Film snobs be damned, we're gonna talk about this. They laugh alike, they walk alike, sometimes they even talk alike -- their names are Michael Bay (McBay) and McG. They are two of the most successful "hated" directors working today. Constantly mocked and openly derided for their focus upon effect-driven, testosterone-drenched thrill rides, they consistently deliver the goods when it comes to box office results. This summer, they each bring to the table another juggernaut property sure to rake in the bucks. But what actually makes these two different ... and who is the better director of the two? Let's break these two down and see what sets them apart.

Best ACTION director: McBay. Both of these guys are very skilled at hyper-stylized action. When they want to blow something up, each does it in top form. But thus far it has been Bay every time who has stunned audiences worldwide with his audacious sequences that often embarrass other filmmakers with their ingenuity. In the same year that Deep Impact destroyed New York with a giant comet-generated tidal wave, Bay ripped it to shreds with meteors in the opening of Armageddon, then he completely leveled Paris. In the year the Wachowski Brothers gave us a fight on top of an 18-wheeler in Matrix Reloaded, Bay tore up a Miami freeway in one of the most memorable car chases in history in Bad Boys 2. And say what you will about Pearl Harbor's story, the 40-minute invasion sequence is pure spectacle. Nothing in McG's portfolio comes close.

Best HUMAN Director: McG. Demi Moore has had one really entertaining role this decade, and it was in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. He gave us Crispen Glover back, if only for the briefest of moments. And his heartfelt drama, We Are Marshall, is actually quite good with a number of solid performances. Bay, God bless him, couldn't direct a starving actress to craft services. The human element eludes him. Give him top notch actors and he'll make them believable. Give him someone who requires special care ... and they'll end up cartoonish and distracting. One need only look at anything not resembling an action scene in Pearl Harbor to see what I'm talking about. McG wins this handily.

Best Franchise: McG. This one's tough. Transformers is a lot of fun and has tons of potential, especially since Bay has developed it as a trilogy. But the Terminator series has two incredible films and one fun (but lacking) one. It has a long history and the potential for greatness. And the trailer gives us the briefest glimpse of a devastation post-apocalyptic war that McG would also like to tell as a trilogy (parts 4, 5 and 6 -- part 5 reportedly already having been green lit once the bigwigs at WB saw the roughcut of Terminator Salvation.) And with Christian Bale reigning high atop the throne of big name genre actors, there's little doubt that these two will leave it all up there on the screen. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen looks incredible, but it doesn't resonate with the emotion that seems to be coming off of Bale in the Terminator trailer.

Best Movie: McBay. Thus far Bay has the better record. And of all their films, it is hard to find a better action film than The Rock. Everybody loves The Rock. One summer The Rock was my go-to movie for dates. I took three different girls, and all of them went nuts for it. If you find anyone talking trash about Michael Bay, just drop The Rock and watch them stammer and stutter for a bit before mumbling, "Yeah, The Rock is pretty cool." And as fun as McG's Charlie's Angels films have been, they don't touch the cultural impact of Armageddon, Bad Boys, or Transformers.

Most Potential: McG. I've gotta say, I think in the long run McG will end up the better director. He knows action and can make it fun, and while he hasn't made anything as epic as Bay has, he has something Bay doesn't: the ability to tell a story that involves the audience. With the right material (and I think Terminator: Salvation may be the right material) he could rise to the level of one of the greats. We've seen what Bay has to offer over the last 15 years. We know what he's capable of. And as fun as his films are, he lacks the ability to tell a really great story. Unless he finds a hidden reservoir of story sense that has lain dormant like a Transformer buried in ice, McG is going to go down as the superior filmmaker. Even if he has pretty much copied Bay in both style of film and style of dress.

Winner: McG. Now let's see how these guys do this summer. No matter who comes out on top, it looks like us action lovers will win.

Now you decide ...

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