Giving Up On Actors, Actresses, & Directors

[Mitch Henessey]

Every actor or actress stars in that one bad film, and certain directors lose that magical touch. But sometimes the levels of awfulness can become unbearable, and you might seriously consider turning your back on certain actors, actresses, or directors. We all have our limits, and sometimes, a constant barrage of horrible films will push fans over the edge.

So with all that said, have you ever given up on certain actresses, actors, or directors? Have you at least thought about it before? Which film (or films) finally pushed you over the edge? I'll start things of with a few of my choices:

Oliver Stone

I almost gave up on Oliver Stone after this:

Spoiler

"This can't be the same man, who directed Born On The Fourth Of July, Platoon, and Salvador." This is what ran through my mind after sitting through the overlong travesty of Alexander. Alexander did feature some impressive visuals, but the very noticeable sluggish pace and the unbearable lengthy runtime didn't help anything. I vividly remember falling asleep at least three or four times in the theater during this movie, because Alexander was just so damn boring. I really tried to give this one another chance on DVD a few years later, but the director's cut was worse. The extra footage just added more unnecessary time, and after a second chance, I still didn't want to believe in the characters.

When it comes to Any Given Sunday, or U-Turn (well, it was watchable) I will defend Stone, but he crossed the line with Alexander.

I didn't watch W., or World Trade Center, or the Wall Street sequel, but I'm not ready to give up on Stone just yet. Savages could be an intriguing suspense/drama. The trailer looks good, and I will give Stone one more chance.

Al Pacino

The Godfather II, Scarface, Carlito's Way, Scent Of A Woman, Donnie Brasco, Dog Day Afternoon. Al Pacino has delivered a handful of memorable performances, but over the years, Pacino continues to disappoint his fans with horrible, horrible movies. 88 Minutes was one of the worst psychological thrillers I've ever seen, and Pacino didn't make any improvements with Righteous Kill. Also, I can't forget Two For The Money, Gigli, and he might have provided the best performance in Jack & Jill, but still..... he participated in the making of Jack & Jill.

Now a days, Al Pacino just brings name value to his films, and nothing more. I've decided to throw in the towel with Pacino. The upcoming Gotti biopic could change my mind, but as of right now, I'm done with Pacino.

Adam Sandler

I think I've seen enough of Adam Sandler.

Don't Mess With The Zohan was bad enough, but Jack & Jill and Just Go With It? In the same year?!?! It's too much to handle, and Sandler hasn't produced a high quality film in years (Big Daddy and Anger Management are the only two films I can think of). That's My Boy looks like another typical Sandler film, and I'll probably skip this one. I have no problem with giving up on Sandler, because I can only tolerate so many bad films. Zohan was atrocious, but seeing Just Go With It and Jack & Jill back to back pretty much killed my desire to ever watch another Adam Sandler film.

 

[jmt225]

I honestly can't think of a time where I truly "gave up" on an actor or director that I've ever been a fan of. My expectations for a lot of them have lowered big time, but I still always give their new work a shot to get over with me.

Take Adam Sandler, for example. I loved him growing up, and I still love him today, despite the fact that I've hated nearly all the movies he's done the past few years. I still see them regardless, and I still like the guy as a person and I'm still very much grateful for the good movies he gave us earlier in his career. Just because I don't enjoy his films today doesn't make any of his past films any less enjoyable.

So, yeah... I'm pretty loyal to a fault, lol. If I'm a fan then I'm a fan; they'll have to do something really shitty in their personal life for me to stop. Professionally though these guys can keep putting out shit movies and performances, and I'll still eventually check them out with the small hope that they turn things around.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I gave up on Michael Cimino as a director after "Heaven's Gate." Previously, he had great success with "The Deer Hunter," which led United Artists to give him free rein on "Heaven's Gate." Cimino was so crazy about himself by this time that he apparently thought anything he came up with would automatically turn to gold. His new film was so wildly over budget that it was rumored he almost bankrupted United Artists after receipts at the box office were a fraction of what it cost to make the movie.

Cimino also pulled stunts like flying the entire cast and crew of "Heaven's Gate" overseas to film one short scene that he felt the movie would be incomplete without. Plus, the film was so slow and plodding in it's pace that people who paid to see it were walking out halfway through.

After that, Cimino did little in his career. Most of his projects were box office bombs, and with his reputation ruined, he hasn't directed anything in 15 years. It was the tale of a person's true overconfidence in his abilities and an overwhelming belief that he was infalliable.

Personally, I never thought "The Deer Hunter" was so good, although many regard it as a classic. What I noticed was that it was the earliest film I ever saw that used a technique that is so prevalent today: filming action scenes in almost total darkness, which leaves the viewer wondering what the hell just happened.

Well, that practice never impressed me, and after "Heaven's Gate," I gave up on Michael Cimino as a director.