Agreed.
+ Rep
But on the other hand it's important not to penalise a director just because there body of work is not finished and/or they're not dead. We're all guilty of wrapping old flicks in cotton wool from time to time as we remember certain 'classics' through rose tinted glasses and the nostalgia of times gone by washes over us as we think of them. For example Blade Runner, Star Wars, Alien, the terminator and other 80s Sci-Fis have left a larger impression on me as time has past and I realise how big a part sci-fi was to my life back then etc.
You have to step back from the different levels of personal retention (including your own preferences at times) when compiling a list of top directors. I hate Tarantino flicks, his tastes just don't translate to me, but I can appreciate his ability as a director.
I know what you mean, but like I told before, Tarantino is a pastiche director. Well he's a great screenwriter, an indeed creative mind, but aside Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs, his films aren't of much significance (and he seems to keep using the same formula of those two mentioned).
I won't say Fincher won't get back on track though (Benjamin Button and Social Network were quite disappointing, and too focused on the Oscars - which I hate), since
Se7en,
Fight Club, and the way he slapped James Cameron on the face with
Aliens 3, were completely brilliant.
As for other modern directors whom I would have no problem in naming them for a top10 (even if not yet - but they seem to be on the good path) I'd say, to name some, Todd Haynes, Andrei Zvyagintsev, Lars Von Trier, or ok, even Christopher Nolan (
Inception didn't awe me, but I recognize it was good).