[image-1]Sure, there were some commonplace movies, including personal fav The Matrix, and there's no denying the greatness of that movie. There were others, like Shawn of the Dead, the originator of the term "zomedy;" and a few other great movies like M. Night Shyamalan's (aka Shyama-lama-ding-dong) Unbreakable, the great action movie Speed, and of course, Fight Club. These movies are well respected, and may even be considered great works of cinema. I could easily quote these movies backwards and forwards.
There were some more unusual or dubious choices, like Woody Allen's Anything Else, which is by far the Woodman's weakest outing, and one of the worst movies that I've seen. On the plus (but ultra-commercial) side are the great Dazed and Confused and Lost in Translation, a dark comedy with Bill Murray. Oh, don't forget Team America — I guess the puppet sex really did it for Tarantino.
Finally, there were the films I hadn't seen. Police Story 3, "Supercop" was one that Tarantino said had some of the greatest stunts in cinema history — and he's right. The scene with Jackie Chan hanging on a helicopter colliding with a train was brilliant, and the film tops it with a scene involving a dirt-bike jumping onto a moving train. My jaw dropped at that point, and I found myself in complete agreement with QT.
Then there's Battle Royal, Tarantino's favorite movie on the list, and one I had never seen or even heard of. The movie, like the rest on the list, had a great soundtrack with some ironic and laughable (but sometimes beautiful) music played in startling contrast with the gruesome murderers taking place on screen. The movie is set on an island, and involves 40 students who are required to kill each other. As Highlander says, there can be only one. The results are beautiful, and the film manages to make each of the 40 murders shocking and touching, which is quite a feat.
[image-2]The other film on the Tarantino 20 that sat in my blind spot is The Host. When I looked the movie up, the synopsis said it involved a lake monster kidnapping a girl and requiring a food stand attendant to rescue her. I'll admit my first thought was Godzilla, but the film is actually so much more. The Host has amazing special effects, several plots that are expertly done, and at the core is a political message that is often overshadowed by the monster. The best part is the ridiculous humor of the bumbling hero that made him hard to like but easy to laugh at. Thank you Tarantino, this is one of my new favorite movies.
So, now I can say I'm a member of the Tarantino fan club. I like his movies, but I really enjoyed his list. And I finally got my movie buff card back!
