Cinema Speculation: An Entertaining Dive into Film History from the Legendary Writer and Director Paperback – March 26, 2024

I really like Quentin Tarantino, the author. Most of his movies are cool, for sure, but you don’t need to like them to love this book. Here, he flexes an entirely different muscle with ease. I’ve admittedly been a fan of his since I saw “Pulp Fiction” - in the original German - while studying abroad as a high schooler. I could instantly recognize the unmistakeable product of a true film nerd. Like knows like, so maybe I’m biased.In this tome, his words ring out from the musty confines of non-fiction with the same realistic cadence, slang and expressiveness found in his scripts. As a narrator of an obvious wealth of film knowledge, compounded by spilled secrets of an insider’s perspective, he brings a unique insight brimming with an approachability not usually found in scholarly treatises about 1960’s and 70’s film culture. His opinion on film is formed by an admittedly really, lucky but f’n cool life - the best a film nerd could ask for - having essentially been raised by Hollywood, and well-steeped in its legends and history. His words speak with authority, the product not only of a lifelong career, but of a genuine love of feet. I mean film. He walks a road of deep thoughts on impactful movies from his upbringing of varying quality which, to quote the author, “Produces a cocktail mixed with piss that’s disturbingly tasty.”Obviously, it’s a delightful read. However, novice film buffs should have your IMDb.com ready to look up some deep cuts for your next watchlist of excellent cinema. It’s not just well-known mainstays like ‘Bullit’ and ‘Dirty Harry’ though. The author waxes philosophical on Marvel multiverse-style questions like, “What if Brian de Palma directed Taxi Driver?” The myriad threads of this thought exercise are detailed and compelling. There’s also fascinating discussion on the scope and breadth of a genre of self-described ‘Revenge-a-matic’ films. I’ve enjoyed several of these myself, featuring immortal action stars like Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson. This authors’ interest spans multiple shelves of video rental store shelves, from sci-fi and comedy to Toby Hooper’s other, also-great horror flicks that aren’t called ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre.’It’s a deeply personal book too, framing these consequential films as ‘fixed-points’ in the development of a filmmaker that influenced his own contributions to the medium. For instance, in the concluding chapter - no spoilers - we learn about in an influential figure named Floyd. He’s a movie nerd Obi-Wan who happens to be a man with a deep knowledge of film and a dream to be a screenwriter, which obviously affected a young Quentin. It just makes sense in a way, how all these personalities, on screen or sitting in front of the screen, impacted this author in fundamental ways.

I love this book, but I keep getting distracted by all of the movies Tarintino mentions that I haven't seen yet. My list of movies to see, grows every time I read a few pages of the book. It's really cool to get the inside scoop about the thinking behind how movies are made.

Must have if you're a Tarantino fan...great insight on his opinions of some great films

It was only a matter of time until Quentin Tarantino wrote a book about movies, and there is no other subject more appropriate for him to focus on than the films of the 70s. His enthusiasm is infectious, and I’ve found myself seeking out many of the genre films that he mentions while I was reading. Highly recommended if you love movies.

Love the way he articulates his inspirations and descriptions of all those defining moments, shaping the development and production of movies!

It shouldn't be surprising that Quentin Tarantino's film criticism of personally relevant 70s American films is both entertaining and enlightening. His storytelling skills parse performance, structure, and direction with an emphasis on overall audience delight rather than to illustrate an aesthetic theory of "cinema."I share that same memory of audience participation as child and young teen going to less-than-luxury theaters. We would trust our developing "gut" to recognize and cheer character truths and even hail glorified action (even, or especially, if, transgressive), as American celluloid mythology itself morphed from the outsider cowboy hero to the moral ambiguity of unpredictable lawmen in an urban wilderness.Who better to survey the films of that fertile era than one of our most extraordinary and inventive directors?My desire to read more Tarantino writing on film is second only to my desire to see more (new) Tarantino films, guaranteed to always unspool to the cathartic delight of us old balcony sitters and grounded groundlings.

