Quentin Tarantino has been saying for years how he wants to do a Western, and, save for the spaghetti Western style of KILL BILL VOl. 2 and the small role he played in SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO, that goal has yet to be achieved.   However, that isn’t stopping the auteur from talking about the project and divulging what his vision for it could be.   While lunching with Rush & Molloy of the NY Daily News, Tarantino had this to say about the vision for his “Western” project:

I’d like to do a Western. But rather than set it in Texas, have it in slavery times. With that subject that everybody is afraid to deal with. Let’s shine that light on ourselves. You could do a ponderous history lesson of slaves escaping on the Underground Railroad. Or, you could make a movie that would be exciting. Do it as an adventure. A spaghetti Western that takes place during that time. And I would call it ‘A Southern.’

This would certainly be somewhat along the same lines as his idea to make a feature film adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s 40 LASHES LESS ONE, a project that Tarantino has been talking about since all the way back in 2000.   Nothing much has come from that project being on his plate since 2007, so it could very well be dead in the water.

Tarantino is a man who likes deciding between any number of projects, but the idea of him doing a Western has to come to fruition soother rather than later.   Some were speculating KILL BILL VOL. 3 might be next on his plate, but I don’t see that coming to be for a few years, especially if it follows the intended storyline of Vernita Green’s daughter coming after The Bride for revenge.

Of course, this news from The NY Daily could just be Tarantino spit-balling ideas.   That’s something he likes to do, also, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone to never hear about this slavery Western idea ever again.   Time will tell.

This is good stuff, man, even if it is in Italian. Quentin Tarantino, speaking on an Italian television talk show, reveals some tasty bits about his future plans, the most alluring of which is his desire to bring KILL BILL 3 to the screens, stating “The Bride will fight again.” His does, however, stipulate that he wants to wait ten years after KILL BILL, PART 2 before he makes the third volume. In addition, Tarantino also eludes to the slight possibility of a follow-up to INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’ has come and gone, and it has kicked ass in theaters all over America.   Today, we thought it would be   nice to show you some of the posters the film inspired.

The one you see there at the top comes to us courtesy of Poster Wire and is designed by illustrator James Goodbridge.   It’s actually a completed piece of artwork that was unused for the film, and, as beautiful as it is, I can’t imagine why it was passed over for the posters actually used.   Luckily, as indicated by the interview on Poster Wire’s site, Goodbridge is still holding out hope that his illustration will be used somewhere down the road.

Next up are three poster designs brought to us by the fine people at Mondo Tees.

Fortunately, the three posters you see here are on sale over at Mondo Tees’ website.   Unfortunately, these things flew out the door like frisbees.   Currently, they are completely sold out, but keep checking back.   They might come up with a few more.

The first one up was from Print Mafia.   The last two were designed by famed illustrator Tyler Stout.   Each one has a different feel, but they are all equally cool.

Now, if we can only get Drew Struzan to come out of retirement long enough to design a HUGO STIGLITZ! poster, the world would be a better place.

Special thanks to the boys over at Gordon and the Whale for giving us the heads up on all these badass designs.

“We ain’t in the prisoner taking business. We‘re in the Nazi killing business. And cousin, business is a booming”

As soon as this line comes out of Brad Pitt’s mouth you sink into your chair and say “damn, this is going to be a great ride”. I told you guys when Brad Pitt was first cast in this film that Tarantino would make him a bigger badass than he has ever been before…and I was right.

Quentin Tarantino takes a WWII to an entirely different level that may or may not match what history has show us but   ‘Inglourious Basterds’ is still a triumph that begs to be seen more than once. After you watch this you are going to jump back in line to see the next showing, because this movie is that fun.

When I heard that he was going to be remaking ‘Inglorious Bastards’ my first thought was “How is this going to fit into the Tarantino body of work?”. This film can easily stand with ‘Pulp Fiction’ and ‘Kill Bill’ and that isnt being overly generous with my feelings just because its a Tarantino film.

The movie is split into 5 chapters, the first chapter features Nazi officer Hans Landa, AKA “Jew Hunter” played by   Christoph Waltz. His main duty is to seek out and find homes that are hiding Jewish families and the opening scene is delves into one such endeavor. This scene, even though it features none of the “basterds”, is absolutely amazing and really sets the tone for the film. Almost entirely dialogue driven, Tarantino creates a slow mounting tension that is almost unbearable at times.

From there the movie delves into each additional chapter, the next which features all of the Basterds and how they became the merry band of Nazi hunters that they are. Led by the twang filled back woods LT Aldo Raine, Brad Pitt, their only goal is to find Nazi soldiers, attempt to get information from them and then eventually “scalp” them. The first scalping scene is pretty graphic but super badass at the same time. Every once in a while when a Nazi soldier helps them, they let him go, but fearing that he will take his uniform off they always want to be able to recognize him so they cut a swastika into their foreheads.

Hitler is made to look both ridiculous and entertaining at the same time, played by Martin Wuttke who does a pretty convincing job as the former dictator. As soon as he comes onto the screen you immediately hate him and cant wait to see what exactly the fate is that Tarantino will give him by the end of the film. I will tell you that the fate he does meet, doesn’t stand to historical facts but I would have preferred this ending to the real one.

I was completely blown away by Eli Roth who plays Sgt. Donny Donowitz AKA the “Bear Jew”. His specialty is killing the Nazi soldiers with his bat, again pretty graphic the first time you see him take one out. He doesnt talk much but when he does its pretty entertaining. Even without much dialogue you cant help but love his facial expressions, especially those during the theater scenes.

The entire cast is absolutely impeccable. Diane Kruger   does an incredible job as Bridget von Hammersmark, the world famous actress who is moon lighting as a double agent.   I could easily see Christoph Waltz getting nominated for Best Supporting Actor. I honestly cant say enough about this damn film. Almost everything is brilliant and perfect…except Mike Myers in the movie but we wont go there

For most of us Quentin Tarantino fans, it seems like there is nothing the man can’t do…almost.   As indicated by this video clip, he isn’t exactly Fred Astaire.   Regardless, the guy’s having a blast at the premiere of ‘Inglourious Basterds.’   Can you blame him?

Not only does Tarantino have a way of breaking rules in his filmmaking, he proves in this clip he knows how to break the red carpet rules, as well.

Check it:

Almost more interesting than the films Quentin Tarantino has chosen to do are the ones he has either been rumored to be behind or has stated himself that he would like to do.   In honor of Quentin Tarantino week here on the site, we thought it was time to go back and look over some of these lost projects.   Some of them never got past the concept stage.   Some might even still be lingering somewhere in the back of QT’s mind.

Of all the on-again-off-again projects in Tarantino’s filmmaking career, none have been more up and down than ‘Double V Vega,’ the continuing adventures of The Vega Brothers.   After the release of ‘Pulp Fiction’ in 1994, the writer/director began talking up how he wanted to revisit the characters he set up in that film and ‘Reservoir Dogs.’   For those of you who don’t know, Michael Madsen’s character in ‘Reservoir Dogs,’ Mr. Blonde AKA Vic Vega, is the brother of John Travolta’s character, Vincent Vega, in ‘Pulp Fiction.’   Despite the film’s actual title, many just referred to it as ‘The Vega Brothers,’ and for 15 years now, it has been one that every Tarantino fan has been awaiting official word on.

In 2002, the UK Sun had word from a source that the film was moving along:

Expect the charm to come from Travolta and the crazy stuff from Madsen. It will follow the pair’s exploits around a club they own, set in the late Eighties. There is also an argument between the brothers over a woman. In true Tarantino fashion, it will be a film full of twists, plenty of action with gangsters a plenty. Tarantino hopes to complete writing The Vega Brothers early next year so he can start shooting in the summer.

In 2004, Tarantino spoke about the potential film in an in-depth interview with Rolling Stone.   After the critical and financial success of ‘Kill Bill,’ Tarantino was in the mood to really challenge himself.   At that time, he wanted to do his war movie, which would eventually become ‘Inglourious Basterds,’ he wanted to do a straight action movie, and he wanted to do his first sequel.

