--- In
rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "uplandharmabooks"
<uplandharmabooks@...> wrote:
>
> Tarantino has readily admitted several times that he
makes genre
films
> and he has never hidden his influences.
>
> I find it a bit ironic that some members of a group
dedicated to a
> specific genre whose very name (hard-boiled) is
indicative of
> violence, sex, darkness, and...well...hardness, are
willing to
> complain not only about a genre filmmaker, but the
characteristics
> that make up their favorite fiction
genre.
>
Where did you get the idea that people were criticizing
Tarantino for being a genre filmmaker? It doesn't really make
sense that people on a list devoted to a specific genre would
be prejudiced against genre fiction. My criticism against
Tarantino was that his films are derivative and that, unlike
you, I believe he doesn't really take them a step beyond the
work of his predecessors. If anything, I think his pastiches
are a step backwards in the sense that the characters are
superficial and defined more than anything by their
witticisms and pop culture references rather than human
traits or any real motivation like you'd see in a Jim
Thompson novel. I agree with you about Tarantino's talent for
dialogue, but dialogue is not enough to tell a good story and
I believe this was best illustrated in his episode on
Grindhouse. I don't know about you, but after 30 minutes of
those girls' inane chitchat I was ready to go home (and
did).
You also find ironic that people here, of all places, are
willing to complain about a genre filmmaker. Why should he be
sheltered from criticism just because he's a "genre" creator?
Is there some sort of solidarity we as people who enjoy noir
should exhibit towards noir "creators"?
-GB.
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