When Quentin Tarantino talks movies, people listen. Whether he’s praising a critical punching bag like Joker 2, taking a swing at a universally beloved classic, or asking 'wtf is a movie now,' he does it with the gusto of a man who has spent his entire life mainlining cinema. So when he recently shared his personal top-ten films of the 21st century, cinephiles naturally perked up. And yes, There Will Be Blood made the list, but it wouldn’t be a movie pick from the Pulp Fiction filmmaker without him critiquing the heck out of one aspect of the film most people praise.
But in classic Tarantino fashion, placing a film in his top ten didn’t stop him from going full film-school-professor on one specific aspect. He praised Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterpiece loudly when appearing on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast…then immediately dragged one performance so hard you could practically hear Daniel Plainview slamming a bowling pin. Before we get into the fallout, here are the Reservoir Dogs helmer’s comments as he said them:
