Best Director

[Guest Vern Gagne]

This was completley random.

 

Bold your winners

 

Group A

 

Robert Altman vs Francois Truffiant

George Roy Hill vs Barry Levinson

 

Sidney Lumet vs Steven Sodeberg

Francis Ford Coppola vs Clint Eastwood

 

Guy Ritchie vs David Lean

Christopher Nolan vs Orson Welles

 

Jean Renoir vs Frank Capra

Jean- Luc Godard vs Woody Allen

 

Group B

 

Henry Hathaway vs John Ford

Joel Cohen vs Don Siegel

 

Steven Spielberg vs Wes Anderson

Franco Zeffirelli vs Vincente Minelli

 

David Lynch vs Quentin Tarenteno

Sam Peckinpah vs Howard Hawkes

 

Bertrand Tavernier vs William Wyler

Spike Lee vs Cameron Crowe

 

Group C

 

Robert Redford vs Martin Scorsce

Paul Anderson vs John Sturges

 

Stanly Kubrick vs Roman Polanski

Akira Kurosawa vs Terry Gilliam

 

Blake Edwards vs Mike Nichols

David Croneberg vs Mel Brooks

 

Brian DePalma vs John Huston

Fritz Lang vs Tim Burton

 

Group D

 

John Sayles vs Oliver Stone

George Cukor vs Preston Sturgis

 

Wolfgang Petersen vs Rob Reiner

Alfred Hitchcock vs John Carpenter

 

Sergio Leone vs Sam Raimi

Billy Wilder vs Ed Burns

 

Luis Bunel vs Terrence Malick

Elia Kazan vs James Cameron

[Guest Choken One]

Just a suggestion...Throw in a movie they made (not many know who made Shawshank, even though it was one of the final 4 movies).

[Guest Lethargic]

Robert Altman vs Francois Truffiant - They both suck it but Altman sucks more.

 

George Roy Hill vs Barry Levinson - Draw, neither deserves to even be in a field of 164.

 

Sidney Lumet vs Steven Sodeberg

 

Francis Ford Coppola vs Clint Eastwood

 

Guy Ritchie vs David Lean - Not voting on this one either. Ritchie hasn't done enough to deserve a vote and I'm never gonna bother to watch one of Lean's overly long snores.

 

Christopher Nolan vs Orson Welles - Give me a break.

 

Jean Renoir vs Frank Capra - Capra by default. Never even heard of Renoir, went through his profile and never even heard of one of his movies. And for me to not know somebody who directed in the 20s - 40s is saying something.

 

Jean- Luc Godard vs Woody Allen - Anytime I can vote against somebody from the French New Wave I'll do it unless they're up against somebody I really hate.

 

Group B

 

Henry Hathaway vs John Ford - Not big on westerns.

 

Joel Cohen vs Don Siegel - What? Joel Cohen? Who the hell is Joel Cohen? The guy that directed Monster Mash? Do you mean Joel COEN? Either way the Coen Brothers are the most over-rated losers ever. Don't like Siegel either but I'll at least vote AGAINST the Coens.

 

Steven Spielberg vs Wes Anderson - That's a fair contest.

 

Franco Zeffirelli vs Vincente Minelli - Who and who? Even IMDB has no idea who Vincente Minelli is. They don't have a profile on him. How in the world did these guys make this list?

 

David Lynch vs Quentin Tarenteno - Out of all these no-name people how do these two end up going head to head already? Same goes for the next two selections as well.

 

Sam Peckinpah vs Howard Hawkes - Both pretty even in talent but Hawks, not Hawkes, had the longer run.

 

Bertrand Tavernier vs William Wyler - Cause he's not French again.

 

Spike Lee vs Cameron Crowe - Wanna give it to Crowe for Almost Famous but gotta give it to Spike for having the balls to make some of the stuff he makes.

 

Group C

 

Robert Redford vs Martin Scorsce - HA

 

Paul Anderson vs John Sturges - Which Paul Anderson? The Paul Anderson that did Boogie Nights and Magnolia or the Paul Anderson that did Event Horizon and Soldier? If it's Boogie Nights Paul Anderson then I vote for him. If it's the shitbag Paul Anderson that did Soldier, he can go to hell and I vote for Sturges.

 

Stanly Kubrick vs Roman Polanski - Best thing Roman did was get kicked out of the country.

 

Akira Kurosawa vs Terry Gilliam - Probably in the long run, Kurosawa is probably better but Gilliam's movies are more fun to watch and that's what it all comes down to for me.

 

Blake Edwards vs Mike Nichols - Wow. Yeah. Gonna have to skip this one too. Hang them both.

 

David Croneberg vs Mel Brooks - This is tough. For every good movie Cronenberg has he has two equally bad ones. But Mel Brooks did Men in Tights and that should take away all votes right there.

 

Brian DePalma vs John Huston - Even though I keep hearing this commercial say that DePalma is the master of the glorified titty flick, gotta go with Huston.

 

Fritz Lang vs Tim Burton - Fritz Lang. #1 Because he could kick Tim Burton's ass. #2 Because Tim Burton felt he didn't screw up Batman enough the first time, now he's gonna direct Batman the Musical.

 

Group D

 

John Sayles vs Oliver Stone - Was this one a joke?

 

George Cukor vs Preston Sturgis - Lesser of two evils.

 

Wolfgang Petersen vs Rob Reiner - Reiner did something besides Spinal Tap?!?

 

Alfred Hitchcock vs John Carpenter - Oh man. This one is hilarious. My side is hurting.

 

Sergio Leone vs Sam Raimi - Don't care for westerns too much.

