[Darko]

Was thinking about this and the list of directors who have watched their career's go down the tubes is endless. Off the top of my head these are just a few of the directors who have been critically acclaimed but seemed to drop off the face of the earth/end up making low budget slasher film sequels.

Barry Levinson
Peter Bogdanovich
John Badham
Arthur Penn
Bob Rafelson
Peter Yates
Bill Forsyth
John G Avildsen
Monte Hellman
Richard Lester

[johnny_ultimate]

Originally Posted by Pappa Dolla

This is the most important reason to do anything. And he's good at it. I loved Pineapple Express and Your Highness was a great way to take me back to my childhood using real animatronics. Yeah, they're basically stoner/fart jokes, but so what? I enjoy turning my brain off. Do you realise how boring and bland the world would be if every film was a cinematic masterpiece?

This is why we should have a separate movie and film forum. Film buffs hate the stuff I like and call it, "low brow, juvenile and forgettable crap" and "the basest, most immature mainstream comedies". If we say the same about a Von Trier film we're called clueless!

You stick to films, I'll stick to movies.

But the thing is he's not very good at it. They're characterless films that could have been directed by anyone at all without a smidgen of difference. David Gordon Green's early films put him out there as someone with a huge love of cinema, and a wonderful control of (to use a pretentious phrase) the cinematic form. Now, I'm sure he's having a blast in Hollywood, and if we measure success in financial terms he's more successful than he's ever been (and ever would be if he kept making the kind of films he was making). And I'm happy that he's succeeded in that regard. But I just find it bizarre that such a unique director has all but abandoned the films he was clearly passionate about and very good at (if we measure success in terms of critical recognition). There are many directors who balance small personal projects and Hollywood blockbusters, Steven Soderburgh being one. To me, it's a waste that someone as talented as David Gorden Green is just making films that would be just as good/bad/indifferent in the hands of any random director-for-hire. I enjoy turning my brain off (although personally Pineapple Express and all just bore me to tears ) but I'd prefer ambitious, individual cinema any day of the week.

And one more that springs to mind - Alex Proyas. He created a most unusual, haunting sci-fi film with Dark City. But since then he's all over the shop. There was the bland I, Robot, but Knowing showed him unable to match ambition (Knowing is awful, but it is different) with execution. Richard Kelly also belongs in the category - seemingly with an inability to replicate or even emulate the huge success of Donnie Darko.

[MickShamrock]

I really enjoyed Pineapple Express and Your Highness, so on that basis I will probably enjoy The Sitter too. He's also involved in Danny McBride's Eastbound and Down tv show which I highly enjoy too. I think he directs it.

Back on topic, I would put forward Richard Kelly and Troy Duffy.

[Darko]

Originally Posted by johnny_ultimate

And one more that springs to mind - Alex Proyas. He created a most unusual, haunting sci-fi film with Dark City. But since then he's all over the shop. There was the bland I, Robot, but Knowing showed him unable to match ambition (Knowing is awful, but it is different) with execution. Richard Kelly also belongs in the category - seemingly with an inability to replicate or even emulate the huge success of Donnie Darko.

Proyas is one of those directors who the studios destroyed. The experience making Dark City and the subsequent reedits the studio insisted on turned him off of film making for years. In fact for a long time he repeatedly stated that he never wanted to direct again. He's a visually unique film maker who isn't afraid to made dark, adult cinema full of ideas but he's been repeatedly forced to make the film the studio wants.

Kelly is an odd on in that the studio made Donnie Darko the success that it is. Kelly's directors cut is a self indulgent and uninspired film that removes any hint of mystery that made the original cut so unique. I personally loved Southland Tales, it's a glorious mess but a mess it is. That he expected film fans to first read the graphic novels in order to get the full story says a lot.

[krudler]

John Carpenter surely. Halloween, The Thing, They Live,Assault On Precinct 13, Big Trouble In Little China, Escape From New York, all superb genre movies, and in Halloween a bona fide classic that spawned countless imitators. lately puts his name to crappy horror movies, although I havent seen The Ward so couldnt tell you if thats any good.


