8. George Lucas
I know it's not considered cool to praise George Lucas on the internet but the fact are the facts. A man who made Star Wars and American Graffiti has to have been a great director at some point, and in the mid to late 70's, he was.. Obviously, Lucas' directing on the prequel trilogy was rightfully met with overwhelming derision, but before he did implode and severely hamper his own legacy and the Star Wars mythology, he did do some great work as a director. It's also easy to forget his contributions as a producer on the Indiana Jones series and he also financed Paul Schrader's Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters which is a masterwork. Lucas was very much his own worst enemy when it came to directing. He left it 22 years between films and The Phantom Menace felt like a film made by a director long out the game and only interested in the money. The Star Wars prequel trilogy was a failure in every way imaginable and there was no one to blame but him. Those three prequel films were made by a man who had forgotten what made the original three so great and signaled the end of a man's career. With Disney now owning the rights for Star Wars and Lucas not wanted as director, now seems like the perfect time for him to ride off into the sunset with his big fat cheque.