Best Newer Filmmakers

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You can definitely do without Harmony Korine, Gaspar Noe, and Sofia Coppola on the list. I vote Todd Solondz and Alexander Payne, and if we can go as far back as the early 90s, Todd Haynes, Richard Linklater, and Whit Stillman should also be included.

Todd Solondz is great. The only reason i didn't include him is because i wouldn't really consider him quite "new" enough (i was thinking post-1996). Alexander Payne, on the other hand, i just don't see whats so great about him. Election was a decent flick, but nothing terribly special in my opinion. About Schmitt was the textbook definition of unremarkable, and i didn't even bother with the middle-aged yuppie posturing of Sideways (who wants to see a movie about schlubby middle-aged guys drinking wine? Film critics, that's who). Overall Payne is just much too middle-of-the-road faux-indie for my taste. Totally competanant, but dull.

If we're doing as far back as the entire 90s than i'd add Larry Clark, Gregg Araki, Paul Thomas Anderson, Michael Haneke, Wes Anderson, Lars Von Trier (true, he started in the 80s but he gained prominence in the 90s), Leos Carax (again, started in the 80s, but with only four films to his credit i think it's still reasonable to consider him a relatively newer filmmaker), Takeshi Kitano, Michael Winterbottom, Mike Figgis (had some duds, but with Leaving Las Vegas and The Loss of Sexual Innocence to his name i can afford to cut him some slack), Richard Linklater, Gus Van Sant (again, started in the 80s, but mostly 90s), and Danny Boyle.

Todd Haynes started out all right with Poison and Safe, especially Poison, but since then he's done Velvet Goldmine, a total atrocity of a film, and Far From Heaven, an overblown, overrated, over-indulgant spectacle. So overall i can't really cut the guy much slack.

http://www.ymdb.com/user_top20_view.asp?usersid=11491

Are spike jonze and m. gondry not considered newer or do you guys not think their works brilliant? I understand that they have rode on Kaufman's shoulders a little, but i think they belong amongst these young directors . As well as David O. Russel (though I have yet to see Huckabees, I truly loved Three Kings.)

I didn't mention Jonze and Gondry for the reason you said, they just rode on Charlie Kaufman's shoulders, so to speak. Also i'm just not that crazy about their stuff. Too clever for the sake of it. The opposite of David Gordon Green, really. Russel i'm not a huge fan of either. I thought I Heart Huckabees was pretty good in a Kaufman/Wes Anderson kind of way, but to me he doesn't really have a unique artistic vision that seperates him from the pack the way the others i've mentioned do.

http://www.ymdb.com/user_top20_view.asp?usersid=11491

well Tarantino has to be mentioned if we are going back to the 90s. But as far as newer meaning maybe late 90s to now I'd say DGG, Aronofsky, Jonze/Kaufman, Kenneth Lonergan (great debut) Christopher Nolan, Todd Field (great debut) the Donnie Darko dude whose name escapes me (only one film but a hell of a debut and you can't tell me there won't be a huge amount of curiosity about his next film) Sofia Coppola, and Lukas Moodyson.

if you only count debut films post 96 you should quickly exclude Miike who started in the early 90s.

David Gordon Green
only seen "George Washington", one of the greatest films i've seen in recent times. so good it almost hurts. if it was only not so difficult getting his films over here.

Gaspar Noe
"Irreversibel" was brilliant but i was hugely dissapointed by "Seul Contre Tous". That bastard of a protagonist just pissed me off with his endless rambling about how everything sucks so much. I liked "Carne", the short, though. His next film will probably manifest my opinion on him.

Takashi Miike
seen nothing by him, but "Audition", "Ichi" and "Visitor Q" are on my to-see-list.

Alejandro González Iñárritu
seen nothing but i got "Amores Perros" and "21 Grams" lying around here.

Harmony Korine
the best of your list. two nearly revolutionary masterpieces under his belt.

Lukas Moodysson
seen everything he's done and i'm sort of mixed, i tend to label him as "average" on the edge to "uninteresting". "f'cking amal" is hugely overrated, "together" is just average, "lilja-4-ever" was a little too cliche for my taste, "a hole in my heart" was okay but a huge korine-rip-off. i liked "container" very much, though, but probably would never rewatch it. i give him props for experimenting so much with new cinematical ground.

Darren Aronofsky
i saw "Pi" about three or four times and was dissapointed everytime. i sold the dvd soon after. The best thing about it was the music, the rest just seemed annoying and uninteresting. "Requiem For A Dream" was okay but totally overrated. I'm not even slightly interested in "The Fountain".

Lynne Ramsay
I liked the music video for The Doves she did but I really hated "Morvern Callar". having sam morton screaming like a seriously mentally challenged one while hopping around naked doesn't do it for me. seriously.

Sofia Coppola
"Lost In Translation" was one of the biggest dissapointments in recent years, i tried to like it so much but i simply couldn't. i liked "The Virgin Suicides" and have not seen "Marie Antoinette" yet, but i'm interested in it.

Bruno Dumont
seen nothing.

my personal choices would be the usual ones:
Wes Anderson and Paul Thomas Anderson. they make unique, entertaining, visually compelling films with perfect acting, intriguing stories and are worth every dollar they get for their work.

i should also add Vincent Gallo and Andrew Bujalski who have both made two really amazing films, Gallo's films are masterpieces really.

i also add Rob Zombie, because he knows how to entertain me and let's me have a good time. i also mention Sam Mendes who has made three great films.

Where are you, Mount Everest? Give me some Everest.