On a recent interview for Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, Tarantino opened up on a variety of subjects, including what he sees as “misinformation” about movies he’d been considering. Oh, and in a very grumpy old man style, he also talked ‘Toy Story’ of all things.
1979’s ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Though chatter began back in 2017 about Tarantino conceiving and potentially directing a ‘Star Trek’ movie for Paramount, the seemingly endless churn of development and lack of a clear plan for the franchise’s future seemingly scuttled his ambitions.
This is what he said on the subject and the wider topic of misinformation about what he’s up to:
“Well, it’s never going to happen, but there has been so much misinformation about what it was going to be, nothing but misinformation. Because I’m not on Instagram and social media, consequently, if you’re Joe Schlomoko and you’re a transient reporter of some kind, if you hear Quentin is going to do a ‘Star Trek’ film or ‘The Movie Critic’ or anything, it’s a lot like that guy who wrote that Howard Hughes biography that ended up being a hoax.”
Quentin Tarantino on ‘The Movie Critic’
Tom Cruise attends the Abu Dhabi Red Carpet and Premiere of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ presented by Paramount Pictures and Skydance at Emirates Palace Hotel on June 26, 2023, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Photo by Darren Arthur/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures.
Another topic widely reported was his plan to make his “final” film, and for a while it looked like it would be ‘The Movie Critic’, based around a writer the younger Tarantino used to read, who reviewed regular films in an adult magazine.
Speculation swirled around casting, including mentions of Tom Cruise being involved, Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth character from ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ and Paul Walter Hauser playing the critic.
Here’s the director dismissing those ideas:
“They can say anything. ‘Quentin is going to cast Tom Cruise, it’s for sure. The thing that was kind of funny about ‘The Movie Critic’ that I was going to cast Paul Walter Hauser… they just think he looks like a critic, so that’s why they picked him!”
Quentin Tarantino on future endeavors
Quentin Tarantino on the set of ‘Django Unchained.’
So with the opportunity to talk openly about anything he wanted, he was also quizzed about what he wants to do next.
And from the sounds of it, the idea that he’ll be making his tenth –– and, according to the man himself –– final movie, could be further off than we thought.
Here’s his mention of theater musings:
“I’m leaning more towards writing— or trying for a while—theater. And in theater, it would be funny stuff.”
According to Tarantino, he’s also considering mining his past for theatrical shows, with an idea to turn his expanded novelizations of his movies into potential stage productions.
Quentin Tarantino on ‘Toy Story’
(L to R) Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) in Pixar Animation Studios’ ‘Toy Story.’
Finally, and most surprisingly, the filmmaker turned his attention to Pixar’s most famous franchise, and his love for the trilogy starring Buzz, Woody and the gang.
This is what he said:
“In the case of ‘Toy Story,’ the third one is just magnificent. It’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. And if you’ve seen the other two, it’s just devastating. But the thing is, then three years later or something, they did a fourth. I have no desire to see it. You literally ended the story as perfect as you could, so no, I don’t care if it’s good. I’m done.”
Sssh… Nobody tell him about ‘Toy Story 5’, due in theaters in 2026!
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Quentin Tarantino accepts the Oscar® for original screenplay for “Django Unchained” during the live ABC Telecast of The Oscars® from the Dolby® Theatre, in Hollywood, CA, Sunday, February 24, 2013.
The movie follows an art dealer (Uma Thurman) who teams with a hitman (Joe Manganiello) and his boss (Samuel L. Jackson) for a money laundering scheme that accidentally turns the hitman into an Avant-Garde sensation, forcing the dealer to play the art world against the criminal underworld.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Nicol Paone about her work on ‘The Kill Room,’ her first reaction to the screenplay, the art world, if the plot could happen in real life, location scouting, working with Uma Thurman, pairing her with her daughter Maya Hawke and reuniting her with ‘Pulp Fiction’ co-star Samuel L. Jackson, and why Joe Manganiello was perfect for his role.
(Center) Director Nicol Paone on the set of Shout! Studio’s ‘The Kill Room.’
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch the interview.
Moviefone: To begin with, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and the humor jump off the page or did you find that in production?
Nicol Paone: Jonathan Jacobson wrote a brilliantly fantastic script. So in the first scene, he had something at the end, like the legs kicking to the music, and I thought, “Oh, this isn’t just one of those, shoot them up, kill them, male, we’re going to kill people movies.” It has this clever tone to it. Then once I got my hands on it, Jonathan and I explored that even more. But to be fair, it was all there on the page.
MF: The story follows an art dealer who uses her gallery to launder money. Has that ever happened in real life? Do you think it could?
NP: Personally, I think it could happen. The reason why Jonathan wrote the script was because he read an article where this woman was stabbed at Art Basel, and she walked around for, I don’t know how long, but people thought it was an art piece. His wife owns an art gallery, and so he’s ensconced in the world. He thought, “What a great way to kind of send up the world.” Truly, I think it could happen, actually. I mean, the ridiculousness of it is, I don’t think people going to an art fair would even think that that could happen. But strangely, we were supposed to shoot at Art Basel and they didn’t really have a problem with the murder (in the script), they had more of a problem with the tax evasion, which I thought was very interesting. Thou dost protest too much.
(L to R) Samuel L. Jackson as Gordon Davis and Uma Thurman as Patrice Capullo in Shout! Studio’s ‘The Kill Room.’
MF: How would you describe the unusual alliance and eventual friendship that forms between Patrice, Gordon and Reggie?
NP: They definitely have a kinship. Well, I think where we are in the world now with strikes and everything kind of getting a spotlight on it, I keep saying art and creativity is more than just art and creativity. It can solve anything if we come to the table with our gripes, grievances, fears, wants, needs, desires, and work it out, like the human beings and the family that we are. So that’s truly what Reggie and Patrice do. They’re both in predicaments, and Gordon, even though he’s kind of leading the charge, pulling some strings, he is a soft sweetheart too. The three of them are all really in a predicament, and they are pushing each other’s buttons and forcing each other to kind of go to the next level. Patrice is forcing Reggie to see himself as something different, and he does through the art world, and through the art that he accidentally makes, they get through it. I think it’s analogous to what we should be doing right now in this world.
MF: What was your experience like working with Uma Thurman?
