I disagree with Quentin Tarantino on what his best film is. “So I think Kill Bill is the movie I was born to make, I think Inglourious Basterds is my masterpiece but Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood is my favourite.”
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Don't be shy! Tell us which one you think it is!
I haven't seen all of them but remain very fond of Pulp Fiction and Inglorious Basterds. Kill Bill I was really into when it came out but I haven't seen it since and don't remember well enough to say, honestly, other than remembering it as high pulp.
I concur with Sam Potts: "My 2 cents - Pulp Fiction is his masterpiece and it's not even close. That movie exploded in every direction."
Totally agree. I'm surprised there's even a debate about this.
In its time, Pulp Fiction was a jolt of electricity we hadn't seen before. I loved it so much. But I don't feel it has aged as well as his other films. Maybe it's the bad print that get's aired on cable, or maybe it was just made in a time before very scene in a film was so meticulously lighted and set directed but it just feels kind of old-timey. It begs for a remaster! I can't NOT watch Inglorious Basterds if I come across it. Same with Kill Bill, Once Upon a Time and even the Hateful 8.
100% agree: Pulp Fiction, and it's not close. I just re-watched it for the first time in a while and it's still great.
a print of Pulp Fiction was played by me last fall and I mentioned it to my local video rental store impresario. his vivid description of seeing that movie when it came out, and the corralling of people to go see it again, has no comparison I'm aware of in terms of the broad, brain-exploding impact (save for maybe Dark Knight for my generation? felt compelled to see that multiple times). it made me jealous not to be of that moment. even if you're not a fan of Tarantino, there's an ineffable magic to Pulp Fiction. it's not that the others don't have it, but they seem to rekindle as opposed to this initial detonation.
an aside: The Hateful Eight. Saw the extended, big format roadshow when that came out. conceptually fascinating and a technical triumph I'm sure, but curious if anyone has revisited that? "Tarantino meets Agatha Christie for a play staged in a cabin" is a weird sell.
@piercefb -- I've found something new to love about The Hateful Eight each time I've rewatched it, which is several at this point, usually in the dialog and the performances. I love that it feels like a play, meticulously shot and sound-designed. I love that it evokes John Carpenter's The Thing. And I've come to love that it's so "performed." I imagine each actor in the room performing the dialog and having a blast doing so. It's become one of those movies where the act of creation itself feels joyful to me, and because the veneer of it being a movie is completely dropped, I somehow feel like I'm participating in it.
Pulp Fiction is perhaps my favorite movie of all time, so it's definitely my favorite QT movie. What about Reservoir Dogs? It's been a decade since I've scene it but the writing is so good and the story is so good. Also Vincent Vega (Travolta) and Vic Vega (Madsen) are supposedly brothers in the QT universe.
thanks Dave! this is an incredibly helpful framing and I must do a re-watch through this lens. it's great in a way that's decidedly different from the other films, so identifying how best to orient oneself, for me, was a challenge. I really like that idea of it being immersive as if you're in the cabin
Actually…I might agree with him in some ways. Inglourious Basterds is his masterpiece, and One Upon A Time In Hollywood is just so much fun. Pulp Fiction is still the most impressive to watch, though. And maybe I’m in a clear minority, but I’ve always felt that Kill Bill Volume II, surprisingly, is one of his most moving. Quentin, if you’re listening…go ahead and count the OUATIH sequel as one with its predecessor. We’ll take the extra flick please.
(Still haven’t seen Death Proof so at least I’ve got one in the cue).
The OUAIH sequel won't count towards the 10 because he's just writing it, not directing it (see: True Romance, Natural Born Killers, From Dusk Till Dawn.)
I'm a big fan of Death Proof. It isn't one that stands out but it's such a genre movie from a time long past. And the car stunts are insane
Pulp Fiction is his best, no contest.
I love the distinctions he's making here. Under no circumstances should "Return of the Jedi" ever be considered as the best Star Wars movie, but, having been born in 1978, it'll always be my favorite.
