Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2019 12:40:59 GMT
Which of America's preeminent directors is your personal favorite? Your favorite film from each?
|
|
|
Post by mhynson27 on Jun 23, 2019 12:52:27 GMT
The Departed and Jurassic Park
|
|
|
Post by stephen on Jun 23, 2019 12:58:11 GMT
Scorsese has the best film between the two with Goodfellas and I largely find him the more inspired filmmaker when it comes to style, but Spielberg outclasses him on sheer volume of quality. Marty may have never made a movie as bad as War Horse, but he's come close more than once.
|
|
|
Post by pacinoyes on Jun 23, 2019 13:04:01 GMT
I consider Scorsese a heroic legend and Steven Spielberg an overgrown simplistic man-child who created a couple of great films (Schindler's List, Munich).
I am totally in sync with Scorsese's artistic vision so much so that when I don't like his work I get it (Cape Fear, Casino) - with Spielberg I'm so baffled by what I perceive as his lack of any artistic vision that I can't believe the films I just described as great above are actually made by him.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2019 13:09:30 GMT
For me, Casino and Gangs of New York are by far the worst films between the two - so brash and ugly and repetitive - Gangs of New York has Day-Lewis' towering performance and gorgeous production values, but Casino is utterly devoid of class. How do you feel about Lincoln, pacinoyes?
|
|
|
Post by pacinoyes on Jun 23, 2019 13:26:05 GMT
I am somewhat in agreement with you @tyler - I think GONY is an honorable failure, Casino is a total failure to me, Cape Fear is an ugly failure. I'll even go further - I think Goodfellas even is overrated with annoying trickery of shifting narration (when Liotta speaks into the camera - wtf is that? - or when Bracco jumps in for the narration etc). Like as great as it is - and it is - I don't even rank it as the best film of 1990 (The Grifters). But Scorsese to me just directed a masterpiece less than a month ago imo with Rolling Thunder Revue so that goes a long way too.
Lincoln is a mostly dry historical film - DDL is great there - but not that great and not close to the equal of his "big 5" - and the supporting performances are sometimes juicy. I don't see much cinematic in it actually. The film as a whole becomes something to endure at a certain point too and I rank Spielberg as a more talented version of somewhat hacks like Robert Zemeckis or Ron Howard tbh. He's closer to them than Scorsese imo - at least in artistic vision.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2019 13:50:24 GMT
I really don't mind Cape Fear, but I take your points about both directors - even if you prefer Spielberg's films, I can't imagine arguing against the idea that his films are the more dry and workmanlike.
|
|
|
Post by JangoB on Jun 23, 2019 13:55:50 GMT
Two total giants and all-time masters of their art and craft. Spielberg is my absolute favorite director though
|
|
|
Post by JangoB on Jun 23, 2019 13:56:31 GMT
Oh, and as for favorite movies - at this point in time I think it's Raging Bull and Saving Private Ryan for me. Or maybe Jaws.
|
|
|
Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Jun 23, 2019 13:59:01 GMT
Scorsese for the highs.
Goodfellas and Jurassic Park
|
|
|
Post by TerryMontana on Jun 23, 2019 14:08:10 GMT
Probably my two most beloved directors!!! I rank Marty as my favorite and Spielberg a runner up (alongside Hitchcock, Mann, Nolan...). I believe Spielberg has a much bigger range in the films he's making: He's made all kinds of genres (ET, Munich, Lincoln, Indiana Jones, Bridge of Spies, The Terminal, Jaws, Empire of the Sun, The Color Purple, 1941 all belong to different movie genres) and he's done well in everything. On the other hand, Scorsese is famous mostly for his movies about the mob or religion (not counting the documentaries). But I feel I "communicate" much more with his movies, his perception of cinema and his craft. I so much like Marty's films I find it difficult to choose just one as my favorite. Probably King of Comedy and the Departed. And Goodfellas But most of all I love one of Spielberg's films, Schindler's List. One of my all time favorites.
|
|
|
Post by stabcaesar on Jun 23, 2019 14:15:41 GMT
Neither.
|
|
|
Post by pupdurcs on Jun 23, 2019 14:49:59 GMT
Spielberg is undeniably gifted and a historically great filmmmaker, but also over rated as a pure auteur. He's technically in command of his craft in the same way Ridley Scott is, but he makes way too many movies where I'm barely moved. Most of his films in recent years do little for me (I think the last Spielberg I really adored was Minority Report). Spielberg feels like he hasn't had anything to say as a filmmaker for a long time, but because he's such a capable craftsman, doesn't want to call it a day. Who needs to see a remake of West Side Story?
