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Quentin Tarantino
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Cinema Speculation Audio CD – Unabridged, November 1, 2022

by Quentin Tarantino (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,186 ratings
Editors' pick Best Biographies & Memoirs
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[ MP3 CD Format ]

[Read by the author - Quentin Tarantino - and - Edoardo Ballerini]

The long-awaited first work of nonfiction from the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: a deliriously entertaining, wickedly intelligent cinema book as unique and creative as anything by Quentin Tarantino.

In addition to being among the most celebrated of contemporary filmmakers, Quentin Tarantino is possibly the most joyously infectious movie lover alive. For years he has touted in interviews his eventual turn to writing books about films. Now, with Cinema Speculation, the time has come, and the results are everything his passionate fans--and all movie lovers--could have hoped for. Organized around key American films from the 1970s, all of which he first saw as a young moviegoer at the time, this book is as intellectually rigorous and insightful as it is rollicking and entertaining. At once film criticism, film theory, a feat of reporting, and wonderful personal history, it is all written in the singular voice recognizable immediately as QT's and with the rare perspective about cinema possible only from one of the greatest practitioners of the artform ever. 

Previous page
  1. Print length
    1 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    HarperCollins B and Blackstone Publishing
  4. Publication date
    November 1, 2022
  5. Dimensions
    5.28 x 0.63 x 6.69 inches
  6. ISBN-13
    979-8212038430
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A top-flight nonfiction debut from a unique artist." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A dynamic mix of eyebrow-raising personal stories, zesty film history, and kickass film criticism…[A] rollicking cinematic celebration." --Booklist (starred review)

"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)

About the Author

QUENTIN TARANTINO is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, film critic, and actor. His films are characterized by nonlinear storylines, dark humor, stylized violence, extended dialogue, ensemble casts, references to popular culture, alternate history, and neo-noir.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B75S264F
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins B and Blackstone Publishing; Unabridged MP3CD edition (November 1, 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Audio CD ‏ : ‎ 1 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8212038430
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.28 x 0.63 x 6.69 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,186 ratings

About the author

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Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino

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With his vibrant imagination and dedication to richly layered storytelling QUENTIN TARANTINO is one of the most celebrated filmmakers of his generation. He made his directorial debut in 1992 with RESERVOIR DOGS, and then co-wrote, directed and starred in one of his most beloved films, PULP FICTION, which won his first Oscar® for Best Screenplay. Followed by the highly acclaimed films JACKIE BROWN, KILL BILL VOL. 1 and VOL. 2, and DEATH PROOF, Tarantino then released his World War II epic, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, DJANGO UNCHAINED (which won his second Oscar® for Best Screenplay), and the HATEFUL EIGHT. Tarantino’s most recent film, ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD, was nominated for five Golden Globes, ten BAFTAS, and ten Academy Award nominations.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
2,186 global ratings
Great read - even my dog started to enjoy it
5 Stars
Great read - even my dog started to enjoy it
Quentin is a great storyteller.Although I've heard some of the things he narrates on this book before, he goes into more details here.I have not finished reading it. But it's a must for cinema and Quentin movies fans.My dog loved it too.
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Top reviews from the United States

tim mccarthy
5.0 out of 5 stars 70’s cinema
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2023
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I loved this book. Anyone raised on all those strange, wonderful movies of the 60’s and 70’s, should read this book. It’s a joy, and sheds brilliant insight into these films. Well done, QT.
5 people found this helpful
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Jordan
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2024
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Very enticing, educational, and fun read. Couldn’t put it down!
One person found this helpful
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Evan
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun, easy read
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2023
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Quentin Tarantino has written an unpretentious book about his love for movies. It doesn't try and be Pauline Kael or Andrew Sarris, but rather a true fan speaking about what he loves. That's not to say that he doesn't write knowledgeably or not discuss angles, etc; it's clear that he's an avid student of cinema, but he wears it fairly lightly.

