Directors you love/hate?

[Chris K.]

At the forum of dvddrivein.com, their was a discussion of film directors that you love and directors you lothe. Well, let's hear it from you. Who are your favorite directors and which directors do you hate with a passion.

Directors I like: Andy Milligan, Peter Jackson, Dario Argento, Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci, Roger Corman, George A. Romero, Stuart Gordon, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Bill Rebane, Ridley Scott

Directors I hate: Michael Bay, George Lucas, Steven Speilberg, Ron Howard, Mel Gibson

[jmc]

You hate every single film Spielberg and Lucas have done, or just some of them?
I love the original STAR WARS and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.  Some of their movies [well, mainly Spielberg's] are classics, so I can't say I hate them just because I don't like their recent work.  

About the only director that I really hate is Michael Bay, and thankfully I have never seen any of his films.  However, there are a lot of directors who haven't made a good film in a long time, like Francis Ford Coppola, George Romero, John Carpenter, and Tobe Hooper.

Oh, I also hate Merchant and Ivory--don't know their first names, but I've never liked any of their films, you know, those REMAINS OF HOWARD'S ENGLISH PATIENT movies.

[J.R.]

Directors I Love: David Fincher (Alien 3 notwithstanding), Sam Raimi, Dario Argento, Peter Jackson, Sam Pekinpah.


Directors I Hate: Paul Anderson, Lloyd Kauffman (hey, I love Troma, but this guy is not a *good* director, and he always complains about Spielberg and how crappy big-budget movies are, when he has yet to make a *good* film on a cheese-sandwich budget),  Stanley Kubrick (he's made maybe four good movies, and even they were tainted byhis pretentious, perverted lense), Sean S. Cunningham (a decent helmer, but mostly responsible for all the bad in the Friday The 13th movies).

[Luke Bannon]

I like Peter Jackson, Sam Raimi, John Debello, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorcses, George Romero, Ridley Scott, Roger Corman, George Lucas I used to like (till AOTC), I like some of Joel Scumacher's films (except of course Batman and Robin), Kevin Smith is one of my all time faves.

I don't like Oliver Stone, Tarrintino, Ed Wood. I don't actually particullary focus on the director themselves, more the kind of films they make.

[Steven Millan]

        Hey,Chris,Jmc,and J.R.,your fave directors list definitely matches mine(even though mine adds the likes of Russ Meyer,Larry Cohen,Takashi Miike[the current master of sick-but-intriguing cinema],Robert Rodriguez[even though I heavily forgive him for that mess that is "The Faculty"] and Jack Hill),
          Here are the directors who I passionately Hate.....
    Directors That Majorly Suck!!!
    Steven Sodenbergh
     Jim Wynorski
      Albert Pyun
     J.R. Bookwalter
     Todd Sheets
      Any recent Films of David DeCoteau and Fred Olen Ray(go back to the
          campy blood,breasts,and beasts movies that started up,and financed your
         current career phase,Dave and Freddy)
     Part 2 of My List,featuring MANY sucky mainstream directors,will be on here tomorrow...

[jmc]

Takashi Miike is great!   As is Russ Meyer.

I like the first film or early films of some directors, but then don't like the later ones...that's how I feel about Paul Thomas Anderson--I loved BOOGIE NIGHTS and HARD EIGHT was okay, but I really hated MAGNOLIA.  Same deal with Kevin Smith, loved CLERKS, didn't hate MALLRATS, but it seems like CHASING AMY and DOGMA haven't stood the test of time for me.  I didn't even bother seeing JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK.  

I like Peter Jackson even though I hate DEAD ALIVE.  All his other films are great.  And DEAD ALIVE isn't a bad film, I just don't like it.  Oh yeah, I don't like THE FRIGHTENERS much either.  But everything else by him is fine.  

I haven't seen SLEEPLESS yet, but Argento's PHANTOM OF THE OPERA was so terrible it made me hope that he would never make another film.

[Will]

Favorites: David Cronenberg, George Romero, Stanley Kubrick, Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, William Wyler, Sam Raimi, Al Adamson (even though he's VERY bad), Josh Becker, Mario Bava, Tod Browning, Luis Bunuel, Stuart Gordon, Brian Yuzna, Don Coscarelli, Wes Craven, William Lustig (despite Uncle Sam), Frank Henenlotter, Joe Dante, Abel Ferrara, John Ford, Terry Gilliam, Howard Hawks, Alfred Hitchcock, Savage Steve Holland, Peter Jackson, Elia Kazan, H.G. Lewis, Fritz Lang, Terrence Malick, Ted V. Mikels, Roman Polanski, Michele Soavi, John Waters, and I think I'm the only one who really thinks Jim Wynorski is funny as @!#$.

Hate: Spielberg, Lucas, Tarantino, Michael Bay, Steven Sohderberg, Ron Howard (except for Willow, of course), whoever that @!#$ was who made Moulin Rouge, Barry Sonnenfeld, and pretty much all the other soulless bastards in Hollywood.

[Brian Ringler]

"About the only director that I really hate is Michael Bay, and thankfully I have never seen any of his films."

How can you really hate a director if you have never seen his work.  I don't like michael bay, but that basis comes from actually veiwing his work.

[Chadzilla]

I love John Carpenter and Clint Eastwood.

I hate Michael Bay.

[Chris K.]

With Speilberg, I like his older films like JAWS, E.T., Indiana Jones trilogy and his recent films like SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. But, he has also disappointed me as well with 1941, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE, JURASSIC PARK sequels, SCHINDLER'S LIST, ARTIFICIAL INTELIGENCE, etc. Not to say that the films of his that I don't like are the reason why I don't like the man. The reason I don't like him is because now he is just too uptight, snotty, and even full-of-it. He has a good directorial style, but now he seems to be going "moral" on us. Bad move, Speilberg. And after re-issuing E.T. and digitally editing out the so-called violence (i.e. editing out soldiers guns-that's not violent, but to him it is), all I have to say is Speilberg on his own has ruined a classic. Sure it's his own film and his own decision, but he basically shot himself in the foot to make that decision. He even took Kubrick's dark, bleak, and horrifying storyline for ARTIFICIAL INTELIGENCE and turned it into a sappy and lackluster feature. It wouldn't have killed Speilberg to at least inject some of Kubrick's original themes in the film. But, Speilberg once again has shot himself in the foot.

As for George Lucas, while I am glad that he works independently and away from the controlling Hollywood status, I am disappointed on his craftmanship of his films. Like with most directors, he concentrates on the visual and audio effects. And yet, he doesn't concentrate on any logical plot, effective acting, or a good script. I was never impressed with the original STAR WARS, and I am still unimpressed with the trilogy. Yes, I am a hard man to please. But would it kill Lucas to at least hire better scriptwriters?

[Pete B6K]

Hello to the 'Michael Bay Hate Club'. I just looked him up and it surprised me that the same guy who made 'The Rock' (which I really liked), made 'Argh!mageddon' (hated it) and 'Pearl Harbour' (not seen and really don't want to). I was wondering if you felt 'The Rock' was part of the reason you hated Bay. What dya think?

[K-Sonic]

 Fav's for me are definately Herschell Gordon Lewis, Doris Wishman, Ed Wood, Russ Meyer. While not technically perfect in many ways, they had a vision of a movie and stood by that vision. So what if the actors were wooden & unmotivated? Their films stand out because of their unique approach to movie making.
 I do like other types of movies (contemporary and such) but could not say that I seek out a particular directors work. I've enjoyed Woo (Hard Boiled is fantastic) and would like to see more Cassavettes. Hearing of so many names repeated makes me interested to check them out.

By the way, did anyone see that DVD Drive-In is now charging you to read their reviews? Forget that! I'll find them on some other free site.

[Mario]

Likes:

John Carpenter
George A. Romero
David Cronenberg
Wes Craven
Lucio Fulci
Dario Argento
Sam Raimi
Peter Jackson
Lloyd Kaufman
Stuart Gordon
Brian Yuzna
Frank Henenlotter
Herschell Gordon Lewis
John Waters
Doris Wishman
Fred Olen Ray
Jim Wynorski
David DeCoteau
J.R. Bookwalter
Scooter McCrae
Jim VanBebber
Tim Ritter
Donald Farmer (His films are mind numbingly bad, yet I can't quit watching them!)
Todd Sheets (See above.)
Jon McBride
Mark & John Polonia
Leif Jonker
Wayne Alan Harold
Matthew Jason Walsh

Dislikes:

Steven Spielberg
George Lucas
Martin Scorsese
Oliver Stone
Charles Band
Todd Cook

[Steven Millan]

                      You guys are really speaking for me,in regards of who's the most liked directors,and the most hated ones(soooooooo many Michael Bay haters
out there,I can see).
                      Everyone seems to hate all of those big studio name,commercial directors that have their films plastered over 3000 to 4000 theatrical screens,and a big thumbs up to you guys for doing that.
                      So far,I'm surprised that the likes of Paul Verheoven(guess his early works,up to "Total Recall",have saved his Dutch butt from being served a major leaque barbeque),Joe Chappelle("Halloween 6","Hellraiser 4:Bloodline[subbing for a dismissed Kevin Yeager]),
Dominique Girard Otherin("Halloween 5"),and those mid and late 80s hacks who said that their horror films weren't horror films,when they really were(and truly horrible ones,at that),such as "Poison Ivy","The Seventh Seal","The Kiss",and many others.
                      Keep it up with the lists,everybody!

[kriss emmett]

my favourite directors are: Brain DePalmer,Martin Scorsese,Francis Ford Coppella,Lloyd Kaufman,George.A.Romero,Sam Raimi and Quentin Tarrentino.

I dont really have a bad list as i am normally willing to give anybody and any film a chance unless of course it stars dolph lungdren or jean claud van damm.

my god dolph did you see yourself in Red Scorpion or Pentathalon and jean claud i have one word for you KICKBOXER