"clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right..." hey asshole. hands-up.sure, no problem. looks like we've got a good old fashioned mexican standoff!don't we need three people for one of those? technically, as long as there's at least twoparties involved, where no participant can retreat without being exposed to danger - itqualifies as a mexican standoff. i'm just here for 'action movie movie', sothere's no way i'm retreating. and i'm just here to review quentin tarantinofilms. are you thinking what i'm thinking?this --- idiot.now, where were we? this is movie night!
hello, and welcome to movie night - i'm jonathanpaula. tonight we kick off the third "action movie month" with a look at quentin tarantinofilms. the passionate filmmaker has been impressing audiences for over twenty years - and in honorof his most recent release, we'll be reviewing seven of his nine feature films. let's beginin chronological order with "reservoir dogs". the debut effort from auspicious filmmakerquentin tarantino, this neo-noir crime thriller earned a little more than double its $1.2million dollar budget when it was first released in october 1992. in the years since the 99-minutefeature has become a classic of independent film and a huge cult film - with extremelystrong sales on home media. the violent r-rated story examines the in-fighting and aftermathamong jewelry thieves after their heist goes
wrong. the story is with told with long, unbrokenscenes filled with snappy and clever dialogue - which has since become an overt staple oftarantino's work. the low-budget production was a breakout hit for the 29-year-old director,who doesn't shy away from mixing bloody carnage with irrelevant dialogue. the ensemble castfeatures harvey keitel as a soft-spoken pragmatist, tim roth has a inexperienced player who isbadly wounded, steve buscemi who's self-serving and paranoid, lawrence tierney as a gruffcrime boss, michael madsen as a psychopathic killer, chris penn as the boss's loud-mouthedson, kirk baltz as a captured officer, and tarantino himself is featured briefly as aguy who has really strong opinions on madonna's music. this group of eight men were largelyunknown at the time - but looking back, i
can't possibly imagine any other actors inthese roles. buscemi and keitel need to be singled out as they deliver some of the picture'smore nuanced moments. but every actor really brings something unique and memorable to theirrespective parts, from roth's frustrated screaming to madsen's frighteningly cool demeanor. wedon't learn much about their histories or motivation, but through their believable andquick dialogue, we still see a lot of their personalities. keitel is quick to retort toa half-hearted threat by promising, "you shoot me in a dream, you better wake up and apologize."there's a mixture of camaraderie and distrust amongst their ranks that helps ratchet-upthe tension as the film goes on. loaded with pop-culture references and can excellent classicrock soundtrack - the film's landmark moment
is a cruel and unusual torture sequence setto the awesome sound of stealers wheel - a scene that is as hard to watch as it is entertaining.the non-linear structure of the narrative helps maintain pacing, while the longer, locked-downframing keeps the focus on the performances and blocking, rather than the cinematographyitself. as revered as this picture is by teenage boys everywhere, there's unfortunately notmuch below the surface. there's no deeper meaning or morals - just a lot of snappy writingand bloody gun fights. which, for better or worse - is a hallmark of every tarantino picture.a small, contained drama with an excellent cast, fantastic lines, and solid tension,"reservoir dogs" is a true cult-classic, and a very memorable flick. now let's read someof your reviews.
