It’s pretty common that Quentin Tarantino can’t comment on one thing without finding the need to bash another in the next breath, and that is what happened while he was talking about how he bought the legendary Vista Theater in Los Angeles. Granted, the man bought a landmark and is going to bring it up to speed and show old-time movies and new movies that are on reels instead of digital provided he can get his hands on them, but the fact that he called out movie chains and other current theaters and alluded to the idea that they’re ‘ruining’ the experience of movies is the type of arrogant statements that have been heard from Tarantino in the past. The guy is a great director, but as far as being a genius his words tend to put the lie to that claim since while people let him off the hook since he’s ‘passionate’ about his craft, his disdain for certain parts of Hollywood becomes quite clear when he opens his mouth. The frustrating part about him, or at least one of them, is that he professes to be a lover of cinema and might even admit that things need to change now and then.
But then he turns around and badmouths the results of those changes and acts as though his word is the final word on what’s great and what really matters when it comes to cinema. It’s all well and good that he bought up a theater that’s been a part of the city’s history for so long, and it’s even better that he’s keeping it around in order to show people what his idea of cinema is really like. But these words as per MovieWeb are cringe-worthy at the absolute best:
“I never like any theater closing, but some of these exhibitors that are going, they f*****g deserve to go. They’ve taken all the specialness out of movies anyway, some of these chains.”
While these might have been easier for some folks to accept:
“When we opened up the New Beverly about two weeks ago, in June, we sold out every single show. And I’ll announce one thing here that people don’t know yet: I bought the Vista. We’re going to probably open it up around Christmastime. And again, only film. But it won’t be a revival house – we’ll show new movies that come out where they give us a film print, we’ll show new stuff. It’s not going to be like the New Beverly, the New Beverly has its own vibe. The Vista is like a crown jewel kind of thing. So it will be the best prints, we’ll show older films, but they’ll be like older films where you can hold a fortnight engagement.”
A theater ‘deserves’ to go, meaning the jobs that go with it and the enjoyment that people get from it. Unlike other people that are going to only to see the positive here and let Tarantino off the hook as ‘passionate’ because he’s an award-winning director, I prefer to think that he is a great director, but as a result, he still needs to watch his wording since it’s fair to think that he’ll easily backtrack and say that this was ‘taken out of context’. As far as taking all the ‘specialness’ out of the movies, Tarantino might need to wake up a bit and stretch out of his auteur suit and into a more realistic perspective. Movies are still special, even more so now that people are getting to go back and actually sit in the theaters after nearly a year of being told they couldn’t. The idea of creating more comfortable theaters and a greater experience isn’t to deaden people’s senses and make them forget about the days of yesteryear when the cinematic experience was different, but to immerse them in the experience in a much greater manner.
It’s easy to give Tarantino praise for his contributions to show business and for buying up a theater in LA to keep the old-time experience, but there are seriously times when hearing the man run his mouth makes one remember that far too many fans allow this to happen without bringing Tarantino to task by reminding him that the cinematic experience is different for everyone and that his own experience isn’t the baseline for the joy and wonder that comes from seeing a movie onscreen. If people wish to visit a theater that shows old movies, that shows movies on reels, then there are a few select places throughout the nation that still do this, but the fact is that while he is someone important in the business, thanks to the fans, Tarantino’s ego tends to get away from him at times and allows him to forget that his experience is great and he can definitely share it as much as he wants, but it’s not the only worthwhile experience in cinema.
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