7. Brian De Palma
Known For: A slew of entertaining movies throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s, such as Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Blow Out, Scarface, The Untouchables, Carlito's Way and Mission: Impossible.
The Last 10 Years: To give some context, De Palma's problems go back much further than merely 10 years, because he hasn't released a critically acclaimed film since 1996's Mission: Impossible. Though the last decade has seen the director's output slow down significantly, each of his three efforts, crime thriller The Black Dahlia, faux-documentary Redacted and erotic thriller Passion, were all tremendously disappointing, and the first and last film especially felt like warmed-over retreads of his better works from decades past. He just doesn't seem to have the, well, passion for it anymore.
What We'd Love To See: All De Palma really needs is a great script to get his creative juices flowing again. We know he has another masterpiece in him, but our impression from his lethargic schedule and choice of subject matter is that he really can't be bothered.