Yes, that’s right. We Are Movie Geeks love Quentin Tarantino SOOO much that we’re giving you two, count’em TWO Tarantino-themed Top Ten Lists this week. Don’t you feel special? Above all else that Tarantino is a master of, his most defining skill would have to be his talent for crafting awesome dialogue. With that in mind, we decided to come up with our own Top Ten List of the Best Quotes from Tarantino’s Movies.
10. George Clooney as Seth Gecko, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN – “Did they look like psychos? Is that what they looked like? They were vampires. Psychos do not explode when sunlight hits them, I don’t give a fuck how crazy they are!”
9. Quentin Tarantino as Jimmie Dimmick, PULP FICTION – “I don’t need you to tell me how fucking good my coffee is…”
8. Lucy Liu as O-Ren and Uma Thrman as The Bride, KILL BILL vol.1 – “Silly rabbit. Trix are for kids.”
7. Harvey Keitel as Mr. White, RESERVOIR DOGS – “If you wanna know something and he won’t tell you, cut off one of his fingers. The little one. Then tell him his thumb’s next. After that he’ll tell you if he wears ladies underwear. I’m hungry. Let’s get a taco.”
6. Uma Thurman as The Bride vs. Copperhead, KILL BILL vol.1 – “It was not my intention to do this in front of you. For that, I’m sorry. But you can take my word for it, your mother had it coming. When you grow up, if you still feel raw about it, I’ll be waiting.”
5. Michael Madsen as Mr. Blonde, RESERVOIR DOGS – “Are you gonna bark all day little doggie, or are you gonna bite?”
4. David Carradine as Bill, KILL BILL vol.2 – “As you know, l’m quite keen on comic books. Especially the ones about superheroes. I find the whole mythology surrounding superheroes fascinating.”
3. Samuel L. Jackson as Jules and John Travolta as Vincent debating the foot massage, PULP FICTION
2. Vincenzo Coccotti explains Sicilians to Clifford Worley, TRUE ROMANCE
1. Jules Winnfield asks Brett if Marcellus Wallace looks like a bitch, PULP FICTION – “Say what again, I dare you!”
Even if you’re not a fan of the movies he puts out, you have to appreciate the passion Quentin Tarantino has for movies, both those he makes and those he bases his own works on. If there’s nothing more fun than watching Tarantino talking about one of his movies, it’s watching him completely own a movie critic who just doesn’t get it. The movie critic in question here is Jan Wahl, a film historian and notorious hat collector from San Francisco. Tarantino came on a KRON-TV morning show to speak about his new film, ‘Kill Bill.’ Wahl, the resident critic, began criticizing his film for being too violent and not empowering women as Tarantino claimed the film did.
Watch QT unleash the thund-ah on Jan and her ridiculous hat!
Almost more interesting than the films Quentin Tarantino has chosen to do are the ones he has either been rumored to be behind or has stated himself that he would like to do. In honor of Quentin Tarantino week here on the site, we thought it was time to go back and look over some of these lost projects. Some of them never got past the concept stage. Some might even still be lingering somewhere in the back of QT’s mind.
Tarantino has stated he believes the Shaw Brothers’ ‘The 36th Chamber of Shaolin,’ directed by fight choreographer Lau Kar-leung, to be the “3rd greatest kung fu movie of all time.”
For those who do not know much about the film, here is the synopsis: The anti-Ching patriots, under the guidance of Ho Kuang-han, have secretly set up their base in Canton, disguised as school masters. During a brutal Manchu attack, Lui manages to escape and devotes himself to learning the martial arts in order to seek revenge. In a short period of time he masters the deadly use of his fists, feet and palms, along with such weapons as swords, sticks, and lances. With his learning complete, he takes on the Manchus.
In 2003, in an interview with Oriental Daily, the director even let slip that he might be interested in remaking the film. The paper stated that the Shaw Brothers had even asked Tarantino to direct the film but that production wouldn’t be underway until 2006 due to schedules.
This specific plan, however, was quickly proven to be erroneous, and it came out that there were no plans for Tarantino to produce an actual remake of ‘The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.’ However, Tarantino, always the film student, was heavily influenced by the film. This can be seen in the training sequence seen in ‘Kill Bill Vol. 2.’ These are a direct reference to the classic, kung fu film. Tarantino even cast Chia Hui Liu/Gordon Liu, star of ‘The 36th Chamber,’ in two, separate roles for ‘Kill Bill.’