I dislike the mail price...more expensive than the book itself

A complication of films, actors and directors mainly first seen in Tarantino’s early teen years in grind houses thoughout LA. These adventures; insights into genres of mostly horror films gives certainly the basis of a young man’s absorption of characters, screenplays, writing and methods employed by studios and individuals of the 70’ and 80’s. These film insights later to the reader are reimagined in his best films. Funny in parts, deep reflection in other segments says what many won’t dare say about Hollywood the real inside of the making of movies. Reluctantly, rating the book 3 popcorns but occasionally 5. From the beginning felt if author had undertaken his full slate of films; with the same thoughtful analysis, we may have had brilliance rather than just very good cinema speculation.

enjoyable journey into Tarantino's remembrances of his childhood movies and why they mattered to him. made me want to rewatch these hidden gems.

Este fantástico livro reúne uma coleção de ensaios escritos por Quentin Tarantino, em geral sobre filmes que ele viu no cinema em sua infância/adolescência, entre o início dos anos 70 e o início dos 80. O renomado diretor, logicamente, não se atém a apenas analisar os filmes que dão nome a cada capítulo. No legítimo espírito "uma coisa puxa a outra", eles são apenas uma desculpa para Tarantino dar seus pitacos sobre toda a carreira de alguns de seus diretores (Don Siegel, Sam Peckinpah), roteiristas (Paul Schrader) e atores favoritos (Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen), especular e resgatar inúmeras fofocas de bastidores da fervilhante "Nova Hollywood" dos anos 70.Logicamente, dada a quantidade de citações a filmes e artistas da época, é um livro que será bem melhor saboreado por quem assistiu aos diversos filmes mencionados, ou pelo menos leu sobre eles. Eu inclusive me arrisco a dizer que ter lido "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls" é quase que um pré-requisito para ler este livro.Um dos capítulos mais legais do livro é aquele em que Tarantino se dedica a imaginar como seria "Taxi Driver" se tivesse sido dirigido por Brian de Palma (um dos cineastas a quem o filme foi oferecido antes de chegar às mãos de Scorsese).Outra coisa legal são as pequenas descobertas sobre os gostos peculiares do autor, como descobrir que Tarantino foi um enorme fã de Stallone e de "Rocky" (e que gosta ainda mais de "Rocky II"), ou que ele considera "O Massacre da Serra Elétrica" um dos pouquíssimos filmes PERFEITOS da história do cinema.Eis aqui a lista dos filmes que dão a partida em cada capítulo do livro (alguns eu já havia visto, outros já estou louco para ver devido ao entusiasmo com que Tarantino escreveu sobre eles):- "Bullit", de 1968 - já vi;- "Perseguidor Implacável" (Dirty Harry), de 1971 - já vi;- "Amargo Pesadelo" (Deliverance), de 1972 - já vi;- "Os Implacáveis" (The Getaway), de 1972 - quero ver;- "A Quadrilha" (The Outfit), de 1973 - quero ver;- "Irmãs Diabólicas" (Sisters), de 1973 - quero ver;- "Daisy Miller", de 1974 - quero ver;- "Taxi Driver", de 1976 - já vi;- "A Outra Face da Violência" (Rolling Thunder), de 1977 - quero MUITO ver;- "A Taberna do Inferno" (Paradise Alley), de 1978 - quero ver;- "Fuga de Alcatraz", de 1979 - já vi;- "Hardcore", de 1979 - já vi;- "Pague para Entrar, Reze para Sair" (The Funhouse), de 1981 - já vi.

Un muy buen libro

it was a great book to read if you are film fanatic

First things first, I'm so glad I didn't order this book in Dutch. The reason is simple, the book reads like an audio transcript of QT fanatically ranting about his favourite flics. In every sentence you will notice his mannerisms ("right?", ....), so that would sound silly in Dutch (Right ? ;-)). The book is a fragmented and oddly structured tale from a hungry cinema buff. The narrative is focussing on a couple of classics but also B films from the sixties and seventies. Tarantino's wonder years if you will. Maybe it's just me, but I would have preferred a bit more structure and a chapter index to lead you through the way QT experienced cinema as a youngster. On release the book got rave reviews everywhere. In the end I feel it serves as a 'nice to have' book on the shelf of film biographies.