25. Steven Soderbergh
21st Century Filmography: Erin Brockovich (2000), Traffic (2000), Ocean's Eleven (2001), Full Frontal (2002), Solaris (2002), Ocean's Twelve (2002), Bubble (2005), The Good German (2006), Ocean's Thirteen (2007), Che (2008), The Girlfriend Experience (2009), The Informant! (2009), And Everything Is Going Fine (2010), Contagion (2011), Haywire (2012), Magic Mike (2012) Whether he's putting together an experimental drama starring former pornstar Sasha Grey or building a balls-to-the-walls action spectacular around a female MMA fighter, Steven Soderbergh's reputation as a chameleon is well-earned. Spending his time flicking between polished blockbusters (
Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve) and smaller indie affairs (
And Everything is Going Fine, Magic Mike), Soderbergh has become a creative force unto himself as the 21st century has pushed onwards. And with such defining versatility, he's one director whose next project really could turn out to be about practically anything.
First Feature: Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)Cream of the Crop: Traffic (2001)Next Up: The Bitter Pill (2013)
24. Andrew Stanton/23. Pete Docter/22. Brad Bird
Collected 21st Century Filmography:Monsters Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Ratatouille (2007), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009), Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011), John Carter (2012) In other words, those certified geniuses over at Pixar. In the waking nightmares of Dreamworks executives, it's a well-established fact that Pixar are probably the greatest animation studio in the world. This notion has been made largely possible because of the amazing talent pool that the company have nurtured and subsequently built their feature films on since
Toy Story debuted in 1995. Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter and Brad Bird, particularly, are three directors whose works have led to Pixar's enviable 21st century reputation, all of whom have directed 2 animated masterpieces each. Andrew Stanton took the reigns on both
Finding Nemo and
WALL-E, two animated films on opposite ends of the spectrum.
Finding Nemo, perhaps Pixar's most accessibly "kiddie" film, won the world over at large with its colourful characters, bright animation and warm sense of humour.
WALL-E was a different kettle of fish - a quieter film, politically, culturally and environmentally charged, but unmistakeably built on Pixar's trademark magic. Pete Docter led the way on the brilliant Monsters
Inc., a film so clever in its set-up, characters and story touches that it's spawned the first ever Pixar prequel (
Monsters University is coming next year). Docter also proved himself an expert with the emotional aspects of the studio's output, having crafted some of Pixar's most heart-wrenching and tear-jerking sequences. One particular sequence (a beautiful, subtle montage that follows a young couple into adulthood and eventually old age) features in
Up, Docter's second film as director, an action-packed adventure story that takes an elderly man and a boy on an amazing journey into the wilds of South America. Though former
The Simpsons writer Brad Bird has shifted his talents to feature filmmaking as of 2011's
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, he was once at the helm of two of Pixar's most plainly enjoyable outings:
The Incredibles, an undeniably entertaining meta-commentary on the superhero genre that doubles as one of that genre's best films, and
Ratatouille, a beautifully-rendered tale about a Parisian rat who wants to be a chef, each scored rave reviews and ensured that Pixar's perfect track record stayed that way. As the 21st century pushes on, film-goers should regard these directors with honour having brought joy to millions of people all over the world - and even if recent Pixar outings have lacked the exact charm and innovation of these previous works, Stanton, Docter and Brad have at least inspired animators and writers in the understanding of one important notion: Animation isn't a genre - it's a method of storytelling.
First Feature: A Bug's Life (1998)/Monsters Inc. (2001)/The Iron Giant (1999)Cream of the Crop: WALL-E (2009)/Monsters Inc. (2001)/The Incredibles (2004)Next Up: Finding Nemo 2 (2014)/The Untitled Pixar Film That Takes You Inside The Mind (2015)/1906 (TBA)
21. David Lynch
21st Century Filmography:
Mulholland Drive (2001), Inland Empire (2006) Cinema's other "weird" David, American-born artist, musician, and furniture designer David Lynch has remained relatively quiet in recent years, having made just two films during the course of the century. Surreal? Dreamlike? Unnerving? Just plain odd? Since he made his debut in the 70s with the apocalyptic visions of
Eraserhead, Lynch's films are the sum of his own unique style, so much so that there's even a word for it: "Lynchian." 2001's
Mulholland Drive is often hailed as one of his greatest achievements, a mesmerizing blend of film noir and several strange, loosely-linked vignettes. People are still pondering its meaning today, and Lynch shows no signs of giving up the goods.
First Feature: Eraserhead (1977)Cream of the Crop: Mulholland Drive (2001)Next Up: -