Django Unchained

It's not thought provoking if you didn't understand it, which you evidently didn't.

May 2 - 07:31 PM

Ben Thompson

I'd say that Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan are on the same level, but like you said in their own ways and aspects.

Apr 24 - 03:20 AM

Tarantino.

Apr 20 - 01:15 PM

Jacklord Alan Keen

agree with you....

Apr 21 - 12:05 AM

Hunter Primm

I might say that Nolan is the better filmmaker but, Tarantino works better for my taste. Both have made some incredible masterpieces but I will have to go for Tarantino. Just apples and oranges at the end of the day, though.

Apr 19 - 03:02 PM

Rich Gehring Jr.

I don't think it's even close. Inception, Memento and Prestige are probably his best "written" films, while QT has written some absolute groundbreaking classics. I liked the batman films but I don't think the writing was that good. Tarantino is a little wordy but has written some amazing films, and his directing style is excellent. He's known as a student of film and often pay's homage to classic films in his movies. If Nolan didn't have the Batman franchise under his belt this thread wouldn't even exist. I would think a better comparison would be Peter Jackson versus Nolan, both had monster budgets to work with on well known trilogy's.

Feb 2 - 07:47 PM

Brendan Adams

I prefer Nolan by a mile. I love both of them very much but I love Neo-noirs and right now, Nolan is king.

Jan 6 - 09:17 PM

Chase Nyland

This is comparing apples to oranges. Both directors are extremely pretentious, although Christopher Nolan focuses more on the cerebral elements of filmmaking whereas Tarantino frequently pays homage to the grindhouse-style, 70's exploitation flicks that you may find shown in a drive-thru 40 years ago. Of course, I'm not old enough to remember that lol. It's a matter of personal tastes.

Jan 5 - 07:50 AM

Jack Cox

Tarantino his dialogue writing skill is tremendous.

Jan 4 - 09:14 PM

Michael Barsegyan

Paul Thomas only has like 4 movies that are relevant. Rest are shorts which don't really count. I think Tarantino is a much more accomplished director because nothing PTA has made can be compared to the likes of Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Inglourious Basterds, Jackie Brown. Only thing I can really say stands out is There Will Be Blood but honestly other than that..I'm not sure

Jan 4 - 04:48 PM

Tim Boone

lol I think you accidentally thought of Paul Thomas Anderson when the topic was actually about Christopher Nolan(and Tarantino), but I'm sure you've figured that out by now ^_^ peace

Apr 19 - 08:46 PM

Tim Boone

Oh, I see, you were responding to the comment beneath yours, woops ^_^

Apr 19 - 08:47 PM

Joe Jarosz

Honestly, if we are talking about writing, and striclty ignoring artistic direction, QT wins in a landslide. His dialogue is unmatched really, it's hard to even compare. Maybe the cohen's, maybe Nolan....maybe Woody. But to speak of film making, the best filmmaker right now, and in terms of an overall filmography is hands down Paul Thomas Anderson. In fact, there is a top teir of directors right now...

1. PTA
2. QT
3. Nolan
4. Nicolas Winding Refn
5. Wes Anderson

But PTA is just on another level. However, QT still reigns supreme in dialogue driven scenes.

Jan 4 - 10:22 AM

Remove Nolan from that list and add in Fincher, and you've got yourself a pretty damn nice list.

Jan 5 - 02:15 PM

Daniel Lermenator

In deed

Jan 30 - 02:48 PM

hollis mills

Tarantino by far

Dec 27 - 05:35 PM

Bill Chapman

coen brothers are by far the next best thing ... but 2 minds are better than one so you cant really compare them to one man its not fair

Dec 27 - 04:40 PM

Bill Chapman

only person you can compaare qt to is pt anderson ...nolan who i love and htink is a great filmaaker is not in qt or pt league...

Dec 27 - 04:39 PM

Sean McAllister

I like Nolan, but QT now has 4 movies (Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Inglorious Basterds, and now Django Unchained) that are incredible and original)

Dec 26 - 11:45 PM

Jimmy Walter

kill bill?

