Who Could Have Been a Critic?

Who are some OTL filmmakers who, with the right PoD, might have been better known for their film criticism and/or analysis (eg Pauline Kael or Roger Ebert)? Or vice versa? Same thing open for painters, musicians, or the other arts.

Orson Welles certainly comes to mind.

I could see Martin Scorsese too. He's a film historian, and in that role, he's offered opinion and technical break down of other folks films.

(Roger Ebert did write three films. The most well known was Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. )

Kevin Smith seems a big enough film geek to be a critic.
Quentin Tarantino also seems to know the tropes and ideas of film well enough to critically analyze it.

Tarantino does spring to mind. Born 15-20 years later he could've been a TGWTG-style reviewer.

Driftless said:

Orson Welles certainly comes to mind.

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Could tie into this idea.

Driftless said:

I could see Martin Scorsese too. He's a film historian, and in that role, he's offered opinion and technical break down of other folks films.

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He came to mind for me as well; maybe he doesn't get experience with Roger Corman making Boxcar Bertha,* or maybe he doesn't find independent financing for Mean Streets and agrees to Corman's suggestion to make it with a black cast. There's certainly potential for hurdles thrown his way to block a straight filmmaking career.

Mr.E said:

Kevin Smith seems a big enough film geek to be a critic.

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Oh yeah, he's a good choice too; he's kind of already there.

Mr.E said:

Quentin Tarantino also seems to know the tropes and ideas of film well enough to critically analyze it.

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ColeMercury said:

Tarantino does spring to mind. Born 15-20 years later he could've been a TGWTG-style reviewer.

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Maybe if Reservoir Dogs flopped? It'd be pretty tough to get him out of filmmaking entirely after that.

*EDIT ADD:... which, now that I think about it, would mean Scorsese makes his "JR Trilogy" (of which Mean Streets was initially meant to be the second installment of)