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The Five Most Overrated Directors In Film
January 9th, 2008
Last week, I shared with you a list of eleven directors who have impressed and influenced me with their art and craft. In other words, directors that I liked. A lot. Now it’s time to venture to the other end of the spectrum. Directors I can’t stand.
Let me start off by saying that these are not the five worst directors working today (although most of these directors do suck). Rather, this is a list of the five most overrated directors who have earned countless awards and accolades and can seemingly do no wrong in the eyes of critics and fanboys.
1. Martin Scorcese
The most overrated hack of them all, Scorcese is the king of cinematic masturbation and the “Look, ma, I’m directing” style of filmmaking. He represents almost everything that’s wrong with self-indulgent directing. The critics love him because of his ability to move the camera. If only he could move the audience. But then again, why bother telling a story when you can swoop through an overblown scene with a steadicam. Or get the brilliant actor Daniel Day-Lewis to do a Robert De Niro impersonation for over two hours opposite Leonardo DiCaprio. He finally won an Oscar when he took the depth and resonance out of the sublime Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs
2. Steven Spielberg
No one can deny Steven Spielberg’s talent. Then again, it takes a singular talent to reduce the Holocaust to a black and white cartoon like Spielberg did with Schindler’s List
3. Quentin Tarantino
If you want a poster boy for self-indulgence, then look no further. For those of you who want to make movies the Tarantino way, follow this simple recipe:
- Drink lots of coffee.
- Watch 20 B-movies in a row without sleeping.
- Write a script copying sequences verbatim.
- Cut up script and rearrange the sequences at random.
- Insert conversation you had with racist/sexist wino on the bus into script.
- Record for 2 hours as you channel surf through white trash oldies radio. This will be your soundtrack.
- Send script to Harvey Weinstein.
- Get a big head (literarlly and figuratively).
- Direct with big head firmly planted up ass. Tell actors to treat your dialogue like its from the Bible.
- Make sure the running time is over 2 hours.
- Go to imdb.com and look up obscure films. Claim them as your influences.
4. Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan is only on this list because of his tendency for lazy storytelling and his over reliance on narrative gimmicks. What do I mean by lazy storytelling? I mean that when encountered with a narrative problem, Nolan almost always takes the easy way out even if it changes the rules of the world he has set up. For instance, take Memento
5. Paul Thomas Anderson
A Scorcese wannabe that has managed to capture some of Scorcese’s cachet with the critics and fanboys, Mr. Anderson has never met a long tracking shot he didn’t love. His movies are self-indulgent, pretentious and bombastic. You want to know how to make a movie filled with sex about the porn industry boring? Watch Boogie Nights
UPDATE: Just saw There Will be Blood. Still overrated. Read what I thought here: Cinemoose Review For There Will Be Blood.
Buy the Moose a cup of coffee.
January 21st, 2008 at 7:07 pm
That’s hot!
February 11th, 2008 at 8:02 am
Man.. you sure do have an ego. What have you ever done to make a mark on the world or a name for yourself?
February 14th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
I agree 100% with you about Tarantino. Scorsese has made his share of flops, and should have already won an Oscar for Raging Bull and not The Departed. Same with Spielberg, he has given us some hits, some misses. Nolan has a great noir style that I do enjoy, so I will disagree with you on that note, same with Anderson. TWBB was a terrific film, mostly becasue I associate myself with Plainview, (the part of “Having a competition in me,” and “Working with these people.”) You forgot about Robert Rodriguez, maybe he was already posted, I don’t know, but je ,akes pure crap. I will also submit that the Coen Brothers are overrated. “Miller’s Crossing, Big Lebowski,” and “Fargo” were great, but I have been burned by “Barton Fink and I’ll say it, “No Country.” The ending of that one just left me hanging. Regardless, everyone is entited to their opinion.
February 25th, 2008 at 12:40 am
‘..falls just short of it’s accolades.’
In my opinion, it brought about some spotty character development (if any, depending on the character), and told a simple story using far, far too much time. I did gather a very solid sense of realism from the desolate landscapes, time setting, minimalist and appropriate dialog, costume, etc.. and the cinematography was certainly very well done.
