Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

For Dad

Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is the story of an aging TV actor and his stunt double trying to make a name for themselves in Hollywood during the final years of Hollywood’s golden age before the emergence of New Hollywood. The film is a fictional look into the world of 1960s American cinema at a time when it was transitioning from big-budget spectacles in favor of more personal filmmaking as well as a look at what some saw as the end of a period of innocence following the murders committed the Charles Manson family. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Margaret Qualley, Dakota Fanning, Austin Butler, Bruce Dern, and Al Pacino. Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is a rapturous and evocative film from Quentin Tarantino.

It’s 1969 as the film follows the parallel journeys of an aging TV actor known for TV westerns and his next door neighbor in rising film star Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie). It play into two actors who live next door yet haven’t met each other due to the trajectories of their careers yet the TV actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) is coping with a career that is fading as he’s bringing along his stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) who has now become Dalton’s driver/assistant due to his own reputation that prevented him from doing stunt work. Quentin Tarantino’s screenplay doesn’t just the explore of these paralleling career trajectories but also this emergence of something much darker that is happening in the background as it relates to the Charles Manson family as some say marked the end of a period of innocence for the 1960s and Hollywood before the emergence of the much-more personal filmmaking world of New Hollywood.

Tarantino’s script has a unique structure where its first two acts takes place during a weekend in Hollywood as the first act relates to Dalton’s career woes and the lack of options he has in his career as he’s also succumb to alcoholism with Booth helping him out anyway he can. The script would also show flashbacks into how Booth received notoriety not just for what he did in his personal life but also how he would lose his job due to a friendly tussle with Bruce Lee (Mike Moh). The first act also has Dalton meet with producer/agent Marvin Schwarz (Al Pacino) who knows that Dalton still has some juice left but is also aware of the limited options he has as he would offer him work in Italy for some Spaghetti Westerns which Dalton is unsure about as he’s doing work on TV guest appearances for money.

The second act is about Dalton doing a TV show as he struggles to remember his lines while Booth does some repairs at Dalton’s home where he would later encounter a young hippie in Pussycat (Margaret Qualley) who had been flirting with him from afar as he gives her a ride home only to realize where she lives as it’s also the home of a man whom Booth and Dalton worked at a TV show the latter starred in George Spahn (Bruce Dern). The first and second act also showcase the life that Tate was having as she is someone on the rise and married to filmmaker Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha) as she would go to parties with Polanski and her longtime friend Jay Sebring (Emile Hirsch) and on the next day would watch herself in one of her films in The Wrecking Crew with an audience as they praise her while she would earlier receive a copy of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles. The film’s third act takes place six months after the events of the first two act on August of 1969 where Tate, Sebring, and others would be killed by the Manson family. Yet, it’s more about the direction that Dalton has taken with his career as well as this end of an era for himself and Booth with this sense of change in Hollywood.

Tarantino’s direction definitely bears a lot of visual styles that play into this world of 1969 Los Angeles/Hollywood where it is shot on location in the city as it also serves as a character of the film itself. While there are some wide shots of the city including in some locations and this atmosphere of what it was like back in 1969 in this transition from the 1960s to the 1970s. Tarantino also maintains an intimacy but also this romanticism of a craftsmanship of what it was like working in Hollywood on studio lots and sound stages during those times. Notably in TV westerns that Dalton starred in as he would work on a western while reveal what goes on behind the scenes as it does showcase the struggles of an actor and what some will do to pass the time such as Booth’s tussle with Bruce Lee. Tarantino’s usage of high crane shots to get a look into the locations including the city itself as well as tracking shots for parts of the film showcase a filmmaker definitely taking everything he’s done and refining it to showcase a world that was rich and exciting.

Tarantino’s usage of close-ups and medium shots are important as it play into conversations between characters including one key moment where Dalton is on set shooting for a TV pilot where he converses with a young actress named Trudi Fraser (Julia Butters) who takes her work seriously yet understands what it means to be an actor even though she’s only 8 years old. It’s a small little scene in the film that does play into Dalton’s own insecurities and the realization that he’s on his way out but this young girl would give him a sense of hope into who he is and why he still matters despite the changing times. The film does feature some off-screen narration by a stunt coordinator in Randy (Kurt Russell) who only appears in one sequence of the film but his narration does play into the narrative as it relate to the different paths that Dalton and Tate would embark on. Even in the film’s third act as it relates to the infamous night of the Tate-LaBianca murders on August as there is this sense of something that is coming to an end. Yet, Tarantino builds up the drama and suspense slowly to play into the climax but with an added sense of mania and terror in the most unexpected way. Overall, Tarantino crafts a riveting and exhilarating film about a fading TV actor and his stunt double trying to survive the final days of Hollywood’s Golden Age just as a young starlet is on the rise against the backdrop of the Charles Manson family.

Cinematographer Robert Richardson does incredible work with the film’s cinematography from the way the interiors of a western set is lit in the daytime as well as the usage of low-key lights for some of the interior/exterior scenes at night as it’s a highlight of the film. Editor Fred Raskin does amazing work with the editing with its stylish usage of jump-cuts, freeze-frames, and other stylish cuts to play into some of the film’s humor and drama as well as these abrupt cuts for some of the flashback sequences. Production designer Barbara Ling, with set decorator Nancy Haigh and supervising art director Richard L. Johnson, does brilliant work with the film’s set design including the home that Dalton lives in as well as the trailer that Booth lives in with his pitbull Brandy and some of the sets that Dalton works at as an actor.

Costume designer Arianne Phillips does excellent work with the costumes from the stylish clothes that Tate wore including the go-go boots and some of the clothes of the men including the leather jacket that Dalton wears. Prosthetic makeup artist Stephen Bettles does fantastic work with the makeup in the look that Dalton would sport for the TV appearance he would be in as well as the look he would have later on in its third act. Special effects supervisor Jeremy Hays and visual effects designer John Dykstra do terrific work with the special effects with Hays providing some effects in some of the weapons Dalton uses on set including a flamethrower for a World War II film he made while Dykstra creates some visual effects that include a shot of Dalton doing a scene in The Great Escape as well as the look of TV shows during that time.

Sound editor Wylie Stateman does superb work with the sound in creating an atmosphere into some of the settings including the party at the Playboy Mansion as well as in some of the locations including the sparse texture of Booth’s encounter with the hippies at an old ranch. Music supervisor Mary Ramos does wonderful work with the film’s music soundtrack as it features an array of music ranging from a score piece by Maurice Jarre to the music of the times from the likes of Deep Purple, Neil Diamond, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Jose Feliciano, Vanilla Fudge, Los Bravos, Dee Clark, Chad & Jeremy, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Seger, the Box Tops, Mitch Ryder, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and the Buchanan Brothers.

The casting by Victoria Thomas is great as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Damian Lewis as Steve McQueen, Dreama Walker as Connie Stevens, Rebecca Rittenhouse as Michelle Phillips, Rachel Redleaf as Cass Elliot, Damon Herriman as Charles Manson, Rumer Willis as Tate’s friend Joanna Pettet, Samantha Robinson and Costa Ronin in their respective roles as Tate’s friends Abigail Folger and Wojciech Frykowski, Rafal Zawierucha as Tate’s husband in filmmaker Roman Polanski, Ramon Franco as a movie theater manager, Clu Gulager as a book store owner, Nicholas Hammond as American actor/director Sam Wanamaker, Kate Berlant as a movie ticket booth attendant, and Spencer Garrett as TV personality Allen Kincaid. In the roles as hippies and members of the Manson family include Sydney Sweeney as Snake, Harley Quinn Smith as Froggie, Kansas Bowling as Sandra Good, Danielle Harris, James Landry Herbert as Steve Grogan, Victoria Pedretti as Leslie Van Houten, Lena Dunham as Catherine Share, and as the trio of women who would take part in the murders in Madisen Beaty as Patricia Krenwinkel, Mikey Madisen as Susan “Sadie” Atkins, and Maya Hawke as a reluctant Linda Kasabian.

Other film appearances and cameos include Michael Madsen as a sheriff on Dalton’s hit TV show Bounty Law, Martin Kove and James Remar as villains in Bounty Law, Marco Rodriguez as a bartender in the show Dalton is appearing as a guest in Lancer, Scoot McNairy as a gunslinger in Lancer, Clifton Collins Jr. as a cowboy in Lancer, Rebecca Gayheart as Booth’s wife in a flashback scene, Lorenza Izzo as an Italian actress Dalton meets in the third act, Zoe Bell as Randy’s stunt coordinator wife Janet, Mike Moh as the kung fu legend Bruce Lee, and Luke Perry in a terrific appearance in one of his final performances as the famed Canadian actor Wayne Maunder who also makes an appearance on the show Lancer. Bruce Dern is superb in his brief role as ranch owner George Spahn whom Booth knew a long time ago and wanted to say hi with Dern playing someone unaware of whom he’s renting his land to while Dakota Fanning is fantastic as Manson family follower Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme who sort of runs the land for Manson.

Austin Butler is terrific in his role as Manson family follower Charles “Tex” Watson who is considered Manson’s enforcer as he leads the killings on that dark August night. Julia Butters is excellent as Trudi Fraser as a child actress that Dalton meets on the set of Lancer as she is a young method actor who is committed to her craft while giving Dalton some confidence. Emile Hirsch is brilliant as Jay Sebring as Tate’s former fiancée who has become a revered hairstylist as well as a close friend of Tate and Polanski as someone who is enjoying the ride of Tate’s rising fame while Margaret Qualley is amazing as Pussycat as a young hippie who flirts and befriends Dalton while would introduce him to the people from the Manson family. Timothy Olyphant is marvelous in his small role as TV star James Stacy who is the lead in the show Lancer as he wants to help Dalton by giving him a guest spot on the show as a way to pay him back. Kurt Russell is great as the stunt coordinator/off-screen narrator Randy as a guy who is aware of Booth’s reputation but is also someone that isn’t afraid to call out on other people’s bullshit. Al Pacino is remarkable as Marvin Schwarz as an agent/producer who wants to help Dalton out but also remind him of the small prospects he has left as he knows what might help and save his career for a while even if Dalton wouldn’t like it.

Margot Robbie is incredible as Sharon Tate as this actress on the rise who is a woman of innocence as she is enjoying her life and growing fame but is also someone that is also kind and gracious to others where Robbie just exudes all of those qualities that Tate was known for. Finally, there’s the duo of Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth. Pitt’s performance as Booth is full of charisma but also someone who definitely is more of a real cowboy than the characters that Dalton play as he is also someone who doesn’t live lavishly but is more grounded as well as be supportive for Dalton anyway he can while carrying his pitbull Brandy who gets to steal parts of the film herself. DiCaprio’s performance as Dalton is someone filled with charm and good looks, that was typical of actors from the late 50s/early 60s, yet is dealing with alcoholism and a fading career as he struggles to figure out what to do next as it’s truly one of DiCaprio’s great performances while his scenes with Pitt are just magical to watch.

Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is a magnificent film from Quentin Tarantino. Featuring a great ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, a compelling and insightful script, throwbacks to the late 1960s, exploration of Hollywood innocence and its Golden Age, and a rocking music soundtrack. The film is definitely an entertaining as well as a beautiful portrait of a moment in time when Hollywood was more than just a city for the stars but a place where dreams can come true. In the end, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is an outstanding film from Quentin Tarantino.

Quentin Tarantino Films: Reservoir Dogs - Pulp Fiction - Four Rooms-The Man from Hollywood - Jackie Brown - Kill Bill - Grindhouse-Death Proof - Inglourious Basterds - Django Unchained - The Hateful Eight

Related: The Auteurs #17: Quentin Tarantino - Growing Up with Quentin Tarantino

© thevoid99 2019

The Hateful Eight

Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight is the story of eight different people who seek refuge at a stagecoach stopover in a mountain pass as they deal with a chilling blizzard. Set years after the American Civil War, the film is a western that plays into a group of people who find themselves in a shelter where it’s a mixture of people who are forced to deal with each other despite their differences. Starring Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Samuel L. Jackson, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Channing Tatum, Zoe Bell, and James Parks. The Hateful Eight is a tremendously grand and rapturous film from Quentin Tarantino.

The film revolves a group of different people who are trekking towards a small town in the middle of Wyoming as they deal with a blizzard where they stop and meet an assortment of characters at a stagecoach stopover where there’s a lot of tension looming between eight different people. It’s a film that plays into a group of people who doesn’t just deal with a blizzard that is deadly but also what is at stake as a woman named Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is being driven to a town where she is to be hanged for many murders as the bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) is accompanying her to make sure that she will die by hanging and collect a $10,000 bounty. Along the way, they encounter two different men who join them on the stagecoach and then meet more at the stopover where something sinister starts to happen.

Quentin Tarantino’s screenplay is set in a very traditional three-act narrative with six chapters as each one doesn’t just play and introduce key characters into the story. It’s also in what is at stake as it relates to Daisy whose bounty is huge as the men she and Ruth encounter either have their own motives in what to do with her or are there for their own reasons that has nothing to do with her. Among them is another bounty hunter in a former cavalry officer in Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) who is also going to this town of Red Rocks, Wyoming to collect a separate bounty of his own while a young Southerner named Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins) is also going to the town to become its new sheriff. All of that happens in its first act where these four characters meet and ride on this stagecoach where Mannix, Ruth, and Warren all have some background and history where Mannix is the son of a marauders leader who refused to accept the defeat of the South.

By the film’s second act where they stop at this stopover, they meet another group of diverse characters including a Mexican named Bob (Demian Bichir), a British hangman named Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), a quiet cowboy named Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and a former Confederate leader in General Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern). Along with the stagecoach driver O.B. Jackson (James Parks), these people find themselves inside the house where paranoia and mistrust ensues which includes some tension involving Smithers and Warren where the film’s first half ends with a chilling story from the latter about the former’s son. It is told with such style and detail as it has this mix of dark humor and gruesome imagery. By the film’s second half, the drama and suspense becomes more prominent as it’s not just what is happening inside the house but also the fact that there’s a sense that there’s some people that is going to die. It’s not just who is in this house that is scary but also the fact that there is this blizzard out there. No one is safe where something will break as the third act reveals more into what is happening and who wants what with Daisy being the prize.

Tarantino’s direction is definitely vast in not just the richness of the images he creates but also in the way he sets it. Shot entirely on location in Telluride, Colorado, Tarantino takes great advantage of the locations from the look of the Rocky Mountains to the ravishing attention to detail with the locations as well as the snow which is crucial to the film itself. Notably as Tarantino takes great stock into shooting these locations not just in rich wide and medium shots but also shoot it in a format that hadn’t been used for many years which is 65 mm film stock. In that grand film stock and in an anamorphic aspect ratio of 2:76:1 which was a common format in the 1950s and 1960s that is also similar to the Cinerama process of the times. Tarantino doesn’t just go for images and moods that play into those films of the times with these wide lenses but also brings it back to Earth while creating an intimacy and tension for scenes inside the house.

The scenes set in the house are gripping as it’s small but also has some space where the film stock captures much of the lighting with great detail. Even in some of these smaller moments such as a lone jellybean on the floor or the close-up of a coffee pot. Tarantino’s usage of close-ups as well as some intricate crane shots and some long shots help play into the drama and suspense that looms in the film. The film stock helps with these scenes as well as in what Tarantino does in his compositions in a key scene where Daisy sings a song as she is in the foreground and Ruth is in the background. By the time the film reaches its third act, that is where the violence starts to really take shape. While violence is something that is expected with Tarantino, it is presented with a sense of urgency that adds to the suspense. Especially in the film’s climax where it is about survival and who can out-wit who. Overall, Tarantino creates a gripping yet tremendous film about a group of individuals dealing with themselves and a cold blizzard in the West.

Cinematographer Robert Richardson does incredible work with the film‘s cinematography with its gorgeous yet evocative look of the daytime exterior settings in the Rocky Mountains to the lighting schemes and textures that he uses in the interior scenes as it is among one of the highlights of the film. Editor Fred Raskin does excellent work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts and slow-motion cuts as well as creating rhythms that help play into the suspense and drama that unfolds throughout the film. Production designer Yohei Taneda, with set decorator Rosemary Brandenburg and art director Richard L. Johnson, do amazing work with not just the design of the stagecoach where some of the main characters ride on but also the look of the stopover house and its different farms as it plays into this world in the middle of the Rocky Mountains that is remote but also filled with some dread as the look of the stone cross in the film‘s opening scene is also one of the key touchstones of the film. Costume designer Courtney Hoffman does nice work with the clothes from the old military uniforms that Warren and Smithers wear to the array of fur and heavy clothes the many characters wear to deal with the cold winter.

Makeup designers Greg Funk and Jake Garber do brilliant work with the look of the characters such as the facial hair of characters like Ruth and Bob as well as the black eye that Daisy sports. Special effects director Greg Nicotero and visual effects supervisors Laurent Gillet and Darren Poe do fantastic work with some of the special effects as it relates to some of the violent moments in the film as well as a few set dressing for some of the exteriors. Sound editor Wylie Stateman does superb work with the sound as it adds a lot to the film‘s suspense and drama from the way the cold winds sound from inside the house as well as the sounds of gunfire. The film’s music by Ennio Morricone is phenomenal as it bears many of the hallmarks that is expected of Morricone in terms of operatic vocal and orchestral arrangements to the usage of quirky hooks and melodies as the music is a true highlight of the film music supervisor Mary Ramos creates an offbeat soundtrack that features songs by David Hess, Crystal Gayle, the White Stripes, and Roy Orbison.

The casting by Victoria Thomas is wonderful for the cast that is created as it features some notable small appearances from Lee Horsley, Belinda Owin, Keith Jefferson, and Bruce Del Castillo as employees/patrons of the stopover house, Zoe Bell as a stagecoach driver, Dana Gourrier as the stopover house owner Minnie Mink, Gene Jones as her lover Sweet Dave, and Craig Stark as Smithers’ son Chester in a chilling sequence that Warren tells General Smithers to. Channing Tatum is fantastic in a small but very memorable role as a gang leader named Jody who is a man that is full of charm but is also very dangerous. James Parks is terrific as the stagecoach driver O.B. Jackson as one of the few men that Ruth trusts as he deals with the brutality that is the cold weather. Bruce Dern is excellent as General Sandy Smithers as a legendary hero of the Confederate army whom Mannix admires while being aware that he and Warren had an encounter in the past that leads to some very intense moments.

Demian Bichir is superb as Bob as this Mexican who is looking after the stopover house as he is quite ambiguous but also someone that is charismatic while saying some very funny shit that baffles Warren. Michael Madsen is brilliant as Joe Gage as this quiet cowboy who is at the stopover on his way to his mother as it’s a very restrained yet cool performance as someone who could be very deadly. Tim Roth is amazing as Oswaldo Mobray as this British hangman who is the film’s comic relief as someone that is quite energetic but also says some funny things as he is among the group of individuals who is also very odd. Walton Goggins is incredible as Chris Mannix as the son of a marauders gang who is supposed to become a sheriff as he deals with Warren’s presence as well as admiration for General Smithers where it’s a complex performance that is part humor but also dramatic in the fact that he isn’t a smart man but a character that is fully aware that something isn’t right at all.

Samuel L. Jackson is remarkable as Major Marquis Warren as a former cavalry officer who bears the notoriety of doing a lot of killing in the Civil War as he is quite devious in what he does but also understands what is at stake where he tries to help Ruth. Kurt Russell is great as John Ruth as this notorious bounty hunter that likes to do things the hard way where also lives by old school rules as it’s a performance that has Russell be gritty but also someone that doesn’t take shit from anyone. Finally, there’s Jennifer Jason Leigh in a wild performance as Daisy Domergue as this woman who has a $10,000 bounty on her head for killing people as she is a character that is just off-the-wall in terms of the things she says and what she does where she isn’t to be trusted while being just as ruthless and devious as the men around her.

***The Following is a Description of the 70mm Roadshow Presentation***

For audiences who are going to see the film in its 167-minute general release are going to see the film in a more traditional format that is often common with today’s films. Yet, it doesn’t have exactly what Tarantino would want for the film which he shot in a format that is very different from what is often expected in cinema. For this special roadshow presentation which was a common thing for big films back in the 1950s and the 1960s, the film is given a wider scope that manages to capture every attention to detail into what Tarantino and cinematographer Robert Richardson had captured while the sound itself is also just as big.

Sorry for the bad lighting...

For this special presentation, audiences don’t just receive a special program for the film but would also be given the chance to experience something that is rare. In this 187-minute version of the film, the film opens with an orchestral overture that lasts for about a few minutes and then the film would play. During the middle of the film comes an intermission that lasts for fifteen minutes. There’s no trailers that precedes the film that is often the case with traditional films of the day. Instead, audiences would see the film and that is it while getting a chance to take a break in between as it plays into a presentation that is rare in today’s more commercialized idea of cinema.

***End of 70mm Roadshow Presentation Tidbits***

The Hateful Eight is a tremendously visceral and exhilarating film from Quentin Tarantino. Headlined by a hell of an ensemble cast as well as gorgeous photography, grand visuals, eerie suspense, high-octane violence, and a monstrous score by Ennio Morricone. The film is truly an example of what epic cinema is and what it should be in an era where the term is misused while being a western that is very dark and filled with intrigue that is gripping to watch. In the end, The Hateful Eight is an outstanding film from Quentin Tarantino.