praise was unanimous for this film, especiallyconsidering it was a directorial debut. you rated it an awesome. i thought it was rathergreat myself. next up, "pulp fiction". this $8 million dollar black comedy crimefilm from acclaimed writer and director quentin tarantino was released in october of 1994- where it took home a profit of over $200 million. four interconnected stories, toldout of chronological sequence, follow the lives of criminals and their accomplices ina tale of violence and redemption. the fantastic cast includes john travolta - in a career-resurrectingrole - as a relaxed mafia hit man, samuel l. jackson as his intelligent partner, umathurman as a free-spirited wife, bruce willis as a boxer who risks his life for one finalexit, harvey keitel as a professional 'cleaner',
and ving rhames as a controlling boss. ericstoltz, amanda plummer, and christopher walken also do great work in much smaller parts.and last but not least, tarantino once again casts himself in minor role. now, he's nota particularly bad actor - he's just out of place. his inclusion isn't just distracting,it also seems like a thinly veiled excuse for him to repeatedly drop the 'n-word', andget away with it. every performer digs into tarantino's oscar winning screenplay withenthusiasm and passion - putting their own personal spin on the pop-culture referencesand meaty dialogue. even an early scene where travolta and jackson discuss the menu itemsof a foreign mcdonald's is amusing - which helped score both men an oscar nomination.one standout sequence is when sam reads a
young frank whaley his last rites by loudlyquoting a fictional bible verse, "i will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furiousanger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers." - moments before blowing himaway. the highly-stylized, r-rated teleplay is also filled with a constant stream of excellentrock music, which often presented diegetically. visually, the picture is filmed with long,unbroken takes and static framing, along with plenty of allusions to classic cinema. there'ssome great parallels between the separate stories - like travolta always being on thetoilet when bad stuff is going down - and although the relationship between these threadsare largely incidental, when they do crossover, it's a rewarding moment. that being said,there's very little driving the overall narrative.
showing each chapter out of sequence helpsdisguise this fact, but ultimately, there are huge passages where nothing happens. anextended dinner sequence at a 50's dinner might be a fun way to learn more about thecharacters, but it offers little in the way of entertainment or exposition. as a result,the 154-minute runtime feels particularly indulgent, with a few too many extraneousand superfluous scenes. even without a constant through-line or consistent pacing, quentintarantino's sophomore effort was a critical darling. not only did it score seven oscarnominations, and win cannes film festival's coveted top-prize, the palme d'or, this filmhas been a fixture atop imdb's top-rated movies for decades. for all of its highly-stylizedviolence, memorable dialogue, and iconic imagery
- "pulp fiction" is, unquestionably tarantino'smagnum opus, and one of the most influential films of the '90s. here now are some of yourthoughts. everyone applauded this film's originality,script, and unusual structure - rating it a resounding amazing. i've long been in theminority in this camp, but with all of its superficial fluff and flair, this isn't somethingi'd classify as one of the best movies ever, but it's definitely a very great film. now,my review of "kill bill". the fourth film from renowned writer and directorquentin tarantino performed well at the box office, taking home six-times its $30 milliondollar budget. the unique, four-hour story was originally set for a single theatricalrelease, but it was wisely decided two separate
installments would be better. similar to thefilming and release schedule of the "back to the future" sequels, the "kill bill" movieswere produced at the same time, and then released six months apart - with "volume 1" seeinga nationwide release in october of 2003. left for dead after a failed assassination attempt,uma thurman stars as a vengeful bride who awakens from a four-year coma and tracks downthe team who betrayed her. given the scope of this two-picture narrative, the plot isextremely thin - with far less nuance or snappy dialogue than we're accustomed to with quentin'sfilms. heck, the "f-word" is used only 17 times. like previous his efforts though, ther-rated script is told partially out of sequence with long, somewhat disconnected chapters- most of which focus on thurman's hit list,