Despite the idea of him remaking ‘The 36th Chamber,’ being false, Tarantino has previously stated that he would like to do a Chinese kung fu movie at some point in his career.
I have that thought all the time, but not this one (‘Kill Bill’). I think I will make one in the future. Certainly will be shot in China but in American way and with Chinese American as the leads. That’s because it’s impossible to blend Hong Kong actors and (mainland) Chinese actors into the whole movie. Chinese Americans are still Americans. By this way, all characters will speak the same language with the same accent. I want to shoot something of my own.
In an interview in April of 2007, Tarantino once again stated his desire to direct a Chinese kung fu story. It was reported on Sina.com that he had signed an agreement with the Shaw Brothers giving him carte blanche to direct remakes of some of their films. Among these films was ‘The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.’ Along with that film, Tarantino said he plans to produce abstractions of the storylines from ‘One-Armed Swordsman’ and ‘Dubei Dao.’ Just as Takashi Miike did with Japanese actors for ‘Sukyaki Western Django,’ Tarantino would cast Chinese actors for his new film but have them all speak in English.
While a direct remake of ‘The 36th Chamber of Shaolin’ doesn’t look like it will ever come to fruition, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Tarantino ended up making his kung fu movie. In fact, just like ‘Inglourious Basterds,’ he may actually title the film ‘The 36th Chamber of Shaolin,’ but base the film around an original story.
In 1955, the first Palm d’Or was handed out at the Cannes Film Festival to ‘Marty.’ It was the highest honor the festival gave out for achievement in cinematic brilliance. Nearly 40 years later, and a brief hiatus in there where no Palm d’Ors were given out, a young filmmaker named Quentin Tarantino was awarded the prize. The film he won it for was an amazing piece of film that grafted style, story, and character in all of its greatness.
Today, we bring you his acceptance speech for winning the Palm d’Or in 1994 for ‘Pulp Fiction.’ The film beat out 24, other candidates, and, in true, Tarantino fashion, he flips some hecklers the bird before he says word 1. Brilliant.
Almost more interesting than the films Quentin Tarantino has chosen to do are the ones he has either been rumored to be behind or has stated himself that he would like to do. In honor of Quentin Tarantino week here on the site, we thought it was time to go back and look over some of these lost projects. Some of them never got past the concept stage. Some might even still be lingering somewhere in the back of QT’s mind.
Let’s start the discussion on today’s film with a quote from our favorite director:
Someday I’m going to get the rights to do ‘Casino Royale,’ the first James Bond novel, and do it the right way. I really wanted it to be my followup to ‘Pulp Fiction’ and do it with Pierce Brosnan, but have it take place after the events of ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ – after Bond’s wife, Tracy, has been killed. “I want Bond to be in mourning when he falls in love with Vesper Lynd, the woman in the novel. From what I know of Brosnan and read in interviews, I think he’d want to go in the direction I’d want to take Bond, though I’m not certain producers of the series would agree.
This quote came in October of 2003 in an interview Tarantino did with The New York Daily News. The director even claimed to have been working behind the scenes with the Fleming family. Still, Tarantino expressed a belief that producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli were hesitant to move their beloved franchise away from the action-oriented style to a more character-driven one.
In 2004, Tarantino had this to say to Sci-Fi Wire:
I don’t see that they have anything to lose at all. They’ve got this gigantic franchise, they can’t do anything wrong with it. Pierce Brosnan’s only going to do one more movie for them, if that, so if he stayed on to do one more with me, let’s just this one year go my way and do it a little differently. I won’t do anything that will ruin the series.
Wouldn’t it be great to have a James Bond movie that didn’t cost $115 million and only cost $40 million or something like that? You know it’s going to make its money back, and we [would] all do good. Maybe we win the critics this time, then you’re back in business the way you were before.
In that piece, Tarantino also expressed interest in making the new ‘Casino Royale’ adaptation a period piece, setting it in the swinging ’60s.
