8. Quentin Tarantino - Death Proof (2007)
Quentin Tarantino stunned audiences with his first two movies,
Reservoir Dogs and
Pulp Fiction, and ushered in a new age of slick gangsters who talked about everyday things, awesome soundtrack cues, and scenes of humorous violence. For his follow-up,
Jackie Brown, people were more underwhelmed, despite its standing as Tarantino's most mature (and potentially greatest) movie ever.
Kill Bill showed Tarantino exploiting his influences to a more noticeable level, and though it was certainly more unrealistic and cartoony than his previous films, fans got on board. And then there was
Death Proof, a movie which allowed audiences to send Tarantino a very important message:
you've gone too far. Yes, although it's filled with some great moments and an awesome car cash sequence,
Death Proof saw Tarantino indulging himself to new heights. The movie exposed a side of the director's trademark dialogue scenes in a new light, too: in the wrong context, they could be near-on unbearable, as witnessed here in what felt like a never-ending talkathon. As a result,
Death Proof lost money at the box office, and is even considered by the man himself to be his worst movie. There's a limit to how Tarantino even Tarantino can be.