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Adam 12

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Quentin Tarantino Movies, Ranked

adam12 November 21st
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

It’s time to roll out my ranking of Quentin Tarantino movies, seeing as the director has announced that his next film will be his last.

 

Sometimes I wish I’d been born at a different time. For instance, if I’d been born in 1962 instead of 1977, I would have been 15 in 1977 and been able to bear firsthand witness to the birth of punk and hardcore. But then I eventually come back around and feel grateful to have been born when I was born.

 

Being born in ’77 means in was 15 in 1992, and that’s when Quentin Tarantino released his first film, Reservoir Dogs. The movie was a revelation for Generation Xers like me. Infinitely quotable, unexpectedly cool, and with a soundtrack of ’70s throwbacks that our parents hadn’t beaten to death. It’s a strong debut for a first-time director, and it set the tone for what was to come from Tarantino.

 

Flash-forward two years and you get Pulp Fiction, Tarantino’s breakthrough film. More of his signature cool-and-kitsch, more of his ’70s fetishism, more killer tunes on the soundtrack. And it was rewarding when Pulp Fiction blew up: now a whole bunch of new fans went back to Pulp Fiction, and it’s always fun to share your favorite films with friends.

 

I remember watching Reservoir Dogs on VHS at a friend’s house, probably rented from Blockbuster Video. And I remember taking a date to see Pulp Fiction when it first hit theatres. I was so blown away I went back to see it a second time with friends. So you can probably guess–spoiler alert–that those two will end up pretty high up in my ranking.

 

Quentin Tarantino Movies, Ranked

All nine of Tarantino’s films (so far), ranked from the one I liked the least to the one I liked the best. Pass the popcorn.

 

  • 9) The Hateful Eight

    It’s not a bad film at all. It’s just too damn long.

  • 8) Death Proof

    I like Tarantino’s grindhouse goodies fine, they’re just not my favorite.

  • 7) Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

    I feel like, in time, this one will move higher in the rankings for me. But right now, it’s in the bottom-third.

  • 6) Inglorious Basterds

    A testimony to Tarantino’s talent is that you can make the argument that this fine film is his sixth-best.

  • 5) Jackie Brown

    Pam Grier is so damn good, as is Robert Forster.

  • 4) Django Unchained

    Christoph Waltz.

  • 3) Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Volume 2

    Tarantino considers the two parts to be one film and I concur and add that they’re one amazing film.

  • 2) Reservoir Dogs

    My favorite, but his second-best.

  • 1) Pulp Fiction

    The greatest.

Why Do We Love the Music We Love?

Why do we love the music we love? Science has the answer, of course, and a number of factors come into play.

 

I got thinking about this after seeing this piece from the Washington Post: Why do you like the music you like? Science weighs in. (The piece was also reprinted in the Spokane, WA Spokesman-Review, so you can read it here if you don’t have a WaPo account). To start with, author Nayantara Dutta writes:

Many people tend to form their musical identity in adolescence, around the same time that they explore their social identity. Preferences may change over time, but research shows that people tend to be especially fond of music from their adolescent years and recall music from a specific age period – 10 to 30 years with a peak at 14 – more easily.

 

This tracks for me. I really started to pay attention to music outside of what my parents were listening to at around age 12. I turned 14 in 1991: the year of the grunge and alternative rock explosion. And I still hold the music I first heard that year dear. Hell, I play it on the radio for a living! And I’ll bet if you stop and think about it what you were listening to when you were 14, it’s music that you still love today. But why is that? And what else is going on?

 

Why Do We Love the Music We Love?

Duta continues: Musical taste is often identified by preferred genres, but a more accurate way of understanding preferences is by musical attributes, researchers say. One model outlines three dimensions of musical attributes: arousal, valence and depth.

 

Arousal: the energy and intensity in music. Valence: the spectrum of emotions, from negative to positive. Depth: intellectual complexity. So there’s a lot more going on than just “I heard this song when I was a teenager and I still love it today.” The energy, range of emotion, and intellectual connection all play a part and–here’s the kicker–so does our personality. So while I might be the same age as you, and I was a ’90s rocker, you might have been a ’90s pop kid because you have an entirely different personality than I do.

 

The science is interesting; I encourage you to check out the whole piece. And I encourage you to buck the trend. Keep embracing and discovering new music! Open that 30-year window up into 40 and 50 years! We’re helping you here at ROCK 92.9 by playing new rock. Keep scrolling for a half-dozen new songs you can weekdays with me.

 

  • Blink-182 "Edging"

  • The Killers "Boy"

  • Ozzy Osbourne "Patient Number 9"

  • Red Hot Chili Peppers "Tippa My Tongue"

  • Smashing Pumpkins "Beguiled"

  • Weezer "Records"

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