Rogue One is my favorite...
and I was born in 1975...
and I will die on this hill.
:)
The number of iconic scenes in Pulp Fiction? Walken and the watch, the pawnshop basement, the dance scene then the adrenaline, the diner robbery, royal with cheese conversation, the car clean-up… and then have those and more fit together like a highly polished puzzle box?! I mean, c’mon!
I’m sure Quentin wants what he says to be true, because it’s more interesting than answering “Pulp Fiction” to all three.
I grew up in the 90’s and I remember Pulp Fiction being the first popular movie of my generation with nonlinear storytelling being part of the plot. Now, a lot of streaming series use this technique without taste (live action Dave Filoni Disney Star Wars) or merit. My point is, Pulp Fiction changed storytelling.
He doesn’t say as much in interviews, but I suspect based on his history and how he talks about filmmaking, that Tarantino considers himself a writer first, maker-of-images second. In that light, his choices make sense. Inglorious Basterds is a masterpiece of tension, characterization, irony, and storytelling. Kill Bill is simpler but such a perfect exploitation pastiche.
And I think I agree that Pulp Fiction is his best film, but the writing isn’t nearly as good as IB.
First mention of Jackie Brown as favorite?! Agree with everyone here, PF is the best movie by far, JB is the favorite. Haven’t had any desire to re-watch anything after Kill Bill, they all feel very long, the dialogue writing feels rote.
I love Jackie Brown. It's easier to forget as it's not flashy or controversial like his other movies, but it's a really solid piece of storytelling.
I feel like it captures "LA" in a much more interesting way than "Once Upon a Time" did (even more so now that it's 30 years old)
I totally agree that Pulp Fiction is the best when you consider its place in cinematic and filmmaking history. It had the biggest impact. But is it his best? I agree with the Inglourious Basterds choice. As a package, (technically, narratively, and acting-wise) it's the strongest.
Pulp Fiction was a thunderbolt when it was released, but I don't think it holds up to multiple views
can't get over the "what if we could re-write" history device on some of the later films, it feels executed like how a teenager would do it, but not a smart contemporary teenager
I have to say, after dozens of rewatches over the years, it's Inglorious Basterds that is the most rewarding of his movies to revisit. There's something new to love each time, like some small, perfect detail that I can examine closely. I think it's his best. Pulp Fiction is certainly the one that has had the most cultural impact, and it remains as vibrant as ever, but I think rewatching Pulp Fiction is like revisiting it and remembering rather than discovering something new. And I loved what @Andrew Lilja said about the tension in it. Even though I know every beat of each scene, I still get sucked into the tension of them, which feels like a magic trick.
Inglorious Basterds has Waltz... And because of that simple fact, I think it surpasses Pulp Fiction. Narrowly, but it does.
Beyond Waltz: The outstanding cinematography, the usual comedy, the fantastic casting choices, the Strudel scene giving us Shoshanna's "damn that's some good dessert" review in a fraction of a second... So many good things... this IS Tarantino's Carnegie Hall performance...
i never liked Pulp Fiction, yeah i know :-) es tut mir sooooo leid :-) ROFL. Loved Inglorious Basterds because i lived in Germany for 3.5 years and speak German and WWII was terrible. Obviously #Ymmv
“I think me and David Fincher are the two best directors,” Tarantino said.
Just, no.
Ha, that is a ridiculous thing to say.
Pulp Fiction has the widest appeal, but Inglorious is indeed his best. I actually thought I was the only one who put Inglorious at #1. Somewhat relieved to read this.
Inglorious Basterds it is. :)
What do I need to do to get Once Upon a Time In Hollywood? I find it mid. Like, is it an "I grew up in LA with the stories of the Manson family" kind of thing, where since I didn't the alternate history part of it has no real pull on me? Pitt and Leo are great in it together but that's kind of all it does for me
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