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The Greatest B-List Directors

post #1 of 58
9/21/05 at 8:05pm
Thread Starter 
I'm not talking B movie directors necessarily, but the sort of solid, talented directors that consistently seem to turn out good films to not much acclaim. They are respected, they work steady, sometimes even make a big hit or a classic. But the credit never seems to go to them, and no one ends up really anticipating their next project, no matter how great their track record. For some reasons some hacks are far more famous or infamous, but I'm talking the solid, go-to directors you always seem to enjoy, but who never make any of the "Best Directors" lists. Mine are:

Martin Campbell- Brilliant director of action movies; "Goldeneye" and "Mask of Zorro" especially. He gets more bite and grit out of a PG-13 rating than most directors can get with the freedom of an "R". His movies look great, usually feature great performances, and have some great action sequences.

Phil Alden Robinson- "Sneakers" is one of the best popcorn movies of all time, and "The Sum of All Fears" one of the best spy thrillers. Add in "Field of Dreams" and you have one hell of a filmography for a director nobody in the general public, or even a lot of film geeks, could remember by name.

Edward Zwick= He'll never get the attention of some of the more high profile guys, but he's been solid to great for a long time. His masterpieces are "Glory" and "Courage Under Fire". But "The Siege" is a cool film too, and "Legends of the Fall" has some nice elements despite some of the more ridiculous parts. "The Last Samurai" was a disappointment.

Antoine Fuqua- He's gotten a bit of hype as Hollywood tried to package him as the new John Singleton, but this is where he will end up. A talented journeyman, he has dabbled now in several genres. He did a very nice Woo cop with "The Replacement Killers", understanding what made Chow Yun-Fat so cool to watch. "Training Day" is his masterpiece, but "Tears of the Sun" and "King Arthur" have some great visuals, a nice leading man performamce, and some nice action.

Kevin Reynolds- Forget "Waterworld". "The Count of Monte Cristo" is one of the best adventure films in years. Very lean, tight, and well shot. I love "187" as well. A gifted, no bullshit director.

Louis Leterrier- This guy may be in the shadow of Luc Besson forever, but he has a way with action that is refreshing, and a way with drama that is really exciting for the action genre. "Unleashed" was odd and fantastic, and he did half of "The Transporter" and all of the sequel.

Who do you guys like?
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post #2 of 58
9/21/05 at 8:22pm
I've been mentioning him a lot lately but I'll do it here as well, Peter Hyams is the guy I'd pick. He's made a lot of films I enjoy but I don't think we'll be seeing much of him after SOUND OF THUNDER.

People can bash on Renny Harlin all they want but he's also made a lot of movies I like. I'm sure MINDHUNTERS blows but if you give him a decent premise and some solid actors he will make a fun film.
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post #3 of 58
9/21/05 at 8:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stew
Phil Alden Robinson- "Sneakers" is one of the best popcorn movies of all time, and "The Sum of All Fears" one of the best spy thrillers. Add in "Field of Dreams" and you have one hell of a filmography for a director nobody in the general public, or even a lot of film geeks, could remember by name.
And he wrote ALL OF ME, which ain't too shabby.

Joseph Sargent - long past productive, but a great B director. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Colossus: The Forbin Project, The Hell With Heroes and lots of solid Made-For-TVs. An old pro who also made a lot of crap (Jaws: The Revenge), but still a solid hand when the material was decent.

John McTiernan - When he's in the mood, he makes B movies that feel like A movies. And he earned his place in heaven with Die Hard. Even if he earned his place in hell with Die Hard With a Vengeance (and Rollerball). Still at the top of my list. The 13th Warrior is an unsung solid piece of genre filmmaking.

Victor Salva - The Jeepers Creepers movies, despite some fumbles, were nicely executed bits of action and horror. Enough that I would gladly line up for his next horror movie.
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post #4 of 58
9/21/05 at 9:00pm
Thread Starter 
Peter Hyams is on my personal all-time shit list. I have just really disliked damn near all the guy's work, "The Relic" sort of exempted. I know he appeals to some, but he just never has to me. "The Musketeer" made me want to throw things at the screen.

