On the New Beverly Cinema website, Quentin Tarantino unloads his expansive knowledge of cinema amongst some wonderfully brazen opinions disguised as reviews.
Since Quentin Tarantino took a step back from directing to focus on his family, he’s had a heap more time to do other things – like write detailed film reviews, as fans have recently discovered.
The reviews are a treasure trove of insight into the famed director’s mind. One of them likens a film script to “one hot fuckin’ potato”, whilst another calls Prophecy (1979) “pretty much a piece of shit from the word go.”
In 2007, Tarantino bought the historic New Beverly Cinema, which dates back to the 1920s. It gained huge popularity with the release of Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, with all July 2019 showings selling out instantly.
With the cinema temporarily closed during the pandemic, the director is populating the venue’s website with detailed film reviews. Daisy Miller, Prophecy, and Carny are some of the films under the spotlight. The entries mostly cover obscure arthouse and action flicks from the 1970s.
The content is fairly casual, and often reads more like a story than critical analysis. And it’s long. Many of the reviews clock in at almost 3,000 words. That’s 3,000 words of decidedly blunt opinions, deep dives into cinema history, and uncensored excitement.
“It may be hard to make a case that The Master of the Flying Guillotine is a good movie,” reads the review for Wang Yu: Superstar! Super Director! “But if you like this sort of thing, it’s easy to make the case it’s a great Kung Fu movie.”
“I’ve loved this movie since I was a child, and the older I’ve got, the more my affection grows. For the uninitiated it might seem like dumb crazy ass shit. But for a martial art film expert, and Wang Yu fan, it’s like a fine vintage wine only a connoisseur can appreciate.”
The reviews offer a wealth of cinema knowledge, and if nothing else, provide a heap of great recommendations. Cue Bang Bang by Nancy Sinatra.
Check out Tarantino’s film reviews here.