NP: She is an icon. I think she’s one of the greatest actresses of our time. I think her performance in ‘Kill Bill’ is legendary. There was nothing, really, that she wouldn’t try or do. She was up for anything. It was fun. She brought so many levels to this character that, truthfully, on the page, it was all there. Patrice is a complex character, and that’s what attracted Uma to it. So there are many times in the movie where I take the dialogue out of one take and put it in Uma’s mouth on another, and the camera’s on her. So Uma gave varied performances, but with the same rhythm and it matches the words. That is just other level mastery that I don’t know how many people achieve. But she was a champion of the project from the start, and I am truly grateful for her for saying yes.
(Center) Uma Thurman as Patrice Capullo in Shout! Studio’s ‘The Kill Room.’
MF: Can you talk about pairing her with her daughter, Maya Hawke? What was it like shooting them together in the same scene?
NP: It was brilliant, and it was lovely. It was fun to watch and experience, and help navigate and guide. Maya is wise beyond her years, and she has so many layers to herself and her craft. I love the way they both are coming on screen together. It’s not some precious mommy-daughter role. It’s two acerbic women, strong, capable, three-dimensional characters coming together on screen. I think there was one point when we were filming, they were both holding their hands the same way, and it was funny.
MF: You also had an opportunity to reunite Uma Thurman with her ‘Pulp Fiction’ co-star Samuel L. Jackson. Can you talk about their chemistry and what they were like together on set?
NP: It was thrilling. I remember our first rehearsal, Uma, she went and she locked the door. She turned and she was like, “Let’s get Sam.” It took all the air and any of the nervousness that I had had out. Just getting to work with them, it was one of the greatest creative experiences of my life, in that as a director, you hope that your team and the people behind you support you and get on board. They were on board from the start. Whatever I wanted and needed, they gave me. Not only in the way in which I thought I wanted, but they took it maybe five, ten steps further, and gave me everything and more. They’ve seen it all and they know it all. So just being in that rarefied air, and not having to explain what I need. They anticipated everything I needed and more, and that only comes from experience. They’ve truly seen it all, and they put it all out there on screen. Truly, I could’ve kept a lot of the scenes just in the masters, just watching them in the quiet moments. Even with adding Joe to that layer, there were several three shots that I truly could have just had the scene play out in a master, because they were all just giving me so much.
(L to R) Uma Thurman as Patrice Capullo and Samuel L. Jackson as Gordon Davis in Shout! Studio’s ‘The Kill Room.’
MF: Sam Jackson’s character has a very specific look and style. Was that in the script or did Mr. Jackson create that on his own?
NP: No, it was all talked about and all discussed. That character started out as Herschel, a 72-year-old Jewish man. Then when Uma came on board, she was like, “Is Sam Jackson an option?” That was her question to me. I was like, “Yes, Sam Jackson is most definitely an option.” So Jonathan and I, over one day, right before the Christmas break, rewrote the script with Sam in mind. So that’s when he became The Black Dreidel, and spoke Yiddish. With that information, then we talked about the look. Sam has an incredible team, and they came with the beard, and we all just kind of went from there. That’s what ended up on screen and I think it’s perfect.
MF: For you as a director, why was Joe Manganiello the right actor to play his role?
NP: Joe is a brilliant, classically trained actor, and I don’t think many people know that. I thought it would be really fun for people to see that, because it’s all under there. We were very careful not to keep him in t-shirts, and I didn’t want him shirtless or any kind of anything. We just wanted Joe to be Reggie, like we knew Joe could. I thought he played it so well, and his layers were fantastic. There are some tonal shifts for him as a character. He’s funny. He gave certain funny looks. When Gordon says, “Who would pay for that crap?” He’s like, “Hey.” Just all of those things that Joe gave, I think the audiences are going to really eat it up. I think when you’re a fan of someone, you want to see them in different tones and layers and levels, and I think this is real fun for the fans of Joe Manganiello to go and see.
Joe Manganiello as Reggie Pitt in Shout! Studio’s ‘The Kill Room.’
MF: Finally, can you talk about location scouting and which location was the hardest to get access to and shoot?
NP: That is a great question. I think the hardest, there were two. So the first program gallery, from LA, I was online and looking, and there were so many galleries in New Jersey that I knew were perfect, so that’s why I was like, “Yeah, we can definitely shoot this in New Jersey.” I’m a New Jersey native, and so I wanted to bring Sam and Uma home. So from LA, I was like, “Absolutely, we can shoot this in New Jersey.” But then when we got on the ground, it was like one place burned down, the other place, it was sort of like a commune. There were so many reasons why we couldn’t shoot in the places that I thought we could. The place that was called Field Colony in Hoboken, that was a workspace, like a co-working space. My production designer, Maite Perez-Nievas, she turned it into an art gallery, and she did it so quickly and so brilliantly. But we were down to the wire on that one, and it was important to have a space that was connected to the street, that also had the office where she could see. So that’s really specific. Thankfully, the folks at Field Colony were 100% up for us just coming in and completely changing their space around. Then the second one that was hard was the Art Basel space. We ended up shooting at a production space. It was basically large and almost looked like an airport hangar. So again, my production designer, we had to do 3D renderings and build the walls, and build that inside room within that Art Basel space. It was very challenging, but I think she did an incredible job with what little money we had, and I think it looks incredible.
Director Nicol Paone on the set of Shout! Studio’s ‘The Kill Room.’
John Travolta is a true triple threat of a performer, as he can act, sing, and dance!
Travolta first gained attention in the late ’70s as Vinnie Barbarino on the TV series ‘Welcome Back, Kotter,’ but quickly became a movie star after roles in ‘Carrie,’ ‘Saturday Night Fever,’ and ‘Grease.’
Rogue agent Gabriel Shear (Travolta) is determined to get his mitts on $9 billion stashed in a secret Drug Enforcement Administration account. He wants the cash to fight terrorism, but lacks the computer skills necessary to hack into the government mainframe. Enter Stanley Jobson (Hugh Jackman), a n’er-do-well encryption expert who can log into anything.
When undercover FBI agent Frank Castle’s (Thomas Jane) wife and son are slaughtered, he becomes ‘the Punisher’ — a ruthless vigilante willing to go to any length to avenge his family.
