that Speilberg has been slipping. Really, even if people liked Indy 4, it wasn't the movie that it could have been. Samething with War of the Worlds.

I'm not saying he's 'there' yet, but he's been up and down as of late.

 

[Octoberist]

As much as it pains me:

Richard Donner (from Superman/The Omen to Timeline)
John McTiernan (from Die Hard/Predator to Rollerball)
John Carpenter (from The Thing/Starman to Ghost of Mars)

Nailed it on the head. It's like these guys couldn't adapt into the 90s. Like how Copolla couldn't adapt well in the 80s.

 

[DarkKnight88]

Spielberg is not even close to slipping. What's changed is he's evolved as a filmmaker into darker themes now. Saving Private Ryan, A.I., Minority Report, Catch Me If You Can and Munich are all great work and at least on par with many of his 80's films just in a different way.

 

[david icke]

Empire Strikes Back says it all.

Lucas should have sticked to writing (kind of) and allowed rewrites by other writers to strengthen the dialogue.

Sorry but I always thought this argument was a lot of rubbish. I think Empire is better than a New hope, but it's not that much better in regards to it's directing, in fact, everything that's in empire acting wise is in a New Hope, as well as tone, style of editing, sfx(Lucas oversaw all the sfx sequences).

What did Irvin Kershner go on to direct? Robocop 2.
I can watch Robocop 2 as a trashy comicbook style movie, but it is not in the same league as the original. He never directed another one after Robo2.

There is a school of thought that both Lucas and coppola burned out filming a New Hope and Apocalypse Now respectively.
I think there is some truth to this, Lucas was under attack from all quarters during ANH, no-one believed in his movie apart from Alan Ladd, the guy who greenlit it. The actors, and the on set technicians, who would ignore Lucas' directions, made it a struggle for him to get things shot the way he wanted, often taking so much time that they would overun and then clock off. Not to mention all the groundbreaking sfx problems. Lucas was hospitilised with a breakdown towards the end of filming.
Anyone who has seen 'Hearts of Darkness' knows what a nightmare AN was for Coppola.

Lucas bowed out of directing and went into producing(until the prequels of course), while Coppola started working on smaller movies only, like the Outsiders and Rumble Fish.

Spileberg and Scorsese are the only two from that generation who still have a chance of making a good movie that can sit alongside the work from their prime. 'Catch me if you can' is probably the best Speilberg has done in a while. He rushed War of the worlds and kind of messed up Indy.
The departed is fine but is not up there with Scorsese's best crime flicks imo.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

Francis Ford Coppola is different. When you make something like Apocalypse Now you don't have to make another good film again. t:

 

[KenK]

As much as it pains me:

Richard Donner (from Superman/The Omen to Timeline)
John McTiernan (from Die Hard/Predator to Rollerball)
John Carpenter (from The Thing/Starman to Ghost of Mars)

Outside of Vampires, I'll agree with you on Carpenter. And yes, I'm sure plenty of people think Vampires is a crappy movie, but I thought it was deliciously badass.

As for Donner, while Timeline wasn't a great movie, it was hardly indicative of everything he's done recently. 16 Blocks was actually very good in my opinion.

Again, with McTiernan, Rollerball is more a misstep than anything.

I think there's a difference in a director being "in decline", and a director that just isn't making anything people think is going to be groundbreaking 20 years from now. Must every movie these guys make be a game-changer for whatever genre they're directing for?

I wouldn't even count George Lucas, 'cause he hasn't directed a major feature-film that wasn't Star Wars related since American Graphitti!!!! That was 37 years ago!!!!

 

[Raiden]

The opening to Private Ryan is great, the rest not so much. And I don't like Catch me if you can it came from the time period where I couldn't stand Leo .The Terminal gave me a few good laughs though.

You don't like Saving Pvt. Ryan? It's one of my favorite films of all times. Even though Spielberg hasn't made anything truly amazing recently, I won't consider him as a director in decline just yet.

 

[david icke]

I think there's a difference in a director being "in decline", and a director that just isn't making anything people think is going to be groundbreaking 20 years from now. Must every movie these guys make be a game-changer for whatever genre they're directing for?

Well, from the movies you have quoted , it's not so much a case of the films not holding up twenty years from now, it's more that no-one liked them now and no-one will ever like them that much because they are not good films. Timeline was slated by all and sundry, as was the Rollerball remake.
I have Timeline on dvd, and have enjoyed it, but I know it's a crap film. I have avoided the rollerball remake because of the very bad reactions to it.

