I did it! I've seen the eight now. I've seen the eight films that Tarantino has directed so far (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill Vol I & II, Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, and The Hateful Eight). That's the eight, right? Or does Kill Bill count as one and some other movie is the 8th? He made My Best Friend's Birthday in 1987, which I didn't know existed until I pulled up his IMDB page a couple minutes ago. I suppose Death Proof could be the 8th, but I figured that didn't count since it was part of the Grindhouse release. Surely his segments in Four Rooms and Sin City don't count. His filmography and desire to number things gets confusing. Not as confusing as how Fellini got to 8 1/2 as a film title, but definitely confusing. Whatever. I've seen the eight (I think) and I've seen the segments he's made in those two anthologies and movies that he wrote but didn't direct, like True Romance, Natural Born Killers, and From Dusk Till Dawn. In short, no one can claim that I haven't put in the work when it comes to Quentin Tarantino. I can feel confident when I come to this grand conclusion about him:
He's fine.
That's all. I'm not hopelessly in love with him like I am with the Coen brothers, Scorsese, or Christopher Nolan. I'm not hopelessly turned off by him like I am with Wes Anderson or David Lynch. I get some of the appeal of Tarantino. Few people delight in filmmaking and honoring the past as much as Tarantino. His career is one giant homage with occasional fits of originality, and I mean that all as a positive. I'm not surprised that actors love to deliver dialogue that he writes. He builds some really fun lines. I also don't really love any of his movies. I've never been wowed with his audaciousness. I think I'll forever be perplexed by Pulp Fiction's status as an all-time great and important movie. Personally, I put Reservoir Dogs and The Hateful Eight at the top, but that has to do with my general appreciation of confined spaces in movies. Tarantino is in that group of directors with Spike Lee: guys who I am glad are around to add their voice to the discussion, but I won't go out of my way to see anything they make.
You've probably been able to piece this together already, but I thought Jackie Brown was fine. It's a little long. I love the cast. It's fun seeing De Niro playing such a useless character. I would've expected his role to be played by an older stand up who can act but isn't really known for acting. Andrew Dice Clay would play him if the movie was made now. De Niro added to the role just by being De Niro. but it was an odd choice for him. Pam Grier was good in this. I wasn't blown away by her. Going in, I was prepared to come away from this enraged and saying things like "it's a crime that the industry didn't find more good roles for her". I really wanted to tie this to some indictment of sexism or racism in studio casting. She certainly would've done well, given more solid roles, but it's not like I think she'd have an Oscar nomination by now with better opportunities. Then again, Mo'Nique has an Oscar, so what do I know? Samuel L. Jackson in a Tarantino movie is reflexive at this point. It's beyond obvious. Robert Forster felt out of place in the movie, which I think was the point.
I've heard people
argue that this is Tarantino's best movie. I don't see it. Granted, I liked
this about as much as Pulp Fiction, and other people consider Pulp
Fiction a seminal piece of cinema. I guess both are in the same blind spot
for me. Jackie Brown had the kind of twists that I didn't follow because
I didn't care that much, not because I couldn't keep up. I certainly liked it
more than Kill Bill.
Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend
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