[Cinema]*Clutchfans Movie Directors Tournament Elite Eight

Kubrick, Spielberg, Hitchcock ,Scorsese

 

Ridley Scott
Quentin Tarantino
Francis Ford Coppola
Christopher Nolan

 

Stanley Kubrick vs Ridley Scott-- I think they are equally great but Ridley Scott takes it for me because he has more great work than Kubrick

Steven Spielberg vs Quentin Tarantino-- Tarantino, I think Tarantino's story telling is slightly better than Spielberg

Alfred Hitchcock vs Francis Ford Coppola-- Francis Ford Coppola, mainly because I relate to his movie more

Martin Scorsese vs Christopher Nolan-- Nolan, his movies are pretty damn awesome. I think Scorsese is great, but the deal breaker is the Irishman and his recycling of the same actors.

 

Kubrick, Tarantino, Coppola, Scorsese

 

Stanley Kubrick vs Ridley Scott - This is the true championship match
Steven Spielberg vs Quentin Tarantino - This is a joke of a matchup
Alfred Hitchcock vs Francis Ford Coppola - Coppola wins
Martin Scorsese vs Christopher Nolan - Keep making amazing movies, Nolan, and you’ll crack the final four

 

Stanley Kubrick vs Ridley Scott - Easiest matchup, no hesitation. Arguably the weakest of the remaining directors vs the strongest.
Steven Spielberg vs Quentin Tarantino - Very close, and I definitely wouldn't be upset if either one wins. I give the edge to QT because when either one comes out with a new movie, I'm a lot more interested in seeing the new QT movie vs the new Spielberg movie.
Alfred Hitchcock vs Francis Ford Coppola - Another very close one. I think Hitchcock takes this one, because of his influence on modern movies.
Martin Scorsese vs Christopher Nolan - Nolan just can't compete with Scorcese.

 

Stanley Kubrick
Steven Spielberg
Alfred Hitchcock
Martin Scorsese

Alfred Hitchcock vs Francis Ford Coppola was the tough one for me until I thought back to their respective time frames. While Coppola's simultaneous multiple story-line editing was amazing, Hitchcock was responsible for completely changing the way directors thought about filmmaking. It's harder to notice the sheer volume of groundbreaking cinematography choices Hitchcock made in his movies. From the super-long single camera shots of "Rope" to the first noticeable use of the Track-zooms in films like "Vertigo" (think "Home Alone" mouth zoom shot). I think it's too easy to be dismissive of what he accomplished because what he did back in the 50's-70's is now commonplace today.

 

I love this movie and opening shot

 

lol I bet.

Seriously, the focus puller on that shot had his work cut out for him - t's flawless work.

 

Stanley Kubrick vs Ridley Scott - Blade Runner, Gladiator, and Kingdom of Heaven surpass Kubrick's best efforts in terms of world building. And truth be told, I like Scott's catalog more. But Kubrick created more memorable scenes, and his films have had a larger cultural impact
Steven Spielberg vs Quentin Tarantino - If this was a boxing matchup, a foulmouthed Tarantino would come out of his dressing room and get into it with an overzealous fan, then go on to berate countless spectators and reporters in attendance, not to mention sheriff's deputies working security, and even his own cornermen while making his way to the ring. When the fight finally commenced, some 30 minutes behind schedule, he would come out swinging so wildly that he would actually knock himself down with a vicious blow to the back of his own head. Enraged and unsure WTF occurred, he would jump to his feet, lunge at the referee as if to bite him, and give chase to Spielberg, who agreed to take the fight only if he didn't have to take his shirt off. All of those in attendance, including Spielberg's own family, would be on their feet expecting an imminent knockout. But Spielberg would bob, weave, duck, and, eliciting huge laughs from the audience, dance his way out of harm's way. With just seconds to go in the first round, a tiny speck of Tarantino's spittle would land below Spielberg's right eye, miffing the Academy Award winner, who at once would stop dancing. An instant later, Spielberg, to his own surprise, would stun Tarantino with a vicious uppercut. As Tarantino stood wobbling, a bespectacled Spielberg would look out into the frenzied audience, past a drunk and sobbing Meryl Streep, and into the eyes of a stone-faced Michelle Obama, who would give a barely perceptible nod. Spielberg would shrug, adjust his glasses and, as the bell would begin to ring to signal the end of the first round, hit Tarantino in the nose with a right cross, knocking Tarantino out cold.
Alfred Hitchcock vs Francis Ford Coppola - The Godfather is on another level, but Hitchcock is a vastly more influential and important filmmaker.
Martin Scorsese vs Christopher Nolan - Momento and TDK are two favorites. But if this too were a boxing matchup, Nolan would fare no better than Tarantino.

