So obviously Paul Thomas Anderson is my favorite filmmaker. Scorsese is my second and it is a very very close second. Paul Thomas Anderson is the only thing we have close to “the next Scorsese” and although I prefer PTA a very small margin to the original Martin Scorsese, historically, you have to go with Martin Scorsese. Martin Scorsese is one of the biggest pioneers in auteur filmmaking in America. He is easily the greatest and most consisted American filmmaker. So much of what PTA did in his first three films is rooted in Scorsese’s works and even though his voice has become much more of his own, PTA still owes tons to Scorsese. It is possible for the student to overcome the teacher, and personally, I prefer PTA, but historically there is no way you can’t pick Martin Scorsese. It’s like Michael Jordan. He may not be your favorite basketball player of all time, but historically, he’s the most important and significant basketball player of all time. Historically speaking, you gotta pick him. You gotta pick Scorsese.