Quentin Tarantino has launched a scathing critique of contemporary Hollywood, describing it as "a flavourless sausage factory." In an article for Sight and Sound magazine, the acclaimed director of Pulp Fiction expressed his disillusionment with the current state of cinema.
Tarantino's Disappointment with Modern Movies
Tarantino wrote that "since the pandemic … it seems almost impossible for a new movie to come out that I don't pick to death." He elaborated, saying: "Flaws, implausibilities, audience pandering, miscast performers or just plain stupid shit usually torpedoes every new movie coming out of the flavourless sausage factory that used to call itself Hollywood."
While acknowledging that the "1980s were pretty bad too," Tarantino noted he could "forgive" those films because he "loved going to the movies." However, he added: "These days, however, the entire concept of what is a movie is more inclined to inspire contempt in me than generosity."
Films That Earned Tarantino's Approval
Despite his overall criticism, Tarantino did single out a few recent films he enjoyed. He praised The Rip, directed by Joe Carnahan and currently streaming on Netflix, and mentioned Steven Spielberg's West Side Story as well as Kevin Costner's Horizon: An American Saga Chapters 1 and 2 as movies he liked. However, he lamented that he had seen "nothing that really held me in its grip and swept me away to the magical land of enjoyment that I used to visit regularly and was the reason I loved movies above all other art forms. These days I'd rather read a book."
Tarantino's Current Projects
Tarantino is currently working on a "swashbuckling" play titled The Popinjay Cavalier, which is set to debut in London's West End in 2027. His most recent film release was the 1960s-set Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood in 2019. He published a novel adaptation of that film in 2021, and a follow-up directed by David Fincher is currently in production. In 2024, Tarantino scrapped plans for his 10th feature, The Movie Critic, which was supposed to be his final film.
