Quentin Tarantino's top 20 movies since Reservoir Dogs

Battle Royale #1 huh? I think you could say its a little sadistic but at least it's satirical and not just torture porn like Hostel. I'm glad (like I'm sure you are also Jim) to see Unbreakable getting some due credit. Still a really underrated film in my opinion.

This is an interesting list. I'm glad he put "Unbreakable" the list since, like "Signs," the film shows that M. Night Shaymalan is not a "one hit wonder." Since Tarantino did a list of his favourite movies since he started making movies, I want to offer a rough list of twenty movies that have come out since the year I was born (1989) to the present. This is not a definite list.

In No Particular Order:

1. "Casino Royale"
2. "Goodfellas"
3. "Match Point"
4. "Before Sunrise"/"Before Sunset"
5. "State of Play" (2003)
6. "Licence to Kill"
7. Kenneth Branagh's "Hamlet"
8. "Rush Hour"
9. "Wall-E"
10. "Signs"
11. "GoldenEye"
12. "Batman" (1989)
13. "L.A. Confidential"
14. "Jackie Brown"
15. "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy
16. "Little Miss Sunshine"
17. "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"
18. "Elf"
19. "Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets"
20. The "Bourne" Trilogy

The only one that really confuses me is "Anything Else." I thought it was an okay, sometimes funny Woody Allen movie, but the jokes, and - especially - the performance of Jason Biggs could be irritating and stale. I liked the arch of Allen's character, but its conclusion seemed like more of an intellectual statement than something that grew organically out of the character/movie. It's probably my very least favorite of his movies, and I've seen 28 of them (including "Scoop").

Shows to go you, some movies you just like for personal reasons. There's probably something in it that Tarantino clings to, that I don't. Something interesting - I've heard rumors that Tarantino himself was the inspiration for the Bill Murray character in "Lost in Translation."

"Dazed & Confused" also contains Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck's best performances. I hope they thank God for that movie because without it their entire acting careers would be trash.

I hope you weren't being sarcastic about David Cross, because if you have David Cross stories that would be totally awesome.

As a huge, huge, HUGE Jackie Chan fan, I feel compelled to issue profuse praise for the rest of the Police Story movies. 1985's "Police Story" and 1988's "Police Story 2" didn't qualify for the list, but I'd say they're possibly superior to 3 (1 definitely, 2 is debatable). "Police Story 4" (aka "Jackie Chan's First Strike") also has some great moments.

But man, there are so many great Jackie Chan movies I wouldn't even know how to rank them. "Who Am I?," "Project A" 1 and 2, "Armour of God" 1 and 2 (aka the "Operation Condor" movies), "Drunken Master" 1 and 2... the amount of utterly entertaining movies that man has made is astounding. Too bad he's aged passed the point where he can make them like he used to.

Oh well, at least we have Tony Jaa now, although the two movies of his I've seen ("Ong Bak" and "The Protector") lack the charming (deliberate) goofiness of Chan's best work. It'd also be nice if he'd work with a director who knew what the hell he was doing. Astounding how "The Protector," a movie with abysmally choppy, jump-cutty editing, also happens to have what may be the best uninterrupted fight scene ever filmed.

Thank you for listing the titles - I cannot listen to the man's voice. I try not to let that get in the way of how I feel about his movies, but it's hard not to. He may be the single most annoying interview subject ever.

It's a pretty depressing list to me - unsurprisingly emphasizing sadism and pop culture smugness. And pretty middle of the road overall but then again I'm sure that people who spend their time making movies don't get much opportunity to watch a lot of other movies. Lots of exciting trends and directors in cinema the last 15 years and none of them are on that list.

I do love Unbreakable and Lost in Translation though.

JE: You've got to admit, for better or worse (depending on how you see it), his characters do speak an awful lot like him!

"The guy demonstrates again and again that he lives and breathes movies."

Jim, if you haven't seen it already, I recommend you check out the 2008 Australian documentary film, "Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!" I'm not sure how widespread a release it received in the States (I believe it played at some film festivals), but the 2-disc Region 4 (Australian) DVD is well-worth getting. The documentary is all about Australian genre movies of the 1970s and 1980s (sex comedies, action, horror, etc). Tarantino (who has played Australian movies at his annual QT Film Festival and is an avowed fan of Australian directors like Brian Trenchard-Smith and Richard Franklin) is one of the film's many interviewees and he features prominently throughout. Although in my opinion Tarantino does overrate a lot of the films he talks about, his enthusiasm and almost breathless delivery is infectious. Plus it's interesting to learn about the (relatively-unknown) Australian movies which have influenced his own movies ("Fair Game" on "Death Proof", "Patrick" on "Kill Bill Vol. 1", etc).

The Insider? Good for QT. You can't love The Insider and not LOVE movies.

The Insider? Good for QT. You can't love The Insider and not LOVE movies.

I'm glad QT included "The Insider." Watching it again, I had to laugh out loud at how beautiful so many of its shots were. It's one of the best-shot color movies since "Barry Lyndon," and certainly the best shot urban movie I can think of.

