Elvis Mitchell: Under the Influence (TV Series) Quentin Tarantino (2008) User Reviews

Concise

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 7/10 · 10 May 2009]

In case anyone isn't sure, this is an episode of a TV show of interviews with film personalities, by Elvis Mitchell. I'm honestly not sure I knew him, or had even heard of him, before watching this. His guest in this is Tarantino, and he has a lot to say. Some of it is relatively obscure, and if you don't have a reasonable basic knowledge of classic motion pictures, at least a little of this may go over your head. This is intended for the viewer who wants to know more about him as a cinephile and as someone who creates features, himself. The talk is very professional in tone(without it being in a way that completely alienates those less into it, though I could imagine various people calling it pseudo-intellectual), with no gossip and not a single personal anecdote that is just for the sake of the story itself. He goes into fearless directors, names his top three favorite comedic performances, and melodrama. There are relevant clips of movies inter-cut, as well as a still photo or a few, and apart from that, this is kept in a nice, simple setup, and doesn't feel edited. A lot of this is fast, partially on account of the speed at which Quentin speaks. I recommend this mainly to critics and fans, of the guy as well as the medium as a whole. 7/10

Great Interview

[Michael_Elliott · 10 August 2008]

Elvis Mitchell: Under the Influence (Quinten Tarantino) (2008)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Quentin Tarantino sits down with critic Elvis Mitchell to discuss some of his favorite movies as well as tell how his influences has helped his own work. Tarantino, being a wild and crazy film buff, moves his mouth at a mile a minute and hits on a wide range of subjects. He starts off discussing exploitation films like The Last House on the Left and how fans and critics consider themselves to be better than these movies so they talk down on them without even seeing them. Tarantino's discussion of "B" movies leads to talk about Douglas Sirk films, Bogart, melodramas and musicals like Meet Me in St. Louis. Tarantino is obviously a very knowledgeable person and it's easy seeing that he's the type you'd love to sit down and discuss movies with because of how many genres he knows and how many actors and directors he's explored. To me he's the shining example of a film buff and his love of movies is easy to see and appreciate. Tarantino also goes into great detail about his own films and his characters being able to know the dialogue that they're saying. If his characters are going to be talking about an older film or an older actor, Tarantino wants them to know what they are talking about so he'll show them the movie to make sure they know.