Some stories, no matter how well told, or how well portrayed, are simply not worth hearing, no matter how perfectly executed. No matter how beautifully framed the scene, it may still only be a 3 out of 10.
I’m not sure it was worth watching, and I LOVE film, all genres, foreign, independent, subtitled, etc. Unless the basic story interests you, take your 2 1/2 hours and re-visit a classic like Forrest Gump or something that is simply packed full of everything this film lacks. Content.
July 4th, 2008 at 7:10 am
[...] What prevents this movie from being truly great is the pretentious over direction by overrated hack Martin Scorcese, who has admitted to abusing cocaine during the production of this movie and seems intent to [...]
July 11th, 2008 at 11:27 am
[...] lot of people love this overrated, self-indulgent movie by hack Martin Scorcese. Then again, a lot of people voted for George W. Bush twice, so there you go. Must be the same [...]
July 30th, 2008 at 3:17 am
Totally agree with you on all of the above; but I want to expound on your sentiments. The reason these directors fail to deliver the goods is because they are no longer crafting grand narratives. Instead they are trying to conform to formula. People who take the view there is nothing new under the sun forget that everyday many new words spring into existence. That’s because necessity and cultural circumstance dictate the development of words… and myths are just a more elaborate expression of words. As for Nolan… he is one of the most overrated directors ever. I’m not sure his style qualifies as noir unless you like tepid watered down noir. Moreover, the guy has serious screen direction issues and as one who works in the industry I know he tries to cover up a multitude of bad direction through choppy editing, which ignorant people praise as a stylistic choice. It’s actually a bandaid to a bigger problem — bad direction and coverage. Even the best works of Nolan will be forgotten in the years to come, just like Huston. Spielberg will continue to thrive, but even he has lost the drive to find the great new myth of our time. Another person: Scorsese. His worldview is so plagued by pessimism that he is beloved by cinephiles alone, his films having difficulty penetrating the larger audience and taking root. He’s become woefully a cliche. But I have hope that there will be those individuals who can bring the artistic innovation of Scorsese to something that is new and accessible and relevant to a large audience. It can be done, but it will take someone who understands the fundamental role of myth in our society, and has the experience to navigate the film industry and ultimately realize his or her vision.
October 6th, 2008 at 7:36 am
While I agree with what you say. Its the order I would like to change. Nolan is flavor of the month, and may well disappear but unfortunatley his influence will live on. I find his movies joyless and with out any emotional narrative whatsoever. Lacking any real identifying style, sucking any real pleasure out of watching a movie. The Darkknight will be emulated, the “Nolan noir” unstylistic dark and preposterously unreal “real world” copied nauseatingly over and over again. No2.
Speilberg the father of the blockbuster, his influence on cinema is undeniable in its destruction of good film making. Quite simply the popcorn movie mogul who begat the likes of Michael Bay and McG. what more can you say. No1.
The other three, fine, mix and match but there are worse culprits. George Lucas for example, but is he even a director? Its the insidious influence these people have that is the worse part. In the case of Lucas the toymaker its the marketing tie-ins. The Star Wars saga is nothing more than one huge commercial. Now every movie needs its tie-in.
Bring on Zack Synder or Guy Ritchie, pretenders to the to the emulation crown. Or even further back John Woo. But are Scorcese, Anderson and Tarantino that emulated, and their influence that far reaching? I not even sure that Tarantino has recieved that many accolades or that much industry respect for that matter.
In this digital age where you can shoot as much film as you like at a reduced cost. With hours and hours of footage directors become little more than editors. There is no vision here just cut and paste. Try just telling an engaging story, without all the bangs and whistles and gimicks, I am pretty sure the movie going audience isn’t all that dumb, that a cut needs to be made every other minute to stop them being distracted by .. oh I don’t know the piece of popcorn that that has fell from their slack drooling mouths.
October 17th, 2008 at 7:20 am
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October 23rd, 2008 at 3:05 am
Now everyone is talking about the American economy and eclections, nice to read something different. Eugene
December 16th, 2008 at 5:49 am
I thought I was the only one who felt this way. Damn, you are observant and HONEST.
