Author Quentin Tarantino's and narrator Edoardo Ballerini's combined performances evoke infectious enthusiasm for movie craft and culture, making this audiobook a compulsive listening experience for film buffs. Tarantino conversationally narrates reflections of himself as movie-going "Little Q" throughout the 1970s and recalls a fellow filmgoer with appreciation. Ballerini smoothly takes over for the remainder of the essays, his subtly expressive voice centering listeners' focus on behind-the-scenes dynamics between actors, directors, and studios--from Steve McQueen's BULLITT (1968) to Tobe Hooper's THE FUNHOUSE (1981). This rich exploration of genre pictures, period pieces, exploitation cinema, and praise for film critic Kevin Thomas rewards repeat listening. J.R.T. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

That Tarantino’s film reviews should turn out to be every bit as punchy, smart and surprising as his films should come as no surprise: In a sense he’s been writing both for years. . . . Tarantino’s critical intelligence both refracts and reflects. . . . Tarantino is an unabashed celebrant of cinema’s dirtier pleasures.”  — Tom Shone, The New York Times Book Review

“Cinema Speculation is consistently engaging; with its zinging and zipping observations, its casual opinion-flinging, and its sharp-edged divisions of personalities and eras, it seems designed to arouse fruitful arguments. Like the experienced fictioneer that he is, Tarantino creates images and stories and scenes, tells tales that entice and bewitch even as they invite the same sort of criticism that his movies do. Above all, Cinema Speculation is a vision, in motion, of a Hollywood-centric mind." — Richard Brody, The New Yorker

"A one-of-a-kind and compulsively readable volume of film criticism as self-portrait. After all, what better way for Tarantino, who has lived and breathed 35-mm. his whole life, to tell his personal story than via moviegoing?" — Spike Carter, Air Mail

“Wickedly funny. . . . Tarantino knows what he likes, and he engages the reader with ease. . . . An opinionated, compulsively readable appreciation of the grimy, generally lurid movies of his ’70s youth.”  — Chris Vognar, San Francisco Chronicle

“A top-flight nonfiction debut from a unique artist.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Brilliant and passionate . . . . Tarantino’s joy, generosity, and singular point of view bolster his arguments, and even when he’s taking down his heroes, it’s out of love . . . . Whip-smart and obsessive, Tarantino is great fun and tough to beat.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Pure unfiltered Tarantinalia: a motormouthed mash-up of cinema history, conjecture and memoir . . . . Insanely readable." — The Times (UK)

“Tarantino brings the heat and exuberance of his movie expertise, storytelling artistry, and sharp humor to a dynamic mix of eyebrow-raising personal stories, zesty film history, and kickass film criticism . . . . Offers sizzling behind the production tales and exacting, speculative critiques . . . . [A] rollicking cinematic celebration.” — Donna Seaman, Booklist, starred review

“Dynamic film commentary from a contemporary legend that is essential reading for cinephiles.”  — Library Journal, starred review

"[Tarantino's] at his best and most amusing when he’s simply unpacking a mind stuffed with memories and opinions of favourite films, almost of all them from the 1970s, explaining in detail what he liked or disliked about them . . . . He remains reliably contrary, quotably obdurate and eternally passionate, qualities that make Cinema Speculation an entertaining trawl through the man’s mind." — Peter Howell, The Toronto Star

"Sharp, clear, slashing." — The Millions

★ 11/11/2022

Tarantino's love of film began at the age of seven, when his parents regularly took him to movies like M*A*S*H, Dirty Harry, and Jim Brown's Black Gunn. He may have been too young to see those films, but the seeds of everything for which he is both lauded and condemned—violence, profanity, genre tropes, and more—can be found in the films he devoured as a child. In his first book of film commentary, he specifically explores the "New Hollywood" of the 1970s, and for every recognized classic, such as Bullitt or Taxi Driver, there's a wonderful surprise mention of other films, such as Rolling Thunder and The Funhouse. Tarantino's passion for film is legendary, so when he extols the virtues of The Outfit or Paradise Alley, it's as if he's sharing detailed descriptions from memory. This is not objective film criticism; these are Tarantino's personal, very passionate opinions on every aspect of the films and topics he covers. His genre and exploitation film roots are never far from view, but his holistic appreciation of cinema as an art form is front and center. Hopefully, he'll have further volumes. VERDICT Dynamic film commentary from a contemporary legend that is essential reading for cinephiles.—Peter Thornell

Author Quentin Tarantino's and narrator Edoardo Ballerini's combined performances evoke infectious enthusiasm for movie craft and culture, making this audiobook a compulsive listening experience for film buffs. Tarantino conversationally narrates reflections of himself as movie-going "Little Q" throughout the 1970s and recalls a fellow filmgoer with appreciation. Ballerini smoothly takes over for the remainder of the essays, his subtly expressive voice centering listeners' focus on behind-the-scenes dynamics between actors, directors, and studios--from Steve McQueen's BULLITT (1968) to Tobe Hooper's THE FUNHOUSE (1981). This rich exploration of genre pictures, period pieces, exploitation cinema, and praise for film critic Kevin Thomas rewards repeat listening. J.R.T. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

★ 2022-11-01
The acclaimed director displays his talents as a film critic.

Tarantino’s collection of essays about the important movies of his formative years is packed with everything needed for a powerful review: facts about the work, context about the creative decisions, and whether or not it was successful. The Oscar-winning director of classic films like Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs offers plenty of attitude with his thoughts on movies ranging from Animal House to Bullitt to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to The Big Chill. Whether you agree with his assessments or not, he provides the original reporting and insights only a veteran director would notice, and his engaging style makes it impossible to leave an essay without learning something. The concepts he smashes together in two sentences about Taxi Driver would take a semester of film theory class to unpack. Taxi Driver isn’t a “paraphrased remake” of The Searchers like Bogdanovich’s What’s Up, Doc? is a paraphrased remake of Hawks’ Bringing Up Baby or De Palma’s Dressed To Kill is a paraphrased remake of Hitchcock’s Psycho. But it’s about as close as you can get to a paraphrased remake without actually being one. Robert De Niro’s taxi driving protagonist Travis Bickle is John Wayne’s Ethan Edwards. Like any good critic, Tarantino reveals bits of himself as he discusses the films that are important to him, recalling where he was when he first saw them and what the crowd was like. Perhaps not surprisingly, the author was raised by movie-loving parents who took him along to watch whatever they were watching, even if it included violent or sexual imagery. At the age of 8, he had seen the very adult MASH three times. Suddenly the dark humor of Kill Bill makes much more sense. With this collection, Tarantino offers well-researched love letters to his favorite movies of one of Hollywood’s most ambitious eras.

A top-flight nonfiction debut from a unique artist.