The highs were great -- the lows were almost always forgotten (though in hindsight, he probably had more of those than hits), and his legacy for SUPERMAN in particular will certainly will go on.
RIP Richard Donner
Re: RIP Richard Donner
Maverick doesn't get enough credit. Goonies is always fun, and Superman is all time classic. He did the Shatner twilight zone ep! Lethal Weapon never did anything for me.
Usually good composers on his stuff as well!
Usually good composers on his stuff as well!
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AndyDursin
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Re: RIP Richard Donner
Truthfully he directed a lot of bombs and misfires. Probably more than most directors who carry his kind of rep.
Really his legacy is Superman, and The Omen, then the Lethal Weapon films, though I don't think they've aged all that well even compared to other slick 80s action flicks. (Honestly I only really like the 2nd movie. The 1st one is okay, but the later sequels are silly and overstuffed).
Outside of that group, Ladyhawke is one of his more likeable films. I'm not a fan of The Goonies or Maverick...Conspiracy Theory was decent enough but that's kind of it amongst his later works
Worst movie? A few to choose from. But Radio Flyer has to be up there.
Really his legacy is Superman, and The Omen, then the Lethal Weapon films, though I don't think they've aged all that well even compared to other slick 80s action flicks. (Honestly I only really like the 2nd movie. The 1st one is okay, but the later sequels are silly and overstuffed).
Outside of that group, Ladyhawke is one of his more likeable films. I'm not a fan of The Goonies or Maverick...Conspiracy Theory was decent enough but that's kind of it amongst his later works
Worst movie? A few to choose from. But Radio Flyer has to be up there.
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Paul MacLean
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Re: RIP Richard Donner
Whether his films were good or bad, Donner (to use Noel Coward's expression) "always came out of a different hole". His work was very eclectic; there was rarely anything you could point to as a "Donner-ism" or "Donner-esque". As such he was certainly more of a "journeyman" than an auteur, but without-a-doubt one of the best journeyman directors of all time.
I also have to say I think Donner's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" was scarier than the George Miller Twilight Zone: The Movie version. Miller's is overall more impressive and has more visual pizzazz (plus a great Jerry Goldsmith score). But the scene where Shatner opens the curtain, and the gremlin is staring right at him, is to me one of the freakiest moments in TV history.
I also have to say I think Donner's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" was scarier than the George Miller Twilight Zone: The Movie version. Miller's is overall more impressive and has more visual pizzazz (plus a great Jerry Goldsmith score). But the scene where Shatner opens the curtain, and the gremlin is staring right at him, is to me one of the freakiest moments in TV history.