Quentin Tarantino

[captainofbeef]

Yea, that was at my house. When you wouldn't let me go to bed because you were watching that retarded show. It made QT look like a retard.

[ie]

captainofbeef said:

I made QT look like a retard.

You did?


I don't mind homages myself, because if you liked Reservoir Dogs enough then you're likely to want to find out where some of the ideas came from. I really just wanted to mention what a good friend of mine had thought about both Kill Bill and Quentin Tarantino, to kind of add more thoughts to this discussion.

[captainofbeef]

Thanks for the correction grammar coach

[ie]

Actually, grammar fuehrer, but that works as well.

[wkw]

criterionmaster said:

And yes, I agree with beed, Kill Bill is the better film, between it and Sword of Doom.

Actually Kill Bill steals mostly from Lady Snowblood, which is an excellent movie.

[ie]

wkw said:

criterionmaster said:

And yes, I agree with beed, Kill Bill is the better film, between it and Sword of Doom.

Actually Kill Bill steals mostly from Lady Snowblood, which is an excellent movie.

I've heard this a lot, and being in the highly unusual position of not having seen Kill Bill, I could possibly watch Lady Snowblood first and then see Kill Bill after.

[criterionmaster]

Written by Quentin Tarantino:

I call the shots here
Who says the film studios rule the roost? Not Quentin Tarantino. If you’re a true artist, you can do whatever you want



Ever since I can remember, I’ve wanted to be involved in movies. I didn’t know what a director was; I just knew they were the only thing I gave a damn about.

My favourite movie when I was a little, little boy was Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein. It’s very funny when Abbott and Costello are around, but when they’re gone, it’s actually played very straight. I remember having the thought: “These are the best movies ever! When it’s supposed to be funny, it’s really funny, and when it’s supposed to be scary, it’s really scary. I can’t believe they make movies like this!” So, even as a really young child, I was making genre distinctions. I liked this genre and I liked that genre, and actually blending them was a really sexy thing to me.

During the 1980s, which was probably one of the most repressive times in Hollywood cinema, there seemed to be so many rules — heroes can’t be this and can’t be that and can’t be unlikeable. One of my favourite scenes of all time is the opening scene of Pedro Almodovar’s Matador: the guy getting off on slasher films. That is a touched-by-God, genius moment. I remember talking to some of the guys I worked with at the Video Archives store and saying, “Man, I’d love to do an opening to a movie like that.” And someone said: “Yeah, they wouldn’t let you.”

People have said little things like that all my life. But who’s “they”? I’ve given nobody the authority over me to say I can’t do anything — I can do anything I want or can achieve. I don’t ask permission. I might ask forgiveness, but I won’t ask permission. There is no “they”.

Here’s the thing: they can write a mean letter, they can write a mean memo, but these guys don’t have any real fight in them. If you’re an artist, as opposed to a careerist, and your movie is more important to you than a career in this town, they can never beat you. You have a loaded gun, and you know you’ve got what it takes to put it in their faces and blow their heads off. It’s about never taking the gun out. It’s about never touching the gun, never raising it, never pulling the trigger, never blowing their heads off. It’s about not going there — but knowing you can. So, if you have to flash it, it means something.

Violence is one of the most cinematic things you can do with film. It’s almost as if Edison and the Lumiere brothers invented the camera for filming violence. The most cinematic directors, they’re taking cinema and exciting you. I really do think about it like that. I’m doing my own thing, but I’m thinking about the audience, too, though not in a manipulative way. I am the audience. When they’re sitting there and they’re waiting for a car to crash, it’s like a money shot. At that moment, they want it: they want it to happen as much as the bad guy does. That’s what they’ve paid to see. And if, at the last minute, [it is] averted, that’s just me as director as torturer, ’cos I can.

