Week 5 - Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino has not made as many movies as some of the directors we've studied. However, he has become one of the most influential people in the movie business. He is mainly praised for his creative screenwriting, especially his knack for clever dialog. He first became known when he wrote and directed the independent movie, Reservoir Dogs (1992), now a cult favorite. His masterpiece, Pulp Fiction, which he also wrote and directed, came out in 1994, and it was a huge critical hit. It was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, winning one, for 'Best Original Screenplay.' It established Uma Thurman as a movie star, boosted the career of Samuel L. Jackson, and was a big comeback movie for actor John Travolta. In the years following, Tarantino wrote and directed Jackie Brown (1997), Kill Bill (2003/2004), Inglourious Basterds (2009), Django Unchained (2012) and The Hateful Eight (2016). Quentin Tarantinos movies are known for their homage to directors and B-movies from the past, especially Kung Fu movies and Blaxploitation films, which have inspired Tarantino's use of over-the-top violence. His movies always have great pop music soundtracks. His most recent movie is the widely acclaimed Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), which won two Academy Awards and a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy..

Many of Tarantino's movies are available in the Tsurumi University Library. 

[My personal thoughts and recollections about Quentin Tarantino and his movies were supplemented with details, dates and numbers from Wikipedia. - Kevin]

Quentin Tarantino Biographies:
Wikipedia
IMDb
Biography.com

Before you watch the Pulp Fiction (Big Kahuna Burger) scene, please read:

Scenes from Pulp Fiction for handout to be done in class (the two links are for one scene): PDF Handout
1) Pulp Fiction - Big Kahuna Burger
2) Pulp Fiction 1994 Best Scene
Turn volume up; the clips are difficult to hear.

Links to trailers and clips from some of Quentin Tarantino's movies
Reservoir Dogs (1992) - trailer
Pulp Fiction (1994) - trailer
Pulp Fiction (1994) - dance scene
Jackie Brown (1997) - trailer
Kill Bill (2003, 2004) - Gogo Yubari weapons scene (with Chiaki Kuriyama)
Inglourious Basterds (2009) - trailer
Django Unchained (2012) - trailer
Django Unchained (2012) - The Brittle Brothers scene
The Hateful Eight (2016) - trailer
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) - trailer

Samuel L. Jackson appears in two of Quentin Tarantino's movies in this clip of the "Top 10 Samuel L. Jackson Performances" (also one from Spielberg!).

All 9 Quentin Tarantino films ranked!

EdPuzzle

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood; DiCaprio scene

Causative Verbs Practice (optional)

To Do List:

1) Watch as many Tarantino trailers and clips as you can.

2) Do the handout for Pulp Fiction
3( Do the EdPuzzle; Once Upon a Time in Hollywood scene

4) Causative Verbs Practice (optional)
5) Fill out the handout (part 1) re. the movie you choose (assigned last week).

Movie Writing Part I PDF: Due Oct. 20 (Part 1 only!)

Three steps to writing a movie review ...

1) Write a paragraph with information about the movie. What is the title?* When was it released? Who was the director (映画監督). Who are the main actors? Did the movie win some awards, such as Academy Awards or Golden Globes? What were the box office results?

* Look up the actual English title. If the movie is Japanese, write the Japanese title and also translate it. Use the official English title if there is one.

2) Write a paragraph that introduces the story a little. Don't tell the whole story and don't give a lot of details. Just tell us enough so we can decide if we want to watch it or not. And no spoilers, please!

3) Write your comments and opinions about the movie in a paragraph. This is the most important part of the movie review.