It’s a sequel to both Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, actually, it’s a sequel and it’s a prequel. It’s the Vega Brothers, played by Michael Madsen and John Travolta. I have been trying to do it for years, and the more time I take, the older these two guys get. But I’ve come up with an idea that won’t much matter how much they age….the magic of movies. It’s going to be great. It’ll be funny, and these guys are so great, alright, they’re going to be like two oversized mob-men fighting over the last bowl of pasta, that we can’t go wrong. It’s just going to be John and Michael, and I hope to make this my next movie. We’re laying down the pipework for it now.

However, at this same time, Tarantino was telling other sources that, even though he had the idea, he didn’t have a story.   Tarantino told a radio station in San Antonio that without the story, there was no point trying to get the film made.   It was at this point that Tarantino fans realized ‘Double V Vega’ would definitely NOT be his next movie after ‘Kill Bill.’

In 2005, there was a small snippet of information where Tarantino said he had finally gotten his head around how to write the story.

Even though the character’s have gotten older…I just have to have the ambition to write it.

In late 2006, CHUD conducted an interview with Michael Madsen, and the subject of the possible Vega Brothers film came up.   While he didn’t offer up any idea when the film would begin production, he did give a little more details than had been previously divulged.   Here is what he had to say about the project and its potential synopsis.

Well, first he said he would do it, then he said he wasn’t going to do it. Then he called me and said, ‘You know, I’ve figured out a way to do it. It can’t be a prequel because you and John don’t look the same. “It wouldn’t make sense as a sequel because you’re both dead.’ And he gave me an idea that would be really outrageous – that John and I would be the twin brothers of Vic and Vincent. We come from Amsterdam to LA to avenge the deaths of our brothers. I think that’s pretty interesting. For me, I’d love to do it.

Again, nothing came out of this, and months went by without any word.   In April of 2007, we would receive what would more than likely be the final word on the matter. While doing an interview on Opie and Anthony, Tarantino had this information to give about the potential film.

I even had a title for it. It was called Double V Vega. It actually would have taken place during the time Vincent was in Amsterdam, when he was running one of Marcellus’ clubs in Amsterdam. And Vic goes to visit hi.

But we’re a little older now, and since they both died – it would have to be a prequel.   I actually came up with a way I could have done it, even being older and dead where they all had older brothers and both of their brothers got together because the two guys died. And they wanted revenge or something like that. But now, they [the actors] are too old for that.   I got to say, it’s kind of unlikely now.

And that seems to be it on the subject.   There is no telling where this project lies in Tarantino’s mind.   Judging from the last interviews he did about ‘Double V Vega,’ it seems like a done deal with Vincent and Vic Vega remaining in their coffins and off the sequel radar.   While the chances of ever seeing a Vega Brothers film is extremely unlikely, you can never say never.   Who knows what potential storylines could open the doorway for this film to finally get off the ground?

Two tons of metal, 200 miles an hour, flesh and bone and plain old Newton… they all princess died.

It’s almost unfair that most people (in the US, anyway) who saw ‘Death Proof’ in the theater had to sit through the barrage of mayhem and massacre that was ‘Planet Terror’ beforehand.  Not to say that Robert Rodriguez’s half of ‘Grindhouse’ is bad, but it’s easy to see why so many people were disappointed in Quentin Tarantino’s half of the entire film.  ’Death Proof’ served as a bit of a comedown after the left and right pummelling of Rodriguez’s movie.  In fact, ‘Death Proof’ itself is like two movies under one roof.  The first half is incredibly dialogue heavy, and, if you’re not a lover of Tarantino’s brand of dialogue, you might be turned off before the whole thing gets going, before the engines begin to rev up for the second half.

It’s just one more instance in Tarantino’s career as a filmmaker that he looks at the rules of movie making and says “To hell with that.”  The first half of ‘Death Proof’ follows three women, Vanessa Ferlito, Jordan Ladd, and Sydney Tamiia Poitier.  Like ‘Jackie Brown,’ this half takes its time establishing these three women.  We follow them as they go about their evening, preparing themselves for heading out to a lake house for some weekend partying.  Little do they know a psychopath is stalking them.  When they first meet Stuntman Mike Mikke, played by Kurt Russell, they just think he’s creepy but nothing too harmful and nothing they should concern themselves with.  Over the course of the night, Stuntman Mike maneuvers his way into their good graces, even convincing one of the girls, Ferlito, into giving him a lapdance.  In keeping with the Grindhouse style of the whole experience, Tarantino gladly hacked this scene out of the finished version, as if some, horny projectionist had spliced it out for his own collection.  Needless to say, the night doesn’t end well for any of these girls.

If you haven’t seen ‘Death Proof,’ it’s probably a pretty good idea you not play this video.

Like with so many of the genres he has tackled, Tarantino takes the modern slasher and turns it on its ear.  ’Death Proof’ is unlike any slasher film we have ever seen, setting up a first act that makes you believe the remainder of the film is going to be about this killer working his way through one group of helpless victims.  Fortunately for us, we are dealing with a filmmaker who has no intentions of running along the rails.  Therefore, what we are given is a film in two halves, the first of which is a slasher movie where there are no survivors from the clutches of the villainous killer.

The second half of ‘Death Proof’ is a whole other matter.  It takes place 14 months after the events of the first half, and Stuntman Mike has moved on to a whole new cropping of women to victimize.  This time around, he sets his sights on a group of women working on a local film crew.  Among these women is stuntwoman Zoe Bell, who plays herself here.  The others in the group are Rosario Dawson, Tracie Thomas, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.  The group of girls, at the behest of Bell, go to look into test-driving a white, 1970 Dodge Challenger, just like the one Kowalski drives in ‘Vanishing Point.’  After getting the car out on the road, Bell unveils her true plan.  She wants to play a game called Ship’s Mast, in which she ties herself to the hood and someone else drives at top speeds.  It isn’t long after they begin playing that Stuntman Mike takes the opportunity to try to run the women off the road.

The culminating car chase is arguably one of the greatest car chases ever put to film.  Tarantino was never impressed by car chase sequences that utilized CGI.  He felt the last, great car chase sequence came from ‘Terminator 2,’ and, as such, he filmed his car chase without the usage of computer special effects and without speeding up the film.  He wanted to make a car chase that he could “feel in his stomach,” like the ones found in ‘Vanishing Point,’ ‘Dirty Mary Crazy Larry,’ and the original ‘Gone in 60 Seconds.’  Like those films, ‘Death Proof’ wasn’t simply a film that had a car chase somewhere within it.  The car chase was a part of the film, it became a part of why the film is so memorable, and the way it is devised and executed is breathtaking.  When the cars smash into one another, you can almost feel the metal hitting metal.  I’ll be the first to admit I enjoyed the shit out of the car chase in ‘Matrix Reloaded,’ but the way that car chase was shot and the usage of CG just made it all feel plastic.  ’Death Proof’ is hardcore steel through and through, and you notice the weight of the objects flying down the road in excess of 100 miles per hour.  This chase scene and the delicate way Tarantino wanted to handle it is also, more than likely, the reason the director served as his own director of photography for the first time in his career.  With full control on what was being shot, he could pin-point every, little detail that made the car chase found in ‘Death Proof’ work so well.

But car chase and amazing stunts aside, there is so much more working under the head, if you’ll excuse a pun, in ‘Death Proof.’  Back to the dialogue, it is undeniably Tarantino, and, just as he does with all of his films, he has chosen actors and actresses who can sing those lines of dialogue.  It’s not kitschy and quirky like something you might find in a film written by Diablo Cody, although that isn’t all bad either, but there’s a rhythmic way Tarantino’s converse with one another that you just don’t find anywhere else.  Some of the lines are monologues, some of them are redundant, and some are just, plain cool, but you know once someone says a line of dialogue Tarantino is proud to have written down.

