Go Back  DVD Talk Forum > Entertainment Discussions > Movie Talk
Reload this Page >

Directors who have gone up in quality?

Community
Search
Movie Talk A Discussion area for everything movie related including films In The Theaters

Directors who have gone up in quality?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 11-28-20, 05:55 PM
  #1  
TOTY Winner 2018 and Inane Thread Master
Thread Starter
 
OldBoy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Are any of us really anywhere?
Posts: 50,086
Received 1,019 Likes on 851 Posts
Directors who have gone up in quality?

it was inevitable if down was done...

Quentin Tarantino...i have always loved him and i think his movies get more brilliant each one. don't get me wrong, they were ground breaking back then. Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction. (1994), especially loved his written works True Romance (1993), Natural Born Killers (1994), i believe. but now, ever since Inglourious Basterds (2009), i just think his words, his screenplays, the way he uses his actors and certainly story: Django Unchained (2012), Hateful Eight (2015) and then Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood (2019) just become more brilliant as he goes along. it's incredible to learn and expand, rather than just pigeon hole or go down.

more to come...
Old 11-28-20, 08:20 PM
  #2  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 254
Received 14 Likes on 10 Posts
Re: Directors who have gone up in quality?

Denis Villeneuve
Old 11-28-20, 08:58 PM
  #3  
TOTY Winner 2018 and Inane Thread Master
Thread Starter
 
OldBoy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Are any of us really anywhere?
Posts: 50,086
Received 1,019 Likes on 851 Posts
Re: Directors who have gone up in quality?

Spike Lee
Old 11-29-20, 06:15 AM
  #4  
DVD Talk Hero
 
TomOpus's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Kansas City, MO
Posts: 40,220
Received 1,324 Likes on 965 Posts
Re: Directors who have gone up in quality?

Originally Posted by OldBoy
it was inevitable if down was done...

Quentin Tarantino...i have always loved him and i think his movies get more brilliant each one. don't get me wrong, they were ground breaking back then. Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction. (1994), especially loved his written works True Romance (1993), Natural Born Killers (1994), i believe. but now, ever since Inglourious Basterds (2009), i just think his words, his screenplays, the way he uses his actors and certainly story: Django Unchained (2012), Hateful Eight (2015) and then Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood (2019) just become more brilliant as he goes along. it's incredible to learn and expand, rather than just pigeon hole or go down.

more to come...
My opinion is he's stayed the same. Some would say he's gone down, judging by comments in the Hateful Eight thread.
Old 11-29-20, 06:44 AM
  #5  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
Runaway's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 1,844
Received 416 Likes on 333 Posts
Re: Directors who have gone up in quality?

Quentin Tarantino started on a high level and stayed up there. All of his movies are between very good and excellent. Death Proof is the only one I'd consider a bit boring, but even that one I liked.

Christopher McQuarrie had done better with every movie he did. The Way of the Gun is an okay crime thriller. Jack Reacher is an above average action thriller and his Mission: Impossible movies are both fantastic.
Old 11-29-20, 01:26 PM
  #6  
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
 
Vipper II's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Abingdon, MD
Posts: 3,655
Received 94 Likes on 71 Posts
Re: Directors who have gone up in quality?

Christopher McQuarrie
Mike Flanagan
Old 11-30-20, 12:54 AM
  #7  
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
 
Hazel Motes's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 7,539
Received 418 Likes on 280 Posts
Re: Directors who have gone up in quality?

QT has mostly maintained the same high quality level throughout his career. Although, I will say I think Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is his best film. It's my favorite anyhow.

It's sort of a hard question to answer though as most directors don't follow a straight line of continuing to improve or continuing to decline from the beginning of their careers to the end. Directors like Sidney Lumet or John Huston could direct a masterpiece one year and a heaping pile of shit the next.There are so many weird moving parts and extenuating circumstances.

In fact the only director I can really think of that peaked at the end of their career is Krzysztof Kieslowski. In the last 5 years of his 35 year career he made The Dekalog, The Double Life of Veronique and the Three Colors trilogy, which was his very best work. (Although he did die rather young at 54, so who knows what the rest of his career would have been like.)

Old 11-30-20, 01:29 AM
  #8  
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
 
PatD's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 3,287
Likes: 0
Received 157 Likes on 97 Posts
Re: Directors who have gone up in quality?

QT peaked early. Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction were utter genius and Jackie Brown is still his most unique and mature work to date. All the movies that came after were overblown, self-indulgent, cartoony and masturbatory.
Old 11-30-20, 06:18 AM
  #9  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Jaymole's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: N.Y, N.Y
Posts: 10,603
Received 474 Likes on 265 Posts
Re: Directors who have gone up in quality?

Originally Posted by OldBoy
Spike Lee
That is a definite no. I am not sure why you think that. He has been up and down, but in no way has the quality of his movies gone up. Do the Right Thing is his best film and that was over 30 years ago.
The following users liked this post:
EddieMoney (11-30-20)
Old 11-30-20, 10:20 AM
  #10  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
Runaway's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 1,844
Received 416 Likes on 333 Posts
Re: Directors who have gone up in quality?

The last two Spike Lee Joints are definitely better than every movie he did 10 years prior, but he always had gems and stinker.
Old 11-30-20, 10:49 AM
  #11  
DVD Talk Hero
 
GoldenJCJ's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Colorado
Posts: 27,970
Received 3,388 Likes on 2,172 Posts
Re: Directors who have gone up in quality?

It’s a very small sample size but I noticed a marked improvement from Aaron Sorkin in directing Molly’s Game to The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Granted only two films so far but improvement is improvement.
Old 11-30-20, 01:02 PM
  #12  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Jaymole's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: N.Y, N.Y
Posts: 10,603
Received 474 Likes on 265 Posts
Re: Directors who have gone up in quality?

Luis Bunuel hit his peak around 30 years after his 1st film.
The following users liked this post:
inri222 (11-30-20)
Old 11-30-20, 01:33 PM
  #13  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 13,290
Received 1,014 Likes on 768 Posts
Re: Directors who have gone up in quality?

I'll need to see more, but I might put Rob Zombie on this list. I absolutely abhorred House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects, didn't even bother with the Halloween remakes, but really liked The Lords of Salem.

I just need to see if this is a director who's gone up in quality, or if it's just someone who finally made a movie I liked.
Old 11-30-20, 05:01 PM
  #14  
DVD Talk Godfather
 
inri222's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 50,673
Received 182 Likes on 120 Posts
Re: Directors who have gone up in quality?

Originally Posted by Jaymole
Luis Bunuel hit his peak around 30 years after his 1st film.
Buñuel’s output starting with Viridiana in 1961 and ending with his final film That Obscure Object of Desire in 1977 is amazing.

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service - Your Privacy Choices -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.