Quentin TaranÂtiÂno has countÂless fans all around the world, increasÂingÂly many of whom are too young to ever have rentÂed a tape from a video store. But when those twenÂty-someÂthing cinephiles learn his oriÂgin stoÂry as a filmÂmakÂer, they must susÂpect they missed out on a valuÂable expeÂriÂence in the VHS era, whatÂevÂer its inconÂveÂniences. When TaranÂtiÂno broke out in the nineÂteen-nineties with ReserÂvoir Dogs and Pulp FicÂtion, he was pubÂlicly celÂeÂbratÂed not just for those films, but for his havÂing made them as a video-store-clerk-turned-auteur.
Indeed, it realÂly does seem true that TaranÂtiÂno’s cinÂeÂmatÂic senÂsiÂbilÂiÂty owes someÂthing to the years he’d spent exerÂcisÂing his movie experÂtise behind the counter at Video Archives in ManÂhatÂtan Beach. When the store closed in 1995, the freshÂly ascenÂdant TaranÂtiÂno seized the opporÂtuÂniÂty to buy up its thouÂsands of VHS tapes. Roger Avary, his felÂlow Archives alumÂnus and colÂlabÂoÂraÂtor on the screenÂplay for Pulp FicÂtion, bought the Laserdiscs. Though much of Avary’s colÂlecÂtion has sucÂcumbed to the “disc rot” that notoÂriÂousÂly afflicts that forÂmat, TaranÂtiÂno’s colÂlecÂtion has held up for more than a quarÂter-cenÂtuÂry.
Now TaranÂtiÂno’s priÂvate tape stash proÂvides the mateÂrÂiÂal for his and Avary’s latÂest colÂlabÂoÂraÂtion: The Video Archives PodÂcast, to which you can lisÂten on platÂforms like Apple PodÂcasts and StitchÂer. On it, the two of them aim to re-creÂate the veheÂmentÂly cinephile enviÂronÂment of Video Archives by disÂcussing the movies from its stock — after watchÂing them on the actuÂal VHS tapes the store once rentÂed out. As TaranÂtiÂno explains it, each episode of The Video Archives PodÂcast will feaÂture three titles. But the conÂverÂsaÂtions will go well beyond the films themÂselves, involvÂing details of the parÂticÂuÂlar home-video releasÂes popped into the VCR as well as the hisÂtoÂry of the disÂtribÂuÂtors that put them out.
NatÂuÂralÂly, the hosts also get into their perÂsonÂal hisÂtoÂries with these movies — which in some casÂes go back nearÂly 50 years — as film-lovers and filmÂmakÂers. Owing to the need to introÂduce the show itself, in the first episode they disÂcuss only two picÂtures, both from the nineÂteen-sevÂenÂties: John CarÂpenÂter and Dan O’BanÂnon’s anti-estabÂlishÂment sci-fi comÂeÂdy Dark Star, folÂlowed by Ulli LomÂmel’s rock-Mafia draÂma Cocaine CowÂboys, which feaÂtures a cameo from Andy Warhol. RepÂreÂsentÂing a younger genÂerÂaÂtion is Avary’s daughÂter Gala, proÂducÂer of the podÂcast, who in a mid-show segÂment (and her own after-show) offers anothÂer perÂspecÂtive on the movies of the week. She clearÂly knows how to appreÂciÂate a cult clasÂsic, even if she’s nevÂer paid a late fee in her life.
RelatÂed conÂtent:
Quentin TaranÂtiÂno Explains How to Write & Direct Movies
An AnalyÂsis of Quentin Tarantino’s Films NarÂratÂed (MostÂly) by Quentin TaranÂtiÂno
Based in Seoul, ColÂin MarÂshall writes and broadÂcasts on cities, lanÂguage, and culÂture. His projects include the SubÂstack newsletÂter Books on Cities, the book The StateÂless City: a Walk through 21st-CenÂtuÂry Los AngeÂles and the video series The City in CinÂeÂma. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall, on FaceÂbook, or on InstaÂgram.
My favorite part of this artiÂcle is that movie experÂtise proÂvides a role in havÂing great reviews. YesÂterÂday, my brothÂer told me he was lookÂing for a cinÂeÂma comÂmenÂtary podÂcast that tackÂles past and present movies. He asked if I had any sugÂgesÂtions. Thanks to this instrucÂtive artiÂcle, I’ll tell him he can try the movie comÂmenÂtary podÂcast that I know as they have good reviews.