Jan 7 - 10:08 AM

Sean McAllister

Nolan takes a hit with the super hero movies he's now doing for a huge pay check, which is fine, but not very original.

Dec 26 - 11:41 PM

Robert Gonzalez

I feel as though THey are both Equally good I have to lean on Taratino here. When you see his movies you can instantly recongize his style while in a Nolan Film well...I actually had to go to IMDB and go wow he made that movie? Its not that Nolan is bad but With tarintino I feel like Im gonna watch something that people will turn into a Cult classic or there will be parts that will resonate more then a Nolan film....

I hope what I said made sense

Dec 24 - 10:09 AM

Barron Louise Mata

Id Say Tarantino! I HATE BATMAN TRILOGY

Dec 23 - 01:13 PM

Kevin DeLoughry

Ed Wood all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dec 23 - 11:16 AM

Laugh if you will, the man had a vision.

Dec 23 - 12:44 PM

Tyler Houck

The thing that makes both men so great has to do with their vision. Their ability to see what they're putting on screen and knowing exactly they need from their actors is what makes their films unique and powerful. They always leave movies as a strong finished product. That being said, I prefer Tarantino over Nolan on both writing and directing due to my preference of absurdism, but both are phenomenal in their own right.

Dec 23 - 08:05 AM

Anthony Stokes

When it comes to Writing and Directing I have to say either Woody Allen or Edgar Wright are both better.

Dec 23 - 07:05 AM

Of living writer directors Allen has no peer. (Coppola would be a close second if he had stopped making movies after Apocalypse Now) Of writer directors who debuted in the last 30 years the Coens are probably the most accomplished.

Dec 23 - 10:46 AM

Anthony Stokes

Well I don't have a taste for Allen's movies unfortunately while still acknowledging his talents there not for me, and I stand by my statement that Edgar Wright is the BEST Writer/ director

Jan 4 - 05:25 AM

Anthony Stokes

They're the same skill level with the same problems. Both of them have no sense of pacing. both of them are indulgent, both of them get great performances out of actors. ETC. I'd say they're the same skill level. All the fanboys will be mad, but in 5 years you'll look back at there films and say "Wow they weren't that great.

Tarantino has amazing dialogue and no sense of story structure and Nolan has mediocre dialogue with great story structure. I'd go with Tarantino, because Django looks like it'll be good

Dec 23 - 07:04 AM

Tim Boone

I respectfully disagree that they have no sense of pacing, I think they're both masters at pacing, and they both know how to build suspense as good as anyone out there.
I disagree that Tarantino 'has no sense of story structure'. I would agree that Nolan's approach is more focused on plot and structure than Tarantino's, but I think Tarantino has a really strong sense of storytelling, it's just that he's one of a kind and his dialogue carries much of the plot/story along with it, whereas Nolan does a more traditional minimalist thing with his dialogue, propelling the plot forward through visual actions and expositional dialogue, though I think Nolan is a master at tone and atmosphere, and even when it is expositonal dialogue and a more conventional approach(than Tarantino's), every moment is fascinating to me, and I'm completely immersed in the story and plot and am never distracted by any aspect of Nolan's filmmaking that do happen to seem more conventional than Tarantino's upon close examination.
Anyway, I respectfully disagree with some aspects of what you've said, but I agree with some aspects of your last sentence, if taken back to it's most basic level.
All in all, I think they're both geniuses, and I think it's a case of apples and oranges. Personally, I could never say that any director is better than Tarantino when it comes down to it, but Nolan is one of my favorites as well, and, IMHO, Nolan has a more impeccable track record, thus far, than nearly any director ever; I think every one of his movies is a masterpiece. Of course I can say the same about Tarantino,too. MHO peace ^_^

Apr 19 - 09:02 PM

Again, when it comes to living writer directors, Woody Allen rules.

