because he’s talented and popular.
even though i don’t hate his films, those are great reasons to dislike someone.
^ in that case in a few years were all gona hate Del Toro… :(
I think it’s been increasingly ‘dangerous’ [for lack of a better word] to admit you like anything in particular [films or otherwise]. You’re either a snob, an idiot, or the thing you like is pretentious or stupid. Apparently it’s impossible to accept other people’s personal tastes these days.
Daniel, you realize that the film has to date grossed just over $80,000,000, right?
Yet Tarantino is not popular on THIS site.
“TARANTINO DOES THINGS SO DIFFERENTLY, HE SHOULD STRICTLY BE IN A CATEGORY BY HIMSELF, NOT COMPARED TO ANY OTHER DIRECTOR.” Mr. Purcell
It’s pretty obvious which side you’re on, Mr. Purcell. You yourself have started like three threads on Tarantino. You just see people don’t like Tarantino so you start a thread where it’s already assumed he’s a great director, but it’s only hated because it’s fashionable. There can’t be any other possible reason. You start your thread on a logical fallacy… no one can actually dislike Tarantino, they only sat they do because every one else does.
There are a great many arguments for, and against the films of Tarantino, but I doubt anything good, or interesting will come from this thread. Just more people pontificating on how much they love/hate Tarantino.
Useless thread!
Thanks for your optimism. And you didn’t follow the directions in the thread. No assumptions please.
Is Tarantino so great that everyone has to like him? Jesus Christ!!!
OK Michel. Now tell me WHY you hate him.
Your question has been answered a hundred thousand hundred thousand times by QT fans and QT haters alike. What do you wish to accomplish here?
Done to death.
It’s not an assumption. You have stated over, and over how much you love Tarantino… just look at your profile for God’s sake. Tarantino is the first one listed on your “favourite auteurs,” your favourite movie is Death Proof, your “style image” is from Reservoir Dogs. It’s pretty much the opposite of an assumption.
No one on this site can follow the directions in a thread. That is why this site sucks!
I don’t hate Tarantino. I will admit that I am seroiusly bothered by the blind adulation surrounding him. I feel that it will prevent him from making more mature films instead of the juvenile ones he makes now. His movies are so incredibly empty. They are just entertaining . I wamt more from somebody with such potential…
What could he do to make his films less empty?
Rawr!
I don’t think it’s a completely useless thread. Not for discussing Tarantino [ ‘cause that’s been done to death ] but maybe touching upon the possibility that it has become somewhat ‘fashionable’ to either love or hate something these days. I think there are instances where people fall on one side or the other due to popular opinion on something or possibly more correctly are more vocal about their opinion on something when it falls in line with the majority of people.
I mean, how many times have you seen people say ‘Spielberg sucks’, ’Spielberg’s overrated’ and so on. It’s not my point whether or not that’s true, but when people say it they often only leave it with these brief, pointless comments without any justification because so many others feel the same way. Rather than be ‘critical’, which ideally means being purely objective in my opinion, people prefer to mix in their own personal feelings on the subject at hand.
It’s like, nobody can acknowledge that a distaste or a preference for something may be due in large part to their own tastes as much as the actual qualities [or lack thereof] of whatever they’re talking about. I mean, how many of us on here feel you have to love a film and if you cannot appreciate it you’re missing something? I’m not saying we outright insult others, but we’ve all got passion towards things, one way or the other.
This site “sucks” because no one can debate something without getting their feelings hurt and either attacking anyone who sees something different from them, or starting threads where their opinion is the only correct one, and every one else is an idiot, or just being “fashionable.”
This site “sucks” because it used to be about film discussion and is now about showing off how much you know in the most childish way possible.
This site “sucks” because seriousness has become a dirty word, and everyone has to think of film as just a useless hobby, or “pointless,” lest they be constantly hounded to the ends of the earth by people who have never left the sixth grade mentality.
This site “sucks” because nobody can talk about films that don’t conform into their idea of what makes something great.
This site does not suck because people don’t follow your arbitrary directions.
Nice post Josh.
Yet Tarantino is not popular on THIS site.
Neither is Fredrick De Cordova. Why do people have such a martyr complex-by-proxy when it comes to Tarantino? Here are some comments from the “Reactions to Inglourious Basterds” thread:
“I thought it was really great. I won’t be surprised by many award nominations.”
“I enjoyed every minute of it. Yay!”
“Just got back from the theater. Liked it a lot.”
“I loved it”
“I just got back from a screening, and my immediate reaction is that I still find QT to be one of the most purely entertaining directors ever.”
“super titillating!”
Reading those I’m not exactly feeling the hate.