Quentin Tarantino Films: Reservoir Dogs - Pulp Fiction - Four Room-The Man from Hollywood - Jackie Brown - Kill Bill - Grindhouse-Death Proof - Inglourious Basterds - Django Unchained - Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

The Auteurs #17: Quentin Tarantino - Growing Up with Quentin Tarantino

© thevoid99 2015

Growing Up with Quentin Tarantino

For anyone that has followed film, there is always a certain filmmaker that people will follow and when a new film from that filmmaker comes out. It’s more than just a premiere but an event. For those who were part of the post-war era of the 20th Century, a new film from Stanley Kubrick must’ve been a must-see as it came in a certain period for someone in that time. For anyone who was a kid or a teenager in the 1990s, who was the filmmaker that everyone wanted to see? It was Quentin Tarantino as like Kubrick, he takes his time making his films as they become events once they’re released. Unlike the late and reclusive Kubrick, Tarantino is someone who is always unabashed in his love for cinema and always share it with fans and film buffs.

For myself, Quentin Tarantino is someone who was instrumental in my upbringing not just as a person but also in the way I viewed films. I was 11 when Reservoir Dogs came out but I never saw it until a few years later. In many ways, my film life can be sum up into two different periods. Before and after Reservoir Dogs. Before that film as I come from a somewhat sheltered existence since my parents are Catholic and didn’t like the idea of having me to watch certain films or listen to certain things. At the same time, there weren’t a lot of daring movies out there as the films my parents and my younger sisters went to see were family films because those were the only films that I was able to see with them. Yet, there were a few things that were R rated that I was able to see which were comedies that starred Robin Williams, Chevy Chase, and Eddie Murphy as I grew up watching them in the 1980s.

Reservoir Dogs

I first heard about the film when I was in 7th grade where by that time, I was 13 and listening to music that my parents didn’t like at all such as Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails as the latter would become my band. It was also around this time that I began to become very unenthused about the films I was seeing around that time as the movies I was watching were awful family films like Blank Check and North. Yes, I saw fucking North in the theaters as it was one of the films that I could see with my sister and I thought it was shit when I saw it and it is still one of the worst viewing experiences I had ever had. By that time, I was starting to grow out of those films and was looking for something that didn’t star Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone. Late at night, I would stay up and watch something to see if it was interesting as among them were these softcore porn films.

Now as a 13 year old kid, it was exciting to see films with these women with gorgeous bodies. Shannon Tweed, Shannon Whirry, Rochelle Swanson, and the films that were directed by Andy Sidaris that featured Playboy Playmates. What a time it was as they didn’t just feature beautiful women but actually had some decent stories and it looked good despite the minimal budgets they had. The B-movies that were out at the time were quite interesting as some of them were martial arts films and some were just these cop films. Some of them showed boobs which is why anyone would stay up late in those times. Still, it wasn’t enough as I keep hearing about Pulp Fiction as I wanted to see it but my parents were like “no way”. I don’t know when I first saw Reservoir Dogs or how I heard about it other than it was by Quentin Tarantino until I went to the local video store which was a block from where I live (which is now as Little Caesar’s and a cell-phone store). What I do remember is that VHS cover where I was like “what is this?” I had no idea what this was and I somehow managed to rent the film and then… boom.

I saw it by myself and it was like a fucking atom bomb. I had seen some violent films which were mostly action movies and some B-movies but nothing like this. I was struck by not just the way it was film but also the narrative as it didn’t have this traditional beginning-middle-end structure that I had often seen in films. Another revelation about this film was the fact that all of the guys in the film were fucking cool and could say some shit and back it up. Sure Mr. Blonde was a sadistic, psychotic fuck but he was cool as hell as I was in awe of seeing this guy dancing and singing along to Stuck In the Middle With You with a razorblade and cutting this guy’s ear off. It was unlike anything I had ever seen in my life and I was also struck by the fact that there weren’t anything defined about these characters.

The fact that the villains in the film weren’t really villains and that there weren’t any good guys was a big revelation as this film broke the doors down about who I could root for and who could I not. The same thing that would happen to me in the way I sort of viewed professional wrestling at the time where it was in the mid-90s before WCW was going to present WCW Monday Nitro and the arrival of the nWo. In the fall of 1995 where I was a freshman in high school at 14 years old and with very little friends. Whatever friends I did have were fans of that film and we all wanted to play certain characters in that film. I think everybody wanted to be Mr. Pink because he talked a lot of shit and such while there were days we wanted to be Mr. White or Mr. Blonde.

Pulp Fiction

I don’t remember when I first saw Pulp Fiction but I think it was when I was in high school and it was on TV as it was just fucking awesome. By that time, I had known more about films as the films I was more interested in seeing were the stuff that Quentin was doing as well as the movies that Robert Rodriguez were making. Still, I was seeing the comedies that were out at the time that starred Chris Farley but I was also forced to see those awful Brady Bunch movies. Seeing Pulp Fiction on TV was just as life-changing as anything else that I had with Reservoir Dogs though I still thought Reservoir Dogs was the better film. Yet, I was amazed by not just the narrative but also in how many characters they were and how cool they are.

If you were in high school and had seen that film, I’m sure everyone had a favorite character. Some wanted to be Vincent Vega. Some wanted to be Jules. Some wanted to be Mia, Butch, or Marsellus. The one I was into was the Wolf. As small as Harvey Keitel’s appearance was, his performance was the best thing in that film as I related to the character in how organized he is and how precise he wants things to be. One of the things I definitely acquired from my mother is the fact that I like to have things organized and ready. Plus, I just love those little moments as for anyone that is reading Alex Withrow’s list about the list will understand why people love it so much.

There was a lot in the film that was surprising and made me realize that this wasn’t anything Steven Spielberg nor Robert Zemeckis were doing. From the moment Vincent put that adrenaline needle on Mia’s heart to the moments of violence. It was a world that was shocking yet the moment that made me scream “what the fuck?!!!” was the gimp and Zed fucking Marsellus right up his ass. That was new and I had never seen anything like that. It took me aback but still, it didn’t deter how different the film was and why it was such an impact to me as a teenager.

It was during this period in 1995 and 1996 where it was just my view of film was expanding but also my tastes in music where I was heavily into Nine Inch Nails, Jane’s Addiction, Rage Against the Machine, and anything that was heavy rock. Due to my love for NIN where I had bought anything that featured them including the soundtrack for Natural Born Killers is where I learned that Tarantino came up with the story for that film as I would see that and True Romance which he wrote as it was a good time for films back then. I would also watch an episode of ER because I read it was directed by Quentin Tarantino and it was a good episode even though I wasn’t into the show at all.

Yet, for anyone that was listening to alternative music at the time and were into what was perceived as American independent cinema would notice that there were certain things happening. For every band that sounded like Nirvana, there was Bush and Silverchair. For every band that sounded like Nine Inch Nails, there were Stabbing Westward and Gravity Kills. It was the same thing in films were Hollywood was cashing in on what Tarantino was doing. While there were some good films like 2 Days in the Valley that sort of was Tarantino-esque at the time. There were also some mediocre films like Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead and Truth or Consequences, NM as it was strange seeing everyone try to be cool and having a Mexican standoff in some scenes. Another thing that I would say sort of got me tuned out of Tarantino’s world was the fact that he was in a lot of films.

Jackie Brown

While I didn’t mind him acting in his own work or in Robert Rodriguez’s films, seeing him in crap like Destiny Turns on the Radio as it became parody. While I appreciated for opening the doors of what film could be. I was ready to move on as I would see other things during that time. By the time Jackie Brown was going to come out, I wasn’t sure about seeing it as I ended up going to see Titanic like everyone else did. The people who I thought were my friends in school that had loved Tarantino didn’t see Jackie Brown either as I wondered why. I think it was because either everyone got burned out by him or it was the fact that it was something different.

I guess I could say it was either 1998/1999 or 2000 where I first saw the film on TV. By that time, my view on films where of two different spectrums as there were the comedies that were out at the time like the South Park movie and American Pie but also the films that were coming out by Paul Thomas Anderson, Spike Jonze, and Alexander Payne. I’m not sure what channel I first saw Jackie Brown but my initial viewing was warm but it didn’t have the same effect as it did with Tarantino’s other work. I liked the performances and the story as well as how restrained it is. Yet, I was aghast by how different it was and the lack of really graphic violence where it was baffling though I understood exactly what Tarantino was doing considering that everyone else was ripping him off at the time.

It didn’t grasp on me until years later as this is why re-watches of films are important. This is a film that definitely not only got better every time I would see it but it would be the film that stayed with me for a very long time as it’s currently my second favorite film by Tarantino. It’s got moments that are just astonishing such as the scene where Max Cherry is to pick up Jackie as he sees her for the very first time and instantly falls in love with her to the music of Bloodstone’s Natural High. It’s a moment where it is clear that Tarantino is creating something as a filmmaker where he is allowing himself to take some new steps into what he wanted to say as a storyteller. I think one of the detriments to his career is that because this film didn’t do as well as others. I think it forced him to stick with what works in terms of what audiences wanted but it did prove that there is more to him than gratuitous violence and such though his subsequent films do prove that he still doesn’t play it safe.

Kill Bill

By 2002/2003 where I was starting to become more immersed in cinema and go to art house theaters for the very first time. It was also around the time where I was developing myself as a critic writing music and film reviews for Epinions.com at the time when it was a viable community. I was more into music than film at the time though the films I was discovering at that time were different. As for Tarantino, I had kind of moved on from his work at that point and was discovering other things including what would become my all-time favorite film in Lost in Translation. It was around that time that I heard that Tarantino was returning with Kill Bill but I was disheartened to learn that the first part would come out in the fall and the second part would come out in spring of 2004. I speculated that something forced him to split the films into two parts as I wasn’t sure about seeing it.

Yet, I would hear initially mixed reviews about the first film until it came on TV through Starz in 2004 where I was gripped by it as it made me fall in love with him all over again. Not just because it was insane but it had this intriguing story of revenge where Tarantino wanted to say something that he’s not done. It wasn’t just the craziness of the violence that I found enthralling but also the way it looked as I think Tarantino hit pay dirt in getting Robert Richardson as his cinematographer where the scenes at the restaurant O-Ren Ishii and her Crazy 88 yakuza would battle the Bride. It’s among one of the most stylish and violent sequences that I had ever scene but it also had an air of beauty that would climax with the eventual showdown between the Bride and O-Ren outside of the restaurant. I was just enraptured by not just the look and the beauty but also the sense of patience Tarantino had in creating the showdown where it is clear that he too has evolved.

By the time the second film came into television, it was something far more different as it showed not just Tarantino’s maturity but also in how much he’s evolved as a filmmaker while showing that he had a love for the western. It served as a reminder of his gift as a screenwriter in how he would play with narrative but also have this amazing payoff for the film’s climax. Notably as it showed that Tarantino still had some tricks up his sleeve while his approach to choosing music in film was becoming more diverse. Not just in his usage of music but also in the film scores he would bring in from other films. If it wasn’t for these two films, I probably wouldn’t had the chance to explore genres such as the westerns and samurai movies where it’s among the reasons why Quentin Tarantino is so lauded.

Through him not just his work but also in interviews and appearances in documentaries such as Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession, it showed that there is an entire world of films that is beyond not just genres and countries but so much more. Through him, I learned more about the French New Wave, the films of Sergio Leone, the Korean New Wave beginning with Chan-wook Park’s Vengeance trilogy, and the samurai movies of Akira Kurosawa.