After moving to Pasadena, Texas, country boy Bud Davis (Travolta) starts hanging around a bar called Gilley’s, where he falls in love with Sissy (Debra Winger), a cowgirl who believes the sexes are equal. They eventually marry, but their relationship is turbulent due to Bud’s traditional view of gender roles. Jealousy over his rival leads to their separation, but Bud attempts to win Sissy back by triumphing at Gilley’s mechanical bull-riding competition.
The story of a group of men, an Army Rifle company called C-for-Charlie, who change, suffer, and ultimately make essential discoveries about themselves during the fierce World War II battle of Guadalcanal. It follows their journey, from the surprise of an unopposed landing, through the bloody and exhausting battles that follow, to the ultimate departure of those who survived.
Jack Terry (Travolta) is a master sound recordist who works on grade-B horror movies. Late one evening, he is recording sounds for use in his movies when he hears something unexpected through his sound equipment and records it. Curiosity gets the better of him when the media become involved, and he begins to unravel the pieces of a nefarious conspiracy. As he struggles to survive against his shadowy enemies and expose the truth, he does not know whom he can trust.
Pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) auditions to be on Baltimore’s most popular dance show – The Corny Collins Show – and lands a prime spot. Through her newfound fame, she becomes determined to help her friends and end the racial segregation that has been a staple of the show.
Mollie (Kirstie Alley) is a single working mother who’s out to find the perfect father for her child. Her baby, Mikey (Bruce Willis), prefers James (Travolta), a cab driver turned babysitter who has what it takes to make them both happy. But Mollie won’t even consider James. It’s going to take all the tricks a baby can think of to bring them together before it’s too late.
Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day’s work for dispatcher Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.
Carrie White (Sissy Spacek), a shy and troubled teenage girl who is tormented by her high school peers and her fanatically religious mother, begins to use her powers of telekinesis to exact revenge upon them.
When rogue stealth-fighter pilot Vic Deakins (Travolta) deliberately drops off the radar while on maneuvers, the Air Force ends up with two stolen nuclear warheads — and Deakins’s co-pilot, Riley Hale (Christian Slater), is the military’s only hope for getting them back. Traversing the deserted canyons of Utah, Hale teams with park ranger Terry Carmichael to put Deakins back in his box.
A DEA agent (Travolta) investigates the disappearance of a legendary Army ranger drill sergeant (Samuel L. Jackson) and several of his cadets during a training exercise gone severely awry.
Jan Schlickmann (Travolta) is a cynical lawyer who goes out to ‘get rid of’ a case, only to find out it is potentially worth millions. The case becomes his obsession, to the extent that he is willing to give up everything—including his career and his clients’ goals—in order to continue the case against all odds.
In this adaptation of the best-selling roman à clef about Bill Clinton’s 1992 run for the White House, the young and gifted Henry Burton (Adrian Lester) is tapped to oversee the presidential campaign of Governor Jack Stanton (Travolta). Burton is pulled into the politician’s colorful world and looks on as Stanton — who has a wandering eye that could be his downfall — contends with his ambitious wife, Susan (Emma Thompson), and an outspoken adviser, Richard Jemmons (Billy Bob Thornton).
Chili Palmer (Travolta) is a Miami mobster who gets sent by his boss, the psychopathic “Bones” Barboni (Dennis Farina), to collect a bad debt from Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman), a Hollywood producer who specializes in cheesy horror films. When Chili meets Harry’s leading lady (Rene Russo), the romantic sparks fly. After pitching his own life story as a movie idea, Chili learns that being a mobster and being a Hollywood producer really aren’t all that different.
Australian good girl Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) and greaser Danny fell (John Travolta) in love over the summer. But when they unexpectedly discover they’re now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance despite their eccentric friends?
In order to foil a terrorist plot, an FBI agent (John Travolta) undergoes facial transplant surgery and assumes the identity of a criminal mastermind (Nicolas Cage), who murdered his only son. The plan turns sour when the criminal wakes up prematurely and seeks revenge.
Tony (Travolta) spends his Saturdays at a disco where his stylish moves raise his popularity among the patrons. But his life outside the disco is not easy and things change when he gets attracted to Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney).
A burger-loving hit man (Travolta), his philosophical partner (Samuel L. Jackson), a drug-addled gangster’s moll (Uma Thurman) and a washed-up boxer (Bruce Willis) converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time.
Opening in theaters on August 4th is the new action thriller ‘Mob Land,’ which was written and directed by first time feature filmmaker Nicholas Maggio.
What is the plot of ‘Mob Land’?
Deep in the heart of Dixie, in a small town struggling with the ravages of addiction, a local sheriff (John Travolta) tries to maintain the peace when desperate family man Shelby (Shiloh Fernandez) robs a pill mill with his reckless brother-in-law, Trey (Kevin Dillon). But the supposedly easy score takes a violent turn, alerting the New Orleans mafia’s revenge-seeking enforcer (Stephen Dorff), who threatens Shelby’s wife (Ashley Benson) and daughter. With its unpredictable twists and turns, Mob Land is a heart-pounding, action thriller.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with writer and director Nicholas Maggio about his work on ‘Mob Land,’ creating the screenplay, directing John Travolta, Stephen Dorff’s performance, the music and shooting a complicated scene in under an hour.
John Travolta as Bodie Davis in ‘Mob Land.’
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch the interview.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about developing the screenplay and the themes you wanted to explore with this movie?
Nicholas Maggio: I’m obsessed with cars. I love the South. I love Southern Gothic stories. I love neo-noir. I spent a lot of time in the South. I was visiting some friends in northern Alabama. We were at the drag strip. I’m immersed in this culture, in this rural, Southern atmosphere, and I was like, “Man, I got to shoot a movie here. I got to write a script.” So I had that as the location, I knew it was going to take place there, and then the rest is just fiction. I just needed a catalyst to get me into this location, to meet these characters, and it was the robbery, and it was everything that went into it. That’s where the story came from. It was literally just my love for the rural South and cars and having visited there. Then, I guess, as far as themes, I think the fun thing about themes for films is I went into it with a few intentional ideas for themes, what I needed to get done as a filmmaker, what I needed to put in there thematically. But I think the fun thing is that, once the film is out and once people see it, once you see it, the audience takes what they want from it, and it doesn’t matter what my themes are, what my intentions were thematically. I think it’s just up to the viewer, the audience, to pull from it what they need from it. As far as themes, God, it’s subjective. It’s whatever you need it to be.
