Cinema's Future Legends

Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Luchino Visconti, Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosowa, Woody Allen, the list of the greatest directors in history could honestly go on and on. We all know these men are brilliant directors, but who is next in line? Well that is the purpose of this post. I am going to bring to you who I think (in no particular order) are today's best directors of young age (under 50), and who I think have the best shot at having an excellent career in the movie making business. Some may be a surprise, but I truly believe all of these guys have the potential to obtain legendary status before their career's are over.

Christopher Nolan - The man may be a little too Hollywood for my taste, and I know all of the big film buffs think he is the most overrated director making movies today, but I actually really like Nolan. Sure, he is probably overrated, and the weakest of the directors that will be mentioned on this list, but after watching Inception a second time and enjoying more than I remembered, I chose to ask myself the question "why is Nolan considered so overrated?". Simple, because after seven films that all were acclaimed, some die hard fans decided to be ridiculous and say "Christopher Nolan is more consistent then the great Martin Scorsese! Aaaahhh! He is the greatest director EVER!" Naturally for us normal people, when silly things like this are said, we have to comeback and say he is overrated, and when you put it like that he is. However, I really enjoy most of his films, notably Memento and The Prestige, and I believe as long as people don't go crazy with their predictions, his future is bright.

Ben Affleck - This one I cannot see all too many people agreeing with, but I am going to keep it short and simple. I love his directing style (so do the critics, it seems) and I really liked his debut Gone Baby Gone, as well as his sophomore effort in The Town. He knows how to cast, direct actors, and it seems to me with his writing talent alongside Matt Damon's, we could have a duo that will be mentioned at the Oscar's many times in the future. Ratings for Gone Baby Gone (3/4) and The Town (3.5/4).

J.J. Abrams - Well I cannot imagine this pick being much of a surprise to anyone. Thrown into the Mission Impossible franchise, he did an excellent job with the third installment, making it the most entertaining and best of the series. After that came what most people think his best film to date, Star Trek, and while I loved it, I cannot say it is my favorite. Super 8 was a piece of movie magic that we don't see at the Cinema much today, and it showed me just how well Abrams can direct a film. Study it hard, Super 8 may seem familiar to Spielberg's work, and it is, which Abrams worked to his advantage. Incredible work, in my opinion.

Duncan Jones - I was not sure whether or not to add him to the list, seeing as Source Code is my biggest disappointment of the year so far. But I have now watched Moon twice, and I am convinced it is an unbelievably under appreciated film better than almost any science fiction work out today. Jones flawlessly directed it, and I have a feeling his sophomore work in Source Code was just a simple hiccup. Everyone has them, right?

Sam Mendes - After already winning an Oscar I was not sure if he really fit the list, but out of all these five young directors, I have no doubt if Mendes can continue to make more films, he will end up with his name beside the greatest. His films have an incredible amount of emotional depth, Mendes always gets straight to the heart of the matter, and does so perfectly.

Note: If I had to rank the directors, Mendes would undoubtedly be number 1.