The Movie Critic (Quentin Tarantino's supposed final movie)

[Edmilson 7,434]

After Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, guess what: QT's next movie will also be about cinema!

 

Quentin Tarantino reveals final film is based on porn magazine film critic

The Pulp Fiction director says his next movie will be his last.

[Groovygoth666 663]

On one hand I'm a little disappointed that Tarantino is going back to 70's Hollywood straight after OUATIA, especially as he did two westerns in a row. But OTOH as it's something he's passionate about I'm sure it'll be great. 

 

Tarantino has said he'd retire after directing 10 films, he considers this his tenth film right?

[Jay 37,346]

Yeah

[A24 4,331]

2 hours ago, Groovygoth666 said:

On one hand I'm a little disappointed that Tarantino is going back to 70's Hollywood straight after OUATIA ...

 

Yes, but it takes place in 1977 so all is forgiven. 

 

We'll finally know what that porn magazine had to say about Star Wars!

[Groovygoth666 663]

38 minutes ago, Jay said:

Yeah

Thought so, well that feels good to know as a couple of years ago I had a very heated debate at a local pub quiz over the answer to "how many films has Quentin Tarantino directed?", the guy giving the quiz counted Kill Bill as two films (which is fair enough) but also counted Four Rooms!

 

20 minutes ago, AC1 said:

 

Yes, but it takes place in 1977 so all is forgiven. 

 

We'll finally know what that porn magazine had to say about Star Wars!

When you put it that way seeing what a 70's porn mag has to say on Star Wars will make it all worthwhile 😂.

[Thor 7,493]

Yeah, known about this for a while, and as someone who's worked as a movie critic myself for the last 15 years or so, I think it's an interesting premise. I've recently also received his new book about movie criticism, which I look forward to reading this summer.

 

I do sometimes wonder if he will be able to keep his promise about finishing his film career after this.

[mrbellamy 6,278]

He's been so bullish about it for years and now starting to do all the things he always said he was going to do instead that I believe him. I think this is definitely the only movie he makes in his 60s, maybe he'll change his mind when he's closer to 80 but idk. By then he might be even more stubborn about it if this one goes well and he feels even more correct the longer his filmography is in rearview. 

 

But it almost doesn't matter since he's also mentioned wanting to write and direct a TV miniseries recently. He's not going to stop doing things and he'll move the goalposts around but he hasn't changed his tune about this for so long. 

[Marian Schedenig 8,191]

4 hours ago, Thor said:

Yeah, known about this for a while, and as someone who's worked as a movie critic myself for the last 15 years or so, I think it's an interesting premise.

 

I don't think what the above article says about it is a premise. "It's a film about a film critic writing for a porn magazine" doesn't really say what it's about, or even what kind of film it's going to be. Let's see what comes out of it. I'd love to see Tarantino go out with a bang; OUATIH was solid, with some great scenes, but ultimately probably my least favourite Tarantino.

[Thor 7,493]

Yeah, we don't know which critic the film is based on, and any particular details about the plot or premise. But bits and pieces are coming out. Here's a blurb re-posted on FSM:

 

Quote

THE MOVIE CRITIC---Quentin Tarantino commented on the movie critic that inspired his upcoming movie after denying it was Pauline Kael, “He wrote about mainstream movies and he was the second-string critic. I think he was a very good critic. He was as cynical as hell.
His reviews were a cross between early Howard Stern and what Travis Bickle [Robert DeNiro’s character in TAXI DRIVER] might be if he were a film critic. Think about Travis’s diary entries. But the porno rag critic was very, very funny. He was very rude, you know. He cursed. He used racial slurs. But his s— was really funny. He was as rude as hell.
He wrote like he was 55, but he was only in his early to mid-30s. He died in his late thirties. It wasn’t clear for a while, but now I’ve done some more research, and I think it was it was complications due to alcoholism.”

 

[Marian Schedenig 8,191]

Yes, that's also quoted in the article above. It gives a rough idea about what's probably going to be the main character of the film, but I doubt the film will be mainly about him criticising films in a rude manner.  

[Thor 7,493]

Of course not. But how often have we seen film critics in starring roles of anything, really? Journalists, yes, but film critics? That alone is a pull-in for me, whatever the plot is otherwise.

[GerateWohl 4,356]

There are probably more movies about restaurant critics than about movie critics.