Terence Mailick gets respect , and that guy took an almost 30yr break from working on movies, after only making two in the 70s. At least Lucas was still in the biz as a producer, and he made SW which did change cinema.
I think the prequels proved that Lucas made the right decision to concentrate on producing and writing. He should have hired out for the prequels. He went into decline in regards to directing after his breakdown.

 

[Octoberist]

I'm gonna say it: Tim Burton. Unless it's like what Kenk said, maybe he's just not making movies that are groundbreaking anymore but necessarily 'bad' movies. Besides Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Okay it's not that bad, but the original kills it.

 

[Raiden]

I'm gonna say it: Tim Burton. Unless it's like what Kenk said, maybe he's just not making movies that are groundbreaking anymore but necessarily 'bad' movies. Besides Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Okay it's not that bad, but the original kills it.

Tim Burton? He still makes movies that get good reviews and audience love right now, like CatCF (as you have mentioned), Todd Sweetney, and the upcoming Alice in Wonderland. Yes, he has had some disappointments like Planet of the Apes, but by and large Burton is definitely not a director who's in decline.

 

[Octoberist]

I do think he's stop making those edgy movies a while ago. He's not as good as he was as a storyteller, but as a visualist I think he's still great.

I'm not saying that Charlie didn't get good reviews, but I can't see the longevity of it. I really think the original will outlast it in the long run, even with the power of Depp.

 

[Raiden]

I do think he's stop making those edgy movies a while ago. He's not as good as he was as a storyteller, but as a visualist I think he's still great.

I'm not saying that Charlie didn't get good reviews, but I can't see the longevity of it. I really think the original will outlast it in the long run, even with the power of Depp.

The original Chocolate Factory was a classic, but I think Depp elevated Burton's version and made it comparable to the original. Besides, Burton's remake is more faithful to the source material anyway, and he even got the title correct.

 

[Octoberist]

I see. But I don't see how the remake is more faithful to the original. If it was, then Wonka would have been a midget with a goatee. To me, both films are equal when it comes to being faithful.

I just Burton to do something original. After seeing his art pieces at his exhibit, it would be nice. I honestly haven't really liked a film of his in the past decade, besides Big Fish and maybe Sweeny Todd.

The way I feel about Burton now is how I feel about Danny Elfman now: they're just on autopilot.

 

[Raiden]

I see. But I don't see how the remake is more faithful to the original. If it was, then Wonka would have been a midget with a goatee. To me, both films are equal when it comes to being faithful.

I just Burton to do something original. After seeing his art pieces at his exhibit, it would be nice. I honestly haven't really liked a film of his in the past decade, besides Big Fish and maybe Sweeny Todd.

The way I feel about Burton now is how I feel about Danny Elfman now: they're just on autopilot.

I think Alice in Wonderland may bring the old Burton back, but I agree with you on Elfman; he hasn't made any memorable score since probably The Simpsons. Maybe he should go back to Oingo Boingo.

 

[Octoberist]

I hope so. I'm looking forward to Alice actually.

The weirdest thing about Elfman was that The Simpsons Movie used Hans Zimmer instead of him for some odd reason, for the film's score.

 

[AlteredEgo]

I just think that Alice looks so typically Tim Burton it's practically paint-by-numbers at this point. I love almost all of Tim Burton's work, but I think, at least on me, his shtick is wearing old.

 

[Octoberist]

that's why it's safe to say that Burton is just on auto-pilot.

My prediction: He will make ONE MORE original and quirky movie before he retires. I'm betting on it.

 

[Authorize]

George Romero.

Enough said.

 

[Nightmare]

^^ Good one.

Speilberg for sure.

 

[redhawk23]

George Romero.

Enough said.

i actually logged on to say just that, same wording and everything.

As much as I love his movies i don't think that he was ever that great of a director to begin with, his movies are classics for sure, but not for their direction.

In interviews lately hes all but said that hes being sort of strong armed into making more zombie movies. He's hinted that if he didn't make them the companies would just hire someone else and slap his name on the title. Still doesn't excuse that crappiness of Diary. Land I actually enjoyed. Diary of the Dead I have found is far more enjoyable when you watch it with a large group of friends.

 

[Authorize]

What about Dario Argento? He's my second choice who is really losing his skill in good horror.

 

[redhawk23]

i have yet to see mother of tears so i will withhold judgement on argento