MF: The film is really void of any clear cut heroes or villains, was that by design?
NM: Yeah, definitely, nail on the head. I love antagonists that aren’t antagonists, and protagonists that aren’t protagonists. Ever since ‘The Sopranos,’ it’s like we fell in love with that idea. You’re rooting for the bad guy, you don’t know why, but they’re so empathetic and sweet. I’ve always been obsessed with that notion that, just because good people do bad things, does that make them bad, and if bad people do good things, does that make them good or bad? Definitely, that is something I wanted to play with, and I had a really good time doing it because everyone does some bad things in this film, and whether or not they do it for the right reasons, does that matter? It’s absolutely something that I wanted to do, that I wanted to play with, because I think that’s something that everyone can relate to in some way, whether or not they themselves are conflicted bad people doing good things, or good people doing bad things. But it’s at least something that most people can be empathetic to. If you’re put in these situations that these characters find themselves in, I think most people can understand why they’re making the decisions they do, and I think that was really fun to play with the empathy of the audience.
John Travolta as Bodie Davis in ‘Mob Land.’
MF: As a first time filmmaker, what was it like directing John Travolta, who is arguably one of the greatest movie stars of all time?
NM: I think anyone, first-time director or not, when you’re standing there in front of an actor, a movie star who’s been a movie star for decades, of course, it’s intimidating. Directing, in the traditional sense, I knew wasn’t going to be something that I was going to have the time or luxury to do because we had such an incredibly tight schedule. Most of the directing I did with the actors was beforehand. I tried to give them all the information. I tried to have conversations, text messages with them, answer all the questions, and then create the environments, whether production design, locations, tweaking the script for them, giving them absolutely everything they needed to do what they could do, to do what they do best, and to do the characters justice. As far as Travolta himself, he did so much homework beforehand. I based the character of Bodie on my grandfather, and on some great uncles, but he wanted to see photos of them. He wanted to know about them, how they talked, and he did so much homework in that way that, when he stepped on set, he was Bodie. He knew every line. He knew exactly the mannerisms he was going to bring to it. In the traditional sense, I really didn’t do much directing with John as far as the character was concerned, day of, on set. It was more physical or we would collaborate with blocking, or maybe he would do this and maybe he wouldn’t do that, and so that’s mostly what it was. But every actor, and John included, they just came so prepared that, thank God, because, on the time schedule we had, I wasn’t able to take the time that maybe some directors and actors would need, and I didn’t need it because they came so prepared, which was really epic to have.
MF: There were lines of dialogue that Travolta delivered in a way that only he could, and it seems that another actor may not of interpreted those lines in the same way. Did you realize that on set?
NM: Yeah, definitely. It’s so nuanced, and that’s great about really great actors. It’s the slight inflection in a word, it’s the mannerism, it’s throwing the line away when I didn’t know he was going to. It’s the little things. For the most part, it was pretty verbatim as far as the script is concerned, we didn’t deviate too much, but when we did, it was John’s idea, and it was always right. I’m not even going to pretend to know that I know acting, as a first-time director, better than John Travolta. Every time he had an idea, it’s like, “What if we cut this line and I just said this?” and it wasn’t because he didn’t want to say the lines. It was because he truly thought, and knew that that was best for Bodie in that moment, and he was always right. It was almost annoying, but the guy was right. It just came down to the little things. He’s so very John Travolta in this role, but at the same time, a lot of people who have watched it, and what I believe as well, is that he’s also uniquely Bodie Davis in this. I think that’s really fun, and I think that’s what a movie star is. You see it’s them and they’re doing it, but they’re also giving you something maybe we haven’t seen before from that actor, which is exceptionally fun to watch with him.
MF: What was your experience like working with Stephen Dorff?
NM: Stephen is such an integral part of this whole thing happening, so I got to give my props to Stephen. He was the first one that read the script. He was super excited. I pitched Shiloh’s name to Stephen and he was like, “Absolutely, I’m on. I love Shiloh.” He got it to Travolta. Travolta read it. They talked. Stephen was a huge part of that. He was a champion of mine very early on. We had a pretty blunt conversation, the very first conversation, and Stephen has a way about him. He’s known for being pretty bold, and he was like, “Hey, don’t mess this up. Are you going to mess this up? How are you going to do this?” Once I got him on my side and I gave it to him how I thought, he was on my side the entire production, which was epic. I do have to give props to Stephen for that. Oh, my God, he’s so good. He’s so beautiful on camera. He’s so fun to watch. His face is just perfect for the type of light, for the type of filming we were doing, and then he is such a great actor. I am biased as hell, but I think this is his best role. It’s my film, and he said my words, but, God, he’s so good in it. It’s fun that everyone who watches it says, “Stephen was so great,” and because he is, he’s so good in it.
MF: Can you talk about Dorff’s character, Clayton, his point of view and what he’s searching for in his life?
NM: I think the fun thing about Clayton is that he lives by his own set of morals that he deems righteous, but also what he’s doing is all of these rules that he set for himself and the questioning of the locals and trying to understand them in his way, knowing that he’s not going to understand them, is all just means to justify the horrible stuff that he does. He’s conflicted. He knows what good and bad is. He knows the difference. He’s not a sociopath. He’s not a psychopath. He truly understands. He’s just looking for meaning like everyone else, but on top of that, he’s looking to justify everything he does, and so he’s constantly searching for justification for the violence, for his way of life. That’s so much fun in the arc of the story is that he does get to understand a little bit of it, and by the end, he does have an understanding through especially the last conversation with Shelby (Fernandez), he does have this understanding of what it means to be in Shelby’s shoes type of thing. That’s the crux. That’s what gives us the ending that it is with Clayton.
Stephen Dorff as Clayton Minor in ‘Mob Land.’
MF: Can you talk about your musical choices in the movie and how those particular songs helped to create a specific tone for each of the characters?