It's also a memoir of a lost kid of a single mom, looking for mentors and finding them in the movies.

I could live without his fondness for italics, but that's a minor quibble.
12 people found this helpful
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Studio Creations
5.0 out of 5 stars A great insight into one of the most iconic American Film Directors of the late 20th century.
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2024
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This autobiographical book gives a rare glimpse into what influenced and helped create the masterful storyteller Quentin Tarantino. The book gives a very personal look into a number of the films that shaped his early views on filmmaking and cinema, the people who influenced his early life leading up to his writing of his first scripts, and his current thoughts on how some classic films could have been done better (or worse) if the creators of those films had followed other paths of thought that they showed earlier in their careers. This tome has a very unique approach to the study of film, very much like the author himself.
One person found this helpful
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Julio Correa
5.0 out of 5 stars Tarantino dissects in great detail the movies that shaped his particular sensibilities!
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2023
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This book may be a given for fans of Tarantino, but I believe it offers a lot more for casual movie buffs as well. Tarantino, in his own unmistakable language, waxes poetic about a dozen or so films that shaped his unique cinematic worldview. Yes, he writes like a fanboy, but in no way does he hold back when it comes to his extensive knowledge and intelligent, insightful criticism. Regardless of whether or not you agree with him, he makes a valid and lucid case for every single one of his entries, always brimming with passion, either for or against. Perhaps the best way to appreciate this book is by concurrently watching all of the films he has selected for inclusion. Even if you don't care for them or have never even seen them, watching them from his particular point of view is a worthwhile experience.
10 people found this helpful
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Patrick F. Gleason
5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and Enlightening Insider Film Criticism
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2023
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It shouldn't be surprising that Quentin Tarantino's film criticism of personally relevant 70s American films is both entertaining and enlightening. His storytelling skills parse performance, structure, and direction with an emphasis on overall audience delight rather than to illustrate an aesthetic theory of "cinema."

I share that same memory of audience participation as child and young teen going to less-than-luxury theaters. We would trust our developing "gut" to recognize and cheer character truths and even hail glorified action (even, or especially, if, transgressive), as American celluloid mythology itself morphed from the outsider cowboy hero to the moral ambiguity of unpredictable lawmen in an urban wilderness.

Who better to survey the films of that fertile era than one of our most extraordinary and inventive directors?

My desire to read more Tarantino writing on film is second only to my desire to see more (new) Tarantino films, guaranteed to always unspool to the cathartic delight of us old balcony sitters and grounded groundlings.
9 people found this helpful
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ZadNostrom
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Informative
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2023
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Cinema Speculations is both fun and informative. Quentin Tarantino has a love for movies that is infectious. He appreciates these movies and you will too after reading why he does. You may want to keep a list handy so you can write down movies you'll want to watch after reading this book.
3 people found this helpful
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J. Eyler
3.0 out of 5 stars Inside the Business
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2024
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A complication of films, actors and directors mainly first seen in Tarantino’s early teen years in grind houses thoughout LA. These adventures; insights into genres of mostly horror films gives certainly the basis of a young man’s absorption of characters, screenplays, writing and methods employed by studios and individuals of the 70’ and 80’s. These film insights later to the reader are reimagined in his best films. Funny in parts, deep reflection in other segments says what many won’t dare say about Hollywood the real inside of the making of movies. Reluctantly, rating the book 3 popcorns but occasionally 5. From the beginning felt if author had undertaken his full slate of films; with the same thoughtful analysis, we may have had brilliance rather than just very good cinema speculation.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Zeka Sixx
5.0 out of 5 stars Imperdível, especialmente para fãs do cinema dos anos 70
Reviewed in Brazil on December 6, 2023
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Este fantástico livro reúne uma coleção de ensaios escritos por Quentin Tarantino, em geral sobre filmes que ele viu no cinema em sua infância/adolescência, entre o início dos anos 70 e o início dos 80. O renomado diretor, logicamente, não se atém a apenas analisar os filmes que dão nome a cada capítulo. No legítimo espírito "uma coisa puxa a outra", eles são apenas uma desculpa para Tarantino dar seus pitacos sobre toda a carreira de alguns de seus diretores (Don Siegel, Sam Peckinpah), roteiristas (Paul Schrader) e atores favoritos (Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen), especular e resgatar inúmeras fofocas de bastidores da fervilhante "Nova Hollywood" dos anos 70.