Scorsese's auteur energy is always there (like a Spike Lee), even though he has had to readjust to a different era. It's night and day. Sometimes, Spielberg (and Scott) feel more like high end craftsmen. The Post could literally have been made by Ron Howard.
So Scorsese.
|
|
|
Post by themoviesinner on Jun 23, 2019 15:13:41 GMT
Both have made some masterful films, but also a few that I wasn't very fond of. I'd say Scorsese is the better of the two, mostly because his filmography is stronger. My favourite film from Scorsese is The Last Temptation Of Christ and from Spielberg it's Schindler's List.
|
|
|
Post by thomasjerome on Jun 23, 2019 16:10:53 GMT
Scorsese, by far. Spielberg almost never excite me to be honest and his recent stuff had been mostly disappointing or dull.
As for favorites: Spielberg: "Schindler's List"
Marty: "Goodfellas"
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2019 16:32:29 GMT
Many of Spielberg's films are bathed in this safe, puerile spectacle (which fans of his will call "movie magic") that I just don't like at all. I'm not entertained by it, I'm not moved by it, and I'm definitely not inspired by it. In addition, his take on various things throughout his filmography - childhood discontent and wonder, father/son relationships, war, faith - are all done a million times better in much more interesting ways elsewhere. I don't usually like using this word outside of a context where I'm fucking around, but a lot of times his stuff is very basic. And yeah, I know all the Spielberg fans will jump on that and immediately go into how, well, it's understandable if I'm not a big fan, but surely I can admit that Spielberg's sense of pacing and clear love for cinema elevates him over such a terrible description! Not really, although yeah, his films are usually paced pretty well. I imagine his audience getting bored is Spielberg's worst nightmare.
Still, with all that said, I do think Spielberg has put out two great films, one of which I'd even say is a masterpiece. In this comparison, I'd posit (and this sentence is going to go down as utter blasphemy on this forum of Scorsese fanatics) that AI is a much more profound, philosophically far-reaching, and intelligent film than anything Scorsese has put out.
Overall though, Scorsese crushes Steve. He's not far off from making my Top 10 directors.
|
|
|
Post by countjohn on Jun 23, 2019 17:05:55 GMT
Geez, we're all crapping on Steve here.
I would come down on somewhat the opposite side of some people here. For a controversial opinion I would say Scorsese's Age of Innocence is the best film either of them have. But there's a greater breadth of movies from Spielberg that I like. Voted Spielberg.
|
|
|
Post by HELENA MARIA on Jun 23, 2019 17:37:39 GMT
Love Spielberg but Scorsese is my all time favourite director .
SCORSESE : GOODFELLAS
SPIELBERG : JAWS
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2019 17:47:04 GMT
Geez, we're all crapping on Steve here. I would come down on somewhat the opposite side of some people here. For a controversial opinion I would say Scorsese's Age of Innocence is the best film either of them have. But there's a greater breadth of movies from Spielberg that I like. Voted Spielberg. The Age of Innocence is spectacular and has maybe my favorite ending from a Scorsese film (only rivaled by The Last Temptation of Christ).
|
|
|
Post by pupdurcs on Jun 23, 2019 19:09:05 GMT
I imagine his audience getting bored is Spielberg's worst nightmare. Well, he didn't seem to mind with Lincoln , which may truly be one one the dullest, textbook dry films I 've sat through. To be fair, he did a favor to future filmmakers who wanted to tackle the legend of Lincoln, as it's far too boring to be the final, definitive take on the man. It's weird, because in theory Spielberg is the perfect filmmaker to make an evocative, emotional, heartwarming biopic about the Great Emancipator. I feel like he second guessed himself and made this dry procedural instead because he was worried about critics calling him "corny".
