What you consider a ripoff, most would consider an introduction to obscure films and forgotten classics that were given a second lease on life thanks to his references and homages. Such as: "The Cat o' Nine Tails" "Cat People" "Coffy" "Le Corbeau" "Cruising" "The Damned" "Death Rides a Horse" "Django" "Eastern Condors" "The Entity" "Foxy Brown" "The Great Silence" "Hi Diddle Diddle" "Lady Snowblood" "Navajo Joe" "Passion Plantation" "Slaughter" "Two Mules for Sister Sara" "Under Fire" "Vanishing Point" "The White Hell of Pia Palu" "White Lightening" "Zombie" Go up to any random stranger on the street and ask them if they've heard of any of those films because I'm willing to bet they'll just look at you in confusion and in contempt. Calling Tarantino a "ripoff artist" is just as lazy as calling Lars von Trier a misogynist. The purpose of Tarantino's films is, much like any filmmaker who uses a story that's been done to death, exploring how any film can live again through another.
+Will C Yeah. While watching Tarantino's stuff, all I'm thinking is; "Why don't I watch *insert any movie Tarantino is paying 'homaaaaageeeeee' to* instead of this self-indulgent bilge?"
Backyard Pix Good for you. That doesn't mean everyone else will. Some of us appreciate discovering new movies and reevaluating certain classics because of his ideas and presentations.
I love how much Kermode's view on Tarantino has softened in the past five years. 2007, after completely bashing Death Proof: "He can't write, can't direct and has run out of ideas." 2012: "Tarantino said in a recent interview that his worst film is Death Proof, which is right, and frankly that's not bad - so he's got a pretty good filmography."
Death Proof is a film that cannot be judged based on its ridiculous story, considering that is not what the whole intention of producing this film was. The story and plot were just there as an excuse to show off all the memorable scenes, references to everything, praise to classical music, female protagonists foghting off a psychotic yet cool dude, some of the best stunts seen by cinema, hard work spent just to make a simple relaxing movie, and the cool life with stunning women such as that girl with the crazy hair. You would be surprised on how realistic the social interactions are in the movie, also how the movie flows through almost two hours with nothing special happening.
This film could've easily been made into 90 minutes, but the pointless dialogue drags it on for a blockbuster length feature. All because QT is a critically acclaimed director, doesn't mean his films have last for 2 hours +.
That’s the first time I’ve ever heard someone call someone “Stalinist” for not acknowledging Four Rooms. I must say that wasn’t on my Mark Kermode bingo card.
I found the special-edition of this movie in the supermarket bargain-bin for £3, I took a risk having never heard of it. Brilliant... I went in cold, the best way to approach a movie. Everything about it was perfect and not once could I predict the next twist or turn. A proper old-school movie, just like back in the day when they had a story!! Reminded me of Duel with cheerleaders. Cheesy yes, but fun. BRAVO and as for Zoe Bell... Damn! 🏆
I'm almost angry after watching this. It's practically word for word what I've been saying about Quentin Tarantino for years. Especially about Jackie Brown losing money and him deciding never to make a good movie again. But I'm proud to have had a psychic long-distance mind meld with a genius like Mark. I knew I couldn't be coming up with that stuff on my own.
First Kermode review I don't agree with and amazed by how much Mark hated it. I loved it. I watched it with my wife and - talk about giving the female viewer satisfaction - it was a pleasure to watch her delight by the end of the movie. the first half of the movie is very very slow and dark so that the second half can give you the total satisfaction. Plus - great songs used. Loved it
+Betatest Bullfinch Well, he said he did. But I suspect that he and Simon Mayo were trying to keep their teenage children off their backs. The Twilight thing never bothered me because I'll never see those movies anyway. Even as a fan, I'd sooner pick him up on other things, like when he went out of his way to defend Transcendence because his buddies Wally Pfister and Paul Bettany made it. I also have a theory that Simon and especially Mark have adopted more mainstream, middle-class, PC taste ever since the podcast took off around 2009-2010. But that's for another time.
+TulseLuper "I also have a theory that Simon and especially Mark have adopted more mainstream, middle-class, PC taste ever since the podcast took off around 2009-2010" can you elaborate on that please.
+Toad Lash OK so this is all conjecture, so feel free to disregard all of it as bullshit. This also turned into an essay by accident, so forgive me. But this is basically how I feel about the show now: I've been listening since 2009 when I was more of a fanboy. That's when I downloaded all the original podcasts and listened to them all (They're GREAT for being trapped on New York subways.) In the old days, Kermode was much more pressed for time, so he really wanted to use that time to champion as many challenging and off-beat films as he could. There was more of a sense of, "Yeah Spider-Man is out but look at your OTHER options this week." The two episodes about Antichrist are among their best. Willem Dafoe puts up a spirited but cordial defense of the film, and when it came time for Kermode to actually review it, he gave the film its due while most were throwing Lars von Trier under the bus. Also, because it was just Mayo's show with Kermode as a regular Friday guest, you had a lot more e-mails from people who were willing to challenge or even insult Kermode. To his credit, Kermode always took even the harsher criticisms on the chin. One time, when some jackass trolled the Uncut blog about Transformers 2, Kermode stepped in: he not only defended the troll but he insisted that the BBC moderators resurrect his comments. I'll always respect him for shit like that. I see little evidence of that same Kermode anymore. They would never give Antichrist the time of day now. You'd get two minutes on the film followed by "OH LARS" as though a catchphrase constitutes a review. Making the show two hours long was the beginning of the end for me. We were promised MORE time to talk about movies. Instead, the first twenty minutes of any podcast is nothing but e-mails telling Mark and Simon how amazing they are, followed by grousing about the playlist and e-mails about battenberg cake. The celebrity guests seem to take precedence over the films, and whenever a guest is less than enthusiastic, Mayo acts as though they've spat in his face. That Charlie Kaufman interview wasn't THAT bad, and you know Mark, maybe you shouldn't have opened your conversation with "What did you think about Inside Out?" That'd be like me approaching Kermode at a Dodge Brothers gig and asking him with a straight face, "What did you think about that other, better skiffle band who