Renny Harlin is a good example I guess, though he was at once, sort of on the A-lister as far as action directors go. Now, definitely not, but he can make a stupid, fun action movie. See "Deep Blue Sea". Its a great example of a ludicrous, off the wall concept being mined for everything it has and turned into a fun movie. I think it's what people around here are hoping "Snakes on a Plane" is going to be.

I like Mimi Leder too, mainly for "The Peacemaker", one of the more underrated action films in recent memory. Also "Deep Impact", which for me is still the most intelligent, believable, and affecting disaster movie I've ever seen.
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post #5 of 58
9/21/05 at 9:03pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bayouradio
John McTiernan - When he's in the mood, he makes B movies that feel like A movies. And he earned his place in heaven with Die Hard. Even if he earned his place in hell with Die Hard With a Vengeance (and Rollerball). Still at the top of my list. The 13th Warrior is an unsung solid piece of genre filmmaking.
Like Harlin, he had a period where he sort of got elevated to A-list status because he was so good at making action films, but he is definitely back to the B-list now following "Rollerball" and "Basic". But yeah, definitely one of the unsung greats. He's not flashy, but he gets the job done in the action department like no other. What's he working on now?
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post #6 of 58
9/21/05 at 9:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stew
Like Harlin, he had a period where he sort of got elevated to A-list status because he was so good at making action films, but he is definitely back to the B-list now following "Rollerball" and "Basic". But yeah, definitely one of the unsung greats. He's not flashy, but he gets the job done in the action department like no other. What's he working on now?
Aside from producing Die Hard 4.0 (yeesh) nothing that I can find. I hope he has at least one more good one in him.
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post #7 of 58
9/21/05 at 9:57pm
I'm partial to Michael Caton-Jones, who made a sweet and only slightly cheesy rom-com in DOC HOLLYWOOD, a bold, rousing historical epic in ROB ROY (I'll watch this over BRAVEHEART any day of the week) and an exciting old-fashioned WWII adventure in MEMPHIS BELLE. He's got an Africa-set drama called SHOOTING DOGS coming up (it's apparently on a par with HOTEL RWANDA), and he's just finished BASIC INSTINCT 2...well, that one could go either way. He's a talented storyteller who can skip from genre to genre with skill.

Almost forgot: He directed THE JACKAL! Not a great movie but it certainly had some fine moments.

Joe Johnston also deserves his props. I thought JURASSIC PARK 3 had a great B-movie gusto that made it far more enjoyable than THE LOST WORLD. HIDALGO was terrific and OCTOBER SKY was smart and moving. And if you don't dig THE ROCKETEER, you have my sympathies.

Dunno why these two aren't better known than, say, Stephen Sommers and Rob Cohen.

Oh, and while he hasn't done much recently, I'll always have Ron Underwood's back for making TREMORS (and, to a lesser extent, CITY SLICKERS).

ETA: Great subject for a thread, Stew.
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post #8 of 58
9/21/05 at 10:14pm
David Twohy- Pitch Black movies, The Arrival, Below. Good stuff.

Rob Bowman- X-Files, Reign of Fire, Star Trek TNG,

Steven Sommers- His movies have made alot of money, but he's still pretty much a b-list director.
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post #9 of 58
9/21/05 at 10:40pm
I'd like to add the recently deceased George P. Cosmatos, Stephen Hopkins, and John Badham to the list. They never acheived the greatness that John McTiernan did, but the've done a bunch of solid not quite A-level films.

Barkatthemoon, good call on Twohy, he's probably my favorite director on this list. If any of you reading this thread haven't seen Below, check it out, it's one of those kick-ass "little" movies not given a chance at all in theaters, similar to Equilibrium. Speaking of Equilibrium, I guess the jury is still out on Kurt Wimmer, but I could see him having a similarly solid career to Twohy.
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post #10 of 58
9/21/05 at 10:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Barkatthemoon
Rob Bowman- X-Files, Reign of Fire, Star Trek TNG
While I can't say I've really liked Bowman's movies, I do like his style as a director - even ELEKTRA had some fine moments. (Semi-anticipating the DVD director's cut.) Given the right project and a decent budget, he could probably pull off something pretty cool. I remember getting pretty interested in the possibility of a Bowman-Kurt Russell team-up on I AM LEGEND a few years back.
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post #11 of 58
9/21/05 at 11:06pm
I'll dip into some of that Caton-Jones love because of Rob Roy. A much better movie than Gibson's and it was sadly overshadowed.