Logicamente, dada a quantidade de citações a filmes e artistas da época, é um livro que será bem melhor saboreado por quem assistiu aos diversos filmes mencionados, ou pelo menos leu sobre eles. Eu inclusive me arrisco a dizer que ter lido "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls" é quase que um pré-requisito para ler este livro.

Um dos capítulos mais legais do livro é aquele em que Tarantino se dedica a imaginar como seria "Taxi Driver" se tivesse sido dirigido por Brian de Palma (um dos cineastas a quem o filme foi oferecido antes de chegar às mãos de Scorsese).

Outra coisa legal são as pequenas descobertas sobre os gostos peculiares do autor, como descobrir que Tarantino foi um enorme fã de Stallone e de "Rocky" (e que gosta ainda mais de "Rocky II"), ou que ele considera "O Massacre da Serra Elétrica" um dos pouquíssimos filmes PERFEITOS da história do cinema.

Eis aqui a lista dos filmes que dão a partida em cada capítulo do livro (alguns eu já havia visto, outros já estou louco para ver devido ao entusiasmo com que Tarantino escreveu sobre eles):

- "Bullit", de 1968 - já vi;
- "Perseguidor Implacável" (Dirty Harry), de 1971 - já vi;
- "Amargo Pesadelo" (Deliverance), de 1972 - já vi;
- "Os Implacáveis" (The Getaway), de 1972 - quero ver;
- "A Quadrilha" (The Outfit), de 1973 - quero ver;
- "Irmãs Diabólicas" (Sisters), de 1973 - quero ver;
- "Daisy Miller", de 1974 - quero ver;
- "Taxi Driver", de 1976 - já vi;
- "A Outra Face da Violência" (Rolling Thunder), de 1977 - quero MUITO ver;
- "A Taberna do Inferno" (Paradise Alley), de 1978 - quero ver;
- "Fuga de Alcatraz", de 1979 - já vi;
- "Hardcore", de 1979 - já vi;
- "Pague para Entrar, Reze para Sair" (The Funhouse), de 1981 - já vi.
7 people found this helpful
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Tete
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente
Reviewed in Mexico on June 13, 2023
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Un muy buen libro
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Fiona
5.0 out of 5 stars A singular voice
Reviewed in Canada on November 11, 2022
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I devoured this book and felt a pang of sadness as I reached the last page. Even if you’ve never seen any of the films discussed in the book, you’ll enjoy the history and critical lens applied to them all.
2 people found this helpful
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Sarthak kush
5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK
Reviewed in India on March 11, 2024
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it was a great book to read if you are film fanatic
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Duckman
3.0 out of 5 stars Tarantino's love letter on cinema...really ?
Reviewed in Belgium on October 26, 2023
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First things first, I'm so glad I didn't order this book in Dutch. The reason is simple, the book reads like an audio transcript of QT fanatically ranting about his favourite flics. In every sentence you will notice his mannerisms ("right?", ....), so that would sound silly in Dutch (Right ? ;-)). The book is a fragmented and oddly structured tale from a hungry cinema buff. The narrative is focussing on a couple of classics but also B films from the sixties and seventies. Tarantino's wonder years if you will. Maybe it's just me, but I would have preferred a bit more structure and a chapter index to lead you through the way QT experienced cinema as a youngster. On release the book got rave reviews everywhere. In the end I feel it serves as a 'nice to have' book on the shelf of film biographies.
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