Grindhouse: Death Proof

In the years between Kill Bill and Death Proof, I would say that I had cultivated a massive taste for films as it was clear that even though Tarantino was among a group of filmmakers that I love. There was still a lot to explore as I spent I think 2005 and 2006 not just exploring music but seeing all kinds of different films. Yet, there was still that void into the fact that because I was so young when his films had come out that I never got to see them in the theaters but I knew that I had to wait. Even as I read that his next film was to be Inglourious Basterds and it was going to take a while but I realized that good things will come for those who wait. When I heard about Grindhouse and what Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez wanted to do. I was totally on board.

I like zombie movies and I like movies about cars so what kind of fool would I be to not see this? I knew it might not be anything as good as some of Tarantino’s other work as I figured it would be just a stop-gap release of sorts while the fans wait for Inglourious Basterds. It was April 9, 2007 at an afternoon screening at my local multiplex where I would see the film as I knew it was going to be different. The screening wasn’t a total sell out as I think about half or less were at the room where I was in seeing the film and after Planet Terror, I think half of the audience had left probably unaware that there was another film coming. It definitely indicated exactly how aware I was as a filmgoer but also the growing disconnect between the audience and films as it was clear that the Grindhouse did flop unfortunately that year succumbing to such awful films like Wild Hogs.

By the time Death Proof was on, it was a wild ride as the small audience including myself that were seeing it were obviously having a good time. Even as there were some squeamish groans during the car crashes and all of that as it was very brutal to watch. By the time the film went into its second half where Kurt Russell’s Stuntman Mike character decided to stalk Zoe Bell, Rosario Dawson, and Tracie Thoms who were doing their own things. What happened was that he fucked with the wrong bitches as it was one of those most exciting moments where it was filled with laughter and cheers. I will never forget the look in my face when I saw Mike finally get what was coming to him as he screamed like a bitch. The scene where he gets his ass kicked had the audience go “oh, ah” and then the final coup-de-grace as myself and everyone cheered and went “yeah, fuck yeah”. There were claps and cheers once the credits rolled as it is still one of the best experiences I ever had watching a film as I went home and bought the biggest, greasiest burger I could get. It may not have been a Kahuna burger but it will do.

Inglourious Basterds

Two years would pass by as my love for cinema grew bigger than it already had been where I had become a devotee to Tarantino’s work by that point. While I also devoted myself to filmmakers like Sofia Coppola, Lars von Trier, Wes Anderson, and Terrence Malick. I also had the chance to experience other things in film as early 2009 saw me experience my first roadshow theatrical viewing in Steven Soderbergh’s Che which would also become one of those great film viewing experiences. If you were a fan of cinema, it was obvious you were following any news of what was happening as I too was waiting for the screening of Inglourious Basterds at Cannes in 2009. Despite the fact that I was on shitty dial-up connection and with a computer that was on the fritz for some of the time. I was eager to see what was going to happen as I followed all of the coverage of what was happening at Cannes.

For much of that summer, I spent time just watching films and writing about them as I waited for the day for the film to arrive as I was hoping for something good to happen. Even as I waiting to see the fuss about this guy I had never heard of Christoph Waltz as he had won an award at Cannes for the film. I would finally see the film on August 23, 2009 at a morning screening because it’s cheaper to see it in the morning. I wasn’t sure what to expect but then again, I didn’t have any high expectations as I go to every film with low to zero expectations. It was really unlike anything and it fulfilled everything I wanted it to be and more. Plus, it was funny and it had amazing action. Moments that made the audience want to cheer and just let it be gory and nuts without any kind of compromise.

One of the things about Tarantino that I think he should be lauded for is casting as he always had great casting directors to help as credit should go to Simone Bar, Olivier Carbone, Jenny Jue, and Johanna Ray for not just assembling the cast but also make some big discoveries for the film. It wasn’t just Christoph Waltz that stood out for me as Hans Landa but it was the film where I really took notice of some other European talent in the film such as Melanie Laurent as Shoshanna as I thought she got overlooked in awards season. I also noticed Lea Seydoux for the very first time in that opening scene as one of the daughters as I was like “who is that gorgeous young thing?” It was also the film where I took notice of Michael Fassbender as I did see him before in 300 but didn’t exactly remember who he played in that film but I was impressed.

In what was kind of a whirlwind summer where I saw a lot of films, it was definitely the icing of the cake for me though it would also start the beginning of an end of an era for me. One of which saw me starting to realize that I was growing more and more as a writer but not having the platform to grow even more which was one of the reasons why I left Epinions.com. I felt constrained and unappreciated for my efforts as I also noticed that my paychecks were arriving late and it just the first in a series of things that made me leave for good in July 2010.

Django Unchained

Years have passed where I went on my own as a blogger full-time and began to grow even more where I discovered a lot of other filmmakers and such where the timing of Django Unchained couldn’t have come at a better point in my life. Especially as the Auteurs series was becoming a regular thing I was doing as the timing of it couldn’t have been anymore perfect as I was anxious for not just a new film by Tarantino. It was in the fact that it was going to be a western directed by Tarantino which to me is $$$$$$$$$$$$$.

I also noticed that it was 20 years since the release of Reservoir Dogs which sort of gave me the chance to not just revisit the films that Tarantino was involved in but also the chance to see things that he was involved in that I hadn’t seen. All in anticipation for a film that I was very excited to see as that was the Xmas present for me. So it was Xmas day 2012 in the morning as I was able to get a ticket before the screening sold out as it was full crowd. Everyone was anxious to see something that was bloody and exciting as it was largely an African-American crowd as many of them were Tarantino fans. The film starts as I’m sitting at second-third row in front of the theater as it was going to great where everyone was having a good time. There wasn’t any texting or anything that was happening.

I was just into everything while I was amazed at some of the drama including the scene where Leonardo diCaprio’s Calvin Candie does this monologue while his hand was bleeding. Two hours had gone by and then during this very big moment, the screen suddenly went blank and I was like “what the fuck?” Then I realized that the projector crashed and everyone got pissed off. It led to what was definitely one of the worst experiences I had in watching films where myself and everyone had to wait 20 to 25 minutes for the projector to be rebooted and we had to tell whoever was running the project to fast-forward to the scene that we were on and such. It ruined what could’ve been a great film experience and it still stings. This is why I favor film over digital projection as you know with film that there is someone there that is watching over everything at least. With a digital project, you just push a button and that is it. I’m still not over it.

The Hateful Eight

Having been through all sorts of experiences with Tarantino in the course of over twenty years, there is always some kind of anticipation for anything he is doing as a filmmaker. Of course, going to a Tarantino film is an event and you always wonder what he will to make it an event. For this film, the fact that he shot it in 70mm and present in 70mm which is a format that isn’t seen very often in the age of digital vs. 35mm film. For me, this is one in several things in my bucket list as I really hope to see this film in 70mm.

These are the reasons why I think Quentin Tarantino is among one of the best filmmakers working today and why he fills that void that a generation of filmgoers needed in the age of bloated blockbusters and teen-based movies. He knows that making great films takes a lot of time and he usually delivers where it becomes more than just seeing a film but to make it something special. Another thing about Tarantino that makes him so great is that he’s just like all of us film buffs as he loves film and will tell you what film he likes and what film he doesn’t as he is so passionate about it. In many ways, he is the guy every film buff wants to hang out and then take you to a see a film and then discuss it. What more could you ask from a filmmaker and that is why Quentin Tarantino is the man.

Quentin Tarantino Films: Reservoir Dogs - Pulp Fiction - Four Rooms-The Man from Hollywood - Jackie Brown - Kill Bill - Grindhouse: Death Proof - Inglourious Basterds - Django Unchained - The Hateful Eight - The Auteurs #17: Quentin Tarantino

© thevoid99 2015

Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession

Directed by Xan Cassavetes, Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession is the story about the seminal cable channel that showed eclectic movies ranging from art films, mainstreams films, silent films, and B-movies as it was programmed by the obsessive film buff Jerry Harvey. The documentary is an exploration into the cable channel that founded in 1974 that was present solely in Los Angeles and nearby towns as it would end in 1989 just one year after Harvey killed himself and his second wife Deri Rudolph in a murder-suicide. It was a channel that broke a lot of ground and exposed people who loved films the chance to see films uncut, uncensored, and letterboxed whenever possible. The result is a very fascinating and engrossing documentary from Xan Cassavetes.

Before HBO, Showtime, Starz, Turner Classic Movies, and other cable channels that showed films without commercial interruption, there was a groundbreaking channel based solely in areas around Los Angeles which showcased films uncut, uncensored, and without commercials. In the late 1970s, a man named Jerry Harvey became its programmer as he would showcase a plethora of films ranging form B-movies, westerns, silent films, European art-house cinema, Italian softcore porn films, commercial fare, and all sorts of things. With the help of a few other programmers in Andrea Grossman and Tim Ryerson as well as a local critic in F.X. Feeney who would write reviews for the channel magazine, Harvey would create a programming that was beyond the idea of what can be shown.

What director Xan Cassavetes does is showcase not just the channel’s impact and contribution to the world of cinema but also how it can give films that were either lost or re-cut by studio politics the chance to be seen in a new light. Especially as it relates to films like Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate, Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard, Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1900, and Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America which were shown in their director’s cut version to great acclaim after being re-cut and botched by studios. All of which through the desire of Jerry Harvey who wanted to show these films to an audience and give them a fairer judgment. Harvey would also expose obscure directors like Stuart Cooper through Z Channel as it became a platform to showcase films that most channels would never show.

The narrative would move back-and-forth not just in Z Channel’s impact but also Harvey’s personal life that was often turbulent from the suicides of his sisters as well as his relationships with women including his first wife Vera Anderson which ended in divorce in 1984 as he would marry his landlord Deri Rudolph some time later. Feeney and friends of Harvey would talk about his eccentric behavior as well as his obsession towards cinema and showing all sorts of films as he was a workaholic. While emerging channels like HBO and Showtime would do very well nationally, they would have a hard time competing with Z Channel in Los Angeles as subscribers would stick to the channel instead of what HBO and Showtime were offering at the time. Yet, HBO and Showtime would eventually do whatever to buy whatever rights to what they can show as it would lead to the channel’s demise in the late 80s as well as all sorts of business things and some setbacks that would eventually contribute to Harvey’s death and the death of the channel.

Among the filmmakers such as Cooper who are interviewed for the documentary are Henry Jaglom, Alan Rudolph, Robert Altman, Paul Verhoeven, Penelope Spheeris, Jim Jarmusch, Quentin Tarantino, and Alexander Payne who would wear his old Z Channel shirt for the doc. Altman, Verhoeven, Rudolph, Spheeris, and Jaglom talk about Harvey’s contributions into raising their profile while Jarmusch, Payne, and Tarantino were among the filmmakers who were avid watchers of the channel as they talked about the films they saw. Actors like James Woods, Jacqueline Bisset, and Theresa Russell also take part in the interview as they reveal what the channel did for them while cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond praises Harvey for showing the reconstructed version of Heaven’s Gate following the critical scorn the film had received.