I wish I could share in the Twohy love, but his movies have never really done it for me. He definitely has style and command. But his films have always abandoned me at some point.

I'd like to throw Chuck Russell into the mix for The Blob. Whenever I get up a head of steam about remakes I always have to remember that he made a perfect little summer horror film out of this one. And, to a lesser extent, for Dreamscape and The Mask.

And it seems only right to mention John Carpenter. He never truly hit the A-list and his best movies were purely and unapologetically B movies. Probably, pound-for-pound one of the best of the B directors.

Another past great: Jules Dassin for Night and the City, Rififi, Topkapi, and The Naked City.
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post #12 of 58
9/21/05 at 11:07pm
Considering the lukewarm reaction to "I, Robot" Alex Proyas will probably forever be known as the guy who did "The Crow" and "Dark City."

Steven Sommers should not be allowed to ever use CG in his movies again. He has greater strength when the audience isn't cringing at how much The Rock looks like a mutated Ken doll monster.

Rob Cohen will have a fine career directing direct to video Van Damme flicks. He's gonna push the envelope... all the way to your local Blockbuster Video.
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post #13 of 58
9/21/05 at 11:10pm
John Dahl. The man is the very definition of a great B-movie director, so far everything he's done has been pretty good even though he's mainly in the noir/thriller category.
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post #14 of 58
9/21/05 at 11:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stew
Peter Hyams is on my personal all-time shit list. I have just really disliked damn near all the guy's work, "The Relic" sort of exempted. I know he appeals to some, but he just never has to me. "The Musketeer" made me want to throw things at the screen.
I never saw THE MUSKETEER but I've heard it's awful. But another one of his movies that gets slammed is END OF DAYS and I don't see why folks can have a problem with it. To me, if you picture a movie where Arnold takes on the Devil that's about what I'd want it to be..

Walter Hill: He made a lot of good films over a long period of time. SOUTHERN COMFORT, JOHNNY HANDSOME, TRESSPASS, and LAST MAN STANDING were all good for what they were trying to achieve. Both SUPERNOVA and UNDISPUTED looked horrible so I passed but when I saw FOUR BROTHERS it just screamed as being the type of film that Hill would have done much better with.

Peter Berg: I don't care what anyone says, VERY BAD THINGS is a great black comedy. THE RUNDOWN showed he could handle set pieces reasonably well so he's a guy I'm hoping will keep up the good work.

Jonathan Mostow: U-571 blew, but between BREAKDOWN and T3 he convinced me that he's one of the few guys around that doesn't need to go bonkers with the CGI to make an exciting film.
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post #15 of 58
9/21/05 at 11:20pm
Adding a little something to the love for Dahl (JOY RIDE, retitled ROADKILL in Australia, is a top-shelf B-movie) and Mostow.

Would Joe Dante count as a B-movie guy? He's pretty great.

And John McNaughton's done some good stuff too. He's hit and miss, true, but he made HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER, which counts for a hell of a lot.
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post #16 of 58
9/21/05 at 11:27pm
Has to be said. Mctiernan. Berg has mass potential, same with Dahl and Mostow. Much love for Friday Night Lights, Rundown, Joyride and Breakdown.
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post #17 of 58
9/21/05 at 11:32pm
Maybe I've just got too much residual love for PREDATOR, DIE HARD and THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, but I can't see McTiernan as a B-list guy. His star has fallen a bit (fuck you very much, ROLLERBALL), but I still see him hanging around the lower levels of the A-grade with Richard Donner.
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post #18 of 58
9/22/05 at 12:03am
To grab a name from the past I'd go with Craig R. Baxley. For pure pleasure you can't beat his triple threat of ACTION JACKSON, I COME IN PEACE, and STONE COLD. He's sort of the official Stephan King mini-series director now which is a shame because he could probably make 3 or 4 good films for the budget that Rob Cohen gets to direct one.
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post #19 of 58
9/22/05 at 12:13am
sheldon lettich. but hes probably more c-list.
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post #20 of 58
9/22/05 at 1:27am
A little more amplification for John Dahl. And I think Joe Dante fits, even if his budgets went into the A catagory for a while.
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post #21 of 58
9/22/05 at 1:32am
Some love for James Foley, who's got great movies like GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS and AT CLOSE RANGE to his credit. He's constantly working, it seems, but he never really hit it big.
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post #22 of 58
9/22/05 at 2:00am
I'm with you on Foley. Outside of UNLAWFUL ENTRY, FEAR is my favorite of the FATAL ATTRACTION clones. But Foley's work on THE CORRUPTOR really impressed me because he handled the action and story perfectly. I was a bit letdown by CONFIDENCE but that's what happens when you get Edward Burns as the lead.

