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toiletduck! wrote:

Daze wrote:Tarantino's problem is that he doesn't make many movies. Pulp Fiction came out 12 years ago, and he's only put out three features since then (and that's counting Kill Bill as two). By comparison, Woody Allen and Spike Lee have made ten features apiece in that time.

I, too, hate Terrence Malick. Uwe Boll, on the other hand, is really starting to pick up the pace. That boy's got promise!

Best. Post. Ever. =D>

Joe Buck wrote:I saw Kill Bill 1 because of all the hype but thought it was all style and no substance, and didn't care enough to even bother to see Kill Bill 2.

Joe Buck, you should rent Kill Bill Vol. 2. I felt similarly about Vol 1, but Vol 2 is a vastly superior film. It even made me appreciate Vol 1 a little more, since I now knew what point Tarantino was trying to make.

Both Kill Bills were boring and derivative, which pretty much encapsulates Tarantino in general.

rs98762001 wrote:Both Kill Bills were boring and derivative, which pretty much encapsulates Tarantino in general.

You're mom's boring and derivative. Sorry, I don't know why I was compelled to say that, but I had to.

Anyway, I for one enjoy Tarantino's work. This argument has been going on for as long as I've been checking out this forum, but...While he may be derivative, I've got no problem with it. There's an energy in his films that you don't get in most films that have come out in the past 15 years. I think that the Kill Bill's were very good complements to each other, and I enjoyed them immensely. He definitely wears his influences on his sleeve, but that's not an issue for me. I've been entertained by all of his films, and I look forward to his next project.

Tarantino needs to grow up. End of discussion. End of cinema.

jorencain wrote: There's an energy in his films that you don't get in most films that have come out in the past 15 years.

Wow. You need to see a lot more films.

rs98762001 wrote:

jorencain wrote: There's an energy in his films that you don't get in most films that have come out in the past 15 years.

Wow. You need to see a lot more films.

OK.

pzman84 wrote:Tarantino needs to grow up.

The one thing I can appreciate about Tarantino's work, in both those films that I enjoy and those that I can do without, is the child-like glee that this man seems to have regarding film. (It's the only thing I can appreciate about interviews with the guy.) This is a man who truly loves film, watching it, making it, whatever the case may be, and he's having a blast doing it.

If you don't like his work, fine. But if you are so jaded that not only can you not appreciate his youthfulness, but you find it to be a problem, then I guess it is the end of discussion. I sure as hell don't know where to go from there.

When youthfulness is bad and "growing up" is ideal, count me out.

toiletduck! wrote:When youthfulness is bad and "growing up" is ideal, count me out.

Toilet Duck shoots! He scores!

toiletduck! wrote:But if you are so jaded that not only can you not appreciate his youthfulness, but you find it to be a problem, then I guess it is the end of discussion. I sure as hell don't know where to go from there.

When youthfulness is bad and "growing up" is ideal, count me out.

Youthfulness isn't a problem, when you are almost 30. When you are 42, like Tarintino is, it's time you start to "settle down," if you will, in your films. Now, I am not saying you have to make some melodramatic fluff, as scene in all of today's "presitge" film. However, if you spend your entire life making films with kung-fu and spaghetti western references, as well as toliet humor, it is going to get old very quick. There is only so many "big dick" jokes people can take before they stop going to see his movies.

pzman84 wrote:Youthfulness isn't a problem, when you are almost 30. When you are 42, like Tarintino is, it's time you start to "settle down," if you will, in your films. Now, I am not saying you have to make some melodramatic fluff, as scene in all of today's "presitge" film. However, if you spend your entire life making films with kung-fu and spaghetti western references, as well as toliet humor, it is going to get old very quick. There is only so many "big dick" jokes people can take before they stop going to see his movies.