Of course, “certain producers” agreed that ‘Casino Royale’ was the way to go with the Bond franchise. They just didn’t agree that Tarantino was the right choice to helm it. In 2005, it was announced that Martin Campbell would be directing the next James Bond film, and that it would, in fact, be a reboot of the franchise starting with ‘Casino Royale.’
Needless to say, Tarantino believed his idea had been stolen.
I’m annoyed that the James Bond producers never even called me up to talk to me about it because I can tell you they would not be making ‘Casino Royale’ if I hadn’t talked about it first.
They should have called me. Especially since they are taking my idea and they are taking the publicity I gave them towards that idea. They should have at least out of courtesy had coffee with me.
Whether the Bond franchise rebooted with ‘Casino Royale’ had anything to do with Tarantino’s involvement with trying to get the film made remains to be revealed. It does seem quite coincidental that the producers on the film went the direction they did after the long trek Tarantino took trying to get it made his way. Who knows what a Tarantino written and directed James Bond film might have looked and sounded like? We may never know.
In case you’ve literally been living under a rock, you should be aware that Quentin Tarantino’s newest masterpiece INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS opens this Friday. Being the Movie Geeks we are, we decided to devote an entire week to the modern maestro of cool cinema. Part of that week is today’s Top Ten List, which counts down the Movie Geek’s favorite characters created by tarantino himself. With INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS adding new memorable characters, we asked ourselves… Which Tarantino Characters are the most memorable of them all?
10. Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) from INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Lt. Aldo Raine, aka Aldo the Apache, from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee is a Lieutenant in the United States Army. He heads an elite group of Jewish American/German Soldiers that have been nicknamed “The Basterds”. They call him the Apache because he wants the scalps of his Nazi conquests, and those of his soldiers. He might lack social graces, but he is well known for what he does, which is killin’ Nazi’s, and he loves what he does! He will lead his unit into France, where there is a heavy Nazi presence, and take out as many Nazi’s as they possibly can. Brad Pitt does a great job in playing this All-American hero in the latest Tarantino gem “Inglorious Basterds”.
9. Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) from DEATH PROOF
Ladies, we’re gonna have some fun.
This is Stuntman Mike Mikke. He’s a stuntman. He’s also a psychopathic killer who stalks his victims with his decked out, 1970 Chevy Nova. And who better to play such a killer than Snake Plissken himself. Seriously, when it was announced a few years back that Quentin Tarantino would be making a slasher film for his part in GRINDHOUSE, horror fans around the world stood up and cheered. It was the announcement that Kurt Russell had signed on to play the killer that really got movie fans in general frothing at the mouth to see this one. Neither Tarantino nor Russell disappointed one bit. Say what you will about the heavy-dialogue scenes and the few and far between kill shots. DEATH PROOF is one badass ride, and it is made all the more badass by Russell. But Stuntman Mike isn’t all smoky beard and sunglasses. The guy’s got a lighter side. Just reference the second half of the film for that. Don’t let those cries of panic and banshee screams of pain fool you, though. We all know that, even in those final moments, Stuntman Mike is one, cool customer.
8. O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) from KILL BILL
Lucy Liu was perfect as O-Ren Ishii, a product of three cultures (Chinese, Japanese and American) combined into one deadly and determined agent of power and beauty. O-Ren was orphaned as a child by gangsters, so it’s ironic she would become one herself. She is a business-woman, a warrior and a work of visual beauty, but she strikes fear into the hearts of those who might oppose her. That is, until she met her match in one of the coolest old school samurai showdowns in modern cinematic history when she squared off for the last time against Black mamba, aka Beatrix Kiddo, also known as The Bride. O-Ren was trained in the ways of the samurai, applied the wisdom of The Art of War to her business dealings and had no fear. O-Ren ruled her criminal kingdom with an iron fist and a steel blade, but finally succumbed to an honorable warrior’s demise at the hands of her blonde nemesis.
7. Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) from JACKIE BROWN
Tarantino had the clout in 1997 to cast anyone he wanted for JACKIE BROWN and, after PULP FICTION, most of Hollywood no doubt wanted to work with him. Ebony action icon Pam Grier was the now-mature siren of blaxploitation, the star of many 70’s urban classics such as COFFY, BLACK MAMMA WHITE MAMMA, and FOXY BROWN, films that Tarantino was a huge fan of. With her distinctive mega-fro, Grier was a statuesque, articulate ass-kicker in these films and she’s mentioned by name in Tarantino’s scripts for both RESERVOIR DOGS and TRUE ROMANCE and he’d originally considered Grier for PULP FICTION in the role ultimately played by Roseanne Arquette. Tarantino changed the lead character in Elmore Leonard’s 1993 novel “Rum Punchâ€, upon which JACKIE BROWN is based, from a blonde Caucasian to an African-American in order to accommodate Grier (in the novel, her name is Jackie Burke. Tarantino renamed her Brown after her character from FOXY BROWN). Pam Grier was 48 when she starred in JACKIE BROWN (though her character claims to be 44) and she gives a strong world-weary performance and is tough and believable when standing up to Samuel L. Jackson’s scary villain Ordell Robie. It’s been noted that JACKIE BROWN did not do for Grier’s career what PULP FICTION did for John Travolta but then, how many parts are there in Hollywood for black women pushing 50? Pam Grier did receive some choice roles after JACKIE BROWN and since 2004 has been costarring on TV’s “The L-Wordâ€.
6. Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) from PULP FICTION
Chronologically, when we first see Butch Coolidge in PULP FICTION, he’s watching an episode of CLUTCH CARGO. That, alone, puts this aging boxer into all of our “cool books.” However, the coolness coming from Butch, and, more importantly, from Bruce Willis, doesn’t stop at the presence of Paddlefoot. Here is a guy who has no problem beating a fellow boxer to death, has no problem filling an unarmed hitman with machine gun lead, but also has the decency to go back for a fellow man, a man who would kill Butch if given the chance, who is being violated by a couple of raping hillbillies. Not only that, he does so with a thankfully convenient Samurai sword. I’m sure it was probably a Hattori Hanzo if we delve much deeper. It is only the presence of one Jules Winnfield played by the always-badass Samuel L. Jackson in this film that keeps Butch from being the coolest thing about PULP FICTION.
5. Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) from RESERVOIR DOGS
Mr. Pink is the only main character in “Reservoir Dogs” that is left without much of a back story or a description. Played By Steve Buscemi, we know that he is notoriously cheap by his strong, negative feelings about tipping his waitress. He is so cheap that he won’t even leave a dollar. After the diamond heist, he reveals to Mr. White back at the rendezvous point, the warehouse, that he managed to get away with a bag of diamonds despite the shootings and the cops sudden appearance at the scene. He is also the one to figure out that there is a rat among them. Someone who told the cops what they were up to. The cops were there way to quickly if they were just responding to the alarm at the store. He is the only known surviving character of the film, and his characters fate is pretty much left to our imagination. We do hear a car engine once he leaves the warehouse, and police sirens, but nothing is known of what actually happens to him. Maybe someday we will figure it out!
4. Bill/Snake Charmer (David Carradine) from KILL BILL
David Carradine is a legend in the world of Kung Fu and I didn’t think he could be anymore badass than he was in some of his former roles. After appearing in more than 100 films, and of course the legendary ‘Kung Fu’ tv series he took on a role that was imagined from the brilliant mind of Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino took him to a whole new level of badass playing the title character in the ‘Kill Bill’ movie(s). He double crossed his once lover, The Bride, who was pregnant with his baby at the time by shooting her in the head. Unfortunately for him the shot didn’t kill her and when she woke up, it was time to…Kill…Bill.
3. The Bride/Beatrix Kiddo (Uma Thurman) from KILL BILL
The Bride aka Black Mamba is really just Beatrix Kiddo, a highly trained assassin and the right hand man of Bill, leader of the Deadly Vipers Assassination Squad. Played by Uma Thurman in Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2, Beatrix and Bill soon became lovers, and she became pregnant. Once she found out, she faked her own death, fled and changed her name to Arlene Machiavelli so that her and her child could have a normal life, away from the dangers of an assassins lifestyle. She soon found love in Tommy Plymptom, and on the night of their wedding rehearsal, Bill had learned that she was still alive and hunted her down. They were civil, and he was even brought into the rehearsal after she had lied to him, making him believe that the baby was Tommy’s. The damage was already done. Members of the DVAS came in to kill everyone, and just before she was shot in the head, she admitted that it was Bill’s baby. Now a survivor, after four years in a coma, it’s time for the Bride to seek her revenge, to kill everyone involved in ruining her wedding, killing her family, and wrecking her life. Most importantly, it’s time to Kill Bill!
2. Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) from RESERVOIR DOGS
Mr. Blonde is the alias of a cool cat named Vic Vega (also known as Toothpick Vic) in Tarantino’s very first film “Reservoir Dogs” played by Michael Madsen. After the heist that left one of their thieving crew dead and another missing, Mr. Blonde is suspected of being a possible rat by Mr. White and Mr. Pink. It doesn’t help his case that when he finally comes back to the warehouse, he shows his true colors. He’s cocky, soft-spoken, and utterly sadistic! He shows us just how crazy he really is by torturing a police officer by slicing his face, cutting his ear off and then dousing him with gasoline. This is all done to the cool sounds of “Stuck in the Middle With You” by Stealer’s Wheel. Tarantino always knows how to spice up a scene with a great soundtrack. So ask yourself one question… “Are you gonna bark all day little doggy? Or are you gonna bite?”
1. Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) from PULP FICTION
How could you possibly NOT find Jules Winnfield to be one of the baddest, coolest cats on the planet? You would certainly know the tyranny of evil men if ever caught staring down the barrel of his gun. Jules has a stare that burns holes in your forehead and if you cross him, he’ll let you know. Samuel L Jackson truly invented this role, playing off of Tarantino’s rhythmic and poetically urban dialogue, Jackson found his breakout role thanks to Tarantino. Can you imagine ANYONE else being able to pull of this role better than Samuel L. Jackson?
So many of the best lines in PULP FICTION came from the mouth of Jules Winnfield. Whether speaking of metaphysical anomalies, international drive thru cuisine or sexual relationships of an awkward nature, Jules always had something to say and it was always colorful. Jules truly is a badass mother f**ker… his wallet said so, but in the end he experiences a metamorphosis of character, choosing to leave behind his life of crime and violence for the more enlightened, unpredictable path of a peaceful traveler searching for the meaning of life. It’s a fascinating character arc that is reminiscent of David Carradine in KUNG FU (but, without the kung fu) and will not soon be forgotten as an iconic role that has infiltrated our modern culture and language.
It’s hard to believe it’s been 15 years since PULP FICTION debuted, officially making Quentin Tarantino a household name. I was in my junior year of high school when Tarantino’s opus hit theaters. I hadn’t yet gotten the filmmaking bug at that time, that would plant its seed my senior year, but what this film did was to solidify my status as a movie geek.
I’d already been an avid movie-watcher, going through an average of probably 2-3 movies a week. That doesn’t sound like much, but keep in mind I was in high school and had plenty of that nasty homework stuff to wade through when I wasn’t working for gas money. What PULP FICTION did was to make concrete my appreciation of and passion for the creative process of making movies.
PULP FICTION was such a breath of fresh air… well, fresh air with plenty of profanity, but there really hadn’t been anything quite like this movie when it came out. While the film was incredibly original and hip and cool, it also was filled with throwbacks and homage to older films, classics and genre gems that I hadn’t even heard of at the time.
Watching PULP FICTION for the first time is an experience that movie geeks can relish and from which newcomers can learn a bit of movie history. For movie geeks, the film can be a game of “Where’s the reference?” Many scenes have a duel purpose, the primary goal is naturally to move the story forward, but Tarantino loves to where his geekiness on his sleeve.
The scene featured above (funny with French subtitles) has Butch Coolidge is searching for a suitable weapon to kill Zed and rescue Marsellus. This is an homage to multiple films, each weapon referencing a different movie… the baseball bat from WALKING TALL (1973), the hammer from THE TOOLBOX MURDERS (1978), the chainsaw from TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974). Butch finally settles on the katana, or samurai sword, which is more of a genre reference that clearly influences Tarantino’s work.
Harvey Keitel’s “Wolf” character is derives partially from Luc Besson’s LA FEMME NIKITA. The dance competition at Jack Rabbit Slim’s is derived from Jean-Luc Godard’s 1964 film Bande a part (Band of Outsiders) from which Tarantino also named his production company.
Honestly, before experiencing PULP FICTION I seriously doubt I could have clearly and accurately defined what exploitation cinema was. Granted, my awareness of this genre of film would not occur instantaneously overnight, but once again Tarantino would prove to be my guide into another new world of moving picture pleasure.