With the help of cinematographer John Pirozzi, editor Iain Kennedy, and sound editor Frank Gaeta, Cassavetes would show various film clips of the kind of films that were shown by the channel as well as use super-8 footage of Los Angeles to display a moment in time when the channel was in its prime with an audio recording of the words of Jerry Harvey. The film’s music by Steven Hufsteter is only presented minimally in the opening and closing credits as it is this soft, electronic-based score to play into the impact of the channel.

Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession is a phenomenal film from Xan Cassavetes. It’s a documentary that explored not just the channel’s influence as well as the impact that Jerry Harvey did for cinema. It’s also a film that showcased what a channel can be under the control of a film-loving programmer that would exposes all kinds of films that will probably make an impact on someone. In the end, Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession is an incredible film from Xan Cassavetes.

© thevoid99 2014

Django Unchained

Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained is the story of a slave who is freed by a bounty hunter as the two team up to find a group of vicious killers while the bounty hunter helps the slave in retrieving his wife from a plantation owner. The film is a mixture of not just the Spaghetti Westerns that Tarantino loved but also mixed in with a bit of blaxploitation as it explores the world of slavery and a man’s desire to claim back his wife. Starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo di Caprio, Kerry Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson. Django Unchained is a thrilling and adventurous revisionist western from Quentin Tarantino.

It’s 1858 in Texas as a man named Django (Jamie Foxx) is being taken to a slave auction by the Speck Brothers (James Remar and James Russo) where they encounter a German-born dentist named Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) who is looking for someone that knows the infamous Brittle Brothers. Django claims to know the Brittle Brothers as Dr. Schultz frees Django from the Speck Brothers as the two make a deal. With Django a free man, Dr. Schultz decides to train Django as a bounty hunter where they team up to find the Brittle Brothers and split the rewards. Django agrees to Dr. Schultz’s deal in which he hopes to retrieve his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) who has been taken to a famous plantation known as Candyland owned by Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). After a successful run of bounties that has made Django and Dr. Schultz famous, the two travel from Tennessee to Mississippi to meet Candie.

Upon arriving into Mississippi, Dr. Schultz and Django decide to play a role to woo Candie whose plantation is notorious for training male slaves into fighting and women into prostitution. After intriguing Candie, Dr. Schultz and Django go to Candyland where the two see Candie’s plantation that is filled with all sorts of things including an elderly servant named Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson). Upon learning that Broomhilda is working at the plantation, Dr. Schultz hopes to see her since he has learned that she speaks German. Once Broomhilda realizes what Dr. Schultz is doing, things seem to go well until Stephen believes something is up as he talks to Candie about his suspicions. Suddenly, trouble brews for Django and Dr. Schultz about their intentions as it leads to a showdown.

The film is essentially the story of a slave who is freed by a German bounty hunter as they team up to kill many targets and retrieve the slave’s wife from a charming yet brutal plantation owner. It’s also a film about a man who has endured slavery throughout his life where he not only gets his first taste of freedom but also find a reason to get back the woman he loves from the shackles of slavery. It’s a film that is mainly a western in terms of its visual setting and plot scenario but it’s much more than that it’s a love story, a revenge film, a buddy film, a comedy, and has elements of 70s blaxploitation in terms of its stylish dialogue and themes.

Quentin Tarantino’s screenplay is quite straightforward in terms of narrative structure yet it does feature a few flashback scenes to reveal what Django went through and how he got separated from his wife. A lot of the script revolves around Django and Dr. Schultz’s budding friendship and their partnership in the bounty hunting business. A lot of which has to involve lots of charm, trying to talk the way out of a situation, and intrigue someone. Yet, there’s also killing where Django and Dr. Schultz each play a character where Django plays valet to Dr. Schultz where both men keep their cool and then go about their business. Some of which would antagonize various plantation owners including a man named Big Daddy (Don Johnson) who tries to organize a rally that doesn’t work itself out.

While the character of Broomhilda doesn’t really get much to do as she’s really more of a plot device for Django who would often see her in his journeys. She is still important as someone who tries to endure all sorts of trouble as her past is just as interesting as she was taught to speak German by her mistress which definitely interests Dr. Schultz. Then there’s Calvin Candie who is this antagonist that is a man that loves to see slaves fight where he makes a lot of money and he gets a lot of pride in what he’s done for his plantation. Yet, he is also quite brutal through the men who work aside him including an elderly servant who is extremely loyal to Candie and is far more vicious in the way he believes slaves should be treated. It adds to this complexity of what Dr. Schultz and Django has to do where the former is disturb in how a slave is killed though it doesn’t surprise Django. Yet, it would play to the kinds of trouble Django would go through not just in the hands of Candie’s goons but Stephen most of all.

Tarantino’s direction definitely has a lot of unique compositions as well as various trademarks that he’s been known for such as the intimate table conversations where there’s a camera on a dolly capturing the conversation. Yet, it is also very stylish in the way Tarantino presents certain scenes such as the flashbacks where there’s an air of grainy stock film footage and de-saturated photography to play up the struggles Django and Broomhilda went through. Still, Tarantino does manage to keep things straight while creating some interesting compositions for the scenes between Dr. Schultz and Django as the way their friendship builds up. Notably as it goes beyond the student-mentor archetype of the relationship as both men are very clear about their intentions for each other.

The film also has Tarantino go into elements of black comedy with not just some of his stylish dialogue that has a lot of use of a certain racial slur. It also plays to the fact that white people are befuddled by the idea of a black man becoming a bounty hunter. The violence is definitely bloody and graphic at times yet it plays to what is happening as these men have to encounter someone like Django. There’s also some very chilling moments of suspense such as the dinner scene between Django, Dr. Schultz, and Calvin Candie where it’s about who can intrigue who in the art of negotiations. It then goes into a very dark turn due to the stakes that occur as it would be followed by what Django has to do and use everything he learned from Dr. Schultz to fight back. Overall, Tarantino creates a film that truly lives up to what is expected in the western but also create something that is engaging as well as entertaining.

Cinematographer Robert Richardson does brilliant work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography from the lushness of the winter scenes to the gorgeous colors of the Candyland exteriors along with the nighttime interiors inside the mansion. Editor Fred Raskin does excellent work by employing lots of stylish cuts including slow-motion cuts for some dramatic moments, methodical rhythms for the suspenseful moments, and some slight fast-cutting in the action scenes. Production designer J. Michael Riva, along with set decorator Leslie A. Pope and supervising art director David F. Klassen, does superb work with the set pieces from the look of the towns Django and Dr. Schultz encounter to the splendor that is Candyland.

Costume designer Sharen Davis does amazing work with the period costumes of the times from the lavish, stylish dresses some of the women wear including the female slaves of Candie to the suit that Candie wears that plays up to his persona. Sound editor Wylie Stateman does wonderful work with the sound from the sound of whips and gunfire to the more intimate moments such as the dinner scene at Candyland. Music supervisor Mary Ramos creates a fantastic film soundtrack that features many film scores from Ennio Morricone, Luis Bacalov, Don Straud, and Jerry Goldsmith as well as mixture of music from soul, hip-hop, country, and pop from artists like Johnny Cash, Jim Croce, Richie Havens, Rick Ross, James Brown, 2Pac, John Legend, and Anthony Hamilton as the music is definitely a highlight of the film.

The film’s casting by Victoria Thomas is just flat-out awesome due to the numerous cameos and appearances that were assembled for the film. In some great cameo appearances, there’s Tarantino associates Zoe Bell and Tom Savini along with Robert Carradine as Candie’s trackers, Michael Parks and Quentin Tarantino as a couple of men taking slaves to a mining company, Bruce Dern as Django’s old slave owner, M.C. Gainey as one of the Brittle Brothers, Tom Wopat as a marshal that Dr. Schultz deals with, James Russo as one of the Speck brothers, Jonah Hill as one of Big Daddy’s associates, and the original Django in Franco Nero as a businessman who shares a drink with Django.

Other notable small roles include Walton Goggins as a sadistic associate of Candie in Billy Crash, Dennis Christopher as Candie’s attorney Leonide Moguy, Laura Cayouette as Candie’s sister Lara Lee, James Remar in a dual role as one of the Speck brothers and an enforcer of Candie, and Don Johnson in an excellent performance as the old-school plantation owner Big Daddy. Kerry Washington is pretty good as Broomhilda though she doesn’t really get much to do though she does have a great moment in her scene with Dr. Schultz where they converse in German. Samuel L. Jackson is brilliant as the very devious servant Stephen where Jackson displays a lot of humor in response to Django only to be much more sinister in what he does to Django.

Leonardo diCaprio is outstanding as Calvin Candie where he exudes not just wit and charm to his role as a plantation owner but also a sense of terror into his character in the way he gives this very chilling monologue. It’s a performance that shows what kind of enthusiasm diCaprio brings as well as something that shows he can play the bad guy. Christoph Waltz is magnificent as Dr. King Schultz where he too exudes wit and charm into his role but also someone who is very intelligent and cool in the way he deals with things while being a mentor to Django as the chemistry between Waltz and Jamie Foxx is a true highlight of the film. Finally, there’s Jamie Foxx in a exhilarating performance as Django where he definitely makes his character a true archetype of what is expected in a Western hero. Foxx maintains that sense of cool in the way he deals with things and his enemies but also a restraint where he knows he has to be in control to save his wife.

Django Unchained is an incredible film from Quentin Tarantino that features a brilliant ensemble cast that includes Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo diCaprio, and Samuel L. Jackson. The film is definitely one of the most fun and exciting westerns that doesn’t just pay tribute to the genre but also gives it a nice sense of flair that makes it engaging and also thrilling. It’s also a film that isn’t afraid to not take itself seriously while also being funny. In the end, Django Unchained is an outstanding film from Quentin Tarantino.

Quentin Tarantino Films: Reservoir Dogs - Pulp Fiction - Four Rooms: The Man from Hollywood - Jackie Brown - Kill Bill - Grindhouse: Death Proof - Inglourious Basterds - The Hateful Eight - Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

Related: The Auteurs #17: Quentin Tarantino - Growing Up with Quentin Tarantino

© thevoid99 2012

The Auteurs #17: Quentin Tarantino

One of the filmmakers who would change the face of independent-minded cinema for the early 1990s, Quentin Tarantino was the ultimate film geek who became one of the top filmmakers working today. From his visceral approach to violence as well as his knack for stylish dialogue, he’s a filmmaker that has a style that is clearly on his own. Though he may have those who imitate him, they couldn’t duplicate what he brings to cinema as he would reinvent himself time and time again. Already in the film scene for 20 years, Tarantino is set to return to the big screen with eighth feature Django Unchained that is a tribute to a genre that he adores in the western.

