Jackie Brown is one of those movies that have improved every time I watch it. The first time I saw it left me unsatisfied, probably because of the high expectations that I brought to that initial viewing. Now that time has passed my appreciation level for the performances, specifically Sam Jack, has lifted the entire movie. It may not be in the upper echelon but it is a definitely has a place in Tarantino's resume.
The number one reason to watch Jackie Brown is to bask in the glory of one Samuel L. Jackson. Ordell Robbie is a creation that deserves admiration. Let’s begin with the hair. And there lies the manliest sentence I have ever written. You have 3 items to choose from; the ponytail, the string hanging from his chin, or the mane he was rocking during the final scenes. Of course the correct answer is the glorious long hair. When you combine the hair with the clothes, this may be the most memorable visual Sam has ever provided. After wasting all that time on his look let’s cut to why this is a great performance, when Sam is saying Tarantino’s dialogue it becomes damn near poetic. At times it felt like this entire movie existed just so Samuel L. could talk. And thank god for that. Naturally since this a Quentin Tarantino movie all of the spoken words were top notch. Jackie Brown is different than the rest of Tarantino’s flicks. It is taken from an Elmore Leonard novel so the characters are definitely Leonard’s but at the same time they speak QT’s language. And these words are like notes from the pied piper to me. I will follow them wherever they may lead. On top of the characters being purely Elmore Leonard, you can smell this is his plot from a mile away. Stuff is getting stolen, people are being double crossed, and everyone thinks they are in control; yeah that’s a Leonard story. The first time around the plot almost distracts the viewer from all the great character moments. You feel like more should be happening but in actuality that was the whole point. The long stretches of talking and hanging out is what the film is all about. That is your chances to sit back and appreciate SLJ, Pam Grier, Robert Forrester, Robert De Niro, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, and even Chris Tucker. Everyone is given a chance to shine. Yes that’s right, I included Chris Tucker. This was before he did Rush Hour and decided that he had accomplished everything he ever wanted to in film. And really do ya blame him? Friday, Money Talks, and Rush Hour, anyone would kill for that to be their resume. This was also one of the last great Michael Keaton performances before he disappeared for nearly a decade. Can’t complain about half-dead to the world ex-con De Niro. And of course since it is Quentin, we get the resurrection of Grier and Forrester. And of course they look and sound better here than they have in decades. There is plenty to enjoy here.
It is just damn impressive that when you list Quentin Tarantino’s films, Jackie Brown ends up at the bottom of the list. That is working at such a high level that it is crazy that he hasn’t dropped the ball yet. This time around though, I think a majority of the credit belongs to Sam Jackson. Ordell Robbie may be the best performance of his career and that includes Deep Blue Sea, The Great White Hype, and even xXx (but not xXx: State of the Union that will never be topped). And the best part of Jackie Brown is that once you get past it, there is nothing between you and Kill Bill.
8 out of 10
Showing posts with label Quentin Tarantino. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quentin Tarantino. Show all posts
Monday, June 4, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Pulp Fiction
If Reservoir Dogs introduced to the world what a Quentin Tarantino film would be, Pulp Fiction showed that he had the ability to make a damn near perfect one. This is one of the few movies whose impact never lessens. It is just as entertaining today as it was the first time that I saw it over a decade ago. The characters, the dialogue, the situations, all add up to one of the best movies I have ever seen.
Of all the things that Pulp Fiction will be remembered for, I hope the cementing of Samuel L. Jackson as the baddestass motherfucker on the planet is at the top of the list. All of his dialogue should be committed to memory and used in your day-to-day life. It’s all there for your study and I will not waste my time listing out scenes, although I do love me some lists. The interrogation scene to start the film is beyond a classic. I wish I were watching it right now instead of writing about it. But in that way lie madness and a never-ending cycle of incomplete work. Second only to the immortalizing of Sam Jack is the resurrection of John Travolta’s career. Whether or not you are happy about that is neither here nor there. He has some classic back and forth with Sam then combines that with the equally famous segment with Uma Thurman. I could go for some heroin right about now. It looks really appealing as a lifestyle choice. Can I get my own adrenaline shot to the heart? And would it truly be possible for Eric Stoltz to help prepare said needle? That would be sweet. Speaking of Uma, it always nice to see her in recommendable movies instead of some of the other films on her resume like Batman & Robin, The Avengers, or Paycheck. Let’s see there was a cementing, a resurrection, and there was also an introduction of Ving Rhames. He may have been working prior to Pulp Fiction but this was the movie that householded his name. Not only does he have the famous "medieval on your ass" line but the man is first seen on film through a shot of the back of his head, specifically the bandage on the back of his head, without ever revealing his face. Plus he sends the Wolf when there is something in need of cleaning. Man, I want to be able to send the Wolf. I do feel bad for Bruce Willis since he had to play many of his scenes against what was damn near close to a retarded girlfriend. Then again, that is counterbalanced with getting to gun down Travolta, run over Ving, and then slice people up with a samurai sword. Tarantino once again goes with his own unique storytelling narrative with intersecting chapters. Although nowadays I may have tired of this story telling format, in 1994 it seemed much more original. Each segment is strong in its own right but once all the characters are threaded through each story, the overall narrative becomes even stronger. In a career full of movies known for their dialogue, Pulp Fiction easily takes the gold star for the best QT written conversations. They are peppered throughout the film. Jules and Vincent in the car, Jules and Vincent at the dinner, Vincent and Mia at the restaurant, and definitely anything involving the Wolf. I wish these characters could have continuing adventures that revolve around them just talking to each other.
