The 100 Worst Actors and Directors of All Time

[Raffine]

Worst Director: Andy Milligan

[Jack]

Hey Jack,
Don't forget Wynorski also directed Death Stalker 2, which is the finest of all the Death Stalker films He also unfortunately directed the Witches of Breastwick, which is not anywhere near as fun as it should have been. This is the best part:

I still haven't checked out Deathstalker 2, been meaning to forever.  Witches looks comical - such realistic dialogue!  And I've heard that theme music in about 6 other Wynorski films 

[Rev. Powell]

A thread about the worst directors of all time goes two pages before Ray Dennis Steckler gets mentioned?

[Menard]

A thread about the worst directors of all time goes two pages before Ray Dennis Steckler gets mentioned?

I guess everybody else just thought that was too obvious to bother to mention it.

Love how the guy can walk around Las Vegas with a video camera taping three idiots basically just walking around as well and call it a movie. Is that talent or what?

[Andrew]

Sadly, I should point out something I noticed:

A check of Google verified this.  The OP has posted a message like this on quite a few forums.  In a handful of cases, he posted one reply in the thread.  In all other cases, nothing.  He registered here, posted this about 3 minutes later, and has not logged into the forum since.  It is possible that he is monitoring responses via email, but the other facts support the hypothesis that this is just a marketing post.

Still, as to be expected from everyone, it is a good discussion.

For really bad acting, I would like to nominate CIA Agent Roy Turner from "Octopus."  Hated the character, and the actor was part of that disaster.  When the monster finally says, "Fine, I'll kill the bad guy, just because you are such a putz." there is a major problem.  Also, for some reason, Chris Lemmon is someone I cannot take.  He played the sidekick in the "Thunder in Paradise" films.

[Monkeyface]

I think someone mentioned him before, but Uwe Boll is a terrible director.  Bloodrayne, House of the Dead, Dungeon Siege... those are all rotten movies.  A lot of bad directors have one good movie to their credit, but not him.

As far as bad actors, I would have to say Hayden Christensen, Steven Segal, Lori Petty and Lindsay Lohan ranks as pretty high up there. 

[darthchicken]

Yeah, I'd have to say that Hayden Christensen and Keanu Reeves both are bad.. well, I kinda like Keanu, but he can't act..

[Black Kitty]

Hello  All! My debut post here. 


In a discussion of bad directors, one name rises above all others to stand head and shoulders in total crapitudeness in my mind - Ron Howard.

He works only with experienced actors (and Tom Cruise), highly trained technical staff and has the pick of scripts in Hollywood and he STILL manages turns out something less exciting that a two day old bowl of porridge every time.


As for bad actors: 

Nicholas Cage. You can tell old Nic is really trying to act when he STARTS SHOUTING. Horrible.

Madonna - I dare anyone to sit through Swept Away without losing the will to live.

[Rev. Powell]

Hello  All! My debut post here. 


In a discussion of bad directors, one name rises above all others to stand head and shoulders in total crapitudeness in my mind - Ron Howard.

He works only with experienced actors (and Tom Cruise), highly trained technical staff and has the pick of scripts in Hollywood and he STILL manages turns out something less exciting that a two day old bowl of porridge every time.


As for bad actors: 

Nicholas Cage. You can tell old Nic is really trying to act when he STARTS SHOUTING. Horrible.

Madonna - I dare anyone to sit through Swept Away without losing the will to live.

Welcome, Black Kitty!

I can see where you're coming from on Ron Howard.  To me he's just sort of bland and makes the type of lowest-common-denominator movies I would never choose to go to see.  But, he is techgnically competent, which gives him a leg up on the Wishmans, Stecklers and Milligans of the world.  Still, I like the way you think!

[Doc Daneeka]

I don't really notice good or bad acting much. I've seen acting called "bad" that I was totally comfortable with, I only notice it if it's hyperemotivness or the cliche "reading lines" stlye.

Out of all the rap stars turned to movie stars, heck out of most "more-than-one-movie" actors, Busta Rhymes is probably the one who most embodies the latter style of bad acting. I've seen him in two movies, "Halloween Resurrection" and "Finding Forrester", in both he tries to make a convincing philosophical-sounding speech, with very amusing end-products.

