I wouldn’t call Brian De Palma overrated, since he is justly bashed in critical circles quite often for the showy camerawork being the only redeeming feature in otherwise bad movies. From what I’ve read, to some he has also crossed the line between “homage” and “theft” with some of his sequences like the “baby carriage” sequence in The Untouchables cribbed from Battleship Potemkin, for example. He is a much better technican with cameras, angles, lighting, etc. than he will ever be as a storyteller. FWIW, as a viewer I’ve noticed he has a ratio of shit films to good ones of about 6:1. YMMV.
Spielberg - when he avoid the cliche pitfalls that he litters all over many of his films, he’s great. But when he get too sentimental, too fixated on WWII, hides behind the earnest “nobility” of the subjects of his more serious films in response to criticism, resorts to putting kids in danger to hype up the tension in lackluster action, he can be dreadful to watch.
I have to spring to the defense of Clint Easwood. He’s not everybody cup of tea, but I think many of his smaller films are fantastic as well as films like Unforgiven, Outlaw Josey Wales, and Bronco Billy. But I have to admit he was totally out to lunch on Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil
Whatever happened to him? He was THE director in Hollywood after PULP FICTION, then total silence. I know that JACKIE BROWN wasn’t a blockbuster success, but neither was it a flop, so that shouldn’t have sunk him.
Spike Lee is the most overrated, self serving director IMHO. I stopped watching his movies right before Malcolm X as soon as I found out that YET AGAIN he plays a part in his own movie. I’m sure I missed a great storyline but that is what makes Spike Lee so horrible in my book; he puts himself in his own movies.
Tarantino is overrated. For me, nothing he’s done comes close to Reservoir Dogs.
Whoever directed Pearl Harbor, too- that is, without a doubt, the worst feature film I’ve ever had the misfortune of viewing. (and I saw Freddy got Fingered AND Jackass)
Wow. If this thread were retitled “All-time Best Directors,” I’d agree with most of the candidates. I love Lynch, Ang Lee, Kubrick, Scorcese, and John Woo. I didn’t know I was so much in the minority.
I will concur with the nominations of M. Night Shyamalan, James Cameron, and Stephen Spielberg, for the most part (I would exempt, however, the films Schindler’s List, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Aliens)
Who do I consider overrated? David Fincher. Overrated music video director, IMHO. I disliked Fight Club tremendously (though most people seem to love this film). And there’s no way you can get me to like Alien³. I’ll give him Se7en–though even that film seems a bit overrated.
I will also go out on a limb here and nominate Ridley Scott. I know, I know: he directed Blade Runner and Alien (hm, why do the Alien movies keep coming up in this post?), arguably two of the best films ever made. But in my opinion, he’s never made anything really decent since then. His more recent films are OK, but never great–just good enough to make you wish they were better. Gladiator the best film of 2000? Give me a break. Hannibal was similarly disappointing in the grand scale of things (at least when compared to Scott’s earlier work).
That’s why they hold horse-races Skopo.
I would put Spielberg, Cameron and Shyamalan as among my favorite directors.
How can you overrate someone who has directed Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Saving Private Ryan and Schindler’s List? Not possible IMHO.
Well I’m sorry Quinn, but I did say in my post that I wasn’t going to contribute to the thread in a constructive manner…
I guess I could add ONE person to the list, and that is Darren Aronofsky - although, I need to say that I have only seen PI - so maybe I shouldn’t give up on him before seeing Requiem for a Dream?
And RikWriter… Of course everyone’s entitled to an opinion - just as my opinion is that some people here should be ashamed of theirs… I guess in short, I just wanted to tell the world I’m pretentious enough to like all work from the directors I mentioned
Search out Thelma and Louise sometime. imho it is his best movie. Still, he has made 16 movies according to imdb. 3 are almost universally considered classics (Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise) and most of the others seem to be regarded as somewhere between good and great depending on your point of view.
I hate to say it, but Francis Ford Coppola is overrated. After the GODFATHER (1 and 2), most of what he made was crap. GODFATHER III was truly awful…and my big question is: given how terrible 'APOCALYPSE NOW" (and how much money was spent on it), how did Coppola ever live it down?
Anyway, he now makespretty good wine…and he should stick to that!
