[quote=“Kinick”]
Yeah, you know, that thing which is a foundation for a film? The thing on paper? Not surprised you were unsure there considering how you can consider a film like Death Proof to be better than Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction. :laugh:
The sooner everyone realises this, the better.
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I never said I liked it more than PF or RD dude. I said I like it and certainly would never call it a bad movie. It’s very entertaining.
[quote=“tonyanthony”]
i never said it sucked… i said i was disapointed when i first saw it. and i am still not sure if i quite like it or not, even though i’ve seen it like 15 times… i was disapointed because i was expecting a slasher and i didn’t get one, and also because i dislike the girls… in the first part, the only one i feel sympathetic with is Pam and, to some extent, butterfly… i would hate a girl like JJ in real life so why should i spend one hour watching her talking b.s. and calling it entertainment?
that’s not true, i love them… i have an enormous collection of tapes/poster/soundtracks and even film prints. and i bet i am one of the only person in this forum who actually went to a grindhouse theater to catch double features… before QT chanted their merits. 
obviously, i like them grinhouses pictures… and maybe that’s why i was disapointed with the film: i was expecting so much!
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Fair enough. At least your reasons for feeling disappointed at first make sense. I’m not going to say you guys are wrong for the way you feel, because you can’t be. I do think it’s wrong to call the film “a stinker”.
It just irritates me when you guys talk like DP is rubbish. I watch a lot of movies, and there aren’t many I’ve seen lately that were as cool as DP. Obviously films like the Dark Knight are exceptions, but with the ammount of duckshit hollywood tries to cram down our throats these days, a flick like DP is refreshing and worth watching over and over again.
i kinda of agree; despite my disapointment with the film; there are a lot of things in it that i love. i saw it 4 times in theater and it made my top ten list of the year ;D
Cool. So it’s really not that you don’t like it, as you just wished it had been more true to the source?
no freaking way. He is amazing and he has a lot more to offer us so stop complaining and wait for the next movie
The problem with Death Proof is that it does not seem to know what it’s even supposed to be. If it’s a slasher film, then why does 90% of the movie consist of uninteresting women talking shit? If it’s an art film, then why was it promoted as a grindhouse flick? If it’s an exploitation film, then why does it have almost ZERO exploitation elements?
I also have the feeling that some people (and before I get flamed, I emphasize the word “some”) don’t criticise DP as much as they want because it is QT’s latest film. Once IB comes out, I am guessing more fans would be more honest with themselves about the flick. And I am going to be honest here. I didn’t give a flying fuck about the diner scene. I didn’t give a flying fuck about the loooong unneccessary scene when the girls go to get the Dodge Challenger. I didn’t give a flying fuck about the scenes when both group of girls are driving around in the car talking about girl shit. I didn’t give a fuck about some dialogue scenes in the pub. All of these scenes comprise some of QT’s most uninteresting dialogue to date, in my opinion.
I thought the dialogue was an interesting look into how QT really sees women. Shallow, narsascistic egotists. He wrote that dialog based on his experiences hanging out with his “posses” of women. He ought to hang around with smarter, more down to earth chicks. Zoe was the only chick character that kind of redeems females.
I’m not saying this film wasn’t self-endulgent of him, cos it was, but it was a really neat look in.
[quote=“Geoi”]
Cool. So it’s really not that you don’t like it, as you just wished it had been more true to the source?
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i think that’s it. in the Grindhouse companion book, QT writes at some point “unlike most exploitation films, we are going to deliver every element that’s on the picture”. and that’s just not true! as far as girl talk is concerned i find somes nurses or cheerleaders film from New World or Crown way funnier! even though there are several sequences that i really love (the opening credit, the scenes between butterfly and mike and the first crash), it’s hard to embrace the film when you hate characters you are supposed to like… in the second half the first 30 minutes were just boring to me (Italian VOGUE??? WTF!!!). i thought the final scenes with stuntman mike were too campy. and i think i was disapointed by the fact that QT actually enjoys hanging out with such stupid girls… oh, well!
[quote=“Scarface”]
If it’s a slasher film, then why does 90% of the movie consist of uninteresting women talking shit?
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for the same reason Pulp Fiction, supposedly a gangster film, consists of 90% of the movie of men and women talking shit… same for Reservoir Dogs 
yet there, people laud it as brilliant and Tarantinoesque… some people just like to complain a lot I guess
[quote=“Sebastian”]
for the same reason Pulp Fiction, supposedly a gangster film, consists of 90% of the movie of men and women talking shit… same for Reservoir Dogs yet there, people laud it as brilliant and Tarantinoesque… some people just like to complain a lot I guess
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Yes, but do consider the following points:
1.) Gangster movies are predominantly more dialogue driven than slasher films, so having long scenes of dialogue in gangster movies makes more sense.
