18. Christopher Nolan
You'd be a fool not to predict big things and a multitude of Oscars for Christopher Nolan's career. With his unrivaled directing, producing and writing talents, surely Academy Award recognition can't be too far over the horizon. But it has to be said, Christopher Nolan films to date, despite being massive commercial and critical successes, seldom triumph at the Oscars. Perhaps one of the most controversial Oscar snubs of all time arose from the omission of The Dark Knight in the Best Picture category of 2008 (now it is widely regarded as one of the best movies of the 21st Century so far). Of course Nolan is most associated with his famous adaptation of the Batman trilogy, but his work in other brilliantly original films such as Memento and Inception is equally impressive and it is about time that the Academy put aside personal vendettas and award the genius and artistry in the way he makes movies. With every new Christopher Nolan project, unparalleled critical praise follows and he seems to exceed his high standards with every film he produces. As one of the best and unquestionably most original directors out there, it seems that the Academy will have to turn a blind eye to their grudges for commercial directors and award Christopher Nolan the Oscar his work deserves.