6. Waiting Years Between Daniel-Day Lewis, James Cameron & Terrence Malick Movies
What do Daniel Day-Lewis, James Cameron and Terrence Malick all have in common? They're all extremely talented artists, and they all take a bloody age getting anything done. Day-Lewis generally leaves 3-5 years between major acting roles these days, whereas Cameron took 12 years to put Avatar together, and Malick has to date released 6 films within a 40-year period (with 20 of those years taking place between Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line). Though Cameron and Malick might not be every film buff's cup of tea, they can surely appreciate the frustration felt when any great artist takes extended sabbaticals between work, either through laziness, or as is more admirable, a fastidious desire to ensure that the work is top-notch. It's hugely annoying at the time, though when each artist's next piece of work comes out, we (hopefully) deem it worth the wait.