Love him or hate him, nearly everyone knows who Quentin Tarantino is or has seen one of his movies. A high school dropout, Tarantino wrote his first screenplay at the age of fourteen.Working at a multitude of video stores in 1980s Los Angeles, Tarantino is the ultimate movie buff, which landed him  his first official job in Hollywood as a production assistant in 1986. He finally was able to create his first film in 1987, My Best Friend’s Birthday, but his breakthrough came in 1990, when he was commissioned to write the screenplay for the film From Dusk Til Dawn. This made Tarantino a recognized skilled writer, and would lead to his cult classic creations of the 1990s. 

Creating Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and Jackie Brown in a span of six years, Tarantino became a household name after releasing Pulp Fiction in 1994. Filled with iconic characters and unforgettable lines, I will always believe that this classic is his best film. Whether it’s quoting Vincent Vega or listening to the famous soundtrack on the way to work, I reference Pulp Fiction daily. So, naturally, when Once Upon A Time in Hollywood was announced in 2018, I was extremely excited. I love Tarantino’s twenty-first century films, with Inglourious Basterds being my favorite. His way of being able to rewrite history in his movies intrigues me, as both a history geek and film buff. When Once Upon A Time In Hollywood finally hit theaters this year, I immediately bought tickets. The film chronicles the Hollywood landscape during the height of the Manson Family Murders in the late 1960s, so of course, I already knew about the tragic story of Sharon Tate, and was eager to see how Margot Robbie portrayed the infamous actress. To nobody’s surprise, she doesn’t disappoint. Along with Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, Tarantino finally created his ode to Hollywood. Packed with classic characters like Bruce Lee and Roman Polanski, accompanied by the epitome of typical actors that existed during the dying years of the Golden Age of Hollywood, Tarantino’s love of movies is on full display in this film. 

I love Quentin Tarantino films because I myself love movies. When asked how he answers those who ask for advice on how to “make it” in Hollywood, Tarantino famously exclaimed, “When people ask me if I went to film school I tell them, ‘no, I went to films’.” When watching any of his films, you can just sense his passion for them through his work. This priceless sentiment is what makes all of Tarantino’s movies unique, and not to mention, award- winning. This man makes movies for real film fans, something that is rare in today’s industry. Tarantino’s work, along with his character, will forever be ablaze as long as his movies are watched by his beloved fans. So thank you, Quentin Tarantino. Thank you for allowing me to embrace my creativity, and to not be afraid to be different.