My discovery of other great films through PULP FICTION as my cinematic gateway wouldn’t truly take hold for a couple years, once I was in college. Until I first saw PULP FICTION, my modus operandi when it came to recreational movie-watching was still fairly limited to horror and sci-fi films as well as American action flicks. I had only just begun to discover some of the standards of Hong Kong martial arts films.
PULP FICTION is a film that doesn’t easily fall into one specific category of movies. It had action, drama, comedy, and mystery and if you want to get technical, added a little science fiction of sorts. Yeah, I’m talking about that all-to-famous scene when Vincent checks out the contents of the brief case, which is actually an homage to Robert Aldrich’s 1955 movie KISS ME DEADLY.
That mysterious golden glow would spawn and ongoing debate with my closest friends who also has a developing appreciation of film. Without a doubt, our obsession with what was in the brief case was not an isolated phenomenon, as other fans across the country were having the exact same debates that would takes years to fully fall by the wayside.
Tarantino’s second movie would prove to be perhaps his best, meaning he’s set the bar high for all his films to come. Fortunately, Tarantino is a brilliant filmmaker and has been able to continually produce quality films that repeatedly meld the crossbreeding of innovation and homage, pushing himself in a progressive direction, but never forgetting the influence other films and directors have had on his own style.
PULP FICTION wasn’t just a landmark film for Tarantino, but it was a crucial film for several members of the cast. Before this film, John Travolta’s biggest claim to fame since the late 70’s with SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER and GREASE was with his LOOOK WHO’S TALKING trilogy, the third of which came out the year before Tarantino would receive his comeback opportunity from Tarantino as a super-cool rebellious hit man named Vincent Vega.
Aside from his work with Spike Lee, and a role in Scorsese’s GOODFELLAS, Samuel L. Jackson had been primarily used in stock bit roles and small supporting character parts. For an African-American who was literally credited as “Black Guy†in 1989’s SEA OF LOVE, it may have seemed a distant goal to reach the level of success that Jackson would experience in 1993-94.
The Hughes Brothers would start the trend in 1993 by casting Jackson in MENACE II SOCIETY, followed by JURASSIC PARK and TRUE ROMANCE, written by Tarantino. This undoubtedly led Jackson to his role in PULP FICTION, as Tarantino probably found himself awe-struck by his kindred style.
Uma Thurman, a beautiful woman and a talented actress, was not new to receiving great roles prior to PULP FICTION, but she also wasn’t a recognizable talent either. Prior to 1994, Thurman had worked with Terry Gilliam (BARON MUNCHAUSEN), Stephen Frears (DANGEROUS LIASONS), Phillip Kaufman (HENRY & JUNE) and Gus Van Sant (EVEN COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES). So, working with Tarantino may have been a change of pace, but what this actress/director relationship would do is put her on the Hollywood map and make her a highly recognizable star.
Popular culture, both old and new, decorate PULP FICTION on every level. From the wardrobe and cars to locations and especially music, we find ourselves strangely straddling the past and the present. The soundtrack was one for the ages, including music from Kool & the Gang, Al Green, Dusty Springfield and Chuck Berry, just to name a few.
Whether it’s ‘Surf Rider’ during the opening credits or ‘Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon’ from Neil Diamond, performed by Urge Overkill during Mia Wallace’s overdose scene, the music is actually the backbone of this movie. Without the music, the scenes lose their uniquely playful but serious tone.
Jack Rabbit Slim’s with it’s $5 milk shakes and servers dressed like Buddy Holly and Jane Mansfield co-exist with mob hit-men waxing philosophical and suburban-based high-end drug dealers. Even the boxing match that Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) is supposed to throw for Marsellus Wallace is a throwback to another era. It would seem out of place in today’s culture, but Tarantino created a sort of alternate universe by which this and other events could occur out of their normal timetable.
So, what about the people who paid their ticket price and didn’t like PULP FICTION? Believe it or not, they are out there, but don’t ask me what’s wrong with them. Regardless of whatever their reasons are for disliking this film, one thing cannot be dismissed… PULP FICTION was a revolutionary cinematic event, featuring multiple elements that made it stand apart from the pack.