 

Billy Wilder vs Ed Burns - I'd rather gouge out my eyes than vote for either one of these guys.

 

Luis Bunel vs Terrence Malick - Never heard of Bunel but I hate Terrence Malick like I hate nobody else.

 

Elia Kazan vs James Cameron - Once again I'm more voting against somebody than for somebody

[Guest godthedog]

oops...ignore.

[Guest WrestlingDeacon]

I think it's a good idea to put at least one film each has directed just to refresh people's memories, but they can always check the nominations thread if they feel froggy.

 

After reading lethargic's ballot I get the image of a guy sitting in a dark room with bulging eyes and saliva flying while polishing a rifle. The hate is palapable through my monitor.

 

Group A

 

Robert Altman vs Francois Truffiant

-I've been getting into Altman more and more lately. He was counter culture without being hippy and could use all the tricks of the trade without being pretensious.

 

George Roy Hill vs Barry Levinson

-Not a huge Barry Levinson fan per se, but I adore the Natural as a throwback to classic Hollywood filmmaking and it's a very well put together flick. Hill only has about 3 good films, all with Paul Newman, to his credit and was down to directing snoozers like Funny Farm by the late eighties.

 

Sidney Lumet vs Steven Sodeberg

-I'm becoming a big fan of Soderbergh's stylistic cool. I think he's a director with many great films left in him. Lumet is an old workhorse, but I'll go with the present and future of Hollywood on this one.

 

Francis Ford Coppola vs Clint Eastwood

-Coppola is the better director overall, but no one is going to vote for Eastwood so I'm going with my sentimental choice. I believe him to be one of the most underrated directors of the last 25 years and Tightrope is an overlooked classic.

 

Guy Ritchie vs David Lean

-Madonna's husband vs. the king of the epics.

 

Christopher Nolan vs Orson Welles

-Interesting that Momento is something that Welles would try if he had a few cameras and a weekend to kill. I hold high hopes for Nolan's career, but Welles is an all-time master of bending technical specs to any crazy way he wants them.

 

Jean Renoir vs Frank Capra

-I'm typically not a big fan of French directors, but I can stomach Renoir well enough and really like Grand Illusion. Capra could be schmaltzy at times, but you could never deny that the heart was genuine.

 

Jean- Luc Godard vs Woody Allen

-A tremendous body of work with very few clunkers and even those have spirit and originality. I'm more of a fan of Allen's earlier and funnier flicks and his talent is well displayed in What's up Tiger Lilly? as only he could salvage such a farce of an idea for a movie.

 

Group B

 

Henry Hathaway vs John Ford

-Two personal favorites square off in the first round. I don't think you can deny the cinematic eye and ability to frame a scene of Pappy Ford though.

 

Joel Cohen vs Don Siegel

-I feel the Coen Brothers are more of a team than anything and their films are more centered around the screenplay and quirky acting than the directing. Siegel is one of the better all time action directors and Eastwood's mentor. He was also one of the few men that could force John Wayne to get off his lazy ass and act for a change.

 

Steven Spielberg vs Wes Anderson

-I think Spielberg has gone to pot recently, but his earlier work has such a slick flair to them. You can also tell that Spielberg never wanted to be much more than a solid talent free to make the kind of films that enthralled him as a youth. Anderson only has three movies to his credit, while interesting ones, leaves him a little short to be on a list like this.

 

Franco Zeffirelli vs Vincente Minelli

-As you noted Lethargic, there are spelling errors throughout this ballot. If you look for a Minnelli with two n's, you will find that he is the Oscar winning director of Gigi with another nomination for an American in Paris. His other notable films include Meet me In St. Louis, Madame Bovary, Father of the Bride, Lust for Life and the Sandpiper. He made 38 films over 35 years and was married to Judy Garland.

 

David Lynch vs Quentin Tarenteno

-I really can't stand Lynch, although I could see Tarantino and him slugging it out if they were left in a room for too long. And Christ, the spelling is off throughout this thing.

 

Sam Peckinpah vs Howard Hawkes

-Hawks made everything from westerns to musicals from the silents to the seventies. He is an underappreciated talent today. The man could make the same movie three times and nobody said a word.

 

Bertrand Tavernier vs William Wyler

-I'm really not familiar with Tavernier outside of 'Round Mindnight and Wyler was one of my picks.

 

Spike Lee vs Cameron Crowe

-Lee is a very passionate filmmaker who can be softly understated in his work when needed. You also can't say he doesn't tackle racial issues that make some cringe.

 

Group C

 

Robert Redford vs Martin Scorsce

-Quiz Show rules it, but Scorsese rules it much more on his own.

 

Paul Anderson vs John Sturges

-As mentioned in the nominations thread, this is PT Anderson of Magnolia and Boogie Nights. I like a lot of Sturges' films, including lesser works like McQ and Sergeants 3, but Anderson will be my other budding director pick like Soderbergh.

 

Stanly Kubrick vs Roman Polanski

-Chinatown is an all time classic, but Polanski has gone to shit since then. Kubrick was an all time visionary.

 

 

Akira Kurosawa vs Terry Gilliam

-I've been short changing the french, but not the Japanese. Kurosawa is a cross between Orson Welles and John Ford. How do you beat that?

 

Blake Edwards vs Mike Nichols

-Sunset is a guilty pleasure of mine and I don't think Edwards gets the credit he deserves for such films as the Pink Panther.

 

David Croneberg vs Mel Brooks

-Brooks has really trailed off since Spaceballs, which I don't like as well as most, but Young Frankenstein, the Producers and Blazing Saddles are three of my all time favorites.