Here’s the thing I had in my life: I never had to worry that I was gonna die before I made a movie. God had put me on earth to do this thing — he’s not going to take me out before I can do it. To me, writing the dialogue is so easy, I actually feel sort of a fraud for taking credit for it, even though I’m protective of it; I feel like it’s some sort of God antenna. I grew up in LA, and I loved earthquakes — I didn’t care if they happened in the morning, the afternoon, the evening. I didn’t get out of bed; I’d surf the earthquake. God didn’t put me on the earth to die in an earthquake. After Pulp Fiction, maybe I could go.

I got to know, and had a lovely relationship with, the director Sam Fuller before he died. I met him on the film-festival circuit. I was there with Reservoir Dogs, and he goes: “Okay, who’s in your picture?” And I go: “Harvey Keitel.” “Harvey Keitel? Harvey Keitel is in your picture? Who the hell are you to be making your first picture with Harvey Keitel? He’s not a star — he’s a planet!” Then he says: “I’ll tell you what I liked about your movie: it’s a movie about idiots. All those guys are morons. I don’t even know how they tied their shoes in the morning. I mean, Harvey, he makes movies about professionals. Your guys were idiots. It’s about failure. That’s good; you don’t see that.”

Robert [Rodriguez, the director] and I are doing a double feature, which is a really fun project because, you know, we’re best friends. We’re doing two separate movies and releasing them together. It’s really cool, because he actually got the idea to do this just from hanging out in my house and watching movies. I really like the exploitation stuff. I have posters all over my house from the 1950s and 1960s, double-feature posters. I want to deliver what these posters promise, but those movies never delivered. Robert’s story is like a zombie movie, and mine is a slasher movie, except that, as opposed to a guy with a hockey mask and a machete, it’s a guy with a car. It’s kind of cool, what I’m doing — the New Zealand stunt girl in the film, Zoe Bell, she was Uma Thurman’s stunt double [in Kill Bill]. She’s gonna play herself and do her own stunts. It’s cool, also, because I’ve never done a car chase before, and if I’m gonna do it, it has to be one of the best in the history of cinema. But that’s really throwing my hat in a different ring. Like Kill Bill was the first time I’ve ever done that kind of thing before.

I consider making Kill Bill as like me climbing Mount Everest. I taught myself how to climb as I climbed it. I would write all these little scenarios of things that could happen with [Thurman’s character] the Bride, and I’d take her in one direction, then I’d be like: “Nah, I don’t want to go there.” So at one point I thought it would be cool for her to get into a big car chase. She’s in the Pussy Wagon, and she drives under the “bat bridge” [in Austin, Texas; home to a giant bat colony], and so it’s bats just bouncing off the windshield. And you cut to the outside of the bridge, and it’s like 2m bats and this car just ... BOOM!

Now that I’ve climbed Mount Everest, I don’t know if these little hills are going to be so attractive, but I don’t know if I want to start that expedition again, either. I met Francis Coppola’s wife, Ellie, and she asked me: “So, what are you doing next?” And I said: “Well, I’ve been planning this second world war film for a long while, and it’s time to do it. The only thing about it is, it’s a big, Mount Everest kind of epic, and I’ve already climbed a Mount Everest, and I’ve got to get myself up to climb it again.” When I was through talking, she said: “I think maybe this is the time in your life that you climb Mount Everest. You may not want to be climbing Mount Everest 15 years from now.”

Directors don’t get better as they get older. They get worse — they get out of touch. There is this weird thing about movie-making where you kind of figure out how to do it. You’re just pulled along by the experience — there’s no way you can predict what’s going to happen. And on the second one, you know a hell of a lot more than you did on the first one, but you’re still being pulled along at least 25%. But when it came to the third one, now I kind of got it, and that was scary to me.

I don’t want to be a professional. I’m not in the Directors Guild; I don’t want to be. I like holding on to my amateur status. I wanted to be a professional in all the right ways, but I didn’t want it ever to be a job. I even asked: “Would I die for Jackie Brown?” I would have died for Reservoir Dogs. I would have died getting a shot for Pulp Fiction. I don’t know if I would have died, would have thrown myself into that kind of harm’s way, for Jackie Brown, and that scared me a little bit. I think the reason was that that film was based on a novel; it wasn’t an original thing, born from me. Whether it’s hardship or ruin, or hardship or good times, or happy or sad, or profitable or destitute — whatever the deal is, you go down the road today, and maybe your rewards are today, or maybe your rewards will be tomorrow, or maybe in another life, but you’re going your own way.