 

Seconded, they're all good directors.

Hitchcock pioneered tons of techniques and was a master of psychological techniques.

 

Stanley Kubrick vs Ridley Scott (****...I vote nobody) I guess if I had to pick I'd pick Scott, or Kubrick. Or Scott. Or Kubrick.
Quentin Tarantino
Francis Ford Coppola
Martin Scorsese

 

Stanley Kubrick vs Ridley Scott - Tough one as two great directors but Kubrick is the greater.
Steven Spielberg vs Quentin Tarantino - I haven't voted for Tarantino in any of these rounds so nothing different here. Not just personal dislike but Speilberg's body of work is greater. Besides just his big hit movies Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan deserves the accolades for them and while those were very personal movies they weren't revenge fantasies.
Alfred Hitchcock vs Francis Ford Coppola - Very tough one but the edge goes to Coppola.
Martin Scorsese vs Christopher Nolan - This one is easily Scorcese. Nolan might one day eclipse Scorcese but not yet.

 

Stanley Kubrick
Steven Spielberg
Francis Ford Coppola
Martin Scorsese

 

Stanley Kubrick vs Ridley Scott - two masters, both with horror, drama, and sci-fi credits. I just prefer Scott's Alien and Blade Runner to Kubrick's Shining, Clockwork Orange, 2001, etc.
Steven Spielberg vs Quentin Tarantino - Spielberg is the master of the blockbuster, but he has also shown he can direct powerful films like Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List. To me, the D-Day landing in SPR is perhaps the greatest feat of filmmaking that has ever been accomplished
Alfred Hitchcock vs Francis Ford Coppola - as in previous rounds, I am not a fan of FFC. Hitchcock's stylistic thrillers are far more entertaining
Martin Scorsese vs Christopher Nolan - Nolan, to me, is much more creative in his direction. The likes of Inception, Tenet, and The Dark Night are more to my taste than Scorsese's work, undoubtedly good as it is.

 

kubrick
spielberg
hitchcock
scorsese

 

Ok, time for a little more in depth analysis. I'm going to vote this round based on the top 3 best films of each director. Winner of that best 2 out of 3 wins gets my vote for the round (bolded). Bear in mind these are the top 3 best that I've seen. For whatever reason, I've never gotten around to seeing Schindler's List. So if that happened to be Spielberg's best, then he doesn't get credit for it with me because I haven't seen it.

Stanley Kubrick vs Ridley Scott

• A Clockwork Orange vs Gladiator - As great as Clockwork is, there are few movies as re-watchable as Gladiator. It has aged magnificently and it's beautiful to look at.
• Full Metal Jacket vs Blade Runner - I'm not as in love with Blade Runner as some people (many consider it a perfect film) but it is an incredible bit of world building, which to me speaks to a director's ability moreso than just about anything else. Full Metal Jacket is great and very quoteable but has always sort of felt like two movies, to me. I've seen the first half so many times, but have watched it all the way through maybe only twice. To me, that is a slight indictment on Kubrick.
• 2001: A Space Odyssey vs American Gangster - This one goes to 2001 on the same basis that Blade Runner won against FMJ. The world building is incredible and just the atmosphere on 2001 really transports you. I absolutely love American Gangster and I really feel like it is maybe Denzel's best movie. He's magnetic and the movie is a great rewatch, but not quite the accomplishment that 2001 is.

