THE MAN THAT KILLED BILL

Wishing a happy birthday to a great American filmmaker!

We are familiar with his work. Box office hit after box office hit, he has built a style all his own over the last four decades. Assuredly, any viewer of his movies feels like they are on a rollercoaster blending American history, linguistic flair, violence, and even cinematic nostalgia. The man even made a film with your author’s name in the title. On this Gadfly Day in history, Quentin Tarantino was born. Let us wish him a happy birthday with some words of admiration.

Looking around at the incredible esteem and inimitable adoration across the globe for Quentin, it is hard to imagine him as a lowly worker at a video store. Then again, does anyone remember video stores either? Anyway, it would not take long for this cinematic prodigy to eclipse the shadow of Hollywood. His earliest work signaled his talents, scripts for True Romance and Natural Born Killers. However, it was not until he took over and directed his own films when society could truly see his unique storytelling in action. In Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, he achieved success and notoriety at least in the indie scene. This propelled him to a bigger stage where he would perform more brilliantly and produce classics nobody saw coming.

Yet, his earlier movies illustrate themes and styles that he would later repeat and refine. Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction both contain sharp, sophisticated dialogue but also dark comedy as well as dramatically violent climax scenes. These were not just new movies. They were new kinds of movies. They let viewers jump into them and have entirely different experiences that they could not have with other cinematic works. His point of view and his mechanical storytelling made him not just one of the best filmmakers of his generation, but the creator of a new category of films. This might not be better reflected than in the fact that whenever someone asks you to go see the new Quentin Tarantino movie with them, you can kind of expect what you’re going to get. Also, you know that you’re going to love it!

Upon the back of his initial (and largely cult) successes, Quentin launched a colossal career that would ultimately become his own brand. He crafted generation-defining hits. The Kill Bill series of movies was not liked, it was not admired, it was beloved. But he kept going: Django Unchained, Inglourious Basterds, The Hateful Eight, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (a personal favorite of yours truly), and many, many more.

Yet, along the way, he stayed true to his roots and the vision of filmmaking he articulated from the very start of this extraordinary career. His movies found the light of the silver screen that he himself emanated from, but they maintained his true colors. This can be particularly spotted in Jackie Brown and Death Proof. No one ever says Quentin Tarantino sold out to the crowds. Rather, the crowds bought into him.

And boy did they ever. His movies amassed billions of dollars in revenue. Most of them lately have made hundreds of millions. Ok, but what about critical success? Well, Quentin himself won Oscars for Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained. Tarantino’s movies also racked up more awards for Inglourious Basterds and The Hateful Eight. With an original voice and unique storytelling techniques, Quentin Tarantino brought us a host of new movies and wonderful experiences. Happy Birthday QT!