Quentin Tarantino Dissects Himself

In 1994, when I was in high school and already owned a copy of Reservoir Dogs somehow for sometime, I went to see the newest Quentin Tarantino film, Pulp Fiction, on the big screen with some buddies, including some who’d already seen it before.

For an impressionable 17-year-old just sticking his nose into the possibilities of life and art, it was mind-blowing — beyond the brilliant colloquial dialogue, curiously badass characters, and inventive intertwining plot, the about-to-be-Sharpeed Uma Thurman literally drew a square onto the frame, as in, “Don’t be a [square].” As a teenager used to the regular flick, the simple use of drawing anything onto an otherwise unanimated film was mind-blowing, revealing that lines could and would be crossed, and the world of cinema hasn’t looked back since.

As a midway look at that legacy, screenwriter and director Quentin Tarantino — playing the pinch hitter for presumed homeboy Leo DiCaprio (who dropped out of his Friday night engagement last week) —jumped into SBIFF 2013 to receive the American Riviera Award on Wednesday night at the Arlington Theatre, allowing us all to applaud his inventiveness and creative gusto. He walked from his seat toward the stage accompanied by loud applause, was greeted by L.A. Times film journalist John Horn, and then proceeded to spill his guts about the writing and directing process. Horn ran a pleasantly tight and effective program (all other tribute interviewers, please take note of the expected two-hour timeframe!), with Tarantino’s films interspersed in between the chats.