I just wouldn't call him well known, you can say his name to 500 people and one might say, "Yeah, I've heard of him." They've heard of his movies, certainly, but not
him -- you can mention Joel Schumucher and people will say, "Batsuit nipples!" before you could mention Gus Van Sant and they say, "Oh! Even Cowgirls Get the Blues!" Then again, this could've changed since Milk came out. I just don't think he's one of those filmmakers most people know by name, except people like us, who don't represent the general moviegoing public. Since I've started paying attention, most of his movies have played in somewhat indie theaters too, aside from Psycho, Forrester, and Hunting. I saw Elephant in indie theater an hour away from my house way back when -- 2002 I think?... I think he has a pretty cool style, I like the really really long takes in Elephant. Last Days has that awesome scene where the dolly-camera is sloooooooooooowly backing away from the house as that dude makes a bunch of random noise and there's kinda that haunting ambient music playing too. Some of his stuff reminds me of a lesser Jon Jost... which brings to mind
http://grunes.wordpress.com/2007/10/...jon-jost-1990/ ...
"SURE FIRE (Jon Jost, 1990) By grunes With David Lynch and Gus Van Sant, Jon Jost is one of the three great U.S. filmmakers currently working. Passages is my favorite 2006 film, and Over Here will likely be my favorite 2007 U.S. film. (Homecoming, for which Over Here is a companion-piece, is my favorite 2004 U.S. film.) But Jost has been at his calling now for four decades and, prolific, many works of his shine."