Quentin and Me: A 30-Something Fan’s Relationship With a Filmmaker

Films, filmmakers, and actors/actresses define eras of your life. It’s bound to happen when you’re a hardcore movie-watcher. Name any on-screen (or even off-screen) personality, and I can tell you when I became aware of their work. My first look at Quentin Tarantino happened in 1994, and my experience as a movie-watcher has never been the same. I’ve seen every one of his movies on the big screen ever since, with one exception. Much like Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarantino’s films have paced the last 18 years of my life. I remember exactly where I was when I saw each one.

Around the Bend

Holiday parties and activities have been eating into my movie time the last few weeks, which is frankly a good problem to have. That said, there’s a healthy group of films that have stacked up that I’d like to see in the next month or so. To give you a glimpse into the mind of a movie freak and to help me stay on target, here are at least some of the films I intend to see in the coming weeks. 

It’s (Almost) the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

August might be a dead time of year for movies, but my favorite time of year is coming soon. Oh, it’s coming, my friends. And I can’t wait. Awards season starts picking up steam in a month. September through December is when all of the good stuff is released. In the last five years, there have been 39 Best Picture nominees for the Oscar. 27 of those were released between September and December (one other, There Will be Blood, was released in January). This year is no different. The rest of this year (and the early part of 2013) is packed with great film choices. 

The Waiting is the Hardest Part: Movies I Can’t Wait to See

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When you’re a huge movie fan, you’re liable to find out about lots and lots of projects well in advance of their release dates. This forces you into a very difficult position. You have to wait until it finally reaches theaters. Or when you don’t live in a movie mega-hub like Austin, Los Angeles, or New York, you’re forced to wait until the film hits DVD, Netflix Instant, or any of the other various viewing methods available. Right now, I’m extremely anxious to see an awful lot of films but I have to wait them out. Here’s what I can’t wait to see: