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Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Reel projections — August 27
Posted by Anthony Salveggi on Wed, Aug 27, 2008 at 9:53 AM
Blast from the past: Will Ferrell stars in next summer’s big-screen Land of the Lost.
RopeofSilicon wonders: Who is the most overrated director?
Babylon A.D. Director: I hate my movie. And Fox Studios.
Coen Brothers’ Burn After Reading opens the Venice Film Festival today.
Comments (7)
Showing 1-7 of 7
I don't know if he's the most overrated director, but Kevin Smith is probably the worst.
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Clearly, the most overrated director working today is Steven Spielberg. I'm not even trying to knock Spielberg here. His output through the early '90s is remarkable, peaking in 1993 with the double-shot of Jurassic Park and Schindler's List. Since the early '90s, there has been a whole lot of nothing going on with Spielberg (Munich and Private Ryan fans, let the flames begin). It's gotten so bad that he should change the name of his production company from Amblin to Coastin'. And again, Smith can't be the most overrated since publicly stating he's a good director will cause a near-riot among the film geeks. If everyone already thinks you suck, how can you be overrated? Unless your George W. Bush, of course. ;-)
Joe: As much as you fell into my trap by picking Spielberg (must you be so predictable?), I have to agree with you, if only because his track record puts expectations with each new film higher than he can (or will) deliver. That said, I don't find his post-"Schindler's" list output without merit. I like "A.I.", "Minority Report" and "Saving Private Ryan." I was somewhat surprised DePalma is even on this list, considering his penchant for stylized pulp, but then I remembered that he is what film geeks would call an "auteur," applying his own Hitchcockian style to whichever film he's working on. So I guess that puts him in the mix.
Sal: I am unclear how I "fell" into a "trap" by apparently giving the what you deem to be the correct answer, but in this case I'm happy to oblige. All three Spielberg movies you listed are seriously flawed, with A.I. clearly being the worst of the lot. Minority Report goes on far, far, far, far too far long. Saving Private Ryan has real plot problems from the moment the plot kicks in (30 minutes in) onward. Your question was who is the most overrated. Spielberg is treated like a God, he is not even close to a God, Spielberg is the most overrated. It's simple math, really.
My agreement with you is beside the point; I knew what you'd say. Do not attempt to undermine my overwhelming sense of satisfaction. All three you mentioned are indeed flawed films — but I think they also contain moments of brilliance that remind us why Spielberg is considered a great director, and why hope springs eternal with each new release. I guess the question to ask, as far as Spielberg is concerned, "Is being overrated really a knock?"
Ok, I will no longer attempt to undermine your overwhelming sense of satisfaction. And in answer to your question about whether or not Spielberg's overrating being a knock, I say no. Not a knock. Just inevitable.
Clint Eastwood = overrated actor AND director. Wes Anderson = overrated director I can get behind. His films are pretty but perplexing.
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