 

Brian DePalma vs John Huston

-The only reason I could sit through Snake Eyes was DePalma's direction. I think he really got lost in the shuffle with other guys he came up with like Coppolla and Scorsese. Huston, however, is a grand old man of film who was also a decent actor and he helped define film noir with the Maltese Falcon.

 

Fritz Lang vs Tim Burton

-You know, I bet Tim Burton wishes he was Fritz Lang.

 

Group D

 

John Sayles vs Oliver Stone

-Personal prejudice. I don't care much for Stone the crusading and paranoid director. Sayles also directed the forgotten t.v. show Shannon's Deal.

 

George Cukor vs Preston Sturgis

-Sturges only has a handful of films to his credit really. Cukor has an impressive and wide ranging body or work and was a real actresses director.

 

Wolfgang Petersen vs Rob Reiner

-I'm really only familiar with Petersen's American work, but like most of it. Shattered is underrated. Reiner will tell you that he just wants to make a buck and put food on the table.

 

Alfred Hitchcock vs John Carpenter

-Interesting match up if you think about it, but Carpenter would resign in defeat if he saw this pairing.

 

Sergio Leone vs Sam Raimi

-I find Leone to be very heavy handed and too blatant in his shot choices. Watch Once Upon A Time in the Old West to see what I mean. Raimi is probably the best you can hope for from nerdy film students who played around with cameras all their lives.

 

Billy Wilder vs Ed Burns

-I'm not even going to comment.

 

Luis Bunel vs Terrence Malick

-The artsy fartsy foreigners can have their one pick as Malick has only made like four movies.

 

Elia Kazan vs James Cameron

-Let's give Jingus his one pick, but Kazan hands Cameron' ass to him anyway.

[Guest WrestlingDeacon]

Godthedog- Welles is battling Nolan in group A

[Guest godthedog]

After reading lethargic's ballot I get the image of a guy sitting in a dark room with bulging eyes and saliva flying while polishing a rifle. The hate is palapable through my monitor.

you got that impression too?

 

Robert Altman vs Francois TruffAUt

this is my longest one, as i really need to make my case for truffaut. not unlike welles, he changed moviemaking forever. claude chabrol may have made the first 'new wave' film, but it was 'the 400 blows' that proved to the world that anybody with a little money & god-like talent can make a great movie. if it weren't for truffaut, independent film as it is today would not exist.

 

not only that, but on a critical level truffaut is easily the most important figure in the last 40 years. you know the auteur theory? the idea that the director is the author of the film, & each great director says something about himself in each of his movies, and directors each have stylistic traits that make them unique? the idea we base almost all film criticism on? that's truffaut's idea. before him, the screenwriter was considered the most important person in a film. the man changed the way we THINK about movies. if it weren't for truffaut, we would not be having this tournament. so a big, healthy "screw you" to everybody who doesn't vote for him. you will get down on your knees and recite ten "hail truffauts" and five "hail antoines."

 

George Roy Hill vs Barry Levinson

2 hacks, but hill is the slightly better hack.

 

Sidney Lumet vs Steven Sodeberg

'network'? 'dog day afternoon'? '12 angry men'? lumet wins, no contest.

 

Francis Ford Coppola vs Clint Eastwood

easy choice, even though i hate coppola.

 

Guy Ritchie vs David Lean

lean was always a tad overblown, but he did what he did very very well.

 

Christopher Nolan vs Orson Welles

greatest director ever. next.

 

Jean Renoir vs Frank Capra

my film professor would kill me, but for a very long time 'it's a wonderful life' was my favorite movie.

 

Jean- Luc Godard vs Woody Allen

i loved woody allen in high school, but when i watch most of his stuff now it seems shallow, pretentious, obvious & really stale. especially 'interiors'. he tried to make important movies that had something different to say, but he just doesn't have the subtlety or the brains to hang with the big boys.

although there's lots of godard stuff i don't like, he's at least challenging and engaging. he presents ideas in new, original ways, & there's nobody who makes movies like he does. when he gets it right, his movies feel alive in a way that few works of art can be. and 'pierrot le fou' is funnier than 'annie hall' anyway.

 

Group B

 

Henry Hathaway vs John Ford

i don't think anybody put a personal style on to the screen more successfully in the old studio system than ford.

 

Joel Cohen vs Don Siegel

no contest.

 

Steven Spielberg vs Wes Anderson

see above.

 

Franco Zeffirelli vs Vincente Minelli

not familiar enough to vote for either of them.

 

David Lynch vs Quentin TarAntIno

tarantino couldn't be half as inventive or daring as lynch in his wet dreams.

 

Sam Peckinpah vs Howard Hawks

not a big peckinpah fan.

 

Bertrand Tavernier vs William Wyler

not familiar with tavernier, can't vote.

 

Spike Lee vs Cameron Crowe

tough one.

 

Group C

 

Robert Redford vs Martin Scorsese

you put just about any director from the last 30 years against scorsese & he'll lose.

 

Paul Anderson vs John Sturges

assuming it's paul thomas anderson.

 

Stanley Kubrick vs Roman Polanski

i loved kubrick as a teenager, but i'm quietly growing out of his looooon pauses. and this is a perfect change to plug 'repulsion', the best horror movie ever made.

 

Akira Kurosawa vs Terry Gilliam

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

 

Blake Edwards vs Mike Nichols

come on, he made 'the graduate'.

 

David Cronenberg vs Mel Brooks

gotta love cronenberg, for sheer weirdness.

 

Brian DePalma vs John Huston

de palma sucks, his style sucks, and most of his films suck.

 

Fritz Lang vs Tim Burton

haven't seen any lang.