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2019 20:18:32 GMT
I imagine his audience getting bored is Spielberg's worst nightmare. Well, he didn't seem to mind with Lincoln , which may truly be one one the dullest, textbook dry films I 've sat through. To be fair, he did a favor to future filmmakers who wanted to tackle the legend of Lincoln, as it's far too boring to be the final, definitive take on the man. It's weird, because in theory Spielberg is the perfect filmmaker to make an evocative, emotional, heartwarming biopic about the Great Emancipator. I feel like he second guessed himself and made this dry procedural instead because he was worried about critics calling him "corny". Lincoln feels to me like one of his attempts at a "serious (by Academy standards - which, yeah, translates to dull) biopic", where he foregoes the full on Magic Spielberg Vision for the Serious Spielberg Examination (with a dash of the Magic Spielberg Vision still tossed in for good measure), as in Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, The Post... He's made worse movies though, for sure.
|
|
|
Post by pacinoyes on Jun 23, 2019 20:29:37 GMT
Well, he didn't seem to mind with Lincoln , which may truly be one one the dullest, textbook dry films I 've sat through. To be fair, he did a favor to future filmmakers who wanted to tackle the legend of Lincoln, as it's far too boring to be the final, definitive take on the man. It's weird, because in theory Spielberg is the perfect filmmaker to make an evocative, emotional, heartwarming biopic about the Great Emancipator. I feel like he second guessed himself and made this dry procedural instead because he was worried about critics calling him "corny". Lincoln feels to me like one of his attempts at a "serious (by Academy standards - which, yeah, translates to dull) biopic", where he foregoes the full on Magic Spielberg Vision for the Serious Spielberg Examination (with a dash of the Magic Spielberg Vision still tossed in for good measure), as in Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, The Post... He's made worse movies though, for sure. Lincoln is very much Doris Kearns Goodwin's book in a way more than Spielberg's film imo - when I referred to it as not very cinematic in my earlier post - that's kind of what I meant. We can go a little nuts with the auteur thing - and read way too much into it like all Lincoln films would be the same but Goodwin's book was minutely detailed and factual. Kushner rewrote it but he rewrote in that books style - and even her style of research to prune it down. Kushner is very much a historian writer and he was a stand in for Goodwin here. It made a pretty great book imo and a fairly so-so (though greatly acted) movie.
|
|
|
Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Jun 23, 2019 21:04:06 GMT
Both have had long dry stretches and both have made films that are wildly overrated, but Marty's my pick. Spielberg is a bit too cloying for my taste. He's too saccharine. Even in some films where it's wildly inappropriate like The Color Purple.
Fav Scorseses: After Hours and Goodfellas
Fav Spielbergs: Schindler's List and Catch Me if You Can
|
|
|
Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Jun 23, 2019 21:13:36 GMT
Lincoln feels to me like one of his attempts at a "serious (by Academy standards - which, yeah, translates to dull) biopic", where he foregoes the full on Magic Spielberg Vision for the Serious Spielberg Examination (with a dash of the Magic Spielberg Vision still tossed in for good measure), as in Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, The Post... I'll take Serious Spielberg over Magic Spielberg any day. His best films are the ones where he restrains he propensity towards sentimentality and doubles down on character and dialogue. Lincoln and The Post are two of his most interesting projects, and precisely because they're so restrained. And I'd hardly say that Saving Private Ryan is Spielberg being serious, at least not comparably with Lincoln and The Post. It has harrowing sequences sure but the ending betrays Spielberg's proclivity for weepy melodrama with touches of magical realism (like that silly scene where Hanks is shooting the tank and it explodes ex machina style). That's the Spielberg brand of sentimentality I'm talking about.
|
|
|
Post by ibbi on Jun 23, 2019 21:15:13 GMT
I am in the camp that loves Spielberg at his best, but Scorsese is my fave out of everyone ever, so him. The verve and inventiveness and passion still coming through in his work at his age is astounding.
Some recent Spielberg work is not without innovation in its own way, but its all technical, effects stuff (Tintin, BFG, that piece of crap last year) as a filmmaker he seems to have become obsessed with this clinical, kind of dry aesthetic, which he executes well, but the writing is barely there to back it up and give it the heft the presentation demands.
Then when he does occasionally go back to trying to be all magical and Spielbergy... The magic isn't there! Does anyone even remember this man made the BFG a few years ago? That was as perfect a marriage of man and material as I could think of, and I can remember almost nothing about it.
This is generally a younger mans game, and Spielberg's settling into a sort of mediocrity is testament to that, Scorsese's recent sort of reinvigoration after finally bagging that Oscar has been remarkable. I haven't always liked the movies, they're rarely comparable to his absolute best work (until his most recent effort, giving me faith like I ain't had in him in an age), but ordinary they ain't.
|
|