played last night?" And that's what I mean about how mainstream the show has become. Enough about Inside Out already!!! I refuse to see the film now because Mark won't shut the fuck up about it. Every year, he misses out on several controversial art films such as Only God Forgives, Hard To Be A God, or Calvary. But then he brags about repeatedly watching kids movies like Inside Out and Guardians of the Galaxy. Worse, he has the gall to complain about how little time he has to catch up with everything. His paltry excuse is that "Well Robbie, James, or Floyd/Boyd reviewed them." Yeah but most of your sheep listeners deliberately DON'T download when those guys fill in. None of them even realize that, while he isn't as entertaining, Robbie Collin is TEN TIMES the film critic Mark Kermode is. I seriously want the BBC to give him his own show opposite Edith Bowman. And at least Bowman is more open-minded than Mayo, who refuses to watch anything with subtitles or anything that challenges his bourgeois worldview. And I really do think Kermode's criticism has become increasingly moralistic because he knows about all the Tumblr types who are hanging onto his every word. His fretting about Mad Max made no sense, for example. And every email they get would rather discuss the social justice failings of movies rather than, you know, the filmmaking. Whenever anyone writes in to criticize the show, they only read out e-mails from idiots like MRAs just so they can take the moral high ground and prove how right they are. You rarely hear an intelligent dissent of their reviews anymore: it's nothing but an echo chamber. And then they brag about how "it's not really about movies" as though you should be proud of doing a film podcast where movie talk takes a backseat to an awful joke about Snapchat that will not die. At least when they bring in Robbie Collin, he talks about movies as movies, and doesn't let his politics dictate his response. Don't get me wrong, they're still great entertainers; I thought his London Has Fallen rant was hilarious. And I genuinely liked his High-Rise review, so it's not like I despise the show all of a sudden. But it's not the same show. It's safe, dumbed down, and it's no longer about movies. And not in a good way.
TulseLuper it seems like every new news organization promises the they're going to bring dignity back to the news. Nine months later, they're struggling to stay afloat so they report on what haircut Taylor Swift has. Just as every new movie news group promises they're going to just cover independent/arthouse stuff. The next thing you know they're taking about how some Marvel clone is going to change the face of cenima. In the end, the audience is to blame because these journalist are just trying to make a living and hate reporting on this drivel as much as you and I hate hearing about it but that's what the majority wants...P.S you're really missing out on inside out. A masterpieces is a masterpieces no matter the target audience and to cheat ourselves for the wrong reasons is just foolish. Example: I despise superhero movies so I refused to watch Guardians so imagine my surprise when it was the one and only Marvel flick I adored.
I know and the fact that "kamode" says it's probably bad, and he's never seen it is the height of stupidity. It reminds me of something a republican politician would say. How they always try to outlaw (and fail) violent movies they've never seen.
It was entertaining enough but nothing to shout about, and I believe Kermode pretty much the same thing. I give points to Robert Rodriguez for casting Jeff Fahey who for my mind is an undervalued actor who it's a shame never became a larger star than what he did. It's sad to think the film he is probably most remembered for is The Lawnmower Man.
It's not as self-indulgent or dreadfully boring as Death Proof, but, fuck, it's one stupid film. This whole project felt more like a mockery of exploitation films than a tribute. Flashy and indulgent writing, cringeworthy casting of flavor of the month celebrities, fucking CGI effects (really?!) and a distinct lack of actual sleaze.
I never understood this. After Sin City, it's clear Rodriguez has found refuge in being lazy and deliberately making trash because he can. Say what you will about Death Proof but at least it's sincere, Planet Terror is just mean-spirited, boring and obnoxious.
When I saw it in theatres here in Canada, Planet Terror was first, and the audience was entertained... they loved the trailers... then half of them walked out during Deathproof at what was essentially the 3/4th mark of the entire performance.
I don't know what he's got against Tarantino. I hear the criticisms, but I just don't buy into them. I don't know what "talks like Tarantino" means. And also, he wouldn't have some courtesy to clap for the guy?
Some people seriously struggle to understand the job of an art critic. To criticise a film IS to criticise it's director, production, etc. So people getting fucked off about kermode getting fucked off are missing the point. Let him get angry! It's what turns the cogs of proper future film making.
What's funny is that Jackie Brown's characters were all ready established for Tarantino to give them Dialogue, because they were all based on a book called "Rum Punch", which most likely meant that all the characters would be diverse and not all act like QT. That's probably why Jackie Brown is Quentin's best film.
Exactly. Btw just recently watched Jackie brown and my god it is so superior to the stuff he brings out now like Django, inglorious. Once apon a time in hollywood
I wish more than anything that I had that review. They didn't start doing podcasts of the Kermode/Mayo show until May 2005 so there's no way of hearing it unless somebody comes out of the woodwork with a recording of it. But yeah, that sounds like it was one of his best.
Not sure which comment this is in reply to (YT changed the way comment replies work in the last 12 years) but tell me Mr Winesack, are you still listening to K+M all these years later?
Agree on Jackie Brown but he had an awesome novel to begin from. That's why the story and characters shine. The book even does the mall caper finale from 3 different viewpoints in sequence, that's not Quentin's idea.
Almost scary how I felt the exact same when I first saw this movie. It was like all the actors tried their best Tarantino impression. Still good fun though.
I watched this about 10 years ago when I was ill at home with swine flu. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. I loved the Tarantino films I’d seen to that point so was completely at a loss to describe what had happened.
Why does Kermode get all bent out of shape over petite things like whether Death Proof is Tarantino's 5th film or the name and spelling of 'Inglourious ....' . It makes me think he's trying too hard to hate on Tarantino .
Because just the act of putting "the xth film of Quentin Tarantino" in every trailer and even in the beginning of a movie is so pretentious and self-flattering he could at least have made up the numbers right.