[Black Kitty]

I can see where you're coming from on Ron Howard.  To me he's just sort of bland and makes the type of lowest-common-denominator movies I would never choose to go to see.  But, he is techgnically competent, which gives him a leg up on the Wishmans, Stecklers and Milligans of the world.  Still, I like the way you think!

Thank you!

I have to say though, to my way of thinking Ron Howard is far worse than your average schlock film maker. The Wishmans, Stecklers and Milligans of this world have something of an excuse for the stuff they churn out - they're just oafs lumbering around a film set. But the Howards of this world are so much worse because they should be producing something worthwhile but somehow can't (or won't). 

There's something decent and honest about the crappiness of an Ed Wood film.

[Raffine]

I have to say though, to my way of thinking Ron Howard is far worse than your average schlock film maker. The Wishmans, Stecklers and Milligans of this world have something of an excuse for the stuff they churn out - they're just oafs lumbering around a film set. But the Howards of this world are so much worse because they should be producing something worthwhile but somehow can't (or won't). 

There's something decent and honest about the crappiness of an Ed Wood film.

Agreed - and your first 'karma' point (don't ask...)!

I can almost always find something entertaining in a Milligan, Wishman, Polonia Brothers, etc. film, but the films by white-bread directors like Ron Howard always feel to me that every bit of imagination and uniqueness has been sucked out them.  Aunt Bee (or Fonzie) would not be proud of lil' Opie (or lil' Ritchie).

On a similar note, does anyone else think the TV spots for "The Latest Film by the Director of THE SIXTH SENSE and SIGNS" are really strange and seem to have been over PR'd to the point of absurdity?  The ads never mention his name, pointedly do not mention THE VILLAGE and A LADY AND SOME WATER (whatever), and make a big deal about the fact this is a R rated film. 

[Menard]

I have to say though, to my way of thinking Ron Howard is far worse than your average schlock film maker. The Wishmans, Stecklers and Milligans of this world have something of an excuse for the stuff they churn out - they're just oafs lumbering around a film set. But the Howards of this world are so much worse because they should be producing something worthwhile but somehow can't (or won't). 

There's something decent and honest about the crappiness of an Ed Wood film.

Agreed - and your first 'karma' point (don't ask...)!

I can almost always find something entertaining in a Milligan, Wishman, Polonia Brothers, etc. film, but the films by white-bread directors like Ron Howard always feel to me that every bit of imagination and uniqueness has been sucked out them.  Aunt Bee (or Fonzie) would not be proud of lil' Opie (or lil' Ritchie).

On a similar note, does anyone else think the TV spots for "The Latest Film by the Director of THE SIXTH SENSE and SIGNS" are really strange and seem to have been over PR'd to the point of absurdity?  The ads never mention his name, pointedly do not mention THE VILLAGE and A LADY AND SOME WATER (whatever), and make a big deal about the fact this is a R rated film. 

I just quite frankly think you girls like big targets because they are easier to hit.

You compare Howard to Milligan and Wishman and call Opie the loser?

If you gave Milligan and Wishman a budget of a 100 million, a competent crew, good actors, they'd still produce the same crap they always produced. Howard may be middle of the road, nothing spectacular or really bad either, but he isn't part or parcel of the crapfest company in which you included him.


Back to your all's little...girly talk.

[Raffine]

You compare Howard to Milligan and Wishman and call Opie the loser?

Doris Wishman, Andy Milligan, Don Dohler, John Waters, The Polonia Brothers, etc. worked with mostly non-actors and no budgets and usually managed to turn out some wildly entertaining work.

Howard has all of Hollywood at his disposal, and still manages to consistently turn out predictable ,bland, and ultimately forgettable dreck.

That's all my opinion, naturally.

As the late Brother Dave Gardner used to say, it's all a matter of perspective.

"James Lewis, get away from that wheelbarrow! You know you don't know nothin' 'bout machinery!"

[Black Kitty]

Howard has all of Hollywood at his disposal, and still manages to consistently turn out predictable ,bland, and ultimately forgettable dreck.

Very true.

And I agree, big budget doesn't equate big talent. Russ Meyer with a $100 million budget would still produce incomprehesible films festooned with a multitude of big-bossomed wenches. The sets would just be a bit nicer and the wenches wouldn't have to provide their own eyeliner, but the level of storyline and character development would never improve.

I think the lower budget bad director has the edge because there's enormous entertainment value in shonky props, bad costumes and wobbly sets.