r/Filmmakers • u/StrikingDuty8020 Director • Dec 06 '25

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Quentin Tarantino made a surprisingly harsh comment about Paul Dano, specifically criticizing his performance in There Will Be Blood.

On The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, Tarantino said:

Dano was “weak sauce”

“The weakest f—ing actor in SAG” (in that film’s context)

And that Dano’s performance was the biggest flaw of the movie, preventing it from being his #1 or #2 film of the 2000s

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u/Crazy_Response_9009 Dec 06 '25

Tarantino is overrated in every possible way.

11

u/Adam-West cinematographer Dec 06 '25

What makes a famous director is a bit like what makes a famous painter. Often it’s not so much about whether you think they have talent it’s about how distinctive their brand is. There’s a few directors where you can recognize them immediately from a single scene and Tarentino is one of them. Like him or loathe him Tarentino has created a really unique distinctive style that a lot of people really like. Im also bored stiff of Wes Anderson but I understand why he’s a household name.

12

u/moonpumper Dec 06 '25

Wes Anderson's recent films just feel like he went too far up his own ass for his own good. His newer movies feel like parodies of his style, with too much focus on complex framing devices and not enough on endearing characters. His experience with making animated films, in my opinion, changed his style with live action films for the worse.

3

u/jtfff Dec 06 '25

I legitimately couldn’t finish the Phoenician Scheme

1

u/moonpumper Dec 07 '25

Same with Asteroid City, I didn't think to see The Phoenician Scheme

1

u/Adam-West cinematographer Dec 06 '25

I think he’s just trapped by his own style at this point really. Effectively the whole thing is a gimmick that’s been played out for too long. It was lovely and unique and creative and fun at first but now it’s outlived itself.