Directors who totally missed the mark

redowl90 said:A Woody Allen?

How long has his little crisis been dragging on now...

Woody Allen, please... he was never really much of a director to begin with, so claiming he's in some sort of crisis is a stretch... go ahead and tear yourselves apart over it... 😁 🙂

Ethan Perez97 said:Woody Allen? Please. He was never really a director to begin with, so he can't exactly have a creative slump. Get over yourselves. 😁 🙂

Exactly.🙄

Jan De Bont

Man, seriously—*Speed* has the highest replay value of any movie ever. As for everything else👎

Ethan Perez97 said:Jan De Bont

Yeah—ever since he jumped from cinematographer to director, his work has gone completely downhill.

northerncrane4 said:Yeah, ever since he decided to stop being a cinematographer and start calling himself a director, he's completely lost his way...

ha ha 👍

Joel Scumacher - is this economic crisis finally over yet?
Michael Mann - I'm honestly speechless.

Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes. Easily one of his most underwhelming projects and career low points. 👎 👎 👎

Thank God, looks like it was just a one-hit wonder😬

James Cameron and his Jaws 2—just a bunch of flying killer fish that serve as a mindless, unnecessary sequel to Joe Dante’s cult horror classic.

crimsonmoose3 said:James Cameron and his Piranha 2—flying killer fish, an idiotic and totally unnecessary follow-up to Joe Dante's cult horror classic.

We aren't talking about mediocre sequels here—we're discussing established directors who simply lost their minds.
Besides, Cameron wasn't even given the final cut on that particular film.

Is it George Lucas and his Phantom Menace?
Or is it Oliver Stone and his version of a "horror" story—aside from Alexander the Great—featuring Michael Caine? 🙄

crimsonmoose3 said:A "horror" movie? That's just a joke when you consider Michael Caine was in it... 🙄

Say whatever you want, but I actually thought the film held up quite well... 😁

though its rating on IMDb is criminally low...

Ethan Perez97 said:Believe what you want, but I actually thought the movie was good.😁

Though, that IMDb rating is criminally low...

Who said anything about me thinking the film was bad?🙂
It’s just not typical Oliver style...

quietdriver3, this has been bugging me for days—what do you actually mean when you say Dante missed the mark? He might have missed out on the big commercial hits, but his quality was always there! Care to elaborate?

Jose Chase2 said:quietdriver3, this has been stuck in my head for days—what do you mean when you say Dante lost his touch? I guess maybe he went commercial, sure, but quality-wise, I don't know if that's true. Explain!

He lost it in the sense that stuff like "Small Soldiers" or "Haunted Lighthouse" felt pretty mediocre to me, but then again, I haven't caught "Looney Tunes," so maybe he found his groove again.

Anyway, I just remembered another director who kind of slipped up (not sure if he’s already been mentioned here, didn't really feel like digging through the thread):

John Milbus—honestly, since Conan, I haven't seen anything great from him...

Low point: Red Dawn, that whole Cold War cliché thing he probably shouldn't have bothered with.

The slump lasted about 20 years, I think. 😲

He’s got two new movies coming out soon... we'll just have to see if he’s actually back on track.

quietdriver3 said:John Milius—man, I haven't seen him nail a movie since Conan...

Low point for sure—Red Dawn was just this weird Cold War snooze-fest he really didn't need to make.

The slump lasted maybe... 20 years? 😲

He’s got two new ones coming out soon... we'll see if he actually found his groove again.

🙂 Farewell to the King (1989) and Motorcycle Gang (1994) (TV) are absolute GEMS!
Look, I know, total hot take—IMDb averages are sitting at like 5.6/10 and 4.5/10. 😁 But honestly? Most people are usually wrong. 🙂

Flight of the Intruder (1991) is a fun watch, and even Red Dawn (1984) holds up okay, though maybe compared more to those old-school American war flicks.
Haven't checked out Rough Riders (1997) (TV) yet.

I mean, if you look at his earlier masterpieces,
Conan the Barbarian (1982), Big Wednesday (1978), The Wind and the Lion (1975), Dillinger (1973)
and even the writing side of things...
Apocalypse Now (1979), The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), Jeremiah Johnson (1972)

you could say he kind of "lost it" for a while. But seriously, who can stay at that level forever? The guy's a G-E-N-I-U-S!

quietdriver3 said:He meant he flopped—saying "Small Soldiers" and "Haunted Lighthouse" were subpar—but since I haven't seen "Looney Tunes," maybe he actually found his groove again.

hmmm, personally I thought "Small Soldiers" was great. Sure, maybe it wasn't his absolute peak, but it definitely wasn't a total flop. And that TV movie "Second Civil War"? Honestly, I don't think anyone has ever captured satire regarding the American media better. It was a fantastic film—I caught it once on PBS.

As for Milhous 🙂🙂 honestly, that kind of thing deserves a good spanking.😠 Just look at "Rough Riders"—it’s easily the best war movie ever made (coming from someone who isn't even a fan of the genre 😬 ). The film is a genuine masterpiece, and man, I'm still annoyed Ted Turner didn't give it a proper theatrical release. It's the perfect example of an overlooked classic.🙏 👍 👍 You wouldn't believe it, but Tom Berenger is such a powerhouse actor; his portrayal of Teddy Roosevelt was just incredible.

Jose Chase2 said:Good grief. Instead of facing prison for his crimes, he simply makes a few movies and suddenly everyone is ready to forgive him.

Jose Miller17 said:I suspect Polanski’s downfall wasn't actually his filmography, but rather—and I say this with all the artistic grace I possess—his decision to flee the States.
As for Woodie, I suspect his filmmaking—born from the very crimes that landed him behind bars—might only find an audience in France.

I have no interest in playing defense attorney for either of these two lunatics.
Well, this seems like a textbook example of typical female reasoning. Or perhaps you were all present when those men "coerced" minors into such acts? Despite the risk of being labeled a misogynist, I have to ask why you're ignoring the possibility that these "girls" actually seduced—though let's be honest, they assaulted—the Jewish gentlemen in question.

I am well aware that you are all trying to get a rise out of me. By all means, carry on. I suppose I have earned my 400,000,000 blows.

Nathan Baker71 said:I’m not about to play defense attorney for either of those two lunatics.
Oh, please. This sounds like classic emotional reasoning to me. Or maybe you were actually there when those guys "forced" those minors into anything? Look, even if I'm risking being labeled a misogynist, I have to ask: why are we ignoring the possibility that these girls actually instigated this—regardless of how much they claim they were coerced?
By the way, I know you guys are just trying to get under my skin. Go ahead, though. I’ve definitely earned my 400 million strikes.

Look, my take isn't meant to be compared to those half-baked opinions floating around above. Honestly, anyone who actually understands what Humprey Bogart went through wouldn't even attempt to take a hard stance on this. 😁