Some filmmakers have creative flames that burn eternally: directors like Hitchcock, Scorsese, Spielberg and Eastwood. Other careers blast off like rockets before sputtering on fluky fumes.
Whether they hit early with an artistic gem, a box office smash or films that manage to be both, Hollywood history is dotted with directors whose later efforts don't measure up to that first big bang.
Larry and Andy Wachowski took a steep fall from "The Matrix" to "Speed Racer," with only "V for Vendetta" slowing the descent. Elaine May was Hollywood's leading female director after "A New Leaf" and "The Heartbreak Kid," until the reviled "Ishtar" ended her directing dreams.
Jim Sharman turned "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" into a cult phenomenon. Then his quasi-sequel "Shock Treatment" flopped, banishing him to Australian stage work. The esteemed actor Charles Laughton crafted 1954's classic "The Night of the Hunter," and never directed again.
But our list includes five shooting stars (including a team) who rose even faster and crashed even more spectacularly. Our inspiration: the once-promising M. Night Shyamalan and his current cinematic awfulness, "The Happening."
Fans of the directors on our list should consider their inclusion in the most positive way: How many people do something so special that they're remembered for never doing it again?
Announcing his first movie project, the brash radio theater producer boasted that he would show Hollywood how films should be directed. Welles backed it up with "Citizen Kane," widely regarded 67 years later as the greatest film ever.
Welles never approached such posterity again, although "Touch of Evil" (1958) is a fine example of the then-fading film noir genre. Most of Welles' creations -- particularly "The Lady From Shanghai" and "The Magnificent Ambersons" -- are relegated to cinema classes and stuffy revivals. Other projects flopped, or were shelved before completion.
Welles assumed the role of misunderstood artiste, with a cultured, jovial arrogance to match. He died in 1985, known as a wine pitchman and talk show raconteur as much as "Citizen Kane's" creator.
In 1979, Cimino was the toast of Hollywood, after his second film, "The Deer Hunter," won five Academy Awards including best picture and director.
The next year, Cimino was roasted for killing a movie studio.
Buoyed by Oscar glory, Cimino persuaded United Artists to spend $11 million -- hefty for the era -- on a Western, "Heaven's Gate." By the time it was completed, that figure nearly quadrupled, making it the costliest film production to date.
Two hours were trimmed from Cimino's original 5 ½-hour version before premiering in New York, where it was savaged by critics and scant audiences. "Heaven's Gate" closed after one week. Six months later, it resurfaced yet another hour shorter, only to flop again.
Facing bankruptcy, United Artists was sold to MGM. The brand disappeared for decades until it was revived by MGM as a subsidiary, now partly controlled by Tom Cruise.
Cimino has made four films since "Heaven's Gate" without recapturing respect or audiences. He's currently trying again with "Man's Fate," set in 1923 China.
University of Central Florida graduates Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez pulled cinema into the video age in 1999, with a scary yarn about amateur filmmakers chasing a grisly legend. But after making a big splash, Myrick and Sanchez, like their movie's characters, practically disappeared.
"The Blair Witch Project" thrilled fans and exasperated others with jittery, monochromatic images and a narrative that commenced by pushing the record button. The home video motif is a YouTube era cliche now, in such films as "Cloverfield" and "Vantage Point."
Lionsgate distributed "The Blair Witch Project" and pioneered online movie marketing, leading to an astounding $140 million box office performance for a $60,000 production. Every movie has an Internet ad campaign today.
Myrick and Sanchez sold title rights, enabling a 2000 sequel with them graciously credited as executive producers. After a six-year layoff, they retreated to making straight-to-video horror movies.
Already a movie star, Costner won an Oscar for directing "Dances With Wolves." The movie also won best picture, resurrected the epic Western and presented American Indians in uncommonly accurate fashion.
This apparently convinced Costner that every movie he made should be an epic, directed by him. Although he was only supposed to star in it, Costner hijacked directing duties on "Waterworld" from Kevin Reynolds, except for the screen credit/blame. "The Postman" was Costner's project and performed worse. "Open Range" (2003) was solid but suffered at the box office from his reputation by then for overlong ego trips. He hasn't directed since.
Costner still acts, with his best reviews lately for decidedly non-heroic characters ("Mr. Brooks," "The Upside of Anger"). He goes the Gary Cooper route again in "Swing Vote," opening Aug. 1.
The inspiration for this list of underachievers, after "The Happening" proved Shyamalan hasn't regained the touch he displayed with "The Sixth Sense."
That 1999 release knocked viewers for a loop with its relentlessly creepy vibe and a twist Rod Serling would have loved. "The Sixth Sense" earned six Academy Award nominations and, for Shyamalan, a massive fan base salivating for another supernatural classic. Five movies later, the cheering has dwindled.
Shyamalan once made us see dead people. Now we see a career on life support.
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