QT's dialogue and pop culture references are always played up (often by the man himself!) but it's overlooked what a great visual storyteller he is. So I like that he mentioned Mann's visual masterpiece "The Insider;" like Tarantino, Mann is deeply influenced by the French New Wave, even if the results are wildly different.

My 3 favorite movies of the '90s are, incidentally, "The Thin Red Line," "Heat," and "Pulp Fiction." I guess it's expecting too much for QT to love Terence Malick though (although I know Mann does!).

When he started talking about how repeat viewings with "Dazed and Confused", I thought he was going to mention how it changes every time.

But then, maybe it's just me. When I first saw it in theaters with high school pals a year after we graduated, we all said, "Hey, that's just like us!" Now when I watch it, it's painful: "Wow, we were just like THAT?!?"

I suppose that is what any good high-school movie should accomplish.

I'm gonna include a list of my own, simply because my name is also Andrew and I was also born in '89 (weird, huh? ...well, maybe not so much).

1. Lost in Translation
2. Dave Chappelle's Block Party
3. Waking Life
4. Synecdoche, NY
5. BB/TDK
6. The Big Lebowski
7. Goodfellas
8. The Royal Tenenbaums
9. The Spanish Prisoner
10. Whatever Works
11. No Country for Old Men
12. Saraband
13. Blue/White/Red
14. Me & You & Everyone We Know
15. Sin City
16. Schindler's List
17. Man On Wire
18. Crash ('96)
19. All the Real Girls
20. Before Sunrise/Before Sunset

I usually cringe at top-whatever posts like the one Andrew put up but he did something that, for me at least, sparked a desire---one I don't ever seem to have---to list off my favorites. And, just like the cinephile director, Tarantino, I'd have to put myself at the center of the list and let the films I love emanate:

[We'll go ten and ten]

Since the day I was born (Feb. 25, 1991)

I. "There Will Be Blood"
II. "Dogville"
III. "Werckmeister Harmoniak"
IV. "Days of Being Wild" (1990? whatever)
V. "Punch Drunk Love"
VI. "Age of Innocence"
VII. "Before Sunset"
VIII. "Breaking the Waves"
IX. "Dead Man"
X. "Pi"

Prior to that:

I. "Raging Bull"
II. "Vertigo"
III. "L’Atalante"
IV. "L’Avventura"
V. "Hiroshima mon amor"
VI. "Ordet"
VII. "The Man with the Movie Camera"
VIII. "8 1/2"
IX. "Days of Heaven"
X. "Killer of Sheep"

Now, if I had to include a Tarantino flick in the former list (something I don't wish to do, per se, but it seems appropriate for the blog), I'd either include Inglorious Bastards (which actually impressed me HUGELY---just saw it last night), or Jackie Brown..

God I love the cinema.

PS.

I think we can all agree: the cinema of cineaste directors (like Tarantino) is soooo pervasive, and soooo infectious...

GREAT

Audition
Boogie Nights
Dogville
Fight Club
Lost In Translation

VERY GOOD

Battle Royale
The Host
The Matrix
Shaun of the Dead

QUESTIONABLE

The Insider
Speed
Unbreakable

NOT GOOD

Dazed & Confused
Team America: World Police

HAVEN'T SEEN

Anything Else
Tsui Hark's The Blade
Fridays
Joint Security Area
Memories of Murder
Supercop (Police Story 3)

I'll admit that if this list had nothing but my personal favorites, I'd be bored stupid. But this is a pretty childish list. How old is he? 15? Where's Schindler's List? Menace II Society? Ed Wood? Showgirls, even? I know that he has expressed approval for all of those in the past. None of them match up to the greatness of Speed or Team America: World Police?

Have to say, he hasn't motivated me to check out Anything Else, Supercope, or The Blade.

Baffling that Tarantino's movies are so damn good. Yeah, they're all made up of from bits of other movies but the love his has for the cinema just seems so jejune and superficial.

*Although in my opinion Tarantino does overrate a lot of the films he talks about, his enthusiasm and almost breathless delivery is infectious.*

Like syphilis.

I respect the fact that Tarantino loves movies, but his caffeinated monkey brand of cinephilia is so opposite of mine that I simply can't endure watching him jabber about movies. He was the biggest drawback to the otherwise very interesting "Not Quite Hollywood." Every time he spoke it was to tell us "Ooh ooh, this is the greatest scene ever from the greatest movie ever made. Oh, man, this is so awesome. This is the best I've ever seen and so is this!"

To each his own. Everyone loves movies in their own way. But to me, listening to him talk is my version of nails on a chalkboard.

I think it's hilarious that people (i.e. Christopher Long and Alex Jackson) are whining that Tarantino didn't come up with a list that caters to cineaste snobbery. I'm sure he can give you guys bullsh!t intellectualized explanations for his choices, but knowing QT his explanation simply boils down to the fact that he gets a kick out of movies. Is that such a bad thing? Or perhaps you two would prefer he come up with a list that caters to cine-dork obsessions and art house favorites? I for one find it refreshing that he *doesn't* do that because he's not out to impress anyone with how hip his taste is.

