This isn't a "shit on this director" thread, I'm actually a big fan. Which is why I was a little shocked I can't think of any specific meaning to derive from his films. I had a teacher say once that writing something you have to ask yourself "so what? why am I writing this" but I can't for the life of me think of what the larger message is behind a single one. Jackie Brown maybe is the exception there, Hateful 8 even less likely.
I know not every movie has to be a moral struggle session, but it seems like the pattern is he likes making movies and there isn't anything deeper than that. And not in the Coen brothers way of "there is no message is the message" kind of theme that highlights the absurdity of reality. Quentin leans into the camp as his bread and butter, but he does it well.
Is he literally just a talented homage-machine who obsessively crafts entertaining movies? Are they just high quality pop-corn flicks?
My favorite Tarantino genre is where he makes you want something really bad like death to nazis and slave owners and then he gives it to you. It's literally like the most primitive form of satisfaction. Just drive reduction. Love it.
I wonder if drawing inspiration from so many different genres and films make any message necessarily muddled and contradictory?
He literally is just trying to make fun movies, and any meaning is incidental.
That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a meaning, or that there aren’t themes, but they tend to be emergent properties rather than intrinsic ones.
I guess that makes sense, death of the author and all that. Just baffling to me that one of the most celebrated directors alive has nothing to say. But you're right, it's not like he hides the fact he just likes movies.
I mean, he does have stuff to say, it’s just not very deep.
Inglorious Basterds was a movie about a group of Jews killing Nazis.
That western movie was about a former slave killing slave owners and other assorted racists in the American south. There just isn’t a “hidden message” below the surface.
I suppose you could say justice is a recurring theme, even if he's not saying anything clear or especially profound about it. The worst people generally get their due, and people who get wronged generally get some measure of closure.
Michael Bay doesn't even do action well, but I do understand your point. Probably why there's such a split on Hateful 8 since it really leans into that.
People this isn't an effort post or a declaration of my opinion, I'm looking for answers from you people. I love Reservoir Dogs but what does it mean? What happened when Mia killed Bill, what was she killing metaphorically? The scene with Butch and his French girlfriend discussing her "pot-belly" is that metaphor for pregnancy? WHY DID THE EDITORS LEAVE IN A "BLINK AND YOU MISS IT" SHOT OF BRUCE WILLIS'S PENIS WHEN HE GETS OUT OF THE SHOWER?
WHY DID THE EDITORS LEAVE IN A “BLINK AND YOU MISS IT” SHOT OF BRUCE WILLIS’S PENIS WHEN HE GETS OUT OF THE SHOWER?
idk but i think i need to rewatch pulp fiction now
well he didnt write it as morality plays, its just a story. its up to you what it means to you. if thats nothing so be it but id argue if you enjoy it then it must mean something to you even if you cant articulate it
They're definitely not didactic, but come on, this guy got famous in the 90s. I'm sure many will disagree on this, but I think Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained at least have interesting characters. Not sure if that counts as the kind of meaning you're looking for.
tarantino can best be described by trying his entire career to emulate the authentic grindhouse vibe of natural born killers and not really ever living up to it unfortunately
he likes making movies and there isn’t anything deeper than that
I'll suggest that most movies are made this way, and this is increasingly true as we move from movies typically having one person with clear creative control to a model where what goes into the movie is increasingly decentralized. A lot of movies read to me as "this director just wanted to make a good horror/action/sci-fi/mystery movie." There may be themes, they may raise some interesting questions for the viewer, but I don't think that's an artistic choice most of the time. I think that sort of non-literal content is just habitually imported as a function of the genre. Imagine a director making a totally generic Western -- you can tick off a few of the themes you'll probably see knowing nothing else about this hypothetical movie.
And not in the Coen brothers way of “there is no message is the message” kind of theme that highlights the absurdity of reality.
I agree with this assessment, but I think Tarantino, famously a film geek, is aware that he's not including any message and is consciously choosing that approach. Why? Maybe a sense that it's easy for "message" films to come off as hammy and heavy-handed, maybe a lack of confidence that he could insert a message without it being perceived as hammy and heavily-handed, maybe just an extreme focus on making everything else about the movie cool and interesting. I can think of reasons to go that route, but whatever the reason actually is I have to imagine it's intentional. He's not trying to say things and it's just not getting through, and he's not completely unaware of the concept you're talking about.
He has meanings beyond the surface. Often they're deconstructions of the themes of the scenes he's homaging.
Of course this means to get them you need to have seen like 20 obscure russian art films about crossing ice with a candle.
"oh damn they are doing kill bill on tv. i've heard of it, i wonder what it is about."
40 minutes later "oh so it's just gonna be this for the rest of the movie?" "for the next 2 movies actually"
There's that scene in inglorious basterds about the similarities of king kong and the American slave trade. This scene never comes up again and neither king kong nor America's dark history are referred to again. I think this generally summarizes both what Tarantino thinks of allegory in films and the connections that fans will find in film: it's interesting to think about, but ultimately the movie can work independently of any "meaning" found by people who at times overthink it. It's why I would never own a movie by him. I've enjoyed most of his movies to an extent, but rewatching them doesn't usually lead to any more gratification.
if theres a story you can get meaning out of it. its up for interpretation i guess but its not meaningless
Arn't Shitstorm Post Devoid of meaning
This isn a "Shit on the Poster" Threat . Im Actually a Big Fan of Shitstorm , Which is Why I was a Little Shocked . I Cant Thin of any Specific Meaning to derive from this Threat. I had a teacher say once that writing something you have to ask yourself “so what? why am I posting this” but I can’t for the life of me think of what the larger message is behind a single Post.