NM: I love you for even mentioning it, because we had no budget for music. We just didn’t. All of the songs outside of score are friends of mine that gave it to me for free, whether it was Devlin McCluskey, the singer of The Dead Ships, who did that unreal cover of “House of the Rising Sun,” he recorded that in his bedroom, or whether it’s Jason Dodson from The Maldives who wrote and recorded that song during the credits. He did that after he read the script. He still hasn’t seen the film. The song that plays while he’s walking to the carwash and back, that is another friend of mine. That’s his band who did that. The metal song that plays during the chase scene is a straight edge, hardcore band out of Birmingham, Alabama, called No Cure that I hit up, and they gave me a song for free. I’m lucky enough to be involved in music as just a massive fan, and being such a fan of music, I’ve met some really great people who were willing to give me this music for free. Massive shout-out to all of the bands, Mind’s Eye out of Denver, the song that’s playing when Kevin Dillon was driving the Honda. Everything was given to me, so just huge thanks to all those people. I was up against it because it really made me search for songs that were accessible. I couldn’t use Journey. I couldn’t use Styx. I had to find songs that I could actually get access to, but because of that, it was a really great thing because it let me get very personal with it. They are songs that really mean something to me because most of them are friends’ bands that really have spoken to me over the years or whatnot. That was really fun to do.
MF: Finally, can you talk about the challenges of shooting the bank heist and care chase sequence?
NM: I’ll maybe blow your mind a little bit. From the time when they have the guns, to the time they run out of the bank, that entire sequence, I shot in 48 minutes. We were on an incredibly tight schedule for the entire principal, and it was one of those things where things were stacked up. We had the location at a certain time. We had the stunts, and we did everything in 48 minutes, to the point where, when we’re in the red room during the robbery, King Orba, who plays Rip, Shiloh Fernandez, and Kevin Dillon, the three of them are in there, and there’s no master shot. We went in there with two cameras, and I told them, “Guys, I am so sorry, but we have three takes,” and all of them immediately were like, “Yep, let’s go. We got it,” and they just nailed it. What’s so beautiful about that is that Rip was going to take his time during the robbery. He was going to deliver these lines very methodically. He was a different character up until, literally, two minutes before we shot. Then King flipped it, and the way he rattles those lines off, it really heightens the entire scene, which ended up being a blessing. I cut a few lines out, I cut a few actions out, literally as we were shooting, and it gave this heightened sense of urgency, stress and anxiety to the scene. I don’t think we would’ve gotten otherwise. Those guys, the three of them are such great actors that they just delivered for three takes and we were done, and God bless them. I lucked out time and time again, whether it was with cast, the crew, or with locations. That’s what filmmaking is. It’s stars aligning, and time and time again, we lucked out.
‘Mob Land’ is produced by 308 Enterprises, Three Point Capital, BondIt Media Capital, and Grandave Capital. The movie is scheduled to release in theaters on August 4th, 2023.
Quentin Tarantino accepts the Oscar® for original screenplay for “Django Unchained” during the live ABC Telecast of The Oscars® from the Dolby® Theatre, in Hollywood, CA, Sunday, February 24, 2013.
We always know we have to wait between Quentin Tarantino movies as he considers ideas, noodles with scripts and figures out who he might call up to star.
Tarantino, as reported by the trade magazine, has written a script called ‘The Movie Critic’ and is aiming to start making it in the fall.
He isn’t letting slip as to what it’ll be about, but sources report that it’ll focus on a female lead character in 1970s Los Angeles.
While there is no confirmation on this front, THR is speculating that it could be inspired by Pauline Kael, one of the most famous writers in film criticism, who was also known for her essays and novels, not to mention the clashes she had with editors and filmmakers. She also had a brief stint as a consultant at Paramount in the 1970s, which is surely a rich potential source of drama.
Quentin Tarantino on the set of ‘Django Unchained.’
What else do we know about the film?
Thus far, we know very little. At this early stage, Tarantino doesn’t have a deal at a studio for the movie, but he could well opt to return to Sony, for whom he made ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ and handed him an intriguing deal that means the rights to the movie eventually revert to the director.
We’d guess most studios would want to be in business with the filmmaker, especially if he goes through with his claim that he’ll only make 10 movies. The cachet of releasing Quentin Tarantino’s final movie is enticing –– and he also tends to attract big name actors, who go on to win awards, such as Brad Pitt with ‘Hollywood’.
(L to R) Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt star in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’
Will this really be Quentin Tarantino’s final movie?
Besides the filmmaker himself, no-one really knows at this point. But he has spoken in the past about wanting to quit before getting stale and picked 10 films as a good number to have directed.
He said this to Playboy in 2012:
“I want to stop at a certain point. Directors don’t get better as they get older. Usually the worst films in their filmography are those last four at the end. I am all about my filmography, and one bad film f***s up three good ones. I don’t want that bad, out-of-touch comedy in my filmography, the movie that makes people think, ‘Oh man, he still thinks it’s 20 years ago.’ When directors get out-of-date, it’s not pretty.”
‘The Movie Critic’ would represent his 10th movie as director, but anything could happen –– we’ve seen filmmakers say they’re retiring before, only to return (stand up, Steven Soderbergh), but with Tarantino it has always sounded more final.
And that’s not to say he won’t stop creating work –– he’s got plans for TV series and books even if he does lay down his movie megaphone.
Opening in theaters on July 29th and on-demand beginning August 5th is the new psychological thriller ‘Resurrection’ from writer and director Andrew Semans.
The movie stars Rebecca Hall (‘The Town,’ ‘Iron Man 3’) as Margaret, a single mother raising her teenage daughter, Abbie (Grace Kaufman). Trouble begins for Margaret when her abusive ex-boyfriend David (Tim Roth) mysteriously returns and begins stalking her after twenty-years, causing extreme stress in her life and threatening her relationship with Abbey.
Tim Roth is an acclaimed English actor and Academy Award nominee who has successfully been working in film and television for over forty-years.
He will soon be reprising his role again in the Disney+ Marvel series ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,’ which premieres on August 17th.
Moviefone recently spoke to actor Tim Roth about his work on ‘Resurrection,’ his unique role, the unusual plot, and acting opposite Rebecca Hall, as well his return to the MCU and his appearance in the upcoming series, ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.’
(L to R) Rebecca Hall and Tim Roth in IFC Films’ ‘Resurrection.’
You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with both Tim Roth and Rebecca Hall for ‘Resurrection.’
Moviefone: To begin with, what were your initial thoughts when you first read the screenplay and discovered the wild journey your character goes on in this movie?
Tim Roth: Well, I didn’t know anything about it when it was sent to me. I knew nothing. I’m always on the hunt for new directors, always. I find that to be fascinating. I love to do that as an actor. For me, it’s very important. My agent called me up and said, “Look, there’s this new director. Take a look at this.” They didn’t tell me anything about it, which is a good thing. I prefer it that way. I read it and I was jaw dropped. It’s like, “What is this?”