A good friend of mine said that years ago, before there was such a thing as “film school”, filmmaking was a “seat of your pants” art form…the great (and even “merely good”) directors drew from their own life experiences and vision. Now, filmmaking has become, like “fine art” (bleccchhh) “Art about art about art about art”…big on pretense, low on originality or personal vision. YAWN.
Thank you so much!
March 22nd, 2010 at 6:03 pm
I can’t believe I actually read most of this. What a bunch of crap. You’ve just made it to the top of my list for “Worst Use of a website that people only accidentally run into because of Google”. Why don’t you add Kubrick, Hitchcock, and Kurosawa on the list to try and be even more shocking, you tool. And at least learn how to spell Scorsese’s name if you’re going to pretend to have any sort of credibility at all. What was the name of that fantastic movie you made, moron? Really? You’ve never made one? Haven’t even written a screenplay that nobody ever read? I’m shocked! With that amazing lack of wit and inability to even form a proper sentence must have put up a huge roadblock, huh, douchebag?
May 28th, 2010 at 10:12 am
Thank you. I often feel as if I am in a surrealistic world where Scorsese, Speilberg,and Anderson are heralded as geniuses. I would say to people I understand why people call Leonardo a genius, Beethoven a genius, Newton a genius, but sometime since the 1960′s someone must have changed the definition of the word.
August 6th, 2010 at 12:00 am
You’re an idiot. Besides Tarrantino, everyone on your list is a superb filmmaker.
September 26th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
What a load of rubbish this is ! Scorsese is awesome ! Taxi driver, raging bull, goodfellas, cape fear , casino , the aviator, the departed , gangs of new York and shutter island are all quality films ! Scorsese is a genius
October 13th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
This is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever read. Try making a film. Wow.
November 12th, 2010 at 2:20 am
To all haters: if you know so much more about what is a good film than all these guys, why don’t you go and make one?
January 1st, 2011 at 9:39 am
You’ve got to be heavily retarded to consider Scorsese (who ie easily the best of them all)overrated!
January 6th, 2011 at 3:10 am
Lol after seeing Basterds I had to ask myself how he got to be where he is today, dialogue for the sake of dialogue, weirdo Nazi fantasy which made me wonder what kind of hidden meaning he’s trying to convey and why, altogether pointless unless you’re Jewish (nobody likes Nazi’s, I can dig that) but still, it was retarded.
It was all about Tarantino, most self-indulgent spectacle I’ve ever witnessed.
Something for the smart asses hanging out drinking coffee together ending every argument with a reference to a book they themselves barely comprehend. Shutter Island was a complete rip off of A Tale of Two Sisters, I had respect for this guy like he was a master of his craft until I realized he’s just a sneaky old fart way past his prime.. Reservoir Dogs, also stolen..
January 21st, 2011 at 9:38 am
Tarantino is waaaay fcking overrated though. He made 2 good movies, Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction and ran out of steam. He’s definitely racist, he always defends it saying he hangs around with black guys and the words ‘nigger’ *empowers* black people- scoff. His characterisation is rubbish, in what fantasy world would a gangster say things such as ‘methinks he protests too much’
I hated his latest ‘Inglorious Bastards’ total comic book farce from start to finish, not one good scene in the entire movie.
January 23rd, 2011 at 10:38 pm
dude, whoever you are, (i know im late to this thread) but i think i love you. Just saw Boogie Nights last night(whatta mistake) PTA is SOOOO overrated, young angst-ridden teens and young adults think that loudly praising Tarantino and PTA makes them deep and hardcore. The thing about both these director’s movies is that I feel like saying “yes! we get it! we get you’re point, move on! give us something interesting”. They put all this importance in ‘social realism’ and making sure that the actors are so natural – and while its a credit to the actors, WE GET IT. We are aware of the gritty underclass worlds that exist and we kno that people out there swear and that there is violence and drugs. so what? Wow, you’re so ground-breaking to show endless scenes of losers sniffing cocaine. Cool. And you’re dead on about the distance thing, they both film their characters from a judgemental stand-point, leaving morons hating the central characters and ‘intelligent’ viewers empathising with boring assholes. We get it, there is good and bad in everyone. But they film it objectively so we never see any motivation behind why the characters do what they do. It’s up to us to figure out why that character shot this person etc. I find that really lazy. That sort of ‘walk around filming people we dont know properly/almost-doco’ style. I only didn’t mind TWBB because of Daniel Day Lewis. God that music was grating and pretentious, take-me-seriously soundtrack. But hey, you forgot two other wank directors: Joel and Ethan Coen.