Dec 22 - 08:57 PM

David Friedman

the real question should be who's a better writer-director: QT or PTA

Let's be real, Nolan's best material is written by his younger brother (Memento, Dark Knight, DKR, and The Prestige. If any of you actually knew a thing about film you'd understand Nolan while good isn't even close to Tarantino's level of genius, for the main reason that his brother wrote his best.

Consensus the question is bunk, clear winner Tarantino.

Dec 22 - 06:10 PM

QT's best work was cowrittn, just saying...

Dec 22 - 08:56 PM

Daniel Cockriel

"If any of you actually knew a thing about film you'd understand.."
what a condescending prick. I love both filmmakers, and as D P just stated, am actually aware what work of theirs has been co-written or done individually. Seriously David, get your head out of your own ass-hole, you might learn something.

Dec 23 - 09:01 AM

Not to mention that just because something is cowritten doesn't diminish its quality or anyone's contribution. Some of the best movies ever had multiple writers. Billy Wilder cowrote most if his movies and the majority of them are fricking brilliant.

Dec 23 - 10:44 AM

Tim Sentz

If you go by critics, it would be Christopher Nolan. He has all certified fresh films, nothing below a 75. According to Metacritic, Nolan = 75, Tarantino = 64.

Dec 22 - 12:21 PM

You can't look at film in an objective way, but rather subjective, which is why the poll for this is, "Which director do YOU think is better," not, "Which director is better in an objective standpoint which I could probably go look up on these magical interwebs but would rather have 17,384,843,759,834,765 people answer for me in a conflicting manner."

Jan 5 - 02:18 PM

Tarantino wins by a long shot.

Dec 21 - 09:36 PM

Justin Buell

Tarntino is the better writer, Nolan is the better director.

But their both great at both things.

Dec 21 - 09:23 PM

Braam Hollenbakker

It is the other way around, but it still comes down to personal preference, at the end of the day, since both of their films usually "succeed" at least at being "entertaining" films which isn't too common.

Writing: Nolan > Tarantino
Directing: Nolan </= Tarantino

Tarantino is a great director and very good at the surface treatment of his films; the visuals, the music, the gritty dialogue, etc. which draws attention away from and camouflages the usually very mediocre plot. An example is Waltz's character in Inglourious Basterds. Critics raved about this sly and ingenious character: "always a step ahead of the Basterds�?�" but upon watching the film a second time, one realises that he hardly ever does any real detective work. He also never outwits or outsmarts the Basterds, but is merely tipped off about them eventually. He doesn't have much bearing on the direction of the story at all, until almost at the very end. Reservoir Dogs is an even better example, as there really is absolutely no plot, at least compared to films like "The Killing". It consists mostly of people shouting "who dunnit?" and then there are flashbacks to not very relevant or important back stories of some of the characters. It is more an exercise in the art of dialogue writing than an actual narrative work. But the gritty dialogue and the vibrancy of the characters still entertain and make up for it.

Nolan's writing is much more involved and less dependent on gimmicks, but sometimes he might overdo it somewhat, like with Inception. I would say Tarantino is the more flamboyant director whose style succeeds in appealing more to the primitive human senses of the masses but offers far less food for thought. He does need to learn to kill off some his verbose dialogue scenes though (kill your baby for the greater good). His writing is improving; however, and I think the western genre will suit him well.

Dec 22 - 10:51 AM

True, QT movie's do have simplistic plots outside of Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown. But that's what great directors do is make so much outa so little. Not saying intricate plots are a bad thing, but you can't say Jaws, Apocalypse Now, Taxi Driver, Dr. Stragelove, Fargo, and There Will Be Blood have complicated plots. But all the films are still perfectly made because the plots don't move the story along... but the characters, writing, direction, cinematography, is what makes those films memorable.

Dec 23 - 10:13 AM

Carlton Papillion

I like action and Tarantino is of the best at it, I only like Memento Batman Begins and Dark Knight Rises. The rest of Nolans movies are boring crap with over an explaining story. I think Nolan is good, but Tarantino is something like a God.