as she tracks down the people who wrongedher to exact her bloody revenge. uma is fantastic in the lead role, blending quiet determinationand sex appeal effortlessly - she may be uncompromising and relentless, but she's a memorable heroall audiences will be rooting for. vivica a. fox, julie dreyfus, lucy liu, and sonnychiba are the more prominent supporting players - with the three women featured as unremorsefuladversaries, and the later as a skilled swordsmith. in the lengthy, and bloody climax - filledwith fantastical stunts and goofy sound-effects, liu taunts her victim by asking, "you didn'tthink it was gonna be that easy, did you?". thurman quickly replies, "you know, for asecond there, yeah, i kinda did." this 111-minute martial arts film is caked with allusionsand homages to classic asian cinema - but
since i'm not particularly familiar with thatgenre myself, a good deal of this picture's charm is undoubtedly lost on me. huge passagesare told in black-and-white, while another character's backstory is shown with japanese-styleanimation. while i can appreciate what it was trying to accomplish, i have to admiti'm not really the right audience. the film's score, which largely borrows from other soundtracks,contains sauntering music that blends western and oriental elements. heavily marketed aspart one of two -- this might actually be the only example in cinema where a movie'stitle bears the numeral "1" when it's not a prequel or a joke. so, while it's hard tofault this movie for ending without a resolution - it should still function (at least in somerespects) as a standalone feature, which it
honestly doesn't. when so much time is spenton pointless gratuity - the end result is inexcusable. pair down some of the ridiculouscartoon violence, and combine both installments into a solid, well-paced three-hour film instead.unfortunately, fancy sword-fighting alone can't sustain this simple narrative - evenif they are hugely satisfying to watch unfold. despite its flaws, this picture, and it'sequally enjoyable follow-up are definitely worth watching at least once, especially forless mature viewers and fans of asian cinema. "kill bill: vol 1" is oozing with style andentertainment, but is far too self-indulgent for its own good. let's read some of yourreviews now. you were more forgiving than i, rating thisa nine out of ten. upon rewatching this film,
it did not hold up nearly as well as i remember- and i have to be honest, it's only a good film - nothing more, nothing less. -right right - before we continue, i want to quicklyannounce the two winners of the poll-question contest from the last regular episode of "movienight" where i asked you what the worst superhero-film is. congratulations to our winners - bothof which will be receiving an entire year's subscription to letterboxd's "pro"-level service.my next review tonight is for "death proof". originally released in april of 2007 as partof a double-featured titled "grindhouse", this action-exploitation horror film earned$30 million at the box office. the 114-minute script, penned by writer/director quentintarantino is told in two distinctive halves.
and while this is a brave technique, it almostruins the movie. the r-rated story follows two different groups of women - each stalkedby a crazy stuntman who uses his 'death proof' car to execute his victims. taken individually,these two separate narratives are decently engaging and well-acted; but since there'svirtually no connection between them (and the one carry-over that might have tied themtogether is abandoned) the result is a broken movie. just as the plot becomes fully realizedand truly climaxes, it completely resets - forcing the viewer to reinvest their time in a wholenew group of characters all over again. kurt russell plays the murderous stuntman - whois the only element to appear in both parts, but he remains absent for a very large portionof the film. and frustratingly, his deadly
motivation is never explained or examined.those negatives aside, when he is on screen, he really sinks his teeth into the dark andmysterious character. forced to reveal his terrifying plans a bit early, russell confesses,"i'm afraid you're gonna have to start getting scared... immediately!" the first of the equallythin, and underdeveloped stories follows vanessa ferlito, sydney poitier, jordan ladd, androse mcgowan. later, the second-half features real-life stuntwoman zoã« bell playing herself,alongside rosario dawson, mary elizabeth winstead, and tracie thoms. they easily handle the trademarktarantino dialogue; filled with irrelevant discussions and loads of pop-culture references."death proof" is littered with a unnecessary gimmicks, and visual ideas. the audio meanwhileis a deliberate mess, with a majority of the
sound only coming out of the right channel.the director himself admitted to "over-tweaking" the production; even the actual film itselfwas physically scratched to achieve a dirty and used look. it's all intended to give themovie an overt "throwback" style, but ultimately it's just distracting and obnoxious. despiteit's many and obvious faults - individual sequences and character-interactions workreally well, like when russell attempts to cash-in on a radio contest he supposedly won,or the climatic car chase through the hills of tennessee. i don't really understand whybell had to ride atop a dodge challenger at 70 miles an hour, but the scene - especiallythe stunt itself - is very impressive. besides a few themes from david arnold, almost theentire soundtrack is non-original music, and