It was a stroke of genius for Tarantino to hire Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike.  Russell wasn’t Tarantino’s first choice, though.  Actors like John Travolta, Willem Dafoe, John Malkovich and Sylvester Stallone were all considered.  None of them worked out due to prior commitments.  Even Kal Penn was approached at one point to star in the film.  However, Tarantino knew how much of a badass Russell was in his early career.  The films Russell collaborated with John Carpenter were enough to make Tarantino hand over the reigns of Stuntman Mike to him, and Russell does not disappoint one bit.  There are so many, different aspects Russell has to pull off in his performance of Stuntman Mike.  At one point, he has to be cool, but not too cool to overpower any amount of creepiness the character might need to convey.  Late in the film, he has to turn the character in a completely new direction, as the second set of would be victims turn their sights back on their attacker.  For the last, few moments of the film, alone, Russell deserved awards for his performance in ‘Death Proof.’

The film, as with all of Quentin Tarantino’s movies, has a booming soundtrack full of eclectic and lost greats.  Tracks like “Paranoi Prima” by Ennio Morricone and “Jeepster” by T. Rex bring the full force of the film’s badass potential to a head.  But it’s the end track, the song that would cap off the entire evening for those who attended the full ‘Grindhouse’ experience, that really sticks with you.  April March’s “Chick Habit” is not only an incredibly inspired choice for the end of ‘Death Proof,’ it is a song that commands your attention.  It is also a song that you will not get out of your head anytime soon.

As part of the three-hour-plus ‘Grindhouse,’ ‘Death Proof’ didn’t generate much box office buzz.  ’Grindhouse’ cost the Weinstein Company a total of $67 million, and it only made about $25 million back.  Of that $25 million, there is no telling the amount of people who even stuck around for ‘Death Proof.’  Many people, after ‘Planet Terror’ and the fake trailers that ran between the two films, got up and left, not being able to handle the cumbersome running time of seeing two features in one evening.  Internatinoally, ‘Death Proof’ was released by itself, just as ‘Planet Terror’ was.  27 minutes were put back in to the film, scenes that included the “lap dance” sequence taken out for effect in the ‘Grindhouse’ double feature.

While it ended up being a box office failure, and while many consider ‘Death Proof’ to be Tarantino’s first step towards his decline as a filmmaker, it remains, for me, anyway, as a true Quentin Tarantino film.  It has all the essential parts that make a Tarantino film so recognizable, measured and seasoned dialogue, beautifully crafted sequences of extreme violence, and a complete thumbing of the nose to modern, filmmaking convention.  It is Tarantino’s passion for film that drive him, and each of his films are his answer to a love he has for that particular genre.  While ‘Death Proof’ might be considered his version of a grindhouse movie, his version of a B-movie that is a long way from high art, it is still no less remarkable in its conception or execution than any of Quentin Tarantino’s other films.

I can’t make the claim that I’m any kind of a celebrity, but I think it’s safe to say there isn’t much of anything more annoying than the papparazzi.   Okay, maybe if some papparazzi jerk is shoving their camera right up in your face during a potential blizzard and just after you’ve come out of a Starbucks.   Little did the camera guy in this clip know that Tarantino had been working some martial arts magic with Gordon Liu in preparation for ‘Kill Bill.’   You can see the results below.

It’s probably going to break out as a debate whether or not QT was justified in getting pissy with this guy.   Personally, I don’t blame him one bit.   Regardless how you come down on it, you can’t help but smile just a little at Tarantino’s laugh after the guy slips on the ice.   Classic.

Almost more interesting than the films Quentin Tarantino has chosen to do are the ones he has either been rumored to be behind or has stated himself that he would like to do.   In honor of Quentin Tarantino week here on the site, we thought it was time to go back and look over some of these lost projects.   Some of them never got past the concept stage.   Some might even still be lingering somewhere in the back of QT’s mind.

There’s no surprise to anyone in saying Tarantino has been working for a few years now on getting a remake of Russ Myers’ 1966 ‘Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!’ off the ground.  The rumors began flying about this project back in January of 2008, when Liz Smith ran a small snippet about it in her column on Variety.  The announcement also came from the New York Post.  In her column, Smith had this to say about the project:

Tarantino wants his version to be even raunchier, natch. His first casting choices are Kim Kardashian, Eva Mendes and — oh, please! — Britney Spears. What, no Lindsay Lohan?

Almost immediately, the rumor wagons began circling about who would be cast, particularly in the role of Varla made completely unforgettable by the performance in the original by Tura Satana.  Later in 2008, July to be exact, Liz Smith ran another column, this time claiming that Tarantino had found his Varla.  Smith claimed Tarantino was considering casting porn star Tera Patrick in the lead role of his remake.

Tarantino, who has admired her past performances, thinks his “Pussycat” remake may be the mainstream jumpstart Tera needs.

Once again, the New York Post followed suit in making this announcement even getting a comment from Patrick about the potential of her playing the part.

It would be the hottest remake ever, and I’m honored to be considered.  I was built for this part.

These rumors quickly died out as another one came screaming at us later in the Summer.  In August, the UK paper, The Telegraph, seemed to confirm something Liz Smith had hinted at all the way back in January.  They claimed Tarantino had chosen, not “considering”, but had already cast, Britney Spears to the part.  Here is what The Telegraph claimed a source told them:

Quentin is convinced Britney will be brilliant. She’s delighted. She thinks it could turn her career around.

It is perfect Tarantino material. He wanted to get Britney first. She’s playing the most important character.

This rumor, evidently, had reached Tarantino’s ears earlier in the year.  He was claiming at Cannes in May that the idea of Britney Spears being cast in the film were complete bullshit.  Those cries of falsehood were confirmed just days after The Telegraph ran their story.  An unnamed rep for Spears had this to say to Access Hollywood:

Though she definitely intends to explore acting roles down the road, right now she’s concentrating on recording her next album.

Another source “close to Tarantino” simply said:

There is no truth to this.

In the Fall, we had the opportunity to sit down with none other than Tura Satana.  Needless to say, the idea of Tarantino remaking her famed film came up.  Here is what she had to say:

WAMG: So Tura, there are plenty of rumors going around about Quentin Tarantino remaking ‘Faster Pussycat Kill! Kill!’, can you tell us about that?

Tura: Yes, he is definitely making it.

WAMG: We are also hearing that he is looking at casting Britney Spears

Tura: No, that is not true. When I first heard that, I sent him an email and told him that, if she fills my role, I would come and castrate him!

WAMG: HA! Well, is he looking at you for advice and things of that sort?

Tura: Yes, we have talked about it. He is currently rewriting the entire script, I will definitely be involved.

You can check out the entire interview right here.

And that’s pretty much where the news about QT’s remake of ‘Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!’ ends.  Since mid-2008, he has been hard at work on ‘Inglourious Basterds.’  The remake is still at the forefront of Tarantino fan’s minds, and it remains the one film talked about in this column this week that still has a pretty good chance of getting made.  The IMDB page for it is still live, and, though he has been talking recently about finally doing a wester, this could be a project he revisits some day down the road.

And, for your chance to dish out who you think should play Varla, check out the Fantasy Cast we put together in this film’s honor.

Yes, that’s right. We Are Movie Geeks love Quentin Tarantino SOOO much that we’re giving you two, count’em TWO Tarantino-themed Top Ten Lists this week. Don’t you feel special? Above all else that Tarantino is a master of, his most defining skill would have to be his talent for crafting awesome dialogue. With that in mind, we decided to come up with our own Top Ten List of the Best Quotes from Tarantino’s Movies.

10. George Clooney as Seth Gecko, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN – “Did they look like psychos? Is that what they looked like? They were vampires. Psychos do not explode when sunlight hits them, I don’t give a fuck how crazy they are!”

9. Quentin Tarantino as Jimmie Dimmick, PULP FICTION – “I don’t need you to tell me how fucking good my coffee is…”

8. Lucy Liu as O-Ren and Uma Thrman as The Bride, KILL BILL vol.1 – “Silly rabbit. Trix are for kids.”

7. Harvey Keitel as Mr. White, RESERVOIR DOGS – “If you wanna know something and he won’t tell you, cut off one of his fingers. The little one. Then tell him his thumb’s next. After that he’ll tell you if he wears ladies underwear. I’m hungry. Let’s get a taco.”

6. Uma Thurman as The Bride vs. Copperhead, KILL BILL vol.1 – “It was not my intention to do this in front of you. For that, I’m sorry. But you can take my word for it, your mother had it coming. When you grow up, if you still feel raw about it, I’ll be waiting.”

