Directors who totally missed the mark

John McTiernan also "blew it." It’s a damn shame—he was one of my favorites—but there was absolutely no reason for him to waste his talent on *The 13th Warrior*, *Rollerball*, or *Basic*...
Don't even get me started on Renny Harlin...

Lisa Ross65 said:John McTiernan also "blew it." It’s a damn shame—he was one of my favorites—but there was absolutely no reason for him to waste his talent on *The 13th Warrior*, *Rollerball*, or *Basic*...
Don't even get me started on Renny Harlin...

I mean, Basic is practically a masterpiece compared to Rollerball—which was just straight-up depressing. Harlin definitely has talent, I actually rewatched 12 Rounds just yesterday, but it’s like he can’t catch a break with decent casting (Cena was rough) or maybe the producers are just trolling him at this point. The last thing he truly nailed was The Long Kiss Goodnight. But yeah, he'll never hit those Cliffhanger heights again, which is a bummer...

briskhound2 said:I mean, Basic is practically a masterpiece compared to Rollerball—which was just straight-up depressing. Harlin definitely has talent, I actually rewatched 12 Rounds just yesterday, but it’s like he can’t catch a break with decent casting (Cena was rough) or maybe the producers are just trolling him at this point. The last thing he truly nailed was The Long Kiss Goodnight. But yeah, he'll never hit those Cliffhanger heights again, which is a bummer...

I'm with you on that. Harlin has the talent, but most of his work sits firmly in the mediocre category—unless you count Driven, which was pure garbage.

It’s just as much of a shame for John Landis—look how far he’s fallen... especially when I think back to Blues Brothers 2000... brrrr.

Wayne Wang made similar promises back in the day—now he's just lost in a sea of mediocre comedies. Doug Liman is heading down that same path too.

Jim Sheridan needs to get back to his roots...

It seems to me that Coppola has certainly experienced the most significant decline in quality. And yet, I suppose one might argue he has contributed so much to the fabric of American cinema through works like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now that his recent missteps are somewhat forgiven.

northerncrane4 said:I'm afraid—to my great disappointment—that even Gilliam has lost his touch. His last two, "The Brothers Grimm" and "Tideland," were practically forgettable. 😢

I am inclined to agree, unfortunately.
However, I have been hearing nothing but glowing reviews regarding the Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, so perhaps, just perhaps, it isn't too late for him yet.

Michelle Lewis5 said:1. Woody Allen 😢((

When I first saw that a new movie was coming out... Vicky Cristina... I was just sitting there thinking, uuuuuuuuh please God, let this actually be a *Woody* film and not some total pile of garbage... and then I watch the whole thing and I'm just sitting there tearing up

it’s honestly kind of embarrassing when you think about it as a project coming from someone like Woody... if Coppola or some random indie newcomer had directed it, I would've been like, oh yeah, that's a cute little flick.

I mean, I really don't even know if he's managed to pull off a truly great film in the last 10 or 13 years...

br2 Scorsese

Back when he was able to churn out those absolute vomit-inducing movies with those idiotic plots and crescendos that felt like some middle schooler's attempt at a thriller, man, those deserve a bullet to the head rather than just a bad rating 😉

Well, Deconstructing Harry came out in '97, so technically yes. And Match Point is a fantastic movie, even if it doesn't have that typical Allen vibe.

I expected more from John Dahl too.

Lisa Ross65 said:I expected more from John Dahl too.

It’s true; Dahl was arguably the most striking surprise and perhaps the most promising genre director during the first half of the nineties.

wiredbison82 said:It’s true; Dahl was arguably the most striking surprise and perhaps the most promising genre director during the first half of the nineties.

Yeah, well, he’s vanished now. That movie of his, *The Great Raid*, was a total dud—and now he's just churning out TV shows like *Californication* and *True Blood*. Maybe he'll land a tiny cameo for Linda Fiorentino if he's lucky.😁

Lisa Ross65 said:Yeah, well, he’s vanished now. That movie of his, *The Great Raid*, was a total dud—and now he's just churning out TV shows like *Californication* and *True Blood*. Maybe he'll land a tiny cameo for Linda Fiorentino if he's lucky.😁

It seems Fiorentino has slipped off the radar entirely, which is quite a shame given how much potential she had to offer.🙂 While *Californication* remains an exceptional series in my estimation, I can't help but wonder how much more interesting it would be to see a character like Lindice navigating those specific streets.