January 25th, 2011 at 12:33 pm
I really like your list which I found rather accurate.
As far I’m concerned, I understood Scorcese was overrated when I saw Casino.
After this films all his films, included The Departed or Taxi Driver look just awfully superficial.
Spielberg directed a couple a good films but the average is rather low.
other directors you mention are not really overrated as they’re still rather junior. Tarentino sucks though
January 31st, 2011 at 12:07 pm
Tarantino is overrated only because of his fanboys, same goes with Scorsese. They are good directors but their fans make them out to be Godlike. As for Spielberg, he makes overrated movies, but he is an amazing storyteller and is not overrated himself. Christopher Nolan is not at all overrated, his movies are all gold and you just don’t like him I presume. As for PTA…YOU MUST BE FUCKING RETARDED!!!!!
February 2nd, 2011 at 12:10 am
Haha…Basterds was cinematic genius. It was amazing dialogue for over two hours with some hilarious sequences. Get a clue. Anybody in the movie industry who tries to belittle the talents of Tarantino and Scorcese has proven beyond a doubt that they are a jealous clown….go make some groundbreaking movies, or shut up and get a job.
February 14th, 2011 at 8:18 am
CHRISTOPHER IS THE ONLY ONE WHO DESERVES TO BE ON THE LIST. BIG DOUCHEBAG
The others are great.
Martin Scorsese is not overrated, he got what he deserved. ONE Oscar. Actually I think 3 would be the right number. What I don’t like about him is he steals the limelight from his pal Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola made The Godfathers and Apocalypse Now which Scorsese will never make. Coppola’s direction (Use of Lighting, Angles, Steadcam…all top notch), his choice of cinematographers (Vittorio Storaro for AN, Gordon Willis for The Godfathers), the sound mixing (Apocalypse Now). Technically brilliant. The problem is Coppola lost his consistency. His storytelling and character development is way superior to Scorsese. Scorsese relies to much on stylizing his work with some killer music and a few homages to older films to flaunt his knowledge in film history. He loses most of his substance in the process, which he tries passing of as gritty noirs. Not that he is bad. He is great, but there are many better than him
Quentin Tarantino is great, but the audience overrate him, not the critics. His knowledge is reserved primarily to B movies. Again relies to much on stylization of his work. I think he is a great screenwriter though. Some real slick hard boiled characters in his movies. Again, technically poor. The soundtracks are good, not well mixed. Poor editing (Intentional, I guess, again the homage crap). Nothing really original about him. Nevertheless, his movies are sure entertaining.
Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the finest directors of this generation, surely not on this list. In fact, I would endorse his films over any David Lynch or Wes Craven crap that tend to be passed off as art. There Will Be Blood is a class apart.
Spielberg is certainly not overrated. He has always had this reputation of as blockbuster filmmaker, and I hope he doesn’t try losing it with films like Schindler’s List and Munich. Not that they are bad. Just that, at the end of the day, we all should have some of the old light-hearted blockbusters to cheer us up. Let’s face it, arthouse can get real boring at times.A small dosage Indiana Jones or Terminator(James Cameron..lol) is essential to keep us alive, fit and going. Hollywood would lose its essence without them. His movies are a perfect blend of mainstream classicism and art. just like the in-out in-out…..lol
Christopher Nolan is totally overrated. He makes rotten popcorn and expects us to treat it as spaghetti. And quite a few actually succumb to his expectations! We all love the smell of fresh popcorn, but surely not rotten popcorn. It’s pukish. He can’t direct action, horrible camera work. Known fact. Lack of Characterization (Arthur,Gordon,Batman the list is countless. Exception Joker. Only the protagonist or antagonist is well explored. Memento has many flaws, so does Inception, So does The Dark Knight. What really irks me is when people call his work art. Inception sucks. Heck, my dreams have 1000 times crazier stuff. It is pure lack of imagination
List of Overrated
David Lynch
Wes Craven
Sofia Coppola
Michael Mann
Robert Altman
List of Misunderstood
George Lucas. (Trollers watch THX, American Graffiti. Half of the trollers haven’t even heard of them)
Steven Spielberg. (Needs no introduction. Just some dudes want to seperate from the working class and place them with aristocracy and art. In their conscience.)
