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Still, her work with actors as diverse as Geena Davis, Robert De Niro, Hanks, and Denzel Washington proves her versatility, as do the plots of her films: a boy turns into a grown-up overnight, an angel helps a preacher find the way, a flim-flam artist goes to the Army. Marshall, unlike most directors, couldn't be pigeonholed. Unfortunately, her most recent public image came in some of the most painful ad campaigns, where she and Rosie O'Donnell (a co-star of A League of their Own) tooled around K-Mart for no apparent reasons aside from hefty paychecks. Marshall's talents haven't been proven behind the camera in quite a few years, but she's been producing such films as Cinderella Man and the recently canceled TV show According to Jim. Let's just forget that last credit and cross our fingers that she'll direct again.

Nora Ephron

Here's another female director who Tom Hanks should thank every day when he wakes up. Yes, Big and A League of Their Own were major successes, but what of Sleepless in Seattle or You've Got Mail, two movies that made Hanks and Meg Ryan America's sweethearts? There was something that captured the hearts of the public about the former film, about a recently widowed father who meets the love of his life thanks to a radio show and a cross-country connection. The latter was more of a success simply because Hanks and Ryan were together again, though it's far more forgettable. Ephron recently found more success with last August's sleeper hit Julie and Julia, starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams.

This last film has hopefully salved most of the wounds caused by her other films of the past decade, Bewitched and Lucky Numbers, two movies that you all remember because of how wildly successful they were. Or...yeah, you don't remember because you either didn't see them or want to wash any memory of them from your minds (the sole exception being Steve Carell's hilarious cameo in Bewitched). Though it's mostly been hailed for Streep's performance as Julia Child, Julie and Julia is likely going to boost Ephron's name, if only for making a movie that will probably garner its lead an Oscar nod. Here's hoping her next film isn't as terrible as Bewitched.

Sarah Polley

You have to make a pretty damn good movie for you to be a notable rising star, but Sarah Polley, with only one feature film to her name, managed to do so in 2007, with Away From Her, a moving drama about how an older couple deals with the wife being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Polley got an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, and the film's female lead, Julie Christie, got a nod for Best Actress. If you haven't seen Away From Her, you must; it's heartbreaking, but truly impressive filmmaking, especially for someone who's only 30-years-old. Polley is mostly known for her onscreen roles, including The Sweet Hereafter and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, but her career behind the camera is exciting to ponder, especially considering how much time she's got to establish herself as a premiere helmer.

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