Quentin Tarantino

[misty71]

even though Ive only seen Pulp Fiction and the two Kill Bill's I must say I am a big fan of tarantino's work (from what ive seen of course... )

Pulp fiction I though it was great although maybe a bit overrated but still great

Kill Bill volume 1 was simply awseome I liked pretty much everything about it
Kill Bill volume 2..I think I like it even better than the first. I find it deeper and more character-oriented and both those movies are sorta like modern day spaghetti westerns if you will with the over the top action and camera angles and all.

I usually do not like martial-arts type movies and stuff like that but kill bill has a genre of its own and I though it was just awesome

[slacker]

Tarantino ...hmmm...well i'd say for starters that his directing is a damn site better than his acting....

But the best film had to be

Jackie Brown

Great cast.........real good story line (for a change)

And one of the best film soundtracks ever...well almost

[GBU]

The only good ones.

Resivior Dogs
Pulp Fiction

I thought the Kill Bills wern't good at all, though I did think they were a little like the spaghetti westerns, which was kinda cool. But Hero isn't that good either. I guess I'm just not a big fan of his.

[Brendan]

But Hero isn't that good either.

As far as I know Tarrantino wasn't actually involved in the production process of the film, he just helped get it a theatrical release in the States after it had been sitting on Miramax's shelf for a few years.

I guess I'm just a big fan of his.

Then why the love for only two movies?  

[Philo Beddoe Jr]

I just saw Kill Bill 1&2 back to back in a double screening at a local cinema.  They were a lot of fun.  Obviously Tarantino was having a great time doing homages to many A and B cinema genres, and I'm sure I missed quite a few connections (not having a big B genre, exploitation film, or Japanese martial arts film catalogue of viewing experiences).

As much as I appreciate the 'fun' Tarantino is bringing into cinema (and having with cinema), I do not consider the Kill Bill films to be 'modern classics' by any means.
They are great fun films, but I think they have been overrated.

I think that it is only in an era where viewers consider substandard motion picture productions the norm that Tarantino's works could be considered classic or superior.   Placed up against truly great films, his work fades quickly from the memory.

I look forward to his next production.

WKC.

 

[Matt]

Okay, I've just finished watching the five films directed by Tarantino, and I have to say I absolutely loved them all, not because they're "cool" or it's "hip" to like them... but because they're some of the most entertaining films I've ever seen. I agree with bdc28 when he said:

Quentin Tarantino, hands down..is going to go down as one of the best movie writers/directors of all time. He has vision that can only be summed up as genius.

It's pretty tough to list the order in which I liked Tarantino's films most, and that's surprising... it's only FIVE FILMS. But, I think that's because they're all so good. Here's my attempt at it anyway. Don't shoot me for these choices... I know they won't be popular, but they're just my opinion. In order of least favorite to favorite:

5.  Jackie Brown --  This film does not come in last place for me because it's boring. God, I didn't find it at all boring!  The only reason I rate this last of the five is because I had more fun with the others (except for Reservoir Dogs, which I wouldn't call "fun", but it's so intense, and because the performances are some of the best I've ever seen that I have to rate it higher.) Jackie Brown has a smart story that entertained me through every frame of the film and, once again, was filled with outstanding performances--one of my favorites was the subtle and sensitive performance by Robert Forster, and on the other end of the spectrum, the dynamic performance of Samuel L. Jackson. One thing you come to expect from a Tarantino film (other than amazing dialogue and a great soundtrack) is that the acting is going to be top notch. He seems to cast the perfect actor for each part, and he must be an absolute genius of a director to get such astonishing performances out of everyone who appears in his films. Jackie Brown may be last on this list, but it still gets two big thumbs-up.

4.  Reservoir Dogs -- I completely agree, again, with bdc28 when he says "Never has a human being done so much with so little (if you think about it, ninety percent of the movie happens in one little space..there was no money for proper sets). The performances are stand out."  Absolutely...  and although all the performances are great, can enough be said of Michael Madsen's? The "ear scene" feels so real and is so terrifying that even though you don't see the actual act (the camera cuts away) you think you do because it's so powerful. I'll never hear "Stuck in the Middle with You" again and not think of this scene.  The entire film felt so real that when it was over, I felt really drained... it took a lot out of me.

3. Kill Bill Vol. 1 -- Maybe I'm rating this higher than I should, but it's because this film is so damn much fun and full of energy and humor that I felt great after watching it. This may be sacrilege, but I'd put the Kill Bill films in the same league as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly just on entertainment value and for subtle humor that makes you laugh out loud, and of course, for having an incredible soundtrack. If I needed to sum the film up in one word, it would be "fun".  I almost moved Pulp Fiction down a notch to keep the two Kill Bills together because I think they should be viewed as one film: without Vol. 2, you don't have the heart, and without Vol. 1 you don't have the background, or as Tarantino called it, the mythology. But it seemed hard to put Pulp Fiction so low on the list, so I think this is probably more accurate of the way I rate them.