[Thor 7,493]

Yeah. I seem to vaguely remember an animated TV show about a film critic, but I really have to wreck my brain in order to come up with a previous film that had one in a main role.

[Marian Schedenig 8,191]

2 hours ago, Thor said:

Of course not. But how often have we seen film critics in starring roles of anything, really? Journalists, yes, but film critics? That alone is a pull-in for me, whatever the plot is otherwise.

 

There's that, sure. And one of the best film about films that's not really about films (how's that for a genre) is De Palma's Blow Out, which I believe Tarantino holds in high regard, so there's potential.

[mrbellamy 6,278]

One other possible tidbit about this movie, courtesy of Paul Schrader

 

Quote

Quentin [Tarantino] — this may have changed — but about a month ago he was making a film, had something to do with filmmaking in the ’70s. And part of this, he’s going to use clips from movies from the ’70s, but he’s also gonna remake movies from the ’70s. And he asked me, ‘Can I redo the ending of “Rollling Thunder?”’ And I said, ‘Yeah, go for it. I’d love to see you redo the ending of “Rolling Thunder.”’ Who knows whether he actually will or not. But it was something that was tickling his imagination in a very Tarantino-esque way.

 

[A24 4,331]

2 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

I don't think what the above article says about it is a premise. "It's a film about a film critic writing for a porn magazine" doesn't really say what it's about, or even what kind of film it's going to be. Let's see what comes out of it. I'd love to see Tarantino go out with a bang; OUATIH was solid, with some great scenes, but ultimately probably my least favourite Tarantino.

 

It does sound like Tarantino in a Jackie Brown / Once Upon a Time In Hollywood mode, which is what I'm hoping for. Of course, if the main character is a movie critic during the day but a Nazi hunter at night, then I'm not that interested any more.

[Glóin the Dark 1,220]

2 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

...I doubt the film will be mainly about him criticising films in a rude manner. 

 

I'd say it'll be 45% him criticising films in a rude manner, 45% him venerating other films in a rude manner, and 10% bloodbath in a climactic confrontation with a disgruntled film-maker.

[JTN 2,003]

This reminds me of George Lucas saying in every interview he gave in 2012 after selling his companies that he was going to make small personal, experimental non-linear films. 
 

Tarantino wants to be special, but saying you’re special isn’t enough to make you special, you actually have to be that.

Meanwhile I to this day haven’t seen a single Tarantino-film that made me think this film is really special or that it will stand the test of time. All I see is ripping off other films and soundtracks, and lots of female foot fetish. 

[Glóin the Dark 1,220]

19 minutes ago, JTW said:

I to this day haven’t seen a single Tarantino-film that made me think...it will stand the test of time.

 

It's been about three decades since Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction burst onto the scene and they still seem to be as highly regarded as ever. Surely, as far as the test of time goes, they're doing about as well as they possibly could have...

[mrbellamy 6,278]

If Pulp Fiction isn't standing the test of time, then 90s cinema is vanishing into obscurity altogether except maybe Titanic lol. 

[JTN 2,003]

 

7 hours ago, Glóin the Dark said:

they still seem to be as highly regarded as ever.

Not by me. I never understood the hype about any of Tarantino’s films. I saw Pulp Fiction in 1994 and didn’t like it. I tried rewatching it, but turned it off after 15 minutes. To me it’s not cinema, like the films of Kevin Smith. They’re artificial constructs, wet dreams of a film fanatic who loves B movies. They’re just not for me.

7 hours ago, mrbellamy said:

If Pulp Fiction isn't standing the test of time, then 90s cinema is vanishing into obscurity altogether except maybe Titanic lol. 

I couldn’t disagree more with this.

[Glóin the Dark 1,220]

43 minutes ago, JTW said:

 I saw Pulp Fiction in 1994 and didn’t like it...

 

Sure - for you personally it didn't stand the test of a single viewing, so the test of time is presumably a non-starter!

 

43 minutes ago, JTW said:

To me it’s not cinema, like the films of Kevin Smith.

 

You mean "not cinema, like the films of Kevin Smith" or "not cinema, like the films of Kevin Smith"? I guess the former, but I haven't seen the films of Kevin Smith.

[Brónach 1,302]

I haven't cared for anything this guy does in many years.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,515]

DOGMA is absolutely brilliant.

