12. Paul Thomas Anderson
Robbed of a Best Director Oscar in 2007 for There Will Be Blood, (losing out to The Coen Brothers), Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the best and most gifted directors out there. Also at just 42, he is still a relative newcomer to Hollywood and I'm sure he will continue to make world class pictures in the future. If he succeeds in this expectation, I'm certain an Oscar or two are likely to follow. He has been at the helm of groundbreaking movies such as Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood and The Master that have all been unfairly overlooked by the Academy, who don't seem to be at ease with his "avant-garde" approach to directing. In my opinion, The Master was the true best film of 2012, yet a lack of publicity and unexpected poor box office figures hindered Anderson's chances of a Best Director nod. Anderson also possesses the trait of being able to utilise his actors, in order to get maximum performances out of them. This is a brilliant attribute for any budding director out there and there's a saying in the film world that certainly is true of Anderson: "a great director not only directs his camera but also directs his actors". His current filmography just oozes class, and I'd argue he is yet to make a bad movie. If he continues in such a prolific vain, then there's no reasoning as to why he won't be able to become the next Spielberg or Scorsese for many years to come.