OFF: Tarantino

[Ted Jackson jr. s2h2]

> From:          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.
>
You said a huge mouthful here.  It's refreshing to hear from someone
who actually 'gets' modern filmmaking.   QT and BOC both require one
to use one's head, although they both seem to pick up fans for other
reasons...

theo