I like to see artists change with their work. I'm not content with artists who have found their nitch and stick to what they do best. I like to hear the inflection of their speech change. They keep the same bit of information intact throughout their lives, but how they say it changes ever so slightly.
I guess that's why I grew tired of The White Stripes. I always secretly hoped that Meg White would find syncopation in her drumming. The first three records would be a little amateur, but it would be endearing. All downbeat hits, all minimalistic. It was cute. I wanted "Elephant" to have a little bit more complexity. It didn't. I wanted "Get Behind Me Satan" to just up the anty an iota. It didn't. I figured I wouldn't even hope or bother with "Icky Thump".
That's why I love The Dead Weather and The Racounteurs. Jack White found syncopation. A new way to say his constant message.
So, apply this same train of thought when it comes to Quentin Tarantino. Although, in this case, I want him to go back to how it was in the beginning and apply it to the future projects.
"Reservoir Dogs" to "Pulp Fiction": A definite growth here. "Pulp Fiction" took the best elements of "Dogs" and upped the anty.
"Pulp Fiction" to "Jackie Brown": Maturity. A lot of the schtick Tarantino exploits were stripped bare, leaving great dialogue without the pretension of "Yes, Quentin, we know you know a lot about movies." It kept some of his trademarks intact, but made them work within the story without calling attention to each of Tarantino's isms.
"Jackie Brown" to "Kill Bill": Superstardom. Now, I loved "Kill Bill" when it first came out. It was Quentin using some of his best schticky cartoony trademarks and applying them in ways that made the movie just plain ridiculous. I loved "Volume 1" because of this. The schtick didn't work as well for "Volume 2", mainly because the story was taking over. The schtick was distracting, but I accepted it because "Volume 1" was all schtick and no story, so there had to be a little bit of stylistic continuity.
"Kill Bill" to "Death Proof": Nothing changed. The cartoon aspect of "Bill" stayed the same with "Death Proof". Characters from "Bill" reprised their roles in subtle, yet annoying ways. Plus, the know-it-all film buffary was at an all time high. It was too meta-Tarantino. But, in the end, I forgave this, since it was part of a meta-movie: "Grindhouse". It was a movie about movies. So, yeah, okay, bring back the "Kill Bill" formula again. That was a movie about movies, too. It was fine for this one romp.
"Death Proof" to "Inglourious Basterds": Nothing changed. This was supposed to be his masterpiece. The period piece. This has been in the works for years. I wanted something more along the lines of "Jackie Brown". It was again, sadly, like "Kill Bill". Comedic backstories, like the Lucy Liu backstory in "Bill", continued in this flick . . . but there was only one. Why have only one of those trademark backstories? It's like showing off your trademarks solely because you can. There was so much dialogue about movies it was making me irritated. Subtlety, Mr. Tarantino. Like in your first three movies. I want it like it was. No more animations, no more backstories in "Kill Bill" fashion. Stop the "Kill Bill" schtick and start again with story, adding a few schticks for spice. "Basterds" felt again like schtick and story were 50/50.
I know a lot of people don't see this, and they don't really care. It's the accepted Tarantino style. But I'm disappointed. I feel like Tarantino is like AC/DC. They reprised Rolling Stone riffs, made them cool in a modern sort of light, but once they found their nitch, as they hit their peak, there was no more growth. People love them, but they aren't going to change. I feel like we've seen all that Tarantino has to offer.
He could be so much more. Look at the Cohen Bros. or Aronofsky. Their work has changed over the years. "Pi" to "The Wrestler"? HUGE difference. "Raising Arizona" to "No Country"? Lots of difference.
"Basterds" is Tarantino's worst flick in my book. Overrated. His movies are now on Classic Rock instead of Alternative programming, whereas those big name director peers of his (Cohen, Aronofsky) continue to stay on top of Indie and Alternative charts within my pop culture schema.
Billy Preston -- "Slaughter"
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