Dec 21 - 10:45 AM

Derek Prospero

Embarrassing that so many people actually think Tarantino is better. Really? His movies are occasionally fun, but Nolan is practically our generations' Hitchcock. Why is it so suddenly "cool" to backlash against things and people that are actually great?

Dec 21 - 10:16 AM

Sean McAllister

seriously? Hitchcock? While Nolans Batman movies are good, they are not even original.

Dec 26 - 11:43 PM

David Carreon

Definitely not a Hitchcock of any sort.

Dec 27 - 12:20 PM

This comment has been removed.

Lee Augustus

Who's computer did you steal to write that drivel?

Dec 22 - 08:05 AM

Thoroughly Entertain Me Or Die

Fuck you Tarantino is awesome.

Dec 21 - 09:35 PM

Lee Augustus

Exactly!

Dec 22 - 08:05 AM

nope tarentino is about as overrated as every other director.

Dec 25 - 02:57 PM

Brad Shaw

there both great but i have to go home i mean QT.

Dec 21 - 08:04 AM

This comment has been removed.

Ha Kevin Smith? Have you seen Cop Out? Piece of shit.

Dec 21 - 09:35 PM

Kaiser Yusuf

Tarantino > Nolan. It's not even a contest.

Dec 20 - 03:49 PM

Jakob Lount

Personally, I find Nolan stupidly overrated. Don't get me wrong here - he's a brilliant director on most technical levels, and Memento is one of my favourite films of all time, but there are multiple things that I take issue with and non are exemplified more than three films in particular - The Prestige, TDKR and Inception. Again, I deem it necessary to point out that I don't explicitly 'dislike' these films - Inception is one I hugely enjoyed. However, I get the impression that he allows his ideas to run away with him at the expense of a coherent story. Inception has great ideas, but the plot was... well, does anyone actually care, at any point, why these people are doing the cool things they are doing? Cobb and his merry pals are, in a nutshell, creating a world which is run by a giant oil conglomerate, and that's kind of... it. The film is cool, the things people do in the film are cool, but the reason they are doing it is left behind - an afterthought.

Similarly, I could go on all day about plot holes and inconsistencies in his Batman films. However, I take a particular issue with the film's tone, specifically the third one. Quite simply, they take themselves too seriously, despite the inherent ridiculousness of both the source material and what's actually happening on screen. They were technically very well made films, but the tone didn't sit right. Making a dark, gritty Batman film is all very well, but making a dark, gritty Batman film that was set in a humourless 'real world' just didn't work for me personally.

The Prestige... well, actually, that was just a bad film full stop; and again, one that was supremely silly, yet completely unaware of said silliness and carrying on with a straight face.

Dec 20 - 02:13 PM

Lee Augustus

They're 2 different directors with 2 different styles

Dec 20 - 01:44 PM

Emily Knight

Tarantino isn't "the best" writer but he's absolutely the most unique. No one writes like him. And the performances in his movies are always so spot-on.

Nolan is mediocre and writing /and/ directing.

Dec 20 - 11:26 AM

Matthew Strehlow

Cool topic! These may be my two favorite directors of all time, so it is extremely hard to pick. I think I am going with Nolan though. He's never made a bad movie while Tarantino has had some flops in the past.

Dec 20 - 09:05 AM

Ryan Leftwich

QT! 4 the win

Dec 20 - 06:47 AM

Zolt�n Kov�cs

MY VOTE MR. NOLAN

Dec 20 - 06:12 AM

Gafoor Khan

As far as audience reach is concerned, Nolan has made a great name for himself by making highly entertaining and thought provoking Blockbusters, but he has yet to achieve that pure pulsating cinematic brilliance that Tarantino does so effortlessly. All said and done, Tarantino wins here, but The Coen Bros are the true masters in this category :)

Dec 20 - 04:18 AM

For sheer output, Woody Allen towers above all living directors.. However, if you were to go all time Kurosawa, Fellini, Truffaut, Bergman and Orson Welles would crush the competition.

