Quentin Tarantino  

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Quentin Jerome Tarantino (born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker and actor. His films are characterized by non-linear storylines, satirical subject matter, an aestheticization of violence, utilization of ensemble casts, references to pop culture, their soundtracks, and features of neo-noir film.

Tarantino grew up as a devoted film fan and worked at Video Archives, a video rental store, while training to act. His career began in the late 1980s, when he wrote and directed My Best Friend's Birthday, the screenplay of which formed the basis for True Romance. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with the release of Reservoir Dogs in 1992; regarded as a classic and cult hit, it was called the "Greatest Independent Film of All Time" by Empire. Its popularity was boosted by his second film, Pulp Fiction (1994), a black-comedy crime film that was a major success both among critics and audiences. Judged the greatest film from 1983–2008 by Entertainment Weekly, many critics and scholars have named it one of the most significant works of modern cinema. For his next effort, Tarantino paid homage to the blaxploitation films of the 1970s with Jackie Brown (1997), an adaptation of the novel Rum Punch.

Kill Bill, a highly stylized "revenge flick" in the cinematic traditions of Japanese martial arts, spaghetti Westerns and Italian horror, followed six years later, and was released as two films: Volume 1 in 2003 and Volume 2 in 2004. Tarantino directed Death Proof (2007) as part of a double feature with friend Robert Rodriguez, under the collective title Grindhouse. His long-postponed Inglourious Basterds, which tells the fictional alternate history story of two plots to assassinate Nazi Germany's political leadership, was released in 2009 to positive reviews. After that came 2012's critically acclaimed Django Unchained, a Western film set in the antebellum era of the Deep South. It became the highest-grossing film of his career so far, making over $425 million at the box office. His eighth film, the mystery Western The Hateful Eight, was released in its roadshow version December 25, 2015, in 70 mm film format, complete with opening "overture" and halfway-point intermission, after the fashion of big-budget films of the 1960s and early 1970s.

Tarantino's films have garnered both critical and commercial success. He has received many industry awards, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards and the Palme d'Or, and has been nominated for an Emmy and a Grammy. He was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time in 2005.

Influences and style of filmmaking

In the 2002 Sight & Sound Directors' poll, Tarantino revealed his top-twelve films: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; Rio Bravo; Taxi Driver; His Girl Friday; Rolling Thunder; They All Laughed; The Great Escape; Carrie; Coffy; Dazed and Confused; Five Fingers of Death; and Hi Diddle Diddle. In 2009, he named Kinji Fukasaku's violent action film Battle Royale as his favorite film released since he became a director in 1992.

In August 2007, while teaching a four-hour film course during the 9th Cinemanila International Film Festival in Manila, Tarantino cited Filipino directors Cirio Santiago, Eddie Romero, and Gerardo de León as personal icons from the 1970s, citing De Leon's "soul-shattering, life-extinguishing" movies on vampires and female bondage, particularly Women in Cages. "It is just harsh, harsh, harsh," he said, and described the final shot as one of "devastating despair".

Tarantino's different style of film making earned him many accolades worldwide. According to Tarantino, a recurring hallmark in all his movies is that there is a different sense of humour in all his movies, which gets the audience to laugh at things that aren't funny. Michael Winner, whilst appearing on an episode of Piers Morgan's life stories (an ITV production), stated that Quentin Tarantino was a "big fan" Of Death Wish.

African American perspective

Tarantino has been criticized for a too familial attitude towards other cultures. Spike Lee questions the use of racial epithets in his films, particularly the racially offensive word nigger. In an interview for Variety discussing Jackie Brown, Lee said: "I'm not against the word... and I use it, but Quentin is infatuated with the word. What does he want? To be made an honorary black man?" Tarantino retaliated on The Howard Stern Show by stating Lee would have to "stand on a chair to kiss my ass" Samuel L. Jackson, who has appeared in films directed by both directors, defended Tarantino's use of the word. At the Berlin Film Festival, where Jackie Brown was being screened, Jackson responded to Lee's criticism by saying:

"I don't think the word is offensive in the context of this film. ... Black artists think they are the only ones allowed to use the word. Well, that's bull. Jackie Brown is a wonderful homage to black exploitation films. This is a good film, and Spike hasn't made one of those in a few years."