 

Group D

 

John Sayles vs Oliver Stone

much like woody allen: stone has a lot of "important" things to say, but he's an intellectual lightweight & it's hard not to notice cause he sacrifices realism, characters, dialogue, just about everything for the points he tries to make. sayles is cool.

 

George Cukor vs Preston Sturgis

never seen a sturges film, can't vote.

 

Wolfgang Petersen vs Rob Reiner

peterson gets it for 'das boot' alone.

 

Alfred Hitchcock vs John Carpenter

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

 

Sergio Leone vs Sam Raimi

can't make a fair judgment.

 

Billy Wilder vs Ed Burns

ditto.

 

Luis Bunel vs Terrence Malick

malick's overrated, bunuel rules the world.

 

Elia Kazan vs James Cameron

nigga, please.

[Guest Madmartigan21]

John Sayles vs Oliver Stone - Was this one a joke?

If you're a big Oliver Stone fan, that's fine. But what the hell do you have against John Sayles?

 

 

Group A

 

Robert Altman vs Francois Truffiant

George Roy Hill vs Barry Levinson

 

Sidney Lumet vs Steven Sodeberg - This was a tough one for me.

Francis Ford Coppola vs Clint Eastwood

 

Guy Ritchie vs David Lean

Christopher Nolan vs Orson Welles

 

Jean Renoir vs Frank Capra

Jean- Luc Godard vs Woody Allen

 

Group B

 

Henry Hathaway vs John Ford

Joel Coen vs Don Siegel

 

Steven Spielberg vs Wes Anderson

Franco Zeffirelli vs Vincente Minelli

 

David Lynch vs Quentin Tarenteno - This is for director, not screenwriter. As a director I think Lynch OWNS Tarantino(The correct spelling of his name by the way)

 

 

Sam Peckinpah vs Howard Hawkes

 

Bertrand Tavernier vs William Wyler

Spike Lee vs Cameron Crowe

 

Group C

 

Robert Redford vs Martin Scorsce

Paul Anderson vs John Sturges

 

Stanly Kubrick vs Roman Polanski

Akira Kurosawa vs Terry Gilliam

 

Blake Edwards vs Mike Nichols

David Croneberg vs Mel Brooks - Brooks has more good movies, but I think that also has to do with the writing.

 

Brian DePalma vs John Huston

Fritz Lang vs Tim Burton

 

Group D

 

John Sayles vs Oliver Stone

George Cukor vs Preston Sturgis

 

Wolfgang Petersen vs Rob Reiner

Alfred Hitchcock vs John Carpenter

 

Sergio Leone vs Sam Raimi

Billy Wilder vs Ed Burns

 

Luis Bunel vs Terrence Malick

Elia Kazan vs James Cameron - This might seem just wrong to some people, but I'm a mark for "The Terminator", "Aliens", "The Abyss", and "Terminator 2: Judegemnt Day".

 

 

BTW, there are some SERIOUS spelling errors on this list, that should be corrected in future rounds.

[Guest ArkhamGlobe]

Group A

 

Robert Altman vs Francois Truffaut

 

Like Chabrol, Godard, Rivette, Resnais and the rest of them, Truffaut changed the way so many people look at movies forever. His love for filmmaking shines through in all his films. Altman is another personal favorite, but Truffaut gets the nod.

 

George Roy Hill vs Barry Levinson

 

I'm not that crazy about either, but Hill made Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

 

Sidney Lumet vs Steven Sodeberg

 

I like both, but Lumet has made better films, in my opinion.

 

Francis Ford Coppola vs Clint Eastwood

 

Coppola's really gone to shit since the 80's, and Eastwood's an extremely underrated director, but Coppola gets the nod on the strength of his early work.

 

Guy Ritchie vs David Lean

 

Ritchie makes fun popcorn movies, so even though I haven't seen much of Lean's work, he gets my pick anyway.

 

Christopher Nolan vs Orson Welles

 

No contest.

 

Jean Renoir vs Frank Capra

 

I think I've watched exactly one of their movies each, since I don't even remember which Capra movie it was, and I really loved the Grand Illusion, Renoir gets my pick.

 

Jean- Luc Godard vs Woody Allen

 

Woody Allen is a great filmmaker, Annie Hall and Manhattan are two of my favorite, but he's up against Jean-Luc Godard. Like his new wave buddies, Godard changed filmmaking forever. His films can be either infuriating or exhilirating, depending on who you are or what mood you're in and so forth, but when he gets it right the films almost acquire a life of their own. Pierrot le Fou and Breathless (on second viewing) are two of the most exhilerating movies I have ever seen. Godard is my hero.

 

Group B

 

Henry Hathaway vs John Ford

 

No contest.

 

Joel Coen vs Don Siegel

 

Siegel's great, but I like the Coen's better.

 

Steven Spielberg vs Wes Anderson

 

I almost voted against Spielberg just out of spite, but his 70's work remains impressive. I have been very impressed by Anderson, though.

 

Franco Zeffirelli vs Vincente Minnelli

 

I have seen one Zeffirelli film (his adaption of Hamlet), I have seen no Minnelli film, thus Zeffirelli gets my pick by default.

 

David Lynch vs Quentin Tarantino

 

I like both, but I like Lynch better.

 

Sam Peckinpah vs Howard Hawks

 

Again, I'm a huge fan of both, but I like Hawks better.

 

Bertrand Tavernier vs William Wyler

 

Can't vote, haven't seen any of their films.

 

Spike Lee vs Cameron Crowe

 

No real reason.

 

Group C

 

Robert Redford vs Martin Scorsese

 

No contest.

 

Paul Anderson vs John Sturges

 

Assuming it's Paul Thomas Anderson.