Born on March 27, 1963 in Knoxville, Tennessee, Quentin Jerome Tarantino was the son of a nurse named Connie McHugh as she took Quentin and his younger brother Ron to California when Quentin was two years old. During this time living around Torrance and later to the neighborhood of Harbor City, Tarantino grew up being interested in film where he would eventually take a job in his teens working at the video store Video Archives where he would meet another avid film buff in Roger Avary. It was there that Tarantino would discover films from all over the world through not just the movies that were available on Video Archives but also from tapes recorded on the Southern California-based pay-cable movie channel called Z Channel.

My Best Friend’s Birthday



Tarantino’s first short was originally a 70-minute short about a young man trying to do something for his best friend’s birthday only for things to go wrong. The project was co-written with Craig Hamann who wrote the original story as Tarantino decided to helm the project on 16mm film with $5,000 budget. With Roger Avary helping out on cinematography and Tarantino also acting in the project that would include famed character actor Allen Garfield. The short would be a comedy that revels in a man’s attempt to give his best friend a great birthday only for that friend to deal with things that is beyond his control.

During the editing of the short, something went wrong when the final reel got burned only for 36 minutes of the film to survive. Though it was shown on various film festivals and was eventually shown on the Internet, Tarantino would say unkind things about the short feeling it was too amateurish. Although it would feature many of Tarantino’s attributes such as fast, stylish dialogue and a unique music soundtrack. It was really a short that would really show a young man learning the ropes of what it takes to become a filmmaker.

Reservoir Dogs

During Tarantino’s time working at Video Archives, he would pen screenplays with help from Roger Avary that would become the basis for many of his early projects. Among them was a heist film of sorts that told the story about a troubling aftermath following a heist where surviving criminals try to figure out who is the informant. Tarantino cited Stanley Kubrick’s 1956 film The Killing as well as Ringo Lam’s 1987 film City on Fire as key influences on what would become his first film entitled Reservoir Dogs.

Wanting to create a film that was very different from other heist films, Tarantino decided to employ a somewhat non-linear structure for his screenplay as well as inserting scenes that would tell the story of three of the participants in the heist including the informant who is revealed in the third act. It’s all part of Tarantino’s approach to build up suspense where many of its participants try to figure out who is the rat while a crime boss and his son want to know where the diamonds are that one of the criminals had hidden. Tarantino showcased the script to cult filmmaker Monte Hellman who was impressed with the script as he would help secure funding for the project. With Live Entertainment funding the film, the script also attracted the attention of actor Harvey Keitel who would help fund the film as he also got to play the role of Mr. White as well as being a co-producer.

At the Sundance Film Labs where Tarantino would get a chance to develop the film, Tarantino got help from filmmaker Terry Gilliam who gave him pointers on how to create the film. Actor Steve Buscemi also participated in the lab project where he would eventually be cast as Mr. Pink. The development would help Tarantino not only shape his screenplay but also would give him the chance to finally flesh out ideas of what he wanted to do visually. Once filming was to begin, Tarantino would gain several people who would become his key collaborators that would include production designer David Wasco, set decorator Sandy Reynolds-Wasco, cinematographer Andrzej Sekula, and editor Sally Menke.

With Tarantino playing the role of Mr. Brown and Keitel and Buscemi already slated to play their respective roles. The cast would include Tim Roth as Mr. Orange, Michael Madsen as Mr. Blonde, Chris Penn as Nice Guy Eddie, real-life criminal Eddie Bunker in a small role as Mr. Blue, and veteran actor Lawrence Tierney as the organizer of the heist Joe Cabot. Shooting began in 1991 where Tarantino would employ a style that was very different while he would infuse his dialogue with profanity and pop culture references such as the opening diner scene where Tarantino’s Mr. Brown character discusses the origins of the song Like a Virgin by Madonna. Other aspects of Tarantino’s dialogue is a scene where Mr. Pink, Mr. Orange, Mr. White, and Nice Guy Eddie talking about a blaxploitation film as well as other moments such as Mr. Orange’s commode story.

Adding to the unique tone of the film is the soundtrack as Tarantino hired music supervisor Karyn Rachtman to assemble the film’s soundtrack. With the film featuring voiceovers by comedian Steven Wright as a radio DJ playing songs from the 70s, the soundtrack would consist of music from that decade. Among them is The George Baker Selection’s Little Green Bag for the film’s opening credits sequence where Tarantino has the characters walking in slow motion. Another is the use of Stealer Wheel’s Stuck in the Middle with You where Mr. Blonde torture a cop in one of the film’s most gruesome moments. These moments would become many of the trademarks Tarantino would refine in the years to come.

The film made its premiere at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival which many considered to be a landmark year not just for the festival but for the American independent film scene. The festival wound include such key releases as Alexandre Rockwell’s In the Soup, Gregg Araki’s The Living End, Anthony Drazan’s Zebrahead, Allison Anders’ Gas Food Lodging, and Tom Kalin’s Swoon. The film became a major festival hit despite the controversy for the film’s graphic violence. While it would receive mixed reviews from critics, the film gained a cult following where it would recoup its $1.2 million budget as it eventually scored more than $14 million in the box office. The film’s success would mark Tarantino’s arrival into the film scene.

True Romance (screenplay)/Natural Born Killers (screen story)

During Tarantino’s time writing screenplays before making Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino would write various projects including two screenplays that were inspired by one of Tarantino’s favorite films in 1973 Terrence Malick film Badlands. The first screenplay inspired by Malick’s debut film would be a love story about an Elvis-obsessed comic book clerk and a call girl who fall in love, accidentally grab a suitcase full of cocaine where they hope to sell it in Hollywood only to be targeted by the mob. The project would be called True Romance as Tarantino managed to get the screenplay optioned to be a film. After getting money for the script to be developed, the script got the attention of British filmmaker Tony Scott who would helm the project.

While Tarantino would make a few changes in the script, he wasn’t directly involved in the production though Scott was able to be faithful to Tarantino’s script. The project featured an all-star cast that included Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Gary Oldman, Christopher Walken, Dennis Hopper, Michael Rapaport, Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Penn, Tom Sizemore, and Val Kilmer. Through Scott’s stylish approach to violence and romance, the film would be unlike anything that was out there in Hollywood though it would retain elements that appealed to a mainstream audience. Though Tarantino wasn’t happy about changing the film’s ending at first, he was eventually pleased with it after seeing Scott’s final cut. Despite some rave reviews, the film was a commercial disappointment yet gained a cult following over the years as it would be hailed as one of the best works for both Tarantino and Tony Scott.

The other screenplay that Tarantino would write that was inspired by Badlands was a script called Natural Born Killers about a young couple who go on a cross-country killing spree where their capture attracts the attention of a TV show host who plans to exploit them by interviewing one of them on his show. Tarantino sold the script for $10,000 to producers Jane Hamsher and Don Murphy after failing to get funding for the project. The script was sold to Warner Brothers where it attracted the attention of Oliver Stone. Stone, along with Richard Rutowski and Dave Veloz, would re-write the script though Tarantino had some reservations about Stone’s approach to the script which would focus on the killers instead of the TV journalist. Though Tarantino would get story credit under the rules of the Writing Guild of America, he was pleased with what Stone created as the film came out in August of 1994 to a large degree of controversy and divided reviews.

Pulp Fiction

The success Tarantino was gaining for Reservoir Dogs and the screenplay for True Romance got him the attention of Hollywood who wanted him to helm various projects. Tarantino turned them down in order to write a screenplay for his next project. With Roger Avary providing contributions where he would get credit for co-writing the story, Tarantino decided to tell a multi-layered story about a few days in the life of various people in Los Angeles. One of which involving two hitmen retrieving a mysterious briefcase that is later followed by all sorts of trouble. Another involving one of the hitmen taking his boss’s wife on a night out as she would later have an accidental heroin overdoes. The third story would involve an aging prizefighter who gets himself into serious trouble while trying to get back his father’s gold watch.

Tarantino and producer Lawrence Bender would show the screenplay to actor Danny DeVito who was interesting in developing the project for his Jersey Films production company. Yet, it would take some time for the project to find a proper studio to help finance and distribute the project as it finally found a home at Miramax that was run by Bob and Harvey Weinstein. Miramax was a studio that was getting a lot of attention for releasing a lot of daring films that helped attract an audience of independent films and art house films as they also helped widen the theatrical run for Reservoir Dogs in 1992. With Tarantino and Bender forming their own production company called a Band Apart, a pun on Jean-Luc Godard’s film Bande a Part, production for Tarantino’s second film Pulp Fiction was well underway.

Retaining many of his collaborators from Reservoir Dogs for Pulp Fiction, Tarantino was also able to get Harvey Keitel and Tim Roth from Reservoir Dogs to star in a couple of key roles along with Steve Buscemi in a cameo as a waiter dressed up as Buddy Holly. The casting would include many people that was in Tarantino’s dream list that featured Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Walken, Amanda Plummer, Eric Stolz, Rosanna Arquette, Maria de Medieros, and Ving Rhames. The biggest coup that Tarantino would get is nabbing Bruce Willis for the role of aging prizefighter Butch Coolidge as the project was something Willis needed after starring in a series of high profile flops for the past few years.

Another big coup in the casting after Michael Madsen was unavailable was getting John Travolta as Vincent Vega. Though many were unsure about getting Travolta for the role as Travolta was seen as a has been in Hollywood, Tarantino wanted Travolta for the part in hopes to revive the actor’s flagging career. Travolta eventually accepted the part of Vincent Vega for a small fee as production went well underway on the $8.5 million budgeted film.

Taking Jean-Luc Godard’s idea about film narrative, Tarantino devised to tell the film in a non-linear fashion which was unique at the time considering that Tarantino was already known for gritty, stylized violence and witty dialogue. Notably to maintain a sense of dramatic impact in the story where the film opens with a couple having a conversation in a diner before they rob the place and it would end in that same diner just as the robbery is in progress where the couple would meet up Vincent and Samuel L. Jackson’s Jules character at the same diner. It’s all part of creating an air of suspense throughout the film as it also features unique stories on drugs, killing, and all sorts of things while moments that are lighthearted such as Vincent and Uma Thurman’s Mia Wallace’s dance at the 50s themed restaurant they eat.

Adding to the film’s unique tone is its soundtrack where Tarantino would go more into creating a soundtrack that featured all sorts of genres from 60s and 70s soul music, country, rockabilly, surf music, and pop. With the soundtrack, Tarantino would give many of these songs a chance to be re-heard for a new generation as it would revive the career of surf rock legend Dick Dale whose instrumental Misrilou played in the opening credits. The soundtrack also featured a cover of Neil Diamond’s Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon by the alternative rock band Urge Overkill that was a major hit.

The film premiered at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival in May of that year where it was a major hit and won the coveted Palme D’or. After a run of playing European festivals later that summer, the film got its release in October of 1994 where it was a major critical and commercial hit grossing more than $213 million worldwide. The film not only made Tarantino a big name in Hollywood as well as the Weinstein brothers but also gave Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman major profiles in Hollywood and revived John Travolta’s career as he followed up Pulp Fiction with a series of successful films including 1995’s Get Shorty.