ThisIsWideAngle As if it would be less pretentious to say 'The 5 & 1/4' film by ... Nobody would say Fellini was being self-flattering by naming his 8th and 1 half film > '8 1/2' . Is Tarantino supposed to be ashamed of his work ?? Kermode tries too hard to knock Tarantino .
I think if Death Proof had been a lot shorter - with a lot less time in the bar at the start and a shorter chase- it would have been a pretty decent B movie
I'm gonna upload it later since I don't think they took a video of last week's podcast. He's actually rather even-handed about Inglourious Basterds but I won't say anything else.
i think death proof was brilliant. i enjoy the way quentin tarantino talks and the second set of girls' revenge was like faster pussycat wrapped up in a car chase.
Thanks, I just listened to it, once again I feel he's right about Inglourious Basterds. Unfortunately critics here in the U.S. are giving Tarantino a pass because of his past glory and using hyperbolic praise to describe the movie.
@Bassbait I think (and I appreciate this discussion because it makes me try to pin this down) it is his willingness to show his characters at length in periods of leisure or periods when, at least to them, nothing important is happening. The local color and verbal play and the idiosyncrasies and banalities of the characters come into focus at the expense of the plot, which is fine to me. You don't see this a lot in American movies, at least not before T-o.
Hated this movie when I saw it at the cinema and was going to revisit it after watching a better Tarantino movie recently. Listening to this review again has saved me the bother of doing that so thank you 😊
@Bassbait I'm sure I am biased and blinded by my instinctive enjoyment of his films - and what other kind of true enjoyment is there? Justifying reasons for a feeling are usually teased out or even conjured up after the impression has struck us. And then we pretend those reasons are inevitable. (Or this could just be a personal admision.) Eh, I didn't mean to get pretentious. So, what does T-o do that really scratches my itch?
6:38 absolutely true description of Tarantino, money grabbing, sell out, embarrassing who cannot write. But who has he sold out to and what has he got out of it!
I really like Tarantino but I do agree with Mark on most of the stuff he says about him; Jackie Brown is his best film and while I love most of his other work I do find he has a lot of immature tendencies that were missing from JB, which is a perfect film IMO. Even as a big QT fan I have to admit that Deathproof is a pretty dire film that shouldn't have been greenlit.
I agree that the dialogue can be unrealistic but I think overall it’s a good movie. At the end of the day it’s about cars ramming into each other and getting cathartic violent revenge, so it’s hard to not enjoy it.
But he's trying so hard, and no intelligent, truly intelligent person who watches and understands Tarantino's films can fail to see the literary, comedic and filmic excellence in what he does REGARDLESS of whether you personally enjoy the themes or film itself. The talent is undeniable.
Sure. Friedkin's Bug. I mainly post the bad ones because those are the most entertaining, but if you have a request for a good review, I'll certainly turn it over.
its a good fucking movie, better than all these unoriginal super hero movie remakes you see now a days. its not tarantino at his best but its still a better than average movie
i got the dvd copy where both films are shown with the trailers in between. i was surprised how much i liked them both - can't weigh in on the 2hr version of death proof but id imagine that would stretch it out enough to ruin it.
Thank God there is a critic willing to call Tarantino out on his decline in quality. Critics here in America continually praise Tarantino because of his past glories (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction) and describes his films' increasing deficiencies as strengths. I can't wait to see Kermode's take on Inglourious Basterds.
Completely agree with Kermode’s criticisms, though of late I think Tarantino has gotten back on track. For me at least, both Hateful 8 & Once Upon A Time were vast improvement on his post Jackie Brown output with Hollywood delivering the least Tarantino dialogue of his career. No long pointless monologues, no extraneous pop culture references, no clunky anachronistic words that come off forced, no annoying alliteration. All his worst tendencies are dialed back and he lets the characters be. The dicaprio crackup in the bar to full breakdown in trailer which I’ve subsequently found out was Leonardo’s idea & that they worked on together gave the most depth I’ve seen in a Tarantino character/film - it loosened his grip on his normal tightly controlled dialogue ladened world; some air & humanity leaked in which hasn’t really shown up since Brown. The 1 character for me that comes closest to Tarantino’s style is the little actress on set which perhaps due to her age comes off somewhat written - but that’s the minor-est of minor quibbles.. IMO he’s improving and it’s unfortunate that it’s now that he’s hanging it up.
I wasn't a big fan of Death Proof. It was self indulgent instead of a low budget exploitation. Even the graininess is more of an effect than using cheap stock because the production can't afford it.
This fella is too cheeky and toooooo smart for my taste. But i love all of his ,,films" he directed and his enormous contribution to cinema. I just hope Tarantino learns something from him
the reason the dialogue in jackie brown is good is because it's based on a Elmore Leonard novel, i.e. Tarantino had more to rely on for his screen play.
While Death proof is definitely Quentin's weakest film Mark is being way too harsh on the film. He didn't even address the best car chase scene in recent cinema, the great acting, the very clever structure and the heightened sense of realism that oozed from the screen as if the characters are your close friends.
This is why his films will date quickly. No-one in the future will see what all the fuss was about. Style over substance. Substance lasts, style does not.
I hold Reservoir Dogs, Inglourious Basterds and Pulp Fiction in very high esteem, while the rest of his films (including Django Unchained) are less than notable. I'm a big fan of Quentin Tarantino, but Mark Kermode is literally right about the guy. Every word of what he said is true.
The kung fu wasn't my favourite part of the first movie but i enjoyed the second without it's action. I agree with Kermode about the final scene with Bill rambling on about comics. Where he's sounding like Tarrintino.
Considering that Tarantino has been the critics darling since 92 you have to wonder it Kermode genuinely feels this way or if he's just trying to be different. I don't think there is a director in history who's easier on his critics then Tarantino. He the only director I've ever heard of who actually respects film criticism an a genuine profession as opposed to recognizing them for the talentless hacks that they truly are. Tarantino's even created a character, in inglorious basterds, who was a film critic. I didn't really like death proof but I (and most critics) thought that it's saving grace was that the women actually talked like young woman. So it's beyond ironic that the biggest beef this Kermode had with the flick is the very same thing that his peers adored about it. But I'm sure he's not just being different for the sake of being different.
