Quentin Tarantino

by Dan Jolin

Quentin Tarantino is one of the most iconic and best loved movie directors of the last two decades. Whether he's shooting up the Deep South, slicing through the Japanese underworld, blasting Nazi-occupied France or taking a flamethrower to '60s Los Angeles, Tarantino is a director who combines a radical vision with a sense of making movies precisely the way he wants, to celebrate the movies he loves. Featuring insights into his inspirations - from martial-arts epics to Spaghetti Westerns - and dishing up fascinating details from his productions, this is an indispensable guide to Tarantino's thrilling and sometimes controversial body of work.It takes in his searing debut Reservoir Dogs, the era-defining Pulp Fiction and the genre-subverting Django Unchained, among other modern classics, right up to his nostalgic masterpiece Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. Above all, this is a celebration of a filmmaker who has arguably made a bigger impact on modern pop culture than any other.

224 pages, Hardcover

Published December 17, 2024

Reviews

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short volume is the perfect blend of film analysis, anecdotal details and the own words of the people involved. Since Tarantino has only directed 9 films to date, it’s not hard to give each one its due, without ignoring his other directorial and screenwriting collaborations (am I the only one who pretends that True Romance was 100% his?). There are excerpts of interviews, not only of Tarantino but his creative team; and some of the critical response to every film. It is clear how Dan Jolin loves these movies, and how he’s watched them all many times, to notice all the details. The book also took me back, as it will readers of a certain age, to my first time watching Pulp Fiction at the theater and how flabbergasted and excited I was at watching something completely original. Unlike reading about Hitchcock and wishing I’d seen Psycho back when it opened before I was born. Reading about these movies was like reminiscing with a friend who enjoyed them as much as me. So while we all wait for his tenth movie, the photographs, interviews and quotes will tide us over.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Mobius Books.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

***A big thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this upcoming book***
I came across this book and was interested because I have always been a fan of Quentin Tarantino’s films. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much as this book is a bit on the short side. I was very pleasantly surprised! The author packs a ton of great information and stories into the book and each chapter focuses on a phase of Tarantino’s life and the features that he both solely wrote and the ones that he wrote, directed and acted in. I highly recommend this to all movie fans looking for a great, quick read and especially to Quentin Tarantino fans. I have another ARC by this author on deck that focuses on the Coen Brothers, and I can’t wait to get started on it. Give it a read!

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best features of this book on QT is how conversational it feels whilst also being informative and fresh with the stories that are told. There's definitely a good amount of information here I haven't frequently read elsewhere and it's a perfect overview of QT's filmography for all those who want an effective deep dive. While I do wish that the formatting was better at spacing out the blocks of text and pictures more evenly, the pictures are all gorgeous and well selected. My favorite parts were the Pulp Fiction and the Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood extensive sections. Ultimately, having all of QT's work explored in this fashion allows a seamless examination of the throughlines within all of his works in a really satisfying way.

[Sjors · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great way to relive the Tarantino films, without having to watch them. (Although that would be of course hardly an effort. Moreover, this book sparks the urge to rewatch each and every one of them.) Dan Jolin presents a light mix of analyses and fun facts.

Downside for me: to fully understand all content, it's required to know who's who in the film world surrounding Tarantino. It would have helped me to have at least a picture of every actor that's mentioned and a brief description of other side figures that are mentioned.

As a Tarantino fan, this gets four stars from me. For readers that are not particularly into Tarantino's work, this would probably be a three star experience.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I attacked The Shark Is Still Roaring as seemingly being pasted from a ton of sources. The same thing is true here (with works even cited) but the writing/editing is so smooth, I didn’t care. There was only the odd anecdote I didn’t know but it was nice having all of QT’s life and work all in one place. Maybe shitty books this year have made this a layup but breezy is breezy.

[Jennice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this easy read about Quentin Tarantino's filmography. I learned quite a bit about some of my favorite Tarantino films including From Dusk Til Dawn, Django, and Kill Bill Vol 1. Definitely recommend to fans of his work.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet. Lean and mean.

[Klenex · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bad person. Bad films. I liked kill bill tho