My Tarantino Night

I watched a movie with Quentin Tarantino. Kind of. Sort of.

When I was much younger maybe 13 or 14 (now just about 10 years ago) I rented the movie Chungking Express. I remember I rented it almost exclusively for the reason that Quentin Tarantino's Rolling Thunder Pictures had released it on VHS. At the time I had been reading an unauthorized biography about Tarantino called Quentin Tarantino: The Man and His Movies. I had an affinity for Tarantino's writing habits (they were somewhat comparable to mine, and that's never changed) and his confidence made me feel confident about becoming a filmmaker at a very awkward time in my life when I was moving to a new state (from New York to Florida) and entering High School. I became a big fan of his films (at the time he had only made three) and his referential filmmaking made me seek the films that inspired him. This last bit ended up creating a much better film school then my eventual Five Year Jaunt at UCF (which was more painful then inspiring) And it wasn't just Tarantino. I learned to find films I love, learn about the filmmakers, trace their influences and watch all that I could. It's still the way I try to learn. (I'm currently attempting to memorize the U.S. Presidents and can only remember them backwards in time)

At the beginning and end of these special Rolling Thunder VHS releases, Tarantino would come on and give some trivia and some reasons why he had picked this film to be released on this label of his. Chungking Express was the first Wong Kar Wai film I had ever seen and is still my favorite film of his. A few years ago I had actually written a feature that I later figured out I had kinda sorta maybe ripped off from Chungking. His latest film My Blueberry Nights was playing at the Arclight and I wanted to see something that I could only see in LA (It's currently in six theatres) Chris, Sheldon and I planned on seeing the 5:15 show.

A couple weeks ago Chris and others went to the New Beverly Cinema to see a double feature of The Monster Squad and Night of the Creeps. While there he met Julia. From best I can tell Julia to some extent runs the New Beverly. I'll assume they exchanged numbers or something and hung out a few times in that week where I left.

At around 5 I got a call from Chris (I just assumed he couldn't make it) and he said Julia would be coming to the movie and they were parking. I was excited to meet this person. Somehow shorter then I expected, and I couldn't tell you why I ever expected someone taller, Julia exceeded my expectations in levels of cool. And just when I thought it couldn't stop at the end of the night I saw she had given Chris a copy of The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis to read (Ellis is BY FAR my favorite author) Before the movie started Julia dropped the fact that Quentin Tarantino was going to be at the New Beverly tonight because they were showing The Fastest Gun Alive. I immediately thought about going. The following dialogue is verbatim:

Chris: Do you want to go? We can go.
Julia: I could introduce you to Quentin.
Brett: Yes.

Then a beat.

Brett: Yes let's do it.

I then had to think of how to maybe re-arrange the dinner plans, see how long the movie at the New Beverly was and to pack before dinner so that we could leave directly for the airport after eating.

Tonight (Chris and I's last night in town) we had originally planned to see the movie and then go to dinner around 7, get back to the Dastoli's and pack, leaving for the airport with plenty of time. We ended up getting out of Blueberry around 6:55, I found out The Fastest Gun Alive was approximately 90 minutes and then figured we'd have to absolutely at the latest leave for LAX at 11:15 to allow 30 minutes of drive time and get there one hour before our 12:45 flight to Houston.

Sheldon and I left for the New Beverly and arrived a few minutes after Julia and Chris. We were able to walk right in, and first ones in the theatre, I was able to see what a great place it is. Julia showed us the projection room that has a VAST collection of 35mm trailers (I own about four, they have about a thousand) A few moments before the scheduled start, Tarantino came in and did an intro for the film. Say what you want about his films (Reiber I'm looking at you) but this is a man who loves film and he can love any film. He can find something in it that excites, inspires and moves him and by extension anyone around him. In such a fucking cynical narcissitic shithole of a society we've been dealt, it's refreshing to see someone so positive. Watching him talk about The Fastest Gun Alive made me really curious to see the film (I knew literally nothing about it) and it felt exactly like one of his old intros he did for the Rolling Thunder Collection. The film started and he sat right behind us (technically right behind Julia) She managed to introduce Chris to him right before the credits started and they made some chit-chat about the trailers that showed before the film.

Throughout the film (which was really pretty incredible) Tarantino's laugh would occasionally startle me for no other reason then the fact that I had to keep reminding myself that Quentin Tarantino was watching the movie I was watching and he was right behind me. A few times I would turn my head slightly just to see he was there and he was enjoying himself.

I don't really get starstruck. I've realized a long time ago that celebrities are people too and that the only difference between them and normal people is they're on TV or in a movie or elsewhere in publication somehow. I like to leave celebrities alone. But Julia had said she could introduce me to him as she had known him as a frequent goer to the New Beverly. After the film ended a few weirdos approached Tarantino giving him books and assorted other crud, Chris got to chat with him a little bit again about some of the upcoming films Joe Dante(!) is programming and then he walked towards the lobby. Julia apologized to me for not getting to properly introduce me and we headed out.

But really, having him watch the movie behind me was so much better then any introduction (I'm half serious, a real intro would be great someday)

We hurried and packed and somehow made it to the 101 coffee shop by 10 and like every other fucking place in Los Angeles parts of Swingers was shot there. I got to see Justin Lader for the first time in a blue moon and I must report his ass is perhaps even better then it was two years ago. GLORIOUS. Service took longer then I would've liked, only because we were trying to catch a plane and at 11:15 we got the fuck outta there.

On the car car ride to the airport, I kept thinking of how strange the day had been. Most of my days in Los Angeles had been spent with the Dastolis couped up in their apartment dissecting different aspects of Who Stole the Electric Car? This was the nicest change of pace. And it made me sorely want to watch Chungking Express. Even now if you buy the DVD of Chungking Express the film is only available as part of the Rolling Thunder catalog. I'd never tell Tarantino (You know, because we're best friends now) of this weird connection (mostly due to my fanboy paranoia) but it was amazing I went from seeing the newest Wong Kar Wai movie to seeing the man that essentially introduced me to him.

It's pretty outrageous to think that in less then a month (and while shooting a movie) Chris met someone (who is pretty awesome on her own accord) has been offered a job doing something he would love (Julia has given him an open offer to work for the New Beverly) and casually got to speak to Clu Gulager (Chris wrote a blog on MySpace about this) and Quentin Tarantino not as a fanboy but as a regular moviegoer. I've known people out here for years that haven't been able to do this, that haven't been able to even be offered a job and are barely scrapping by.

I now look forward to Los Angeles more now then ever. Tarantino and the day in general reminded of of the way I used to feel SO INSPIRED to write. The way I felt I could do almost anything when I was in High School and the way I dreamed of directing my own films. It all started to feel in reach again. It made those useless fucking has-beens at UCF look like what they are: TRASH. This could change tomorrow but I want to remember the moment when I felt like this could be great. I hope Chris moves here...I'm okay with writing that and posting it because the evidence is overwhelming that it would be the best thing for him; and that's all I've ever wanted for him. Danny would be a fucking idiot to convince him otherwise.