Pop Culture Bracketology: Film Directors Finals

Here we are, the championship. The finals. The 'ship. Much like our Sweet 16 and Final Four portions of the tourney, the format of the post is going to be slightly different. Instead of our e-mail discussion, below are two "pitches" from WEEKEND contributors as to why a certain director should win. AND THEN, results!

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Martin Scoresese vs. Christopher Nolan

Why Scoresese should win: The final two directors in the bracket are certainly formidable. Nolan has not directed many films, but he can claim critical and commercial success for most of them. Many Scorsese backers agreed that in the final round, his entire career had to be taken into account, not just the last decade. His accomplishments in the past 10 years or so are worthy enough to push him ahead, but comparing the director of “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull” and “Goodfellas” against Nolan without mentioning those classic films is almost sacrilegious.

Scorsese has tried his hand at nearly every kind of film in the past decade. “Gangs of New York” was an epic view of early immigrants; “The Aviator”  was a stark portrait of Howard Hughes; “Shine a Light” and “No Direction Home” showed Scorsese was still a master of mixing film and music, be it in the form of a concert movie or an archival documentary. “The Departed,” the film for which Scorsese finally won his Oscar, was reminiscent of his earlier portraits of New York and showed that Scorsese still exciting films like a young man. “Shutter Island,” although not universally acclaimed, well still well received and proved that the director could still explore new genres.

The themes of Scorsese’s career have been consistency and innovation. He is still capable of making films as exciting and intense as his earlier masterpieces, while always wanting to try something new. If the past is any indicator, Martin Scorsese has plenty of important films left to make. -- Brian Marks

Why Nolan should win: It’s not easy to argue against someone as legendary as Martin Scorsese in a match-up of directors, but if anyone is equipped to beat him, it’s Christopher Nolan. With a decade of alternating thought-provoking and action-packed films under his belt, Nolan has quickly ascended from being a merely promising director to a damn near transcendental one.

It isn’t that Scorsese had a disappointing decade – “Gangs of New York” is a masterpiece, “The Departed” got him an Oscar, and “Shutter Island” is one of the best-reviewed films of 2010. It’s simply that his best days are well behind him, and Nolan is already brilliant in the first phase of his career. “Memento,”  “The Prestige,” and “The Dark Knight” found themselves on a number of Best of Decade lists, and his forthcoming “Inception”  is one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year.

If the question were “Greatest Director Ever,” Scorsese would have a case – “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull,”  and “Goodfellas” are some of the most critically acclaimed films of all time – but the question is “Best Active Director.” That distinction implicitly weights the last few years more than the big picture, and since that’s the case, it would be irresponsible to give it to anyone but Christopher Nolan. -- Brad Sanders

Results: With only 55 percent of the votes, Martin Scoresese tops Christopher Nolan to become the winner of WEEKEND's Best Active Director bracket.

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