Inglorious Basterds (2009)
Django Unchained (2012)
Kill Bill, Vol. 1 (2003)
Hateful Eight (2015)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood (2019)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Kill Bill, Vol. 2 (2004)
Jackie Brown (1997)
Death Proof (2007)
Four Rooms (1995)
After watching through these back-to-back, I have some observations.
First, when Quentin Tarantino is on his game, he is on. But when he is off, he is very off. The thing is, most of the time he is on. I'd say that pretty much everything from Pulp Fiction on up he is really on his game. Kill Bill, Vol. 2 just lost the momentum of the first film, which makes me sad. Jackie Brown just never really went anywhere. Death Proof was 95% useless dialogue and 15 minutes of interesting film. Four Room was only one segment that Tarantino did but it wasn't that interesting. That being said, Pulp Fiction did have the problem of changing horses in midlane, but the majority of the film was solid.
Second, Tarantino is known for his verbosity, both in his interviews and in his films. Many of these films easily ran past the 2 1/2 hour mark. Most of these films could have easily had 45 minutes edited out and the film would have flowed better and been tighter. I don't mind when the pacing of the film does not get interrupted but in the case of Pulp Fiction, for example, it is moving along at a great pace and ends up introducting the Bruce Willis segment which took me out of the film. Instead, had that entire segment been removed, it wouldn't have made any difference at all to the end product other than it being a more fluid film.
Third, you can see, over the progression of his films, how much artwork is put into each of Tarantino's films. I am a fan of Reservoir Dogs, for sure, but the sound editing is an example of where things didn't quite work out. By the time we get to Kill Bill, Vol. 1, the sound editing problems are not only fixed, but are excellent. The same goes for camerawork and the use of unusual methods. When you're watching a Tarantino film, you KNOW you are watching a Tarantino film. He has his indelible stamp on how he films it which is one reason I'm a fan of his work.
Fourth, I like his loyalty to actors. It's fun seeing different actors pop up in different films, be it a starring role or a brief cameo. It is clear he is doing something right when it comes to picking his actors. It also makes me wonder, in a couple of films, where Samuel L. Jackson is! HA!
In my rewatch of Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained I loved them even more than the first time. I wasn't always a fan of Tarantino. My introduction to him was Pulp Fiction and I didn't get the hype. Now, after seeing how he's evolved over time, I can appreciate the fact that the film was very different and unique. While not the perfect film, it had its quirks which made it the trendsetter it was. I liken his films to the modern day western as many play out that way (especially the westerns, duh!).
Overall I am a fan of his work. What I used to think was violence for the sake of violence's sake is now just a small part of the intricacies of his films. While it is used for shock value, it's the story that drives the plot.
If anything, I'd recommend the first five on my list to anyone. Yes, there is plenty of violence, cursing, and the use of the 'n' word throughout but they are compelling stories and I'm sture I'll watch them again in the future.
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