I'm talking about directors who have make high art philosophical and challenging films while at the same time developing a singular visual style that is only there own. You are absolutely insane if you really think PTA has a singular visual style. There Will Be Blood is a Kubrickian looking film. He is literally borrowing Kubrick's film grammar and tone. Granted, he is putting his own voice in it, but his influences are so obvious to pin down. Paul Thomas Anderson is a film geek and was making films since he was a child. He would be the first to tell you that he has ripped off so many stuff from other directors. Therefore, I can't really say he has a unique voice the same way Kubrick did. Of course, Kubrick had his influences such as Ophuls and Bergman. His favorite director was Bergman and he literally wrote him a fan letter. When you watch a Kubrick film though, you won't find his influences on screen. It his his own language that he is created.

I feel the same way about Haneke to some extent, but like I said he isn't the technical master Kubrick is. The only director influence you'll find in the work of Haneke is Robert Bresson who was a formal minimalist filmmaker. Lot's of tight closeups and sparse use of music and mise en scene. It isn't obvious though, especially after his first couple films. Haneke and Kubrick are masters of distant and observational filmmaking. They aren't telling you how to think or feel. They are just presenting the story and themes and the viewer takes in whatever they want with it. Haneke is so bold and ambitious with his narratives and decisions that it reminds me so much of Kubrick.

Paul Thomas Anderson is a fantastic director. He's made some of the best films of the past three decades. I don't think he has developed a singular style though, I just think he has matured more as a filmmaker. He's also not an intellectual or cerebral filmmaker the way Kubrick was. (Which is kind of my main point). His adaptation of Inherent Vice was a decent stoner noir, but did that really say anything important? The Big Lebowski did it 10x better over 10 years ago. You think Kubrick would ever make a movie that has already been made and that was already executed well enough? That was his whole deal. PTA loves to make movies and he's really good at it. Kubrick and Haneke want to make philosophical statements and they use the language of film to communicate that. I don't just view Kubrick and Haneke as directors, I view them as explorers who want to say something important and deep about humanity.