Quentin Tarantino will be appearing in person at the Egyptian Theatre Monday, February 8th to discuss one of his most popular films, “Pulp Fiction,” and this year’s Academy Award nominee for Best Picture, “Inglorious Basterds.”
Monday evening’s lineup starts at 6:00 PM with “Pulp Fiction”, Tarantino’s homage to the gritty crime fiction of the 1930s. Arguably the most audacious and exciting American film of the 1990’s, the movie’s cast includes John Travolta in a role that revived his entire career, catapulted him back into super-stardom, and saved him from ever having to do another “Guess Who’s Talking” sequel. Samuel L. Jackson is equally amazing as Travolta’s philosophical partner in crime, Uma Thurman proves to be a formidable femme fatal, and Bruce Willis gives a memorable performance playing an edgier version of his usual reluctant hero. Harvey Keitel, Eric Stolz, Maria de Medeiros, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Christopher Walken and Ving Rhames round out the exceptional cast. Nearly as many questions have been raised about the plot of this film as there have been for the classic noir, “The Big Sleep”. Here’s your opportunity to get some answers straight from the director’s mouth.
Following Tarantino’s masterful sophomore film will be his latest achievement, “Inglorious Basterds”. The acclaimed filmmaker’s most recent feature blends his love of film history with an emphatically violent, gung-ho, pop culture assault against the 20th century’s greatest villains: the Nazis. The film cleverly follows two paths to the same end when a beautiful Jewish film projectionist’s revenge on an SS general (the Oscar nominated Christopher Waltz) converges with the plans of a guerilla clan of Jewish-American soldiers led by Brad Pitt. The film is now up for 8 Oscars! Once again, Tarantino will be present afterwards for a discussion moderated by Todd McCarthy.
Tuesday, February 9th, at 7:30 PM there’s another Tarantino double feature presentation, this time with the Cannes Film Festival version of “Kill Bill”, volumes 1 and 2, starring Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica Fox, and Darryl Hannah. This remarkable homage to spaghetti westerns, martial arts films, samurai movies and anime is equally ultra violent and ultra cool. Laid out in chapters, the plot seamlessly transitions from genre to genre, interweaving iconic references from pop culture as The Bride (Thurman) begins a quest for bloody justice after being left for dead on her wedding day. The second installment continues the quest when Beatrix wakes from a lengthy coma, only to realize that the baby she was carrying has died. The loss serves as potent fuel for her vengeful fire, as she hunts down the final three people on her to-kill list. Hyperbolically innovative death sequences, punchy color and a first-rate score by Wu-Tang Clan’s The RZA make this one of the best movies of the new millennium. So much more than an action film, “Kill Bill: Vol 1 & 2” is likely to go down as Tarantino’s magnum opus. Don’t miss these two opportunities to hear a living legend discuss the films for which he has become so famous.