I'm going to throw Roland Emmerich's name out there. He's made some junk but UNIVERSAL SOLDIER looks better than most sci-fi action films of today, ID4 is exactly what a 4th of July weekend blockbuster should be, and THE PATRIOT has enough great battle scenes that you don't care about it's skecthy depiction of history.

Would Robert Rodriguez count as B-list? He's had a lot of successes but he's never had a total blockbuster, I'm pretty sure the first SPY KIDS is his biggest hit money wise. If he counts then I go with him.
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post #23 of 58
9/22/05 at 2:15am
I'm seeing a lot of these B-list guys we've named as the kind of directors who don't get 'A So and So Film' heavily advertised on the poster, Moltisanti.

Despite the fact that his movies haven't really been blockbusters, Rodriguez has built up something of a cult of personality - he's a name brand. So are some of the other directors we've mentioned (I'm thinking Carpenter, Dante and Walter Hill), but for the most part I think this list comprises filmmakers whose names mightn't automatically register with the everyday moviegoer.

I'm also thinking that when of these guys makes a movie that does well at the box office (like Martin Campbell's THE MASK OF ZORRO, for instance), their direction is rarely cited as the main reason for its success. In my opinion, though, Emmerich is probably perceived as the 'driver' of ID4 and THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW.
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post #24 of 58
9/22/05 at 2:19am
Walter Hill
Don Siegel
James Mangold

All are good B-List directors, but Mangold might be shooting up to the A List if "Walk the Line" does well.
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post #25 of 58
9/22/05 at 2:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bayouradio
I'd like to throw Chuck Russell into the mix for The Blob. Whenever I get up a head of steam about remakes I always have to remember that he made a perfect little summer horror film out of this one. And, to a lesser extent, for Dreamscape and The Mask.

There are some terrible directors being mentioned in this thread, but I've got to give my love to the uber-pro, Chuck Russell. I remember people were giving hate to the idea of a MASK-inspired GREEN LANTERN action comedy with Jack Black, but if they got Russell to do it, I would have complete faith in the project.
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post #26 of 58
9/22/05 at 3:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tommy five-tone
I'm seeing a lot of these B-list guys we've named as the kind of directors who don't get 'A So and So Film' heavily advertised on the poster, Moltisanti.
That is true of Rodriguez, his name is always featured prominently when a film comes out but I don't know if a lot of people (not me) really see a film because of him like they would Tarantino or Spielberg. SPY KIDS was big because kids liked it, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN probably generated a lot of its interest thanks to Clooney and Tarantino, and even OUATIM benefited greatly with the average moviegoer because Johnny Depp was just coming off of PIRATES. But you're right that he doesn't belong with a lot of the names on this list simply because he does always seem to put his vision and imprint on his films. He actually reminds me a lot of Sam Raimi before he made A SIMPLE PLAN.

Chuck Russell, like Peter Hyams, made an Arnold film that I often see get slammed and I can't figure out why. ERASER is a joy to watch. Russell did a great job with the airplane sequence, the aligator shootout, and the final confrontation with the rail gun. Though I'm not a hardcore NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET series fan, DREAM WARRIORS is a nice effort for a first time director.
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post #27 of 58
9/22/05 at 4:35am
Thread Starter 
You guys are throwing some great names out here, and thankfully really get what the thread is about.

Here's one nobody has thrown out yet. Andrew Davis. "The Fugitive" is of course his masterpiece, but he's also got "Under Siege", "The Package" and a lot of other solid action films, most recently "Collateral Damage". He's sort of hit and miss, but a journeyman definitely. Have you ever heard anyone going one and on about how well-directed "The Fugitive" is? No, but it really is.

