Quentin Tarantino, born on this day in 1963, has been one of cinema’s most renowned and influential filmmakers for over thirty years. Taking inspiration from a wide array of genres (particularly gangster, slapstick, kung fu, horror, western, blaxploitation, and war movies), Tarantino synthesized a unique cinematic style that has often been imitated but never quite duplicated. After being nominated for a combined eight Academy Awards as a writer, director, and producer (winning two for Best Original Screenplay), Tarantino has also published a novel adaptation of his movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and a book of film criticism. If you’d like to dive into the films and books of Quentin Tarantino, here’s what you can check out using your Livingston Library card.
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
A group of professional thieves must figure out who ratted them out after their jewelry heist is broken up by police. Tarantino’s first feature introduced moviegoers to his trademarks of musical dialogue, startling violence, and narrative experimentation, making him an instant sensation in the world of independent film.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Tarantino cemented his status as a Hollywood heavyweight with the greatest movie ever made, a non-linear series of interconnected short stories about two hitmen (John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson) and a boxer (Bruce Willis) seeking redemption in L.A.’s criminal underworld. The film won Tarantino his first Best Original Screenplay Oscar, and was nominated for six others it probably should’ve won: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Travolta), Best Supporting Actor (Jackson), Best Supporting Actress (Uma Thurman), and Best Editing.
Jackie Brown (1997)
A desperate flight attendant (Pam Grier) works with a street-smart bail bondsman (Robert Forster) to rob a violent gun runner (Samuel L. Jackson) in this adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s novel Rum Punch. Forster was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his career-reviving performance.
Kill Bill, Vol. 1 & 2 (2003-04)
A world-class assassin (Uma Thurman) exacts revenge on her former associates after they attempt to murder her during her wedding rehearsal. This two-part kung fu epic features white-knuckled showdowns with Vivica A. Fox, Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, and David Carradine.
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
The “alternate history” phase of Tarantino’s career begins with this high-tension tale of Jewish American soldiers (led by Brad Pitt) and a French cinema owner (Melanie Laurent) battling the Nazis during World War II. Christoph Waltz won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as the frighteningly intelligent Hans Landa, while the film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.
Django Unchained (2012)
Former slave Django (Jamie Foxx) teams up with a sympathetic bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) to rescue Django’s wife (Kerry Washington) from a sadistic plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio). Tarantino won his second Best Original Screenplay Oscar, and Christoph Waltz won his second Best Supporting Actor Oscar for this film, which was also nominated for Best Picture.
The Hateful Eight (2015)
A Civil War veteran (Samuel L. Jackson), a former Confederate soldier (Walton Goggins), a bounty hunter (Kurt Russell), and his prisoner (Jennifer Jason Leigh) seek refuge from a brutal blizzard at an inn full of shady characters. A revisionist western infused with the chilling paranoia of John Carpenter’s The Thing and the tantalizing mystery of an Agatha Christie novel, the film won an Oscar for Ennio Morricone’s score, on top of receiving nominations for Best Supporting Actress (Leigh) and Best Cinematography.
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood (2019)
A washed-up movie star (Leonard DiCaprio) and his stuntman buddy (Brad Pitt) cross paths with the Manson Family in 1969 Los Angeles. Winner of the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (Pitt), this slow-burning masterpiece was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (DiCaprio), and Best Original Screenplay.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: A Novel (2021)
In this novelization of the film, Tarantino doesn’t merely cram the same story into a mass-market paperback. He radically remixes and expands it into an experience that manages to be both more leisurely and more cerebral.
Cinema Speculation (2022)
Combining analyses of iconic ‘70s movies like Dirty Harry and Deliverance with personal memoirs and film geek thought experiments (“What if Brian De Palma directed Taxi Driver?”), Tarantino proves he can write about cinema just as compellingly as he can create it.
–Joe, Adult Services & Acquisitions