" He hits you with his fingertips at five different pressure points on your body. And then he lets you walk away. But after you've taken five steps, your heart explodes inside your body, and you fall to the floor, dead." ~ MY TARANTINO TOP 5

        I first discovered Quentin Tarantino about 5 years ago. His films seemed very different from anything that I had ever seen before. There was obviously the element of violence, but it was shown in a different way. There was always humour or beauty behind a violent scene- that's the first thing I noticed. Another thing was the music. These films were obviously made by a man who knew and loved his music. Then there was the QT woman- she was powerful and worldly. He knew that women were there for more things than braid their hair or shop or talk about men...that they could take care of all "manly" jobs equally well, if not better than their opposite sex. The fairer sex was never the second one in QT films. Lastly I noticed, and this was confirmed by an interview of his in which he talked about working in a cinema hall, that QT was, is and will always be a lover of films. He grew up watching a lot of B, C, D-grade films, that a young foreigner like me has never even thought of hearing of. And through his films, which are like of an A+++ grade, he pays homage to these films and opens a whole new world to his audiences.
These are my favourite Tarantino films:


Honourable Mentions: Kill Bill Vol. 2, Natural Born Killers, Jackie Brown.

5) True Romance (1993)-

Written by Quentin Tarantion, Directed by Tony Scott.

Starring- Patricia Arquette, Christian Slater, Michel Rapaport, Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, James Gandolfini, Tom Sizemore, Brad Pitt.

Story- Call girl Alabama meets comic bookstore clerk Clarence on his birthday during a Sonny Chiba cinema night. They instantly fall in love, but their path to marital bliss is wrought with druglords, pimps, angry henchmen, dopey directors and whatnot.

Why I love it- This is the most recently-viewed film in my list, so one can imagine what a huge impact it must've had on me... I had to bump off a few other favourites for it. And it was worth it. From the chemistry between the leads, to the assorted villains; great face-offs to Arquette's dreamy narration, it's one helluva ride to be part of. This film was funny and sweet and destructive.

4) Reservoir Dogs (1992)-

Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino.

Starring- Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, Chris Penn, Quentin Tarantino, Lawrence Tierney, Eddie Bunker.

Story- A group of men are recruited by Joe and his son Nice Guy Eddie to rob a jeweler, but one of them is an informant who rats them out and their heist fails. Then they all turn on each other.

Why I love it- Well those of you who don't know, a Bollywood remake of Reservoir Dogs was made a number of years ago. It was infact the first film my younger brother ever saw. So you see technically, I knew about QT before I had even heard his name. I was quite apprehensive to watch the original, but thank god (!), it was the usual case of the Hollywood original being brilliance and the Bollywood one being tripe. This was a clever film. We see the different characters with each other, their own back-stories, their reasons, and we get to form our own opinion on who we think is right. And then QT gives us a totally wild climax, and we leave the film being totally blown away at what had just transpired. And ofcourse, colours don't ever mean the same again.

3) Inglorious Basterds (2009)-

Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino.

Starring- Christoph Waltz, Brad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent, Diane Kruger, Daniel Bruhl, Michael Fassbender, August Diehl, Eli Roth, Martin Wuttke.

Story- A group of American and German Jews decide to kill Nazis during the Second World War. At the same time, a young French girl decides to take matters into her own hands, after her family has been killed in the hands of the man known as the Jew Hunter.

Why I love it- QT decided to change the course of history in this film, in order to get a more fitting ending. This he did by picking out the most "Oscar-loved" era, and putting in his own story, about possibly what he wanted to have had happened, but seeing that it didn't made any difference. It was a better story anyways. Also he gave us one of the best and most diabolical villains in recent cinematic history with this film, while also making a multi-lingual film that many people who run away from the words "foreign cinema" found highly entertaining. I must say, damn good stuff sir.

2) Pulp Fiction (1994)-

Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino.

Starring- Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Harvey Keitel, Quentin Tarantino, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Maria de Medeiros, Eric Stoltz, Christopher Walken, Peter Greene, Ving Rhames.

Story- Two gunmen pick up a suitcase for their boss. One of them takes out the boss's missus for a date. The missus ODs on his heroin. A boxer decides to run, but forgets his father's watch and goes back to get it. He and the boss have a run-in with a few nasty men. The gunmen go to a friend's house with a dead person in their car, but have to get out of the situation before the friend's wife comes back. So the Wolf helps them. A couple decide to rob a diner.

Why I love it- Just look at the story! The fact that it makes no sense, even in the film, until the end when everything falls in place beautifully. Now choosing the top 2 was very difficult for me. Pulp Fiction has been hailed by everyone who has ever loved films and has been alive long enough to see it, as one of the most important films ever. The violence, the humour, the drugs, the dancing- just everything is so unique, and I can't even begin to think about how it came to be. This film changes lives, and what more can a film maker ask for?

1) Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)-

Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino.

Starring- Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah, Sonny Chiba, Chiaki Kuriyama, Michael Madsen, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Parks.

Story- A pregnant bride is shot down, along with her husband-to-be, and a church full of people by the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, of which she used to be a member. She goes into a coma, only to wake up four years later, and then she decides to get her revenge.

Why I love it- I know most people will be appalled that this film took top spot, instead of Pulp Fiction. But the truth is this was the film I saw nearly 5 years ago. This was the film that introduced me to Tarantino-verse. This is the film that taught me the definition of awesome. I love every part of this film- the Nancy Sinatra ballad, the Pussy Wagon, Elle dressed as a nurse, the Bride talking to little Nikki after killing her mom, her getting the Hattori Hanzō sword, O-Ren Ishii's backstory, fighting Gogo and the rest of Crazy 88 and the final battle between the Bride and O-Ren. Everything! It's a matter of the heart for me and this film. The Bride is one amazing character, and often when things are bad and disruptive in the world, I like imagining that the Bride can make it all right...since she is immortal and all.

"I put a bullet in her head, but her heart just kept on beatin'."

Also done:
Favourite Violent Scenes in Tarantino Films
Favourite Characters in Tarantino Films
Favourite Villains in Tarantino Films
Favourite Couples in Tarantino Films


         So with this list, endeth the QT Week. I've said it before and I'll say it again, he's a total genius, and I am beyond excited for Django Unlimited and a possible third outing for the Bride. Leo Di Caprio is all set to be the villain in Django, and the thought of it gives me shivers. Add to that Mr. Waltz and Mr. Jackson. It is going to be soooooo good!!!!!!!!!!!!

ADIOS..AND KEEP LOVING QUENTIN!