Oh I wouldn't doubt it. (Though I haven't heard about it till now) It's defiantly my least favorite movie of his. All I was saying was that Kermode, picked the one thing (the dialogue) that most critics liked about it and picked it apart, just to be different. I thought what RUINED this flick was that on the page, stunt man Mike was a bad ass. It was Russell's idea (as said in the making of, on the dvd) to make the character a wimp. I'm just guessing that because Tarantino was such a Kurt Russell fan that he didn't have the heart to tell him how bad of an idea it was. An actor is not a writer. I've watched the movie with, like four of my friends and everything's fine until he first gets shot by the girls and he pulls over to the side of the road, crying and spitting whiskey on his wounds. This is when most people check out. Tarantino is famous for being funny without trying. But with that part. They were trying harder then transformer movies. Which are pretty much just bad comedies with explosions. If I made death proof. I would have made stunt man Mike the fucking terminator. Now imagine that movie.
He wasn't crazy about it or the Grindhouse project in general but he thought it was better than Death Proof and didn't understand why the latter got the star treatment at Cannes while Planet Terror was side-lined.
@Bassbait I would say Tarantino is not for you, which is perfectly fine. There are acclaimed directors I can't get into (Malick, Nolan, Spielberg, Jeunet), but I suspect we are just of a different aesthetic temperament, not that they are worthless. They have all found ways to distinguish and individuate themselves, which is praiseworthy.
Btw, if you're just a fanboy walking around with a Bad Muthafker wallet then there's no point. Tarantino is hugely talented but lazy and there's a point when his homage of exploitation movies becomes needlessly voyeristic. Over the last 20+ years, few have achieved his influence and cultural significance but he's capable of so much more. It's a pity he wasted this position with self gratifying wish fulfilment flicks and chucking money at his mates to make their own niche genre schoolboy wank fantasies. He could have changed the game. He let us down.
in comparison to Pulp Fiction: budget 8 m returns 280+ m That is a big difference, at least to Quentin it was. & I remember just how disappointed audiences were with Jackie Brown. Box office draws declined instantly when people began to realize it wasn't Pulp Fiction 2
The moment when Kurt Russel looks at the camera and smiles (just before he's about to step in his car and kill the girls is one of the most epic and awesome shots in movie history in my opinion). It gets even better when you watch the movie for the second time, because you know what's comming, and you like it. I also liked that all the main characters where (unexpectadly) killed in the first half, the lapdance scene, the crash scene, the badass girls, in the second half, the abrupt ending, the car chase, the dialogs, the grungy style of the movie, the music ... GOD I LOVE THIS MOVIE - watched it already 5 times and enjoyed it every f*cking single time!!
It's an awesome movie. It started out good, got a bit boring, finished amazing. All the stuntwork is amazing. The scene of Kurt Russell crying, I will never forget. The only criticism I will agree with is that the chracters sound like QT. He has this problem where whenever I hear his characters talking, I feel like he is standing over their back. Also, agree that Jackie Brown is his best film.
I take a lot of Kermode's points about the characters all sounding like Tarantino, but I also genuinely like this film. The final chase sequence is brilliant, I like the stuff about, film industry and stunt work and it's just a cool little throwaway film.
"....and on the plus side?"
"I like the theme from 'Cruising'...well, in 'Cruising'."
Simon - “so how many points are there?…I’m just planning my afternoon”
😂😂😂😂
"You know how we know? We paid twice!" Hahaha! Mark I love you. The best film critic of all time. Razor tongue galore! :-)
Agree 100% with Kermode on Tarantino.
Me too. What annoys me the most about him is how much is rips off other people. Cinema isn't that old, why can't he just be original?
What you consider a ripoff, most would consider an introduction to obscure films and forgotten classics that were given a second lease on life thanks to his references and homages. Such as:
"The Cat o' Nine Tails"
"Cat People"
"Coffy"
"Le Corbeau"
"Cruising"
"The Damned"
"Death Rides a Horse"
"Django"
"Eastern Condors"
"The Entity"
"Foxy Brown"
"The Great Silence"
"Hi Diddle Diddle"
"Lady Snowblood"
"Navajo Joe"
"Passion Plantation"
"Slaughter"
"Two Mules for Sister Sara"
"Under Fire"
"Vanishing Point"
"The White Hell of Pia Palu"
"White Lightening"
"Zombie"
Go up to any random stranger on the street and ask them if they've heard of any of those films because I'm willing to bet they'll just look at you in confusion and in contempt. Calling Tarantino a "ripoff artist" is just as lazy as calling Lars von Trier a misogynist. The purpose of Tarantino's films is, much like any filmmaker who uses a story that's been done to death, exploring how any film can live again through another.
+Will C Yeah. While watching Tarantino's stuff, all I'm thinking is; "Why don't I watch *insert any movie Tarantino is paying 'homaaaaageeeeee' to* instead of this self-indulgent bilge?"
Backyard Pix Good for you. That doesn't mean everyone else will. Some of us appreciate discovering new movies and reevaluating certain classics because of his ideas and presentations.
+Will C So do I, but without the help of an ego-maniac who was once a great filmmaker.
I love how much Kermode's view on Tarantino has softened in the past five years. 2007, after completely bashing Death Proof: "He can't write, can't direct and has run out of ideas." 2012: "Tarantino said in a recent interview that his worst film is Death Proof, which is right, and frankly that's not bad - so he's got a pretty good filmography."
I think when Kermode said "and that's not that bad" he was quoting Tarantino's opinion about Death Proof, I'm sure he still despises it!
I liked Four Rooms.
Although Jackie Brown is indeed awesome but tragically unacknowledged.
the dialogue in death proof is insipid and vapid. Kermode is spot on with his criticism of QT's characters all sounding exactly like QT.
