Truth be told the QT movies I seen and don’t care for I largely don’t remember because they lost me and I checked out. A few have shown up on the list already. I still haven’t seen Hateful Eight , KBV2 or Jackie Brown.

Sept 9, 2019 15:35:11 GMT Emperor said:

I really like many parts of Inglorious Basterds, but whoever says the film needed editing and trimming down is right. In fact, this seems to be a recurring issue with Tarantino's recent output. Nevertheless, it's a compelling and unusual take on Nazi Germany, with a career defining performance from Christoph Waltz.

You can take your hidden blade stab at Hateful Eight and shove it, pal. That movie needed no editing/trimming and was exactly how it was supposed to be all the way through. It was just not something most people had the attention span to sit through. This is a very common issue with movies and I'm tired of people jumping to the conclusion that this means it was too long and should have been edited. Not every film can be made perfectly for everyone. Sometimes it's just tailored to other people and there's nothing wrong with that.

I wouldn't say Inglorious Basterds needed any editing / trimming either. It was just boring. To me anyway. But plenty of people love it so I'm not going to claim it should be changed to fit my tastes more because it already did the job as intended with plenty of people.

Except that editing/trimming can really help with the flow of a movie and how engaging it is. A movie shouldn’t make it audience asks itself why this scene is happening or taking so long as they are watching it - and QT is certainly guilty of this. I fall asleep during most of his movie and I don’t say that just to take a shot - it’s because it loses me or drags because he can be IMO over indulgent and too much of a fan of the craft that he loses perspective.

Fuck yeah! Django Unchained!

Love the top 5 finish. Had this at #3 and Inglorious Bastards at 2. Love me some Waltz too.

I remember being so pumped up for Django and loving it. I watched it two times in theaters and loved it both times.

I’ve yet to see or hear anything about Django that makes me want to see it.

Sept 10, 2019 16:43:58 GMT mikec said:

I’ve yet to see or hear anything about Django that makes me want to see it.

Not even the father-son relationship between Django and Schultz?

It's one of the most wholesome things of the past decade.

Inglorious Bastards - This was also the first Tarantino movie I saw in theatres. I've been meaning to go back to it because my first and only impression was based on having the wrong expectations going in. I was expecting the last act of the Dirty Dozen being the entire movie. Basically Kill Bill Vol. 1 but turned up to 11. Instead I got this complex piece of world cinema with some amazing French and German actors and actresses that tried to balance drama and comedy. I remember a few scenes took me out of the movie (Mike Meyers, Hugo Stiglitz) and I was distracted by Daniel Brahn. I had recently watched Goodbye Lenin where he was this fantastic babyface character, so sort of seeing him use that but in a sinister way duped me. I wasn't good at handling complex characters around the time the movie came out. So in short, I've got very conflicting feelings towards this movie. Some scenes maybe some of the best in QT's filmography but I remember others clashing. I still enjoyed it, but I've yet to really rate it against his other works.

Fargo - One of the most iconic Coen Brothers films of their filmography. Maybe it's because it's so emblematic of their style? Take a basic premise, but let the odd cast of characters dictate it's direction. It's very much a noir, but everything is played against type, so it feels that more engaging. It also gives the actors more material to bite into and McDormand and Macy make the most of it. I was staying with my relatives recently, found it in their DVD collection and was surprised at how watchable it was with a general audience. We were cracking up at the scene with the prostitutes and it's a really tight movie. Even the one sub-plot with the high school friend makes sense upon revisiting it.

Django Unchained - Not best picture material, but still an enjoyable romp. Schultz is one of my favourite QT characters and I could just watch a television series with him and Django taking down the bounty of the week. Leo and Samuel L have a lot of fun in their roles and it's a joy to see all the side characters. I rate it similar to Kill Bill where it leans heavily on being a genre movie and a celebration of that style of film. That's enough to be one of my favourite movies of the decade, but not enough for it to dislodge other Tarantino movies.

If you craft an incredibly tense and engaging opening scene to a film that feels vital and exciting and a true return to greatness, and then follow it up with Mike Myers like we're all of a sudden in an Austin Powers film that kills the mood and stops you from taking anything else in the film seriously - you need an editor.

If you make a really fun romp of a film that's bold, daring, shocking in a good way and gives Leo a role that no-one saw coming in a career high - and then finish it with a boring set-piece so you can show off your shitty Australian accent, causing the audience the end the film not satisfied but pissed off by how much you love yourself - you need an editor.

My anger at QT is not because he isn't good - it's because he could be great but loves himself too much and has to include every idea he has whether it helps the film or not. Inglorious and Django should both be great, but he does such stupid things in them that they just aren't.


Fargo's great but fell surprisingly low on my list at #8. I'm worried that it may be the last Coen's film to feature.

But it's so much fun, PB!

I agree his genre romps always over indulge. You either love them because they're a celebration of film and genre, or it creates a strange disconnect.

I'm curious though if you've seen Jackie Brown because of all his movies, it's his most restrained.

