Expert opinion
Tarantino has been reviewing films online
Top image: Still, ‘Pulp Fiction’ (1994) dir. Quentin Tarantino
Auteur and self-confessed cinephile Quentin Tarantino has been posting detailed film reviews online, offering his personal insight into a handful of deep cuts, from kung-fu classics to niche spaghetti Westerns.
Head to the official website of the New Beverley Cinema in Los Angeles – owned by Tarantino – and hit the ‘Tarantino’s Reviews’ section. A treasure trove of in-depth write-ups, last month the US director reviewed Peter Bogdanovich’s Daisy Miller, Richard Donner’s Cade’s County, John Frankenheimer’s Prophecy and Tso Nam Lee’s Fatal Needles vs. Fatal Fists, amongst others, offering new information into Tarantino’s own process and others.
Here are some gems:
“John Frankenheimer’s Prophecy is pretty much a piece of shit from the word go, but the more it goes, the more enjoyable this piece of shit gets” – Tarantino on Prophecy
“Then he fires a rocket into the armored car, putting a big hole in the side, and blowing the damn thing right off the road (he stole the bazooka from a gun collector, as well as a pistol owned by the real Billy the Kid). Then he mounts back up on his horse, and proceeds to rob the fallen armored car as if it were a stagecoach. Then rides off with thirty thousand dollars (this is such a damn good idea I’m surprised another screenwriter hasn’t used it again. Or nobodies tried it in real life).” – Tarantino on Cade’s County
“I’ve loved this movie since I was a child, and the older I’ve got, the more my affection grows. For the uninitiated it might seem like dumb crazy ass shit. But for a martial art film expert, and Wang Yu fan, it’s like a fine vintage wine only a connoisseur can appreciate.” – Tarantino on Wang Yu: Superstar! Super Director!
“as opposed to most films, the axes often times hit their target, spraying blood all over the screen, the set, and Wang Yu’s wardrobe. All ending with a magnificent slow motion final kick to head, that’s as good as I’ve ever seen. When it comes to bloody mayhem, it’s on par with the climax of DePalma’s “Scarface” and the Candyland shoot out in my “Django Unchained”.” – Tarantino on A Man Called Tiger
Read more of Tarantino’s film reviews here.