By the way Christopher, I usually respect the hell out of your reviews, but if anyone here is guilty of smugness it's you.

I'm so pleased that Dogville and Unbreakable appear on this list. So underappreciated.

Joint Security Area?!

What a nice surprise to see this on the list. It's a little film about an investigator trying to figure out the truth behind a confrontation on the DMZ.

Weaved into its procedural genre structure is a powerful truth about loyalty, friendship, nationality and the desperate yearning for peace in all of us.

I caught it on On-Demand on the Sundance Channel or IFC or something one night. I told many people about it at the time. I still think I'm the only one of my friends who has seen it.

Dogville is one those movies I know to be great, that I cannot persuade any of my friends to watch. I'm glad it got props...

I would say "The Lives of Others" deserves a place on that list.

I'm sure all of those are sincerely favorites of Tarantino, but no doubt there is a lot of calculation that went into formulating the list as well. Probably most successful artists work to shape their persona. It might be worth contemplating how this information is supposed to reflect back on is work.

My five recent-ish faves (I know, I hate myself):
The Rapture
Mulholland Drive
Brand Upon the Brain!
Pumpkin
Lost in Translation

To this day I still find "Lost in Translation" insufferable. A narcisistic vanity project with no dramatic conflict whatsover. This movie could have been 20 minutes long and would hve been the exact same thing. That would have spared me an hour and a half of my life because I can only glide on mood and tone for so long.

But I'm glad he mentioned "The Insider." "heat is still the top Michael Mann film for me but I'm glad this one is getting some mention.

Not a big shocker of a list. But, I hope it encourages at least ten more people to seek out The Blade. Which could very well be a master's masterpiece.

But really, if you have 20 titles from '92, and "Safe" isn't on your list. you either haven't seen it (which I'm sure he has,) or I don't trust your tastes...

Frank,

First, thanks for the kind words about my reviews. I always start with the positive. :)

I guess hipness is in the eye of the beholder. To me, QT's list seems like it almost came off the "hip factory floor," perfectly constructed to reinforce his image as the world's most celebrated fan boy, the Kevin Smith who knows how to compose a shot. I don't doubt that his picks are genuine though.

You're right that it's silly and a bit arrogant to judge someone else's best of list for not conforming to your ideas of what's important and valuable and exciting in cinema. Because everyone has different definitions of that, and it would be deadly dull if we all had the same tastes.

I just wonder if QT has had time to see some of the more formally daring films of the last 15 years like Pedro Costa, Bela Tarr, Tsai ming-liang, etc. It would be interesting to know what he thinks of films that are a little less middle-of-the-road or adventure/action oriented.

Drew said: [about Lost in Translation] "A narcisistic [sic] vanity project with no dramatic conflict whatsoever."

Really? You couldn't empathize with the tension between the two leads? I thought the film was ripe with internal conflict. As viewers, we can only infer such things by way of the actors' expressions, actions and words. I agree, though, that The Insider has become very underrated since its release.

This clip is definitely going on my list of Top 20 QT interviews.

I also liked the chair.

Alex Jackson, what;s so childish about Speed? I agree about Team America, however Speed was a magnificent action film and one which arguably represents cinema in its purest form.

I don't love all the films on this list. For one thing I regard Von Trier as one of the worst directors of all time (and I really hated Dogville), but also I think that Fightclub is really overrated. I would have opted for Seven. That said, I love that he included so many Asian films as well as so many genre films. Genre films just don't get enough respect.

However I love that Tarantino didn't include any films just to impress. If he had included Schindler's List, as Alex Jackson suggested, it would have struck me as false as this is a list of his favourite films, not the best films he's seen. On that basis, I don't think that anyone has the right to attack his taste or to call it 'childish' or anything else. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that people don't have the right to question some of the film on the list (as I did), but I question whether people have the right to attack his taste. It's like the Transformers 2 discussion; it's one thing to criticise a film that someone else likes (such as my partner liking 'torture porn' which I most certainly do not) but I think it's another to bring their taste into question.

As I write this though, it brings to mind one of the reasons I'm less than thrilled with Tarantino as a person, and which directly inpacts upon his films, and that is that he comes to me as a snob. If there's one thing I don't have time for in being a cinephile, it's this whole competiveness of who's a bigger cinephile and who loves cinema more. Tarantino is an example of this in that he's seen more films than most people, yet he clearly looks down on those who have not seen the genre and b-grade films that he has. Compare that to Martin Scorsese (my favourite director BTW.) Scorsese probably loves cinema more than anyone else alive (well, that might be pushing it), but he has never looked down on those who haven't seen the number of films that he has. He is humble, whereas Tarantino (whom I do very much respect as an artist) could never be accused of humility. Personally I prefer Scorsese's brand of cinephilia as it isn't exclusionary and is simply about the love of cinema, when with Tarantino, I get the sense that it is the opposite.

JE: Hope you're feeling better! Has QT ever talked about the Coens? Because it strikes me that they've accomplished everything that so many critics thought QT would.

