Welcome to the semifinals of Face/Off: Battle Royale! For the next week we will be pitting two directors who won their quarterfinal 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.
Wes Anderson
Who He Beat in the Quarterfinals: Denis Villeneuve (35-33)
1990s to 2010s Directorial Features: Bottle Rocket (1996), Rushmore (1998), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Isle of Dogs (2018)
Steven Spielberg
Who He Beat in the Quarterfinals: Robert Zemeckis (25-4)
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)
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 finals.
