An observation (or Clint knows a little something)

Scorsese, Coppola, Altman, Spielberg, DePalma (somewhat) were unique in the sense that they had remarkable ambition -- Tarantino has that today, but not too many others. I do think there are enough talented screenwriters out there who could supply enough decent material for the current crop of directors to work from -- but perhaps these directors are too obnoxious or unmotivated to realize the importance of forming relationships w screenwriters. Seems like Clint Eastwood actively seeks out relationships w/ screenwriters, like Paul Haggis, Richard Lagravenese, etc. Shows in his work.