3. Christopher Nolan
This one I expect will shock a few and produce a few contemplative nods from a few others. Since his first, incredibly independent feature Following, Nolan has called upon Hitchcock for many story elements, both symbolically and stylistically. While many of Nolan's send ups are his own and contain an element of originality he has occasionally ventured into blatant homage. Consider Inception, for instance, with Leonardo DiCaprio as Cobb obsessively pursuing his lady love Mal (Marion Cotillard) who threw herself to her death. Anyone recall Vertigo? While many view Nolan as a modern master of the craft it's difficult for me to get behind such a sentiment. For one thing his writing is sloppy and for another his directing is lazy. He seems to be under the impression that if he makes his stories ambiguous and confusing enough he can just overlook the many plot holes that abound in his films. Truly, Following is probably his best work. It's the most subtle and intriguing and while it's lacking in comedy this works to its advantage. His follow-up, Memento, while incredibly ambitious is guilty of containing the aforementioned plot holes. That's what made Hitchcock so brilliant, he constructed storyboards for every scene in every movie. His meticulousness was legendary and everything was deliberate and whole. If Nolan wants to be considered the modern Alfred Hitchcock he needs to hone his attention to detail. Poorly explained story elements and inconsistent themes just won't cut it.