> When Joan Allen kicks Kingsley out of the house, cheers went up in my >household. Somehow, Zaillian seems to understand the mothering side of >feminism, and how many scriptwriters can you say that about? It's funny. I've always been very disappointed with Joan's role. I thought it was a little... I don't know, substanceless. True, the story is about a boy and his father, but I thought the mother was little too on the nose, a little too intuitive. I don't know. But I agree, Zaillian is a good writer, and director. With all the debate about Tarantino as auteur, Zaillian seems to slide, quietly and without a lot of fanfare, into that slot. Compare the two (and Stone): all screenwriters and then directors. Tarantino and Zaillian both have one directorial credit. Is it possible to campare FISCHER and RD? Probably not fair. But looking at both resumes, I'd personally vote for Zaillian as the "next big thing". He and Spielberg pulled off a Bolt/Lane with SCHINDLER'S LIST. Opinions or what :-)! James