Death Proof is a film that cannot be judged based on its ridiculous story, considering that is not what the whole intention of producing this film was. The story and plot were just there as an excuse to show off all the memorable scenes, references to everything, praise to classical music, female protagonists foghting off a psychotic yet cool dude, some of the best stunts seen by cinema, hard work spent just to make a simple relaxing movie, and the cool life with stunning women such as that girl with the crazy hair.
You would be surprised on how realistic the social interactions are in the movie, also how the movie flows through almost two hours with nothing special happening.
This film could've easily been made into 90 minutes, but the pointless dialogue drags it on for a blockbuster length feature. All because QT is a critically acclaimed director, doesn't mean his films have last for 2 hours +.
lol the best part is when he compares Tarantino to Stalin!
jackie brown is a masterpiece
Yep.
"I love CRUISING" - Mark Kermode
This review nails Death Proof and Tarantino perfectaly.
That’s the first time I’ve ever heard someone call someone “Stalinist” for not acknowledging Four Rooms. I must say that wasn’t on my Mark Kermode bingo card.
This revisionism is perhaps the most Stalinist thing to exist.
I found the special-edition of this movie in the supermarket bargain-bin for £3, I took a risk having never heard of it. Brilliant... I went in cold, the best way to approach a movie. Everything about it was perfect and not once could I predict the next twist or turn. A proper old-school movie, just like back in the day when they had a story!! Reminded me of Duel with cheerleaders. Cheesy yes, but fun. BRAVO and as for Zoe Bell... Damn! 🏆
'Maybe he said something about his face' 😂
I'm almost angry after watching this. It's practically word for word what I've been saying about Quentin Tarantino for years. Especially about Jackie Brown losing money and him deciding never to make a good movie again. But I'm proud to have had a psychic long-distance mind meld with a genius like Mark. I knew I couldn't be coming up with that stuff on my own.
wahh, finally someone who dishes out the true story on Tarantino
"Plot...and I use the term loosely" hahahahaha
First Kermode review I don't agree with and amazed by how much Mark hated it. I loved it. I watched it with my wife and - talk about giving the female viewer satisfaction - it was a pleasure to watch her delight by the end of the movie. the first half of the movie is very very slow and dark so that the second half can give you the total satisfaction. Plus - great songs used. Loved it
I love Tarantino and I love this rant. I also like Death Proof, though I must admit it doesn't come near to any of his other films.
Always keep in mind that Kermode liked all the Twilight movies!
+Betatest Bullfinch Well, he said he did. But I suspect that he and Simon Mayo were trying to keep their teenage children off their backs. The Twilight thing never bothered me because I'll never see those movies anyway. Even as a fan, I'd sooner pick him up on other things, like when he went out of his way to defend Transcendence because his buddies Wally Pfister and Paul Bettany made it.
I also have a theory that Simon and especially Mark have adopted more mainstream, middle-class, PC taste ever since the podcast took off around 2009-2010. But that's for another time.
Damn bro! I did not know that. That says A Lot
+TulseLuper "I also have a theory that Simon and especially Mark have adopted more mainstream, middle-class, PC taste ever since the podcast took off around 2009-2010" can you elaborate on that please.
+Toad Lash OK so this is all conjecture, so feel free to disregard all of it as bullshit. This also turned into an essay by accident, so forgive me. But this is basically how I feel about the show now:
I've been listening since 2009 when I was more of a fanboy. That's when I downloaded all the original podcasts and listened to them all (They're GREAT for being trapped on New York subways.) In the old days, Kermode was much more pressed for time, so he really wanted to use that time to champion as many challenging and off-beat films as he could. There was more of a sense of, "Yeah Spider-Man is out but look at your OTHER options this week." The two episodes about Antichrist are among their best. Willem Dafoe puts up a spirited but cordial defense of the film, and when it came time for Kermode to actually review it, he gave the film its due while most were throwing Lars von Trier under the bus. Also, because it was just Mayo's show with Kermode as a regular Friday guest, you had a lot more e-mails from people who were willing to challenge or even insult Kermode. To his credit, Kermode always took even the harsher criticisms on the chin. One time, when some jackass trolled the Uncut blog about Transformers 2, Kermode stepped in: he not only defended the troll but he insisted that the BBC moderators resurrect his comments. I'll always respect him for shit like that.
I see little evidence of that same Kermode anymore. They would never give Antichrist the time of day now. You'd get two minutes on the film followed by "OH LARS" as though a catchphrase constitutes a review. Making the show two hours long was the beginning of the end for me. We were promised MORE time to talk about movies. Instead, the first twenty minutes of any podcast is nothing but e-mails telling Mark and Simon how amazing they are, followed by grousing about the playlist and e-mails about battenberg cake. The celebrity guests seem to take precedence over the films, and whenever a guest is less than enthusiastic, Mayo acts as though they've spat in his face. That Charlie Kaufman interview wasn't THAT bad, and you know Mark, maybe you shouldn't have opened your conversation with "What did you think about Inside Out?" That'd be like me approaching Kermode at a Dodge Brothers gig and asking him with a straight face, "What did you think about that other, better skiffle band who played last night?"
And that's what I mean about how mainstream the show has become. Enough about Inside Out already!!! I refuse to see the film now because Mark won't shut the fuck up about it. Every year, he misses out on several controversial art films such as Only God Forgives, Hard To Be A God, or Calvary. But then he brags about repeatedly watching kids movies like Inside Out and Guardians of the Galaxy. Worse, he has the gall to complain about how little time he has to catch up with everything. His paltry excuse is that "Well Robbie, James, or Floyd/Boyd reviewed them." Yeah but most of your sheep listeners deliberately DON'T download when those guys fill in. None of them even realize that, while he isn't as entertaining, Robbie Collin is TEN TIMES the film critic Mark Kermode is. I seriously want the BBC to give him his own show opposite Edith Bowman. And at least Bowman is more open-minded than Mayo, who refuses to watch anything with subtitles or anything that challenges his bourgeois worldview.