 

Stanley Kubrick vs Roman Polanski

 

Two of my favorites, but I like Kubrick better.

 

Akira Kurosawa vs Terry Gilliam

 

I like both, but Kurosawa's like one of my top five favorite directors.

 

Blake Edwards vs Mike Nichols

 

I find the Pink Panther movies rather hilarious but Nichols gets my pick. Don't ask me to elaborate on it, though.

 

David Croneberg vs Mel Brooks

 

Brooks made funny movies early on, but Cronenberg is easily the superior director.

 

Brian DePalma vs John Huston

 

I like DePalma when he goes way over the top with his stylistic flourishes, but Huston is the better director.

 

Fritz Lang vs Tim Burton

 

I like Burton, but I like Lang better.

 

Group D

 

John Sayles vs Oliver Stone

 

I've only seen one of Sayles' films, thus I feel I can't really judge his abilities fairly, so Stone gets my vote by default.

 

George Cukor vs Preston Sturges

 

Haven't seen anything by either, thus no vote.

 

Wolfgang Petersen vs Rob Reiner

 

No real reason, I just feel Petersen is more talented for some reason.

 

Alfred Hitchcock vs John Carpenter

 

I'm a big fan of Carpenter, but it's Hitch.

 

Sergio Leone vs Sam Raimi

 

Leone made stylistic overkill into great art. I like Raimi, but he doesn't measure up to Leone.

 

Billy Wilder vs Ed Burns

 

I haven't seen any of Burns' films, thus Wilder gets my vote by default.

 

Luis Bunuel vs Terrence Malick

 

See above.

 

Elia Kazan vs James Cameron

 

I'm not voting for Cameron.

[Guest LooseCannon]

I'm not going to bother explaining all of my choices this round.

 

Group A

 

Robert Altman vs Francois Truffiant

George Roy Hill vs Barry Levinson

 

Sidney Lumet vs Steven Sodeberg

Francis Ford Coppola vs Clint Eastwood

 

Guy Ritchie vs David Lean

Christopher Nolan vs Orson Welles

 

Jean Renoir vs Frank Capra

Jean- Luc Godard vs Woody Allen

 

Group B

 

Henry Hathaway vs John Ford

Joel Cohen vs Don Siegel

 

Steven Spielberg vs Wes Anderson

Franco Zeffirelli vs Vincente Minelli

 

David Lynch vs Quentin Tarenteno

Sam Peckinpah vs Howard Hawkes --that's my second nominee, I've had to vote against this round.

 

Bertrand Tavernier vs William Wyler

Spike Lee vs Cameron Crowe

 

Group C

 

Robert Redford vs Martin Scorsce

Paul Anderson vs John Sturges

 

Stanly Kubrick vs Roman Polanski I should probably vote the other way, but Chinatown is one of my favorite movies, and Kubrick as good as he is, sucks the life right out of a movie.

Akira Kurosawa vs Terry Gilliam

 

Blake Edwards vs Mike Nichols

David Croneberg vs Mel Brooks

 

Brian DePalma vs John Huston This is the easiest vote in the whole round

Fritz Lang vs Tim Burton

 

Group D

 

John Sayles vs Oliver Stone

George Cukor vs Preston Sturgis -- Haven't seen any Sturges and only 1 Cukor anyway

 

Wolfgang Petersen vs Rob Reiner

Alfred Hitchcock vs John Carpenter

 

Sergio Leone vs Sam Raimi -- Never seen any Leone

Billy Wilder vs Ed Burns -- not even close

 

Luis Bunel vs Terrence Malick -- malick fucking sucks

Elia Kazan vs James Cameron

[Guest godthedog]

Woody Allen is a great filmmaker, Annie Hall and Manhattan are two of my favorite, but he's up against Jean-Luc Godard. Like his new wave buddies, Godard changed filmmaking forever. His films can be either infuriating or exhilirating, depending on who you are or what mood you're in and so forth, but when he gets it right the films almost acquire a life of their own. Pierrot le Fou and Breathless (on second viewing) are two of the most exhilerating movies I have ever seen. Godard is my hero.

have you seen 'weekend'? almost as good as 'pierrot le fou' & it's got a lot of story similarites, but it's so much weirder and more distant. my second-favorite godard, & according to what i've read, the last real movie he made before going all pseudo-political and obsessed with semiotics.

[Guest ArkhamGlobe]

No, I've wanted to see it forever, but I haven't been able to find it anywhere until recently, so when I get enough money together I'm going to order it. I've been told several times though that it's something that should be right up my alley.

[Guest Lethargic]

After reading lethargic's ballot I get the image of a guy sitting in a dark room with bulging eyes and saliva flying while polishing a rifle. The hate is palapable through my monitor.

Why, because I have opinions on who I like and don't like? Isn't that what voting is for?

[Guest Lethargic]

you know the auteur theory? the idea that the director is the author of the film, & each great director says something about himself in each of his movies, and directors each have stylistic traits that make them unique? the idea we base almost all film criticism on? that's truffaut's idea. before him, the screenwriter was considered the most important person in a film. the man changed the way we THINK about movies.

Well, good thing you told me that. Now I know which director I hate more than any of the others. Now I have a name to go along with all the blame.

[Guest Lethargic]

If you're a big Oliver Stone fan, that's fine. But what the hell do you have against John Sayles?

How about you tell me something I should have FOR him? Ooh, he directed Brother from Another Planet? Wow. What a track record. What a director. Not to mention that he's primarily a writer not a director and Stone is the opposite.

[Guest godthedog]

After reading lethargic's ballot I get the image of a guy sitting in a dark room with bulging eyes and saliva flying while polishing a rifle. The hate is palapable through my monitor.

