Just 10 for me.
1. Mike Leigh - there's a movie and then there's a Mike Leigh movie. It just feels different and I'm hooked to whatever that is.
2. Hayao Miyazaki - for his boundless imagination, compassionate heroes and sense of adventure. It keeps me coming back.
3. Curtis Hanson - you wouldn't know a Hanson film to see it, and that lack of distinctiveness can make it tough to decide what to give a director credit for. If it were just 2 or 3 good films amongst dozens I might call it luck ... but by my reckoning he has 7 film that are fantastic viewing. Autuer, no. Productive, yes.
4. Woody Allen - for his work in the 00's and beyond.
5. Christopher Nolan - I don't know when I decided it but he's officially good. Prestige, DK, Inception... in a ROW!
6. Steven Spielberg - Like Hanson, I dont' know what it is but it sure isn't luck. I totally underrated War of the Worlds. Might be my favourite now.
7. Darren Aronofsky - I just respect his work. It's tremendous.
8. Danny Boyle - I'll take his so called "Gatorade commericals" over most other peoples films. Great storyteller. Every movie has a little something I've never seen before. For him to do what he did with Sunshine in the overpopulated space-junk genre was remarkable.
9. David Fincher - I've liked almost everything he's done, but The Social Network Made me a follower. He would be higher if he wasn't slapping his name on an unnecessary remake. Whatever... cash in brother!
10. Coen Bros. - True Grit CRUSHED everything in the genre. CRUSHED! And I don't even know if they were trying hard. That's scary good.