didn't know the guy was 42--or cared. The way I see it QT picked up where the French New Wave left off. Just as they sucked up, digested and vomited out Film Noir and classic American cinema, this guy ate up all that he could from whatever video stores he worked at. I don't care for kung fu flicks myself and haven't even seen Kill Bill 1 (saw Kill Bill 2 though--not my bag) but I think Dogs, Pulp, and Jackie Brown are definitely worthy of classic status. If I may venture into analysis here, I think the problem many have with this director on this board and elsewhere in this country is that A) not European and/or B) he's a very public persona, but mostly the latter. If he pulled a Salinger/Pynchon then his detractors would be probably scouring his every scene for some glimpse into the mysterious inner machinations of the artist. Certainly not suggesting that he is the beginning and end of cinema but if you really want to chase after phonies there's got to be worthier targets out there. This guy loves cinema; it's obvious in every shot. And the avenue he took reeks of Cahiers. He didn't pick it as a career, do the whole film school thing. He just loved it soaked it up and made a films with story and style, something so soarly lacking nowadays with all this 1/2 second headache shot shit (i.e. Confidence) or the jittery handicam-oh-it-oh-so-dogma-95!

It looks like there's another edition of Reservoir Dogs coming out. I read about this 15th Anniversdary edition. I don't plan on double dipping, but the packaging is pretty clever. The specs, packaging, and a short interview with Michael madsen can be found here.

It's also supposed to be on blu-ray already, but I think it got delayed to January. the new re-issue is simply because lionsgate now has the rights. the 2 disc artisan films release has better features.

Can the beaver verify if a new transfer has fixed the colors?

I have picked up the 15th anniversary edition. Yes, the colors have been fixed, and yes, I think this is the best the film may have looked in a long time. Sell your old copy, and buy the new one now!

i dont trust you

jon wrote:i dont trust you

I wouldnt either, and based on the old beaver comparison, I like the muted colors more.

pzman84 wrote:Youthfulness isn't a problem, when you are almost 30. When you are 42, like Tarintino is, it's time you start to "settle down," if you will, in your films. Now, I am not saying you have to make some melodramatic fluff, as scene in all of today's "presitge" film. However, if you spend your entire life making films with kung-fu and spaghetti western references, as well as toliet humor, it is going to get old very quick. There is only so many "big dick" jokes people can take before they stop going to see his movies.

Sorry to resurrect this old argument, but here goes. Far be it from me to hold Tarantino up as the quote unquote great american director. He's far too derivative - and transparently derivative at that, which adds to his charm, but undercuts his talent. However, I think there's more to him than kung-fu and dick jokes. My favorite of all his movies is probably Jackie Brown, which doesn't feature much in the way of action and deliberately stays away from the famed "Tarantino one-liners" so popular among American youth in the mid-90s. I can well remember the sense of disappointment among the 16-25 year old crowd after Jackie Brown premiered, with the chief complaint being that there weren't enough, ahem, kung-fu set pieces and dick jokes. They kind of desperately hung on to Sam Jackson's "When you absolutely, positively blah blah blah.." as a life vest, because it offered the only Pulp Fiction-like entry into the film. With the two main characters middle-aged individuals sizing up their life choices and unsure of what action to take, it's actually quite an adult film, albeit with plenty of verbal and visual action. And the box office response was sluggish. Duly noted, he returned years later with, yes, a kung fu movie. And as much as I liked Kill Bill, it would've been interesting to see what direction he might have moved in had he followed the calmer rhythms of Jackie Brown. He may yet.

DVDBeaver has not yet posted a comparison for the new disc, which, IMHO, would prove the superiority of the new transfer. For my money, the 10th anniversary edition's washed-out colors are a major distraction. The suits appear grey instead of black, the blood looks unconvincing, and it takes me right out of the viewing experience. I am just speaking as someone who has owned the 10th Ann. DVD for five years, hoping a better transfer would come along, and this is that better transfer. So, believe me or not, it is just my opinion.

barnyard078 wrote:I am just speaking as someone who has owned the 10th Ann. DVD for five years...

Christ, has it been that long!? I remember getting this just a few years ago... Now I feel totally old.

EDIT: Amazon lists the 10th as being released August 27, 2002. So, it's only been 4 years... (and I actually do feel better.)

Reservoir Dogs: 15th Anniversary Edition review.

A new twist on Pulp Fiction. (Quicktime video)

While we're at it.

I highly recommend seeing the Lebowski and Casino versions of the link above.

SncDthMnky wrote:I highly recommend seeing the Lebowski and Casino versions of the link above.

Don't forget Scarface. The Departed should be coming along anytime now. . .