CINEMA SPECULATION by Quentin Tarantino [review]

This is one of the best books on movies that I’ve ever read.

Do not crack open the cover expecting in-depth coverage of any particular era or genre of film, or a deep dive into film aesthetics, or an extensive tell-all memoir from Tarantino.

There are elements of all that, but essentially the books is about a handful of films that Tarantino likes and / or felt enormously influenced by, plus the context in which he saw those films, both in the overall cultural gestalt of their era and his own personal situation.

It’s a fascinating read, sprawling out in all directions (much as his novel derived from Once Upon A Time In Hollywood does) but eventually tying it all together in his own particular worldview.

Even if you don’t particular care for Tarantino or his worldview or his film aesthetics, I think you’ll find this an interesting read because of the quality of thinking and observation he does on the films he writes about.

You may not be a fan of his work, but there’s no denying he’s remarkably perceptive about movies and the business of filmmaking.

The bulk of films covered in this book are action and exploitation movies that Tarantino saw in his formative years, with commentary on how they fit into the political scene at the time (both national politics and studio politics).  He follows the rise and abrupt fall of New Hollywood (i.e., the post-Easy Rider era) and how they were replaced by the Movie Brats (i.e., Coppola / Spielberg / Scorsese / Lucas / et al).*

• Bullitt (1968)

• Dirty Harry (1971)

• Deliverance (1972)

• The Getaway (1972)

• The Outfit (1973)

• Sisters (1973)

• Daisy Miller (1974)

• Taxi Driver (1976)

• Rolling Thunder (1977)

• Paradise Alley (1978)

• Escape From Alcatraz (1979)

• Hardcore (1979)

• The Funhouse (1981)

all get chapters dedicated to them, not just to general overviews of those films but insights into how they were written and made, an analysis of how they not merely fit into the culture of the time but how they influenced that culture in return, and especially how they impacted young Quentin himself and shaped him as a filmmaker.**

But wait!  There’s more!  Tarantino also devotes chapters to L.A. Times film critic Kevin Thomas, the transition from Old Hollywood > New Hollywood > Movie Brats, speculation on what Taxi Driver would have looked like had Brian De Palma directed it, and Floyd.***

Add to all that fascinating diversions into the history of various B-movie franchises, wild filmmaking anecdotes, and his own memories of growing up as a movie buff.

Not every person likes Tarantino and his oeuvre in whole or in part, but there’s no denying he’s a well informed and exceptionally perceptive writer on the topic of movies.

He’s stated his planned retirement from directing with his next as-yet-unannounced tenth film, but has expressed an interest in playwriting.  I think that would be a great direction for him to move into, especially if he continues writing about films as well.

I highly recommend Cinema Speculation.****

© Buzz Dixon

* He makes a compelling argument for why they should have been replaced, but personally I feel we lost something by so easily abandoning the darker / more daring films of that era for the popcorn feel good epics that replaced them.  Mind you, as Tarantino points out, there’s room for feel good movies like Rocky when they come from the heart and face the reality of being human, but for every good film like that there are typically a dozen imitators that miss the point entirely.

** I can identify with that, as looking back I see I was analyzing and being influenced by stories I read and shows I’d seen from a very young age.

*** Who?  Read the book.

**** Okay, minor kvetch.  Tarantino uses italics for emphasis and Movie Titles and Real Names and Character Names and “Direct quotes” and other times for inapparent reasons, which is as confusing / irritating as hell.  I do Movie Titles like this and Book Titles like this and “Short stories / poems / songs” like this and general emphasis like this, which I trust is easier to follow.