Toddarino

So I guess in anticipation of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, I got to thinking that QT hasn’t made a bad film yet. I know Death Proof usually isn’t a favorite, but I don’t think it can be classified as bad IMO.

So with a minimum of five feature films, what directors haven’t made a bad film?
Quentin Tarantino
Edgar Wright

I’d love to put David Fincher in here, but Alien 3...(I enjoy it, but it ain’t good)

andicus

John Duigan (The Year My Voice Broke, Flirting, Lawn Dogs), though I'll admit I haven't seen a few of his oldest films, due to lack of availability.

Thomas McCarthy (The Station Agent, The Visitor, Win Win, Spotlight). I suppose some might argue that The Cobbler was bad, but I enjoyed it.

Hazel Motes

Jean Pierre Melville
Andrei Tarkovsky
Charles Laughton
Elaine May

John Cassavetes ,Sergio Leone, and Stanley Kubrick come very close. Leone's first film, Kubricks first film and Cassavetes last film were all sub par.

More contemporary filmmakers, I'm sure I'll get pushback on these:

Whit Stillman
Quentin Tarantino
Paul Thomas Anderson
Wes Anderson
Jeff Nichols
Kelly Reichardt
Aaron Katz
Vincent Gallo
Tom Ford
Andrew Dominick

Mike86

I would agree with Tarantino. Even if Death Proof isn't a favorite it isn't really a bad movie. He's the one who jumps out as most consistent to me.

Tempted to say Scorsese as I haven't seen a bad film by him, but I also haven't seen everything he's done. For as long as he's been around though he doesn't seem to have many that are consodered clunkers.

Decker

majorjoe23

The Questyen

Death Proof is one of QT's best movies. I'm seriously wearing a Death Proof t-shirt as I post this.

Finisher

Billy Lynn's Long Walk was a total piece of shit. Was shocked Ang Lee made it.

No mention of Denis Villeneuve?

Would include Peter Weir, although Green Card is pretty meh.

Love Scorsese but Boxcar Bertha and his spiritual films Kundun, Last Temptation and Silence are his weakest efforts. His substandard efforts are still interesting so ..

Mike Flanagan is another.

Darjeeling would knock off Wes Anderson for me.

Spiderbite

Goes to show that everyone has a different opinion. I hate Death Proof when it came out and I actually watched Grindhouse two weeks ago and guess what...still hated Death Proof.

Edgar Wright's The World's End was an unwatchable mess for me. Granted that could have been because Hot Fuzz and Shaun were so damn good. I haven't given it a second chance yet.

I honestly can't think of any director that hasn't had a misstep. Can you be a good filmmaker without at least one turd on your resume?

Hokeyboy

I'd agree with Denis Villenueve. Fincher is out because of the Benjamin Button shitshow.

Tarantino never made a bad movie, but he made two that I think are lesser efforts (Django Unchained and Death Proof). Neither are bad, but they are weak compared to the rest of the ouvre. Still, he applies.

Kubrick is a no-brainer.

The Coen Brothers made "Hail Caesar" which, unfortunately, sucks. I'm even mostly forgiving of their Ladykillers remake and Intolerable Cruelty, but Hail Caesar is IMO their only bad movie.

IMO Nolan hasn't made a bad movie. Interstellar is his weakest but it still mostly works. Others may disagree. Maybe not stvn.

Wes Anderson has, IMO, never made a bad movie. But I was slightly disappointed with Isle of Dogs.

Spiderbite

Good call on Nolan.

OldBoy

Tarantino (though JB a little subpar for me)
Villenueve
and haven't disliked a Paul Thomas Anderson or Wes Anderson movie yet.
Also, love John Badham as he hasn't missed for me (back when he was making movies and all that).
Just about anything Polanski, Coppola (Francis or Sophia actually), Scorsese...

Nesbit

I like Tomorrowland but it would probably keep Brad Bird out of the club for most. Outside of that one movie though the rest are pretty universally loved.

OldBoy

don't think i've hated a Leone, Lumet, Eastwood directed film yet...

majorjoe23

Decker

I haven't seen or heard much about the Bad News Bears remake and the delays have me worried about Where'd You Go Bernadette , but as of now I'm fine with including Richard Linklater in the club.

GoldenJCJ

inri222

inri222

melasnus

I admit I haven't seen every movie ever made.
Therefore, rather than stating "NEVER made a bad movie," I'll go with "NEVER made more than 1 bad movie" (Hey, what can I say? I'm lazy).
Tarantino, Scorsese, Kubrick, Coen Bros., jump right out at me.

More criteria: must have made > 5 films and been around > 10 years.

Hokeyboy

Lumet is a Master, but The Wiz is a shitshow.

Hokeyboy

Fixed Although I love Dune, warts and all. Inland Empire, though.... eesh.

Spiderbite

I only see two movies directed by him???

Adam Tyner

I feel the same way.

rbrown498

I'm finding everyone's lists incredibly skewed toward still-living and -working directors. What's up with that? There are only two directors mentioned in all of the posts above that made a pre-1950 film, and one of those was uncredited. Where's the love for Hitchcock? Keaton? Ford? Hawks? Browning? Wise? Kazan? Bergman? Whale? Chaplin? Curtiz? Stevens? Capra? Wilder? Truffaut? Kurosawa?

I'm not saying that everything that the above-listed directors made is pure platinum, but I think that a case could be made for each of them that they don't have any out-and-out stinkers in their filmographies.