The Tarantino Effect

Rating: 9/10 (4 December 2019)

Somehow, after 200+ movie review podcasts and a few dozen of these written critiques (so far), yours truly has not reviewed a Quentin Tarantino motion picture. This might have been tactical. I feel like I'm ready now. Let's start at the end and work our way backwards...
The 9th feature from Q.T. is certainly the most fun film he's made in awhile, if not ever. He saves ALL the violence for the finale and that tension release really pays off. He's fond of calling this movie a 'hang out' movie, as in: it's really just about 'hanging out' with these characters. That's all well and good but mostly lip service, low key advertising.
I am a fan of Tarantino and have seen all of his movies during their theatrical release (starting with Pulp Fiction). My main criticism has always been that they don't age well; they age horrifically. In fact, I'd argue they spoil as soon as you remove from the shelf (the shelf in this metaphor is the movie theatre; following?). I call this The Tarantino Effect; it's not easy to explain but I'll try.
I recently sat down to re-watch Pulp and The Hateful Eight, as both films have been added to the popular streaming service, Netflix+. I was shocked by how little they resonated, how stifled the dialogue felt. I NEVER feel this way seeing his movies on the big screen, mind you. How odd? It felt like Tarantino having an inane conversation with himself through the arbitrary characters most of the time. This is all a very long-winded way of saying: I'm not sure how much this matters when giving a film a mostly arbitrary score or writing a review. It's OK to watch a movie a single time and never revisit it. In that way, they remain timeless and, hopefully, good (in your mind's eye).
Or, counterpoint: longevity and rewatchability matters, perhaps greatly. So let's split the difference (at least as it pertains to the Tarantino-Verse). Hollywood feels like a low to solid 9 outta 10. This is its movie theatre grade and perhaps its forever grade as well. Of course it is. It's a fantastic movie! It hits all the beats you're looking for in a cinema experience and never tires even as it approaches three hours in length. I won't belabor this point. You should have seen this at your cineplex when you had the chance and I'm sorry if you didn't. The End.
Will it hold up? Who's to say. I will get around to rewatching all of Q.T.'s films at some point and assess them on a different scale: the forever grade. Our culture might seem to demand that this be the more important grade. But what I'm saying to you now, dear reader is: please reject my hypothesis; I needn't be further indulged anyway.