Sept 10, 2019 18:18:12 GMT Big Pete said:

But it's so much fun, PB!

I agree his genre romps always over indulge. You either love them because they're a celebration of film and genre, or it creates a strange disconnect.

I'm curious though if you've seen Jackie Brown because of all his movies, it's his most restrained.

Yes, Jackie Brown is my third favourite QT film and would have been number 11 on my list. It's because I do like him so much when he's good that it makes me so angry when he's not. The only one I haven't seen is Death Proof and I don't plan on it.

And Mike Myers doing a terrible accent is never fun unless it's Shrek.

I think you might actually enjoy Death Proof. It's one of his more consistent movies that does a pretty decent job of immersing you in it's world and letting you get a feel for the characters before the mayhem ensues. The car chase is also extremely good, he's paying homage to a lot of Ozploitation movie but I couldn't fault the execution.

My only gripe is that it suffers from Kevin Smith syndrome. There's a few lines that sound really awkward coming out of the actresses. Rose McGowan in particular stands out as being on the nose.

On the flipside, Russell is great as Stuntman Mike and holds the film together nicely.

I swore off the film years back, but a friend encouraged me to give it another look and I was pleasantly surprised.

Yeah man and to know my obsession with Dicaprio and for me to still rank this third goes to show how much I enjoyed Bastards and the obvious #1 that better fucking finish #1.

Django must be watched. It’s so damn fun and so damn good.

Django is my 3rd favorite modern western, just behind Tombstone, and Unforgiven. Also ranked 3rd on my list. Tarantino clearly has a deep love for the genre, as it just oozes out of every pore...and it's an affinity of mine as well.

4. The Big Lebowski 

Nihilists! Fuck me. I mean, say what you want about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it's an ethos. ~ Walter Sobchak 

Released 

1998 

Credits 

Director: The Coen Brothers 

Writers: The Coen Brothers 

Cast 

Jeff Bridges (The Dude)

John Goodman (Walter Sobchak)

Julianne Moore (Maude Lebowski)

Steve Buscemi (Donny)

David Huddleston (The Big Lebowski)

Critical 

#177 Rated Movie of All Time (IMDB)

8.1/10 (IMDB)

83% (RT Critics)

94% (RT Audiences)

Box Office 

Domestic: $17,451,873 

Worldwide: $46,725,222

I fucking love The Big Lebowski , it was really hard ranking it and ending up putting it at #2 but that's ultimately where it ended up for me. So many great characters in this movie , and I stand by the fact that Walter Sobchak is one of the greatest movie characters of all time - just reading through the quotes again from him make me chuckle and want to go sit down and watch the movie. I wouldn't argue anyone saying this is the best Coen movie of all time , it's definitely made their biggest stamp on pop culture. #4 is too fucking low on the overall list too.

The Big Lebowski does have great characters but the plot is an absolute shit show. Still worth watching for the characters alone though. Great performances by Jeff Bridges and John Goodman as well. John Turturro as Jesus was also absolutely hilarious.

Now that this is out of the way; clean sweep for QT in the top 3.

Sept 11, 2019 16:16:37 GMT The Kid said:

Now that this is out of the way; clean sweep for QT in the top 3.

I'd like to see No Country For Old Men make the list.   One of the best modern westerns I've ever seen.

Sept 11, 2019 16:02:28 GMT thereallt said:

The Big Lebowski does have great characters but the plot is an absolute shit show. Still worth watching for the characters alone though. Great performances by Jeff Bridges and John Goodman as well. John Turturro as Jesus was also absolutely hilarious.

The plot is exactly what it's supposed to be though , I would get this criticism if it wasn't 100% their intent. The plot was always meant to be secondary to the characters and The Coens did a brilliant job writing the dialogue and setting up this remarkable cast to just shine. 

I admit that it's not the most common approach to filmmaking , the plot usually takes precedent over everything but that's why I think the movie is brilliant and endlessly rewatchable. I love the lack of a commitment to a strict plot.

I probably need to watch The Big Lebowski again. As it currently stands it’s my most quoted movie that I really did not enjoy the whole of. There’s just some really good set pieces but I wonder if I was trying too hard to be invested in the story to really enjoy the overall specific weirdness.

But you want a toe? I can get you a toe, believe me.

It was my third Coen Brothers movie, and I agree with LT that I’d be disappointed if No Country doesn’t make it. I rewatched it about a month ago and honestly the more I think about it I think it’s the best movie either of these two have made.

Sept 11, 2019 16:37:08 GMT thereallt said:

Sept 11, 2019 16:16:37 GMT The Kid said:

Now that this is out of the way; clean sweep for QT in the top 3.

I'd like to see No Country For Old Men make the list.   One of the best modern westerns I've ever seen.

Oh right.

That’ll probably finish 2 sandwiched in between Reservoir Dogs at 3 and Pulp Fiction at 1.