most of that is 70's-era rock and funk. ultimately,this picture is little more than a shallow popcorn entertainment for fans of old-fashionedexploitation slashers. arguably the most disappointing film in tarantino's catalog - "death proof"is still a solid bit of disposable fun and action - and a good movie. now, for a reworkedreview of a film i originally discussed way back in movie night's seventh episode - hereare my thoughts on " inglourious basterds ". quentin tarantino's sixth feature film wasreleased nationwide on august 21 2009, to immediate critical and box office success,earning $320 million against its $70 million dollar budget. told with a deliberately slowpace - this adventure war drama is split into
five chapters, any of which could easily standon their own as a short 25-minute film. the r-rated script follows a group of jewish-americansoldiers, led by brad pitt during world war ii who plot to assassinate the leaders ofthe nazi party. simultaneously, the film also follows the story of a jewish girl - mã©lanielaurent - who survived an attack on her family by a vicious ss-officer known as "the jewhunter". christopher waltz's portrayal of this deplorable character absolutely stealsthe show; he's charming, deceptive, cunning, and dare-i-say, adorable in his breakout,oscar-winning role. watching pitt fumble around with a fake italian accent is also terrificfun, and laurent is equally great as a resourceful heroin. eager to execute a german who smuglytaunts his captors, pitt declares to his troops,
"we got a german here who wants to die forhis country! oblige him!" the huge cast also includes diane kruger, early performancesfrom michael fassbender and lã©a seydoux, eli roth, samuel l. jackson as the narrator,and mike myers in a serious role. in a daring move, a full 70% of the 152-minute scriptis spoken in foreign languages, but this decision definitely helps the authenticity and accuracyof the period-drama. from the title of the picture itself, which is deliberately misspelled, the trademark tarantino dialoguejust bleeds off the screen with every line spoken. which is critical to the success ofthis film, as a majority of the feature is just talking-heads. per usual, qt frames thepicture with sharply-focused medium shots and minimal camera movement - letting theactors carry the energy of each scene. and
although some sequences tend to drag a bit,this is a smart and defiant film; not afraid to pull any punches. especially those regarding"historical accuracy". despite these creative liberties, this is easily the most realisticand suspenseful entry in the tarantino catalog. from the captivating interweaving story-linesthat command your attention from the first frame, to the impeccable performances fromthe entire cast, " ingloruious basterds" is immensely gripping, and a magnificent film.let's see what you had to say about it. our thoughts were more of the same on thisone; excellent dialogue and wonderful performance from waltz had us both scoring this a nineout of ten. now, for another recycled review, here are my thoughts on "django unchained".
another violent masterpiece from criticallyacclaimed auteur, quentin tarantino, this modernized american western was released nationwideon christmas day in 2012 where it more than quadrupled its $100 million dollar budget.this decidedly r-rated picture quick rose one of imdb's top-60 highest rated films ofall time, and for good reason: besides "the avengers", i can't think of a 2012 movie ihad more fun watching. featuring the story of a freed slave who schemes to save his wifefrom a nasty rich white man, this movie is fittingly scored by an anachronistic soundtrack,wonderfully shot, brilliantly acted, and littered with dozens of swears and bloody deaths. followinghis breakout, performance in, "inglorious basterds", christoph waltz is back in a hugeway: the german actor is positively endearing
and hilariously fun to watch as old-west dentistturned ruthless bounty hunter. winning his second oscar for the role was unquestionablydeserved, even if the academy curiously demoted him to a "supporting role", despite him havingmore lines of dialogue than anyone else. as the title character, jamie foxx is a lovablehero, hell-bent on justice, remarking on his sudden profession as a bounty hunter, "killwhite people and get paid for it? what's not to like?" upon hearing he is a free man, andcan wear whatever he wants, the smash-cut to him riding a horse in a bright blue fancyfrench suit makes for one of many scenes in this picture that is impossible not to smileat. leonardo dicaprio may not appear until over 90-minutes into this adventure, but hisperformance as the deplorable, slave-torturing
