In this corner we have WES Anderson, an acclaimed filmmaker behind films like BOTTLE ROCKET, RUSHMORE, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS(whom he shared his Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay with Owen "Broken Nose" Wilson), and the newly released THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU....

And in this corner we have the OTHER critically-acclaimed filmmaker named Anderson in PAUL THOMAS Anderson(aka "PTA".) The self-acclaimed fan of filmmaker John Carpenter is behind such movies as BOOGIE NIGHTS(and yes it was a prosthetic. Anyway, PTA got an Original Screenplay Oscar nomination), MAGNOLIA(another Oscar nomination), PUNCH-DUNK LOVE, etc.

Now, who is the better filmmaker who's last name is Anderson?

P.S. - Any dip-s*it that nominates Paul W.S. Anderson, the hack behind crap like MORTAL KOMBAT, EVENT HORIZON, SOLDIER, RESIDENT EVIL, and the very awful AVP: ALIEN VS PREDATOR will be shot on sight.

Wes Anderson, by a long shot. Definitely.

Paul Thomas Anderson. By far. Theres just such dimension to his films, and the use of music, and codes in his movies are amazing. If you take that one scene from Boogie Nights, the first real party scene where Dirk Diggler is introduced to everyone, you will find Eric Burdon and the Animals - Spill the Wine playing in the background and at the same time you are looking at a steady cam shot (I think thats what you call it, where the camera follows the character from behind everywhere he goes), that is great use of codes in movies, you dont see that in Wes Anderson's films. As well as the plots are more interrelated and more developed, complexed in PTA's films.

Oh I see some decisiveness....who is the better director with a last name spelling A-N-D-E-R-S-O-N?

Stay tune......

I am a HUGE fan of both, and I am having a hard time deciding between the two.

To me, Paul's best is "Boogie Nights". The film is his masterpiece. He shows us some of the most flawed characters ever put on film, and he makes us really care about them. The scene mentioned by SM is a great example of Anderson's (COUGH***altman***COUGH) style. He had a great soundtrack in "Boogie Nights", making disco appealing for once.
But the way he makes us feel for his characters is AMAZING. Here are some examples:
1) When Philip Seymor Hoffman's character makes a pass at Dirk at the New Year's party, and is humiliated, he sits in his car sobbing, saying, "I'm a ###### idiot", over and over again. If it had been any other film, I wouldn't have thought about it, but I felt so sorry for his character.
2) When Don Cheadle's character can't get the loan from the bank because he is an ex-#### star, I felt his anger and rage...and regret.
3) When Amber Waves (Julianne Moore), after finding out she couldn't see her child anymore, was sitting outside the courthouse crying, I wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be ok.
You all might think I'm a little weird for having such an odd conection with these characters, but no director (that I have yet to come across, except Altman of course) can make you understand the characters like that. Amazing.
I used to really like "Magnolia", but after watching "Short Cuts", I kind of feel Anderson borrowed too much from it. Oh well, it's still one of the best film's of the 90s, and you gotta love the soundtrack by Aimee Mann.
"Punch-Drunk Love" is such a strange film, you have too see it at least once. There really isn't a hidden meaning or anything, it's just weird for the sake of being weird, and I loved every minute of it.
"Sydney" (or "Hard Eight") is, I think, Paul's most interesting film. From a guy who made two loud and epic ensemble films, I never thought he could be able to make a quiet character study/noir, but he did. To me, this is a hidden treasure just waiting to be rediscovered.
Though Paul is probably the second greatest filmmaker to emerge from the 90s (behind Tarantino of course), he doesn't seem to be doing much lately. Last I heard, he was suffering from depression, which (judging by his films) is understandable.


Now, while Paul Anderson's style is similiar to Altman's, Wes Anderson's style is much more unique and offbeat.
I have seen "Bottle Rocket" only once, and enjoyed it. It was a fun little film. Good debut.
"Rushmore", on the other hand, just might be his best (even though he has only made three). The film has one of the greatest soundtracks EVER (behind only Anderson's other film, "The Royal Tenenbaums"), and is even better the second time around. It is a unique character study of two people, both affected by the same woman. Bill Murray is excellent, as is Jason Schwartzmann. I could analyse this film for hours. There is so much meaning behind it, and such dry humor. Excellent.
While I think "Rushmore" is his best, "The Royal Tenenbaums" is my favorite of his. Each scene contains so much vision and so many hidden elements, it's like a fantasy. What am I saying, it is a fantasy. Can you imagine people like this in the real world? But that is the point. These people live in their own world, a world only Wes Anderson can make. And besides, I'm glad someone finally made an actor out of Ben Stiller.
And now his next film, "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou". I will be seeing this the day it opens in my city. Ebert has already given it a thumbs down, but I should expect as much from him.