I think P.T. Anderson is the top auteur we have now and I'm highly anticipating in whatever he does next.
I still haven't seen his first film Hard Eight or as I like to call it, Sydney. He's made films that are truly fun to watch and are full if in-awe moments.
Boogie Nights is still my all-time favorite film of his. It's the first film I discovered. It's got great camera work, it's entertaining, it's dramatic. He proved that he can make Mark Wahlberg into a good actor and shed the Marky Mark image forever. It's got a killer soundtrack, a fun cast, and amazing tracking shots. There Will Be Blood is a close second because it's so different from everything he's done and it's a huge step into what he might be doing. The grand scale he took into the storytelling is amazing. I often liken it to the visual scope of both Sergio Leone and Terrence Malick.
Magnolia is third for its grand story and intertwining characters along with, what is possibly, the last great performance of Tom Cruise (who is now just not even trying anymore and is just being his egotistical self). Punch-Drunk Love is my least favorite but only because at 95-minutes, it felt very short and left me wanting for more. I loved the cinematography and music. The casting is brilliant, especially Adam Sandler in a very sympathetic performance that I don't think ever got its due.
I'm first in line to see what he does Anderson does next.