Why, because I have opinions on who I like and don't like? Isn't that what voting is for?

no, because that was one of the most bitter posts i've ever seen on this board.

 

They both suck it but Altman sucks more.

 

Draw, neither deserves to even be in a field of 164.

 

Not voting on this one either. Ritchie hasn't done enough to deserve a vote and I'm never gonna bother to watch one of Lean's overly long snores.

 

Capra by default. Never even heard of Renoir, went through his profile and never even heard of one of his movies. And for me to not know somebody who directed in the 20s - 40s is saying something.

 

Anytime I can vote against somebody from the French New Wave I'll do it unless they're up against somebody I really hate.

 

What? Joel Cohen? Who the hell is Joel Cohen? The guy that directed Monster Mash? Do you mean Joel COEN? Either way the Coen Brothers are the most over-rated losers ever. Don't like Siegel either but I'll at least vote AGAINST the Coens.

 

David Lynch vs Quentin Tarenteno - Out of all these no-name people how do these two end up going head to head already? Same goes for the next two selections as well.

 

Cause he's not French again.

 

 

Best thing Roman did was get kicked out of the country.

 

Wow. Yeah. Gonna have to skip this one too. Hang them both.

 

Lesser of two evils.

 

I'd rather gouge out my eyes than vote for either one of these guys.

 

Never heard of Bunel but I hate Terrence Malick like I hate nobody else.

 

Once again I'm more voting against somebody than for somebody

for every "i like x" or "y is pretty good" comment, there's like 20 "z SUCKS DICK AND I HATE HIM HE SHOULD DIE" comments. even your comments on voting for directors you obviously like were cynical and had a huge "i am supierior to all of this" air about them.

[Guest LooseCannon]

You know, I just realized we all omitted Sergei Eisenstein. That's really a damn shame.

[Guest Madmartigan21]

If you're a big Oliver Stone fan, that's fine.  But what the hell do you have against John Sayles?

How about you tell me something I should have FOR him? Ooh, he directed Brother from Another Planet? Wow. What a track record. What a director. Not to mention that he's primarily a writer not a director and Stone is the opposite.

You want JUST one thing, then look no further then Lone Star. It SO owns everything Stone has EVER done. You want MORE reasons? Have a look like at these:

 

Sunshine State

 

Limbo

 

Men with Guns

 

The Secret of Roan Inish

 

Passion Fish

 

City of Hope - This for some reason is his most overlooked movie. I would definitely say it's his second best after Lone Star. With this movie it was where he really mastered handling many characters, while making them all distiguishable and fully developed. But he topped this effort with the aforemetioned Lone Star.

 

Eight Men Out

 

Matewan

 

 

Is he a tremendous writer? You bet your ass he is. He also happens to be a tremendous director as well. Before Kevin Smith maxed out his credit cards, before there was an Independent Film Channel or a Sundance festival and long before independent film became a "marketing niche" there was John Sayles, making it happen with a combination of talent, shrewdness, and determination.

[Guest Lethargic]

After reading lethargic's ballot I get the image of a guy sitting in a dark room with bulging eyes and saliva flying while polishing a rifle. The hate is palapable through my monitor.

Why, because I have opinions on who I like and don't like? Isn't that what voting is for?

no, because that was one of the most bitter posts i've ever seen on this board.

 

They both suck it but Altman sucks more.

 

Draw, neither deserves to even be in a field of 164.

 

Not voting on this one either. Ritchie hasn't done enough to deserve a vote and I'm never gonna bother to watch one of Lean's overly long snores.

 

Capra by default. Never even heard of Renoir, went through his profile and never even heard of one of his movies. And for me to not know somebody who directed in the 20s - 40s is saying something.

 

Anytime I can vote against somebody from the French New Wave I'll do it unless they're up against somebody I really hate.

 

What? Joel Cohen? Who the hell is Joel Cohen? The guy that directed Monster Mash? Do you mean Joel COEN? Either way the Coen Brothers are the most over-rated losers ever. Don't like Siegel either but I'll at least vote AGAINST the Coens.

 

David Lynch vs Quentin Tarenteno - Out of all these no-name people how do these two end up going head to head already? Same goes for the next two selections as well.

 

Cause he's not French again.

 

 

Best thing Roman did was get kicked out of the country.

 

Wow. Yeah. Gonna have to skip this one too. Hang them both.

 

Lesser of two evils.

 

I'd rather gouge out my eyes than vote for either one of these guys.

 

Never heard of Bunel but I hate Terrence Malick like I hate nobody else.

 

Once again I'm more voting against somebody than for somebody

for every "i like x" or "y is pretty good" comment, there's like 20 "z SUCKS DICK AND I HATE HIM HE SHOULD DIE" comments. even your comments on voting for directors you obviously like were cynical and had a huge "i am supierior to all of this" air about them.

What the hell is bitter about it? I have people I like a great deal and I have people I hate a great deal. No different from anybody else. If I thought I was better than this I wouldn't be voting in it. Sorry that I don't like somebody that you do. That's the way the world is. Sorry for using some sarcastic jokes to explain my choices. Next time I'll let you read it first and correct it, then I'll post it to make sure it doesn't get your little panties in a bunch.

[Guest Lethargic]

You want JUST one thing, then look no further then Lone Star. It SO owns everything Stone has EVER done. You want MORE reasons? Have a look like at these:

 

Sunshine State

 

Limbo

 

Men with Guns

 

The Secret of Roan Inish

 

Passion Fish

 

City of Hope - This for some reason is his most overlooked movie. I would definitely say it's his second best after Lone Star. With this movie it was where he really mastered handling many characters, while making them all distiguishable and fully developed. But he topped this effort with the aforemetioned Lone Star.