and cunning plantation owner is remarkable.continuing his decades-long relationship with the director, samuel l. jackson stars as adecrepit old house-slave who is impartial to the atrocities of his own people all aroundhim. and while his character doesn't add much to the overall story, nothing beats seeingthe iconic star blurt out f-bombs while hobbling on a cane. the deliberately long, and individualfleshed-out scenes are each as brilliant and entertaining as the last, from the openingsequence where waltz frees django from his slave traders, to a hilarious scene wherea ku klux klan rally argues over wearing poorly made bags on their heads, unable to see throughthe tiny eye-holes. while this film's middle act, especially a lengthy portion set at dicaprio's"candyland" slave plantation, is bursting
with tension and brilliant dialogue... themovie's urgency is all but removed... only to coming exploding back in the final 30 minuteswith a ridiculously gratuitous blood-bath, true to tarantino's gory style. as sharp andgratifying as this film's violent revenge plot is however, at two hours and forty-fiveminutes, it definitely could have been shorter, especially a cameo scene by quentin himself,which felt particularly shoe-horned very late in the film. relying a bit too heavily ontired, "slaves are good, the white man is bad" subtext, even a performance by miamivice actor don johnson is entertaining and memorable. a testament to the incredibly consistentquality of all those involved, "django unchained" isn't just an extremely satisfying adventure,it's also tarantino's best film. now lets
check out the youtube comments to read yourreviews. unanimous praise was given to nearly everyaspect of this film: with the standout highlights being the uncompromising violence, and theincredible acting from the entire cast, you thought it was amazing. due to some unfortunatepacing issues and one-dimensional villains, i'm holding off the top-score, and ratingthis an awesome. last but not least, let's take a look at tarantino's newest, "the hatefuleight". this western mystery film is supposedly the"eighth" film from writer / director quentin tarantino, which opened nationwide on december25, 2015. production of the $44-million dollar drama was canceled after its script leakedonline in 2014 - but warm reception to a live
reading thankfully changed tarantino's mind.after a slow-start, and strong competition at the box office, the r-rated picture seemsunlikely to double its budget. years after the civil war, in the dead of a harsh wyomingwinter, a group of suspicious and nefarious individuals take shelter together in an oldcabin. the lengthy 167 minute story plays out like a violet, expletive-laden game of"clue", as the characters - as well as the audience - try to figure out who's good, andwho's not. this setup, a group of untrusting strangers pitted against one another in acontained environment also bears striking similar to john carpenter's "the thing". theincredibly stacked cast features a bevy of excellent performances from samuel l. jackson,kurt russel, jennifer jason leigh, tim roth,
michael madsen, bruce dern, walton goggins,demiã¡n bichir, and a couple of surprise players. each one of them contribute something uniqueand interesting, but if i had to single out specific performances; jackson - appearingin his sixth tarantino film - does awesome work with an extended monologue about an oldvictim; leigh remains level-headed as a prisoner in an oscar-nominated role; and russell hasa fiery passion and distrust about his character that makes him very fun to watch. explainingthe purposes of bounty-hunting to his new friends, russell shares, "you only need tohang mean bastards, but mean bastards you *need* to hang." "the hateful eight" is onlythe eleventh film in history - and the first since the 1960s to be shot in the ultra panavision70mm process. although i wasn't personally
able to see it in this format, the end resultis still breathtaking. the extremely wide frame allows for roomier three-shots and gorgeousestablishing photography. besides these sequences, the majority of the picture takes place ina dark, and cluttered haberdashery. composing a western score for the first time in 40 years,ennio morricone's work on this film is subtle and atmospheric - and is most noticeable asslow building horns and tubas set the scene before a big event. told in six chapters,the story ultimately boils down to people talking, people shooting, and people bleeding.so, it's exactly like every other tarantino film... but that's not exactly a bad thingeither. an enjoyable, well-paced way to spend a few hours - but nothing with a lot of re-watchvalue, "the hateful eight" is a tense mystery
with intriguing characters. here are someof your thoughts on the film. praising the suspense and writing - you thoughtthis was an awesome film. although i thoroughly enjoyed myself, there just wasn't enough herefor me to score it any higher than an eight. unfortunately, that does it for tonight'sepisode, but "action movie month" continues next week with a look at the entire "missionimpossible" franchise, so leave your reviews below if you'd like to be featured. and ifyou click this information-icon, some related videos will slide out for to watch. once again,my name is jonathan paula, thanks for watching and have a good movie night!
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