[GerateWohl 4,356]

4 hours ago, JTW said:

Meanwhile I to this day haven’t seen a single Tarantino-film that made me think this film is really special or that it will stand the test of time.

That's what I used to think about Oliver Stone. But of Tarantino I think, his movies were brillant then and so they are still today.

[JTN 2,003]

7 hours ago, Glóin the Dark said:

 

Sure - for you personally it didn't stand the test of a single viewing, so the test of time is presumably a non-starter!

 

 

You mean "not cinema, like the films of Kevin Smith" or "not cinema, like the films of Kevin Smith"? I guess the former, but I haven't seen the films of Kevin Smith.

The latter.

3 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

That's what I used to think about Oliver Stone.

I love many of Oliver Stone's films. Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Heaven and Earth, Wall Street, JFK or Alexander are really good. 

[Glóin the Dark 1,220]

20 minutes ago, JTW said:

The latter.

Haha - yeah, I meant to guess the option in which Kevin Smith was not the primary exemplar of cinema.

[mstrox 6,651]

I haven’t seen Hateful 8, but otherwise I think Inglourious Basterds is the only one particularly worth revisiting.

[A24 4,331]

1 hour ago, mstrox said:

I haven’t seen Hateful 8, but otherwise I think Inglourious Basterds is the only one particularly worth revisiting.

 

Because? 

[Jurassic Shark 12,055]

It's good?

 

On 26/05/2023 at 5:39 PM, JTW said:

This reminds me of George Lucas saying in every interview he gave in 2012 after selling his companies that he was going to make small personal, experimental non-linear films. 

 

He already did that. 

[Edmilson 7,434]

1 hour ago, Jurassic Shark said:

He already did that. 

Yeah, like Star Wars, where he started with 4 and only did 1 after the sixth.

 

And that's a good thing, because had he started with The Phantom Menace, I doubt SW would have enjoyed this longetivity.

[Jurassic Shark 12,055]

7 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

Yeah, like Star Wars, where he started with 4 and only did 1 after the sixth.

 

And that's a good thing, because had he started with The Phantom Menace, I doubt SW would have enjoyed this longetivity.

 

It would have been exactly the same.

[Groovygoth666 663]

On 26/05/2023 at 6:13 PM, Brónach said:

I haven't cared for anything this guy does in many years.

Same, I think Clerks II was probably the last time he had anything interesting to say, at least creatively for the longest time. Zack and Miri, Cop Out, Red State, Tusk and Yoga Hoosiers were just so bland and uninteresting. While Jay and Silent Bob Reboot and Clerks III have their moments they don't come anywhere close to their predecessors.

 

On 26/05/2023 at 6:19 PM, Naïve Old Fart said:

DOGMA is absolutely brilliant.

Absolutely and one of Smith's best efforts, shame about it being tied up with Weinstein and not getting the attention it deserves.

 

On 27/05/2023 at 5:28 PM, mstrox said:

I haven’t seen Hateful 8, but otherwise I think Inglourious Basterds is the only one particularly worth revisiting.

Any particular reason you skipped Hateful Eight?

[mstrox 6,651]

Any western and especially a loooong western is a hard sell for my spouse, even from Tarantino.  I’ll get around to it!  
 

 

On 27/5/2023 at 2:11 PM, AC1 said:

 

Because? 

 

 

I do like his stuff, but I rewatch things infrequently and most rewatching I do is related to stuff for my kid, or reminding myself of a movie prior to a sequel - neither of which would apply to a Tarantino movie.  It’s only the movies I really, reaaallly like that would be in consideration for a rewatch otherwise.  
 

Maybe I’ll revisit them all in a decade or two.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,515]

Once THE MOVIE CRITIC has been released, it would be nice to watch all ten films, chronologically, to chart his progress (or not) as a filmmaker.

[Sweeping Strings 2,354]

'The rest of the mag was too skanky to read'. 

Yeah yeah Quentin, SURE it was. We *believe* you.

[GerateWohl 4,356]

On 05/06/2023 at 6:21 AM, Groovygoth666 said:

Any particular reason you skipped Hateful Eight?

I wish I skipped it. First Tarantino movie I didn't like and where I thought He didn't really have anything to contribute to his prior work. Maybe he shouldn't have made two westerns in a row.