 

Eight Men Out

 

Matewan

 

 

Is he a tremendous writer? You bet your ass he is. He also happens to be a tremendous director as well. Before Kevin Smith maxed out his credit cards, before there was an Independent Film Channel or a Sundance festival and long before independent film became a "marketing niche" there was John Sayles, making it happen with a combination of talent, shrewdness, and determination.

Wow, that makes me want to vote for Oliver Stone twice.

[Guest WrestlingDeacon]

I have to agree with godthedog here, lethargic. There's a difference between expressing your opinions and just verbally bashing. You don't see anyone else using the language and sentiments you are and others have stated that there are plenty of people on the ballot they do and don't like. It's not like any of these directors are going to read this thread, so why go to such extreme lengths to bash them? I agree with several of your opinions and feel you should say whatever you want how you want, but it just seemed like you were getting a little too worked up over something like this. It's supposed to be a fun little survey and you have seemingly put a lot of spiteful bile into your ballot, with the sarcastic little jokes you mention a little hard to discern because of how you state things.

[Guest dreamer420]

Group A

 

Robert Altman vs Francois Truffiant

winner: robert altman

George Roy Hill vs Barry Levinson

winner: barry levinson

 

Sidney Lumet vs Steven Sodeberg

winner: steven soberberg

Francis Ford Coppola vs Clint Eastwood

winner: francis ford coppola

 

Guy Ritchie vs David Lean

winner: david lean

Christopher Nolan vs Orson Welles

winner: orson welles

 

Jean Renoir vs Frank Capra

winner: jean renoir

Jean- Luc Godard vs Woody Allen

winner: woody allen

 

Group B

 

Henry Hathaway vs John Ford

winner: john ford

Joel Cohen vs Don Siegel

winner: joel cohen

 

Steven Spielberg vs Wes Anderson

winner: steven spielberg

Franco Zeffirelli vs Vincente Minelli

winner: franco zefferelli

 

David Lynch vs Quentin Tarenteno

winner: quentin tarantino

Sam Peckinpah vs Howard Hawkes

winner: sam peckinpah

 

Bertrand Tavernier vs William Wyler

winner: william wyler

Spike Lee vs Cameron Crowe

winner: cameron crowe

 

Group C

 

Robert Redford vs Martin Scorsce

winner: martin scorsese

Paul Anderson vs John Sturges

winner: paul anderson

 

Stanly Kubrick vs Roman Polanski

winner: stanley kubrick

Akira Kurosawa vs Terry Gilliam

winner: terry gilliam

 

Blake Edwards vs Mike Nichols

winner: mike nichols

David Croneberg vs Mel Brooks

winner: mel brooks

 

Brian DePalma vs John Huston

winner: john huston

Fritz Lang vs Tim Burton

winner: tim burton

 

Group D

 

John Sayles vs Oliver Stone

winner: oliver stone

George Cukor vs Preston Sturgis

winner: preston sturgis

 

Wolfgang Petersen vs Rob Reiner

winner: wolfgang peterson

Alfred Hitchcock vs John Carpenter

winner: alfred hitchcock

 

Sergio Leone vs Sam Raimi

winner: sergio leone

Billy Wilder vs Ed Burns

winner: edward burns

 

Luis Bunel vs Terrence Malick

winner: terrance malick

Elia Kazan vs James Cameron

winner: james cameron

[Guest Lethargic]

I have to agree with godthedog here, lethargic. There's a difference between expressing your opinions and just verbally bashing. You don't see anyone else using the language and sentiments you are and others have stated that there are plenty of people on the ballot they do and don't like. It's not like any of these directors are going to read this thread, so why go to such extreme lengths to bash them? I agree with several of your opinions and feel you should say whatever you want how you want, but it just seemed like you were getting a little too worked up over something like this. It's supposed to be a fun little survey and you have seemingly put a lot of spiteful bile into your ballot, with the sarcastic little jokes you mention a little hard to discern because of how you state things.

I didn't get worked up over anything at all. I just said what I thought about them. Why would I get worked up over that crap? The only thing gets me worked up is retarded comments like this. If you honestly think that I went to extreme limits to bash people your head will explode when I actually DO bash somebody. I honestly don't remember "bashing" anybody. I said I didn't like some guys. The only thing that seemed extreme was the one thing I said about hanging whoever it was. Good Lord, did you really take that serious? Yes, I think the Coens are incredibly over-rated and I've never liked anything they've done but one movie. So I said that. Believe me, whenever I'm talking about the Coens I WANT to rant about it but I didn't do it. And I didn't do it for the same reason I usually keep my rants to myself on various subjects, because I don't want to get into some dumb argument like this one. I think every single thing Malick has made has been pitiful. So I said that. I don't see that Sayles has made anything that's worth much. I can't stand French New Wave movies. I think Paul Anderson, not Paul Thomas Anderson, is one of the worst directors in the business. It's not spiteful bile. It's my opinion. I'm not trying to be spiteful to anybody, like I really think the directors are reading this, I'm sure they're all too busy making some more stupid movies that I won't like. I simply said why I voted the way I did and whatever popped into my head as soon as I read the choices. Verbally bashing them? You're damn straight. If I can't stand their movies and think they deserve bashing, I'm gonna bash them. Don't like it, skip my posts. I'm not gonna sugar coat my opinions and act like Mr Nice Guy because they might hurt somebody's feeling. Believe me I'll say who I think sucks in the next round too so either get used to it or get used to skipping mine. You say that you feel I should say what I want, how I want to say it and you say that this supposed to be for fun, but when I DO post my opinions and I DO have fun with it, it's wrong all of a sudden.