[eatawiiner]

Nice man, thanks for posting that. Nice little essay on what he's about.

[ie]

Tarantino related:

Norwegian parody of Kill Bill: Kill Buljo.


edit: Wasn't really worth a bump, but I finally got around to finding the note I wrote concerning one of my teacher's opinion on Kill Bill. She said that it was "disturbing but artistic" which I thought was hilarious, especially since she seemed to shutter when remembering the movie. ;D



edit edit: Oh yeah, he's not going to make any more movies if he keeps doing that...

[ie]

So, I was listening to the radio and they were talking about how it's Tarantino's birthday today and how he thinks he's the reincarnation of Shakespere.

Anyways, one of the hosts asks to the other "What's your favorite Tarantino flick?"
Here's how it went: "Hmm... Pulp Fiction, by far." "Yeah, Pulp Fiction." Slight pause. "Second is Desperado." "Reservoir Dogs too." "The list can just go on and on." And by this point, I was laughing so loudly I couldn't hear anything else.

[ie]

Here's a version of My Best Friend's Birthday edited by a guy who wanted to clean up the pacing.

[criterionmaster]

Tarantino's next is?...
Source: Hollywood Saloon

I didn't think there'd be much in the way of news when I was reading the article in today's Hollywood Reporter about the Weinstein Co. investing in Asian films. I mean it's nothing new that the Weinstein brothers have been instrumental in bringing Asian films stateside for release. But buried at the end of the piece in almost a throwaway line is this tidbit: "Titles the fund is expected to handle include...a remake of the Hong Kong martial arts movie COME DRINK WITH ME directed by Quentin Tarantino." Directed by Quentin Tarantino!! Is this common knowledge that I somehow missed? I never heard of this before... COME DRINK is a 1966 Shaw Brothers movie that could be considered to be one of the most influential martial arts films. The film follows a young girl who is sent to free her brother from the kidnap of bandits. Despite her considerable martial arts skills she is no match for the bandits and works under the tutelage of a drunken beggar (and kung fu wizard) to defeat them. Hopefully we'll have more details on this juicy nugget soon as word spreads that Tarantino has his eye set on another directing project.

Extra Tidbit: Jackie Chan reportedly appears in the film briefly as a small child.

End of Article.

Tarantino is like always talking about things and upcoming projects. Does anyone remembering hearing anything about this awhile ago? Or is this new news?

[captainofbeef]

I think this is new. Inglorious is next, thats for sure. After that, we might see this...

[wkw]

what next? Is QT gonna remake a Kurosawa movie?

[captainofbeef]

I doubt it, I think he is more influenced by martial-arts stuff then by Kurosawa. Plus, he already did samurai with Kill Bill.

[ie]

I just heard about the Come Drink With Me news recently, and I didn't post it because no one's interested in my QT news. The writer of the article I read made it sound like the remake was possible... but not likely.

[criterionmaster]

Tarantino Criticism Irritates Italian Film Industry[/b]
Source: IMDB

American director Quentin Tarantino has angered the Italian movie industry after calling the country's contemporary cinema "depressing." The Grindhouse filmmaker is a well-known admirer of Italian cinema in the '60s and '70s, with a particular love of 'spaghetti' westerns and the giallo thriller genre. Tarantino, whose favourite movie is Sergio Leone's 1969 classic The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, said, "New Italian cinema is just depressing. Recent films I've seen are all the same. They talk about boys growing up, or girls growing up, or couples having a crisis, or vacations of the mentally impaired." Veteran actress Sophia Loren has reportedly hit back, "How dare he talk about Italian cinema when he doesn't know anything about American cinema?"

End of Article.

Wha?!?!

[captainofbeef]

Even the Italians I talked to in a Roman theater said that modern Italian cinema is nothing compared to what it used to be. Though they did say that American cinema these days is much worse...