JE: I don't recall -- though we must have talked about "Miller's Crossing" and "Barton Fink," two movies I was very high on at the time (and still am). This was mostly before "Pulp Fiction," and during the writing and making of it. I'm pretty sure I saw "Miller's Crossing" in the final scene of "Inglourious Basterds."

Great comment, Dan. Lots of things to talk about. First of all, I think the great/favorite dichtomy is ridiculous. I don't differentiate between the two. I like like Schindler's List. I'll pop it in whenever I want to see a good movie in pretty much the same way that I'm sure Tarantino does with The Matrix or Speed.

I'm in a place where, when I watch Schindler's List, I'm largely admiring the filmmaking. I like the photography and the way that it's cut together. I like the liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto as a cinematic sequence. I like Ralph Fiennes. But it being about the Holocaust, I don't think that this is something I ignore. Thinking about the Holocaust isn't something that depresses me, I accept it as a fact of life. It frustrates me when "depressing" stuff is supressed. Victims of the Holocaust, like victims of mass disasters or victims of child abuse or rape, need to be able to integrate tragedy into their everyday life. They can't say that they don't want to think about that sort of thing because it makes them depressed. I hope I'm making some kind of sense.

With Speed in particular, on a screenplay level I think the suspense is just too mechanical and constructed. The whole premise just seems too high-concept for me. The bon homie between the passengers is too cute. The idea that Sandra Bullock got her licence suspended for speeding. Way too cute. On the whole, there is too much "fun" on Tarantino's list. Even with a lot of the films on that list that I do like: Battle Royale, The Matrix, Shaun of the Dead, The Host. There isn't a whole lot that can really stick to your ribs. It could really use a Schindler's List. (The presence of Dogville helps, strangely enough). Tarantino's list suggests that he's really just a happy-go-lucky fellow and there is something missing in him that is present in most other people. Maybe I'm jealous.

One of the things that I most disagree with Tarantino about is his assessment of genre film. I'm not a very big fan of Howard Hawks, Sam Fuller, John Carpenter, or Walter Hill. They aren't bad, just kinda overrated. I think my whole thing is that I want a film to be completely self-contained. I don't want a mere specimen from a genus. I think movies should overcome and surpass genre classification. I'm beginning to think that with Tarantino, he wants to like movies but he doesn't want to really love them because he wants to SURPASS the people who inspire him. He says that he wants every film of his to be a winner, but I don't think that he would demand the same thing of Hawks, Fuller, or Hill. There's a telling line in the Reservoir Dogs DVD where he says he doesn't want to thank Kubrick or Welles because he has a "sibling rivalry" with them. He wants to be in that pantheon. Honestly, I think that with the exception of Battle Royale and probably-once-upon-a-time The Matrix, Tarantino thinks that his own films are better than any of the ones on that list. (And for the most part, he would be right).

Nobody asked, but my top 20 non-Tarantino films (one director each, since I think he implicitly used that rule) since 1992:

1. Gummo (1997, Korine)
2. Dogville (2004, Von Trier)
3. There Will Be Blood (2007, Anderson)
4. Mulholland Drive (2002, Lynch)
5. Kalifornia (1993, Sena)
6. The Dark Knight (2007, Nolan)
7. Lost in Translation (2003, Coppola)
8. Being John Malkovich (1999, Jonze)
9. Traffic (2000, Soderbergh)
10. Bringing Out the Dead (1999, Scorsese)
11. Freddy vs. Jason (2003, Hu)
12. Y Tu Mama Tambien (2002, Cuaron)
13. Wonder Boys (2000, Hanson)
14. Kids (1995, Clark)
15. Eyes Wide Shut (1999, Kubrick)
16. Schindler's List (1993, Spielberg)
17. Palindromes (2004, Solondz)
18. Seven (1995, Fincher)
19. Ed Wood (1994, Burton)
20. The Mormons (2007, Whitney), but if that's too needlessly escoteric let's go with The Thin Red Line (1998, Malick)

OK, yeah. Now that's a top 20. I feel that in my bones.

(Know though that if I included multiple Andersons and Tarantino (including his scripted From Dusk Till Dawn), most of their work would have made the cut).

Hey Alex Jackson! Given your love of Gummo, I'm going to guess that you're the guy who ran "I Viddied It". I truly LOVED your articles and reviews, particularly when I disagreed with you. You really offered such a unique and telling perspective on cinema.

Is your site down now, or have you moved it? It's a real shame if it's the former, I swear I must have read your epic takedown of Trey Parker and Matt Stone in your South Park review like 20 times. You've had a big influence on how I structure and approach my own films. Thought you'd want to know.

Alex, thanks for your response. I disagee about Speed, and the brilliance of people like Hawkes Carpenter and Fuller (overrated?) but there's one thing I'm curious about. "I think my whole thing is that I want a film to be completely self-contained. I don't want a mere specimen from a genius" "I'm beginning to think that with Tarantino, he wants to like movies but he doesn't want to really love them because he wants to SURPASS the people who inspire him. He says that he wants every film of his to be a winner, but I don't think that he would demand the same thing of Hawks, Fuller, or Hill."

