OFF: Tarantino

[hijinks at UTARLG.UTA.EDU]

On Mon, 16 Nov 1998, Goran Janicijevic wrote:
> Tarantino is overrated, but it's shown with latter movies, not with FDTD
> (BTW, it's his pal's Rodriguez movie). Anyway, his idea of cutting edge
> isn't 70's references, but to make exhilarating scenes when there is
> whole lotta nasty bloodshed.
>
> Simplius

I think that it is useful to separate media hype out of the equation that
equals being overrated.  Tarantino has done fresh, original, if not poetic
work.  Whether he is talented enough to sustain a career is an open
question.  But his early movies are classics, regardless.

The technique of using references to other sources is a postmodern
technique in general; what is somewhat fresh is the source material: a
bunch of b-movies that the cognoscetti have disregarded over the years.
Regardless of the freshness of the technique, Tarantino has demonstrated
that he is good at it.  Second, as far as the bloodshed, I don't think his
movies are necessarily more violent than others, or more bloody.  I think
that it is the tone the movies take towards the violence: matter-of-fact,
playful, funny.  Such a tone makes us experience violence in unexpected
ways that make it "show up" for us in ways we are unaccustomed to,
primarily because we have become so inured to it.  I think that Tarantino
is to be applauded for this.

However, if these are the only tricks he has up his sleeve, then he seems
to have played them out.  But I suspect that he has more... but only time
will tell.

Does anyone know what his next projects are?

-thomas