PULP FICTION presented itself in a severely non-linear style of storytelling, with it’s parts edited together out of sequence, taking the viewer forward and backward in time as well as taking them across time from one event to another happening simultaneously. For some, this became the strongest argument from those who would criticize PULP FICTION as a confusing mess. Of course, we know better than that, don’t we?
Coincidentally, this style of writing and ultimately editing PULP FICTION out of sequence was the corner stone of the film’s success. Initially, the diner scenes with Ringo and Honey Bunny have little purpose in the story, but in the end they serve a vital purpose. It’s all in the way the puzzle is put together. Try and imagine the film as a purely linear story… does it still make sense? Does it still hold your interest? The same story told in a linear fashion would not work.
While RESERVOIR DOGS had more than it’s share of sharp, intelligent and gritty dialogue, once again it would be PULP FICTION that truly placed Tarantino on the short list of writers who have mastered the colorful and intriguing, while not entirely realistic style of writing dialogue that flows “like buttaâ€. I personally rank Tarantino right alongside David Mamet as a master of writing this kind of surreal, poetic dialogue. Yes, I DID just describe Tarantino’s dialogue as “poeticâ€.
I see some of you still shaking your head at me, refusing to give PULP FICTION its rightful place in cinematic history. Fine. You don’t have to believe me. Just look at its critical record… nominated for seven Oscars winning one for Best Original Screenplay, won the Golden Palm at Cannes Film Festival, won Golden Globe for Best Screenplay and won four of five nominations at the Independent Spirit Awards.
Altogether, according to IMDB, PULP FICTION won 44 awards on top of 40 additional nominations… what’s that? I’m sorry. I thought I heard your jaw drop. By the way, PULP FICTION remains strong with viewers, it holds its place at #5 on IMDB’s Top 250 List based on more than 359,200 votes and currently boasts a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomato-Meter.
Quentin Tarantino has made seven feature films now (eight if you count ‘My Best Friend’s Birthday, but not even the marketers for ‘Kill Bill’ counted that one). Each of these seven films, I’m sure, falls somewhere on someone’s list of Top 20 films. Well, have you wondered what Mr. Tarantino’s Top 20 films are? We don’t have that, but we do have him talking about his Top 20 films since 1992, the year he broke in with ‘Reservoir Dogs.’
This list comes from Sky Movies, and it was brought to our attention by our buddies over at Gordon and the Whale. If you don’t want to watch the clip, here are the list of the movies Tarantino dishes out alphabetically:
Anything Else
Audition
Battle Royale
Blade
Boogie Nights
Dazed & Confused
Dogville
Fight Club
Fridays
Host, The
Insider, The
Joint Security Area
Lost In Translation
Matrix, The
Memories of Murder
Police Story 3
Shaun of the Dead
Speed
Team America
Unbreakable
Awesome to see he loves ‘Joint Security Area,’ though I’m shocked to see it make the list and not ‘Oldboy.’ In fact, can’t say I argue with any of these films, the ones I’ve seen, anyway. Not too sure about ‘Anything Else,’ but Tarantino having it on his list makes me curious to seek it out.
Almost more interesting than the films Quentin Tarantino has chosen to do are the ones he has either been rumored to be behind or has stated himself that he would like to do. In honor of Quentin Tarantino week here on the site, we thought it was time to go back and look over some of these lost projects. Some of them never got past the concept stage. Some might even still be lingering somewhere in the back of QT’s mind. Who knows? Maybe this time next decade, all of these might be in his queue. It took this long to get ‘Inglourious Basterds’ to completion. There might still be hope for these yet.
First up is Quentin’s proposed adaptation of ’40 Lashes Less One.’ Based on the Elmore Leonard Western novel, the story centers around two prisoners who are facing a death sentence at Yuma prison. One is black and the other is an Apache halfbreed. They are given a chance for freedom in exchange for hunting down and killing the five, most notorious outlaws in the West.
News of this project came about in 2000, three years after ‘Jackie Brown’ and right in the middle of the biggest Tarantino drought we would see since his debut in 1992. It was rumored to be starring Samuel L. Jackson and either Adam Sandler or Bruce Willis. Miramax owned the rights to the novel at the time (they have since switched over to Tarantino’s sole possession), and, since Tarantino is a huge Leonard fan, it was looking pretty good that this would be next on his plate. Time went by, and nothing came about.