5. Michael Madsen as Mr. Blonde, RESERVOIR DOGS – “Are you gonna bark all day little doggie, or are you gonna bite?”

4. David Carradine as Bill, KILL BILL vol.2 – “As you know, l’m quite keen on comic books. Especially the ones about superheroes. I find the whole mythology surrounding superheroes fascinating.”

3. Samuel L. Jackson as Jules and John Travolta as Vincent debating the foot massage, PULP FICTION

2. Vincenzo Coccotti explains Sicilians to Clifford Worley, TRUE ROMANCE

1. Jules Winnfield asks Brett if Marcellus Wallace looks like a bitch, PULP FICTION – “Say what again, I dare you!”

Even if you’re not a fan of the movies he puts out, you have to appreciate the passion Quentin Tarantino has for movies, both those he makes and those he bases his own works on.   If there’s nothing more fun than watching Tarantino talking about one of his movies, it’s watching him completely own a movie critic who just doesn’t get it.   The movie critic in question here is Jan Wahl, a film historian and notorious hat collector from San Francisco.   Tarantino came on a KRON-TV morning show to speak about his new film, ‘Kill Bill.’ Wahl, the resident critic, began criticizing his film for being too violent and not empowering women as Tarantino claimed the film did.

Watch QT unleash the thund-ah on Jan and her ridiculous hat!

Almost more interesting than the films Quentin Tarantino has chosen to do are the ones he has either been rumored to be behind or has stated himself that he would like to do.   In honor of Quentin Tarantino week here on the site, we thought it was time to go back and look over some of these lost projects.   Some of them never got past the concept stage.   Some might even still be lingering somewhere in the back of QT’s mind.

Tarantino has stated he believes the Shaw Brothers’ ‘The 36th Chamber of Shaolin,’ directed by fight choreographer Lau Kar-leung, to be the “3rd greatest kung fu movie of all time.”

For those who do not know much about the film, here is the synopsis: The anti-Ching patriots, under the guidance of Ho Kuang-han, have secretly set up their base in Canton, disguised as school masters. During a brutal Manchu attack, Lui manages to escape and devotes himself to learning the martial arts in order to seek revenge. In a short period of time he masters the deadly use of his fists, feet and palms, along with such weapons as swords, sticks, and lances. With his learning complete, he takes on the Manchus.

In 2003, in an interview with Oriental Daily, the director even let slip that he might be interested in remaking the film.   The paper stated that the Shaw Brothers had even asked Tarantino to direct the film but that production wouldn’t be underway until 2006 due to schedules.

This specific plan, however, was quickly proven to be erroneous, and it came out that there were no plans for Tarantino to produce an actual remake of ‘The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.’   However, Tarantino, always the film student, was heavily influenced by the film.   This can be seen in the training sequence seen in ‘Kill Bill Vol. 2.’   These are a direct reference to the classic, kung fu film.   Tarantino even cast Chia Hui Liu/Gordon Liu, star of ‘The 36th Chamber,’   in two, separate roles for ‘Kill Bill.’

Despite the idea of him remaking ‘The 36th Chamber,’ being false, Tarantino has previously stated that he would like to do a Chinese kung fu movie at some point in his career.

I have that thought all the time, but not this one (‘Kill Bill’). I think I will make one in the future. Certainly will be shot in China but in American way and with Chinese American as the leads. That’s because it’s impossible to blend Hong Kong actors and (mainland) Chinese actors into the whole movie. Chinese Americans are still Americans. By this way, all characters will speak the same language with the same accent. I want to shoot something of my own.

In an interview in April of 2007, Tarantino once again stated his desire to direct a Chinese kung fu story.   It was reported on Sina.com that he had signed an agreement with the Shaw Brothers giving him carte blanche to direct remakes of some of their films.   Among these films was ‘The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.’   Along with that film, Tarantino said he plans to produce abstractions of the storylines from ‘One-Armed Swordsman’ and ‘Dubei Dao.’   Just as Takashi Miike did with Japanese actors for ‘Sukyaki Western Django,’ Tarantino would cast Chinese actors for his new film but have them all speak in English.

While a direct remake of ‘The 36th Chamber of Shaolin’ doesn’t look like it will ever come to fruition, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Tarantino ended up making his kung fu movie.   In fact, just like ‘Inglourious Basterds,’ he may actually title the film ‘The 36th Chamber of Shaolin,’ but base the film around an original story.

Tomorrow’s Tarantino Lost Project: His remake of ‘Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!‘

When JACKIE BROWN was released twelve years ago expectations were off the charts. It had been three and a half long years since Quentin Tarantino had rocked the movie world with the one-two punch of RESERVOIR DOGS (1992) and PULP FICTION (1994). Since then he had laid relatively low, directing a segment of the anthology FOUR ROOMS, writing the vampire hybrid FROM DUSK TIL DAWN, and performing several forgettable “acting” roles (remember DESTINY TURNS ON THE RADIO? ……didn’t think so.) I remember my own expectations and anticipation for JACKIE BROWN when I first heard that Tarantino had cast ebony action icon Pam Grier in the lead. I assumed that he was going to take a crack at the Blaxploitation genre that he was a such a fan of and was honestly expecting afros, pimps, and bell-bottoms but, with the exception of it’s lead and some funky music from those films, it turned out to be nothing of the sort. Instead JACKIE BROWN, based on the 1993 novel “Rum Punch” by Elmore Leonard, was a slow-paced mature film that proved Quentin Tarantino was a real storyteller capable of adapting another writer’s work and creating a confident, seasoned narrative while maintaining his own voice as a director. They were Elmore Leonard’s characters, but they lived in Quentin Tarantino’s world. I think some viewers expecting more of the violence, pace, and tongue-in-cheek postmodernism of Tarantino’s first two films may have left theatres disappointed. There are only four deaths in the two and one half hours of JACKIE BROWN, all by gunshot, and take place more or less off-screen. The eager, in-your-face enthusiasm and energy of the director that defined RESERVOIR DOGS and even more so, PULP FICTION was subdued. The (mostly) straightforward chronology of JACKIE BROWN was a switch and there weren’t nearly as many offbeat conversations about pop culture this time around. Yet JACKIE BROWN is my favorite of Tarantino’s films, the one I’ve watched the most and twelve years on, it’s lost none of its breezy hipness and it’s the rare movie that gets more satisfying with repeated viewings.

The deliberate pace of JACKIE BROWN is established early as Tarantino’s script takes plenty of time establishing all of the characters. The plot, which switches the action from Leonard’s Miami to LA, is elaborate; black forty-ish stewardess Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) finds herself the pawn of several schemes as her sideline as a money courier for weapons dealer Ordell Robey (Samuel L. Jackson) gets her in trouble with federal agents (Michael Keaton and Michael Bowman) dedicated to bringing him down and in contact with aging Bail Bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster) who fears for her personal safety. She responds by coming up with an elaborate counterattack of her own and plots with Max to deprive Ordell and his ex-con henchman Louis (Robert DeNiro) of half a million dollars of ill-gotten cash while convincing the feds that she is not a target worth pursuing. JACKIE BROWN is engrossing, character-driven drama and it is evidence to Tarantino’s skill as director and writer that the unfolding crime plot becomes important to an audience that cares about Jackie Brown because the dangers he has placed her into are so convincing.