What exactly are you saying? Are you saying that Hawks, Fuller and Carpented are not of the same level as Kurbick or Welles? And that they haven't made any masterpieces? I must admitt, I'm a little confused by this, as I don't know who you could argue that Bringing up Baby or Halloween aren't self-contained (althouh I note on your very impressive site, you review only Jason and Freddy films, but no Myers films?)

Thanks.

BTW, here is just one list of 20 of my favourite films post-1992. This list changes every day, and apart from making a list of my four all-time favourite films (which never changes), I find making such lists difficult. Nonetheless, here is one list, and I followed the one film per director rule. (It's in no specific order BTW, although Unforgiven is probably my favourite post-1992 film. I say 'probably' as I'm not certain.)

1)Unforgiven
2)Ed Wood
3)Pulp Fiction
4)The Usual Suspects
5)Seven
6)Heat
7)LA Confidential
8)Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
9)No Country For Old Men
10)Hero
11)Life is Beautiful
12)Memento
13)Talk to Her
14)Casino
15)Face/Off
16)The Incredibles
17)In The Line of Fire
18)The People vs. Larry Flynt
19)Battle Royale
20)Speed

If I could add one more film, it would almost certainly be Gran Torino which IMO was a fitting follow-up to Unforgiven in terms of the two films' focus on violence and masculinity.

top 20:

1) Schindler's List (surely #1)
2) Mulholland Drive
3) There Will Be Blood
4) WALL-E
5) Pulp Fiction
6) No Country for Old Men
7) Gangs of New York
8) Match Point
9) Pan's Labyrinth
10) Inglorious Basterds
11) The Departed
12) Short Cuts
13) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
14) The City of Lost Children
15) Boogie Nights
16) Up
17) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
18) Kill Bill
19) City of God
20) American Beauty

What the hell, my top 20 from 1993 to 2009:

1. There Will Be Blood
2. LA Confidential
3. Synecdoche, NY
4. Requiem for a Dream
5. Boogie Nights
6. Fargo
7. Being John Malkovitch
8. Pulp Fiction
9. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
10. The Matrix
11. The Shawshank Redemption
12. Bottle Rocket
13. The Matrix
14. The Big Lebowski
15. Fight Club
16. Oldboy
17. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
18. The Dark Knight
19. Battle Royale
20. The Fountain

Yeah, I suppose that placing Kubrick and Welles on a higher tier than Hawks, Carpenter, Fuller, and Hill isn't something that is particularly self-evident to everybody. But EVERYTHING that I have seen from both Kubrick and Welles (missed Chimes of Midnight, The Immortal Story, The Making of Othello, and Fear and Desire) is superior to both Bringing Up Baby and Halloween. I'm tempted to say that the worst Kubrick or Welles films is better than the best from Hawks et al; though to really make that claim I would have to see everything they have done. And aside from Paul Thomas Anderson (though Tarantino does come close) there are no other directors I would say that about.

Certainly with Hawks et al though, I think that there is something of an emphasis of quantity over quality. That they allowed themselves to, on occasion, make something that was less than a masterpiece. Is that safe to say? In contrast, Tarantino has explicitly said that he wants every single one of his films to be a home run (like I feel I can say about the Kubrick and Welles oevres). That was my original point.

"Self-contained" may not be the right term. The only real problem that I have with Bringing Up Baby and Halloween (PERFECT examples by the way. EXACTLY right) is that they are little more but the best examples of their respective genres. Look at Bringing Up Baby if you want to see what a screwball comedy is. Look at Halloween if you want to see what a slasher film is. But you know, they don't TRANSCEND genre convention. I want something where genre classification provides only a slippery grasp on the picture at best. I think with a film like Boogie Nights or Seven, they begin as genre films but they don't end there. They kind of snowball into something much heavier and more direct.

By the way, yes, my website is now at the address www.ividdiedit.com

Any "Wonder Boys" love? The Curtis Hanson LA Confidential/Wonder Boys 1-2 pushed him to the top of my must watch list. I even enjoy his less successful movies (Lucky You, In Her Shoes,8 Mile, The River Wild) that for me have script/plotting problems for their lovely tone and feel. He also looks incredibly like Harry Shearer.

JE: Some friends and I were just talking fondly, and with great admiration, about "Wonder Boys" this afternoon...

Alex, a great response! I think it comes down to one's thoughts on genre. Putting aside individual tastes (I'm not a huge fan of PTA), I think it boils down to whether or not one wants films to transcend genre. I don't, at least I don't need them to. While it is true that my two favourite films both transcended genre (The Godfather followed by The Godfather Part II), however I don't require that of all great films. The way I see it, films should be judged on what they set out to do. So, for example, if a film sets out to be be a slasher film, stays there and excells, that's fine with me. I think alot of people forget that many of Hitchcock's best films (such as Psycho) were genre fims. The same goes for John Ford, Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood, Akira Kurosawa and Billy Wilder. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm perfectly happy watching a great horror/western/modern-day action film regardless of whether it has transcended genre, if it has achieved what it has set out to do. In fact, one of the reasons I'm less than thrilled with films like Scream (which IMO remains among the most overrated horror films of recent times) is that in a post-modern spin, it took genre and tried to contort it and reshape it, whilst winking to the audience. It tried to transcend genre conventions, and while it did a bad job, my feeling was that I would have been happier, anyway, if Craven had not tried to transcend genre in the way that he did.

