Top 10 Bad Movies by Good Directors

Article by Gabe Zia
With the rare exception of a few great directors, almost every great director has had a few bad films. These are 10 of the worst films by exceptional directors, films that I wish (and probably the director wishes) they could take off their filmography. The list is ranked based on how bad the film is in comparison to some of the directors other films.

10. Scoop - Woody Allen
Other films by Woody Allen: Annie Hall, Blue Jasmine, Midnight in Paris

In 2005, Woody Allen had somewhat recreated his popularity with the successful film Match Point. Starring Scarlett Johansson, it was an interesting and well written film, showing off Allens talent as a director. However, in the following year, Woody Allen made Scoop, which was just not a good movie. From the weird atmosphere, to the lack of any chemistry between the characters (which is especially weird coming from a Woody Allen film) this film did not hold up to what we've come to know Woody Allen for.


9. Ghost of Mars - John Carpenter
Other films by John Carpenter: The Thing, Escape from New York, Halloween

John Carpenter films aren't usually incredibly intelligent, nor do they have significant emotional depth. However, what usually separates them from the usual garbage is unique characters, a creative art style, and John Carpenters hint of madness. None of these things were present in Ghost of Mars. Instead, the film has garbage cardboard cut outs for its characters, an art style that manages to rip off both Pitch Black and the video game Doom (no easy task), and instead of his hint of madness, the film is dull and just stupid.


8. Alexander - Oliver Stone
Other films by Oliver Stone: Platoon, JFK, Born on the Fourth of July

Oliver Stone is usually a hit or miss when it comes to films. But, most of the time, at least there's clear effort put into the project. Not here, instead we get a horribly miscast Collin Farrel, an agonizingly boring plot, Angelina Jolie doing her most annoying accent (yes that list includes Beowulf), and a supposed historical biography rife with historic inaccuracies. And by historic inaccuracies, I mean it seems like there was little to no research done for the film.


7. Hereafter - Clint Eastwood
Other films by Clint Eastwood: Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino, Unforgiven

Clint Eastwood has had some other films that aren't that great, but Hereafter stands out the most to me. Not even because of Matt Damon's vague performance, or the slow pace, but the wasted potential is what bothers me the most. This film has an intriguing premise, and it was really the only reason I saw the movie. But the premise isn't used to the extent it could have been used, and the film fails horribly because of it.


6. Bonfire of the Vanities - Brian De Palma
Other films by Brian De Palma: Scarface, Carrie, Carlitos Way

I've already talked about this film with my Best & Worst of Morgan Freeman article, so I'm pretty much going to say the same stuff I said there. Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, and Morgan Freeman are all hamming it up in this movie (a movie based on a really good book oddly enough), and the story is completely messy as well as boring. The direction of the film and cinematography does not at all seem like Brian De Palma, it feels like an some weird fan made adaptation you would find on youtube.


5. A Good Year - Ridley Scott
Other films by Ridley Scott: Blade Runner, Alien, Black Hawk Down

Ridley Scott is known mostly for his dark tones, his gritty realism, and his unsettling atmospheres. So what the hell is he doing with this romantic comedy? Seriously, I can't get over how weird this movie is. Amongst Gladiator, or Prometheus, or even Matchstick Men, this film is completely out of place. Russell Crowe shows that he can do a wide variety of genres, but romantic comedy is absolutely not one of them.


4. Hulk - Ang Lee
Other films by Ang Lee: Life of Pi, Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

Ang Lee has shown with his films that he is pretty much an expert with (at the very least) cinematography and art style. In his attempt with the iconic Hulk, he seems to have completely forgotten about his other films, because instead of what we saw in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, we see cruddy cinematic elements, strange and forced symbolism, a movie that takes forever to get going, an absurd plot, and a cast of great actors that actually manage to seem like bad actors. Oh, and as for the CGI in the film, this came out in the same year that Peter Jackson did Return of the King. So there's really little to no excuse.

3. Elizabethtown - Cameron Crowe
Other films by Cameron Crowe: Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire, Say Anything

Cameron Crowe has shown with his previous films that he is well more than capable of great dialogue, interesting characters, memorable moments, and a great mix of comedy and drama. Absolutely none of these things are present with the awful Elizabethtown. Instead we get two boring leads played by Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst, a shallow and pretentious storyline, all of which come together in this film. A film about as dry as a dry bowl of rice in the middle of the Sahara, being eaten by Kristen Stewart on a date with Keanu Reeves. Actually that sounds way more interesting in comparison.

2. Jack - Francis Ford Coppella
Other films by Francis Ford Coppella: The Godfather, Dracula, Apocalypse Now

Francis Ford Coppela has delivered some of the greatest and most culturally well known films ever. Genius mastercrafts such as The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. This is not amongst them. Instead of rich and genius cinematic elements, we get a bland comedy in which Robin Williams acts his most childish, literally playing a child who looks like Robin Williams. Does it sound like Billy Madison? Yeah, but it's not Billy Madison. Billy Madison was funny and watchable, but this is just annoying. I never thought I would write this, but Adam Sandler did it better.

Dishonourable mentions

The Bling Ring - Sofia Coppella

1941 - Steven Spielberg

Oceans Twelve - Steven Soderbergh

Fear and Desire - Stanley Kubrick

Planet of the Apes - Tim Burton

The Monuments Men - George Clooney

The Matrix Revolutions - The Wachowskis

1. The Ladykillers - The Coen Brothers
Other film by The Coen Brothers: Fargo, The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men

The Coen Brothers are some of my favourite directors. They've shown great talent with their black comedy, subtle and clever humour, and interesting characters show they have little equals in that field. With their dramas they also show their power with their actors. Which all brings me to The Ladykillers, a shallow and unfunny comedy with all the bad things that could have happened. Bad acting, obvious jokes, one of the two wayan brothers getting involved here, all combine into just a bad film. And although this isn't nearly as bad as Jack or Elizabethtown, looking at this film in comparison to, say, The Big Lebowski shocks me. (And kind of frightens me.)