(Editor’s note: The following list was originally published in May 2019 and has been updated several times since then.)
To say that few filmmakers love movies as much as Quentin Tarantino is a staggering understatement. Few people he loves movies like Quentin Tarantino, and his cinephile tastes continue to shape Hollywood.
For decades, the video store-turned-director has dazzled interviewers and fans with his unrivaled knowledge of cinema history, with a taste that ranges from generally recognized classics to more obscure and even lower prices. While his love of spaghetti westerns and exploitation films has always been well documented, Tarantino isn’t afraid to publicly embrace the modern or the mainstream. In the summer of 2022, he proudly triumphed in “Top Gun: Maverick,” as did many others. Not to mention she’s a fan of rom-coms, especially on long flights, and was once dubbed Kate Hudson.queen of the skies.” The man simply loves the cinema, and if a film dazzles him, he tells the world about it.
From “Reservoir Dogs” to “Inglourious Basterds,” Tarantino’s filmography draws directly from the films he loves most. Inspired by blaxploitation (see elements of “Jackie Brown”) and samurai epics (as in the “Kill Bill” duology). When he’s not paying homage to film history in his directing, Tarantino is constantly talking about cinema, both in the vein of critics and geeks.
Filmmaker and “Pulp Fiction” co-writer Roger Avary recently launched the Video Archives Podcast, in which the duo revisits the movies they watched on VHS while working together at the iconic video store. It gave Tarantino a new opportunity to share his opinion on movies, and the world is richer for it. He set out to do something similar in his new book “Cinema Speculation”, which hit the shelves on October 25.
Diving into Tarantino’s favorite films is a wild ride, but you’ll undeniably gain a deeper knowledge of cinema. At the very least, it’s a great place to go if you’re done re-watching his old work and are once again pining for news of the auteur’s long storied tenth film. Read on for a roundup of Quentin Tarantino’s 49 favorite movies.
Zack Sharf contributed to this article.
Register: Stay up to date with the latest movie and TV news! Subscribe to our email newsletter here.