I wholeheartedly second or third Joe Johnston. A great director, "The Rocketeer" is one of my all time favorites, and the sort of effortless old school adventure story that no one seems to get right anymore. "October Sky" is a classic, and "Hidalgo" was solid. I'm in the minority, but I never cared for "Jurassic Park III", but he still did a nice job with an unnecessary film.

I almost mentioned Foley myself, but with "Glengarry Glen Ross" and what not I thought maybe he was considered a bit of an autuer. Probably not though. "The Corruptor" is good and I loved "Confidence".

Tommy and Moltisanti nailed Rodriguez already. He makes glorified B-movies, but he is definitely too big of name brand to be on this list. Rodriguez gets every ounce of credit for the quality of his work, and people hype them as "Robert Rodriguez" films.

Carl Franklin is a good one. He directed "Out of Time" and "Devil in a Blue Dress". I was about to say Rob Bowman too, but then I saw "Elektra". Yikes.
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post #28 of 58
9/22/05 at 4:36am
While I quite liked Jeepers Creepers, I can't really say anything with good intentions about Salva for his past....indiscretions.
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post #29 of 58
9/22/05 at 5:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stew
Here's one nobody has thrown out yet. Andrew Davis. "The Fugitive" is of course his masterpiece, but he's also got "Under Siege", "The Package" and a lot of other solid action films, most recently "Collateral Damage". He's sort of hit and miss, but a journeyman definitely. Have you ever heard anyone going one and on about how well-directed "The Fugitive" is? No, but it really is.
Absolutely! Not to mention Above the Law. Solid work.

I had the same deal with Rodriguez and Foley. Almost mentioned them, but felt they didn't really fit the B category. (In a way, Dante, Hill, and Carpenter don't either, but I think they fit it more than these two do.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by DeadChickRFun
While I quite liked Jeepers Creepers, I can't really say anything with good intentions about Salva for his past....indiscretions.
I have the same problem with him as a person. But I'll give him his work on those two.
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post #30 of 58
9/22/05 at 6:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bayouradio
The 13th Warrior is an unsung solid piece of genre filmmaking.
Nope, its a well-sung piece of shit from a great director. Until we get a different cut or they re-shoot the stuff that was fucked with, i'll say no different.

Dunno about B-list, he certainly isn't A-list anymore I wouldn't say, but gotta mention Brian De Palma. It always kinda weirds me out when people mention him with the movie brats cos he never really did anything like the kinds of movies they did, nor seemed to fall in with their creative get-togethers as much. And if you want a B-movie director, he's your man. The Fury, Dressed to Kill, Scarface, Body Double, Blow Out, maybe not The Untouchables or Mission: Impossible, but certainly high-grade trash like Carlito's Way (hey, I love it, but its unashamedly pulpy), Snake Eyes and Femme Fatale. Sure, he's dabbled with the A-list, but he's always had his heart in B-grade and its what he does best. And I don't see him getting Spielberg's castoffs, so he seems pretty much B-list to me.
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post #31 of 58
9/22/05 at 7:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sackley
Nope, its a well-sung piece of shit from a great director. Until we get a different cut or they re-shoot the stuff that was fucked with, i'll say no different.
Fair enough.