And I really do think Kermode's criticism has become increasingly moralistic because he knows about all the Tumblr types who are hanging onto his every word. His fretting about Mad Max made no sense, for example. And every email they get would rather discuss the social justice failings of movies rather than, you know, the filmmaking. Whenever anyone writes in to criticize the show, they only read out e-mails from idiots like MRAs just so they can take the moral high ground and prove how right they are. You rarely hear an intelligent dissent of their reviews anymore: it's nothing but an echo chamber. And then they brag about how "it's not really about movies" as though you should be proud of doing a film podcast where movie talk takes a backseat to an awful joke about Snapchat that will not die.
At least when they bring in Robbie Collin, he talks about movies as movies, and doesn't let his politics dictate his response. Don't get me wrong, they're still great entertainers; I thought his London Has Fallen rant was hilarious. And I genuinely liked his High-Rise review, so it's not like I despise the show all of a sudden. But it's not the same show. It's safe, dumbed down, and it's no longer about movies. And not in a good way.
TulseLuper it seems like every new news organization promises the they're going to bring dignity back to the news. Nine months later, they're struggling to stay afloat so they report on what haircut Taylor Swift has.
Just as every new movie news group promises they're going to just cover independent/arthouse stuff. The next thing you know they're taking about how some Marvel clone is going to change the face of cenima.
In the end, the audience is to blame because these journalist are just trying to make a living and hate reporting on this drivel as much as you and I hate hearing about it but that's what the majority wants...P.S you're really missing out on inside out. A masterpieces is a masterpieces no matter the target audience and to cheat ourselves for the wrong reasons is just foolish. Example: I despise superhero movies so I refused to watch Guardians so imagine my surprise when it was the one and only Marvel flick I adored.
Planet Terror was actually hell of a lot better than Death Proof.
I know and the fact that "kamode" says it's probably bad, and he's never seen it is the height of stupidity. It reminds me of something a republican politician would say. How they always try to outlaw (and fail) violent movies they've never seen.
Um, are you trying to make a pun on Kermode and COMMODE? I have no idea what "kamode" means.
It was entertaining enough but nothing to shout about, and I believe Kermode pretty much the same thing. I give points to Robert Rodriguez for casting Jeff Fahey who for my mind is an undervalued actor who it's a shame never became a larger star than what he did. It's sad to think the film he is probably most remembered for is The Lawnmower Man.
It's not as self-indulgent or dreadfully boring as Death Proof, but, fuck, it's one stupid film. This whole project felt more like a mockery of exploitation films than a tribute. Flashy and indulgent writing, cringeworthy casting of flavor of the month celebrities, fucking CGI effects (really?!) and a distinct lack of actual sleaze.
I never understood this. After Sin City, it's clear Rodriguez has found refuge in being lazy and deliberately making trash because he can.
Say what you will about Death Proof but at least it's sincere, Planet Terror is just mean-spirited, boring and obnoxious.
When I saw it in theatres here in Canada, Planet Terror was first, and the audience was entertained... they loved the trailers... then half of them walked out during Deathproof at what was essentially the 3/4th mark of the entire performance.
There is a lot more to reservoir dogs and pulp fiction than this person has understood.
Can't wait for when Quinten comes round to his show next year
Death proof ain't Tarantino's best film but Kermode's criticism of him is a bit over the top sometimes. Maybe Tarantino nicked his girlfriend.
+bangkokstevie Exactamundo. I think there is something personal that isnt being mentioned.
+bangkokstevie Probably he knows Tarantino is big enough to take it. T isn't exactly a wallflower.
I don't know what he's got against Tarantino. I hear the criticisms, but I just don't buy into them. I don't know what "talks like Tarantino" means.
And also, he wouldn't have some courtesy to clap for the guy?
Legendary
very well said. Quentin does my head in.
I love Death Proof. Every bit of it.
Death Proof was awesome! THe dialogues as always are brilliant!!! You gotta be kidding.. I love this movie.
"Maybe Quentin said something about his face." hahaah brilliant, Kermode is spot on (as always)
Hes way too harsh on Death Proof i think it was pretty decent
Some people seriously struggle to understand the job of an art critic.
To criticise a film IS to criticise it's director, production, etc.
So people getting fucked off about kermode getting fucked off are missing the point. Let him get angry! It's what turns the cogs of proper future film making.
I don't always agree with Kermode. But he is spot on about Jackie Brown. It's his most grown up film.
What's funny is that Jackie Brown's characters were all ready established for Tarantino to give them Dialogue, because they were all based on a book called "Rum Punch", which most likely meant that all the characters would be diverse and not all act like QT. That's probably why Jackie Brown is Quentin's best film.
Exactly. Btw just recently watched Jackie brown and my god it is so superior to the stuff he brings out now like Django, inglorious. Once apon a time in hollywood
"I like the theme from cruising...except I like it in cruising" lool witty old Kermode xD
great review
Kermode has it in reverse. Planet Terror was first and then Death Proof was the second part of Grindhouse.
I wish more than anything that I had that review. They didn't start doing podcasts of the Kermode/Mayo show until May 2005 so there's no way of hearing it unless somebody comes out of the woodwork with a recording of it. But yeah, that sounds like it was one of his best.
Not sure which comment this is in reply to (YT changed the way comment replies work in the last 12 years) but tell me Mr Winesack, are you still listening to K+M all these years later?
Agree on Jackie Brown but he had an awesome novel to begin from. That's why the story and characters shine. The book even does the mall caper finale from 3 different viewpoints in sequence, that's not Quentin's idea.
Almost scary how I felt the exact same when I first saw this movie. It was like all the actors tried their best Tarantino impression. Still good fun though.
I watched it the other day, it was quite good in my eyes
Looking back, that was a bit harsh.
i love kermode... go on son!
Isn't Robert Rodriguez Planet Terror shown first though? Or did they just stick it before Death Proof on the DVD?
It was definitely first in the theater too.
I watched this about 10 years ago when I was ill at home with swine flu. It was one of the worst experiences of my life.