I wonder if there is anyone out there who actually dislikes Pulp Fiction. It is the 5th highest ranked movie on IMDB.com so I guess the dissidents should just give up by now. I was a fan of Reservoir Dogs but it was Pulp Fiction that convinced me to follow Tarantino until leads me off a cliff. A decade later and nothing has changed, I still anticipate his movies and still feel that Pulp Fiction is one of the best movies I will ever see.
10 out of 10
Of all the things that Pulp Fiction will be remembered for, I hope the cementing of Samuel L. Jackson as the baddestass motherfucker on the planet is at the top of the list. All of his dialogue should be committed to memory and used in your day-to-day life. It’s all there for your study and I will not waste my time listing out scenes, although I do love me some lists. The interrogation scene to start the film is beyond a classic. I wish I were watching it right now instead of writing about it. But in that way lie madness and a never-ending cycle of incomplete work. Second only to the immortalizing of Sam Jack is the resurrection of John Travolta’s career. Whether or not you are happy about that is neither here nor there. He has some classic back and forth with Sam then combines that with the equally famous segment with Uma Thurman. I could go for some heroin right about now. It looks really appealing as a lifestyle choice. Can I get my own adrenaline shot to the heart? And would it truly be possible for Eric Stoltz to help prepare said needle? That would be sweet. Speaking of Uma, it always nice to see her in recommendable movies instead of some of the other films on her resume like Batman & Robin, The Avengers, or Paycheck. Let’s see there was a cementing, a resurrection, and there was also an introduction of Ving Rhames. He may have been working prior to Pulp Fiction but this was the movie that householded his name. Not only does he have the famous "medieval on your ass" line but the man is first seen on film through a shot of the back of his head, specifically the bandage on the back of his head, without ever revealing his face. Plus he sends the Wolf when there is something in need of cleaning. Man, I want to be able to send the Wolf. I do feel bad for Bruce Willis since he had to play many of his scenes against what was damn near close to a retarded girlfriend. Then again, that is counterbalanced with getting to gun down Travolta, run over Ving, and then slice people up with a samurai sword. Tarantino once again goes with his own unique storytelling narrative with intersecting chapters. Although nowadays I may have tired of this story telling format, in 1994 it seemed much more original. Each segment is strong in its own right but once all the characters are threaded through each story, the overall narrative becomes even stronger. In a career full of movies known for their dialogue, Pulp Fiction easily takes the gold star for the best QT written conversations. They are peppered throughout the film. Jules and Vincent in the car, Jules and Vincent at the dinner, Vincent and Mia at the restaurant, and definitely anything involving the Wolf. I wish these characters could have continuing adventures that revolve around them just talking to each other.
I wonder if there is anyone out there who actually dislikes Pulp Fiction. It is the 5th highest ranked movie on IMDB.com so I guess the dissidents should just give up by now. I was a fan of Reservoir Dogs but it was Pulp Fiction that convinced me to follow Tarantino until leads me off a cliff. A decade later and nothing has changed, I still anticipate his movies and still feel that Pulp Fiction is one of the best movies I will ever see.
10 out of 10
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Reservoir Dogs
And so another famous career begins. It is all here in Reservoir Dogs. The first scene in the movie is the blueprint for all of the famous Tarantino scenes that have followed, mainly people talking and definitely not talking to explain the plot. The rest of the movie is still classic 15 years later. The joy of watching the tension build till the bloody climax has not lessened now that many of the scenes have been talked about over and over and have been copied multiple times. Tarantino may have improved upon his design in subsequent films, but Reservoir Dogs does not suffer because of it.