In May of 2001, as the film world was gearing up for Cannes, rumors began popping up all around that Tarantino had secretly shot a film and that he was going to debut it at a super secret screening at the film fest. Someone who calls themselves The QT sent in a report a few days before Cannes kicked off to Aint It Cool News. This person claimed they had been perusing Tarantino’s producing partner, Roger Avery’s website. Under the “filmmaker’s journal” section of the site, Avery had given this update:
39 is this week’s lucky number. Cannes you dig it?
Needless to say, this got the Internet world frothing at the mouth that this “secret” movie Tarantino would be showing would be his ’40 Lashes Less One’ adaptation. Cannes 2001 came and went, and there was no ’40 Lashes Less One’ to be found.
In the last, few years, with Tarantino pumping out films on a pretty regular basis now, this notion of him adapting the Leonard novel has gone by the wayside. This isn’t to say the project is entirely dead, though. In a chat-room interview in 2007 onTarantino.info, the director was asked if ’40 Lashes Less One’ was still on his to-do list. Here was the response:
Yeah it is, I actually own the rights to that novel. It’s a terrific novel. I could never let go of it. I’ve written about, like 20 pages of the adaptation of it. But I might very well do it some time. It’s the only thing that I have just kind of held on to, that I can’t quite let go. I might do it some time.
In recent months, Tarantino has stated that he would like to do a Western next. Could this be the adaptation of ’40 Lashes Less One’ finally getting itself out of the director’s mind and onto the screen? Only time will tell.
Tomorrow’s Tarantino Lost Project: Tarantino’s James Bond Film
Are you gonna bark all day little doggie, or are you gonna bite?
A long, long time ago, (1992 to be exact), a magical man names Quentin Tarantino made his debut as a director with the classically smooth and violent masterpiece Reservoir Dogs.
Reservoir Dogs follows Joe Cabot’s gang (Lawrence Tierney) and their bank heist mission. The only problem is this mission goes wrong… terribly, terribly wrong. With one member dead, and another missing, the surviving members Mr. White (Harvey Keitel), Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), and Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) are hiding in a warehouse until they figure out what to do. Tarantino plays Mr. Brown, one of two men that don’t make it back to the warehouse. Tension builds and emotions begin to escalate as Mr. White shows up with a little something in his trunk. Add Mr. White and Mr. Pink discussing that a traitor might be among them, (because of how fast the police showed up at the robbery scene) and you have one hell of a movie!
Talk about hitting the casting jackpot with his directorial debut! Tarantino could not have done a better job with the casting job on this one! Keitel, Buscemi, Roth, Madsen… they all fit their parts to a tee. Tarantino digs deep into the character development, not only giving them each a well rounded, unique personality, but also giving them all a kind of humanity to show that they are not just criminals, but multi dimensional. He also does a great job of keeping the plot interesting. With all of the twists and turns involved, it’s hard to predict how any of it is going to end. Tarantino has said that he was really inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing to make this film, and you can kind of tell with the crazy, twisty plot!
The film is testosterone driven, with violence, vulgar language, and bad guys doing bad guy stuff, yet is written in such a witty way that it easily appeals to more than just the rock eating meat head. Heck, this chick loves it! Even the violence! Some argue that the violence in this movie was completely pointless. I disagree. I feel that it really helped with the character development. The language in this film is great! Every character, no matter how gangster or ignorant, speak in an eloquent fashion filled with pop culture. People generally don’t talk that way, which makes it even more entertaining to watch.
The movie has become a cult classic. It’s hard to believe that Tarantino was working as a video store clerk when him and his friends were going to take on this movie with a mere $30,000 budget. Just like magic, Harvey Keitel became involved, agreeing to act in it and co-produce, and they were able to get $1.5 million to make this film. The film opened in 19 theaters across the United States, taking in $147, 839 in the first week and $2,832,029 total during its box office run in the states.
Needless to say, the success of Reservoir Dogs skyrocketed Tarantino’s career. If it weren’t for the success of this film, we would have missed out on a slew of great films. So let’s kick off Quentin Tarantino week right and give this man, and this movie some praise for entertaining us and blowing out movie loving minds!