Steven Spielberg vs Quentin Tarantino

• Jurassic Park vs Pulp Fiction - I am frequently blown away by the technical accomplishment of Jurassic Park when you consider the timeframe of when it was made. The effects in this movie are still better than a great many movies being made today. The sheer terror one experiences in those scenes with the T-Rex is magnificent and not really duplicated in other dinosaur movies. Pulp Fiction is great and as quoteable as any movie out there, but if I'm deciding what to do with 2 hours of my time, I'm spending it on Isla Nublar.
• Jaws vs Django Unchained - Some may think this is crazy because Jaws is so beloved. It really is a remarkable movie considering how young Spielberg was when he made it. The fact he had the balls to go as long into the movie as he did before even revealing the shark is very telling. The man just knows how to tell a story. But so does Quentin, and Django Unchained is incredibly close to Pulp Fiction for me as my favorite Tarantino movie. And I'll take a compelling, surprisingly funny, and very well put together revenge flick over a thriller/horror any day. Though Quint's USS Indianapolis speech almost swayed me.
• Catch Me if you Can vs Jackie Brown - These are very, very close. I can rewatch either of these two movies any time, but I've probably rewatched Catch Me more. It gets the edge here if for no other reason than it makes the absolute best use of the allowed F-bomb in any given PG-13 movie. I love telling Hanratty's knock knock joke so, so much.

Alfred Hitchcock vs Francis Ford Coppola

• I hate to do it, but I'm abstaining on this one because I'm very much aware of a lot of Hitchcock movie influence, but haven't actually watched any of his movies from start to finish. In previous rounds I would just vote for the person whose movies I had seen, but from here on out that doesn't seem right to me so i just won't vote here.

Martin Scorsese vs Christopher Nolan

• The Departed vs The Prestige - So tough! The Prestige is top 5 movie of all time for me. It so perfectly blends revenge and intrigue in a way that is captivating. And the reveal at the end is chilling every - single - time. Even when you see it coming. Michael Caine is brilliant and it may be my favorite Hugh Jackman movie. Who would have thought to cast freaking David Bowie as Nikola Telsa? Christopher Nolan, that's freaking who. The Departed is amazing and every gives a career making performance, but it isn't quite as "magical" as The Prestige (ehh? ehhhhhhh?!)
• Goodfellas vs Inception - I allllmost voted Inception here. It is a brilliant movie that somehow manages to be incredibly complex but not so much so that you can't follow it. Tenet blew way past that line, unfortunately, and suffered as a result. But Goodfellas is amazing and a total classic. Liotta in his best performance with Pesci and Deniro doing amazing work. I could watch it anytime and enjoy it for different reasons each time. It's also got an ending that in just about any other movie or with any other actor/director combo would absolutely piss me off...but somehow it works here. Scorsese is the man.
• Wolf of Wall Street vs The Dark Knight - The Dark Knight is and probably will remain the best Batman movie out there. Nolan captured the amazing parts of the character while also bringing the most iconic version of the Joker that I think we'll ever get. Who at the time believed Heath Ledger was the right guy to play that role? I remember being baffled by the decision. But man was I proven wrong. Wolf is a great movie and has some of the best physical comedy you will ever see, but ultimately feels a little too shallow to win up against TDK, despite DiCaprio and Jonah Hill doing everything in their power to suck you in despite them being just the worst kind of people.

 

Stanley Kubrick vs Ridley Scott (no contest)
Steven Spielberg vs Quentin Tarantino (no contest) QT is simply too gimmicky when compared to these heavy hitters
Alfred Hitchcock vs Francis Ford Coppola (no contest) The only reason Hitchcock might lose is because people simply won't watch really old movies. FFC has released mostly meh movies since the 70s, while Hitchcock was changing the game for decades. It's like ranking Russell or Wilt lower than Robinson or Ewing

Considering it's the elite 8 I expected this to be tough, but with the Coens and Cameron going out these first 3 were very easy choices


Martin Scorsese vs Christopher Nolan

By far the hardest choice of the tournament. I went with Scorsese simply because his body of work is larger. Can Nolan keep dropping masterpieces for a few more decades, time will tell. Scorsese v Kubrick seems unavoidable at this point.