James Cameron. (Again, self-proclaimed ‘I am Mr. Godard-loving connoiseurs” like thrashing him for his writing, plot, blah, blah, blah. Fuck, no one has made movies like him, lets face it. You’ll be dishonest with yourself if you say you don’t enjoy his films. His direction is superb, the camerawork is subtle, flawless editing. Great soundtracks *You Could Be Mine-Guns N Roses*)
Cameron Crowe. (Among the finest writers of are generation. Just not recognized. People think of his movies as silly romcoms or a sulky coming-of-age teen flick. Almost Famous is one of the best films of last decade. Fantastic Screenplay. Fantastic choice of music. Fresh. Devoid of Cynicism. They are just like magic)
DW Griffith (We all know he made great films. With an exception, “The Birth Of A Nation”. That very film destroyed him. 95 years since its release and he still is misunderstood. The DGA Lifetime Achievement Award ‘DW Griffith Award’ was renamed recently for his association with that film.
February 17th, 2011 at 12:38 pm
This was a great read. Thanks!
February 18th, 2011 at 9:44 am
“Shutter Island was a complete rip off of A Tale of Two Sisters…”
- You are aware Shutter Island was based on a book, right? By Dennis Lehane? And that the script wasn’t written by Scorsese?
That said, even Scorsese’s fans aren’t fussed on the movie…
And yes, you’re right about Reservoir Dogs. But it’s still a very enjoyable film.
Meanwhile, Moose:
I enjoy reading your blogs. We seem to share a quite a few favourite films. I especially appreciate the high regard you hold for Pixar and Eastwood. Did you enjoy Invictus?
But, with all due respect, at times you show yourself to have just as much of an ego as the directors you can’t stand. I can acknowledge Schindler’s List’s flaws, for example, without simply calling it a “cartoon”. I’d be very interested in knowing just why you think this is so. Because for all its problems it’s still very well told story, well acted, well scored and especially well shot. (The first 15 minutes or so until the Jews enter the church are exceptional.)
That, and when I watched Goodfellas, I never paid much attention to the “masturbatory” camera work. More to the fact that I was simply absorbed by the film, and that’s that.
All I’m saying is, maybe you’re getting carried away with your hatred for Scorsese and Spielberg, as opposed to more judging them with a more open mind, like I do. For the record, I think they, and Tarantino, are hit and miss – but when they’re good, they really are good. (That said, I don’t think Spielberg has made a truly brilliant film since Raiders.)
March 15th, 2011 at 7:12 pm
I could not stop laughing at the Quinten Tarentino list it was soo funny
also The Dark Knight and Inception are the most retarded films I have ever watched, bar revenge of the fallen, the phantom menace and batman and robin, but those films didnt pretend to be smart
April 9th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Tarantino is a giant pile of sh*t.
April 11th, 2011 at 12:07 am
I typed in overrated directors into a search engine and this was one of the links that came up. Wow! What a awful list. Those are some balls picks, but absolute dumb arguments and rankings for them consider there are other directors who are out there you can make the same argument for, but even better.
Even the Tarantino argument is pretty dumb considering he should be on the list. So you’re saying Tarantino hasn’t seen the obscure b movies you claim he watches? See what I mean.
All these arguments can be better made for other directors. You want to talk about hacks that get over praised by their fanboys, where is Tim Burton, where is Richard Kelly, where the hell is Peter Jackson?
Yes, the sad thing is I bet you a million dollars all the Tarantino haters are also Peter Jackson fans, but really what great films has Peter Jackson done outside of Lord of the Rings? If you answer back with anything you have no room to critize Tarantino for his taste in movies. Last I checked Breathless and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly were good films.
