Quentin Tarantino's Top 20 Films of the 21st Century

[claws]

Revealed on yesterday's The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast.

    1. Black Hawk Down (2001)
    2. Toy Story 3 (2010)
    3. Lost in Translation (2003)
    4. Dunkirk (2017)
    5. There Will Be Blood (2007)
    6. Zodiac (2007)
    7. Unstoppable (2010)
    8. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
    9. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
    10. Midnight in Paris (2011)
    11. Battle Royle (2000)
    12. Big Bad Wolves (2013)
    13. Jackass: The Movie (2002)
    14. The School of Rock (2003)
    15. The Passion of the Christ (2004)
    16. The Devil's Rejects (2005)
    17. Chocolate (2008)
    18. Moneyball (2011)
    19. Cabin Fever (2002)
    20. West Side Story (2021)

[zombie no.one]

seen 8 of those, of which SHAUN OF THE DEAD is the best by a massive margin imo

[Rev. Powell]

I've seen 10 and my favorite was MAD MAX, but I'm a sucker for Mad Max movies even when Mad Max isn't in them.

[M.10rda]

I've seen 13 and I'll try not to take this bait, at least not seriously. Some of those movies are incredible, masterpieces, classics (FURY ROAD, ZODIAC), and some....... aren't, ahem.  The man's critical compass is practically mounted on a pile of magnets.

Let's take a moment to remember some of his "Best of the Year" lists from this century... two of which were topped by JENNIFER'S BODY and CRAWL (the alligators in the basement movie). I don't know if I'm surprised or relieved that neither made it on to QT's Top 20 of the quarter century....... but then, are BLACK HAWK DOWN, PASSION OF THE CHRIST, and DEVIL'S REJECTS any/much better?

I finished reading his Cinema Speculation recently and have been meaning to post thoughts about it... it is definitely dictated verbally by the same loosely knit collection of medicated personalities that assembled this list!

[zombie no.one]

I feel like he has much better (or at least more interesting) taste in 70s movies

I watched the original INGLORIOUS BASTARDS from '78 not too long ago. great fun!

[HappyGilmore]

Solid list overall.

Personally, I'd move Jackass, School of Rock, Cabin Fever, Devil's Rejects up the list.

[M.10rda]

I will allow (at my own expense) that I don't object to JACKASS so much.       The second one is better (or even magnificent) but the first one is also good.

I also like SCHOOL OF ROCK, o.g. CABIN FEVER, and LOST IN TRANSLATION, all of which could appear unsurprisingly on a best of the year list (though best of the century...  ). However, let's acknowledge that these movies aren't on QT's list because they're better films than, say, MEMENTO or NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN or MULHOLLAND DRIVE or any great 21st century foreign film besides BATTLE ROYALE or [...]. They're on the list because Linklater and Roth are Tarantino's friends and he felt obligated to include them, and he has a long history of trying to get in Sophia Coppola's knickers. (Again, no slight towards Coppola - MARIE ANTOINETTE might be on my own Top 25 of the century.......)

[claws]

He is a huge fan of Jennifer's Body (2009). Surprised it didn't make the list.

[M.10rda]

Yep. It was his top film of the year for 2009. Maybe Diablo Cody finally told him to back off, so she's off the list.

[HappyGilmore]

I will allow (at my own expense) that I don't object to JACKASS so much.       The second one is better (or even magnificent) but the first one is also good.

I also like SCHOOL OF ROCK, o.g. CABIN FEVER, and LOST IN TRANSLATION, all of which could appear unsurprisingly on a best of the year list (though best of the century...  ). However, let's acknowledge that these movies aren't on QT's list because they're better films than, say, MEMENTO or NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN or MULHOLLAND DRIVE or any great 21st century foreign film besides BATTLE ROYALE or [...]. They're on the list because Linklater and Roth are Tarantino's friends and he felt obligated to include them, and he has a long history of trying to get in Sophia Coppola's knickers. (Again, no slight towards Coppola - MARIE ANTOINETTE might be on my own Top 25 of the century.......)

I'm shocked Mulholland Drive isn't mentioned but West Side Story is. I actually prefer Jackass 3 over the first two, but enjoy all three for what they are. Not sure I'd include them in a list like this, but could see them in a list of like... "Fun" films or something. Fun little comedy or action type thing, not trying to win awards if that makes sense.

[M.10rda]

MULHOLLAND DRIVE's absence doesn't surprise me and nor does the absence of any Coen Bros film... I'm unaware of him EVER discussing either of those filmmaker(or filmmaking team)s publicly, in spite of TRUE ROMANCE baring some strong similarities to WILD AT HEART and 80s/90s Coens being the closest tonal/stylistic/screenwriting analog to Tarantino's work. QT barks so loudly about so many other major American filmmakers that his silence seems... conspicuous to me. I have no other premises upon which I might form a theory here...

However, this seems like a good place as any to mention the small furor over Tarantino's comments (on BEE's podcast) about Paul Dano being "the worst actor in SAG". He also had stern words for Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard. I (and many folks on social media) find the venom for Dano to be rather perplexing. Although Owen Wilson does perform nearly identically in practically every movie, he also co-wrote my favorite film of all time, so he gets a pass from me. Lillard... isn't likely anyone's favorite actor. But David Lynch (greatest artist in film history) saw fit to cast Lillard in a pivotal role in TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN (and Lillard performed competently to well). So if Lillard was good enough for Lynch, he's good enough for anyone else, including Tarantino! Dammit.   

[zombie no.one]

not sure why he'd start randomly slagging off actors like this, publicly... who even does that?

for me there are flashes of brilliance in all QT's films, but I feel like he's spent his whole career trying too hard to capture the zeitgeist in a way that only his first 2 movies really managed to, imo

would've loved to see him try an oldschool horror, or a screwball comedy, for example