With Reservoir Dogs, there are so many unforgettable scenes or lines or images that it will be difficult to not just list them as evidence enough. Still the point of a review is to defend your opinion with some level of detail, so I will struggle along. Seeing Tarantino characters have conversations about inane topics like the meanings behind songs or which actress was in what movie for the first time is very nostalgic. For me, those scenes are usually the best parts of his films and it’s that dialogue that I repeat over and over until it becomes apart of my daily vocabulary. If I had to play favorites it would probably be either “You shoot me in a dream, you better wake up and apologize” or anytime Mr. Orange is writhing in pain on the ground. The fact that Tim Roth spends the vast majority of the movement in a pool of blood moaning in pain is just outstanding. From his screaming “I’m dying here”, to shooting Mr. Blonde, to trying to talk his way out of being the mole, to his final admission to Mr. White he holds the whole movie together. And if isn’t the one to keep it together, keep it together, keep it together then Harvey Keitel was more than capable of picking up the slack. Although he may be a career criminal Mr. White seems like a reasonable guy, which makes him susceptible to Mr. Orange’s undercover cop. The conversation between Mr. White and Mr. Pink when they first get to the warehouse is perfect because the actors playing to their strengths, Buscemi playing paranoid and hyper while Keitel is trying to stay calm and figure out his next move. All of it leads to the final moments of the movie when, with both men dying, Orange tells White that he is the mole and you can just see how it crushes Keitel that he killed for the wrong man. The last actor that needs to be highlighted is of course Michael Madsen. In a career full of villainous roles, Mr. Blonde is the one that everyone associates with the man. And it all comes from one scene, one sick disturbing scene. It is not just the threatening, it is not just the dancing, it is not just the cutting, and it is not just the gasoline, it is the pure joy that Madsen is having while torturing the cop that makes this memorable. And since Reservoir Dogs is a heist movie where the heist went wrong, it was nice to have it all end up with a nice classic 4-man Mexican standoff. Which was made even better with Tim Roth on his back but still able to point his gun defiantly at Nice Guy Eddie. There is not much fault to be found here.
I am very thankful that by the time I became old enough to discern what is and is not a great movie Quentin Tarantino had entered the scene. Reservoir Dogs was just a nice breath of violent and profane air. And violent and profane air may just be my favorite kind of air. My only regret is that I didn’t see this in a theater to properly enjoy this new entrant into the movie game.
9 out of 10
With Reservoir Dogs, there are so many unforgettable scenes or lines or images that it will be difficult to not just list them as evidence enough. Still the point of a review is to defend your opinion with some level of detail, so I will struggle along. Seeing Tarantino characters have conversations about inane topics like the meanings behind songs or which actress was in what movie for the first time is very nostalgic. For me, those scenes are usually the best parts of his films and it’s that dialogue that I repeat over and over until it becomes apart of my daily vocabulary. If I had to play favorites it would probably be either “You shoot me in a dream, you better wake up and apologize” or anytime Mr. Orange is writhing in pain on the ground. The fact that Tim Roth spends the vast majority of the movement in a pool of blood moaning in pain is just outstanding. From his screaming “I’m dying here”, to shooting Mr. Blonde, to trying to talk his way out of being the mole, to his final admission to Mr. White he holds the whole movie together. And if isn’t the one to keep it together, keep it together, keep it together then Harvey Keitel was more than capable of picking up the slack. Although he may be a career criminal Mr. White seems like a reasonable guy, which makes him susceptible to Mr. Orange’s undercover cop. The conversation between Mr. White and Mr. Pink when they first get to the warehouse is perfect because the actors playing to their strengths, Buscemi playing paranoid and hyper while Keitel is trying to stay calm and figure out his next move. All of it leads to the final moments of the movie when, with both men dying, Orange tells White that he is the mole and you can just see how it crushes Keitel that he killed for the wrong man. The last actor that needs to be highlighted is of course Michael Madsen. In a career full of villainous roles, Mr. Blonde is the one that everyone associates with the man. And it all comes from one scene, one sick disturbing scene. It is not just the threatening, it is not just the dancing, it is not just the cutting, and it is not just the gasoline, it is the pure joy that Madsen is having while torturing the cop that makes this memorable. And since Reservoir Dogs is a heist movie where the heist went wrong, it was nice to have it all end up with a nice classic 4-man Mexican standoff. Which was made even better with Tim Roth on his back but still able to point his gun defiantly at Nice Guy Eddie. There is not much fault to be found here.
I am very thankful that by the time I became old enough to discern what is and is not a great movie Quentin Tarantino had entered the scene. Reservoir Dogs was just a nice breath of violent and profane air. And violent and profane air may just be my favorite kind of air. My only regret is that I didn’t see this in a theater to properly enjoy this new entrant into the movie game.
9 out of 10
More Quentin Tarantino
Well the David Fincher examination was fun so seeing as Grindhouse just happened why don't we move on to my favorite director of all-time Quentin Tarantino. Don't need much preamble this time but I will say that I will be skipping Four Rooms because I don't remember the damn thing and I don't care to track it down and watch it again. So here is the schedule of events:
- Reservoir Dogs
- Pulp Fiction
- Jackie Brown
- Kill Bill v. 1
- Kill Bill v. 1
- Grindhouse (Death Proof)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