2. Pulp Fiction -- It's touted as Tarantino's masterpiece... and it IS... I'm just not sure it's his only one.  I know everyone talks about the incredible dialogue in his films, but it really is entertaining and fascinating to listen to the characters, assassins, having regular conversation on what for them is just another day of work where they're about to kill a roomful of college-aged kids. It does give the characters soul, and you wind up liking and maybe even identifying with them. Even though the film itself is violent, to me, it doesn't ever feel violent (much like with Kill Bill) because of the humor.  I laugh through most of the film even when Vince accidentally shot the informant in the back of the car... "Oh sh*t, I just shot Marvin." Not really sure what's so funny about it...  but it came off that way when watching it. Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson were fantastic... (didn't you almost cheer out loud when Butch picked up the sword?) The scene in the back room wasn't funny at all, it was disturbing as hell, but Tarantino manages to take scenes like that and mingle them with lighter scenes that have enough humor that you wind up not being bogged down with the violence. Instead, you can watch a film like this and find it incredibly fun.

1.  Kill Bill Vol. 2 -- Okay, everyone who hates Kill Bill can pull out the buckets. I think this is one great movie! As with Kill Bill Vol. 1, Vol. 2 is a visually stunning film with spectacular cinematography, but what really makes this film my favorite are the characters and the story. You didn't really get to know much about The Bride in Vol. 1, but in Vol. 2 Tarantino wants us to know her ... he finally lets us know her name, and as the movie unfolds you can't help but sympathize with her. The scene where she was being buried alive was directed in such a way that you could feel how frightening that experience would be-- it's one of the most powerful scenes in any of his movies. I think it was bdc28, again, who asked if anyone had ever used music better in a film than Tarantino. I'm not sure I know of any director who's better at putting together a soundtrack. Ennio Morricone's music fits in just as perfectly here as it does in the Leone films, and Malcom McLaren's "About Her" is a wonderful reworking of the Zombies' "She's Not There" that is soulful and haunting in the climactic scene (I'm gonna have to buy the soundtrack just so I can have this song).  As for the characters, as in all other Tarantino films, they're all unforgettable, and this goes beyond just the main characters -- Esteban Vihaio and Pai Mei are now two of my favorite movie characters of all time. The scenes between just David Carradine and Uma Thurman are the very heart of this film... their last scene together was heart-breaking at times. "Could you do what you did? Well, of course you could. But I never thought you would or could do ... that... to...  me." The final scene of the film, just before The Bride joins her daughter in the bedroom, is filled with so much emotion that you can feel it along with her. This film has heart. In the end, this revenge film actually leaves you feeling hopeful, happy, and amazed at everything The Bride went through to win the beautiful prize she claims at the end of her journey.

I had read somewhere not too long ago that the next film Tarantino will direct won't be Inglorious Bastards (as is listed on the IMDb) but a martial arts film with the entire dialogue in Mandarin Chinese. I read he planned on making two versions... one with subtitles, and one where he dubs it out of sync, just like the old Kung Fu films of the 70's. It sounds like it could be another fun film. If anyone finds any information on this, post it here.

[Doug]

Interesting insights, Matt.  You got it right about Jackie Brown, but here is why it's my favorite of his movies:  Pulp Fiction loses something with each viewing, but Jackie Brown gains something (for me) on each viewing.  To paraphrase Tarantino, he wanted this to be the movie you watched over and over just to enjoy the characters.  The first time you concentrate on the plot, but after that you go back to it just for the characters.  It's not a better movie than Pulp Fiction, but I enjoy rewatching it way, way more, and it wasn't until I'd rewatched it a couple of times that it became my favorite of his.  Kill Bill Vol. 2 is quite like that, too, but not quite as much for me.  

As for the violence of Pulp Fiction, I think you got it wrong.  In that movie you only see a few people killed on screen, and there's no scene with the intensity of the "ear scene" from Reservoir Dogs, but yet it is a violent movie.   Why?  Because in a big way it's the humor that makes it so violent.  The whole of the Bonnie Situation (is that the right title?) is all humor -- I laughed out loud the first time I saw it when Marvin got shot and then felt guilt as heck for it.  And then the language in the film is so over-the-top, that it too adds to the "violence" of the movie.  Death (and violence) is treated so lightly in the movie, but yet we're allowed to see these people as real -- unlike, say, Where Eagles Dare which certainly has a lot higher body count.  I think many people who have no trouble watching an action movie where dozens of people are shot to hell would and have squirmed when seeing this movie.  BUT the real genius is that Tarantino never went too far in humanizing the victims, so in the end we can still appreciate the movie as fun entertainment.  It's a delicate line he balanced on there.  