2.) In Pulp, the entire movie is driven forward with dialogue. In Death Proof, dialogue only serves to stall the movie, leading it nowhere.
3.) The dialogue in Pulp was engaging and funny. In Death Proof, it was boring.
4.) We do not like to complain for the hell of it, we just don’t like sucking QT’s dick for no reason when he does not deserve it. It is fans like us who can help him grow as a filmmaker, not people praising him all the time, irrespective of the film’s final quality.
5.) Just for the record, i don’t want to give the impression that I think Death Proof is a terrible film. I would give it somewhere between a 6.5-7.0. I just think it’s just below the usual Tarantino standards.
[quote=“Sebastian”]
for the same reason Pulp Fiction, supposedly a gangster film, consists of 90% of the movie of men and women talking shit… same for Reservoir Dogs yet there, people laud it as brilliant and Tarantinoesque… some people just like to complain a lot I guess
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I think when one makes comparisons and correlations such as the one you just did is to do a disservice to just how good of a writer the man is (and can be). You’ve said yourself that the writing on Death Proof was not of his highest standards by any means, yet you defend this criticism by relating it to the side-tracking dialogue that Pulp Fiction consists of. There’s a reason for people lauding it as “brilliant” there. Failing to recognise any difference or attempting to merge or coincide the two “writings” is where I believe the disservice is being done.
Clarence Worley would not be proud of your generalisation. ; )
Disappointed… relative to what? I have yet to feel cheated by going out to see a QT film compared to the trash that’s usually on… i dont set standards for filmmakers to meet and surpass beyond being a lot better then the norm and true to their style…
That’s brilliant. ;D Well said sir.
[quote=“Snake Eyes”]
Disappointed… relative to what? I have yet to feel cheated by going out to see a QT film compared to the trash that’s usually on… i dont set standards for filmmakers to meet and surpass beyond being a lot better then the norm and true to their style…
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Compared to what you expected from the film based on the original script you may’ve read or casting choices in which another actor that was seriously considered would’ve been more suitable than one or more chosen, in your personal opinion. Obviously others have different reasons for disliking, in whole or part, a QT film, but those are the things I highlighted in the original question.
[quote=“Oren”]
Compared to what you expected from the film based on the original script you may’ve read or casting choices in which another actor that was seriously considered would’ve been more suitable than one or more chosen, in your personal opinion. Obviously others have different reasons for disliking, in whole or part, a QT film, but those are the things I highlighted in the original question.
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Id have to say no because i don’t read scripts until after ive seen the film… ( and then only rarely ) so its kind of a retrospective assessment. But i find reading a script prior to seeing a film tends to interfere with losing yourself in the experience. ( your imagination can always be better effect ) And when i first see a film that’s what i want to do. I tend to go back and assess it properly later… of coarse some films you can enjoy just on face value. As for casting i think that can almost always be better in at least minor parts but i imagine it is unreasonable to expect this…
For me, I’ve only disappointed twice. Once was when i first ever watched Kill Bill. However, that was because I young (I think 14), and couldn’t appreciate the content. Now KB is one of my top favourite films, so I can’t really count that.
What does count is the disappointment of Death Proof. I watched bits of it recently round a friends, it just doesn’t compare to QT’s previous films. Dialogue was weak in places, acting wasn’t very great barring Russel, and I hated the transition of Stuntman Mike’s character at the near end. Also had two many aspects of modern feminism that I didn’t like. It had a lot of cool things, don’t get me wrong, better than a lot Hollywood rubbish, but compared to his other films, it was a disappointment. However, form everything I and other’s have seen about IB, it looks like QT is going to steer that right around.
I’ve only ever been disappointed in people being disappointed by a Quentin film. He’s one of the best working directors and one of the only ones that has made a significant impact on film.
what put me off death proof a bit were some of the performances. i really didnt like Tracie Thoms in it, i thought she felt quite forced. Sydney Poitier was only alright, the scene with her talking to Vanessa Ferlito was a bit cringe worthy. Also i expected more from the final car scenes, especially since it was a Tarantino movie. You can chalk up some of the acting to its “B” movie status which i tend to do, but the second part was a bit of a let down as the movie had started so well.
[quote=“Noir_Fiction”]
and one of the only ones that has made a significant impact on film.
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Stop talking crazy, haha.
[quote=“dandadub”]
Also i expected more from the final car scenes, especially since it was a Tarantino movie.
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uh that’s what I dont get. a) how do you know what car scenes to expect from a tarantino movie, who’s never before made anything close to that and b) the car chases in death proof were fucking amazing, i mean even those who hate the film, come on… that was some great shit. no CG etc