Welcome to the quarterfinals of Face/Off: Battle Royale! For the next three weeks we will be pitting two directors who won their round three matches against each other and letting YOU, the commenters, decide on who reigns supreme!
You have to decide which director is better than the other? Various factors could play into your decision from who takes the biggest risks to who has the more distinctive style. Remember, it isn’t so much about which director has made the most money at the box office or won the most awards, but, in your mind, which director simply makes better films.
Let’s analyze the filmography of today’s challengers.
Steven Spielberg
Who He Beat in Round Three: Rob Reiner (18 to 4)
1960s & 1970s Directorial Features: Firelight (1964), Duel (1971), Savage (1973), The Sugarland Express (1974), Jaws (1975), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), 1941 (1979)
1980s & 1990s Directorial Features: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), The Color Purple (1985), Empire of the Sun (1987), Always (1989), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Hook (1991), Jurassic Park (1993), Schindler’s List (1993), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Amistad (1997), Saving Private Ryan (1998)
2000s & 2010s Directorial Features: A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Minority Report (2002), Catch Me If You Can (2002), The Terminal (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), Munich (2005), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), The Adventures of Tintin (2011), War Horse (2011), Lincoln (2012), Bridge of Spies (2015), The BFG (2016), The Post (2017), Ready Player One (2018)
Robert Zemeckis
Who He Beat in Round Three: John Hughes (19 to 4)
1970s to 1990s Directorial Features: I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978), Used Cars (1980), Romancing the Stone (1984), Back to the Future (1985), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future Part III (1990), Death Becomes Her (1992), Forrest Gump (1994), Contact (1997)
2000s & 2010s Directorial Features: What Lies Beneath (2000), Cast Away (2000), The Polar Express (2004), Beowulf (2007), A Christmas Carol (2009), Flight (2012), The Walk (2015), Allied (2016), Welcome to Marwen (2018)
Only one can advance to the next stage of the Battle Royale. Let the Face/Off begin!
Discuss in the comments below your favorite films from each director and who should advance to the semifinals.
