How's That Again?

Armond White, an interesting film critic with unconventional taste, has a piece in Slate. He complains that certain young directors--"American Eccentrics"--take too long to make a film. Who are these eccentrics? Wes Anderson, Spike Jonze, David O. Russell, Alexander Payne, Paul Thomas Anderson, Sofia Coppola. He compares them to "entertainment specialiasts"--Quentin Tarantino, M. Night Shyamalan, Bryan Singer, Michael Bay, Brett Ratner, John Moore. They "work regularly in the Hollywood system and turn out updated genre vehicles as if on schedule."

There are some questionable assumptions here, but what I really don't get is Tarantino on the latter list. Here's a guy who has consistently made films following his own vision. Does it matter that they make money? Anderson, Payne and Coppola films have made pretty good money too.

As to taking too long between movies, he's made only 5 full-lenth films in the last 15 years, including one script he separated into two films. He works slower than the "eccentrics." Let him in the club, Armond.