Even though he didn't direct it, I also highly recommend True Romance, if you haven't already seen it.  

[mgk]

Jackie Brown has a smart story that entertained me through every frame of the film and, once again, was filled with outstanding performances--one of my favorites was the subtle and sensitive performance by Robert Forster, and on the other end of the spectrum, the dynamic performance of Samuel L. Jackson.

Interesting insights, Matt.  You got it right about Jackie Brown, but here is why it's my favorite of his movies:  Pulp Fiction loses something with each viewing, but Jackie Brown gains something (for me) on each viewing.  To paraphrase Tarantino, he wanted this to be the movie you watched over and over just to enjoy the characters.  The first time you concentrate on the plot, but after that you go back to it just for the characters.  It's not a better movie than Pulp Fiction, but I enjoy rewatching it way, way more, and it wasn't until I'd rewatched it a couple of times that it became my favorite of his.  

I have seen all of these Tarantino movies, too, and I do like Jackie Brown better than the others as well.  As Matt said, "it's a smart story" and it has very smart characters who spend the entire movie trying to outsmart eachother.  I like this movie because I was thoroughly entertained trying to figure out if this character was going to be smarter than this other character.  Was one going to slip up and end up losing it all and, if so, which one?  The stakes were high......if someone stumbled, then death was inevitable.  A couple of times, I was even caught off guard with what ended up happening.  And, because of all of that, I agree with Doug.....I could watch this one over and over without getting tired of it.  I can't watch all Tarantino movies over and over.  Thoroughly entertaining, suspenseful, and intelligent with great characters.  Robert Forester's understated performance was excellent and Samuel Jackson's over the top performance was great to watch.  This is a deadly serious movie with enough humor thrown in to create a great movie-watching experience.

For me, it is really next to impossible to put these five movies in any preferential order and keep them there.  They are all excellent but in very different ways.  And, each time I watch them, I find something else I like about them.  So, for me, it's similar to trying to put Eastwood's movies on a Top Ten List or a Top Five List........it often depends on which one I last saw.

But, as things stand for me now, Jackie Brown comes in first.

Next, I think I would have to go with Pulp Fiction, if for no other reason, for it's uniqueness.  As Doug said, he felt guilty after finding the shooting of Marvin funny.  I did, too, but I still laughed.  I think what made that scene so funny for me is that here you have two characters, Vincent Vega (Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Jackson), who could easily kill everyone they ran into that day, but Vincent didn't mean to kill Marvin.  Marvin was sitting in the back seat of the car and almost totally innocent of any crimes against Vincent and Jules.  Vincent is playing with his gun and has it pointed toward the back seat.  It accidentally goes off and poor Marvin is dead.  Vincent can't believe he did that and makes a very big deal out of it.  Jules is upset because Vincent has made a mess out of his car.  The dialogue between the two during this scene is very funny.

Also, there are so many clever references to familiar faces and familiar things that they're impossible to count.  The scene where Mia (Thurman) overdoses and poor Vincent can't figure out what to do is hysterical.  I know.....some of you, who have not seen these movies, are saying to yourselves, "How can someone overdosing be funny?" but it can.  That's just Tarantino........the over the top humor.

Third on my list would be Kill Bill 2.  I really enjoyed the second one a lot better than the first.  As has been pointed out, we get to know the characters better in this movie than we did the first.  Michael Parks's performance of Esteban Vihiao is unbelievable.  It took Matt over thirty minutes and several screen captures to convince me that THAT really was Michael Parks.  Fantastic!!  Kill Bill 1 was full of great action scenes but Kill Bill 2 has great character development, mythology, and story-telling to it.

Reservoir Dogs would be fourth on my list.  Even though I think this movie is one of the most intense movies I've ever seen, I find it lacking in scope.  As bdc28 said, most of the movie takes place in this one small area in a warehouse.  It is so real that you feel like you are there....you're one of many right there in that building.  The agonizing suffering of Mr. Orange from his wounds that seems to go on forever, saps every bit of strength out of you.  (Maybe that's why this one is fourth on my list.)  You find yourself almost wishing he would just go ahead and die so that you don't have to see and hear him anymore.  The wickedness of Mr. Blonde (Madsen) is almost unparalled and the irony of Madsen's performance is that, if you only look in his eyes and have the sound off, he almost looks like he's happy but his character is one who loves to hurt and that can plainly be seen in his "happy" eyes.

