Old Man Tarantino Shakes Fist at Today's Cloud of Movies

Quentin Tarantino says the movies have lost their magic—so he's largely switched to books instead. In an essay for Sight and Sound, the 63-year-old Kill Bill director dismisses post-pandemic Hollywood as a "flavorless sausage factory," claiming that most new releases are sunk by what he calls flaws, "pandering," bad casting, or just regular old "stupid s---," per the Guardian. "These days ... the entire concept of what is a movie is more inclined to inspire contempt in me than generosity," he writes.

Tarantino isn't completely out on cinema: He praises Joe Carnahan's thriller The Rip on Netflix, calling it an "exciting cop thriller," per Variety. He also has good things to say about Steven Spielberg's West Side Story and Kevin Costner's Horizon films, notes the Guardian. But he writes that almost nothing he's seen recently "swept me away" the way films once did.

Tarantino, who shelved plans for what was expected to be his final movie, The Movie Critic, is now focused on a "swashbuckling" stage play, The Popinjay Cavalier, slated for London's West End in 2027. Entertainment Weekly notes he's also the screenwriter and producer behind David Fincher's next film, The Adventures of Cliff Booth, set for release later this year. (At least he's taking a break from the Paul Dano controversy.)