Quentin Tarantino is the ultimate cinephile. He has watched thousands of movies and seems to have an encyclopedic knowledge of all things Hollywood. His own films, with their myriad references to other movies, bear this out. Indeed, Tarantino once quipped that, when people ask if he went to film school, he tells them, "No, I went to films."
QT also has surprisingly eclectic taste. His favorite films are just as likely to include romantic comedies and indie dramas as well as action movies. So his recommendations are sure to include something for everyone.
Animal Kingdom (2010)
Animal Kingdom plays out like an Australian GoodFellas. The Codys are a family of criminals in a working class Melbourne neighborhood. They are under increasing police surveillance, with rumors that law enforcement may be planning to take one of them out. The characters spend most of the movie holed up together in a small suburban house, which quickly becomes a pressure cooker of clashing personalities and unresolved family trauma.
Beneath the mobster tale premise, Animal Kingdom is really about a dysfunctional family. Jacki Weaver is scene-stealing as matriarch Janine, who can veer in a moment from overly affectionate to icy cold. Joel Edgerton also puts in a solid turn as Baz, a family friend and veteran bank robber. But the highlight is Ben Mendelsohn, who plays the oldest brother Pope. Pope is skilled at getting people to confide in him, only for him to weaponize their vulnerabilities against them. Mendelsohn played the evil Commander Krennic in Rogue One, but Pope's villainousness puts that character to shame.
Frances Ha (2012)
Frances Ha is the first collaboration between actress-director Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, the filmmaker behind Marriage Story and The Meyerowitz Stories. It's a comedy drama about 20-something dancer Frances, as she messily navigates friendships, relationships and work in New York City.
This may sound like a feature-length episode of Girls (which it kind of is), but the movie handles its characters with more charm and warmth than the HBO series. Gerwig is infectious as the free spirit Frances, and Adam Driver also puts in an entertaining pre-stardom performance as Frances's roommate Lev. The gorgeous black-and-white cinematography, reminiscent of Manhattan, is an added treat.
Somewhere (2010)
Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) is a depressed Hollywood actor wrestling with ennui and loneliness. He faces a new challenge and opportunity when his ex-wife suffers a nervous breakdown, leaving their 11-year-old daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning) in his care. The film follows their relationship and Marco's attempts at (finally) growing up.
It's a deft and touching character study. There's little plot to be found here, but it will appeal to fans of characterization and rich dialogue. Somewhere exists in the shadow of director Sophia Coppola's 2003 hit Lost in Translation, but it's funnier than that movie and just as poignant.
Young Adult (2011)
Juno and Up in the Air are Jason Reitman's most beloved films, but Young Adult surpasses both as an exploration of a troubled character. Charlize Theron stars as alcoholic ghostwriter Mavis who returns to her sleepy hometown. It's one of Theron's most complex roles. Mavis is immature, selfish and abrasive, but also wickedly funny and too smart for her own good.
Mavis strikes up an unlikely friendship with Matt (Patton Oswalt), who was an unpopular nerd at their high school and was viciously assaulted by bullies. Over the course of the movie, they both try to sort out their messy lives. Young Adult is a smart film which offers few easy feel-good moments, which is probably why it isn't as popular as Juno. But if anything, the dark edge to Young Adult makes it even more hard-hitting than Reitman's other work.
Afternoon Delight (2013)
"Not everyone gets to be happy." Rachel (Kathryn Hahn) is unhappy in her marriage and feels trapped in her life. So, in the hopes of spicing things up, she takes her husband Jeff (Josh Radnor) to a strip club. There, Rachel receives a lap dance from stripper Mckenna (Juno Temple). This encounter stirs something in Rachel. She starts taking more risks, like impulsively inviting Mckenna to move into their home.
Afternoon Delight is a strange movie. It feels like two films in one: a well-crafted but fairly standard comedy drama, which then morphs into something much darker and more realistic. It's understandable that audiences gave Afternoon Delight mixed reviews. Not all viewers will be won over by its shift in tone and willingness to grapple with bleak subject matter. But Afternoon Delight rewards those who stick with it with a powerful performance by Hahn as a woman confronting the truth about herself. It's a career best.
An Education (2009)
Set in 1960s London, An Education is a coming-of-age story about Jenny (Carey Mulligan), a 16-year-old schoolgirl who dreams of studying at Oxford University. But her plans are derailed when 35-year-old David (Peter Sarsgaard) swoops into her life and seduces her. David appears sophisticated and knowledgeable, and he offers Jenny an escape from her tedious life of homework, school drama and overprotective parents. But the power dynamic in their relationship is inherently exploitative, and it threatens to upend Jenny's entire life.
What makes An Education so good is the thoughtful script, based on a memoir, which depicts these characters in shades of gray. Even the villainous David can be warm and generous. But the star is Carey Mulligan, who puts in what might be her all-time best performance as a young woman learning about the world and the possibilities within herself.
Under the Silver Lake (2018)
Under the SIlver Lake, director David Robert Mitchell's follow-up to It Follows, is a neo-noir thriller mixed with Twin Peaks-level weirdness. Andrew Garfield stars as Sam, a man investigating the disappearance of his neighbor, only to stumble upon what appears to be a much deeper conspiracy involving a serial dog killer and a monstrous bird woman. Sam becomes obsessed with what he believes is a web of secret messages, codes and hidden meanings.
Under the Silver Lake itself is a kind of riddle. It includes many hidden details which reward multiple viewings. It also has relevant things to say about conspiracy theories and those who hold them. In recent years, we've witnessed again the consequences such conspiracies can have when they make the jump from the Internet to the real world. Under the Silver Lake explores the psychology behind these conspiracies. It was not a box office success, but it has since developed a cult following.
Drinking Buddies (2013)
Drinking Buddies is about a group of friends who run a craft brewery, but unexpressed feelings threaten to blow everything up. Kate (Olivia Wilde) and Luke (Jake Johnson) seem to be secretly in love. The problem is they are both with other people. The film follows the group's fateful getaway to a beach house where emotions beneath the surface bubble up.
The actors in Drinking Buddies improvised the dialogue, lending it a relaxed and believable quality. If they weren't so good-looking, you might mistake these characters for real people. The plot also meanders like a conversation at a bar. The drama emerges mostly in the gaps between what the characters say and don't say. Drinking Buddies was a box office flop, but it has enough charm to justify a watch.
Our Idiot Brother (2011)
Ned (Paul Rudd) is honest and kind, a genuinely good soul. But he's also an idiot. He struggles to hold down a job. He gets arrested for selling weed to a cop. More of often than not, he can be found crashing on the couch of one of his three exasperated sisters, with his dog Willie Nelson at his side.
Our Idiot Brother is a sweet comedy-drama about family. The script is consistently funny, and Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer are great as Ned's sisters. But Rudd holds the film together as the saint-like Ned. He is stubbornly idealistic in a world that repeatedly tries to grind him down. The result is a feel-good flick with a lot of heart.
The Sitter (2011)
This black comedy received mostly negative reviews, but Tarantino was a big fan. It stars Jonah Hill as loser Noah, who is forced by his mom to babysit three misbehaved kids. Noah's girlfriend calls and demands that he find some cocaine for a party, so Noah dutifully sets out on a mission to get the drugs, with the kids in tow.
The Sitter isn't groundbreaking cinema or anything, but it's a decent comedy that'll take you back to the early days of Jonah Hill. Sure, The Sitter pretty shamelessly tries to recapture the charm of Superbad, but it features enough decent jokes to make it worth watching, and Sam Rockwell is great in his cameo as a crazy drug dealer.