JumpCutz

Let's compare two of the most celebrated contemporary film directors.

Whose work do you prefer and why?

OldBoy

Fincher has more of a resume thus far and does very good work. i love The Game and can watch that over and over and while his others are very good they are not as eminently rewatchable for me like Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and now Inception.

they are just great, almost iconic scenes in those that i don't mind watching over and over and never tire.

PopcornTreeCt

I like David Fincher because he has his own style of making films. He tackles projects that are almost always somewhat uniquely different than his last film. His films have a certain style and are for the most part, rewarding, intelligent cinema. Seven is my favorite from him.

I like Christopher Nolan because he's always challenging himself as a filmmaker. Making each movie bigger than his last. However, I don't necessarily see this as a total positive. I would prefer to see him get back to smaller, dramatic, intelligent films. Memento is my favorite from him.

Unlike say Paul Thomas Anderson or Joel and Ethan Coen, I think with Fincher and Nolan their greatest achievements were long ago. I will still look forward to anything they put out but to me, they are not in upper tier of active directors.

TGM

what happens behind the camera = Nolan
what happens in front of the camera = Fincher

Timber

The Prestige is probably my favorite movie of all time. Memento is right up there and I suspect with a few more viewing Inception will be up there as well. I won't even bring the Batman's into the discussion which I do love. For me it's Nolan by far.

musick

Aronofsky, The brothers Coen, Wes Anderson, Tarantino

I like The Prestige and Memento better than anything Fincher has done so for that reason I go with Nolan

Boba Fett

While Fincher's best (Fight Club and Zodiac) are a notch above Nolan's best (The Prestige and Dark Knight), I'd say Nolan has been consistently good, whereas Fincher has put out a few good, but not great movies (Panic Room and Benjamin Button)

fumanstan

Nolan for me.

Solid Snake

Nolan. He's getting better and better as a director w/ every film.

jmu878

This....Fincher is getting worse and worse it seems. I think he peaked with Fight Club.

Fist of Doom

Nolan for me. Memento is such a wonderfully crafted film, and I think Insomnia is a much better film than it gets credit for.

Solid Snake

Whoa whoa whoa.

I think Fincher has stayed at the level he last hit. He hasn't gotten worse at all in my eyes. His direction is top notch...just maybe the stories don't fancy you. I thought Zodiac was badass, but he didn't grow as a director in it. I knew he could already do what he did in that film. Ben Button too. I do agree though that I think his growth as a filmmaker stopped at Fight Club..but it didn't go down either. It's been at that constant.

Nolan though is pretty damn great to see..he's getting better w/ every film. Quality of the films aside, his direction in them has been huge leaps from film to film. Watch Following and then watch Inception. You could really barely tell, if at all even, that it's the same guy doing the films.

Mr. Cinema

I like them both, but Fincher is my choice. I like his films more. Zodiac is the best film of the 2000s, imo, and I absolutely love The Game and Se7en. Even his misses (Panic Room) are entertaining to me.

Memento and TDK were fantastic, but Insomnia and The Prestige are very average and Batman Begins has never been a big favorite of mine. Plus, I don't care for Bale as Batman. Haven't seen Inception yet.

Of course, no one has seen The Social Network either, so that may give Fincher more votes once it is released.

RagingBull80

This was a tough choice but I had to go with Nolan.

I still have a sour taste in my mouth from Benjamin Button. Fincher lost points there in my opinion.

FantasticVSDoom

I would say Nolan simply because he does seem to be getting better... Not a huge fan of Memento or Insomnia, but recently loved his stuff. Where as recently Fincher seems to be going in the other direction with Zodiac and Benjamin Button.

JumpCutz

I think Zodiac, Seven and Fight Club are superior to anything Nolan has made.

Fincher films feel more alive, they have more verve and soul, plus I think he's better with actors.

Even a middling effort like Panic Room is far more interesting on a directorial level than Nolan's equivalent Insomnia.

That said, I despised Benjamin Button.

My favorite Nolan films are Memento and The Prestige. His Batman films are strangely inert.

jmu878

Fincher has 1 film I love (Fight Club) and 3 I really like (Zodiac, Se7en, The Game). But he also has 3 films i absolutely hate in BB, Alien 3, and Panic Room. The Social Network also doesn't look to exciting. Nolan on the other hand doesn't have a single mis-step in my book. So...Nolan.

Blu Man

Nolan has yet to make a bad movie, and I can only assume that he will continue to grow as a filmmaker. For me, Fincher hit his peak with Se7en and Fight Club, two of my favorite films, and has not made a film that stands out since then. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is good, but not memorable. When I think "David Fincher", I don't think of that film. Nolan on the other hand, has had a steady stream of really good movies since 2005, starting with Batman Begins. He has only improved since then. And even before 2005 he had Memento, Insomnia, and Following, which are also three very strong films. In my opinion Nolan has a better and more steady track record then Fincher, so my vote goes to Nolan.

conscience

I like them both but I give the edge to Nolan because he also has a hand in writing his films.

MrSmearkase

I reserve judgment until I see The Social Network

JumpCutz

Did you miss Zodiac?

Blu Man

Actually, I did.

I still have yet to see Zodiac, haven't gotten around to it yet. That's the only film of his I haven't seen.

Dr. DVD

FIncher makes some solid movies, but Nolan's are the kind I can go back and watch again and again and like the better each time. The only Fincher movie that does that for me is Fight Club.

auto

Was just thinking about this today. Nolan, so far.

Quake1028

The Prestige alone is better than anything Fincher has done, for me.