I despise this man…
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rmwhittaker101 — 17 years ago(September 21, 2008 10:37 PM)
He's deeply overrated. His films, which are so lauded for their naturalistic style, are a bunch of RADA luvvies shrieking their way through a ridiculous pastiche of working- and middle-class life. Still, it's amazing how far any director can go by stealing from the Ken Loach style guide and convincing the Guardian to slaver over your back catalogue.
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TheWanderingFish — 17 years ago(November 28, 2008 09:06 PM)
Overrated my ass.
"Vera Drake" is one of the most emotionally devastating films I've ever seen. That film alone placed Leigh among my favorite living directors.
But I can understand why some English people might not like having him represent English film. I've heard that he's generally not liked in England (just like, from what I hear, most Germans don't care for Herzog) - but most of the rest of the world (at least the rest of the world film community) likes him. And that can be frustrating if you don't think he represents the best of what English cinema has to offer.
But, to me, Leigh is simply a great director. And though he does share some directorial characteristics with Ken Loach, I do consider them two entirely unique directors. Passing Leigh off as some sort of Loach "wannabe" only does both directors a disservice. And if you really view his films as "a bunch of RADA luvvies shrieking their way through a ridiculous pastiche of working- and middle-class life", well We come from two entirely different viewpoints. And you have a fundamental misunderstanding of what the man is trying to do. And you're wrong.
Any country should be proud to have Leigh as part of their film scene. -
kinoeye_csb — 18 years ago(November 25, 2007 07:51 AM)
For all the Mike Leigh haters out there..
Please read on him first before you bash him like this. How he does his film.. How he views film.. Much more organic than ordinary directors like Ridley Scott..
He's not overrated. He's not an ego maniac like most directors are.. Thats what makes him so special. -
TheWanderingFish — 14 years ago(April 14, 2011 10:11 AM)
Because how dare a famous person have strong political opinions (especially ones that don't agree with my own)?! Some random person from some small town can write all the angry, misguided, extremist letters to the editor that he wants, he can speak at all the political rallies that he wants - but as soon as he becomes famous he better shut the hell up or risk the indignation of those who can't stand people sharing their opinions!
For the record, anyone who considers Leigh talentless is fooling themselves. You may not like what he's doing, but his ability to draw great performances from his actors and to observe certain detailed aspects of human behavior are unrivaled. He's one of the most observant, compassionate, humane filmmakers out there.
And to the OP: He's had some of the greatest British actors working for him, multiple times. Jim Broadbent is the greatest currently working British actor, and actors and actresses like Imelda Staunton and David Thewlis aren't far behind.
I suppose on a clear day you can see the class struggle from here -
Benedict_Cumberbatch — 12 years ago(May 05, 2013 10:49 PM)
LOL. Like most people who truly love films, I think his are brilliant. Of course, you're entitled to your opinion/disliking his films, but your entire post is of such immaturity it just makes you look like a fool. To put it mildly.
"The fundamental things apply, as time goes by."