10 Directors Who Need To Get Back On The Big Screen

9. Martin Brest

For a while Martin Brest was a big name in Hollywood: in 1984 he was the man behind the camera helping Eddie Murphy bring Axel Foley to life. Brest didn't burn out after Beverly Hills though: in 1992 he directed Al Pacino to an Academy Award in Scent Of A Woman, and received a nomination for Best Director, while the film also received nods for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. So why have we not heard from Brest since 2003 - eleven years ago? It all comes down to the movie that he made that year: Gigli. Winner of six Razzie awards, one for Worst Director, the movie was universally panned, and the Ben Affleck vehicle is still widely regarded as one of the worst films of all time, to the extent that Affleck's near flawless more recent career report card is still over-shadowed somewhat by its poorness. Brest has served his penance though, and it is time to bring him back in from the cold. Much like one swallow doesn't make a summer, one bad film does not make a bad director. With studios throwing money at people like Zack Snyder, to pump out badly directed dross, why shouldn't a talent like Brest get another chance? He has proven in the past to be more than adept at both action and the dramatic, and that's something missing in many of today's directors. Plus the Academy has given Affleck an Oscar since Gigli - proof, if ever it were needed, that there is life after terrible movies.