[Guest godthedog]

i can't really speak for anybody else, but here's my thoughts:

 

being rich and heavy on rhetoric wasn't what made the post seem bitter. hell, i did that. we don't care if you "sugar coat" them or not, i've said far worse things in this thread & nobody cared. what made ME think it was bitter was that you went on & on about the guys you hated, and you said almost nothing about the guys you liked. something unbalanced like that tends to leave the impression that we got. it reminds me of a review i read once of the herzog documentary about klaus kinski, 'my best fiend': the reviewer said it was the best movie of 1999, yet still spent half the review talking about how he thought werner herzog sucks.

[Guest evenflowDDT]

 

Where's Ed Wood? Herschell Gordon Lewis? Ishiro Honda? Tobe Hooper (even though he'd get jobbed out since almost all of his non-TCM work kinda sucks)? Roger Corman? David Schmoeller? Kevin Smith? Wes Craven (eugh...)?

[Guest WrestlingDeacon]

I mentioned Roger Corman in the nominations thread just to mention him, but the rest of the guys you mention are pretty obscure or not really known for quality work. Still, beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess.

[Guest evenflowDDT]

I know, I'm just saying that many directors I enjoy (except Wes Craven, I don't like most of his films) aren't properly represented (you're right though, they'd just be jobbed out in the first round anyway). I didn't even know there was a nominations thread.

 

And as for obscure, I can honestly say that, being the worst film student ever, I haven't heard of half of these directors, much less seen their movies. Well, maybe if I actually knew what movies they did.

[Guest MDH257]

Group A

 

Robert Altman

 

Barry Levinson

 

Steven Soderberg

 

Clint Eastwood

 

David Lean

 

Orson Welles

 

Frank Capra

 

Woody Allen

 

 

Group B

 

John Ford

 

Joel Coen

 

Steven Spielberg

 

Vincente Minnelli

 

Quentin Tarantino

 

Howard Hawkes

 

William Wyler

 

Spike Lee

 

 

Group C

 

Martin Scorsese

 

Paul Thomas Anderson

 

Stanley Kubrick

 

Akira Kurosawa

 

Mike Nichols

 

David Croneberg

 

John Huston

 

Fritz Lang

 

 

Group D

 

John Sayles

 

George Cukor

 

Rob Reiner

 

Alfred Hitchcock

 

Sergio Leone

 

Billy Wilder

 

Terrence Malick

 

Elia Kazan

[Guest Ravenbomb]

Group A

 

Robert Altman vs Francois Truffiant - haven't heard of either of them

George Roy Hill vs Barry Levinson - he's the one that sounds familiar

 

Sidney Lumet vs Steven Sodeberg - he directed 2 of my top 20 movies, the other guy hasn't

Francis Ford Coppola vs Clint Eastwood - This isn't even a contest, and I didn't know that Eastwood directed

 

Guy Ritchie vs David Lean - Dunno what they've done

Christopher Nolan vs Orson Welles - I liked Memento more than Citizen Kane, so I voted for Nolan

 

Jean Renoir vs Frank Capra - dunno

Jean- Luc Godard vs Woody Allen - Haven't heard of the other guy

 

Group B

 

Henry Hathaway vs John Ford

Joel Cohen vs Don Siegel

 

Steven Spielberg vs Wes Anderson - The other guy sounds familiar, but Spielberg is very familiar, I've even seen some of his movies

Franco Zeffirelli vs Vincente Minelli - no idea

 

David Lynch vs Quentin Tarenteno - Another no contest

Sam Peckinpah vs Howard Hawkes

 

Bertrand Tavernier vs William Wyler

Spike Lee vs Cameron Crowe - THIS is a tough one, Lee did Do The Right Thing and Summer of Sam, Crowe did Vanilla Sky and Almost Famous, all of them were great, IMO, but Almost Famous outrules most other movies

 

Group C

 

Robert Redford vs Martin Scorsce - can we just skip the tournament and go straight to Scorsese winning, plz?

Paul Anderson vs John Sturges

 

Stanly Kubrick vs Roman Polanski - no contest

Akira Kurosawa vs Terry Gilliam - Same as above

 

Blake Edwards vs Mike Nichols - no idea

David Croneberg vs Mel Brooks - I know both but can't decide

 

Brian DePalma vs John Huston - Can't remember what the other guy did

Fritz Lang vs Tim Burton - Another fairly tough one, but Metropolis was just a great movie, so Lang wins

 

Group D

 

John Sayles vs Oliver Stone - He's the one I've heard of

George Cukor vs Preston Sturgis - Dunno

 

Wolfgang Petersen vs Rob Reiner - even though I haven't heard of the other guy, I hesitated voting for Reiner because of North, which is, IMO, the worst POS movie ever made, second only maybe to Polish Vampire in Burbank

Alfred Hitchcock vs John Carpenter - Not as tough as Lee vs. Crowe, but pretty damn tough. Hitchcock has just done more great movies than Carpenter, who pretty much did Halloween and not a lot else as far as movies I liked go

 

Sergio Leone vs Sam Raimi - Evil Dead~! WHOO!!

Billy Wilder vs Ed Burns - who?

 

Luis Bunel vs Terrence Malick - who?

Elia Kazan vs James Cameron - don't know the other guy, and Cameron did some good movies

 

 

 

I need to look into directors more...

where's David Fincher?

[Guest Vern Gagne]

Billy Wilder vs Ed Burns - I'd rather gouge out my eyes than vote for either one of these guys.

There will be no Billy Wilder bashing in this thread.