Dec 20 - 04:31 AM

Luis Cuevas

I'm a fan of nolan and tarrantino. What i admire most about tarrantino is the dialogue in his movies and his not give a fuck attitude. Nolan however did to the batman movies what other directors dream about and his movies are much more modern and thought provoking. Their both great you can't compare them. I would say Tarrantino gets my vote, because he's more set in his ways of making movies. Christopher nolan is still expanding and has only been directing for about a decade.

Dec 19 - 10:20 PM

Nolan's dialogue is thought-provoking and philosophical.
"You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain"

"An idea. Resilient... highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it's almost impossible to eradicate. An idea that is fully formed - fully understood - that sticks; right in there somewhere."

Whereas Tarantino's dialogue focuses on wit and humor.
"When you came pulling in here, did you notice a sign out in front of my house that said "Dead Nigger Storage"?

Dec 20 - 12:36 AM

Kaiser Yusuf

Your first quote that is supposed to showcase Nolans thought provoking dialogue wasn't even made by him, he just used that quote in one of his movies.

Dec 20 - 03:48 PM

Too small a list.

Dec 19 - 09:30 PM

Julia Dzagoeva

Paul Thomas Anderson!... but for the sake of the poll I'll say Tarantino (even though Nolan is a legend)

Dec 19 - 08:55 PM

Gafoor Khan

Both the Andersons (PT and Wes) are brilliant writer-directors with a distinctive visual flair

Dec 20 - 04:26 AM

I think Tarantino movies are generally much better, but that's not to say I don't like Nolan. I just think SOME of his movies are a little overrated. I haven't actually seen Following or Insomnia yet, but will soon. I've seen all of Tarantino's, and have loved each of them in their own way.

Dec 19 - 08:25 PM

Matthew Strehlow

The story in Insomnia is okay but I expected it to be more complex. I think it is Pacino's performance that makes it an excellent movie. Following is really great too, very unique and has some similarities to Memento.

Dec 20 - 08:59 AM

Mmm good, I LOVE Momento, my favorite by Nolan.

Dec 20 - 01:15 PM

Matt Gerberich

I personally prefer Nolan, but I think Tarantino is definitely a more influential director. Hollywood brought Nolan in from the indie movement; Tarantino brought the indie movement into Hollywood.

Dec 19 - 08:23 PM

Well, this discussion thread is located Tarantino's latest movie and all his die-hard fans will be swarming around here, so obvious there will be many Tarantino votes.

Dec 19 - 07:24 PM

Big Brother

For me Nolan, but it's just a matter of personal taste since they make very different flavor's of movie. I would say Tarantino has the more distictive style, but Nolan is more versatile.

Dec 19 - 05:25 PM

Logan Stott

Quentin Tarantino is a million times better than that hack.

Dec 19 - 05:00 PM

An irrational statement from an irrational person. And I can predict an even more irrational rebuttal.

Dec 19 - 07:28 PM

You're right..
FUCK YOU

Dec 19 - 08:49 PM

Logan Stott

Haha I was just messin' :D but I do like Tarantino better.

Dec 20 - 12:44 AM

Simon Opitz

Is this even a question? Tarantino!

Dec 19 - 04:46 PM

Catfish Alexander

Tarantino, far and away. Nolan has yet to create a masterpiece while Tarantino made Reservoir Dogs.

Dec 19 - 03:14 PM

Geordie Newlands

THERE BOTH GREAT CANT PICK ONE HOWEVER HATE 2 SAY IT BUT TARANTINO WINS BY DEFAULT HE HAS MADE MORE MOVIES.

Dec 19 - 01:51 PM

Caleb Paasche

That is a terrible arguement, I have no problem with you saying that Tarantino is a better filmaker, but your logic is simply God awful.

Dec 19 - 02:33 PM

Mark Stanheight

while i do realize that Nolan's movies are more complex, yet brilliantly executed and admire what he accomplished with Batman, i have to pick Tarantino, becasue he is not afraid to push any boundaries, and if he crosses the line he succeeds and always delivers an amazing movie.

