Tarantino and Ultraviolence

        I've never felt so invigorated as the first time I saw Kill Bill when I was thirteen. Kill Bill Volume 2 followed, then Pulp Fiction, then Jackie Brown, then Inglorious Bastards, then Reservoir Dogs. I can't exactly remember the order, but it definitely wasn't chronological. But Quentin Tarantino isn't like Iñárritu, who adopts a different aesthetic with every new film; no, Tarantino has been building his own genre and perfecting his own signature for the past twenty years. And so I invite you to dive into Tarantino's twisted, bloody creation: a world filled with jubilant violence, masterful tension, and empowering revenge.

Certain people are rather skeptical of Tarantino's work, and will tell you something along the lines of: "Movies that strictly comprise of blood and violence don't elevate the public and are therefore detrimental." However those who have seen the entirety of Tarantino's art will know the opposite is true. Take the movie Jackie Brown, for example.

   Jackie Brown tells the story of a flight attendant charged with moving drugs from South America to the United States. When she is caught red-handed with drugs, Jackie's associate decides to kill her in case she decides to rat out on him. But Jackie Brown isn't going to comply with this turn of events. Instead, she concocts a way out, radiating class and empowerment during the entire film.

        Sure, Jackie Brown features Tarantino's usual dose of violence (if not a little less), but violence isn't the goal of the film. Jackie Brown portrays the glorious process of overcoming adversity through the eyes of a black flight attendant. Saying that Jackie Brown, or any of Tarantino's films, are solely about violence, is both disparaging and erroneous. But since we're talking about violence, let's talk about it how Tarantino employs it in his works.

        You may have seen or heard of a Clockwork Orange (1971), Stanley Kubrick's sensational film. When this movie was released, it struck the public as extremely controversial: not only did it include vulgar humor and British delinquents, it also seemed to glorify raw, gratuitous violence. From the original novel a Clockwork Orange, written by Anthony Burgess, was born the term "ultraviolence," which, as you may have already guessed, refers to horrible and extreme violence.

        But then what is the point of ultraviolence depicted in cinema? In my opinion, it comes from a desire to merely reflect, or rather rephrase, the violence of our current society. Some people saw in Django Unchained (2012) a critique of modern-day discrimination faced by black communities. Perhaps Tarantino isn't trying to glorify violence; maybe he's only trying to express how he sees in the world around him.

        And even if violence was the main goal of Tarantino's movies, why not view it as art? Why not appreciate the creativity and the intricacy of each murder, amputation and branding scene? Why not relish in symbolism and aesthetic prowess?

        In sum, I think there's something worth appreciating in the way Tarantino depicts violence. The best thing you can take away from Tarantino's films, in my opinion, is empowerment: his characters emanate creative and emotional empowerment in the face of adversity.

        Here is a list of Tarantino movies I've seen, in order of release:

                    Reservoir Dogs (1992)        🏢🏢🏢🏢

                    Pulp Fiction (1994)              🏢🏢🏢🏢🏢

                    Jackie Brown (1997)           🏢🏢🏢🏢

                    Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)  🏢🏢🏢🏢

                    Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)  🏢🏢🏢🏢

                    Death Proof (2007)             🏢🏢🏢🏢

                    Inglorious Besterds (2009) 🏢🏢🏢🏢🏢

                    Django Unchained (2012)  🏢🏢🏢🏢

                    The Hateful Eight (2015)   🏢🏢🏢🏢🏢

Random Movie Reviews 1

Today's Common Denominator: Internal Struggle

*Movies available to stream on Netflix have a star next to them*

*Movies available to borrow for free from the NYPL have a tilde next to them. Click on the tilde or go to http://browse.nypl.org to place your hold*

Mommy (2014)~

Antoine-Olivier Pilon makes
 a raw and convincing debut

🏢🏢🏢🏢Mommy is an unsettling, captivating film about teen angst and motherhood, a caring neighbor, and a healthy amount of French Canadian slang. Created by Xavier Dolan, a young but gifted director, Mommy will make you cry and laugh. The movie is aesthetically stunning, and the image is, for the most part, a square (instead of a traditional rectangle). Keep an eye out for changes in format (as they substantiate Dolan's technical mastery).


Red (1994)~

🏢🏢🏢Part of the Three Color Trilogy and directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski, Red is a gorgeous film about illusion and friendship, about reincarnation and second chances. Explore the beauty and complexity of each shot, character and plot point. Irène Jacobs, who plays the protagonist, is fascinating and delivers one of the best performances of her career. This is a movie for the contemplative and poetic watcher.

Memento (2000)

🏢🏢🏢🏢You'll perhaps know Christopher Nolan better for his newer works: the Dark Knight movies (2008 and 2012), Inception (2010), and Interstellar (2014) (my personal favorite). Memento should be remembered for its impeccable screenplay and storyline, its use of visuals and suspense. Enter the head of a vengeful amnesiac (played by Guy Pearce) as he puzzles out the murder of his wife while dealing with suspense-filled memory lapses.


We Need to Talk about Kevin (2011)*

🏢🏢🏢🏢We need to talk about We Need to Talk about Kevin. It's a study of evil, and the root of evil (is it necessarily evil? Tilda Swinton lets you decide). Ezra Miller plays her cruel and sociopathic teenager with brio and cleverness, as one of the three child actors who play Kevin's character as he grows from an infant into a teenager. This movie not only raises tantalizing questions, it does so with gripping shots, intricate symbolism, and foreboding sound effects. Foreshadowing is a huge part of this film, so keep an eye out for it.


Dope (2015)*

🏢🏢 Directed by Rick Famuyiwa, Dope tells the story of a trio of nerds in the crime-infested neighborhood of Inglewood, California. When Malcolm, played by Shameik Moore, gets tangled up in a drug sale, he learns to face his fears... with a little help from his friends. Rigged with 90's references, Dope is both an homage to black culture and a teenager's perspective on black struggle. I was extremely excited about watching this movie. When I saw it was on Netflix, I was enchanted. Once I finished it though, I was pretty disappointed. The plot was pretty basic, and the ambitious/contemporary visuals made it hard to understand the story.

"When a Train Passes by," Translated Poetry, 2015

Quand un Train Passe, 2015  

Un beau soir d’été

deux amants s’aimaient

d’une flamme forte.

Merci, chers aveux,

vous n’êtes pas Dieu:

je suis déjà morte.

Ils sont partis loin,

jusqu’au pont, un matin,

au-dessus d’un bassin,

s’y sont jetés, leurs mains

entrelacées, enfin

on retrouva leurs corps

dans un sanglant bain

quand l’aurore vint.

Un monsieur vit les corps;

dites “adieu,” car, monsieur,

Vous n’êtes pas Dieu,

et ils resteront morts.

Sous un ciel pluvieux

un bel adieu

se présente à ma porte.

Merci, mais monsieur,

vous n’êtes pas Dieu:
je suis déjà morte.

When a Train Passes by, 2015

One clear Summer night,

two lovers' love burned

like dazzling fire.

Bless those confessions,

though they aren't God’s.

I am already dead.

The lovers strayed far

Beneath a rainy sky,

to a bridge, one morning,

above the shallowest pool;

they threw themselves in,

their hands intertwined; at last

their bodies were found

as in a bloody bath

when dawn touched the sky.

A lone man saw the bodies;

say "adieu," please, monsieur,

for you are not quite God

and the two will stay dead.

Beneath a rainy sky,
a beautiful farewell

knocks at my door.

I'll answer. "Thank you, but monsieur,

you are not quite God:

I am already dead."