The film was considered to be a major landmark for the world of American independent films as it gained seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Director for Tarantino, Best Actor to Travolta, Best Supporting nominations to Thurman and Jackson, and a Best Editing nod to Sally Menke. The film only won one Oscar in the Best Original Screenplay which was award to Tarantino and Roger Avary. Despite losing to the much-friendlier Robert Zemeckis film Forrest Gump, Tarantino was now the new kid in Hollywood.

Four Rooms: The Man from Hollywood/From Dusk Till Dawn (screenplay)

The success of Pulp Fiction made Quentin Tarantino a hot commodity in Hollywood as he would star in small indie films like Sleep with Me, Destiny Turns on the Radio, Spike Lee’s Girl 6, and Robert Rodriguez’s Desperado as he would maintain a close friendship with Rodriguez. Tarantino would also be on board as a producer as he made a cameo and produced Angela Jones’ 1996 film Curdled and Roger Avary’s 1994 film Killing Zoe. Tarantino also involved himself in taking un-credited re-writes for films such as the notorious Saturday Night Live-produced flop It’s Pat as well as Tony Scott’s Crimson Tide and Michael Bay’s The Rock. Though Tarantino would be a name that was synonymous with American independent films, it also spawned numerous imitators trying to cash in on everything Tarantino had done where films would feature Mexican standoffs and other attributes that Tarantino was known for.

During this break between feature-film project, Tarantino involved himself in other several small projects as he would direct an episode for the hit NBC medical drama ER in the episode called Motherhood. The episode would have Tarantino get the chance to work with George Clooney whose career was finally on the rise as it included one of the season’s most tense moments. Another project Tarantino involved himself in was an anthology film with fellow filmmakers Alexandre Rockwell, Allison Anders, and Robert Rodriguez called Four Rooms about a hotel bell hop who finds himself in strange encounters on New Year’s Eve in four different rooms.

Tarantino’s segment entitled The Man from Hollywood that starred Tarantino, regular Paul Calderon, Jennifer Beals (who also appeared in Alexandre Rockwell’s The Wrong Man segment), and an un-credited Bruce Willis. The whole revolved around the crazy day of a bellhop played by Tim Roth as his day would get more insane as it goes on. Tarantino’s segment was the last as it revolved around a Hollywood filmmaker partying at a penthouse with a few friends where he would involve the bellhop in a bet. A bet that was inspired by a TV show where it involves a car and someone’s pinky as the bellhop is in the middle. Tarantino would employ lots of stylistic shots such as long-takes, dazzling crane shots, and all sorts of strange situations for his short as it was considered one of its highlights along with Rodriguez’s The Misbehaviors segment.

Four Rooms was not well-received by critics upon its December 1995 release though there was praise for both Tarantino and Rodriguez’s segments as the film only did OK in the box office. Yet, Tarantino and Rodriguez decided to continue their collaboration on a vampire project called From Dusk Till Dawn from a story by visual effects guru Robert Kurtzman. Tarantino would write the screenplay as it would revolve around a couple of criminal brothers who had just robbed a bank as they’re trying to go to Mexico to split the take with a Mexican gangster. After encountering a preacher and his two kids, they travel with them to Mexico where they stop at a bar to meet the gangster only to realize it’s a bar run by vampires.

Tarantino would play with one of the brothers as it would also star George Clooney in the lead role. With a cast that included Harvey Keitel and Juliette Lewis along with several of Rodriguez’s associates like Salma Hayek, Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo, and John Hawkes along with appearances from Kelly Preston, John Saxon, Fred Williamson, Tom Savini, and Michael Parks playing the role of Texas Ranger Earl McGraw. The film would be a mixture of horror and action as it reveled into the world of vampires. The production was controversial due to the fact that Rodriguez used a non-union crew as it was documented in the 1997 documentary Full Tilt Boogie. Despite the controversy, the film was released in early 1996 to mixed reviews and modest box office as it would help raise Rodriguez’s profile while giving Tarantino time to figure out his next move.

Jackie Brown

During Tarantino’s break between feature-film directing, there was a surge of popularity in the writings of Elmore Leonard as an adaptation of his 1990 novel Get Shorty was a major hit in 1995 as it helped to maintain John Travolta’s comeback. Tarantino would read the works of Leonard during that period where he had the option to adapt a few of Leonard’s work. Eventually, he chose the book Rum Punch that was about a 44-year old stewardess who decides to team up with a bails bondsman to steal money from a gunrunner after she was caught by the ATF. Tarantino decides to make some changes for his own adaptation by changing the protagonist’s surname as well as her race from white to black as the project would be a homage of sorts to 1970s Blaxploitation films.

Entitled Jackie Brown, Tarantino decided to be faithful to Leonard’s book but also input changes of his own as Leonard was impressed with what Tarantino had created. The script would also be a major change for Tarantino as many of trademarks that he had been known for were now being imitated left and right by many other films in the mid-1990s. For Tarantino, it was time to set himself apart from these imitators just as the state of American independent cinema was in transition where it would include a new wave of filmmakers like David O. Russell, Alexander Payne, and Wes Anderson where they would provide a more humorous approach to their works.

With Samuel L. Jackson already cast in the role of arms dealer Ordell Robbie, Tarantino decided to make a big decision by casting 70s Blaxploitation star Pam Grier in the title role. Grier’s career had slowed down in the 1980s as Tarantino had originally wanted her in Pulp Fiction but was unavailable as she definitely decided to play the role. Another big factor in the casting was getting famed cult actor Robert Forster whose career was relegated to starring in numerous B-movies as Tarantino cast him as the bails bondsman Max Cherry. The cast would also include Bridget Fonda as Robbie’s friend Melanie Ralston and Robert de Niro as aging criminal Louis Gara while Michael Keaton took on the role of ATF agent Ray Nicolette which he would play again for the 1998 adaptation of Leonard’s novel Out of Sight that was to be directed by Steven Soderbergh.

The $12 million budgeted film would have Tarantino retain several of his collaborators like editor Sally Menke, production designer David Wasco and set decorator Sandy Reynolds-Wasco. Tarantino would gain the services of renowned Mexican cinematographer Guillermo Navarro who was the regular cinematographer of Guillermo del Toro as well as a then-collaborator for Robert Rodriguez. Wanting to give the film a look that was different from anything else he had done, Tarantino and Navarro aimed to create a look that was similar to the films of the 1970s as well as employing a language that was similar to the world of Blaxploitation films. Though Tarantino would get a lot of criticism for the use of a racial slur in the film from filmmaker Spike Lee, Samuel L. Jackson would later defend Tarantino for the usage of the slur.

With Tarantino’s approach to violence already being imitated, Tarantino decides to restrain the violence for the film by not showing elements of blood or anything that is graphic. Another aspect of Tarantino’s approach was to focus on the relationship between Jackie and Max where the scene where Max picks up Jackie from jail would show something unexpected from Tarantino. The way Tarantino uses Bloodstone’s Natural High and the way Menke’s editing times the reaction to the rhythm of the ballad just shows a new sense of subtlety and restraint that is unexpected. For many, it was an example of how much Tarantino had matured as a filmmaker but also realizes that there’s more to him that profane language and graphic violence.

The film was released during the Christmas holidays in 1997 to a large degree of anticipation. Despite some excellent reviews and grossing more than $30 million in the U.S. with a total of $72 million, it was considered a disappointment of sorts in comparison Pulp Fiction while the film was playing against the James Cameron romantic blockbuster Titanic. While Samuel L. Jackson won the Best Actor prize at the 1998 Berlin Film Festival as well as a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy. The film revived the careers of Pam Grier and Robert Forster as the former also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy while the latter got an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Though the film was considered a disappointment in its release, the film’s reputation grew in the years to come as some felt it was Tarantino’s best work of his career.

Kill Bill

In the aftermath of the release of Jackie Brown, Tarantino went on a six-year hiatus from filmmaking where he spent a lot of that time working on a World War II project that would eventually become Inglourious Basterds. Yet, the project took a long time to write as he took breaks by producing sequels for From Dusk Till Dawn while making a cameo as a blind preacher in the 2000 Adam Sandler comedy Little Nicky. The screenplay for Inglourious Basterds took longer than he expected as he decided to focus on another project that would blend his love of samurai films, martial art movies, and westerns. For the project, Tarantino teamed up with Uma Thurman whose career at the time was cooling down after a series of high-profile flops as she and Tarantino would create a character named the Bride for a revenge project called Kill Bill.

Kill Bill told the story of a woman who had just woken up from a four-year comatose state after a brutal beating by her former team of assassins and their boss Bill. In turn, she decides to seek vengeance on the four former assassins that tried to kill her as well as Bill as she goes on a mission to kill them all. While the film was inspired by many samurai films, westerns, and other revenge stories including the 1973 film Lady Snowblood, Tarantino chooses to blend all of these genres into one entire story as an epic of sorts about revenge. Yet, Tarantino also wanted to make it a love story since it would establish many of the Bride’s history with Bill that would show all of the motivation into her thirst for vengeance.

The casting would include Tarantino regular Michael Madsen as Bill’s brother Budd as well as appearances from Michael Parks, reprising his role as Texas Ranger Earl McGraw from the Tarantino-scripted From Dusk Till Dawn, and Samuel L. Jackson as an ill-fated organist. Also cast for the role as the Bride’s former assassin friends would include Vivica A. Fox, Lucy Liu, and Daryl Hannah plus film legends like Bo Svenson, Sonny Chiba, and Sid Haig in small roles. For the role of Bill, Warren Beatty was offered the part but turned it down as Tarantino eventually gave the role to David Carradine.

With Sally Menke, David Wasco, Sandy Reynolds-Wasco, and Karyn Rachtman returning to the fold, Tarantino gained a new collaborator in renowned cinematographer Robert Richardson who had worked with the likes of Oliver Stone and Martin Scorsese. Richardson’s contributions would heighten Tarantino’s visuals for brighter colors and a wider canvas to help Tarantino broaden his vision. Notably as the film would blend many genres that Tarantino aimed for as he was aware that he was making a much grander film that would go beyond the normal scale of most films.

For the music, Tarantino would employ a wide soundtrack that would be a mix of score music from other films including the works of Ennio Morricone as well as everything from pop, country, soul, hip-hop, rock n’ roll, electronic music, and other things. Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA would contribute pieces for one of the film’s key moments in the Bride’s battle in Japan while Robert Rodriguez would contribute some score music for the scenes in Texas as Rodriguez did his score for free. The music would add a lot to what Tarantino wanted as it revealed the many different worlds the Bride would encounter.

When the film was finished with a running time exceeding more than four hours, Miramax was worried about how to handle the release as they didn’t want the film to flop financially. With anticipation running high as fans waited to see the new Tarantino film, Tarantino would make a decision that not everyone was happy about. The decision was to split the film into two parts as Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Kill Bill Vol. 2 as it would make audiences pay twice to see both parts. The first part came out in October of 2003 where it did well in the box office while also receiving some excellent reviews. The second part was released in April of 2004 where it’s box office was also great while the reviews were more positive than the first film.