Quote:
Snake Eyes and Femme Fatale
Since I'd rather dig my eyes out with a corkscrew than watch either of these again, we'll have our piece of shit trade.
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post #32 of 58
9/22/05 at 8:19am
I can't believe no-one's mentioned Jack Hill yet, one of the greatest B-movie exploitation directors alive and the man who discovered Pam Grier. Coffy, Big bird cage, Switchblade sisters, all cult classics.
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post #33 of 58
9/22/05 at 3:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dragon Ma
I can't believe no-one's mentioned Jack Hill yet, one of the greatest B-movie exploitation directors alive and the man who discovered Pam Grier. Coffy, Big bird cage, Switchblade sisters, all cult classics.
And Spider Baby. Now I feel really guilty. Great call, Dragon Ma.
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post #34 of 58
9/22/05 at 3:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stew
Carl Franklin is a good one. He directed "Out of Time" and "Devil in a Blue Dress".
Can I get an amen? Devil is one of the greatest period pieces ever made. Great acting, great directing, it should have led to a series of movies with Easy Rawlins as the lead character but for whatever reason people didn't go see it. Rent this one immediately it's as good as Body Heat for being sweaty noir.
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post #35 of 58
9/22/05 at 4:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dragon Ma
I can't believe no-one's mentioned Jack Hill yet, one of the greatest B-movie exploitation directors alive and the man who discovered Pam Grier. Coffy, Big bird cage, Switchblade sisters, all cult classics.
I was going to put Jack Hill up instead of Walter Hill, but I thought of Jack Hill as being more C List. He was B level in the 70s and 80s, but now...he hasn't done a flick in more than ten years.
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post #36 of 58
9/22/05 at 4:41pm
I would say that Edward Zweick is an A list director since he can get large budgets and Big name actors for his films, and as a producer produced an Oscar Winning film ("Shakespeare In Love"). Not quite B list.
Don Siegal moved to the A list after "Dirty Harry" and has become a film Icon since his death.
With Rodreguez you have the issue of whether an indie filmaker is the same as a B list director.
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post #37 of 58
9/22/05 at 4:44pm
Jack Arnold.
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post #38 of 58
9/22/05 at 4:59pm
I can't believe there's a B-Movie thread on CHUD and the Pyun hasn't been mentioned. Though I guess he's like z-grade.

Stuart Gordon has some great films out there. I'll watch any Mario van Peeples directed film. I think Danny Boyle would certainly be considered B-list, at least in the states.

And of course CHUD favorite Joe Dante.
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post #39 of 58
9/22/05 at 5:08pm
I think Pyun hasn't been mentioned because most of these guys are good directors who are sometimes stuck doing bad films. They're sort of like character actors, they can't really call their own shots but they do the best they can. But I can't put Pyun on that list because when the same guy directs NEMESIS, CAPTAIN AMERICA, ADRENALINE, and TICKER that is just too much crap to be taken seriously.

I've never seen DOLLMAN so maybe that has some comedic value, but people always love to praise MEAN GUNS and I just don't get it.
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post #40 of 58
9/22/05 at 5:11pm
Oh, Pyun is capable. Besides Mean Guns, there's always the JCVD classic Cyborg to account for.
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post #41 of 58
9/22/05 at 5:44pm
The only good I can say that came CYBORG was courtroom footage of Van Damme being sued for slicing a stuntaman's eye during the filming of a fight scene.

Interesting note on CYBORG. It was written as a sequel to MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE but when that fell through they just changed the character names and increased the violence and you got CYBORG. How's that for useless knowledge?
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post #42 of 58
9/22/05 at 6:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2.35:1
Can I get an amen? Devil is one of the greatest period pieces ever made. Great acting, great directing, it should have led to a series of movies with Easy Rawlins as the lead character but for whatever reason people didn't go see it. Rent this one immediately it's as good as Body Heat for being sweaty noir.
Amen! With Devil and One False Move in his pocket he deserves a ton more acclaim.
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post #43 of 58
9/22/05 at 7:04pm
There's also Samuel Fuller although I'm not sure whether he was elevated to A-Status after 'The Big Red One' but he has some great B-movie films in his filmography.

Was Robert Wise also considered a B-movie director?
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post #44 of 58
9/23/05 at 6:46am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dudalb
I would say that Edward Zweick is an A list director since he can get large budgets and Big name actors for his films, and as a producer produced an Oscar Winning film ("Shakespeare In Love"). Not quite B list.
Zwick is B list to me. He gets budgets, he gets stars, but so do a lot of directors. Zwick's films sometimes get very high marks, but its almost always attributed to the script, the actors, or someone other than him. He's directed some great films, and few really seem to know him. You'll never see an "Edward Zwick Retrospective".

Quote:
With Rodreguez you have the issue of whether an indie filmaker is the same as a B list director.
No, it's not. Again, our B-list here is in terms of respect. I mean, often times indie directors get more respect than anybody, its always "A Film by ......" and so forth. Rodriguez is a brand name, a director often given every ounce of credit for the quality of his films. The directors in this thread are just the guys behind the wheel, often ignored no matter how great their films are.
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post #45 of 58
9/23/05 at 3:27pm
Sam Raimi.

Yeah, yeah, Spiderman has the A budget, but it's still firmly rooted in B territory, which is a good thing. And A Simple Plan was the greatest movie that nobody ever saw.

