Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Gecko, Seth...brother of Richie! on March 12, 2010 at 7:59pm

Quentin Tarantino...
The mention of the name can send the mind reeling. For me it creates a kaleidoscope of super hip, cool images, cross cut with with a splash of my childhood exploitation favorites. Sprinkled over the top with the masterful perfection of some of Cinemas greatest captains of camera.
If your in your early to late fifties some of the most memorable dialogue of the nineties probably comes to mind and causes a slight grin. Our pop culture (each generation has their own) was referenced with the familiarity of someone who thrived as a youth in our world.
Shots were even references to that which so many of us loved. The extreme close-ups of Sergio Leone turning a face almost into a landscape. The zoom lens moves of kung-fu films. Any slow motion walk down shot ever done. And a favorite of mine, the camera drifting away from the action because its to painful to watch.
Tarantino opened a free floating school of film when he blasted into the public's consciousness with 1992s Reservoir Dogs. I remember the night I first saw it. Recently divorced, living in the barracks with no money to go out , a buddy came by and said "You gotta see this movie!" . It had just come out on video after a short run in the theatres. I was blown away! We watched the opening credits (slomo walkdown) over and over. We watched the film twice that night in whole, and countless times over the ensuing weeks. I had to pay the late fee at Blockbuster. It would not be the last time I had to pay ridiculous sums to video chains because of Tarantino. Wisely I started saving money by beginning my own library, on videotape, then having to replace it on DVD. We are up to 969 films so NO I'm not a fan of blu-ray unless it always maintains backward playability.
Needless to say Tarantino had a huge affect on me. He brought me back one of my first loves..the movies. He introduced me to John Woo and the incredible Hong Kong action/hero films of the eighties and early nineties. Takashi Miike, Jean Luc Godard, Luc Bresson, and re-discovering Sergio Leone. In fact i did alot of re-discovering. Brian DePalma, Robert DeNiro, Martin Scorsese, etc,etc.....I re-discovered cinema. So would I be one to write a big love letter to Tarantino? You bet.
Id love to hear any one elses thoughts about QT, positive, negative. Ill post more later.

Permalink Reply by George on March 12, 2010 at 8:07pm

I don't care for him overall. "Pulp Fiction" was a remarkable film though. Later I watched "Dusk til Dawn" which was so awful I'm staying away from him.

Permalink Reply by James M. Martin on March 12, 2010 at 8:26pm

Quentin at his WORST is more interesting than 99 of a hundred other filmmakers, and Dusk til Dawn was a great spoof of the action genre wedded to the horror genre with kung fu and cartel humor thrown in. I thought it was delightful. I suspect one of his best films is Jackie Brown. The scene in the car with DeNiro and Samuel Jackson is classic.

Permalink Reply by Gecko, Seth...brother of Richie! on March 13, 2010 at 3:22am

James I wholeheartedly agree. And I think Jackie Brown (so far) is the one Tarantino film that will stand the long test of time. Pulp Fiction perhaps second.
Paul Schrader once said to Roger Ebert something along the lines that Tarantino's work will not be remembered as long as Scorsese's. As big a fan as I am of Tarantino, I do believe Schrader is correct. The heavy pop references alone will always date his work. The humor of Mr. Brown explaining what "Like a Virgin" is about, will not have the same impact twenty years from now. First it was new and fresh to us. We were all painfully aware, and familiar with the song. And to see such irony , and casualness among guys who were obviously crooks of some stripe was new and different. Now its been done to death.
Jackie Brown however by coming from an Elmore Leonard novel seems not so rooted to "us". And of course the plot, directing, and acting are wonderful. Sam Jackson steals the show.

Permalink Reply by Gecko, Seth...brother of Richie! on March 12, 2010 at 9:31pm

Come on George why? What about FDTD turned ya off? Have you seen any of his other films?