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.