Good Directors who haven't made that many good movies

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George Romero, Roman Polanski, Spike Lee, Sidney Lumet, Jonathan Demme, John Singleton, and (perhaps controversially) Francis Coppola.

Now, I am in no way doubting the talent of any of these guys. At their stylistic best, Polanski and Coppola have influenced me possibly more than any other filmmakers. I think Lumet is one of the most talented directors of all time, and I am a huge fan of Romero's zombie movies. But let's face it, with each of these guys, you can count their good films on one hand. It always puzzles me how, for example, the same guy who directed Network and Dog Day Afternoon could also direct The Wiz, Guilty As Sin, A Stranger Among Us, and Family Business.

Some other suggestions?

― Anthony (Anthony F), Monday, 20 October 2003 18:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Wim Wenders, Robert Altman - bizarrely i was thinking of starting a similar thread today on ILE ( this board doesn't see much action) called Bad film, good director. which i was hoping to ask people to nominate the worst films by what are conventionally seen as "good" directors" my first 3 were going to be

Faraway, so Close (which is the worst film ever made)

Bitter Moon

and (lots to choose from with Altman but it has to be...) Pret A Porter

― jed (jed_e_3), Monday, 20 October 2003 21:54 (twenty-two years ago)

oh bugger it - im going to start it anyway!

― jed (jed_e_3), Monday, 20 October 2003 21:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Charles Laughton only made one good film. Encore, Mr Laughton!

― adaml (adaml), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 03:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Bitter Moon

Oh hell no. This is the best film of Polanski's since The Tenant. (To be fair, I haven't seen Death and the Maiden.)

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 05:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Takashi Miike: he seems to have talent to spare, but his only great film is Audition.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 09:52 (twenty-two years ago)

very interesting question. spike lee, polanski, wenders, altman, and bogdanovich would be on my list. i find bogdanovich especially frustrating. it just boggles my mind that he made the last picture show, which i consider one of the all-time greastest films, and then did almost nothing else of note.

― lauren (laurenp), Thursday, 23 October 2003 17:27 (twenty-two years ago)

blame cybil!

― s1utsky (slutsky), Thursday, 23 October 2003 19:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Bogdonavich is so high on grass he couldn't direct himself out of a paper bag. Blame the devil weed.

― PVC (peeveecee), Tuesday, 28 October 2003 23:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Uhm... Polanksi has made a shitload of good movies.

― PVC (peeveecee), Tuesday, 28 October 2003 23:43 (twenty-two years ago)

YEAH!

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 11:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Another vote: Joel Schumacher. For a long time, I didn't think much of him, but having recently seen both "Phone Booth" and "Flawless" has kinda changed my mind. Flawless especially was very good, though not entirely, ehm, flawless. I'm kinda looking forward to his version of "The Phantom of the Opera".

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 11:22 (twenty-two years ago)

He had some really good style (though the whole package didn't really come together) on Flatliners.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Tuesday, 4 November 2003 16:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Todd Fucking Haynes.

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 19:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm calling bullshit on that one.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Tuesday, 4 November 2003 20:34 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm calling bullshit on motherfucking Schumacher man, that guy is indefensible! PHONE BOOTH?!!!!!!!!!!??!?!?!?!

― s1utsky (slutsky), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 21:39 (twenty-two years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/6304375344.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― Charles McCain (Charles McCain), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 22:05 (twenty-two years ago)

noah baumbach

― Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 13:27 (twenty-two years ago)

William Friedkin of course. How many good films has he made? 4? 5? His best is still To Live and Die In L.A. (out on DVD within weeks!)

― Gear! (Gear!), Tuesday, 11 November 2003 07:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Watching Phone Booth is terrible, like watching MTV...plus it makes no sense! What sort of moral crusader would murder an innocent pizza delivery boy to teach some high-flying PA a lesson for PRETENDING to cheat on his wife?

― David-Graham Steans, Tuesday, 11 November 2003 16:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Who knows the pizza delivery guy was innocent? Also, it's a fable, a morality play, you shouldn't take it at face value. Thinking of the killer's actions is unnecessary, because he exists only on a metaphoric level. By the way, am I the only one who saw the phone booth as a confession booth, like in a church? Obviously, that would make the killer a god, of some sort.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 10:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Strange things do happen to pizza delivery guys

― Girolamo Savonarola, Wednesday, 12 November 2003 13:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Phone Booth was SO weak man, I couldn't believe they didn't have the guts to make the Colin Farrell actually a philanderer but rather a guy who was sort of considering it. SO weak.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 16:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, that's one difficult moral question: whether the morality of an act lies in the intention or in the act itself; "ends (de)justify the means", or not. Also, if you didn't happen to notice, thinking of cheating wasn't the guy's only fault. In my opinion, the only flaw in the film was that the guy's repentance of his past acts came a bit too easily and quickly. Then again, Phone Booth is a fable, and you shouldn't expect too much realism from it.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 16:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Whatever happened with that pizza delivery guy story? Did they catch anyone? Did they determine if it was his own doing?

― Gear! (Gear!), Thursday, 13 November 2003 18:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Of course, Phone Booth's take on morality wasn't its only problem - poor performances, clumsy direction and Keifer Sutherland as the most unintentionally hilarious crank-caller ever. I can't believe people give it any credit whatsoever

― David-Graham Steans, Thursday, 13 November 2003 21:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh GOD! Why did you have to remind me of that pizza guy explosion?

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Thursday, 13 November 2003 22:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Abel Ferrera

― Richie Cunningham, Friday, 14 November 2003 09:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Martin Scorsese

― Justyn Dillingham (Justyn Dillingham), Friday, 14 November 2003 21:57 (twenty-two years ago)

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