Tarantino has defended his use of the word, arguing that black audiences have an appreciation of his blaxploitation-influenced films that eludes some of his critics, and, indeed, that Jackie Brown, another oft-cited example, was primarily made for "black audiences".

According to a 1995 Premiere magazine article, actor Denzel Washington would also confront Tarantino on his usage of racial slurs in his pictures, but mentioned that Tarantino was a 'fine artist.'

Filmography

Film director
Year Film Notes
1987 My Best Friend's Birthday unfinished first film
1992 Reservoir Dogs Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Director
Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature
Nominated — Grand Jury PrizeSundance Film Festival
1994 Pulp Fiction Palme d'Or
Independent Spirit Award for Best Director
Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay
Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay
BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay
Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Director
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Picture
Nominated — BAFTA Award or Best Director
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Film
Nominated — Directors Guild of America Award
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Director
1995 Four Rooms segment The Man from Hollywood
1997 Jackie Brown Nominated — Berlin International Film Festival
2003 Kill Bill: Vol. 1 Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay
2004 Kill Bill: Vol. 2 Nominated — Grammy Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
2005 Sin City Special Guest Director
2007/2008 Death Proof Nominated — Palme d'Or
2009 Inglourious Basterds Nominated — Academy Award for Best Picture
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Director
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Direction
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Director
Nominated — Directors Guild of America Award
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Director
Nominated — Palme d'Or
Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association for Best Director
Nominated — Grammy Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
Television director
Year Series Notes
1995 ER Season 1; Episode 24: "Motherhood"
2004 Jimmy Kimmel Live! April 20, 2004
2005 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Episodes "Grave Danger: Vols. I & II"
Nominated — Emmy Award for Best Directing – Drama
Film writer
Year Film Notes
1987 My Best Friend's Birthday unfinished first film
1992 Past Midnight uncredited re-write
Reservoir Dogs
1993 True Romance
1994 Pulp Fiction with Roger Avary
Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay
BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay
Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay
Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay
Natural Born Killers story credit, wrote original draft
1995 Crimson Tide uncredited re-write
Four Rooms segment "The Man from Hollywood"
1996 From Dusk Till Dawn
The Rock uncredited script polish
Curdled uncredited Gecko Brothers news report
1997 Jackie Brown adapted from Elmore Leonard's novel Rum Punch
2003 Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003), Vol. 2 (2004)
2007 Death Proof
2009 Inglourious Basterds Austin Film Critics Award for Best Original Screenplay
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Writer
Nominated — Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay
Nominated – Academy Award for Best Picture
Television writer
Year Series Notes
2005 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation "Grave Danger: Vols. I & II" story credit
Nominated — Writers Guild of America Award
Film actor
Year Film Role Notes
1987 My Best Friend's Birthday Clarence Pool
1992 Reservoir Dogs Mr. Brown
1994 Pulp Fiction Jimmie Dimmick
Sleep With Me Sid
1995 Destiny Turns on the Radio Johnny Destiny
Four Rooms Chester Rush segment "The Man from Hollywood"
Desperado Pick-up Guy
1996 From Dusk Till Dawn Richie Gecko
Girl 6 Q.T.
1997 Jackie Brown Default Answering Machine voice
2000 Little Nicky Crazy Priest
2002 BaadAsssss Cinema Himself documentary
2004 Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession Himself documentary
2005 The Muppets' Wizard of Oz Himself as Kermit's director
2007 Grindhouse: Planet Terror Rapist #1
Grindhouse: Death Proof Warren the Bartender
Sukiyaki Western Django Mystery Man Ringo
2008 Not Quite Hollywood Himself documentary
2009 Inglourious Basterds Soldier within a film "Nation's Pride", first scalped victim shown cameo
Television actor
Year Series Role Notes
2002 Alias McKenas Cole
2004 Alias McKenas Cole
Film producer/presenter
Year Film Notes
1987 My Best Friend's Birthday
1992 Past Midnight
1993 Iron Monkey 2001 U.S. release
1994 Killing Zoe
1995 Four Rooms
1996 From Dusk Till Dawn
Curdled
1998 God Said, 'Ha!'
1999 From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money
2002 From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter
2002 Hero 2004 U.S. release
2005 Daltry Calhoun
Freedom's Fury
Hostel
The Protector 2006 U.S. release
2007 Grindhouse
Hostel: Part II
2008 Hell Ride
2010 Machete




Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Quentin Tarantino" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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