Kill Bill 1 is my least favorite of these five.  It does have some great action scenes where you find yourself amazed and asking yourself, "How did she do that?"  Or, "How did he do that?"  But, so much of it was just too unbelievable....things just don't happen that way.  I know....it was supposed to be that way.  I liked the character of O-Ren Ishii (and well done by Lucy Liu) and the music was great.

Even though he didn't direct it, I also highly recommend True Romance, if you haven't already seen it.  

I'm glad to hear you say that, Doug.  I have always liked True Romance and thought there were some really gritty performances in that one.  Brad Pitt has a tiny role that really goes against his sex-symbol image but he is a very convincing completely "stoned" person who doesn't have a clue who just knocked on his door.   I can't really put my finger on why I like this one so much but I do.  Guess I need to watch it again and see if I can figure it out.  

[Christopher]

mgk, that's pretty much how I'd rate the films. I gave my list a few pages back, but that was before I'd seen Kill Bill Vol. 2.

The only one I own on DVD is Jackie Brown. If I was going to get any of the others, they'd be Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill Vol. 2 (yeah, I'd get it without getting Volume 1 ). David Carradine's performance is Volume 2 is a highlight in the film.

[mgk]

Well, as I said above.......it probably depends on which one I saw last.  They're all great works by Tarantino and they certainly have his "brand" on them.  

[Matt]

Death (and violence) is treated so lightly in the movie, but yet we're allowed to see these people as real -- unlike, say, Where Eagles Dare which certainly has a lot higher body count.  I think many people who have no trouble watching an action movie where dozens of people are shot to hell would and have squirmed when seeing this movie.

I can see that some people would feel that way and that the movie would feel violent to them for that reason. There is definitely violence in this movie, and some of it is anything but funny. The scene where Jules shot "Flock of Seagulls" and then shoots "Kahuna Burger" (don't know his name) first in the knee and then the shoulder just before finishing him off... that was as cold-blooded and harrowing as any scene in any crime film I've ever watched, and it was deadly serious. So, maybe I misstated what I meant above when I said it didn't feel violent. It feels violent at times... but then, somehow, Tarantino manages to change the beat and feel of the film in the next scene so much so that you're having a good time again.  I think what you said here could have a lot to do with that:

BUT the real genius is that Tarantino never went too far in humanizing the victims, so in the end we can still appreciate the movie as fun entertainment.

The only death in this film that I was actually saddened by was Vincent's, and that's because he was humanized.

It's a delicate line he balanced on there.  

Yup, and I don't know any director who has been more successful at balancing that delicate line than Tarantino.

Even though he didn't direct it, I also highly recommend True Romance, if you haven't already seen it.

Funny, I just ordered that last night. I'll be watching it next week. I've heard a lot of good things about it, so I'm looking forward to it.

[Matt]

If I was going to get any of the others, they'd be Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill Vol. 2 (yeah, I'd get it without getting Volume 1 ).

That would be like only owning half the film. Actually, that's exactly what it is.

[Christopher]

That would be like only owning half the film. Actually, that's exactly what it is.

Very true, which is probably why I won't get either of them. Of course it's necessary to watch Volume 1 before 2, but like I mentioned previously (which Doug had mentioned before me) that 2 has the feel of a whole different film.

And I like martial arts movies too. I recently got the 2-disc version of Enter the Dragon. Amazing movie there. But if you took out all the emotional content, all the character development from that movie, you'd have what Volume 1 is. Even though it's Bruce Lee (I realize those statements only mean something to me and a few others that wasn't crazy about Volume 1 ).

[bigdai]

I thought the Kill Bills were ok although nowhere near Tarantino on top form.  

Lets hope he shows good bouncebackability with Glorious Bastards.

[Christopher]

Had anybody heard about the supposed rumors of Tarantino doing a Friday the 13th movie? I heard about it a few days ago on the radio, but they were saying that Tarantino had said that the story was completely made up.

But he is interested in doing a horror movie.

If he does it, I just hope it's a serious horror film, or else he'd might as well do a Friday the 13th movie. Though I have to admit, an artsy version of Friday would be interesting.

[gimpy]

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/news/comments/?entryid=172733

does this answer your question?

[Christopher]

What question is that supposed to be answering?

I heard about it a few days ago on the radio, but they were saying that Tarantino had said that the story was completely made up.

Seemed to be the same infomation here (minus the reports of him saying he was interested in doing a horror).

Can't wait for the next Kill Bill movie.

[Brendan]

Everyone mark this down on your calenders though... the CSI season finale will be written and directed by Tarrantino. 

[Matt]

A date would help me to mark it on my calendar.

[The Schofield Kid]

Everyone mark this down on your calenders though... the CSI season finale will be written and directed by Tarrantino. 

Are you fair dinkum.Tarantino doing T.V. work seems like a come down