Quentin Tarantino Says This Is The “Worst Era in Hollywood History”

Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino, 2023. © Courtesy Everett Collection

Quentin Tarantino is nothing if not an outspoken cinephile with opinions on almost everything. Tarantino is quick to heap praise on the features and filmmakers he loves. But he is equally eager to speak to his disdain for those he doesn’t. This time around, the director isn’t discussing a film or filmmaker, rather than a series of cinematic time periods he has divisive thoughts on.

In episode 19 of the Video Archives Podcast, Tarantino offers his take on the worst eras in cinematic history. The director has no love for the Marvel-dominated films littering multiplexes these days. But he also calls out two historic time periods that stand out as low points in his purview.

“Even though the ‘80s was the time that I probably saw more movies in my life than ever—at least as far as going out to the movies was concerned—I do feel that ‘80s cinema is, along with the ‘50s, the worst era in Hollywood history,” Tarantino says. “Matched only by now, matched only by the current era!”

While I would be quick to defend the merit of ‘80s cinema (at least on some level), I wholeheartedly agree the current cinematic landscape is depressing. With Wall Street money backing films and IP being leveraged in confounding ways, this is a strange time to be a movie fan. However, the independent scene is a completely different story than the Hollywood machine. The indie output of recent years reminds us that there is still plenty of creativity in the movie business. You just have to look a little harder than you used to.

That’s all we’ve got for you, for the time being, dear reader. Stay tuned to the site for more hot takes as we unearth them. And be sure to follow @DreadCentral on Twitter so you never miss an update.

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