Daniel: Thanks. I’m not even a Tarantino fan [only seen PF so far]. And while maybe ‘fashionable’ might be the wrong word, I think this has become common in alot of things that involve personal taste. Films, books, T.V., music, etc, etc.
I don’t mind if someone does not like something that I do, esp. if they have intelligent criticism. What annoys me is when someone dismisses something I like just ‘cause I happened to mention it. Of course as some people have mentioned before, there isn’t always time for detailed discussions so we’re left with pure opinion.
I’ll be honest, I was a huge Tarantino fan growing up, then I think I sort of got less and less interested. I was even to a point where I felt like I didn’t like him. I think this site and all the whiny babies going on about how terrible Tarantino is has helped inspire me to appreciate him more than I had been. Thanks, Farteurs.
@ Daniel.. He doesn’t write real characters. He fetishises violence. I really could go on but I suspect that you will not be happy with anything I might come up as to why I don’t think he is the greatest living director…
‘Thanks, Farteurs.’
Ah, from the same wonderful bad pun making academy known as STL! ;)
he’s kind of a gateway director, which undoubtedly has something to do with it, for all sorts of reasons (none of which, though, really account for the bizarre hate his films receive on this site).
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the Auteurs represents the general populace! Tarantino is highly regarded by most people outside this site. I was talking with kids from school today, three of whom told me that Inglourious Basterds was one of their favorite movies ever.
To try to answer the original question -
One thing that I’ve seen come out of those who definitely don’t like Tarantino is a bit of logic that confuses me. They assert that his films are empty, or that they lack “humanity” (whatever that’s supposed to mean, I don’t know), and on the flipside they seem to acknowledge that Tarantino does have some talent as a filmmaker. With these two things, they seem to think that somehow he’s wasting his talent on “juvenile” films.
To an extent, I can understand that, but on another level the criticism seems totally without logic whatsoever.
Why? Well, let me put a personal example to you. I don’t like David Lynch – at least not generally, as there have been a few films that I appreciate. I find that Lynch’s style and thematic concerns do not resonate with me 90% of the time. But, I also recognize that he’s no hack. The man clearly has talent. So, why am I not crying that he’s wasting his talent on utterly meaningless surrealistic films? Well, because I recognize that he wouldn’t be David Lynch if he stopped making those films. I think the same goes with Tarantino. Some people may not like his style or his thematic concerns, but it seems counterproductive (at least from an argumentative standpoint) to ask him to be someone that he’s not. It’s like complaining that John Ford makes too many westerns, or that Kurosawa makes too many samurai pictures. Why bother?
But my problem with the line of reasoning goes a little deeper. This is a site called “the auteurs”, and most of us here buy into the auteur theory (to one degree or another.) The theory asserts that the personal concerns of a director are of prime importance. It argues that beneath the surface of many “ordinary” films lies the heart of the person directing it. Buried in all that celluloid is someone’s mind, ideas, passions, and concerns. As far as I can tell, Tarantino makes the films that he wants to make. He’s not sucking the Wienstiens dicks (if anything, it’s the other way around), and he doesn’t seem willing to compromise his vision at all.
So, what would it mean for him to “mature” or “grow up”? The line of reasoning seems to assert that he should grow up by abandoning his vision. He should quit doing the movies that he wants to do, and start doing the movies that you want him to do. Frankly, I think that’s bogus.
Please remember here, I don’t think it’s necessary to enjoy Tarantino’s films. There are plenty of good reasons to find fault in his work. I, for one, do enjoy his films.
You realize, Shotzi, that it’s pronounced “oh-tur” not “awe-tur,” right?
WTF is up with all the references to “STL”? That’s not St. Louis, is it?
Also, a few people on THIS site don’t like Tarantino. Anywhere else you will get your head bashed in for claiming so. Even on here, he has a lot of fervent admmirers. I don’t get this whole fashionable thing you are talking about…
Daniel Purcell
Almost like the days back in Preparatory School where if you didn’t wear Polo button-up shirts or Duckhead pants or penny loafers with the pennies put in them you were excluded from the “cool table,” not only on this site but pretty much all over the U.S. this Tarantino hatred is spreading by people who shun him as a worthy director. Admitting that you like Tarantino in a thread on this site is like admitting you are coming out of the closet to your parents. Why have we taken it this far? Why have we allowed mention of Tarantino to be such a cinematic faux pas? Is he really THAT bad? Compared to these other popcorn movie producers that are working on these carbon copy cinema experiences that are high action and no plot, is Tarantino THAT awful? I am writing this from an unbiased standpoint and not revealing my stance on this question (so please do not assume that I am pro-Tarantino necessarily). This is an experiment to see what others say when they are put on the spot to support their hatred or love for QT.