[ie]

Yeah, I heard about that a little while ago, so I can't say. I've yet to see an Italian movie that I've been really impressed with, though I've really only seen a couple.

It was funny that the review I read said something to the effect of "QT knows Italian cinema, he's even seen the Bicycle Thieves" and I was just like "yeah, you be impressed with him seeing one movie while I stand over here."

[criterionmaster]

Holy hell, get ready to shit:

turnerclassic.moviesunlimited.com/product.asp?sku=D55293++

Kill Bill [DVD] (2007) Now Accepting Advance Orders!
Edited into the single epic martial arts saga it was originally conceived as, "the fourth film by Quentin Tarantino" centers on the Bride (Uma Thurman), an ex-assassin left for dead by her former comrades. Waking up after a four-year coma, the Bride embarks on a bloody trail of vengeance that leads her face to face with a succession of ex-allies, culminating in a final showdown with onetime boss and lover, Bill (David Carradine). With Daryl Hannah, Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, Vivica A. Fox, Sonny Chiba, and Gordon Liu. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English. Four-disc set.

Available: 09/18/07 Rated: NC17 Color #D55293


Death Proof [DVD] (2007) Now Accepting Advance Orders!
Presented here as the extended version submitted to the Cannes Film Festival, Quentin Tarantino's half of the "Grindhouse" double feature stars Kurt Russell as a psychotic stunt driver who uses his souped-up movie car to stalk and kill unsuspecting young women. But Russell gets more than he bargained for when he targets a group of girls with a deadly fast ride of their own and a crazy streak almost as long as his, setting the stage for a breakneck chase on a windy rural road. Rosario Dawson, Tracie Thoms, Zoe Bell also star. Extended version. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Two-disc set.
Also Available: DVD Widescreen

Available: 09/18/07 Rated: NR Color #D55290

Did anyone else shit their pants?

[captainofbeef]

I really am anticipating that Kill Bill set, but are we going to get a Grindhouse DVD with both features and the trailers?

[criterionmaster]

Kill Bill 3 and 4 Details?[/b]
source: hollywood saloon

CriEnglish.com is reporting (via Hangzhou's City Express) that "Kill Bill" Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 executive producer E. Bennett Walsh has revealed details of a possible third and fourth film:

The plots of Kill Bill 3 and 4 have been shaped and there is a chance director Quentin Tarantino will return to China to shoot them, an executive producer of the first two films said on Friday.

Bennett Walsh said at the Shanghai International Film Festival the third film involves the revenge of two killers whose arms and eyes were hacked by Uma Thurman in the first stories.

The fourth instalment of the popular kung fu action films concerns a cycle of reprisals and daughters who avenge their mother's deaths, Hangzhou-based newspaper City Express quoted Bennett as saying.

While Tarantino has talked about continuing the films, there's been no official confirmation it will happen.

end of article.

[captainofbeef]

Tarantino has talked of doing so many films, I don't know what to believe and what not to.

[Clark Nova]

captainofbeef said:

Tarantino has talked of doing so many films, I don't know what to believe and what not to.

yeah, Inglorious Bastards has been on the shelf for years now. Who knows when or if he'll ever get around to that one.

So with Kill Bill 3 and 4, I smell bullshit.

[criterionmaster]

yeah, i thought he was going to wait like 10 years before he did any sequels to kill bill. he said that he wanted to wait until vivica fox's daughter in the film was old enough to try and get revenge or something. did anyone else hear that before?

[captainofbeef]

^I heard that once before.

[calc3772]

Haven't seen any of his movies, but watching him in interviews makes me sick.

[mixed]

The characters who lost arms getting revenge? sounds like a great idea for a pulpy kung fu movie. Cheesy bad premise, I like that notion.

[criterionmaster]

calc3772 said:

Haven't seen any of his movies, but watching him in interviews makes me sick.

i think i have told you this before, but i love listening to him, and how much he loves movies. i would love to have a commentary from him on many more films. but see some of his films before you say anything about him, i know you will be blown away. are there any you are interested in?