It's also interesting to note anyway that many films which are read as transcending genre only did so after their release and at the hands of critics and fans; for example Night of the Living Dead was never intended by Romero to be about race. Anyway what I'm saying is that I prefer to judge films on what they set out to achieve; which is why Die Hard (arguably the greatest ever modern-day action film) and RoboCop (which transcended genre) are both among my all-time favourite films.

Alex, although I love both Carpenter and Fuller, I agree that Kubrick and Welles were better, however I think it's quite unfair to argue that the worst Welles/Kubrick films were better than the best Hawkes films. Yes, he made his fair share of disappointments but he worked in an era when directors were expected to churn out film after film (Hitchcock, arguably the greatest of all directors, didn't always direct masterpieces, especially in the early days.) I must admitt that I'm a huge Hawkes fan (BUB remains IMO one of the greatest films ever made), but his mastery of various genres, from westerns to hard-boiled noir to screwball comedy remains unsurpassed by most other directors. In fact, what has probably hurt him is that he was so versatile. Nonetheless, I really would put his best work up against the best work of Welles and Kubrick; he really deserves more respect.

Christopher,

Thanks for responding to my post with such civility! I really do respect the hell out of you. I write for the Saint Joseph's University paper and I consider you to be the one Philadelphia film critic with credibility. So keep on keepin' on brother! Hopefully I'll be able to get a gig in film criticism like yours and hopefully I'll see you at this years Philly Film Fest! The reason why I defended Tarantino's list so passionately is because your language reminded me vaguely of Armond White. Now that I know you find him as anti-critical as I do...I feel as though I should withdraw my post! Feel free to contact me personally if you would like to continue this discussion! But like I said, keep Philapdelphia film criticism alive Christopher!

Any "Wonder Boys" love?

Hey! It made my list!

Such civility. Lovely to see to see people.

It's amazing that Michael Douglas hasn't really been used in one of the big animation films as yet. He may have been offered and refused but in these times when they will use anyone remotely famous in them it's a pity one of the great voices goes to waste.

I will leave only a Top 10 since 1992 (in chronological order):

Ed Wood (1994)
- The joy of making cinema, and the agony of making cinema.

Red (1994)
- For anyone who genuinely believes in the power of friendship.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
- Remember when Hollywood trusted audiences to be patient while a story unfolded?

Safe (1995)
- Quite possibly the only film ever made that functions as a shatteringly intense drama on first viewing and a rollicking social satire on the second.

The Stendhal Syndrome (1996)
- The most revealing peek into the soul of a damaged woman since Polanski's "Repulsion."

Open Your Eyes (1997)
- I like "The Matrix" too, but this is an even more artful treatment of surface vs. illusion.

Mulholland Dr. (2001)
- Peels back the artifice surrounding Hollywood to reveal its bitter core. Naomi Watts is a revelation.

Spirited Away (2001)
- An eye-opening journey.

xXx (2002)
- The more you know about the Bond films, the more you can appreciate how sophisticated this structural pastiche is.

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)
- Underneath the flatulence and stoner jokes is a strong statement about the status of Asian Americans in modern society.

Honorable mentions: Bitter Moon (1992), High Risk/Meltdown (1995), Twelve Monkeys (1995), The Matrix (1999), A Knight's Tale (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Frank,

No problem. I'm just happy to know someone actually reads my stuff. And go St. Joe's!

I really do get cranky when I talk about QT. He just bugs me. At least I think that's the technical film theory term for it. And that's one reason I've never written any reviews of his work, because I don't think I can shake that bug. I liked him in From Dusk Til Dawn though. Go figure.

OK, I'll play. Just 20 I can think of off hand:

Dead Man - Jarmusch
Dancer in the Dark - Trier
The Big Lebowski - Coens
Colossal Youth - Costa
Eyes Wide Shut - Kubrick
Birdsong - Serra
Le genou d'artemide - Straub
Touching the Void - McDonald
Little Dieter Needs to Fly - Herzog
Lake of Fire - Kaye
My Winnipeg - Maddin
Goodbye Dragon Inn - Tsai
Still Life - Jia zhang-ke
The World - Jia Zhang-ke
Mysterious Object at Noon - Joe
Fast Cheap and Out of Control - Morris
Notre Musique - Godard
Sonnatine - Kitano
The Wind Will Carry Us - Kiarostami
The Corporation - Abbott, Achbar

I'm surprised to see that nobody has ventured a 20 worst list of the last 20 years. The mere compilation of this list has sent me into a deep depression:

Freddy Got Fingered
White Chicks
Big Momma’s House
Battlefield Earth
Multiplicity
Jury Duty
Biodome
Daredevil
Epic Movie
Coyote Ugly
The End of Days
Lady in the Water
Hook
Gone in 60 Seconds
North
Jack Frost
Pluto Nash
Gigli
Death to Smoochy
oh, and…
It’s Pat

Here's my best, alphabetically:

Amelie
Being John Malkovich
Breaking the Waves
Crumb
Dancer in the Dark
Ed Wood
Fargo
In The Mood for Love
Kill Bill: Volumes 1 and 2
Leaving Las Vegas
Magnolia
Monster’s Ball
No Country for Old Men
Pulp Fiction
Schindler’s List
Short Cuts
Synecdoche, NY
The Royal Tenenbaums
Waking Life
Y Tu Mama Tambien

I'm surprised he did not include Oldboy, as he was the President of the jury at 2004 Cannes Film Festival, and probably single handedly gave the film the Grand Prix (second most prestigious award for a film in competition).

I'm surprised he did not include Oldboy, as he was the President of the jury at 2004 Cannes Film Festival, and probably single handedly gave the film the Grand Prix (second most prestigious award for a film in competition).

Well, everyone else is doing, so why can't I???
My top 20 from the last 20 years, hmmmm, this is gonna be tough. In no particular order...

Magnolia
21 Grams
Pulp Fiction
Goodfellas
You can count on Me
Lost in Translation
Before Sunset
Me, You and Everyone we know
Seven
Boogie Nights
American Beauty
Happiness
Princess Mononoke
The Ice Storm
Once
Dazed and Confused
Babel
Snow Angels
American Splendor
Fargo

My top 20, from 1992 (year I was born) to Present Day:
1. Shaun of the Dead
2. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
3. Chicken Run
4. Pulp Fiction
5. Superbad
6. No Country for Old Men
7. The 40 Year Old Virgin
8. Zach and Miri Make A Porno
9. Cloverfield
10. Across The Universe
11. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
12. A Film With Me in It
13. Mystery Men
14. The Brown Bunny
15. Ed Wood
16. Kill Bill Vol. 1
17. Gia
18. In & Out
19. Hot Fuzz
20. Four Weddings and A Funeral

Even though I have not seen many of those films, and really disliked Audition(it really didn't seem to me all it was hyped up to be), I appreciate reading his list of favorites and hearing his take on a few of them, it makes me want to check all of them out actually.

I compiled a list of my favorite films since I first remember watching them(I was born in 1989), starting with my two favorites:

1. Shaun of the Dead-A downright classic in every way.
2. District 9-Totally blew me away and amazed me. Did for me what I think Star Wars did for people back then.

And the rest in no particular order(although some obviously would go above others):
No Country For Old Men
Equilibrium
Big Fish
Pan's Labyrinth
A Goofy Movie
Toy Story
Spider-Man 2
The Iron Giant
Hot Fuzz
Inglorious Basterds
Shawshank Redemption
The Princess Bride
This Is Spinal Tap
The Hangover
Unbreakable
The Dark Knight
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Back To The Future

So he pronounces "Jan de Bont" correctly, and then falls on the unfortunate internet pronunciation of "Shyamalan." I'm not a fan of M. Night's films since they stopped being original and started being categorically terrible, but "Shy-am-a-lan" is not hard to say, certainly not hard to approximate, and not nearly as idiotic sounding as "Shamalamadingdong." Otherwise, an interesting clip, and I love the thoughts on "The Matrix."

Some of my selections are a year or so before `92 but I think they belong. (no particular order)

Sonatine
Fight Club
LOTR Trilogy - Theatrical
Trainspotting
Pulp Fiction
Ken Burn's Civil War
Unforgiven
Malcolm X
Krzysztof Kieslowski's Trois Couleurs
Shawshank Redemption
Hoop Dreams
Goodfella's
Sexy Beast
City of God
Children of Men
The Matrix
Adaptation
Bob Roberts
The Usual Suspects
JFK

Great List Tarantino, I figured there would be some asian made films in the mix. Here's my rundown if anyone cares.
(In no particular order).

1. Oldboy (2004)- Great, super great performance. The face says it all in this movie, like looking at a Korean Dean Martin as in the great Rio Bravo.

2. Shaun of the Dead (2004)- The funnest zombie movie to come from the rebirth of the genre since 2003. Also, the movie most likely to get better with multiple viewings.

3. Trueromance (1993) - The dialogue and great performances from every single actor and the directing of a pre "Man on Fire" Tony Scott are movie heaven.

4. Natural Born Killers (1994) - It all comes down to Stone, Lewis, Harrelson, Jones, and Sizemore. Nuff said.

5. The Descent (2006) - Great horror flick, bloody, twisted, and has an all women cast, kicking ass. Owes a lot to Raimi, Argento, DePalma, but awesome.

6. L.A. Confidential(1997) - Crowe and Spacey steal the movie. Many layers, I watch at least once a year. Great score.

7. Sin City (2005)- If heroin were celluloid. Visually amazing. Rourke's best pre "Wrestler" performance.

8. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Robbins and Freeman, in the roles no one esle could play.
Simple, brilliant, never seems like you are watching a film made by hundreds of people.