Tarantino had the clout in 1997 to cast anyone he wanted for JACKIE BROWN and I’m sure most of Hollywood wanted to work with him, and he put together his usual imaginative ensemble of major players, 70’s comeback stars, and fresh blood. Pam Grier was the now-mature siren of blaxploitation, the star of many 70’s urban classics such as COFFY (1973), BLACK MAMMA WHITE MAMMA (1973), FOXY BROWN (1974) and BUCKTOWN (1975, all available on MGM’s “Soul Cinema” DVD series). With her distinctive mega-fro, Grier was a statuesque, articulate ass-kicker in these films and Tarantino was a huge fan and she’s mentioned in his scripts for both RESERVOIR DOGS and TRUE ROMANCE. He’d originally considered Grier for PULP FICTION in the role ultimately played by Roseanne Arquette (which would have made her the mate of Eric Stoltz, an actor I can see Pam Grier breaking in half with two fingers), and changed the lead character in Leonard’s novel from a blonde caucasian to an African-American in order to accommodate Grier (in the novel, her name is Jackie Burke. Tarantino renamed her Brown after her character from FOXY BROWN). Pam Grier was 48 when she starred in JACKIE BROWN (though her character claims to be 44) and she gives a strong world-weary performance and is tough and believable when standing up to Jackson’s Ordell. It’s been noted that JACKIE BROWN did not do for Grier’s career what PULP FICTION did for John Travolta but then, how many parts are there in Hollywood for black women pushing 50? Pam Grier did receive some choice roles after JACKIE BROWN and since 2004 has been costarring on TV’s “The L-Word”.
For the tough but sympathetic, bail bondsman Max Cherry ,Tarantino cast 56 year-old Robert Forster. Forster had briefly been a major player in Hollywood, acting alongside Brando and Liz Taylor in REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE (1967) and had the lead in the cult films THE STALKING MOON (1968), and MEDIUM COOL (1969) followed by the TV detective show “Banyon”. In the 80’s he was toiling in exploitation films like ALLIGATOR (1980) and DELTA FORCE (1985) and by 1997 Forster must have considered his best roles behind him and was working as an acting teacher. But Tarantino remembered him and, after considering Gene Hackman and John Saxon, gave Forster the part and he was an inspired choice. Forster plays the tricky role rarely changing his expression, a tough feat for any actor. Forster’s performance is the most believable in the film and it’s no surprise that, even in a movie with the likes of Robert DeNiro and Samuel L. Jackson, it was Forster who received the movie’s only Oscar nomination. The heart of JACKIE BROWN is the affection that grows between Max and Jackie. It’s a romance that never quite turns romantic (they became lovers in the novel) and their attraction is always implied, which makes it all the more interesting.

At first, Samuel L. Jackson’s confident Ordell seems a pony-tailed retread a of his Jules character from PULP FICTION, but Ordell is a much darker sociopath than Jules and he gets scarier as the story progresses. DeNiro’s dryly plays Louis as a sloppy underachiever with a hang dog expression but a fatally short fuse and to me his character just gets funnier every time I watch JACKIE BROWN.

Bridget Fonda is droll as Melanie Ralston, Ordell’s nymphet beach bunny girlfriend who contemptuously fixes his drinks and answers his phone. Ordell warns Melanie that watching TV and doing drugs all day will rob her of her ambition. “”Not if your ambition is to get high and watch TV”,” she quickly replies. Tarantino claims to have modeled Melanie after 70’s exploitation queen Candice Rialson, the sexy blonde star of drive-in classics such as CANDY STRIPE NURSES and MAMA’S DIRTY GIRLS (both 1974). In one scene in JACKIE BROWN Melanie is watching DIRTY MARY CRAZY LARRY on TV, a 1974 film that starred Fonda’s father Peter and was one of the films Tarantino claims inspired his later DEATHPROOF. Sid Haig, who co-starred in five of Pam Grier’s best 70’ s films, has a cameo as a judge in JACKIE BROWN and would achieve cult status as Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie’s HOUSE OF 1,000 CORPSES (2003), and it’s sequel THE DEVILS REJECTS (2005).

Tarantino claims that in developing the script for JACKIE BROWN, he decided on most of the songs during the writing stage. He’s a firm believer that much of the personality a movie has is developed by the music that is going to be in it and he’s never hired a composer to score one of his films. His movies are filled with songs (mostly from the 60’s and 70’s) and musical cues lifted from other films reused creatively. JACKIE BROWN is filled with soul and funk music lifted from Blaxploitation film scores and some of it’s surprising highlights are “Longtime Woman” sung by Pam Grier when she starred in the 1971 women’s prison pic THE BIG DOLL HOUSE, and a cue from Manfred Hubler’s psychedelic score for Jess Franco’s VAMPYROS LESBOS (1971). Bobby Womack’s moving title song from the 1972 crime drama ACROSS 110th STREET plays over the opening and closing credits and a whole generation of film fans must now think of it as the theme from JACKIE BROWN (emotionally perfect, but technically 110th Street is an informal boundary line of Harlem and JACKIE BROWN is set in L.A.). Coincidentally, Pam Grier sang back-up for Bobby Womack before she began her career in film.

It would be six more years before Quentin Tarantino would return to feature film directing with KILL BILL VOL. 1, a bloody and stylish return to form. Both KILL BILLs and DEATHPROOF are great films but JACKIE BROWN, despite its straightforward plot and traditional delivery, remains my favorite Tarantino film. To me it’s the perfect mix of pulp fiction, Blaxploitation aesthetic, and film noir.

In 1955, the first Palm d’Or was handed out at the Cannes Film Festival to ‘Marty.’   It was the highest honor the festival gave out for achievement in cinematic brilliance.   Nearly 40 years later, and a brief hiatus in there where no Palm d’Ors were given out, a young filmmaker named Quentin Tarantino was awarded the prize.   The film he won it for was an amazing piece of film that grafted style, story, and character in all of its greatness.

Today, we bring you his acceptance speech for winning the Palm d’Or in 1994 for ‘Pulp Fiction.’   The film beat out 24, other candidates, and, in true, Tarantino fashion, he flips some hecklers the bird before he says word 1.   Brilliant.

Almost more interesting than the films Quentin Tarantino has chosen to do are the ones he has either been rumored to be behind or has stated himself that he would like to do.   In honor of Quentin Tarantino week here on the site, we thought it was time to go back and look over some of these lost projects.   Some of them never got past the concept stage.   Some might even still be lingering somewhere in the back of QT’s mind.

Let’s start the discussion on today’s film with a quote from our favorite director:

Someday I’m going to get   the rights to do ‘Casino Royale,’ the first James Bond novel, and do it the right way. I really wanted it to be my followup to ‘Pulp Fiction’ and do it with Pierce Brosnan, but have it take place after the events of ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ – after Bond’s wife, Tracy, has been killed. “I want Bond to be in mourning when he falls in love with Vesper Lynd, the woman in the novel. From what I know of Brosnan and read in interviews, I think he’d want to go in the direction I’d want to take Bond, though I’m not certain producers of the series would agree.

This quote came in October of 2003 in an interview Tarantino did with The New York Daily News.   The director even claimed to have been working behind the scenes with the Fleming family.   Still, Tarantino expressed a belief that producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli were hesitant to move their beloved franchise away from the action-oriented style to a more character-driven one.

In 2004, Tarantino had this to say to Sci-Fi Wire:

I don’t see that they have anything to lose at all.   They’ve got this gigantic franchise, they can’t do anything wrong with it. Pierce Brosnan’s only going to do one more movie for them, if that, so if he stayed on to do one more with me, let’s just this one year go my way and do it a little differently. I won’t do anything that will ruin the series.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a James Bond movie that didn’t cost $115 million and only cost $40 million or something like that?   You know it’s going to make its money back, and we [would] all do good. Maybe we win the critics this time, then you’re back in business the way you were before.

In that piece, Tarantino also expressed interest in making the new ‘Casino Royale’ adaptation a period piece, setting it in the swinging ’60s.

Of course, “certain producers” agreed that ‘Casino Royale’ was the way to go with the Bond franchise.   They just didn’t agree that Tarantino was the right choice to helm it.   In 2005, it was announced that Martin Campbell would be directing the next James Bond film, and that it would, in fact, be a reboot of the franchise starting with ‘Casino Royale.’

Needless to say, Tarantino believed his idea had been stolen.

I’m annoyed that the James Bond producers never even called me up to talk to me about it because I can tell you they would not be making ‘Casino Royale’ if I hadn’t talked about it first.

They should have called me. Especially since they are taking my idea and they are taking the publicity I gave them towards that idea. They should have at least out of courtesy had coffee with me.

Whether the Bond franchise rebooted with ‘Casino Royale’ had anything to do with Tarantino’s involvement with trying to get the film made remains to be revealed.   It does seem quite coincidental that the producers on the film went the direction they did after the long trek Tarantino took trying to get it made his way.   Who knows what a Tarantino written and directed James Bond film might have looked and sounded like?   We may never know.