Richard Donner would be another one, he had a stellar run of blockbusters in his earlier career, The Omen, Superman 1&2, Ladyhawke, The Goonies, Lethal Weapon 1,2 and 3 then in the mid 90's made Assassins, Consipracy Theory and on the 00's Timeline and 16 Blocks,which was ok but nothing great considering his earlier track record. he is 72 now though so he's probably done with filmmaking. very entertaining to listen to on dvd commentaries, especially his Superman one with Tom Mankciewicz

[Ninap]

Polanski: Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, Frantic and then......Oliver Twist?

But surely the biggest example of unfulfilled promise is Tarantino? Two masterpieces (Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction) and then endless schlock

[Nolanger]

Hugh Hudson - Chariots of fire, Oscars, the British are coming! One of the most hyped directors in the 1980s. Then he made Revolution and it was a financial disaster. He should make a movie called Damp squib!

[johnny_ultimate]

Wouldn't put Polanski down - certainly a fair share of misjudgements, but also quite a few interesting movies. Was a big fan of The Ghost (Writer), even if I can't quite put my finger on why. And while Carnage basically just looks like a modern day rethread of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, it could be moderately interesting. And moderately interesting is better than nothing

[SVG]

Originally Posted by Ninap

But surely the biggest example of unfulfilled promise is Tarantino? Two masterpieces (Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction) and then endless schlock

Have you not seen Jackie Brown?

[Nolanger]

Buster Keaton - one of the best directors of the silent era (better than Chaplin) but ignored for decades in the sound era and ended up acting in stupid beach movies in the 1960s.

[pixelburp]

For me it has always been John Carpenter. I sometimes joke that during the 1980s the man was kidnapped & a bizarro clone took over his life. He pretty much wrote the book on making a horror/thriller movie in the late 70s to early 80s: The Fog, The Thing, Halloween, Assault on Precinct 13, Escape from New York, Prince of Darkness (sometimes voted the scariest film ever made); ok, while some of those films are pure popcorn schlock, Carpenter knew how to create a sense of dread, and his films were full to bursting with atmosphere. Hell, the man even made his own soundtracks, and damn tasty examples of moody, ambient electronica they were too.

Now? Well ... he's the guy who made Escape from LA. And Ghosts of Mars.

[Da Shins Kelly]

Originally Posted by Ninap

But surely the biggest example of unfulfilled promise is Tarantino? Two masterpieces (Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction) and then endless schlock

Inglorious Basterds?

[dark crystal]

I would say M. Night Shyamalan.

He made some genuinely good films such as The Sixth Sense, Signs and Unbreakable and then went a bit off kilter with The Village (although I liked it more than most others did)

After that we had the awful Lady In The Water, the extremely disappointing The Happening and finally, The Last Airbender which got the worst reviews of his career so far.

Let's hope After Earth sees a return to form for him.

[SVG]

Originally Posted by dark crystal

I would say M. Night Shyamalan.

He made some genuinely good films such as The Sixth Sense, Signs and Unbreakable and then went a bit off kilter with The Village (although I liked it more than most others did)

After that we had the awful Lady In The Water, the extremely disappointing The Happening and finally, The Last Airbender which got the worst reviews of his career so far.

Let's hope After Earth sees a return to form for him.

I'm glad there's someone else who's hoping for a Shyamalan comeback. The Sixth Sense, Signs, Unbreakable and The Village are all (whatever about the rest of their faults) so beautifully directed. I've avoided his last three but the fact that his next film isn't written by him gives me some hope.

[pixelburp]

I think part of the problem with Shyamalan was because he started believing the hype about himself. His followup films had unnecessary twists & the increasingly large cameos he gave himself suggested an ego gone rampant.

As for his early work, I actually think Unbreakable is his best movie, far above 6th Sense, and possibly one of the best superhero movies made in modern times. Although it also had a twist, I actually thought the payoff felt organic & quite clever.