I loved the Tarantino films I’d seen to that point so was completely at a loss to describe what had happened.
well i love death proof.the music is standard quentin brilliance and loved kurt russel in it.he looked super cool
Thanks man. :)
Could you please upload his review of Superbad?
Why does Kermode get all bent out of shape over petite things like whether Death Proof is Tarantino's 5th film or the name and spelling of 'Inglourious ....' . It makes me think he's trying too hard to hate on Tarantino .
He wanted Kill Bill to be another Jackie Brown, so now he's upset with Tarantino for doing something new.
Because just the act of putting "the xth film of Quentin Tarantino" in every trailer and even in the beginning of a movie is so pretentious and self-flattering he could at least have made up the numbers right.
ThisIsWideAngle
As if it would be less pretentious to say 'The 5 & 1/4' film by ... Nobody would say Fellini was being self-flattering by naming his 8th and 1 half film > '8 1/2' . Is Tarantino supposed to be ashamed of his work ?? Kermode tries too hard to knock Tarantino .
93thelema777 Because it´s not the same thing.
He's just mad that all Tarantino's films aren't done a certain way.
I think if Death Proof had been a lot shorter - with a lot less time in the bar at the start and a shorter chase- it would have been a pretty decent B movie
Will do.
I'm gonna upload it later since I don't think they took a video of last week's podcast. He's actually rather even-handed about Inglourious Basterds but I won't say anything else.
i think death proof was brilliant. i enjoy the way quentin tarantino talks and the second set of girls' revenge was like faster pussycat wrapped up in a car chase.
Thanks, I just listened to it, once again I feel he's right about Inglourious Basterds. Unfortunately critics here in the U.S. are giving Tarantino a pass because of his past glory and using hyperbolic praise to describe the movie.
@Bassbait I think (and I appreciate this discussion because it makes me try to pin this down) it is his willingness to show his characters at length in periods of leisure or periods when, at least to them, nothing important is happening. The local color and verbal play and the idiosyncrasies and banalities of the characters come into focus at the expense of the plot, which is fine to me. You don't see this a lot in American movies, at least not before T-o.
@TheeOneWhoTalks He's a gardening implement then?
I mostly disagree with kermode here, but I keep coming back to this review because its just so funny. I love a good rant and this one is really great.
‘Film critic’
This film is my guilty pleasure
Hated this movie when I saw it at the cinema and was going to revisit it after watching a better Tarantino movie recently. Listening to this review again has saved me the bother of doing that so thank you 😊
@Bassbait I'm sure I am biased and blinded by my instinctive enjoyment of his films - and what other kind of true enjoyment is there? Justifying reasons for a feeling are usually teased out or even conjured up after the impression has struck us. And then we pretend those reasons are inevitable. (Or this could just be a personal admision.) Eh, I didn't mean to get pretentious. So, what does T-o do that really scratches my itch?
6:38 absolutely true description of Tarantino, money grabbing, sell out, embarrassing who cannot write. But who has he sold out to and what has he got out of it!
The clip of the film nearly sent me to sleep.
I have to say, Deathproof is utter shite....
I really like Tarantino but I do agree with Mark on most of the stuff he says about him; Jackie Brown is his best film and while I love most of his other work I do find he has a lot of immature tendencies that were missing from JB, which is a perfect film IMO. Even as a big QT fan I have to admit that Deathproof is a pretty dire film that shouldn't have been greenlit.
"Well I like the theme from Cruising."
I agree that the dialogue can be unrealistic but I think overall it’s a good movie. At the end of the day it’s about cars ramming into each other and getting cathartic violent revenge, so it’s hard to not enjoy it.
lol have you got a review from Kermode for a film he liked?
But he's trying so hard, and no intelligent, truly intelligent person who watches and understands Tarantino's films can fail to see the literary, comedic and filmic excellence in what he does REGARDLESS of whether you personally enjoy the themes or film itself. The talent is undeniable.
Touché Mr Kermode
Sure. Friedkin's Bug. I mainly post the bad ones because those are the most entertaining, but if you have a request for a good review, I'll certainly turn it over.
its a good fucking movie, better than all these unoriginal super hero movie remakes you see now a days. its not tarantino at his best but its still a better than average movie
i got the dvd copy where both films are shown with the trailers in between. i was surprised how much i liked them both - can't weigh in on the 2hr version of death proof but id imagine that would stretch it out enough to ruin it.
+Andrew Deen Maybe i should see the shorter version. I've only seen the long version and it is really really long.
Thank God there is a critic willing to call Tarantino out on his decline in quality. Critics here in America continually praise Tarantino because of his past glories (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction) and describes his films' increasing deficiencies as strengths. I can't wait to see Kermode's take on Inglourious Basterds.
Completely agree with Kermode’s criticisms, though of late I think Tarantino has gotten back on track. For me at least, both Hateful 8 & Once Upon A Time were vast improvement on his post Jackie Brown output with Hollywood delivering the least Tarantino dialogue of his career. No long pointless monologues, no extraneous pop culture references, no clunky anachronistic words that come off forced, no annoying alliteration. All his worst tendencies are dialed back and he lets the characters be. The dicaprio crackup in the bar to full breakdown in trailer which I’ve subsequently found out was Leonardo’s idea & that they worked on together gave the most depth I’ve seen in a Tarantino character/film - it loosened his grip on his normal tightly controlled dialogue ladened world; some air & humanity leaked in which hasn’t really shown up since Brown. The 1 character for me that comes closest to Tarantino’s style is the little actress on set which perhaps due to her age comes off somewhat written - but that’s the minor-est of minor quibbles.. IMO he’s improving and it’s unfortunate that it’s now that he’s hanging it up.
Also, I like the way you say you don't have time to argue with me, then post 3 replies in quick succession.
Might sound completely over the top but Death Proof really is one of the worst films I have ever seen.
Full Metal Hobbit Oh I've seen a lot of great films :). Maybe you haven't seen enough good films if you think Death Proof is great.
I wasn't a big fan of Death Proof. It was self indulgent instead of a low budget exploitation. Even the graininess is more of an effect than using cheap stock because the production can't afford it.
