‘Hal’ Puts Ashby in the Spotlight Where He Belongs

Scorsese, Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg… those are the names that casual moviegoers will probably rattle off when asked to list the great directors of the 1970s. More knowledgeable viewers will surely add Kubrick, Altman, and Friedkin. Yet it’s only the true cinephiles (or film students) that include Hal Ashby on their shortlist of great directors. Hal, the…