But I was with my son, Cormac and we were going to Cannes. We’d stopped in Paris just to have a quick bit of food. I thought, “All right, let’s sit down and read this thing.” I read it and I was like, “Okay, I don’t know.” My son said, “What is it?” I said, “Well, I don’t know. I can’t explain it.” He said, “Give it to me.” So, I gave it to him and he read it and went, “Yeah, you’re doing it.” I was like, “Okay.” I picked up the phone, called him back and said, “That’s a yes.” Then went on to Cannes.
The thing is, I don’t know if you’d call it a horror movie or a psychological thriller or whatever term you hang on it, but I’d never really done anything like that. I’d never been in that world, but another one of my boys back in California read it and went, “Oh yeah. You’re doing it.” They love that world. They’re really interested in that world, how and what the camera does, and what the directors and the actors do. It was new on many fronts for me.
If they hadn’t had said, “You’re doing it,” I don’t know if I would’ve. I guess I’ll never know. Because I might have gone, “Okay. It won’t work.” It’s always good to jump into the water that you don’t know, I think as far as being an actor’s concerned, and they pushed me in.
MF: Can you talk about David’s relationship to Margaret, why he returns, and why it causes her so much trauma?
TR: I know Andrew and I got our motivations and facts correct before we started. Rebecca knows her side of the story too. We were very careful. So, we knew, because it’s a minefield and you want to be clear. But from my character’s perspective, he’s there to help. He’s there to help her. Obviously, this woman is having a difficult time and he is only there to help and try to calm her down, and she doesn’t understand. Then it shifts a gear and then he’s just there to bring her some fantastic news, so the idea is that I suppose he’s a gentle soul who is very charitable and garrulous and gentle.
Even on the page, it was clear that you could play him, and you could do the dark horror movie thing. But I wanted to scrap that, take that away and play him as a nice guy until you reach the end of that particular sentence and he turns, and then he turns again. Just when you think you’ve got him figured out, he turns again, and again, all the way through, that kind of thing. But then it’s over to the audience. What do they get from it? And hopefully everyone gets something a little different, which I always like.
MF: Through the course of the film, your character truly believes something that is absolutely impossible for the audience to believe. As an actor, how do you convey that conviction of your character through your performance?
TR: Well, the thing is that with that, and Rebecca had the same from her side of it, you have to go with that as real. That is a possibility, and it is real. If you play the reality, then the magic and the weirdness and the nightmare of it is for the audience to look at and observe and to unpick. From our perspective, it’s real, a hundred percent real and with all of the baggage that that brings. Once you make that decision as a group of actors and filmmakers, once that’s the fact, then you cater to that constantly.
(L to R) Tim Roth and Rebecca Hall in IFC Films’ ‘Resurrection.’
MF: You have some really intense scenes with Rebecca Hall, what was it like working with her on this project?
TR: The thing about her, first of all, she’s a top-class actor, proper actor. You got to be ready for that. There’s a couple of sides to it. One, what I really liked and what I got from my perspective, I was closer to her character than you will have been because there’s a screen between you guys. I was sitting inches from her, watching this go down. I never knew what she was going to bring.
We would rehearse, we would work the scenes, but up to a point, and then they knew where they were going to put the cameras and then let’s go. I never knew what she was going to bring. It was always fascinating, but I had to be ready for that. Sometimes it’s very difficult for actors to deal with.
But we changed around, just slightly, just subtly. Andrew would say, “Try one like this, try one like that.” It was homing in on what he wanted. It was fascinating. They were very difficult scenes at times, bizarre and difficult scenes and very twisted at times. But as is quite often the case, it was hard sometimes not to laugh. Sometimes it’s nervous laughter.
But also, you have to be careful not to step out of it because if you looked at it, you go, “Okay, what hell is that?” At the end of the take laughter was the first thing that happened because it’s just wild. Our job was to make it, in whatever sense we could, real. Just make it real, make those emotions real and see what the audience makes of that. She is utterly extraordinary. She was amazing.
MF: You mentioned that you are “always on the hunt for new directors,” what was your experience like working with Andrew Semans and what are you looking for from a director on set?
TR: Well, that changes. You’re looking to see how the actors are handled by the director, the director’s sensor of the overall image that he or she wants to put forward and get across to the audience. They’re all different. Actually, the best ones aren’t forced into a cookie cutter, they make their own cookie cutter and they play.
With Andrew, the first thing that we got to do was sit and talk about how we want him to be, and we came to a pretty rapid agreement that what was on the page wasn’t necessarily what we were going to turn the character into. It would be easy to play him one dimensional, very easy. It might have been fascinating to do that, but the choices that we made were, “Okay, what about if he’s just this lovely, gentle soul, who’s just trying or really caring, and how creepy is that?”
What was he like? Incredibly engaging, very gentle, very funny. At the end of the day, we would meet to get ready for the next day. We would sit in this little cafe at the hotel and we would go, “Okay, what are the scenes for tomorrow?” Because that’s the only time that you have. It didn’t feel like working with a new filmmaker at all. Obviously, you’re limited by the budget and all of that stuff. This is what you got. He’s on his way, that guy. He’s one of those. He really feels it.
MF: Finally, as an actor, what has it been like for you to return to the MCU and reprise your role from ‘The Incredible Hulk’ in ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ and the upcoming Disney+ series ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law?’
TR: Originally, I did it for my kids. I just thought it’d be hilarious to be a monster for the kids when they were at school, and they would roll their eyes, but they kind of dug it. When it came back, I was like, “Okay. Yeah,” the idea is intriguing to see if you can revisit that kind of thing.
But that being said, it’s changed since ‘Iron Man.’ ‘Iron Man’ was the game changer. We were before that, but they really figured something out. It was (Robert) Downey, it was his relationship with his director (Jon Favreau) and their sense of humor that came through. That was the absolutely key.
So, the whole thing changed. I was coming back to a world that had really changed. So, in a way, it was very Marvel. I was a little concerned about it. When we were first shooting, I was a little bit worried. “What do I do? Do I make it real to me somehow?” I didn’t know. A couple of days in, Mark Ruffalo rolled up to do some shooting with my character, and with the brilliant Tatiana (Maslany). Gosh, she’s amazing. He rolled up, I was watching the two of them do their thing and I went, “Oh, that’s where we’re at.” It just opened it up. Then I had such fun making it.