Silly Kermode. By 4th he meant 4th film he directed ! Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown then Death Proof.
But he also directed the two Kill Bill films in between Jackie Brown and Death Proof.
Okay now that is confusing.
What about Four Rooms?
He did a segment of it, not a full length feature.
Luke Ellis Ummm....so? He was also a writer on the film "It's Pat" which is one of the worst films ever made!
This fella is too cheeky and toooooo smart for my taste. But i love all of his ,,films" he directed and his enormous contribution to cinema. I just hope Tarantino learns something from him
Kermode Rises
He only directed a segment of four rooms
Kermode ftw
the reason the dialogue in jackie brown is good is because it's based on a Elmore Leonard novel, i.e. Tarantino had more to rely on for his screen play.
While Death proof is definitely Quentin's weakest film Mark is being way too harsh on the film. He didn't even address the best car chase scene in recent cinema, the great acting, the very clever structure and the heightened sense of realism that oozed from the screen as if the characters are your close friends.
In Tarantino's defence, he only wrote and directed a quarter of 'Four Rooms'.
This is why his films will date quickly. No-one in the future will see what all the fuss was about.
Style over substance. Substance lasts, style does not.
I hold Reservoir Dogs, Inglourious Basterds and Pulp Fiction in very high esteem, while the rest of his films (including Django Unchained) are less than notable. I'm a big fan of Quentin Tarantino, but Mark Kermode is literally right about the guy. Every word of what he said is true.
The kung fu wasn't my favourite part of the first movie but i enjoyed the second without it's action. I agree with Kermode about the final scene with Bill rambling on about comics. Where he's sounding like Tarrintino.
Kermode really has it in for certain people: Tarantino, Seth Rogen and Guy Ritchie spring to mind
Considering that Tarantino has been the critics darling since 92 you have to wonder it Kermode genuinely feels this way or if he's just trying to be different. I don't think there is a director in history who's easier on his critics then Tarantino. He the only director I've ever heard of who actually respects film criticism an a genuine profession as opposed to recognizing them for the talentless hacks that they truly are. Tarantino's even created a character, in inglorious basterds, who was a film critic. I didn't really like death proof but I (and most critics) thought that it's saving grace was that the women actually talked like young woman. So it's beyond ironic that the biggest beef this Kermode had with the flick is the very same thing that his peers adored about it. But I'm sure he's not just being different for the sake of being different.
Oh I wouldn't doubt it. (Though I haven't heard about it till now) It's defiantly my least favorite movie of his. All I was saying was that Kermode, picked the one thing (the dialogue) that most critics liked about it and picked it apart, just to be different. I thought what RUINED this flick was that on the page, stunt man Mike was a bad ass. It was Russell's idea (as said in the making of, on the dvd) to make the character a wimp. I'm just guessing that because Tarantino was such a Kurt Russell fan that he didn't have the heart to tell him how bad of an idea it was. An actor is not a writer. I've watched the movie with, like four of my friends and everything's fine until he first gets shot by the girls and he pulls over to the side of the road, crying and spitting whiskey on his wounds. This is when most people check out. Tarantino is famous for being funny without trying. But with that part. They were trying harder then transformer movies. Which are pretty much just bad comedies with explosions. If I made death proof. I would have made stunt man Mike the fucking terminator. Now imagine that movie.
This really is CLASSIC Kermode. Such an amazing rant.
He wasn't crazy about it or the Grindhouse project in general but he thought it was better than Death Proof and didn't understand why the latter got the star treatment at Cannes while Planet Terror was side-lined.
@Bassbait I would say Tarantino is not for you, which is perfectly fine. There are acclaimed directors I can't get into (Malick, Nolan, Spielberg, Jeunet), but I suspect we are just of a different aesthetic temperament, not that they are worthless. They have all found ways to distinguish and individuate themselves, which is praiseworthy.
TBH Inglorious Basterds is one of Tarrintino's best! At least he got back on form.
That's bang on about Tarantino. What always surprises me is that no-one ever discusses what a total misogynist he is too..
DavobarX God forbid an artist expresses himself in his art!
Eh?... Please explain..
DavobarX Sorry I think I responded to the wrong person.
Btw, if you're just a fanboy walking around with a Bad Muthafker wallet then there's no point. Tarantino is hugely talented but lazy and there's a point when his homage of exploitation movies becomes needlessly voyeristic.
Over the last 20+ years, few have achieved his influence and cultural significance but he's capable of so much more. It's a pity he wasted this position with self gratifying wish fulfilment flicks and chucking money at his mates to make their own niche genre schoolboy wank fantasies. He could have changed the game. He let us down.
Bah, that's a wasted rant now lol No worries..
in comparison to Pulp Fiction:
budget 8 m
returns 280+ m
That is a big difference, at least to Quentin it was. & I remember just how disappointed audiences were with Jackie Brown. Box office draws declined instantly when people began to realize it wasn't Pulp Fiction 2
The moment when Kurt Russel looks at the camera and smiles (just before he's about to step in his car and kill the girls is one of the most epic and awesome shots in movie history in my opinion). It gets even better when you watch the movie for the second time, because you know what's comming, and you like it. I also liked that all the main characters where (unexpectadly) killed in the first half, the lapdance scene, the crash scene, the badass girls, in the second half, the abrupt ending, the car chase, the dialogs, the grungy style of the movie, the music ... GOD I LOVE THIS MOVIE - watched it already 5 times and enjoyed it every f*cking single time!!
It's an awesome movie. It started out good, got a bit boring, finished amazing. All the stuntwork is amazing. The scene of Kurt Russell crying, I will never forget. The only criticism I will agree with is that the chracters sound like QT. He has this problem where whenever I hear his characters talking, I feel like he is standing over their back.
Also, agree that Jackie Brown is his best film.
I take a lot of Kermode's points about the characters all sounding like Tarantino, but I also genuinely like this film. The final chase sequence is brilliant, I like the stuff about, film industry and stunt work and it's just a cool little throwaway film.