Tomorrow’s Tarantino Lost Project: His remake of ‘The 36th Chamber of Shaolin’

In case you’ve literally been living under a rock, you should be aware that Quentin Tarantino’s newest masterpiece INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS opens this Friday. Being the Movie Geeks we are, we decided to devote an entire week to the modern maestro of cool cinema. Part of that week is today’s Top Ten List, which counts down the Movie Geek’s favorite characters created by tarantino himself. With INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS adding new memorable characters, we asked ourselves… Which Tarantino Characters are the most memorable of them all?

10. Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) from INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Lt. Aldo Raine, aka Aldo the Apache, from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee is a Lieutenant in the United States Army. He heads an elite group of Jewish American/German Soldiers that have been nicknamed “The Basterds”. They call him the Apache because he wants the scalps of his Nazi conquests, and those of his soldiers. He might lack social graces, but he is well known for what he does, which is killin’ Nazi’s, and he loves what he does! He will lead his unit into France, where there is a heavy Nazi presence, and take out as many Nazi’s as they possibly can. Brad Pitt does a great job in playing this All-American hero in the latest Tarantino gem “Inglorious Basterds”.

9. Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) from DEATH PROOF

Ladies, we’re gonna have some fun.

This is Stuntman Mike Mikke.  He’s a stuntman.  He’s also a psychopathic killer who stalks his victims with his decked out, 1970 Chevy Nova.  And who better to play such a killer than Snake Plissken himself.  Seriously, when it was announced a few years back that Quentin Tarantino would be making a slasher film for his part in GRINDHOUSE, horror fans around the world stood up and cheered.  It was the announcement that Kurt Russell had signed on to play the killer that really got movie fans in general frothing at the mouth to see this one.  Neither Tarantino nor Russell disappointed one bit.  Say what you will about the heavy-dialogue scenes and the few and far between kill shots.  DEATH PROOF is one badass ride, and it is made all the more badass by Russell.  But Stuntman Mike isn’t all smoky beard and sunglasses.  The guy’s got a lighter side.  Just reference the second half of the film for that.  Don’t let those cries of panic and banshee screams of pain fool you, though.  We all know that, even in those final moments, Stuntman Mike is one, cool customer.

8. O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) from KILL BILL

Lucy Liu was perfect as O-Ren Ishii, a product of three cultures (Chinese, Japanese and American) combined into one deadly and determined agent of power and beauty. O-Ren was orphaned as a child by gangsters, so it’s ironic she would become one herself. She is a business-woman, a warrior and a work of visual beauty, but she strikes fear into the hearts of those who might oppose her. That is, until she met her match in one of the coolest old school samurai showdowns in modern cinematic history when she squared off for the last time against Black mamba, aka Beatrix Kiddo, also known as The Bride. O-Ren was trained in the ways of the samurai, applied the wisdom of The Art of War to her business dealings and had no fear. O-Ren ruled her criminal kingdom with an iron fist and a steel blade, but finally succumbed to an honorable warrior’s demise at the hands of her blonde nemesis.

7. Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) from JACKIE BROWN

Tarantino had the clout in 1997 to cast anyone he wanted for JACKIE BROWN and, after PULP FICTION, most of Hollywood no doubt wanted to work with him. Ebony action icon Pam Grier was the now-mature siren of blaxploitation, the star of many 70’s urban classics such as COFFY, BLACK MAMMA WHITE MAMMA, and FOXY BROWN, films that Tarantino was a huge fan of. With her distinctive mega-fro, Grier was a statuesque, articulate ass-kicker in these films and she’s mentioned by name in Tarantino’s scripts for both RESERVOIR DOGS and TRUE ROMANCE and he’d originally considered Grier for PULP FICTION in the role ultimately played by Roseanne Arquette. Tarantino changed the lead character in Elmore Leonard’s 1993 novel “Rum Punch”, upon which JACKIE BROWN is based, from a blonde Caucasian to an African-American in order to accommodate Grier (in the novel, her name is Jackie Burke. Tarantino renamed her Brown after her character from FOXY BROWN). Pam Grier was 48 when she starred in JACKIE BROWN (though her character claims to be 44) and she gives a strong world-weary performance and is tough and believable when standing up to Samuel L. Jackson’s scary villain Ordell Robie. It’s been noted that JACKIE BROWN did not do for Grier’s career what PULP FICTION did for John Travolta but then, how many parts are there in Hollywood for black women pushing 50? Pam Grier did receive some choice roles after JACKIE BROWN and since 2004 has been costarring on TV’s “The L-Word”.

6. Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) from PULP FICTION

Chronologically, when we first see Butch Coolidge in PULP FICTION, he’s watching an episode of CLUTCH CARGO.  That, alone, puts this aging boxer into all of our “cool books.”  However, the coolness coming from Butch, and, more importantly, from Bruce Willis, doesn’t stop at the presence of Paddlefoot.  Here is a guy who has no problem beating a fellow boxer to death, has no problem filling an unarmed hitman with machine gun lead, but also has the decency to go back for a fellow man, a man who would kill Butch if given the chance, who is being violated by a couple of raping hillbillies.  Not only that, he does so with a thankfully convenient Samurai sword.  I’m sure it was probably a Hattori Hanzo if we delve much deeper.  It is only the presence of one Jules Winnfield played by the always-badass Samuel L. Jackson in this film that keeps Butch from being the coolest thing about PULP FICTION.

5. Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) from RESERVOIR DOGS

Mr. Pink is the only main character in “Reservoir Dogs” that is left without much of a back story or a description. Played By Steve Buscemi, we know that he is notoriously cheap by his strong, negative feelings about tipping his waitress. He is so cheap that he won’t even leave a dollar. After the diamond heist, he reveals to Mr. White back at the rendezvous point, the warehouse, that he managed to get away with a bag of diamonds despite the shootings and the cops sudden appearance at the scene. He is also the one to figure out that there is a rat among them. Someone who told the cops what they were up to. The cops were there way to quickly if they were just responding to the alarm at the store. He is the only known surviving character of the film, and his characters fate is pretty much left to our imagination. We do hear a car engine once he leaves the warehouse, and police sirens, but nothing is known of what actually happens to him. Maybe someday we will figure it out!

4. Bill/Snake Charmer (David Carradine) from KILL BILL

David Carradine is a legend in the world of Kung Fu and I didn’t think he could be anymore badass than he was in some of his former roles. After appearing in more than 100 films, and of course the legendary ‘Kung Fu’ tv series he took on a role that was imagined from the brilliant mind of Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino took him to a whole new level of badass playing the title character in the ‘Kill Bill’ movie(s). He double crossed his once lover, The Bride, who was pregnant with his baby at the time by shooting her in the head. Unfortunately for him the shot didn’t kill her and when she woke up, it was time to…Kill…Bill.

3. The Bride/Beatrix Kiddo (Uma Thurman) from KILL BILL

The Bride aka Black Mamba is really just Beatrix Kiddo, a highly trained assassin and the right hand man of Bill, leader of the Deadly Vipers Assassination Squad. Played by Uma Thurman in Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2, Beatrix and Bill soon became lovers, and she became pregnant. Once she found out, she faked her own death, fled and changed her name to Arlene Machiavelli so that her and her child could have a normal life, away from the dangers of an assassins lifestyle. She soon found love in Tommy Plymptom, and on the night of their wedding rehearsal, Bill had learned that she was still alive and hunted her down. They were civil, and he was even brought into the rehearsal after she had lied to him, making him believe that the baby was Tommy’s. The damage was already done. Members of the DVAS came in to kill everyone, and just before she was shot in the head, she admitted that it was Bill’s baby. Now a survivor, after four years in a coma, it’s time for the Bride to seek her revenge, to kill everyone involved in ruining her wedding, killing her family, and wrecking her life. Most importantly, it’s time to Kill Bill!

2. Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) from RESERVOIR DOGS

Mr. Blonde is the alias of a cool cat named Vic Vega (also known as Toothpick Vic) in Tarantino’s very first film “Reservoir Dogs” played by Michael Madsen. After the heist that left one of their thieving crew dead and another missing, Mr. Blonde is suspected of being a possible rat by Mr. White and Mr. Pink. It doesn’t help his case that when he finally comes back to the warehouse, he shows his true colors. He’s cocky, soft-spoken, and utterly sadistic! He shows us just how crazy he really is by torturing a police officer by slicing his face, cutting his ear off and then dousing him with gasoline. This is all done to the cool sounds of “Stuck in the Middle With You” by Stealer’s Wheel. Tarantino always knows how to spice up a scene with a great soundtrack. So ask yourself one question… “Are you gonna bark all day little doggy? Or are you gonna bite?”

1. Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) from PULP FICTION

How could you possibly NOT find Jules Winnfield to be one of the baddest, coolest cats on the planet? You would certainly know the tyranny of evil men if ever caught staring down the barrel of his gun. Jules has a stare that burns holes in your forehead and if you cross him, he’ll let you know. Samuel L Jackson truly invented this role, playing off of Tarantino’s rhythmic and poetically urban dialogue, Jackson found his breakout role thanks to Tarantino. Can you imagine ANYONE else being able to pull of this role better than Samuel L. Jackson?

So many of the best lines in PULP FICTION came from the mouth of Jules Winnfield. Whether speaking of metaphysical anomalies, international drive thru cuisine or sexual relationships of an awkward nature, Jules always had something to say and it was always colorful. Jules truly is a badass mother f**ker… his wallet said so, but in the end he experiences a metamorphosis of character, choosing to leave behind his life of crime and violence for the more enlightened, unpredictable path of a peaceful traveler searching for the meaning of life. It’s a fascinating character arc that is reminiscent of David Carradine in KUNG FU (but, without the kung fu) and will not soon be forgotten as an iconic role that has infiltrated our modern culture and language.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 15 years since PULP FICTION debuted, officially making Quentin Tarantino a household name. I was in my junior year of high school when Tarantino’s opus hit theaters. I hadn’t yet gotten the filmmaking bug at that time, that would plant its seed my senior year, but what this film did was to solidify my status as a movie geek.

I’d already been an avid movie-watcher, going through an average of probably 2-3 movies a week. That doesn’t sound like much, but keep in mind I was in high school and had plenty of that nasty homework stuff to wade through when I wasn’t working for gas money. What PULP FICTION did was to make concrete my appreciation of and passion for the creative process of making movies.

PULP FICTION was such a breath of fresh air… well, fresh air with plenty of profanity, but there really hadn’t been anything quite like this movie when it came out. While the film was incredibly original and hip and cool, it also was filled with throwbacks and homage to older films, classics and genre gems that I hadn’t even heard of at the time.

Watching PULP FICTION for the first time is an experience that movie geeks can relish and from which newcomers can learn a bit of movie history. For movie geeks, the film can be a game of “Where’s the reference?” Many scenes have a duel purpose, the primary goal is naturally to move the story forward, but Tarantino loves to where his geekiness on his sleeve.

The scene featured above (funny with French subtitles) has Butch Coolidge is searching for a suitable weapon to kill Zed and rescue Marsellus. This is an homage to multiple films, each weapon referencing a different movie… the baseball bat from WALKING TALL (1973), the hammer from THE TOOLBOX MURDERS (1978), the chainsaw from TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974). Butch finally settles on the katana, or samurai sword, which is more of a genre reference that clearly influences Tarantino’s work.

Harvey Keitel’s “Wolf” character is derives partially from Luc Besson’s LA FEMME NIKITA. The dance competition at Jack Rabbit Slim’s is derived from Jean-Luc Godard’s 1964 film Bande a part (Band of Outsiders) from which Tarantino also named his production company.

Honestly, before experiencing PULP FICTION I seriously doubt I could have clearly and accurately defined what exploitation cinema was. Granted, my awareness of this genre of film would not occur instantaneously overnight, but once again Tarantino would prove to be my guide into another new world of moving picture pleasure.

My discovery of other great films through PULP FICTION as my cinematic gateway wouldn’t truly take hold for a couple years, once I was in college. Until I first saw PULP FICTION, my modus operandi when it came to recreational movie-watching was still fairly limited to horror and sci-fi films as well as American action flicks. I had only just begun to discover some of the standards of Hong Kong martial arts films.

PULP FICTION is a film that doesn’t easily fall into one specific category of movies. It had action, drama, comedy, and mystery and if you want to get technical, added a little science fiction of sorts. Yeah, I’m talking about that all-to-famous scene when Vincent checks out the contents of the brief case, which is actually an homage to Robert Aldrich’s 1955 movie KISS ME DEADLY.

That mysterious golden glow would spawn and ongoing debate with my closest friends who also has a developing appreciation of film. Without a doubt, our obsession with what was in the brief case was not an isolated phenomenon, as other fans across the country were having the exact same debates that would takes years to fully fall by the wayside.

Tarantino’s second movie would prove to be perhaps his best, meaning he’s set the bar high for all his films to come. Fortunately, Tarantino is a brilliant filmmaker and has been able to continually produce quality films that repeatedly meld the crossbreeding of innovation and homage, pushing himself in a progressive direction, but never forgetting the influence other films and directors have had on his own style.

PULP FICTION wasn’t just a landmark film for Tarantino, but it was a crucial film for several members of the cast. Before this film, John Travolta’s biggest claim to fame since the late 70’s with SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER and GREASE was with his LOOOK WHO’S TALKING trilogy, the third of which came out the year before Tarantino would receive his comeback opportunity from Tarantino as a super-cool rebellious hit man named Vincent Vega.

Aside from his work with Spike Lee, and a role in Scorsese’s GOODFELLAS, Samuel L. Jackson had been primarily used in stock bit roles and small supporting character parts. For an African-American who was literally credited as “Black Guy” in 1989’s SEA OF LOVE, it may have seemed a distant goal to reach the level of success that Jackson would experience in 1993-94.

The Hughes Brothers would start the trend in 1993 by casting Jackson in MENACE II SOCIETY, followed by JURASSIC PARK and TRUE ROMANCE, written by Tarantino. This undoubtedly led Jackson to his role in PULP FICTION, as Tarantino probably found himself awe-struck by his kindred style.

Uma Thurman, a beautiful woman and a talented actress, was not new to receiving great roles prior to PULP FICTION, but she also wasn’t a recognizable talent either. Prior to 1994, Thurman had worked with Terry Gilliam (BARON MUNCHAUSEN), Stephen Frears (DANGEROUS LIASONS), Phillip Kaufman (HENRY & JUNE) and Gus Van Sant (EVEN COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES). So, working with Tarantino may have been a change of pace, but what this actress/director relationship would do is put her on the Hollywood map and make her a highly recognizable star.

Popular culture, both old and new, decorate PULP FICTION on every level. From the wardrobe and cars to locations and especially music, we find ourselves strangely straddling the past and the present. The soundtrack was one for the ages, including music from Kool & the Gang, Al Green, Dusty Springfield and Chuck Berry, just to name a few.

Whether it’s ‘Surf Rider’ during the opening credits or ‘Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon’ from Neil Diamond, performed by Urge Overkill during Mia Wallace’s overdose scene, the music is actually the backbone of this movie. Without the music, the scenes lose their uniquely playful but serious tone.

Jack Rabbit Slim’s with it’s $5 milk shakes and servers dressed like Buddy Holly and Jane Mansfield co-exist with mob hit-men waxing philosophical and suburban-based high-end drug dealers. Even the boxing match that Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) is supposed to throw for Marsellus Wallace is a throwback to another era. It would seem out of place in today’s culture, but Tarantino created a sort of alternate universe by which this and other events could occur out of their normal timetable.

So, what about the people who paid their ticket price and didn’t like PULP FICTION? Believe it or not, they are out there, but don’t ask me what’s wrong with them. Regardless of whatever their reasons are for disliking this film, one thing cannot be dismissed… PULP FICTION was a revolutionary cinematic event, featuring multiple elements that made it stand apart from the pack.

PULP FICTION presented itself in a severely non-linear style of storytelling, with it’s parts edited together out of sequence, taking the viewer forward and backward in time as well as taking them across time from one event to another happening simultaneously. For some, this became the strongest argument from those who would criticize PULP FICTION as a confusing mess. Of course, we know better than that, don’t we?

