Martin Scorsese or Steven Spielberg?

Even though they're of the same generation of filmmakers and are the elder statesman of today's Hollywood, they move in such different waters that it's difficult to compare. Spielberg's sensibilities align more towards the romanticism of classic Hollywood, Scorsese's towards Italian neorealism. Spielberg shines best in world-building, Scorsese in the intricacies of character - which is remarkably handy for his documentaries. Spielberg was so immediately universal and successful that he's had a siege of imitators within the mainstream, some of whom he had a guiding hand in bringing there (Robert Zemeckis, Joe Dante). Scorsese's path early on was more adjacent to the studio system, inspiring a future independent wave of filmmakers (Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino). Spielberg transformed the studio system to play catch-up to the trends he created, Scorsese sparked an opposition to that system.

Personally, I find Spielberg the more individually fascinating filmmaker. Spielberg's technical prowess is unbelievable and I really love the economy of his storytelling, with a lot of small touches of personality or world-building that I find often allow for far more interesting and nuanced perspectives than the sentimentality he often gets pigeon-holed for (ex. I find Ready Player One a far sadder and more tonally strange film than I've seen most on here give it credit for). And even when he does sentimental - which in and of itself is not a bad thing, and for me certainly preferable than the inverse of filmmakers mistaking bleakness for profundity - I find it generally well-earned and rarely without some serious cost.

My favorite Scorsese is Taxi Driver and my favorite Spielberg is E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial which happens to also be my favorite film in general.

Not enamored with either these days though I certainly understand the appeal of both. I'll go with Marty for now who is generally more consistent and is far more detailed and complex in his exploration of themes. As for favorites, well my favorite Spielberg is one that I just watched for the first time earlier this month and wrote a little bit about here, A.I., which is a film that I'll obviously need to let age for me but I still think it's among the most ambitious things I've seen and the quiet complexity to it is quite mesmerizing. Otherwise, Jaws and Jurassic Park each hold a special place in my heart. As for Marty, while he has many films that I absolutely love (GONY is awesome & one of his best, haters be damned), the only one I consider among my absolute favorites is Goodfellas, one of the most watchable films ever made, the kinda thing that when you stumble upon it when it's on cable you can't help but just get lost in it on-the-spot -- but, to be fair, both of these guys have a lot of films that fit that exact bill. 

Both have strengths. Both have weaknesses.

For Spielberg, I just think it's the fact that he had these mediocre standards for filmmaking before he finally branched out.  One can't congratulate him for having those kind of self-satisfying standards.  I also think it's the fact of his ego. Scorsese seemed more passionate about the films he made - his love for everything he filmed came out more vividly.  Than Spielberg did in his heyday - Spielberg also seemed full of himself, and seemed satisfied he made films that were well received and he was able to do what he did well. Obviously nobody argued that.

Still, for all his shortcomings... I do credit the man for bringing old-fashioned entertaining cinema to the audience for decades. He reminds me somewhat of John Ford.

And since he's been around so long, there's usually a sense of variety to his work. There are some unexpected great films that really impressed me. For instance, A.I. - a film I don't remember being superbly received initially, but I felt pretty mesmerized being one of the few who praised it as early as 2001-2003.  I just didn't see Spielberg having those types of ideas. It was a film inspired by Kubrick, but Spielberg seemed to take his own trajectory well with that film. It seems sometimes you can expect his tropes to rear itself, but it just seemed refreshing the way he would use aliens in that film in a way that wasn't invasion or earth-people-fascinated-with-the-alien-species-that-just-landed.

Also, I also like the cult underground inspiration behind Poltergeist, the Miyazaki-ish Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and very intense war-zone sometimes adventure war pic Saving Private Ryan, and the 100 times watchable Catch Me If You Can.

But I think Scorsese wins because his passion, his pioneer of America vision, and him still being able to make The Wolf of Wall Street that late into his career speaks greater volumes. Spielberg's last REALLY great film was A.I.

Scorsese made another run at 70 years old after many people labeled as him as washed up. However, I do think Spielberg won the decade of the 00s; and maybe the 80s (though its close).  There are times when Spielberg did a 70s-ness better than Scorsese. For instance, The Sugar Land Express and Duel are better than Boxcar Bertha or Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore by far, but as a whole... I think Scorsese's 70s-ness is what gave him his reputation. And I think his 90s crime films puts him above Spielberg in that decade, and in the 2010s Scorsese wins easily.

Scorsese is more solid in that he hasn't even close as many weak entrys as Spielberg. But Spielberg has much, much more films I rate as great.

So: Spielberg.

I don't even understand the question. Marty it is.

I have never really connected to Scorsese's movies but Spielberg has The Schindler's List.

A masterpiece.

Definitely going with Spielberg as Jaws is in my top 5

My favorite Scorsese is After Hours which is somewhere in my top 500.

Out of all their Director noms....... Spielberg - 8, Scorsese - 9....... Never at the same time. Do we think they might finally share the ticket this year with Flower Moon and The Fablemans?

also a post-West Side Story bump.

Imagine if they now win in back to back years...

Scorsese, of course. I'm a Goodfella kind of lady.


Scorsese's best film? I stand by Raging Bull as his masterpiece.

For Spielberg, Schindler's List is his greatest achievement. However, I will NEVER sit through it again and I kind of regret seeing it. That's how brutal it was for me.

And one more thing, I see some Jurassic Park mentions. That film was exciting as a kid, but once I saw it as I got older, I couldn't believe how much it sucked. I hate that movie now.   E.T. is still magic today.

I said what I said! I'll only give you the scene with the raptors in the kitchen.