I'd like to throw a little love to Larry Cohen too.
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post #46 of 58
9/23/05 at 4:14pm
Glad to see that there's at least one more person in the world digging The 13th Warrior.
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post #47 of 58
9/23/05 at 8:48pm
Classic division: Jacques Tourneur. CAT PEOPLE, I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, OUT OF THE PAST, and NIGHT OF THE DEMON / CURSE OF THE DEMON are enough to warrant inclusion on a list of great B directors.

I fully agree with Joe Johnston as a very good B list director. I don't know why THE ROCKETEER didn't do better, but that alone should keep him getting work for a while. Not great, but thoroughly competent and fun.
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post #48 of 58
9/23/05 at 9:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Balmudo
Sam Raimi.

Yeah, yeah, Spiderman has the A budget, but it's still firmly rooted in B territory, which is a good thing. And A Simple Plan was the greatest movie that nobody ever saw.
Gotta disagree with you there, Balmudo. I think a combination of creating his own projects (with those projects getting noticed because of his distinctive style) and being handed the keys to a big-ticket franchise like the SPIDER-MAN series (and making it a huge success without diluting his afore-mentioned style) disqualifies Raimi from the B-list. Maybe if he'd continued to just make movies like A SIMPLE PLAN and THE GIFT he'd be regarded as a above-average mainstream craftsman with the occasional sidestep into indie territory. But Sam's well and truly in the A-game these days.

(A slight digression: Does anyone else see SHAUN OF THE DEAD's Edgar Wright having a similar career to Raimi's in the future?)

Agree with the SIMPLE PLAN love, though. That's a terrific movie, the kind it's a pleasure to recommend to people looking for something new.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Balmudo
I'd like to throw a little love to Larry Cohen too.
As would I, but Larry's too much of an independent for B-list work, I think. It's not like Fox or Paramount would hire him to handle their next Ashley Judd damsel-in-distress flick.

A couple of great names that have come up on this thread: Andrew Davis (THE FUGITIVE is so well-made) and Carl Franklin (I'm inclined to think DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS nearly rivals L.A. CONFIDENTIAL).

Anyone's thoughts on Phillip Noyce? And despite his awesome work on THE RIGHT STUFF and THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING, is Phil Kaufman a B-lister these days? What about Kathryn Bigelow?

I also don't mind a couple of things John Herzfeld has done. 2 DAYS IN THE VALLEY and 15 MINUTES were both flawed but had an undeniable energy, and his HBO movie DON KING: ONLY IN AMERICA was fucking great.
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post #49 of 58
9/23/05 at 11:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anderson
Mangold might be shooting up to the A List if "Walk the Line" does well.
WALK THE LINE looks good, and it believe it'll go down pretty well with audiences, but I think the lion's share of the praise will go to Phoenix and Witherspoon. It'll probably turn out to be a similar situation as RAY - the director will reap some benefits from its success but the stars are the real winners. Neither COP LAND nor GIRL, INTERRUPTED made Mangold an A-lister but they got Sly a few sympathetic reviews and nabbed Jolie an Oscar, so they ensured he'd keep working for a while to come. (Plus he made IDENTITY, a fantastic B-picture!)

Speaking of RAY, Taylor Hackford well and truly belongs in this discussion, if only for THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE and PROOF OF LIFE.

Accumulated enough clout in the past to have B-list tenure: Barry Levinson, Lawrence Kasdan and William Friedkin.
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post #50 of 58
9/23/05 at 11:47pm
Great, now I've got this damn thread on the brain!

Was thinking maybe Christophe Gans (BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF) and Roger Avary (THE RULES OF ATTRACTION) qualified for B-list status.

Avary comes across as an indie kind of guy but also as the filmmaker you get when you want a Tarantino-esque flavour without the QT pricetag. That's probably selling Avary short - I quite liked ATTRACTION and I'm looking forward to his collaboration with Gans on SILENT HILL - but it's the way I perceive him.

As for Gans, I imagined he'd be overwhelmed by offers from Joel Silver, Neal Moritz and the like after BROTHERHOOD's release but he seems to be keeping a low profile - does SILENT HILL have the backing of a major US studio?
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