April 12th, 2011 at 12:20 pm
fuck you….dats all i have 2 say…
May 6th, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Sorry Sean, I am married and even if I weren’t, I don’t swing that way. Best of luck finding someone to copulate with.
May 6th, 2011 at 2:39 pm
Hi Kansas,
I have no doubt that Tarantino watches all the B-movies he claims. You can tell by the work he does. And yes, there are many more overrated directors working but I am focusing on the 5 MOST overrated. Tim Burton has his fanboys, but just as many detractors. The critics don’t worship the ground he walks on. Richard Kelly – does anyone save the drug addicts who love Donnie Darko really think he’s any good. Just read the reviews on the rest of his films. Peter Jackson, while admired for Lord of the Rings, has gotten pedestrian praise for most of his other works. Hardly one of the most overrated directors. Glad to see you putting some thought into your comments. Next time, try putting a little more.
May 6th, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Tipper Gore and the obscenity police don’t read this blog. You can write shit.
May 6th, 2011 at 2:49 pm
Glad you thought it was funny.
May 6th, 2011 at 2:54 pm
Your welcome.
May 6th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
You, my friend, need a Valium. That and try watching some of these movies with your eyes open.
May 6th, 2011 at 2:59 pm
I have a job. Groundbreaking movies? I’m not really interested in making a film about an earthquake. Try looking in the bargain bin section of Wal-Mart or Blockbuster. You might find some “ground breaking” movies there by The Asylum or Roger Corman or SyFy.
May 6th, 2011 at 3:02 pm
Michael, my friend, you are mistaken. I do not like to sleep with the mentally handicapped as you claim. Perhaps this is one of the instances that psychologists call transference where you project your own problems and flaws onto others. May I recommend you get some serious mental help as it ethically, morally and legally wrong to copulate with someone who is mentally deficient. Get help, please.
May 6th, 2011 at 3:06 pm
Thanks for the love. For the record, I’m married but I appreciate the sentiments all the same. Glad to read you are thinking for yourself.
May 6th, 2011 at 3:07 pm
Surprised Dave Chappelle never made fun of Tarantino on his show before it was cancelled.
May 6th, 2011 at 3:09 pm
I am neither overweight or mentally stunted. It’s obvious why you were fired from the Psychic Hotline.
May 6th, 2011 at 3:18 pm
Scorcese is a genius… FOR ME TO POOP ON!
May 6th, 2011 at 3:30 pm
There is a current need to make everyone feel like they are special and amazing. Blame it on the hippies and Democrats.
June 8th, 2011 at 2:46 am
This is exactly what I’ve always been saying about Nolan—lazy, overrated and a mediocre and predictable writer. Although his huge fanbase and money will keep him on the radar for many years.
But I disagree with you on Scorsese and Spielberg. Those two are among those 70s directors who redefined cinematic blockbusters, which of course resulted in numerous crappy, inferior ripoffs. They are the real deal and their cinematic influence is undeniable.
As for Tarantino I’m quite mixed about him. I loved Reservoir Dogs, liked Pulp Fiction and hated Inglourious Basterds. He’s pretty much incosistent.
Anderson can bring out great performances from his actors, even Adam Sandler and Mark Wahlberg who are both bland in almost everything else, plus he’s a better writer than both Nolan and Tarantino combined. I guess I can understand the Kubrick comparisons. But really all contemporary directors are more or less influenced by Kubrick. And both Anderson and Kubrick can do without the comparisons.
June 11th, 2011 at 3:29 am
Great info….
[...] This info without a doubt drives home the point. It is like a reflection of my own position and I was eager to post a backlink on my blog. Thanks. [...]…
July 12th, 2011 at 3:18 pm
You’re an idiot.
July 31st, 2011 at 1:03 am
You sir have an opinion. I think you have no taste. That is my opinion.
August 1st, 2011 at 7:17 am
This is a very good list, couldn’t agree with it more. Some of them however made some good films but they don’t remotely deserve the credit they get. Scorsese and Spielberg are just sitting back making money off of their name, “producing” movies. Fuck these guys.
