Comment by next_xibalba | Hacker News Reader

Comment by next_xibalba | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

I think most people are unaware that Coppola has also directed the following: Twixt (2011), Tetro (2009), Youth Without Youth (2007), The Rainmaker (1997), Bram Stokers' Dracula (1992), The Godfather Part III (1990), Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988), Gardens of Stone (1987), The Cotton Club (1984), Rumble Fish (1983), The Outsiders (1983), and One from the Heart (1981).

In other words, Coppola has directed plenty of bad to mediocre films after his incredible run from The Godfather through Apocalypse Now (1972 to 1979). Granted, that run was enough to forever ensconce him in Pantheon of great films directors. I think Megalopis is getting so much (undeserved press) because Coppola says its his last film and it was self financed. The trend line in his movies, however, has been negative for a long time. So, were it not for those two remarkable attributes, Megalopis would probably have come and gone with little notice, much like the rest of his since the 90s.

I never understood the hate against the Godfather 3; I thought it was a good film. Not quite as good as the first two but that was a high bar to meet. Sofia Coppola really wasn't as bad as everyone keeps banging on about.

I think before the internet these sort of cultural takes seemed to calcify based on what was written in newspapers by tastemakers and became the conventional wisdom, parroted by whoever wanted to be seen as being in with the tastemakers.

One of the biggest things traditional media mourns is this perceived power.

I thought Godfather III was a good ending that made an important point about how hard it is to escape a cycle of violence once it’s begun. I think a lot of the hate is from people who thought the point of the movies was “gangsters are cool”

Yes, I agree. Also I rather liked the end where an old Michael just dies alone with no one to notice, much less care. Lost two brothers, lost his first wife, lost a daughter, estranged from his wife and son. All the years of pain, anguish, and death. And ultimately it was all for nothing.

Coppola changed that ending in the recut "Coda" version he did a few years ago. Don't really understand why he did that – Michael's lonely death always seemed like the ultimate take-away from all three films.

Isn't Dracula universally praised?? (I don't know about at the time)

People make fun of Keanu's accent, but everything else seems to be super positive.

Bram Stoker's Dracula is one of my favorite movies and I'm thankful it exists.

Then there’s 1996’s Jack (Robin Williams opposite Fran Drescher) which is apparently so horrifying that it didn’t even make your list :)

Rumble Fish (Mickey Rourke before he got swole) and One From the Heart were both thoroughly enjoyable… but also both curate’s eggs.

Many of the movies you've listed are indeed excellent, for example The Outsiders is by now a cult icon for how many future stars it launched and both Tetro and Twixt made it to the Cahiers du Cinema top 10 movies of the year (and Youth Without Youth was also very highly received there).

Interestingly, critics have started to reevaluate many of these movies!

One of my favorite movies is ‘Night of the Hunter’. It was critically crucified to the point where the director (Charles Laughton) never directed another movie. I am not being hyperbolic when I say that this was a loss to humanity and culture. Of course now, all critics are desperate to broadcast its brilliance.

Professionals are often blinded by the conventional taste that they worked so hard to develop.

The first editor of “Midnight Cowboy” resigned because he felt the naturalistic footage looked terrible and couldn’t be used for a proper movie. The film won Oscars for both Best Picture and Direction.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com