Who are the next great directors in American film? There's a fresh crop of quality filmmakers who have emerged in the last five or six years, but the real question is that of who will go the distance. The following are five directors who are on track to become key players in Hollywood's future, and who will come to be viewed in the same vein as Martin Scorsese or Frances Ford Coppola.
P.T. Anderson probably has the most raw talent of any director to emerge in the last 10 years. His usage of framing and staging is especially breathtaking, as he fills each shot with more beauty than most films have in an entire reel. While it was not his best film to date, 1996's \Hard Eight"" is one of those movies that lets you know that this is someone who has great control and vision, and gives you a taste of what is to follow in later works. ""Punch-Drunk Love"" is his masterpiece, one of the most innovative romantic comedies in years that also showed the world that Adam Sandler could be something besides annoying in the hands of the right director.
Wes Anderson is an extreme breath of fresh air to the genre of comedy, which is largely ruled by jokes of the least common denominator. ""Rushmore"" and ""The Royal Tenenbaums"" are films that don't dumb things down for their audience, weaving together ensemble casts and quirky storylines into something both funny and emotionally engaging. On top of that, Anderson deserves credit for helping revive the career of Bill Murray, who had spent most of the 1990's starring in tripe such as ""Space Jam.""
Although Jackson has been making films since the '80's, he obviously didn't hit his mark until 2001 with the first ""Lord of the Rings"" installment. Even if he never makes another film, he's already cemented his status as one of the premiere blockbuster directors of this decade. If he can keep directing on the same level, he definitely could become a giant among action directors, rivaling James Cameron or Steven Spielberg. The only X-factor is that his next project is a remake of ""King Kong,"" and remakes of classics often have the curious effect of setting careers back (see: Roland ""Inependance Day"" Emmerich's ""Godzilla"").
With 1998's ""Pi,"" Darren Aronofsky brought his audience to the edge. His follow-up, ""Requiem For a Dream,"" brought them back to the edge, only this time he pushed them off it. I can't say enough good things about ""Requiem,"" as it is one of the best edited, written, directed and acted movies of this decade. Aronofsky has style and substance on his side, and his next project, a three century love story titled ""The Fountain,"" will surely reflect that.
Sofia Coppola
Possibly the most talked about woman behind a camera, Coppola has shown that she more than deserves the accolades of praise she's received. ""Lost in Translation"" was a seminal work, and proved that she's able to construct rich character driven works that showcase the intricacies of emotion. There are a select few who seem to resent her because her father obviously had a hand in advancing her career, but she's proven she's more than deserving of any free rides she may have gotten. It's too bad Francis Ford Coppola hasn't made anything as good as his daughter's works in quite some time.
Dan Marfield's column runs every Monday. Did Dan leave someone out? Reach him at ddmarfield@wisc.edu.