Tim Roth is giving an awkward Christoph Waltz imitation and Samuel L. Jackson telling one of these assfuck blowjob stories one time too many.

Didn't work for me.

[Marian Schedenig 8,191]

7 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

I wish I skipped it. First Tarantino movie I didn't like and where I thought He didn't really have anything to contribute to his prior work. Maybe he shouldn't have made two westerns in a row.

Tim Roth is giving an awkward Christoph Waltz imitation and Samuel L. Jackson telling one of these assfuck blowjob stories one time too many.

Didn't work for me.

 

I loved it. Liked it much better than Django - and Tim Roth in it better than Waltz in that.

[GerateWohl 4,356]

1 hour ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

I loved it. Liked it much better than Django - and Tim Roth in it better than Waltz in that.

Your luck then. Then this movie was obviously made for you and not for me.

[Groovygoth666 663]

On 05/06/2023 at 11:54 AM, mstrox said:

Any western and especially a loooong western is a hard sell for my spouse, even from Tarantino.  I’ll get around to it!  

Ah that's fair enough. Always forget that it is a long one. Although it was split down to four 50 minute episodes on Netflix, that might make it an easier sell 😂.

 

18 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

I wish I skipped it. First Tarantino movie I didn't like and where I thought He didn't really have anything to contribute to his prior work.

That was Death Proof for me, while I do like Kurt Russell in it and all the stunt work is great, it feels like there's just something missing that his other films have. 

 

18 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

Tim Roth is giving an awkward Christoph Waltz imitation

Not sure I follow, what do you mean?

 

On 05/06/2023 at 3:52 PM, Naïve Old Fart said:

Once THE MOVIE CRITIC has been released, it would be nice to watch all ten films, chronologically, to chart his progress (or not) as a filmmaker.

That would be interesting, what would you do for Kill Bill? Watch a fan edit that combines both Volumes as Tarantino intended or as single movies? And would it be Death Proof on its own or as part of Grindhouse?

[GerateWohl 4,356]

22 minutes ago, Groovygoth666 said:

Not sure I follow, what do you mean?

The way he is acting and explaining things, is like Christoph Waltz roles in Inglorious and Django and how he approached them was template for Roth character here and he obviously tries to act the same way.

[Thor 7,493]

11 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

I loved it. Liked it much better than Django - and Tim Roth in it better than Waltz in that.

 

Same here. Not in regards to Waltz, but to preferring HATEFUL EIGHT over DJANGO. Loved the whole tribute to Corbucci's IL GRANDE SILENZIO in the winter western aesthetic, and generally dig claustrophonic "closed quarters" films like this -- the Kurt Russell-snowed-in aspect being another nod to THE THING (which was also mirrored in the score). Wonderful atmosphere.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,515]

I'm with you, @Thor.

I like THE HATEFUL 8. I just wish that I could have seen it in 70mm.

[JTN 2,003]

On 27/5/2023 at 8:18 PM, Jurassic Shark said:

He already did that. 

When?

[Jurassic Shark 12,055]

11 minutes ago, JTW said:

When?

 

Star Wars.

[JTN 2,003]

22 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Star Wars.

After 2012?

[JTN 2,003]

On 27/5/2023 at 10:07 PM, Edmilson said:

Yeah, like Star Wars, where he started with 4 and only did 1 after the sixth.

I think Lucas meant non-linear like Nolan’s Memento or Malick’s The Tree of Life.

[Jurassic Shark 12,055]

1 minute ago, JTW said:

I think Lucas meant non-linear like Nolan’s Memento or Malick’s The Tree of Life.

 

The Skywalker Saga is non-linear.

 

On 07/06/2023 at 9:17 AM, JTW said:

After 2012?

 

He just got Disney to finish it.

[JTN 2,003]

Just now, Jurassic Shark said:

The Skywalker Saga is non-linear.

Again, I think he meant in ONE film, not a series of films. 
 

Why is the Star Wars Saga non-linear? It tells a coherent story through 9 films. Well, maybe through 6. He made a trilogy that was linear and then another trilogy that was linear as well. The two combined is a linear 6-part story. The fact that he shot the second part of the story first doesn’t really matter because back then nobody knew, not even Lucas that there was going to be a sequel to Star Wars, let alone two trilogies.

[Jurassic Shark 12,055]

It matters because the only way to watch them is in release order.