The Kill Bill films put Tarantino back in the world of films as it showcased the range that he could bring as some including Tarantino himself are hoping for a full-length release of the two films as one. With Uma Thurman receiving a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Drama for the second film, it proved that Tarantino hadn’t lost his touch. It also indicated that people will have to wait for a new Tarantino film as the director took another break.

Sin City/CSI-Grave Danger

The success of the Kill Bill films gave Tarantino the chance to lay low for a while as he would continue to work on his screenplay for Inglourious Basterds. It was around the time Tarantino took a step back to produce a few films that included Eli Roth’s horror film Hostel where Tarantino would befriend the director. Another project Tarantino took part of was an adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel series called Sin City that was being co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller.

The project was to be shot in high-definition digital in a digital backlot in Rodriguez’s home studio in Austin, Texas. Tarantino was invited to the set as he decided to return a favor to Rodriguez by directing a scene in the segment for The Big Fat Kill. It would be the car scene where Clive Owen’s Dwight is driving in the rain with a dead Jackie Boy, played by Benicio del Toro, as Jackie Boy would try to haunt Clive. Tarantino would get a special guest credit as he and Rodriguez were not members of the Director’s Guild of America due to various restrictions as the project would become a big hit when it was released in the spring of 2005.

Another small project Tarantino embarked on was directing a two-part season finale for the crime drama CSI: Crime Investigation Service for the episode called Grave Danger. A fan of the show, Tarantino offered a story concept that involved the character Nick Stokes (George Eads) being abducted as he later finds himself inside a glass coffin buried alive. The CSI team try to recover him where they have 12 hours to find him only for complications to come in due to the man they’re facing and what he does afterwards that creates bigger obstacles for the CSI team. The episode features some of Tarantino’s trademarks such as the buried alive premise that was from the second part of Kill Bill along with his unique approach to music and some dark humor in a fantasy scene involving the characters of Al Robbins (Robert David Hall) and “Super“ David Phillips (David Berman) in a strange autopsy scene.

When the two-part episode aired in May of 2005, it was a huge hit in the ratings as it also gave Tarantino his first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Direction for a Drama Series. The episode was also dedicated to Frank Gorshin who had died a few days before the episode aired as he and Tony Curtis made a cameo appearances as buddies for the Sam Braun (Scott Wilson).

Grindhouse: Death Proof

While still doing work on the script for Inglourious Basterds, Tarantino decided to get involved in another collaboration with Robert Rodriguez as a stop-gap project of sorts for Tarantino. Due to their love for the grindhouse pictures of the 1970s, Tarantino and Rodriguez decided to collaborate on creating a project that would be a tribute to those movies. Rodriguez for years had an idea for a project that relates to the genre as Tarantino would work on something of his own as they would create a film that would essentially be a double-feature that is filled with various genres along with fake trailers to recreate the grindhouse experience in a project simply called Grindhouse.

With contributions from filmmakers Rob Zombie, Edgar Wright, Jason Eisner, and Eli Roth contributing fake trailers as well as one from Rodriguez, the Grindhouse project began to take shape as Tarantino and Rodriguez would each create their own features. For Rodriguez, it would be in the form of a zombie thriller inspired by the works of John Carpenter called Planet Terror that would feature Tarantino in a cameo role as an infected soldier while also helping Rodriguez on the set to help direct actors. With a very diverse cast of actors set for Planet Terror, Tarantino would utilize some of them like Rodriguez’s nieces in Electra and Elisa Avellan along with Michael Parks in the role of Earl McGraw, Marley Shelton as McGraw’s estranged daughter Dr. Dakota Block, and Rose McGowan playing a different role in a woman named Pam for his feature called Death Proof.

Death Proof would be a tribute to the slashers and car-based films of the 1970s as it revolved around a former Hollywood stuntman who kills women in his Death Proof car as he would target another group of women only to get himself into some serious trouble. The casting would have Tarantino basing the film largely on women as it would include Vanessa Ferlito, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Jordan Ladd, Rosario Dawson, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Tracie Thoms, and Zoe Bell who was Uma Thurman’s stuntwoman in the Kill Bill movies. For the role of the antagonist Stuntman Mike, Tarantino received the services of Kurt Russell in the diabolical road.

With both films set in Austin, Texas, Tarantino served as his own cinematographer for the film as he also wanted to maintain an air of realism for the project by avoiding the use of CGI and other modern-day visual effects. Notably in the dangerous stunts involving cars as Tarantino wanted to create an air of terror in the car crashes including the sequence where Stuntman Mike tries to terrorize a group of women who were trying to perform a big stunt. Tarantino also wanted to capture the vibe of the party scene in Austin as he had the first act revolve around a party to showcase what goes on there.

For the film’s soundtrack, Tarantino devised a very diverse soundtrack inspired by 60s garage rock, 70s glam, various score music from other films, and 60s pop music. A lot of it is to create something that is part of the cool world of Austin, Texas as well as an ode to the music that Tarantino loved in the movies from that era. While the production was commencing on both films, Tarantino also directed an audition tape for Josh Brolin, who was starring in Planet Terror, for a role in the Coen Brothers’ adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men. Though the Coen Brothers liked the tape, they didn’t give Brolin the part initially as it would help bring luster to Brolin’s career as he did finally got a major part in the Coen Brothers film.

After some serious cutting that nearly went into the NC-17 route, Tarantino and Rodriguez finally were able to release Grindhouse in April of 2007 in the U.S. to a large degree of anticipation. Despite some excellent reviews as well as lots of fanfare from both fans of Tarantino and Rodriguez, the film was a major commercial failure. The $53 million budgeted film caused lots of problems as the film only made $25 million in the U.S. forcing Harvey Weinstein to split the film as two different features for its international release. Tarantino would premiere an extended version of Death Proof at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival to a great reception as both films were hits on DVD while Grindhouse was finally released in Blu-Ray in 2010.

Inglourious Basterds

In the aftermath of Grindhouse, Tarantino returned to continue work on his World War II film Inglourious Basterds that was inspired by many of the World War II ensemble pictures like The Dirty Dozens and Guns of Navarone. The project had been in the works for many years as Tarantino struggled to come up with ideas including an ending for this story that would be essentially a fictionalized take on World War II. Notably as it revolved around two major storylines involving a group of American soldiers going after Nazis and a Jewish-Frenchwoman seeking revenge for the colonel that killed her family. The title was inspired by the 1978 Enzo G. Castellari’s World War II film The Inglorious Bastards.

Tarantino also wanted to do something that was very different from other World War II films as he didn’t want to go for anything that would rely itself on historical facts but also didn’t want to take many dramatic liberties since this was a fictionalized film set in World War II. The film would also feature many references to other genres but also be a tribute of sorts to the propaganda films that were made during World War II. After a decade of writing the screenplay, Tarantino was finally able to get the chance to make his dream film as production was finally underway in 2008.

For the casting, Tarantino wanted to go for an array of high-profiled actors but some were unavailable at the time. While Tarantino was able to get regulars Samuel L. Jackson and Harvey Keitel doing voice-over work, Brad Pitt was cast in the lead role of Lt. Aldo Raines while Tarantino had a difficult time trying to find someone to play the lead antagonist Colonel Hans Landa. The part was finally given to an unknown Austrian TV actor named Christoph Waltz as he would prove to be a major discovery for Tarantino. Another discovery Tarantino for the role of the vengeful Shoshanna Dreyfus was French actress Melanie Laurent who was well-known in her native France. The casting would also include parts for Diane Krueger, Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender, Daniel Bruhl, and Til Schweiger along with appearances from Mike Myers, Rod Taylor, Bo Svenson, Julie Dreyfus, and B.J. Novak in small roles.

Production commenced in the fall of 2008 as Tarantino shot the film in France and Germany with cinematographer Robert Richardson at the helm along with regular collaborators in production designer David Wasco, set decorator Sandy Reynolds-Wasco, editor Sally Menke, and sound editor Wylie Stateman who had been a regular of Tarantino’s since the Kill Bill films. Tarantino would also make scenes in a German studio while inviting famed German filmmaker Tom Tykwer to write translations for dialogue set in German. The production was to be very quick as Tarantino had hopes to premiere the film at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

The post-production period proved to be difficult as the Cannes Film Festival deadline proved to be closer forcing Tarantino to cut out small parts from Maggie Cheung and Cloris Leachman from the final cut of the film. Tarantino also wanted Ennio Morricone to score the film but Morricone was unable to due to the sped-up production though Morricone did offer Tarantino permission to use other score pieces that Morricone did in other films. The soundtrack would be just as anachronistic as everything Tarantino would do as he would infuse score music that Morricone did from films like The Battle of Algiers, The Big Gundown, and Revolver along with some R&B music, other score music from Spaghetti westerns, and a cut from David Bowie.

The film made its premiere at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival to a large degree of anticipation where the film was well-received and won Christoph Waltz the festival’s Best Actor prize. Tarantino would later do some trimming for the film’s official release in the summer of that year where it would receive rave reviews as well as being a major commercial success for Tarantino. The film would also garner eight Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Director for Tarantino while Christoph Waltz won the Best Supporting Actor prize. Though the film was a highlight of Tarantino’s career, it would sadly mark the last time Tarantino would work with editor Sally Menke who died in September of 2010 due to heat exhaustion while hiking in Los Angeles as Tarantino called her his greatest collaborator.

Django Unchained

The next project Tarantino would release set for December 2012 would be in the form of a western that he had been working on for several years called Django Unchained. The film would revolve around a bounty hunter who frees a slave named Django as they team up to go after a gang of ruthless killers and later retrieve Django’s wife from a ruthless owner. The film is inspired by Tarantino’s love for the Spaghetti westerns of the 1960s that featured the works of Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci as the latter had made a legendary Spaghetti western called Django that starred Franco Nero in the title role.

With Nero set to make a cameo, the film stars Jamie Foxx as Django while the film will also feature Tarantino regulars Christoph Waltz as the bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz and Samuel L. Jackson as a butler. Playing the film’s antagonist in plantation owner Calvin Candie is Leonardo DiCaprio while filling out the ensemble will be Kerry Washington, Jonah Hill, Tom Savini, Walter Goggins, Bruce Dern, Robert Carradine, and Don Johnson. The film would also include collaborators like cinematographer Robert Richardson while handling the editing will be Tarantino’s longtime assistant editor Fred Raskin. The soundtrack is slated to feature all sorts of music ranging from contributions by Ennio Morricone to the soul music of James Brown as the film is expected to arrive in Christmas 2012.

It’s been 20 years since the release of Reservoir Dogs yet Quentin Tarantino has created a legacy that definitely lives up to the greats in the world of cinema. Through his love for films, Tarantino creates the kind of movies that he wants to see and give audiences some thing that he can share with his love for films. The films that Tarantino has made definitely showcase something that feels vital and exciting as he provides the kind of film going experience that Hollywood doesn’t often bring. Whether it’s through some witty dialogue, cool music, graphic violence, and captivating characters. Quentin Tarantino always give the people not just their money’s worth but also something that will make audiences wait for whatever he does next.

© thevoid99 2012