But it’s an odd thing. She had been filming for a while, and he had obviously done it for years. There’s a way about them that you have to find the language, find your way in and not be afraid of it, and play with it and have fun with it. It’s a hard thing to do initially but when you’ve got good teachers like Mark Ruffalo, you’re all right.
Bruce Willis is one of the greatest movie stars in cinema history!
The actor, who is been working professionally for over forty years, began his career in the mid-80s by starring on the groundbreaking TV series ‘Moonlighting,’ opposite Cybill Shepard. His movie career exploded in 1988 when he starred as John McClane in director John McTiernan‘s action-classic ‘Die Hard.’
In Terry Gilliam‘s bleak sci-fi thriller, Willis plays a man who goes back in time in an effort to prevent a massive outbreak that kills most of the earth’s population.
And yet, Willis commits fully, in a role that has him involved with suspense set pieces, romantic sequences, and even portraying multiple versions of the same character. Challenging is the right word for this kind of performance. Another word you could use is brilliant.
In 2257, a taxi driver (Willis) is unintentionally given the task of saving a young girl (Milla Jovovich) who is part of the key that will ensure the survival of humanity.
Directed by Luc Besson, and coming off of the huge success of ‘Die Hard with a Vengeance,’ Willis was the perfect actor to lead the sci-fi action movie, which also stars Gary Oldman and Chris Tucker.
In ‘Looper,’ Willis played the older version of Joseph Gordon-Levitt‘s character, a man who, through time travel, meets and antagonizes his younger self. It’s a high concept gimmick that could have been a disaster, especially since Gordon-Levitt is saddled with make-up effects to give off the vibe of a younger Willis. But, man, Willis is great.
Virtually silent, he does some very un-Bruce-like things, including but not limited to murdering a child, attempting to murder another child, and basically being a bloodthirsty bad guy. But it’s an extended flashback sequence, where we see what happened to Willis’ adult wife, that gives the character pathos and pain.
When the girl (Halle Berry) that detective Joe Hallenback (Willis) is protecting gets murdered, the former NFL quarterback (Damon Wayans) and boyfriend of the murdered girl attempts to investigate and solve the case. What they discover is that there is deep seated corruption going on between a crooked politician and the owner of a pro football team.
Directed by the late Tony Scott, this was the first successful non-‘Die Hard’ movie the actor made after becoming a bankable movie star. While he is basically playing another version of “John McClane,” it was great to see Willis make a buddy-cop movie with Wayans, which at the time was a very popular genre of film.
Following an unexpected tragedy, a child psychologist named Malcolm Crowe (Willis) meets a nine year old boy named Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), who is hiding a dark secret.
M. Night Shyamalan‘s classic 1999 movie marks the first of four times (if you include ‘Split‘) that the filmmaker has teamed with Willis. The actor gives a quiet performance, which is one of his best, playing opposite Oscar nominee Haley Joel Osment. Willis should have been nominated as well for his performance, especially for his excellent and subtle work during the film’s big twist ending.
In 2012, Willis took a chance on a couple of younger, art house directors, and both performances remain the highpoint of this stage of his career. One of those performances was for Wes Anderson in ‘Moonrise Kingdom.’ As Captain Sharp, the law enforcement on a fictional island, who is tasked with retrieving a pair of kids who go missing, his performance is warm and open-hearted.
Honestly, just thinking about his character and where he ends up, makes me a little choked up. This never should have worked on paper, the terse Willis teaming up with the twee Anderson, but it turned out to be a match made in heaven. Willis was rightfully applauded for his role and earned a Best Supporting Male nomination for his work at the 2013 Independent Spirit Awards.
Perhaps one of Willis’ finest performance ever came in M. Night Shyamalan’s thoughtful deconstruction of the superhero genre (before the superhero genre was even a thing). Yes, their previous collaboration, ‘The Sixth Sense’ made more money, but it’s “Unbreakable” that is the true classic.
Somber and forlorn, Willis’ arc of a man who comes to understand his inner strength (both emotionally and physically) is a profound work by an artist who, at the time, was always willing to challenge himself. Willis is underrated when it comes to subtlety in his performances; this is nothing but that.
This was another left-field appearance, the world’s biggest movie star (at the time) was going to appear in the sophomore feature of a relatively unknown indie director named Quentin Tarantino. Well, ‘Pulp Fiction’ ended up being the coolest movie ever and Willis’ performance as Butch, a down-on-his-luck boxer who ends up throwing a fight the other way, was electric and revitalized his career in a profound way.
Willis’ mini-arc is absolutely astounding, he gets to be physical but also incredibly comedic and tragic (the watch!). Few actors can really make Quentin Tarantino’s ratatat dialogue sing, but Willis did so handily. Zed’s dead, baby, indeed.
Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) wakes up to find her staff have quit and all her money has been stolen. One of her few remaining assets is a loss-making investigation agency run by David Addison (Willis). She sacks the staff but David is determined to keep it going.
David Addison is the role that turned Bruce Willis into a star. Playing the charismatic yet comedic character in the groundbreaking 1980’s series made the actor a household name and his casting in ‘Die Hard’ even possible.
The series still holds up to this day, especially it’s brilliant two-hour pilot, and you can see why the actor has had such a long career, as his charm is evident in every frame and he has unforgettable chemistry with co-star Cybill Shepard.
Willis received a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical in 1987 for his role as David Addison on ‘Moonlighting.’
When Willis was cast in John McTiernan’s ‘Die Hard’ he was still mostly known as the star of ‘Moonlighting’ (and his previously big movie was Blake Edwards’ comedy, ‘Sunset‘). People were confused as to what a funnyman was doing anchoring a big budget action spectacular. But watching ‘Die Hard’ you get the sense that this was the role that Willis was born to play: an everyman thrown into a truly fantastic situation, who uses his wits and his will to get his way out of it.
His physicality is unparalleled, and you can watch how his posture changes not only after his shoeless brush with broken glass, but as he gets more and more exhausted. More than that, the character is soulful and tortured. There’s an early scene that’s always struck me, when he’s at the party and looks across the way to a pretty girl. It speaks volumes to the character’s struggle within.