Coincidentally, this style of writing and ultimately editing PULP FICTION out of sequence was the corner stone of the film’s success. Initially, the diner scenes with Ringo and Honey Bunny have little purpose in the story, but in the end they serve a vital purpose. It’s all in the way the puzzle is put together. Try and imagine the film as a purely linear story… does it still make sense? Does it still hold your interest? The same story told in a linear fashion would not work.

While RESERVOIR DOGS had more than it’s share of sharp, intelligent and gritty dialogue, once again it would be PULP FICTION that truly placed Tarantino on the short list of writers who have mastered the colorful and intriguing, while not entirely realistic style of writing dialogue that flows “like butta”. I personally rank Tarantino right alongside David Mamet as a master of writing this kind of surreal, poetic dialogue. Yes, I DID just describe Tarantino’s dialogue as “poetic”.

I see some of you still shaking your head at me, refusing to give PULP FICTION its rightful place in cinematic history. Fine. You don’t have to believe me. Just look at its critical record… nominated for seven Oscars winning one for Best Original Screenplay, won the Golden Palm at Cannes Film Festival, won Golden Globe for Best Screenplay and won four of five nominations at the Independent Spirit Awards.

Altogether, according to IMDB, PULP FICTION won 44 awards on top of 40 additional nominations… what’s that? I’m sorry. I thought I heard your jaw drop. By the way, PULP FICTION remains strong with viewers, it holds its place at #5 on IMDB’s Top 250 List based on more than 359,200 votes and currently boasts a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomato-Meter.

Quentin Tarantino has made seven feature films now (eight if you count ‘My Best Friend’s Birthday, but not even the marketers for ‘Kill Bill’ counted that one).   Each of these seven films, I’m sure, falls somewhere on someone’s list of Top 20 films.   Well, have you wondered what Mr. Tarantino’s Top 20 films are?   We don’t have that, but we do have him talking about his Top 20 films since 1992, the year he broke in with ‘Reservoir Dogs.’

This list comes from Sky Movies, and it was brought to our attention by our buddies over at Gordon and the Whale.   If you don’t want to watch the clip, here are the list of the movies Tarantino dishes out alphabetically:

Anything Else
Audition
Battle Royale
Blade
Boogie Nights
Dazed & Confused
Dogville
Fight Club
Fridays
Host, The
Insider, The
Joint Security Area
Lost In Translation
Matrix, The
Memories of Murder
Police Story 3
Shaun of the Dead
Speed
Team America
Unbreakable

Awesome to see he loves ‘Joint Security Area,’ though I’m shocked to see it make the list and not ‘Oldboy.’   In fact, can’t say I argue with any of these films, the ones I’ve seen, anyway.   Not too sure about ‘Anything Else,’ but Tarantino having it on his list makes me curious to seek it out.

Almost more interesting than the films Quentin Tarantino has chosen to do are the ones he has either been rumored to be behind or has stated himself that he would like to do.   In honor of Quentin Tarantino week here on the site, we thought it was time to go back and look over some of these lost projects.   Some of them never got past the concept stage.   Some might even still be lingering somewhere in the back of QT’s mind.   Who knows?   Maybe this time next decade, all of these might be in his queue.   It took this long to get ‘Inglourious Basterds’ to completion.   There might still be hope for these yet.

First up is Quentin’s proposed adaptation of ’40 Lashes Less One.’   Based on the Elmore Leonard Western novel, the story centers around two prisoners who are facing a death sentence at Yuma prison. One is black and the other is an Apache halfbreed.   They are given a chance for freedom in exchange for hunting down and killing the five, most notorious outlaws in the West.

News of this project came about in 2000, three years after ‘Jackie Brown’ and right in the middle of the biggest Tarantino drought we would see since his debut in 1992.   It was rumored to be starring Samuel L. Jackson and either Adam Sandler or Bruce Willis.   Miramax owned the rights to the novel at the time (they have since switched over to Tarantino’s sole possession), and, since Tarantino is a huge Leonard fan, it was looking pretty good that this would be next on his plate.   Time went by, and nothing came about.

In May of 2001, as the film world was gearing up for Cannes, rumors began popping up all around that Tarantino had secretly shot a film and that he was going to debut it at a super secret screening at the film fest.   Someone who calls themselves The QT sent in a report a few days before Cannes kicked off to Aint It Cool News.   This person claimed they had been perusing Tarantino’s producing partner, Roger Avery’s website.   Under the “filmmaker’s journal” section of the site, Avery had given this update:

39 is this week’s lucky number.   Cannes you dig it?

Needless to say, this got the Internet world frothing at the mouth that this “secret” movie Tarantino would be showing would be his ’40 Lashes Less One’ adaptation.   Cannes 2001 came and went, and there was no ’40 Lashes Less One’ to be found.

In the last, few years, with Tarantino pumping out films on a pretty regular basis now, this notion of him adapting the Leonard novel has gone by the wayside.   This isn’t to say the project is entirely dead, though.   In a chat-room interview in 2007 onTarantino.info, the director was asked if ’40 Lashes Less One’ was still on his to-do list.   Here was the response:

Yeah it is, I actually own the rights to that novel. It’s a terrific novel. I could never let go of it. I’ve written about, like 20 pages of the adaptation of it. But I might very well do it some time. It’s the only thing that I have just kind of held on to, that I can’t quite let go. I might do it some time.

In recent months, Tarantino has stated that he would like to do a Western next.   Could this be the adaptation of ’40 Lashes Less One’ finally getting itself out of the director’s mind and onto the screen?   Only time will tell.

Tomorrow’s Tarantino Lost Project: Tarantino’s James Bond Film

Are you gonna bark all day little doggie, or are you gonna bite?

A long, long time ago, (1992 to be exact), a magical man names Quentin Tarantino made his debut as a director with the classically smooth and violent masterpiece Reservoir Dogs.

Reservoir Dogs follows Joe Cabot’s gang (Lawrence Tierney) and their bank heist mission. The only problem is this mission goes wrong… terribly, terribly wrong. With one member dead, and another missing, the surviving members Mr. White (Harvey Keitel), Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), and Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) are hiding in a warehouse until they figure out what to do.   Tarantino plays Mr. Brown, one of two men that don’t make it back to the warehouse. Tension builds and emotions begin to escalate as Mr. White shows up with a little something in his trunk. Add Mr. White and Mr. Pink discussing that a traitor might be among them, (because of how fast the police showed up at the robbery scene) and you have one hell of a movie!

Talk about hitting the casting jackpot with his directorial debut! Tarantino could not have done a better job with the casting job on this one! Keitel, Buscemi, Roth, Madsen… they all fit their parts to a tee. Tarantino digs deep into the character development, not only giving them each a well rounded, unique personality, but also giving them all a kind of humanity to show that they are not just criminals, but multi dimensional. He also does a great job of keeping the plot interesting. With all of the twists and turns involved, it’s hard to predict how any of it is going to end. Tarantino has said that he was really inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing to make this film, and you can kind of tell with the crazy, twisty plot!

The film is testosterone driven, with violence, vulgar language, and bad guys doing bad guy stuff, yet is written in such a witty way that it easily appeals to   more than just the rock eating meat head. Heck, this chick loves it! Even the violence! Some argue that the violence in this movie was completely pointless. I disagree. I feel that it really helped with the character development. The language in this film is great! Every character, no matter how gangster or ignorant, speak in an eloquent fashion filled with pop culture. People generally don’t talk that way, which makes it even more entertaining to watch.

The movie has become a cult classic. It’s hard to believe that Tarantino was working as a video store clerk when him and his friends were going to take on this movie with a mere $30,000 budget. Just like magic, Harvey Keitel became involved, agreeing to act in it and co-produce, and they were able to get $1.5 million to make this film. The film opened in 19 theaters across the United States, taking in $147, 839 in the first week and $2,832,029 total during its box office run in the states.

Needless to say, the success of Reservoir Dogs skyrocketed Tarantino’s career. If it weren’t for the success of this film, we would have missed out on a slew of great films. So let’s kick off Quentin Tarantino week right and give this man, and this movie some praise for entertaining us and blowing out movie loving minds!

Cheers Mr. Tarantino!