5. Wes Anderson
One of the founders of the modern, quirky, independent film, Wes Anderson has consistently been one of the most excellent film directors in the world since his debut in 1996. In 1998, he released his first major film Rushmore, which features the competition between teenager Max Fischer and rich industrialist Herman Blume over school teacher Rosemary Cross. Anderson followed this with what many see as his magnum opus with 2001's The Royal Tennenbaums, a portrait of a fractured family of geniuses who's estranged father announces he has cancer. Anderson's next film , The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, did not receive much in the way of critical acclaim but is an immensely likable and arguably misunderstood film. Anderson followed that film with the Darjeeling Limited in 2007, which follows three brothers who travel to India in an attempt to grow closer together as well as reunite with their mother. In 2009, Anderson returned to the good graces of critics with his stop-motion animated film The Fantastic Mr. Fox. In 2012, Anderson directed Moonrise Kingdom which has become one of his most acclaimed works and was arguably the best film of last year. Somehow, Moonrise Kingdom did not receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture but it cemented Anderson's case as one of the finest modern directors. Anderson is currently making his next film, the Grand Budapest Hotel, which will likely be released in 2014 but with some rumors claiming a late 2013 release date.
Eligible Films: Rushmore (1998), The Royal Tennenbaums (2001), The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), The Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Moonrise Kingdom (2012)