In some sad news for the movie world, Bruce Willis’ family has made an emotional announcement that the veteran actor is to retire from his career.
The post, which was placed across various members’ social media channels, explained that the ‘Die Hard’ and ‘Sixth Sense’ star had been diagnosed with aphasia, a medical condition which leads to the loss of ability to understand or express speech.
“To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities,” the statement reads. “As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.”
“This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support,” the statement continues. “We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him. As Bruce always says, ‘Live it up’ and together we plan to do just that.”
While the condition can be managed with treatment, it often results in the patient’s inability to stay in their chosen career and for an actor, language skills are a critical part of their job.
“Bruce and I have worked on over 20 films together. He is a terrific actor and legendary action star, an incredible father, and a close friend,” producer Randall Emmett told The Hollywood Reporter. “I fully support Bruce and his family during this challenging time and admire him for his courage in battling this incredibly difficult medical condition. Bruce will always be part of our family.” The pair collaborated on such films as ‘Midnight in the Switchgrass’, ‘Survive the Night’, ‘Hard Kill,’ ‘Extraction’, ‘Fortress’ and ‘Out of Death’.
If Willis’ more recent career – with exceptions for the likes of his reunion with ‘Sixth Sense’ and ‘Unbreakable’ director M. Night Shyamalan for ‘Glass’ – may not have reached the heights of his earlier days, he remains a genuine star who combined an ability to be wise-cracking, tough and charming in one package.
Peers and fellow filmmakers paid tribute to his career, including Gale Anne Hurd, who posted to Twitter and, perhaps more controversially, director Kevin Smith, who famously fell out with the actor while making ‘Cop Out’ and now expresses regret for his comments.
Sending ❤️ and 🙏 to #BruceWillis his family & family. One of my close relatives has aphasia and she is still enjoying a happy, fulfilling life (but she also had to give up her career). It’s inconceivable to think of #Armageddon without his powerful and heartfelt performance. https://t.co/uy2FbrMDtJ
Long before any of the Cop Out stuff, I was a big Bruce Willis fan – so this is really heartbreaking to read. He loved to act and sing and the loss of that has to be devastating for him. I feel like an asshole for my petty complaints from 2010. So sorry to BW and his family. https://t.co/npSgvkb5v7
As Quentin Tarantino‘s new feature, the Charles Manson-adjacent “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” continues to capture our imagination (how many times have you seen it?), we thought it might be fun to look back at his smaller contributions to filmmaking. So small, in fact, that you might not even be aware of them.
‘It’s Pat: The Movie’ (1994)
Touchstone
Yeah … it doesn’t make sense. But then again, it sort of does. Julia Sweeney, who immortalized the androgynous Pat on “Saturday Night Live” before spinning the movie off into a woefully under-seen theatrical feature, has a brief but memorable role in “Pulp Fiction.” Also, consider this: the script for “It’s Pat” was co-written by Stephen Hibbert, Sweeney’s ex-husband and the guy in the gimp costume in “Pulp Fiction.”
Tarantino revealed in a 1994 Playboy interview that he did some uncredited re-writes on the movie but watching it, much like anyone dealing with the character of Pat, will be hopelessly confused.
‘Crimson Tide’ (1995)
Hollywood Pictures
The first script Tarantino ever sold was “True Romance,” long before he was a poster boy for the American independent film renaissance, and the filmmaker who finally would up making that film was the late British director Tony Scott. So, a few years later, after Tarantino had firmly established himself as a wunderkind, Scott called on him to finesse his script for the submarine thriller “Crimson Tide.”
Tarantino’s contributions are far more evident in this film than any of the others he anonymously worked on, from an early discussion of submarine movies, to later dialogue built around “Silver Surfer” comics and the original “Star Trek” series (surprisingly, Denzel Washington is a big Trekkie). He adds just the right amount of QT flavor to an otherwise standard (and totally brilliant) suspense movie.
‘Curdled’ (1996)
Rolling Thunder Pictures
This is a weird one. Tarantino saw a short film by Reb Braddock and encouraged the director to turn it into a feature film, which he did (Tarantino produced it via his A Band Apart production company and released it through his Miramax-housed Rolling Thunder Pictures shingle). While Tarantino’s interjections into the “Curdled” screenplay remain hard to track, it is clear that he wrote the news report recited by Kelly Preston, who played the same character in “From Dusk Till Dawn” (“Curdled” also uses old footage of George Clooney and Tarantino from that film).
Apparently, the Tarantino Cinematic Universe goes beyond Red Apple cigarettes and Big Kahuna burgers.
‘The Rock’ (1996)
Hollywood Pictures
While watching the finished movie, it’s hard to tell, but Michael Bay‘s “The Rock” had some pretty heavy-hitters in the writer’s room. Not only did Jonathan Hensleigh contribute significant rewrites (so much so that Bay wrote to the WGA to protest the arbitration process), but Aaron Sorkin also provided additional work, along with (of course) Mr. Tarantino.
Again, it’s hard to pick out what his contributions were, but “The Rock” is an action movie that ends with several characters having to inject themselves in the heart with adrenaline. Why does that sound so familiar?
‘Girl 6’ (1996)
Fox
It’s weird to think of Tarantino and Spike Lee ever being buddies, especially after Lee took Tarantino to task for his excessive use of the n-word. But, there was a time before such grudges, and 1996 was that time. Tarantino appeared, in a brief role (essentially playing himself, but still dramatic) in “Girl 6,” Lee’s call girl comedy.
The movie isn’t very good, aside from some well-placed Prince songs, and Tarantino isn’t very good either, but it’s worth watching as a pre-feud time capsule.
‘Muppet Wizard of Oz’ (2005)
ABC
Everything about “Muppet Wizard of Oz” is a painful exercise in WTF-worthy randomness, and this includes Tarantino’s brief cameo as himself. What does he do? He pitches a “Kill Bill“-style take on the classic story, which somehow already felt dated and unfunny even though “Kill Bill, Vol. 2” had just been released the year before.
Watching Tarantino yell at Kermit, while swinging a samurai sword around, is supposed to be off-putting but maybe not this off-putting. (On the DVD’s special features, Tarantino says that the Muppets are some of his “favorite actors.”) Well, Tarantino, you worked with the Muppets, check it off the list and move on.