Dec 19 - 11:39 AM

Caleb Paasche

I would have to go with Nolan, in my opinion he redefined the superhero genre and all of his original movies are thought provoking and honestly I love all of his work.

Dec 19 - 08:31 AM

zinc alloy

both fantastic...slight nod to Nolan

Dec 19 - 08:20 AM

Tarantino. I would guess he has a greater film knowledge than Nolan and all of his screenplays are original I do believe. His movies are game changers for modern cinema and so is his writing. Shit, how many pop-culture references do you see from his movies today?

Dec 19 - 07:40 AM

Samuel Wolfe

All but Jackie Brown were original.

Dec 19 - 06:28 PM

aw thanks for clarifying

Dec 19 - 08:51 PM

Braam Hollenbakker

Many of Tarantino's films are homages to similar films done in the past. Even Django Unchained is based on the older Django films.

Calling his work more "original" than Nolan's is very strange. Are you sure you didn't confuse the two film makers in your comment?

Dec 22 - 10:57 AM

Yes he has many homages in his movies (Kill Bill's, Jackie Brown, Inglorious Basterds) but he still can make these films his own, they incorporate elements from other films more than themes. His style is distinctive enough to where when you see his films you know it's a Tarantino flick...based on narrative, characters, stylistic violence, cinemotogrpahy, score ect. This is all solitified by Tarantinos film knowladge...can you honestly say Nolan is as good as Tarantino or even better in all aspects of direction? I'd love to see Nolan direct a movie outside of noir and action. Tarantrino lets see...gangster, noir, spagetti western, action revenge, WWII movie, And he wrote True Romance. Yeah, as you can tell I'm very confused about what I'm talking about.

Dec 23 - 09:35 AM

zinc alloy

you don't feel that Nolan made 'Batman' his own?...come on........

Dec 27 - 09:25 AM

. .

Both fantastic, but I just enjoy Nolan's work more. He tends to not have to go the on screen gory violence route nearly as much to get his point across and I appreciate that.

Dec 19 - 05:31 AM

Timothy Junkins

I revisit Nolan movies more often, but I think I have to give "better" to Tarantino. It's more of a rare thing for me to have any kind of criticism for Tarantino, where as with Nolan I have really minor issues with a lot of his work.

Dec 19 - 05:11 AM

Lucas Pereira Preti

I'm a Nolan guy. He knows there's intelligent people watching blockbusters.

Dec 19 - 04:59 AM

Alex Aston

Tarantino, Nolan's a great director don't get me wrong, probably one of the best modern directors anyway. But Tarantino redefined the Crime Drama genre to an extent that no Director has been able to match with his first two films (Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction) which are two of my favourite films, and his current homages to other genre's and directors are almost always breathtaking and provide fresh and insightful outlooks to anything he approaches. Plus I would also argue Tarantino is probably one of the greatest Screenwriters in the history of American cinema, his dialogue alone is worth the price of admission to see his films.

Dec 19 - 02:49 AM

Excellent point. For me, Nolan elevated the superhero genre to new heights. He shaped Batman into a powerful symbolic figure. He render the Joker into one of the most, if not the most, interesting and compelling villains of all time. Shifting to his original work, Inception, Memento, and the Prestige are definitely some of the most thought-provoking, innovative, mind-bending, twisting works of fiction. Tarantino and Nolan are both iconic gods of filmmaking.

Dec 19 - 04:21 AM

Alex Aston

I'd agree with your statement, their both great directors, just for me Tarentino takes the cake due to his screenwriting talents, as well as the fact that Tarentino has made three of my favourite movies while Nolan has only made one, still their is not one movie in Chris Nolan's entire filmography I wouldn't consider a great movie. I'd say the same for Tarentino except for Death Proof, which I thought was essentially average.

Dec 20 - 01:02 AM

David Friedman

But Prestige, Memento, and Batman were all written by his younger brother, Jonathan Nolan...

Dec 22 - 06:12 PM