Directors who totally missed the mark

Here’s another top-tier director who lost his way—currently on a serious downward spiral: Rob Reiner.

We could easily throw Cameron Crowe onto this list—he delivered an absolute masterpiece with *Almost Famous*, only to follow it up with the underwhelming *Vanilla Sky* and *Elizabethtown*.

Lisa Ross65 said:Here’s another top-tier director who lost his way—currently on a serious downward spiral: Rob Reiner.

When was he ever actually at the top, though? I mean, maybe one decent comedy here, one solid thriller there... and okay, sure, that alright drama *Stand By Me*. That's about it...

briskhound2 said:When was he ever actually at the top, though? I mean, maybe one decent comedy here, one solid thriller there... and okay, sure, that alright drama *Stand By Me*. That's about it...

Three decent comedies. One good thriller, and two pretty fair dramas. If that isn't reaching the top tier, then I don't know what is... 😉

quietdriver3 said:Three decent comedies. One good thriller, and two pretty fair dramas. If that isn't reaching the top tier, then I don't know what is... 😉

Guess I need to dig a little deeper into his filmography then... I've mostly just been sticking to the big hits. Thanks 🙂

Bryan Singer

Look, the guy directed a total masterpiece like The Usual Suspects and then just kind of drifted off into those X-Men movies and Superman stuff, and now we're stuck with this Valkyrie thing. It’s a long shot, honestly. I don't see him ever pulling off another lightning-in-a-bottle moment like he did back in '96.

William Roberts2 said:Bryan Singer

Look, the guy directed a total masterpiece like The Usual Suspects and then just kind of drifted off into those X-Men movies and Superman stuff, and now we're stuck with this Valkyrie thing. It’s a long shot, honestly. I don't see him ever pulling off another lightning-in-a-bottle moment like he did back in '96.

Valkyrie 😉

But honestly? That movie is great—one of the best adaptations based on actual WWII history out there!

And yeah... the X-Men and Superman flicks are pretty mid, if I'm being real.

But seriously, how does Valkyra even stack up against Usual Suspects?

William Roberts2 said:Bryan Singer

Look, the guy directed a total masterpiece like The Usual Suspects and then just kind of drifted off into those X-Men movies and Superman stuff, and now we're stuck with this Valkyrie thing. It’s a long shot, honestly. I don't see him ever pulling off another lightning-in-a-bottle moment like he did back in '96.

The first two X-Men films are actually quite sharp; following Tim Burton’s Batman, they might even stand as the premier comic book adaptations. Singer also has that overlooked gem, Apt Pupil, tucked away in his credits. While it does feel as though The Usual Suspects remains his definitive peak, that doesn't necessarily mean his talent has evaporated.

Look, if you’re getting all worked up over X-Men, fine, whatever. It's basically a kids' movie. But honestly? Real directors—the heavy hitters—don't even bother wasting their breath on little flicks like that.

William Roberts2 said:Look, if you’re getting all worked up over X-Men, fine, whatever. It's basically a kids' movie. But honestly? Real directors—the heavy hitters—don't even bother wasting their breath on little flicks like that.

I mean, look at Ang Lee playing around with the Hulk and still managing to pull off one of the most serious, top-tier comic book movies ever. Or you’ve got Christopher Nolan with his Batman run, Sam Mendes doing *Road to Perdition*, Rodriguez with *Sin City*, or even Cronenberg with *A History of Violence*. They actually made it work. ☕

You've got Spielberg and Jackson tackling Tin Tin, Sam Raimi with Spidey... there are plenty of top-tier directors handling comic book adaptations these days. Even Branagh is giving Thor a Shakespearean spin. As for Singer—I wouldn't go so far as to say he's on the decline, but I'm not exactly jumping for joy either.

Movies like Batman, Sin City, and Road to Perdition actually have some weight to them. And look, I’ll admit it—directors like Christopher Nolan or Robert Rodriguez are basically outliers in this industry; you always have to account for those rare exceptions.
Hulk is a good movie??? Are you kidding me? That whole thing is just typical Marvel fare, strictly for kids under 12 or 13.
As for A History of Violence, it's just middle-of-the-road stuff.

William Roberts2 said:Movies like Batman, Sin City, and Road to Perdition actually have some weight to them. And look, I’ll admit it—directors like Christopher Nolan or Robert Rodriguez are basically outliers in this industry; you always have to account for those rare exceptions.
Hulk is a good movie??? Are you kidding me? That whole thing is just typical Marvel fare, strictly for kids under 12 or 13.
As for A History of Violence, it's just middle-of-the-road stuff.

Pfft... what's even the point?☕

Man, you really need to learn how to read between the lines. Look at how you’ve totally butchered my quote versus what I actually said. It’s like looking at a bad caricature.
Actually, you know what? I’m not even going to waste my breath arguing with you.

Yeah, I can see where I've put on some weight... but honestly... there’s no sense in getting into a back-and-forth with you after a (ridiculous) comment like that just to explain how wrong you are... seriously... it's not worth my time.😉☕

Anthony Smith3 said:I mean, look at Ang Lee playing around with the Hulk and still managing to pull off one of the most serious, top-tier comic book movies ever. Or you’ve got Christopher Nolan with his Batman run, Sam Mendes doing *Road to Perdition*, Rodriguez with *Sin City*, or even Cronenberg with *A History of Violence*. They actually made it work. ☕

Honestly, the Hulk in that movie was way, way better than the version we got with Norton... and man, it would've been so much cooler if they just kept the story moving instead of stopping to explain everything all over again!

William Roberts2 said:Look, if you’re getting all worked up over X-Men, fine, whatever. It's basically a kids' movie. But honestly? Real directors—the heavy hitters—don't even bother wasting their breath on little flicks like that.

Look, X-Men isn't strictly "for kids," but I know plenty of supposedly heavyweight critics have voiced similar sentiments. However, once I started seeing those same "intellectuals" claim that George Lucas is overrated—as if the only movies worth watching are by Bergman or Antonioni—it all became quite clear to me...

William Roberts2 said:But seriously, how does Valkyra even stack up against Usual Suspects?

Man, you really are persistent with getting the movie title wrong!

I reckon we could throw Kevin Smith onto this list too—honestly, he didn't need Jersey Girl to prove himself...