QT8

The opposite of De Palma but packing a similar insightful punch, Tara Wood’s QT8: The First Eight is essentially a master class in Quentin Tarantino’s films — minus the participation of the master himself.

Rather than involve Tarantino in the proceedings, Wood gets plentiful entertaining and knowledgable recollections from Samuel L. Jackson, Zoë Bell, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Christoph Waltz, and other collaborators as they chronologically dissect their friend’s filmography, and him as a person, including some of the issues for which he’s received harsh criticism. (No, not his alleged foot fetish…)

While it sometimes feels like Tarantino’s observations are sorely missing from the behind-the-scenes dishing, knowing his verbose, energetic persona, it’s likely that his inclusion would have resulted in him taking over the documentary and turning it into a completely different project.

In addition to the plentiful interviews, QT8 is fortified by amusing animated anecdotes that bring to life Tarantino’s rise at Cannes, on-set shenanigans, and a few bizarre events with Harvey Weinstein — whose connection with Tarantino and fallout feels somewhat tacked on, despite its placement being consistent with the film’s linear approach.

And though bringing viewers up to date with footage from Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood feels like a bit of a tease without discussion about its creation, the wealth of illumination gleaned elsewhere in QT8 is a fine consolation prize. 

Grade: A-minus. Rated TV-MA. Now available on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu, and YouTube

(Photo: Wood Entertainment)