9. The Devil's Rejects (2005) - Zombie is a great director of this genre, you can tell his influences, but he puts his own spin on it. A great film about family, up there with Ordinary People and Parenthood, kinda..lol. BUt kidding aside, what a rollercoaster of a movie.

10. 28 Days Later (2003) - The one that started the rebirth of one of my favorite generes. Creepy, scary, suspenseful. A movie that melds music and imagery amazingly well, credit to Mr. Boyle.

11. Kingpin (1996) - Best Farelly Bros. and Bill Murray movie all in one, Woody was brilliant too. But Murray was born to play this slimeball. So many laughs.

12. Beautiful Girls (1996) - Well written, textured performances, superbly acted by whole ensemble.

13. City of God (2004) - Blew me away, knew nothing of it going in, just my local theatre trying to class their joint up by showing a movie you had to read. WOW, I raved about it for days to anyone who would listen.

14. The Departed (2006) - A remake, what isn't these days, but wow what a re-imagining. Scorsese need to make it, and the cast had to be in it. Leo was overlooked for his great man child performance.

15. Boogie Nights (1997) - That one scene in the drug dealers home with the firecrackers made for one of the all time best film scenes ever, in a movie where every shot and scene is great. A coked out Alfred Molina helps too.

16. Downfall (2004) - Felt like I had met Hitler and got too see a little of what made him tick.

17. Jackie Brown (1997) - An action movie with cracking dialogue not guns and explosions.

18. Magnolia (1999) - Another PTA classic, draws you in from the first words from the narrator and never lets you go, even for a pee, for a whole 3 hours....that's filmaking.

19. Tigerland (2000) - Joel Schumacher's version of an indie. Great performance by a no name at the time, Colin Farrell. Great character study of young guys dealing with war.

20. Clerks 2 (2006) - The best romantic comedy in years. Outside of the Kevin Smith universe it would still stand as a great , great little movie. Kudos to Mr. Smith.

I have to say, the lack of any mention of the Coens really surprises me. This may just be case of me needing sleep, but it seems strange that none of their films would be mentioned. Has QT given his opinions on their work before? If so, I'd appreciate links.

Love to hear Tarantino elaborate on exactly why The Matrix sequels sucked.

Most everyone agrees they were very disappointing, but Tarantino saying they're so bad "the mythology" of the first film was damaged was interesting. How? Why? Teach me master. I'd be fascinated to get his analysis.

Any quick thoughts on where QT was coming from, or what might bother him the most? What do you think? I'm also curious because I thought The Matrix sequels sucked but wasn't sure how they could have followed up the first one..

I will step forward and defend TEAM AMERICA, albeit from a personal standpoint (which is all any of us do anyway).

1) It was a gutsy, completely anti-commercial and suicidal choice to do this with marionettes. Difficult, grueling, insane and, as the box office showed, alienating.

2) It's the best thing I believe Parker & Stone have ever done. It summarizes the "war on terror" perfectly from both sides. Neither side gets treated with kids gloves: democrats, neo-cons, pro-war, anti-war...nobody. Yea, Michael Moore & the celebs are depicted as self-centered morons, but the Team is incompetant, unfocused, knee-jerk and blindly follows and stupid leader.

3) It IS mercilessly offensive. But to me it is offensive in a way so over the top and, perhaps, insane, that it is charming.

4) It makes me laugh harder and harder every time I watch it.

It's an acquired taste. It's polarizing. I can understand opposing opinions. But I agree with QT and defend this choice. It wouldn't make my list, but it's a defensible choice.

Let me jump in with a quick list. Sort of in order, and off the top of my head:

BOOGIE NIGHTS
SHAUN OF THE DEAD
ZODIAC
STARSHIP TROOPERS
MULHOLLAND DRIVE
LA CONFIDENTIAL
GOODFELLAS
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
THE INCREDIBLES
REQUIEM FOR A DREAM
SLEEPY HOLLOW
THE DESCENT
FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
THERE WILL BE BLOOD
THE WRESTLER
BATMAN BEGINS
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
THE BIG LEBOWSKI
AMERICAN MOVIE
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

Looking back at the list I realized how bizarre it is.
No The Big Lebowski?? Anyone mention Children of Men? These are just a couple. He's an eccentric dude.

Love to hear Tarantino elaborate on exactly why The Matrix sequels sucked.

I would love to hear him talk about that too. Maybe I'm in a minority but I actually think Reloaded is pretty darn good (I might even like it better than the first one). I cannot see how it ruined the mythology. In fact, I think the Architect in particular added a great deal to the mythology. Now Revolutions, that one was a head-scratcher that definitely took the series down a couple pegs. Neo doesn't even destroy the Matrix. He just... bargains with it. Which is OK I guess, except the whole thing felt like a huge anti-climax leaving open the possibility for more sequels.

Would it be unbecoming of me to say that "The Insider" reaches a level of perfection I don't know if Tarantino has necessarily quite hit yet. I'm glad he has it on his list. It should be on everyone's...as should "Unbreakable".