Film Criticism: How To Evaluate A Film's Directing

How does a film critic evaluate a film's directing?

It's hard to say what makes for good direction in a movie. You know, there are certain famous film makers like, for instance: John Cassavetes, where the camera is almost invisible. It's really long takes of people in grueling situations, but he's a good director because he observes the minutiae of human nature. Then there's a director like a Martin Scorcese who has such technical virtuosity, who can do a 5 minute single take steady cam shot of Ray Liotta going through the back door of an Italian restaurant in Goodfellas, and it's a wonderful, wonderful scene, because it doesn't detract from the movie. Yes it's stylish, yes it seems like a bit of a stunt, but it's perfect for that movie, for the flash and the grandeur of that movie. So there's different ways to notice good direction. Sometimes a good director is really unobtrusive, and sometimes they have a really epic framing, it just depends on the director. But with a good director it should be seamless; even if that sequence stands apart, it really reflects what's good about the movie as a whole.