• Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Lists
    • Yearly Top Tens
    • Trailers
    • Contact
    • Hire Me
    • About
Menu

World of Reel

Street Address
City, State, Zip
Phone Number
Home
Robert Benton, ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’ Director, Dies at 92
IMG_5296.jpg
Daniel Day-Lewis’ Comeback Film, ‘Anemone,’ Set for October Release
IMG_5289.png
Steven Spielberg’s Upcoming Sci-Fi Film Compared to ‘E.T.’ & ‘Close Encounters’
IMG_5286.png
Panos Cosmatos’ ‘Flesh of the Gods’ to Star Elizabeth Olsen, Kristen Stewart and Oscar Isaac
Screenshot 2025-05-13 125351.png
‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ Praised by Critics — 75 on Metacritic
Featured
Capture.PNG
Aug 19, 2019
3-Hour ‘Midsommar' Director's Cut Screened in NYC
Aug 19, 2019

This year’s 12th edition of the Scary Movies festival at Film at Lincoln Center premiered Ari Aster’s extended version of “Midsommar” this past Saturday.

Aug 19, 2019

World of Reel

  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Lists
  • More
    • Yearly Top Tens
    • Trailers
  • About
    • Contact
    • Hire Me
    • About

The Most Promising U.S. Directors

April 22, 2023 Jordan Ruimy

An observation.

The ‘80s and ‘90s saw a slew of brilliant American filmmakers making their debut: Spike Lee, Steven Soderbergh, Jim Jarmusch, Oliver Stone, Jonathan Demme, Michael Mann, John Sayles, Gus Van Sant, Tim Burton, Sam Raimi, Joel and Ethan Coen, Kathryn Bigelow, Quentin Tarantino, Richard Linklater, Darren Aronofsky, Spike Jonze, Todd Solondz, Todd Haynes, Alexander Payne, David O Russell, Paul Thomas Anderson, David Fincher, and Kelly Reichardt, just to name a few.

Now, think of an American director who has had his film debut, at the earliest, from 2000 on, who has built a solid reputation and has had a legitimately important impact on cinema in the same vein as the names I just mentioned?

Anyone? I can think of many directors born outside the United States who have emerged as big named auteurs: Glazer, Villeneuve, Bong, Nolan, McQueen, Farhadi, Inarritu, Lanthimos, Park, Refn, Mungiu, Weerasethakul, Wright, Arnold, Sciamma, Hamaguchi …

So, what about American filmmaking giwho have popped up recently? They are scant and few:

Sean Baker
Damien Chazelle
The Safdies
Ari Aster
Jeff Nichols
Jeremy Saulnier
Jordan Peele
David Lowery
Barry Jenkins
Robert Eggers

Others: David Robert Mitchell, Charlie Kaufman, Shane Caruth, JC Chandor, Craig S. Zahler, Trey Edward Shults, Greta Gerwig, Eliza Hittman, Dee Rees, Bennett Miller, Mike Mills, Sean Durkin, Kogonada

That's pretty much it. Am I missing anybody? Olivia Wilde, I guess (just kidding). The amount of new talent that has grown from the American studio system since the 2000s is pathetic, at least when compared to the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s.

It doesn’t help that any filmmaker that shows any hint of promise quickly gets sucked into the Marvel and DC vacuum. The likes of Ryan Coogler, Chloe Zhao, Destin Daniel Cretton, Jon Watts, and many more, have all sold their creative souls to the corporation.

So, what does this all say exactly? It implies that directors who came from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s have had to pick up the slack, and even they are not being given as many opportunities these days, what with Hollywood's current fascination with sequels and comic book movies.

These filmmakers can't live forever, and many of them are well into the twilight of their careers.

What’s the future of American cinema going to be like? It looks bleak, to say the least, but there are still some filmmakers starting to form impressive filmographies, despite the studio system not being interested in giving them any kind of creative freedom or room for original thought.

← New Cut of ‘Barbie’ Test-Screening Next WeekendThe Safdies Film Delayed, Again →

FOLLOW US!


Trending

Featured
IMG_4571.jpg
David Fincher & Brad Pitt Reunite for ‘The Continuing Adventures of Cliff Booth' + Plot Details
IMG_4549.png
Warners Bros. Chief Admits Missteps on ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’: “We Misread the Room”
IMG_4541.jpg
Scorsese’s Next Film? Hawaiian Mob Epic With Dwayne Johnson Eyes 2026 Shoot
Capture.png
Jim Caviezel to be De-Aged in ‘The Resurrection of the Christ'
IMG_4465.png
Harmony Korine Says Hollywood Struggling Because “Movies Suck Today”

Critics Polls

Featured
Capture.PNG
Critics Poll: ‘Vertigo’ Named Best Film of the 1950s, Over 120 Participants
B16BAC21-5652-44F6-9E83-A1A5C5DF61D7.jpeg
Critics Poll: Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ Tops Our 1960s Critics Poll
Capture.PNG
Critics Poll: ‘The Godfather’ Named Best Movie of the 1970s
public.jpeg
Critics Poll: ‘Do the Right Thing' Named Best Movie of the 1980s
Critics Poll: ‘Mulholland Drive' Named Best Film of the 2000s
g4.jpg
Critics' Poll: ‘Goodfellas' Named Best Movie of the 1990s
Critics Poll: ‘Mad Max: Fury Road' Named Best Movie of the 2010s
World of Reel tagline.PNG
 

Content

Contribute

Hire me

 

Support

Advertise

Donate

 

About

Team

Contact

Privacy Policy

Site designed by Jordan Ruimy © 2023