Monday Morning Quarterback Part II
By BOP Staff
August 25, 2009
People love them some fast-talking, gore-filled, violent stuff
Kim Hollis: Inglourious Basterds opened larger than Tarantino's previous film, Grindhouse, made in its entire run. Three out of his last four films are hits to the level of at least $65 million. Is he becoming commercial?
Josh Spiegel: I'm not sure there's a yes or no answer here. Tarantino has only made (when counting Kill Bill as separate entities) seven movies, only one of which made more than $100 million. Moreover, he is not a director who is like Woody Allen or even Scorsese, churning out movie after movie (I grant you, neither director is immensely commercial, but their output is great); Tarantino probably doesn't need to make movies one after another, either. Tarantino's doing what he wants to do; right now, that leads to him making a big buck on this movie. Next time, who knows?
David Mumpower: I like Josh's answer a lot. What I note about the previous three films is that when word was leaked that Kill Bill was over three hours long and needed to be split into two titles, that production's buzz was venomous. Everyone was certain it was a bomb. Then, it proved to be a pair of wildly entertaining films. Conversely, from the moment it was announced, Grindhouse was viewed as a perfect Tarantino project right up until it made its debut and nobody showed up. Suddenly, that $53 million budget was difficult to explain. Tarantino's successes appear to come when least expected. This is the first time when a film of his was expected to do well and followed through with immediate triumph. I'm not sure if that means he's become commercial or if it indicates that audiences were less confounding about what they wanted from him this time. Maybe it's a bit of both.
Max Braden: In interviews about this film, Tarantino has said that he realized his lack of discipline on previous projects lead to stories that meandered and ran long, so for this one he made a deliberate effort to make the film more streamlined and commercial. (Personally I think 150+ minutes is still too long). I think as he's come to that conclusion and sees that it works both critically and commercially, he'll repeat the process in the future. His style may not be always accepted as broadly commercial, but I do think he's headed in that direction.
Jason Lee: Taking out Grindhouse (which was cinematic excess at its most unappetizing) I wouldn't necessarily say that Tarantino is getting more "commercial," I just think that this is the result of moviegoers finally becoming accustomed to what they can expect at a Tarantino film and appreciating it for what it is. I think rule #1 of marketing is "tell the customer what they're going to get and satisfy that promise." Since Tarantino draws from so many cinematic sources in any given film, early moviegoers just didn't know what they would be getting. Six films later, I think they get it and enjoy it.
Sean Collier: I like Jason's example - he's not becoming commercial, we're just getting used to him. A significant part of the movie-going public has now grown up during Tarantino's career, with Quentin as a cultural force for most of our lives; as we go back and see his stuff, we get used to his style and appreciate his humor and technique. With that, we're more likely to buy a ticket. Seventeen years is a long time to build a fanbase, but it worked.
David Mumpower: I agree with Jason and Sean's points. To wit, I think that there is some self-fulfilling prophecy here, for lack of better terminology. Many of the artists who have made great television programs and movies over the past decade have been influenced by Tarantino. What was once the counter-culture style of entertainment has become much less maverick in tone, meaning that even without him changing much, his work has become more mainstream.
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