6. Zack Snyder - Slo-Mo Music Videos
No, you're reading that right. I'm accusing Zack Snyder of being nothing more than a glorified music video director. It makes sense, really, since he got his start directing actual music videos. On a side note, you can always tell when a director has come from a music video past. Their films always look pretty but don't really offer anything substantial beyond that. (Note: Spike Jonze is an excellent exception to this rule.) Snyder hit the ground running with his first feature, a fast-paced remake of Dawn of the Dead that lacked anything closely resembling subtlety. It's a purely entertaining film. His films have taken a dive since then. 300 didn't accomplish much besides introducing the world to Michael Fassbender and Lena Heady (Game of Thrones' Cersei Lannister); Watchmen was so incredibly boring, which is a feat considering the imagery and violence it contains; The Owls of Ga'Hoole was just straight out of left field; Sucker Punch was a perverted fantasy; and Man of Steel was very bland but confirmed one thing: Christopher Nolan is the best writer in the world when it comes to plot holes. One thing remains true, however. Snyder loves his slow motion effects. It's as if he believes that holding your attention on Superman's testicles for a prolonged minute, or lingering on an up-skirt shot of Emily Browning wielding a broadsword actually offer something to the art of filmmaking. They don't. They're cheap flourishes that ultimately make his films boring and leave me feeling lugubrious. His best bet is to return to high octane horror films. It was all downhill after Dawn of the Dead.