No. Refn makes violent films (don't think he's ever made a film that doesn't have gratuitous violence), Anderson doesn't.

Refn's version of the bowling alley scene would have excess brain.

Sorry that you don't see what I see (kick rocks?), but the vision he had at 26 to do a film like Boogie Nights - I haven't seen that with any other 26 year old director since I'll tell you that right away.

It's not that no other director compares, or even a statement of grandeur, he just happens to be one of a handful of notable American directors. This same question could apply to - Who will be the next Spielberg? Fincher? Cronenberg (alright so he's Canadian)? Lynch? Tarantino? Scott (Alright, also not american)? Cameron (also Canadian)? They aren't all "greats" but they're all very notable.

PT Anderson is only 41 years old, he's hopefully just getting warmed up. He's currently comes off as a mix of Altman and Kubrick. As such I'd like to see him do a straight up murder mystery horror flick next.

No I definitely don't see what you see and don't want to either. Oh how predictable let's go to hurling insults because I'm not recognizing the 'greatness' of PTA and instead recognizing the 'goodness' of PTA. 'A film like Boogie Nights', a pretty good film but hardly a masterpiece. And there have been directors who have directed good/great films before the age of 30.

But at 26? Wasn't Tarantino 26 when he did Reservoir Dogs? I can't think of younger directors doing that kind of stuff (w/ high critical quality too) at that age...much less younger.

The Sixth Sense (1999) M. Night Shyamalan– 29
Usual Suspects (1994) – Brian Singer – 29
Citizen Kane (1941) - Orson Welles - 26
Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989) – Stephen Soderbergh – 26
Jaws (1975) - Steven Spielberg - 26
Reservoir Dogs (1992) - Quentin Tarantino - 29
Boyz N The Hood (1991) - John Singleton - 23

Orson Welles directed Citizen Kane when he was 25/26.

Yep. Though I'd also argue most of those are vastly overrated, especially Sixth Sense and Usual Suspects.

Spike Jonze also directed Being John Malkovich when he was 29.

Wes Anderson

Says you. Most would argue that both of those are better films than Boogie Nights. Give it up, PTA is not doing anything special or groundbreaking that any other director has done.

Absolutely says me. Usual Suspects is a shitty movie with a great ending, Sixth Sense was a bore. I never said either was better or worse than Boogie Nights, but since your brought it up, yes, BN is better than those two movies.

Again that's your opinion. There aren't a lot of people who think Usual Suspects is a shitty movie with a great ending and that Sixth Sense was a bore. That's really not the point I'm getting at. You are going off track here. The point is PTA is a good director but he isn't some holier than thou, once in a lifetime director like you and others are making him out to be. Telling me that he is special because he directed Boogie Nights at age 26 isn't going to get me to say PTA is great. What the hell is so special about frickin' Boogie Nights. Great Mark Wahlberg shows his penis at the end of the movie. Is that supposed to be some groundbreaking moment in cinematic history where no other director can touch him. Give me a break.

You don't actually read posts, do you?

I know you don't because you have tried to go completely off topic by telling me/us how shitty The Usual Suspects and Sixth Sense are. So who is trying to stay on topic?(me) and who is using this topic to share there opinions about other movies that aren't relevant to this topic?(you)

So your answer is no. All I was asking, thanks!

Paul W.S. Anderson

My answer is you went off topic to give us your shitty thoughtless opinion. I listed directors who have directed what many people consider great films under the age of 30 and here you come with 'well I don't think Usual Suspects and Sixth Sense are good movies'. Like anyone gives a crap. You fall in the long line of people who love to bait other people on this message board. So sick of it. Go away you fucking baiter. You make me sick.

Boogie Nights = masterpiece.

Kick rocks is not an insult. It's a practice you tell someone to perform when they don't agree with what you think.

This thread is about directors being the next Anderson. What 26 year old or younger director SINCE 1997 has given us a film like Boogie Nights?

Wait for RichC2, he'll tell you whether these films are any good or not.

Dude - you deserve to be insulted by someone...

Again I ask who the heck is Anderson. What has he done to get 'next Anderson' status. Nothing yet that I know of. You can make that claim for directors like Cameron, Spielberg, Scorsese, Tarantino but Anderson hasn't earned that status.

You do too especially if you think Boogie Nights is a masterpiece. That alone is insult worthy. Good Lord man you are so sucking off Anderson it's not even funny. Why don't you copy and paste his entire wikipedia page for us or better yet rewrite with the title being 'Paul Thomas Anderson is the king of all movies'.

Yup they are. But hey you can have your opinion too! Afterall, I'm not the one that dropped in a PT Anderson thread and told everybody they were wrong for thinking Boogie Nights was great. So I suppose only when disagreeing with you is it "baiting". I am slightly baffled by your extreme defensiveness, they're movies, not videogame consoles (at which point flame wars are both appropriate and expected). And I was basically saying I agree that Anderson has a ways to go before he establishes himself among the great directors. He is, however, notable.

This was a list compiled from some site of "best movies by people 30 and under", I gotta disagree with Magnolia (not a fan) but otherwise it's a pretty solid list.

15. Boyz N The Hood 1991 (John Singleton (23))
14. The Silent World 1956 (Louis Malle (24))
13. Magnolia 1999 (PT Anderson (29))
12. American Graffiti 1973 (George Lucas (29))
11. Magnificent Ambersons 1942 (Orson Welles (27))
10. The 400 Blows 1959 (Francois Truffant (27))
9. Night of the Living Dead 1968 (Romero, 28)
8. Reservoir Dogs 1992 (Tarantino, 29)
7. Henry V 1989 (Branagh, 29)
6. The Tramp 1915 (Chaplin, 26)
5. Sherlock Jr 1924 (Keaton, 29)
4. Jaws 1975 (Spielberg, 29)
3. Breathless 1960 (Godard, 30)
2. Battleship Potemkin 1925 (Sergei Eisenstein, 27)
1. Citizen Kane 1941 (Welles, 26)

As for "Who is the next PT Anderson", judging it all on a movie he did from when he was 26 is a little much. He hasn't really developed a singular voice for his movies, but everything he does is extremely professional and polished. I can't think of many young directors out there that are working to the same standard of polish, though there are others in his age group that rival him.

Looking it up I thought Tom Hooper was younger (and, oh shit, I don't really like his directing style either), but he is also in the 40 - 50 group with all the Andersons, Duncan Jones, Steve McQueen, Fincher, Refn, Jonze, Tarantino, Nolan, etc;

There seems to be very few active directors in their 20s right now, kind of odd. Lena Dunham is really the only one I can really think of (maybe that guy that directed Bellflower?) and not so much for the directing. David Gordon Green, Rian Johnson and Edgar Wright are notable but Green sort of went off the deepend with stoner comedies, Rian Johnson has a great visual style that he hasn't quiet pulled together, and Wright does comedies (some of my favorite ones). So to answer the OPs question, it's Jeff Nichols.

Anyone remember when Richard Kelly was a potential talent to watch?

First off, take some kind of pill that will calm you down. I'll wait. Done? Okay, no one said that no director compares to him. The first poster said he was great very talented. Great and very talented does not equal no director compares to him. You were the first in this thread to use these words together: "...no director compares to him." Also, Boogie Nights is a masterpiece. You can go ahead and defend yourself while you flail your arms wildly now.

Knife In the Water - R. Polanski (29)
Pi - D Aronofsky (29)
Night of the Living Dead - GA Romero (28)
Badlands - T. Malick (29)
Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles - C. Ackerman (24)
Blood Simple - J. Coen (29)