I can't help but think of John Landis and Joe Dante.
Actually, it wasn't that Dante started making bad movies; he just kind of faded away...
Wait, I just realized he has a new film coming out next year, a thriller called The Hole. That’s officially another one on my most anticipated watchlist. 🙂

Soderbergh—ever since "Traffic," he’s either making mindless stuff (like those endless Ocean heist movies) or just plain boring films like "Che"

Scorsese—I don't know why, but "The Aviator" reminds me of those PBS documentaries made specifically for retirees, and honestly, "The Departed" and everything else surrounding it is just an embarrassment

Tarantino—as someone else already pointed out, he hasn't offered anything truly substantial since "Pulp Fiction"

Shyamalan—he is definitely the champion among directors who have lost their way. "The Village" felt a bit cliché, though I guess it's okay for a watch. As for "Lady in the Water" and "Happening"... I'm not sure what to say about those... and man, I really liked that damn Indian actor

Soderbergh is an excellent director—I wouldn't dream of putting him on this list. He’s prone to experimentation and stylistic exercises (think *Solaris* or *Good German*...). That Ocean trilogy is top-tier filmmaking. It’s textbook directing. The movies just "glide" while you watch, regardless of how many characters or subplots they throw at you.

Lisa Ross65 said:Soderbergh is an excellent director—I wouldn't dream of putting him on this list. He’s prone to experimentation and stylistic exercises (think *Solaris* or *Good German*...). That Ocean trilogy is top-tier filmmaking. It’s textbook directing. The movies just "glide" while you watch, regardless of how many characters or subplots they throw at you.

Well, I suppose everyone watches things through their own lens. I don't have anything against experimentation, really, but I wouldn't call "Solaris" or "Good German" successful examples.
As for the Ocean trilogy—though I still need to find the motivation to sit through the third one—when I was watching those, the only thing "gliding" was my head hitting the pillow. But, I guess, all credit to Soderbergh for "Erin Brockovich" and "Traffic."

It’s a bit depressing, isn't it? This whole debate over what counts as mainstream versus what doesn't. But hey, I suppose we shouldn't get too philosophical about it. For me, the heavyweight champion of mainstream directors has to be Ridley Scott—and he probably is, globally speaking. Now, look, certain Scorsese films are nothing short of genius. Specifically, "Goodfellas." In my estimation, if you pair that with "The Godfather" and "The Departed," you've basically got the greatest gangster movies ever made. However, that doesn't really excuse his decision to dive into that incredibly dull biopic, or his choice to churn out such a greasy, uninspired remake of an already great film. And honestly, that "Tarantino is just Tarantino" argument? That’s one of the biggest reasons why I can't quite stand him. He’s essentially living proof of how you can package anything and sell it to people under the guise of being "original." No offense intended, truly.

Nicole Nelson772 said:It’s a bit depressing, isn't it? This whole debate over what counts as mainstream versus what doesn't. But hey, I suppose we shouldn't get too philosophical about it. For me, the heavyweight champion of mainstream directors has to be Ridley Scott—and he probably is, globally speaking. Now, look, certain Scorsese films are nothing short of genius. Specifically, "Goodfellas." In my estimation, if you pair that with "The Godfather" and "The Departed," you've basically got the greatest gangster movies ever made. However, that doesn't really excuse his decision to dive into that incredibly dull biopic, or his choice to churn out such a greasy, uninspired remake of an already great film. And honestly, that "Tarantino is just Tarantino" argument? That’s one of the biggest reasons why I can't quite stand him. He’s essentially living proof of how you can package anything and sell it to people under the guise of being "original." No offense intended, truly.

When I used the phrase "Tarantino is just Tarantino," I wasn't making a judgment on his quality. But honestly, if you were blown away by *Pulp Fiction*, I don't quite grasp how nothing since then has felt "substantial" enough for you. *Jackie Brown* is pure Tarantino, just dialed back a notch, as is *Kill Bill*...

Soderbergh constantly walks that line between indie grit and mainstream appeal. He’s also got that production house, Section Eight, running alongside Clooney—they've backed some seriously sharp projects—producing everything from Nolan’s *Insomnia* and Haynes’ *Far from Heaven* to Gaghan’s *Syria*, Linklater’s *A Scanner Darkly*, *I'm Not There*, and *Welcome to Colinwood*.

wiredbison82 said:When I used the phrase "Tarantino is just Tarantino," I wasn't making a judgment on his quality. But honestly, if you were blown away by *Pulp Fiction*, I don't quite grasp how nothing since then has felt "substantial" enough for you. *Jackie Brown* is pure Tarantino, just dialed back a notch, as is *Kill Bill*...

Well, those two notches down are exactly what made the movie feel tedious. I don't know. Maybe it's just me, but I used to sit there and debate whether a film offered something unique despite being a slog. Now? I don't bother. If a piece of art gives me a headache, I'm not going to try to justify it. And "Kill Bill"... I guess it just reminds me of some silly game a kid would make up out of spite when they lose at Monopoly.