Yeah, I went to film school too (after I got a degree in something employable) and I've heard all this shiat before. Go make a movie as good as Duel, Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark and get back to us. And those are just the ones that aren't debatable. All the components like cinematography, shot placement, camera work, blocking and editing decisions are apparently covered next semester.

Spielberg does put too many Goddamned kids in his films, I'll admit that.

Those who cannot do teach, those who cannot teach criticize.

That's right on, except it should say Martin Scorsese.

Boo hoo. Go suck on a muffler, whiner.

The beach scene alone in Saving Private Ryan would put Spielberg in the list of great film directors.

Spielberg is a better director when he has a good editor and a hard-driving producer.

A.I. would have been one of his greatest films ever - - if someone cut out the rest of the movie after the Haley Joel Osment-bot was left at the bottom of the ocean, staring out at the Blue Fairy statue. Instead, Spielberg did his typical "and THEN what happened?" routine and blathered on for TWENTY FRICKIN MINUTES more.

After he made "1941," he should have been beaten with a steel rake for trying to be John Landis.

Saving Private Ryan - - oh, it's not permissible to criticize SPR ? It's a goddamn FAKE FICTION MAKE-BELIEVE STORY - as much of a lie as Jack and Rose on The Titanic. The movie boils down to an old guy who *isn't* Tom Hanks as we were led to believe, and somehow that Private Ryan guy feels alllll better after he asks his wife "Was I a good man?" Oh yes, sweetie, you were a good man, and that means Tom Hanks taught you the True Meaning of Christmas. Blargggh.

If you said "producer," I might agree. He has some stinkers recently. Super 8?Terra Nova?

DarthBrooks: A.I. would have been one of his greatest films ever - - if someone cut out the rest of the movie after the Haley Joel Osment-bot was left at the bottom of the ocean, staring out at the Blue Fairy statue. Instead, Spielberg did his typical "and THEN what happened?" routine and blathered on for TWENTY FRICKIN MINUTES more.

That part of the movie was always in the script, even when Kubrick planned to make it. Spielberg didn't insert it.

DamnYankees: DarthBrooks: A.I. would have been one of his greatest films ever - - if someone cut out the rest of the movie after the Haley Joel Osment-bot was left at the bottom of the ocean, staring out at the Blue Fairy statue. Instead, Spielberg did his typical "and THEN what happened?" routine and blathered on for TWENTY FRICKIN MINUTES more.

That part of the movie was always in the script, even when Kubrick planned to make it. Spielberg didn't insert it.

He filmed it, and left it in the movie. Do you think Spielberg didn't have editorial control over his own film?

My friend here thinks I'm just fine the way I am

overrated director? yes. he is.

the most overrated of modern times? no. he isn't.

that would be a toss-up of M Night Shyamalan and Michael Bay.

other current overrated directors (in my order from most to least)

Peter Jackson
Tim Burton
Quentin Tarantino
James Cameron
Joel and Ethan Coen

I'm omitting the Wachowskis because they aren't that active
I'm omitting Spike Lee and Michael Moore because they play to a certain audience

Overrated? Yeah, he may be, but as someone who grew up loving the Tintin books with all my heart, who read them over and over and over until the bindings disintegrated and the pages fell out (and some of them already had, because they were my dad's Tintin books that he had as a kid), I can do nothing but praise the man for making a movie that I grinned like a schoolboy throughout. That movie was everything I wanted from a Tintin movie; my childhood come to life on the big screen.

So thanks, Spielberg.

shivashakti: The Indiana Jones series doesn't have humor in it?
E.T. drinking beer, making Elliott seem drunk in school wasn't funny?

This is ridiculous.

Came here to say this. There's also humor in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "Jurassic Park" (1 & 2),

DarthBrooks: A.I. would have been one of his greatest films ever - - if someone cut out the rest of the movie after the Haley Joel Osment-bot was left at the bottom of the ocean, staring out at the Blue Fairy statue. Instead, Spielberg did his typical "and THEN what happened?" routine and blathered on for TWENTY FRICKIN MINUTES more.



I felt like AI could've ended its story every 25 minutes or so. Lopping off the ending probably wouldn't have saved the movie.

FeedTheCollapse: DarthBrooks: A.I. would have been one of his greatest films ever - - if someone cut out the rest of the movie after the Haley Joel Osment-bot was left at the bottom of the ocean, staring out at the Blue Fairy statue. Instead, Spielberg did his typical "and THEN what happened?" routine and blathered on for TWENTY FRICKIN MINUTES more.



I felt like AI could've ended its story every 25 minutes or so. Lopping off the ending probably wouldn't have saved the movie.

It was just a lame version of Pinocchio which took no chances and pushed no boundaries yet presented itself as if it did.

Meh, I like Spielberg. There would be a big void in movie making throughout the years without his contributions.

If you haven't seen Duel...you really should.

Is there a director who makes popular movies who isn't overrated?

Techhell: Is there a director who makes popular movies who isn't overrated?

Joe Johnston.

To each their own....

Close Encounters has always been a favorite of mine, probably my most favorite movie. It's a movie I can always watch, even though I've seen it hundreds of times. (Not hyperbole, I've owned it on VHS, laserdisc, DVD, Blu-ray, and probably whatever will come after that).

And there will be many people in this thread who could care less about it. So who's right?

Who cares?

calbert: that would be a toss-up of M Night Shyamalan and Michael Bay.

Wait, what? Nobody praises either of those two guys.

Shyamalan is viewed as a one hit/one gimmick wonder.
Michael Bay gets props for making movies that appeal to the lowest common denominator that bring in big bucks and have lots of explosions. No one points to Bay as a "good" director. They point to him as a guy who knows how to wring $12 out of Billy Bob, and who doesn't let a shoot get out of hand.

Techhell: Is there a director who makes popular movies who isn't overrated?

as mentioned earlier, I think Clint Eastwood is a fine director, who has yet to overstay his welcome. I also think that George Clooney has a great directorial future ahead of him.

calbert: the most overrated of modern times? no. he isn't.

that would be a toss-up of M Night Shyamalan and Michael Bay.

Overrated? Both of them are considered jokes. The last time I saw a trailer with "from M Night Shamalan" there was literally laughter from the audience. And no one thinks Michael Bay is good at anything but big, loud action.

I'd say Terrence Malick IS the most overrated director of modern times.

Dwight_Yeast: PT Anderson, who WAS overrated, until he made There Will Be Blood; now he will always be underrated, as no one can ever make another film as good as that one

As much as I wanted to love that movie I couldn't. It had no flow. It was just watching Daniel Day Lewis chew scenery which isn't necessarily a bad thing if the movie goes somewhere. I can barely remember anything that happened in the movie, I can only remember my profound lack of reaction to it.

I don't hate it either though.

The All-Powerful Atheismo: If a single critic ever gives either of those guys a good review then they are overrated.

Paging Armond White to Fark thread 6914306. Armond White, please pick up the white courtesy phone in Fark thread 6914306.

The All-Powerful Atheismo: Mugato: And no one thinks Michael Bay is good at anything but big, loud action.

That right there is an overrating.

Directing action sequences isn't trivial. Although the action shots in the Transformers films are a mess. But Bay does have a decent record with pure action sequences. Like something you would put on a demo reel. But that doesn't mean he's a good overall director and no one thinks he is.

It's hard to say what's "overrated". That's even more subjective than just determining if a director is "good" or not.