Quotable Quotes

I'm gonna make love even when I'm dead
Your body might get cold, but it's always hot in my bed
Make love, don't you be afraid
Just because my heart ain't beating, it don't mean you won't
get laid.
-Chef [sings to Thriller beat as a zombie]

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Is Tarantino really a good film-maker ??


Yes, we are talking about Quentin Tarantino. How many more Tarantino's do you expect to turn up on Wikipedia......7, would the precise answer, but nevertheless let's see if Tarantino is as good as he is rated.

Some of Tarantino's most famous works include : Pulp Fiction,Kill Bill vols. I and II., Death Proof, Reservoir Dogs (in the order in which I watched them.). The first time anyone watches his movie, its normal if(..no, no, no...)normal only if you think the man's gone crazy. Its not easy to go against trend and that's exactly what Tarantino has done, and that's exactly why you would feel he's a nutter. Precisely, the reason as to why I didn't like Pulp Fiction. It was filled with Tarantino's trademarks. Right from the non-linear story telling (we'll come to that later) to showing close-up's of female characters bare feet ?? (God !! editors on Wikipedia = butt(er) for brains !!(I guess Tarantino's fetish(but these users must have got fetish of his fetish(Iam back !!(:D)))))

The raw violence portrayed in his films are beyond just being raw. The oh-so-hip-80's trend of blood splashing across your screens in Kill Bill-I, or Mr.Blonde cutting of the ear of a policeman or the gruesome way in which the mad stunt-man kills the woman in Death Proof, all make you want to guarantee yourself a place in Heaven.

His most interesting trademark would be the non-linear way of showing his films. It includes flashbacks(Reservoir Dogs), chapters (Kill Bill), simply non-linear(Pulp Fiction) or just nothing but long, boring, made-to-put-you-on-your-death-bed dialogues (Death Proof). The worst and best being non-linear. Non-linear is a style where the time frame portrayed isn't the one as it happened i.e not in chronological order. Or in other words, the ending is shown first, then the intro, then something from the middle, then the post-climax and then if your still watching, pre-climax, or something like that. Watching Pulp Fiction for the first time is as maddening as this:

Cartman(hereby referred to as fat-ass) : Mom
Ms. Cartman's voice : Yes, Dear.
Fat-Ass: Can I make you some sandwiches ?
Ms. Cartman's voice : That's O.K dear....Why don't you go outside and play.
Fat-Ass:(pleads) But Mououououom.
Ms. Cartman's voice: Mommy is busy poopie-kins.
Fat-Ass: (shouts) But Mom. I wanna make some sandwiches for you and that Jewish plumber in your bedroom.
Ms.Cartman:(in her bedroom) :O

Now, that should make you go crazy..... It didn't ?? Then Pulp Fiction should do it !!

With Kill Bill however, you won't have life left in you when you're done with the movie. One thing that really needs appreciation is the O.S.T of this film. Just too good!! Maybe, the only thing that will make you watch the second part is your inquisitiveness to know what happens to the Bride (Uma Thurman). After watching the second part though, I started liking Tarantino's style. Its like, if you are a dog who's been fed only with dog biscuits through-out his life (poor doggie !!) and then you are introduced to salami slices, you might not like the change at first. But, at the end of the day, Salami rules !!


With all that said, I also think this is a bit just too much !!!!



9 comments:

Ayesha said...

The gore in his movies are just too much, can't stand that!!!

Sudar said...

but thats the whole point...even though the extreme violence is unbearable, its style. And you get to appreciate it only if you look beyond the 'gore'.

Small Hacks said...

thats true but very few people go beyond ''gore''

Sudar said...

I guess if you wanna see the beauty, you've got to face the beast first...So gather courage and force yourself to see it !!

Idyll Mind said...

im a huge tarantino fan. hes the only filmmaker i know you ahve extablished his own storytelling devices that both shock and amaze audiences at the same time.

Salil said...

yaar sudre ..... u didn't even mention this dialogue in ur blog...

The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you.

Sudar said...

pulp fiction !..hmmm..does need mention i guess...and here you've that..thnx salil

Kaushik said...

The non linear style of narration is not tarantino's concept.....it is actually akiro kurosawa's. Have u seen his cult classic Rashomon?

Tarantino made the style famous though

Sudar said...

thank you kaushik, for enlightening me on the subject. Its just that, I am not saying it was Tarantino's wonderful idea of non-linear cinema. Of course, it should have existed before, for the history of cinema is so extensive that someone would have thought of it before. The point is, he deserves appreciation for having the guts to do what he does.