“CASABLANCA by Michael Curtiz”
Curtiz is a mediocre director?
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
Angels With Dirty Faces (1938)
The Sea Hawk (1940)
Casablanca (1942)
My Dream is Yours (1949)
Young Man with a Horn (1950)
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)
I’m sure many directors would love to have those films to their credit. Dismissive of the studios much?
@ paul john, rushmore is far from a masterpiece. still good though, even if it is one of wes anderson’s weaker films. and wes anderson isn’t what i’d consider mediocre. dig deeper.
Mata Hari (1931) dir. George Fitzmaurice
An excellent example, Fitzmaurice wasn’t even credited (to be fair, the real look and mood of the film seems to have come from Irving Thalberg, who co-produced it with Fitzmaurice).
Nice on Straight Time, but did Ulu Gosbard ever direct another movie? Dunno
Monte Hellman aint mediocre tho, The shooting, Ride in the Whirlwind, Cockfighter.
Those really need Criterion Treatment possibly eclipse.
How bout Stand by Me, Spinal Tap—Rob Reiner
Donnie Brasco—-Mike Newell
Phil Kaufman-Unbearable tho I like Right Stufff
Joel Shumacher is the hardest director to peg, He’s got some Great movies: St. Elmos,Flawless, Falling Down, TigerLand, The Lost Boys but Even Worse movies too. Wow
Will Think of more
Definitely agree with Roscoe here:
PT Anderson’s There Will Be Blood
It really surprised me after his other films.
The problem with you roscoe is that you havent been able to understand that the taste, is not a determining factor, the movie is good or bad , even if you like it or you don`t , you have to be able to be objective, if you don`t like the subject or thematic of the movie has nothingto do with its quality, and saying a movie is bad because it`s slow only probes how much you are used to soap, easy movies, most the times is not the movie which is slow but the audience that is mistrained because he is used to watching high paced films. Magnolia is a great film, alot of awards, which even though are not a guarantee they kind of give you an idea.
Ulu Grosbard did the terrible Deep End Of The Ocean in 1999. He also did other lesser-known or forgettable films such as Georgia and Falling In Love.
Meanwhile, I’d nominate:
Richard Kelly – Donnie Darko
Catherine Hardwicke – Thirteen (though I’m still waiting for her to do a truly great film to follow Thirteen, Twilight and Lords Of Dogtown weren’t it)
Kerry Conran – Sky Captain and The World Of Tomorrow (he made this technical marvel and all he’s done since then is a Coke commercial)
Davis Guggenheim – An Inconvienent Truth
the guy who directed Zorba The Greek (can’t remember his name)
Richard Lester – A Hard Day’s Night (Superman II doesn’t count since that was Donner’s film)
J. Lee Thompson – The Guns Of Navarone
Russell Mulchay – Highlander
Robert Harmon – The Hitcher
Guy Ritchie – Snatch
“Magnolia is a great film, alot of awards, which even though are not a guarantee they kind of give you an idea.”
‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ won the oscar for best film. If film quality is objective (and I agree to an extent), what’s the metric?
slc punk (james merendino).
Cutter’s Way by Ivan Passer. Almost forgotten masterpeice from 1981. Passer directed Creator, that 1985 monstrosity with Peter O’Toole.
Cutter’s Way by Ivan Passer. Almost forgotten masterpeice from 1981. Passer directed Creator, that 1985 monstrosity with Peter O’Toole.
citizen kane, orson welles
It’s got to be Tobe Hooper, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is Legendary film and a country mile from anything else he’s directed. So much so, if you look back over his catalog, it looks like a fluke (which is the point of this thread I guess).
Also I agree with Neil Mcauley’s brother, The Warriors is a masterpiece.
>>He makes films that I enjoy watching (Signs, Unbreakable, and yes…The Village, are all enjoyable films yet I dont think any of them are masterpieces)<<
Well, Sean, I think if you track down the definition of mediocre, that’s it. It doesn’t mean “bad” it means “average.”
>>citizen kane, orson welles<<
Oh, please!
>>Mata Hari (1931) dir. George Fitzmaurice … Fitzmaurice wasn’t even credited<<
I’d have to check my copy of the film to be certain, but I’m pretty certain the film’s title cards include the phrase “A George Fitzmaurice Production,” which in the late 20s and early 30s was the equivalent of “a film by.” In other words, ole George is credited as director.
Michael Mann- Manhunter. This was an AWESOME film (I even like Brian cox as Hannibal Lector, he’s very good) but he hasn’t really done anything else spectacular.
I second whoever said Sofia Coppola. Loved Lost in Translation but Marie Antoinette was horrible and virgin Suicides so-so.
>>Michael Mann- Manhunter<<
sigh
Collateral, Heat and The Insider and The Last of the Mohicans were all incredible…even Ali was good enough to rule out Michael Mann from this list.
And HARRY LONG, I actually would go as far as to say that both Signs and Unbreakable were great films. Yes the Village was mediocre, Lady in the Water sucked and only about 30% of The Happening is actually worth watching but his first three films were definately awsome!
W.D. Richter
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Only one movie directed since and just a handful of writing credits.
I’m with Sean, Michael Mann has produced consistently great stuff over the last 20 years and has no place on this list.
I’m with Sean, Michael Mann has produced consistently great stuff over the last 20 years and has no place on this list.
@Harry Long
Just checked my copy of Mata Hari, it does indeed say “A George Fitzmaurice Production” on the opening title card, but I’m not quite sure that that can equate to a director’s credit, even in that era.
My original source was IMDB, which has reputable information, and there he is listed as being uncredited. I would be interested to know if you have any information regarding the “so-and-so production” credit and whether that was interchangeable with a director credit, I’ve never heard that argument, but would love to be brought up to speed if that’s the case.
I don’t think someone can reasonably say that Godfather is Copolla’s only masterpiece. The man made The Conversation, an absolutely fascinating character study of a guy who’s almost lost it. Just a brilliant work.
Savvy
Gone Baby Gone by Ben Affleck…I’m liking the other Affleck more everyday…
Ben Affleck should stick to directing. He’s like Edward Burns. A good director that’s a bad actor but doesn’t seem to realize that he is a bad actor.
A recent example is State Of Play. An average film that could have been better had they not cast Affleck as the Congressman. The performance was wooden and rather laughable.
Also, I don’t think that Casey had a truly great performance until Gone Baby Gone. Before then, he was just a bit player getting roles solely because he’s was Ben’s brother. In The Assassination Of Jesse James…, Brad Pitt had the good performance while Casey solely seemed to be in the film because of who his brother is.
After Hours – Scorsese
Chimes of Midnight – Welles
Just kidding, of course.
Now for my serious pick.
Real Genius – Martha Coolidge
the guy who directed Zorba The Greek (can’t remember his name)
Michael Cacoyannis
Pretty good film maker. You may be able to find a copy of A Girl in Black or A Matter of Dignity around.
Anyone who thinks Jane Campion is mediocre obviously hasn’t seen An Angel At My Table, or more importantly, Sweetie.
“Rock and Roll High School” by Allan Arkush.
(I want to say “Get Crazy” is beyond mediocre but I’m not sure if I can; still, Malcolm McDowell’s talking penis, a robo-magic drug dealer using telekinesis to separate an implausibly huge rock of cocaine into two dozen perfect lines, Ed Begley kicking a puppy out of an airplane, Lou Reed playing Lou Reed, and all the other stuff that makes me thank god the motion picture was invented aren’t quiiite enough to make up for some of the more dreary parts.)
Was Richard Rush’s The Stunt Man mentioned?
Elmen Tsarukyan
PTA is not a mediocre director…whatre you smoking on?