Great Directors That Don't Get Talked About

Anyone notice some skilled directors that really don't get mentioned much?

I've become a Peter Weir fan recently. A lot of people have heard of and probably seen his films, but I never really hear anyone talk about him as a director. His older stuff seems to be terribly obscure even by B film and cult film standards, but still really really good.

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Permalink Reply by clockwork983 on July 24, 2008 at 10:26pm: Huge fan of Dark City!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by mighty on August 7, 2008 at 4:52pm: Troyas I love Dark City.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Slappy on August 11, 2008 at 7:11am: Smiley Face had so much potential, and I waited and waited for it to come but it never did, I watched the whole thing waiting for it to get really funny. I gave it a two only because I laughed like 4 times. It was a train wreck.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by pihkal020 on August 11, 2008 at 7:28am: I couldn't get beyond 30 minutes of Smiley Face.

The cardinal rule for successful stoner movies: marijuana can be used for film premise GENERATION. Never ever use it during the actual EXECUTION.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by staahsha on June 19, 2008 at 7:26pm: I've been a fan of Weir's since Picnic at Hanging Rock. My favorite film of his is The Year of Living Dangerously. Even Mel Gibson cannot ruin that movie. Linda Hunt is heartbreaking in that role.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by leela42 on June 19, 2008 at 7:55pm: Both of these are wonderful.

I'll add my recs for The Last Wave, The Mosquito Coast, and Witness.

Haven't met a Weir film I didn't love, although I haven't seen The Cars That Ate Paris. It's on cable this week though, so I'll get that taken care of soon.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by YnEoS on June 19, 2008 at 8:01pm: The Cars That Ate Paris is wonderful. But it's listed as being a 91 minute film and none of the DVD releases, even the region 2 ones are 91 minutes. It seems only the VHS runs for 91 minutes. I'd really like to know whats up with this.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by staahsha on June 19, 2008 at 8:26pm: I have to admit I really didn't understand The Last Wave and I hated the Harrison Ford character so much in Mosquito Coast, I really couldn't enjoy anything about that movie. Witness is a jewel.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by leela42 on June 19, 2008 at 8:59pm: I can't say I completely understood The Last Wave either, but didn't find it necessary, hehe. That's the thing about mysticism...

And yeah, Ford's character really went whacko in Mosquito Coast. I found much else to recommend it though, particularly the cinematography (always fabulous in Weir films), and River Phoenix's outstanding performance. Based on a much excellent novel, BTW.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by jeldobar on June 19, 2008 at 7:36pm: I don't know ... IMO I can't agree ... Personally i think his best is just o.k. and Master and Commander is one of the worst Films in movie history.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by staahsha on June 19, 2008 at 8:24pm: That's okay, different strokes for different folks! Is there a favorite director of yours that doesn't get talked about much? For me, it's Ingmar Bergman, who seems to have fallen out of fashion. That's ok, I like old fashioned.; ▶ Reply to This