Pop Culture Bracketology: Directors Bracket, Sweet 16 discussion and results

We're now down to the Elite 8 of our Pop Culture Bracketology! This past weekend, members of the WEEKEND staff locked themselves in a conference room and hashed out the results of the Sweet 16 in person. Thus, instead of a running e-mail conversation, staffers penned summaries to each match-up, which follow each result for this round!

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Veterans Region

1. Martin Scoresese -- 100 percent of vote
5. Clint Eastwood

For a showdown between two undisputed giants of the cinema landscape, the outcome of this tilt is surprisingly one-sided. For a while, you can have a blow-by-blow battle between the two. “Goodfellas,” Pow! “Mystic River,” Wham! “Gangs of New York,” Boom!  “Million Dollar Baby,” Bam! “The Departed,” Kapow! Eventually, though, Eastwood’s arsenal simply runs out. Marty’s just been in the directing game churning out masterpieces longer. Plus, if we’re going be most recent film of relevance, Scorecese’s "Shutter Island" is thus far the only film by either to come out this year, and a good one at that. -- Max McCombs

3. Coen Brothers -- 100 percent of vote
2. Steven Spielberg

The last few years haven’t been very kind to Steven Spielberg. “Munich” is one of his greatest films, but it’s weighed down by an unnecessary Indiana Jones installment and the horrendous “War of the Worlds.” The Coens, on the other hand, have had a fantastic last few years, starting with “No Country for Old Men.” Incredibly dark yet brimming with humor, the film was a worthy Oscar winner and a great literary adaptation. “Burn After Reading” was more successful than many Coen brothers comedies, and “A Serious Man” successfully reconciles their dark sense of humor with tragedy. The Coens haven’t just made better films lately; they’ve made films that matter. -- Brian Marks

Indie Darlings Region

1. Quentin Tarantino -- 86 percent of vote
4. Wes Anderson

The run to the Sweet Sixteen that saw indie’s biggest darling Wes Anderson defeating Ang Lee and David Lynch came to an end when he faced one of the masters of modern cinema on the day of his 47th birthday. Quentin Tarantino, whose career includes no less than three movies considered all-time classics and who has yet to make a bad film, rolled Anderson. -- Brad Sanders

3. Darren Aronofsky -- 57 percent of vote
2. Paul Thomas Anderson

The debate over Paul Thomas Anderson and Darren Aronofsky was split pretty evenly down the middle. Aronofsky has shown great range, from an incredibly depressing film about drug addiction (“Requiem for a Dream”), to a flawed but beautiful science fiction epic (“The Fountain”), to a blue collar portrait of a damaged wrestler. PT Anderson has a penchant for fascinating, Altman-esque films with huge casts, including “Boogie Nights” and “Magnolia.” “There Will Be Blood” was a cold, devastating portrait of man ruined by riches that borrows from Kubrick and Welles. Both filmmakers are visionaries who may have even greater films to follow. -- BM

Populist Pros Region

1. James Cameron
5. Peter Jackson -- 71 percent of vote

This outcome in this match-up depends in large part on what time period we are considering here. If we’re just going with the past year, Cameron’s “Avatar” obliterates Jackson’s “Lovely Bones.” On the other hand, if we examine the past decade, Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy triple-team’s “Avatar,” along with an assist from a certain gigantic ape. Then again, if we are taking into account their careers as a whole, Cameron can roll out a pair of “Terminators”, “Aliens,” and “Titanic,” while Jackson has only a handful of cult films. Ultimately, though, Jackson's “Lord of the Rings,” even at nearly a decade old now (No, I can’t believe it either), still has enough resonance to overcome “Avatar” and Cameron by virtue of three movies of giant magnitude against one. -- MM

3. Ridley Scott
2. Christopher Nolan -- 100 percent of vote

Although it’s impossible to deny the importance of Ridley Scott over the course of his thirty-plus year career, Christopher Nolan pieced together arguably the finest résumé of the 2000s, with four movies that find themselves on dozens of Best of Decade lists (“Memento,” “Batman Begins,” “The Prestige,” “The Dark Knight), another solid film (“Insomnia”), and one of the most intriguing forthcoming flicks of 2010 (“Inception”). This was too much for Scott, who had an average at best hit-to-miss ratio over the last decade, to overcome. -- BS

Newbies(ish) Region

8. Judd Apatow
4. Guillermo Del Toro -- 57 percent of vote

With a slew of Ben Stiller/Will Ferrell comedies early in the decade, Apatow defined comedies in the latter half of the 2000’s, introduced several fresh faces and still made intelligent, funny, heartwarming movies in the process. However, as great as “40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up” are, they are certainly less than directorial landmarks or achievements. With so many others beginning to emulate his style, Apatow is more notable now as a producer. Del Toro on the other hand made the legendary “Pan’s Labyrinth” and is a director to keep an eye on with the much anticipated “Hobbit” franchise. -- Brian Welk

3. Sam Mendes -- 57 percent of vote
2. Alfonso Cuaron

After a busy decade of work, Sam Mendes has arguably already become a household name. His recent “Revolutionary Road” and “Away We Go”  were underrated gems, and he should provide an interesting spin on the latest James Bond film. Cuaron is less known, but has made some remarkable films including possibly the best of the Harry Potter films, “Y tu Mama Tambien” and the brilliant “Children of Men.” Unfortunately, his lack of work since 2006’s “Children of Men” may have cost him in the long run. -- BW

There you have it! Any surprises? Shocked Cameron is gone? Sound off below.