1. Alfred Hitchcock

Without question, Alfred Hitchcock was one of the top movie directors the world has ever known. His films are classic, still horrifying, thought provoking, provocative, and just plain chilling even without the addition of special effects. Although he died in 1980, he's still an inspiration. All you have to do is watch films like Vertigo, Rear Window, North by Northwest, or Rebecca to see why.

2. Martin Scorsese

As far as modern directors go, you can't do better than Martin Scorcese. Raging Bull. Taxi Driver. Gangs of New York. Those are just a few of his cinematic masterpieces. His style of directing is gritty, masculine, and full of action without being action packed, if you get what I'm saying.

3. Orson Welles

I absolutely adore Orson Welles. He's one of my favorite actors in addition to being one of the top movie directors. His brilliance knew no bounds, whether he was making movies, starring in them, or scaring the ever loving hell out of the entire United States by making them think aliens had invaded. After Citizen Kane, he saw a decline, but it doesn't even matter; his work before that was stunning, deep, and wonderfully twisted.

4. Sofia Coppola

Regrettably, you don't see a lot of female directors. Oh, they're out there – Susanne Bier, Claire Denis, Mary Harron, Jane Campion – but you so rarely hear about them in the press. Sofia Coppola is one of my favorite directors, however. She has a soft, dreamy touch, a whimsy and a certain sadness. If all you've ever seen is Lost in Translation, check out more of her work – you won't be sorry.

5. Stanley Kubrick

The world lost one of its top film directors in 1999. Stanley Kubrick was a strange, weird, creepy kind of genius. He went places other directors fear to tread. You could tell that just by watching A Clockwork Orange. He had very few misses, and his hits became instant classics, ranging from the brilliantly cultish 2001: A Space Odyssey, to the wonderfully disjointed, decadent Eyes Wide Shut.

6. Joel and Ethan Coen

You can't mention one without mentioning the other. I have a whole list of Coen brothers' movies I love, because they're excellent directors and writers. Yes, Intolerable Cruelty was the epitome of suck, but they've more than redeemed themselves from that mess. Even if Fargo was the only thing they ever did, the brothers would still be tops.

7. Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton

Two separate men, I know, but I couldn't choose between beautiful, conflicted Charlie Chaplin and beautiful, tragic Buster Keaton. Maybe it's because, in life, they were huge rivals, and I feel that by naming them both top movie directors in the same spot, I'm kind of bringing them together. They were both sharp men with an eye and a brilliance that still inspires directors today.

8. Wes Anderson

Wes makes my list because he's quirky and awesome. He's also responsible for The Royal Tenenbaums, which is my favorite movie in the entire world. Rushmore was terrific as well. You'll often see Owen Wilson in his movies and, ironically, that's the only time I really like Owen.

The top movie directors really immerse themselves in their films. They live it and breathe it just as much as the actors. Take the top movie directors out of the picture, and the world would be bombarded with a lot of stale, flat films. It takes a lot of chutzpah to be a director, because you have to carefully balance art and the actual business of film making. What do you think of this list of the top movie directors? Please feel free to share your favorite directors, and the movies you love best!

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