August 4th, 2011 at 2:35 am
I disagree with your list, but you have a right to your opinion. Although I thought the Departed was well done. You don’t seem to understand storytelling at all, but that is a pov opinion since people have different ways of telling stories. The only two people I agree with is Paul Thomas Anderson and Steven Spielberg. Only “There Will Be Blood” was impressive from Anderson and “Catch Me If You Can” was a good film by Spielberg, but that’s it. I even think ET and Saving Private Ryan were overrated, but like I said it’s my opinion. Directors overall in my opinion are overrated since the true storytellers are the screenplay writers. However, a good screenplay can be ruined by a bad director and a bad script can be made into a decent movie with a good director, for example Shutter Island. I really like the way Nolan, Scorsese and Tarantino direct their movies. They not only have decent storytelling, and yes I think their style speaks volumes to me however their movies are not great storytelling, but they make their movies likeable to the overwhelming majority of people without boring them. Of course there will be people that think their movies are no good and such. Even a few people didn’t like the Godfather parts 1 and 2. So if you don’t like these guys that is completely understandable. I’ll enjoy their movies and you can enjoy other ones. There is simply no problem with that. By the way only one of their movies is in my top ten movie list though and that is the Dark
Knight, while cliché in some ways it was extremely entertaining and fascinating watch. To each his own however. Cheers.
August 28th, 2011 at 9:18 pm
I don’t know what Spielberg is doing on this list. Sure he’s got misfires, but he made Jurassic Park, ET, and Jaws. So maybe he isn’t exactly in the same league as Kubrick or Kurosawa, but he’s not exactly out of the ballpark either. I would place him somewhere in the vicinity of Ingmar Bergman and Mel Brooks.
On the plus side, that Tarantino movie recipe was oddly plausible, I’m even kind of curious to see if it would work.
September 2nd, 2011 at 4:49 am
What is this, a list of best directors of all time? If so, then well done
September 8th, 2011 at 9:53 pm
Hey dumbassess holes, get a clue … Christopher Nolan overatted!!! Go fuck your dog
September 12th, 2011 at 10:09 am
You forgot M Night Shalmalon or however you spell his name. A one act director if there ever was one. All prologue no story. But as far as the rest goes Hollywood isn’t doing anything new the stuidios and directors are just regurgitating old stories because it is cheaper than paying writers. The next grand myth will come from a writer not a director or producer. Speilburg and all those like him have never created anything. They just repackage other peoples ideas because creation true creation not immulation which passes for creation these days is done by one individual nota commity which is how films are made.
October 12th, 2011 at 11:48 pm
I don’t know about the others but QUENTIN TARANTINO pretty much nailed it right there.
December 11th, 2011 at 5:45 am
wow! you pretty much made these people look like a bunch of hacks, untalented, and dumb filmmakers. i mean really people, i understand if you think they’re overrated(even though i feel they’re NOT) but you just on things that made you felt like they’re overrated and in turn made them look like untalented hacks.
you made filmmaking look like basketball dribbling. and if these people are “horrible” then what about the less talented people than these guys. Cinema will look like an art as low as “planking”.
it has always astonished me when people make these kinds of list. THERE IS NO GOOD OR BAD, THERE’S JUST PERSPECTIVE!
December 27th, 2011 at 2:18 am
Totally agree 100% with Scorcese. I saw Hugo, and that was a big snore. If anyone else had directed it, it would not be getting all this love. I do believe all of these directors have made good movies at some point in their careers, but you cannot act like everything they make is gold. This is why they are overrated. People bring up classic movies to prove their points, but you cannot overlook other movies they’ve directed that have not been good.
December 27th, 2011 at 2:23 am
What do you think about Fincher? I liked “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” The only negative was it was too long. They could’ve cut about 15 min.
December 27th, 2011 at 2:31 am
They censor movie titles? Well, my first post is addressing the recent family film by Scorcese, and the second post the new Rooney Mara movie.
January 12th, 2012 at 10:25 pm
As a director, David Fincher has a good understanding of pacing and is great at filming a scene in a compelling, visual manner. That said, his story sense is weakness. Give him a good script and he’ll do wonders. Give him a bad script and it will look nice, but the movie will not be good.