Love The Big Lebowski. I watched at at a really good age in that he challenged me about what a film is, in the way UT, said - i.e. it isn't a tight plot but a character study and a series of set pieces and that's ok. So watching Lebowski at 16/17 or whatever opened my eyes to that, which then allowed me to enjoy a wider range of films. It's genuinely hilarious, endlessly quotable, has brilliant characters and performances. Really great and glad it made it in.

My list so far:

7. The Big Lebowski
8. Fargo


It's not looking good for my remaining eight. One will definitely make it but that's probably it.

Had the dude at #2.

Love the characters, can somewhat agree on plot.

Big Lebowski was my #1 with a bullet. I can watch that movie anytime. If I’m flipping through channels and it’s on I just stop what I’m doing.

The plot is Coen Brothers perfection. It’s convoluted and messy and feels disorganized, but that’s life, man. The story is driven by the characters and their reactions to whatever shit is thrown their way. It’s brilliant.

I've never had a movie hyped up as much for me than The Big Lebowski. I'm talking Shawshank Redemption levels for UT. A life-changing movie, nothing before or since could ever hope to compare, leaves you in stitches etc. etc.

I watched it and felt like it was the biggest troll ever.

...yet I still enjoyed it.

Mostly because despite all the expectations, I never saw it playing out like it did. I was expecting something like North By Northwest and ended with the inversion of that movie. Normally that would be grounds to appear on a worst ever movie list, but since the characters were so well defined, the scenes well written and just oozing with that Coen Bros. style I found myself entertained regardless.

I'm surprised to see it rated this highly. Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs and No Country For Old Men are locks, so my next guess would be Fargo which I think has that Coen Bros. style but the plot isn't as divisive. I thought at worse, Fargo would be an overrated movie, while Lebowski would just be outright despised. I guess we just have a higher population of Lebowski fans.

It would also be my #1 Anti-Psuedo Intellectual movie.

3. Reservoir Dogs 

Shit... You shoot me in a dream, you better wake up and apologize. ~ Mr. White 

Released 

1992 

Credits 

Director: Quentin Tarantino 

Writer: Quentin Tarantino 

Cast 

Harvey Keitel (Mr. White)

Tim Roth (Mr. Orange)

Michael Madsen (Mr. Blonde)

Steve Buscemi (Mr. Pink)

Chris Penn (Nice Guy Eddie)

Critical 

#80 Rated Movie of All Time (IMDB)

8.3/10 (IMDB)

91% (RT Critics)

94% (RT Audiences)

Box Office 

Domestic: $2,832,029 

Reservoir Dogs is amazing and IMO the perfect example of what Tarantino could be capable of if forced to use some restraint and not go completely off the rails for whole acts at a time. Had this movie been made 10 years later there is no doubt it would have been an hour longer and filled with a bunch of weird bullshit in between.

Anyways it isn't and thank the lord because it's the only QT movie that I 100% love and think is brilliant. The cast of characters are all great , Mr. Blonde like Walter Sobchak is up there for ME as the best movie characters of all time as he is a charismatic , engaging psychopath that you just want to know more about and Michael Madsen is the best he's ever been. Also love some Harvey Keitel and Tim Roth puts in a weirdly satisfying albeit over the top performance.

The ear cutting scene is about as iconic as they come , the tipping scene is up there too but I also love the shootout at the end and feel it gets a little overlooked.

Just awesome stuff that ended up #3 on my list , and one of only two QT movies to make it and easily the best.

I rewatched Reservoir Dogs not too long ago and I didn't think it was amazing. It's a good movie, but by Tarantino standards it's far from his best. Elements of the greatness to come, such as the opening scene, but as a whole I found it a bit disinteresting and the ear cutting scene struck me as forced quirkiness more than creative genius.

So for the guy who only has two Tarantino films in his list, you may be surprised to see where Reservoir Dogs placed in that list.

1) Reservoir Dogs

7) The Big Lebowski
8) Fargo

While the Coens are way more my cup of tea overall, Dogs is the one real masterpiece from either director. It has everything people love about Tarantino. Great dialogue, homage to all sorts of cinema, exciting plot, great use of music, fantastic acting, a twisting plot, and it pushes boundaries. And it does all of this in a film that is tight, disciplined, and with no time wasted. I rewatched it for this countdown because while I had it high on my personal list for years, I hadn't seen it in a long time and was worried I had over-rated it because I was young - I didn't - it's great, it holds up, and it feels more relevant and vital than any of his over bloated masturbatory recent offerings (hyperbole). Really glad it featured so high. It may be the last film from my list, or there could be one more. Certainly my last Tarantino.

I’ve got to say as well that viewing Reservoir Dogs as a mere practice run for Tarantino’s movies to come is very wrong indeed. It is peak Tarantino. I think it may even be his best film.

The atmosphere is just incredible, even compared to other Tarantino movies, and as mentioned there is not a single wasted step throughout. I felt purpose behind every line in every scene and by the time it was over I was just amazed at everything that happened so efficiently. Yet at the same time I couldn’t believe it was already over.

Buscemi makes everything extra special gold as well and is one of the best actors today. I’d even say he’s a top ten living actor.

Tim Roth is no joke either and pretty far up there as well.