The Next Scorcese, according to Esquire

In the March 2000 issue of Esquire, film critics pick six new emerging directors as the next new Scorcese. About.com brings you links to homepages and films of these exciting new filmmakers. Esquire's selections are fine: Kevin Smith, David Russell, PT Anderson, Alexander Payne, The Wachowski Brothers, and Wes Anderson. I am especially pleased to see Wes Anderson getting his due. His first film, bottle rocket, was a delight, and his follow-up, Rushmore, ranks as one of my all time favorites.

However, I admit, I am disappointed to see a list hailing as America's new masters an exclusive group of young, white males. Esquire writes that they were looking for directors with a couple films in the bag as the determining factor for judging potential longevity of a director's career.

Esquire's Emerging Directors (in alphabetical order):

PT Anderson
I want to say for the record that Boogie Nights was overrated. But I did not fidget for the nearly three and a half hour duration of Magnolia. So I give Anderson lots of credit. Anderson makes movies about the territory he knows best, the suburbs of the Valley in Los Angeles, and has inspired terrific work with star-studded, ensemble casts. Still, as an excercise in control, it might be a good thing, however, for his next picture, he tries to bring it in under less than three hours.

Next: The Other Five, Who Esquire Forgot

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