Quentin Tarantino debunks a major theory about his recently announced, presumed final film The Movie Critic. Earlier in March, it was revealed that Tarantino is set to begin work on his next film, the tenth in his filmography (if Kill Bill is counted as one film), and presumably the last (if the director sticks to his promise that he’ll retire after film number ten). Details are predictably being withheld about the new project, but the film’s announced title The Movie Critic has led to speculation about its subject being famed film writer Pauline Kael, a critic for whom Tarantino has at various times expressed iration.
But now it appears this common The Movie Critic theory is wrong, as Tarantino himself debunked it at a recent event in Paris. As reported by AFP (via Yahoo), during a Q&A hosted by Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Fremaux, the Pulp Fiction filmmaker denied that any particular film critic is the subject of his new movie. He also confirmed that the film is set in 1977, while also reiterating that it will be his final movie. "I have finished the script of what will end up being my last movie,” he said, adding “I imagine we'll probably shoot it I guess in the fall.”
The Movie Critic Might Be Tarantino’s Fabelmans
Tarantino’s films have always been openly influenced by other movies, and have often been outright deconstructions, making them essentially works of criticism. But beyond acting as a critic through his films, Tarantino has written about movies a lot over the years, and recently even released a book of criticism entitled Cinema Speculation. Tarantino has also carried his love of sharing critical opinions over to the podcasting world via The Video Archives, in which he and filmmaking collaborator Roger Avary share their takes on mostly old and obscure titles.
It’s indeed not a stretch to say that Tarantino has always been a movie critic, so is he actually the subject of The Movie Critic? It can be argued that the director was already heading in a nostalgic if not outright autobiographical direction with Once Upon a Time In Hollywood. As The Movie Critic is set in the late 1970s, a time when Tarantino himself was coming-of-age, the movie may be even more steeped in the director’s nostalgic view of his early life in Los Angeles. It could indeed be an outright autobiographical film.
It’s important to note that Tarantino is very conscious of filmography, and directors often make autobiographical films late in their careers, as evidenced most recently by Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans. Tarantino may think now is the time for him to make a movie about himself, and The Movie Critic might be the perfect title for that film.
Source: AFP (via Yahoo)
