Quentin Tarantino lists the best films since he broke into the business

Posted Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 3:32 PM Central

by John Couture

Quentin Tarantino is one of those polarizing figures in film, you either hate him or you love him. I tend to be firmly planted in the love camp, but when I found his list of top 20 movies since he started making films, I started to question that love.

I mean seriously, Friday? Are you smoking the same stuff that Ice Cube was in the movie?

And I know that Q Ball is way into Asian cinema, but are there really seven films from the Pacific Rim that crack the top 20? I doubt it. And hey, don't give my grief for calling him Q Ball. Hey, if he can call Night "Shama-lama-ding-dong," then I think Q Ball is fair game.

You can check out the clip below:

Or, if you're one of those people who gets creeped out by Quentin's voice, you can just see his list below:

Battle Royale
Anything Else
Audition
The Blade
Boogie Nights
Dazed & Confused
Dogville
Fight Club
Friday
The Host
The Insider
Joint Security Area
Lost In Translation
The Matrix
Memories of Murder
Police Story III: Supercop
Shaun of the Dead
Speed
Team America: World Police
Unbreakable

Now, I've been fortunate to see many of these films, but even I think a few of them are a stretch, even for a subjective list. So, I offer my "List of top 5 movies made since 1992 not on Quentin's list." Tell me what you think about his list or mine. Or better yet, what are some movies lacking for either or both lists?

Top 5 Movies Not on Quentin's List:

1. The Prestige - The first of at least two Nolan films. Heck, you could pretty much list all of his movies as it would fit the criteria, but seriously, this film is tops on either list.
2. Clerks - Again, it's a bit shocking to me that Quentin didn't list any of his direct peers or friends on his list, and perhaps that's an intentional choice on his part. For me, it's hard not to include this movie in the top 10 of the last 17 years.
3. Pulp Fiction - Sure, it's tacky to include yourself on the list of top 20 movies made in the last 17 years, but tacky or not, it's true.
4. Night Watch - As much as Quentin is in love with foreign films, it seems his focus is solely on the Pacific Rim. That's too bad. This film from Timur Bekmambetov is a tour de force in any language.
5. The Dark Knight - I'm not even a big comic book fan, nay I'm not even a comic book fan at all, but even I recognize great cinema when I see it.