Here; in his own colorful; slangy words; is the true American Dream saga of a self-proclaimed "film geek;" with five intense years working in a video store; who became one of the most popular; recognizable; and imitated of all filmmakers. His dazzling; movie-informed work makes Quentin Tarantinos reputation; from his breakout film; Reservoir Dogs (1992); through Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004); his enchanted homages to Asian action cinema; to his rousing tribute to guys-on-a-mission World War II movie; Inglourious Basterds (2009). For those who prefer a more mature; contemplative cinema; Tarantino provided the tender; very touching Jackie Brown (1997). A masterpiece--Pulp Fiction (1994). A delightful mash of unabashed exploitation and felt social consciousness--his latest opus; Django Unchained (2012).From the beginning; Tarantino (b. 1963)--affable; open; and enthusiastic about sharing his adoration of movies--has been a journalists dream. Quentin Tarantino: Interviews; revised and updated with twelve new interviews; is a joy to read cover to cover because its subject has so much interesting and provocative to say about his own movies and about cinema in general; and also about his unusual life. He is frank and revealing about growing up in Los Angeles with a single; half-Cherokee mother; and dropping out of ninth grade to take acting classes. Lost and confused; he still managed a gutsy ambition: young Quentin decided he would be a filmmaker.Tarantino has conceded that Ordell (Samuel L. Jackson); the homicidal African American con man in Jackie Brown; is an autobiographical portrait. "If I hadnt wanted to make movies; I would have ended up as Ordell;" Tarantino has explained. "I wouldnt have been a postman or worked at the phone company. . . . I would have gone to jail."
#3115029 in eBooks 2005-07-01 2005-07-01File Name: B00G28UJIM
Review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. A disturbing expose of who ultimately benefits from natural disasters worldwide.By Paul Tognetti"Post disaster situations are fertile ground for some and wastelands for others. An elite few make out-of-sight decisions about rebuilding or not rebuilding; about who will benefit from the lucrative contracts that will be part of any reconstruction and who will not. But more important still are the actions of another elite group (perhaps with some of the same members as the first); operating outside media scrutiny; to exploit an opportunity to reshape society in order to secure its hold on power and capital. Wealth is clearly a factor in long-term disaster outcomes.rdquo; -- page 49Over the years I have read perhaps two dozen books about various natural disasters. I find the genre to be positively compelling. The details surrounding the disaster itself are usually quite riveting but what I find eternally more interesting is the manner in which government officials; the business community; private citizens and NGOrsquo;s respond in a time of crisis. There are those who perform above and beyond the call of duty while the actions of others are positively despicable. John C. Mutter looks at the subject of natural disasters from an entirely different perspective in his thought-provoking new book ldquo;The Disaster Profiteers: How Natural Disasters Make the Rich Richer and the Poor Even Poorerrdquo;. Mutter examines the fallout from nearly a dozen major calamities all over the planet and reveals a pattern of outcomes that is remarkably consistent. You will discover the impact of disasters in such diverse locations as New Orleans; Myanmar; Chile; the Philippines; China; Sri Lanka; Japan and Haiti and exactly who stands to gain from these tragedies. It is remarkable that in virtually every instance the needs of those displaced by the event are cast aside in favor of the interests of the elites who stand to reap a financial windfall. For example; in Myanmar Mutter reports that in the wake of Cyclone Nargis displaced farmers were forced to become landless laborers. In a number of other instances waterfront property previously occupied by the working poor was confiscated by "eminent domain" and transformed into hotels; restuarants and other commercial property. Those who were displaced were pretty much left to fend for themselves. Furthermore; as you might expect; there is invariably a racial or ethnic aspect to these situations. Mutter quotes from an article in "Mother Jones" by Mike Davis in which a French Quarter landowner opined "The hurricane drove poor people and criminals out of the city and we hope they dont come back." Indeed; large portions of New Orleans have been remade in the aftermath of Katrina.John Mutter is a scientist by trade and he candidly admits in the opening chapter of the book that in order to fully understand the subject matter that he was exploring he had to immerse himself in the social sciences with which he was largely unfamiliar. Making that extra effort paid off handsomely. I found ldquo;The Disaster Profiteersrdquo; to be a particularly well-written book. Mutter explains that all natural disasters can be analyzed in three phases and why what happens in Phase 3 all too often results in new laws; regulations and projects that ultimately benefit the rich. After reading Mutters analysis it all makes perfect sense to me. Mutter also argues that due to climate change we can expect more powerful weather events in the future that will impact cities much farther north and south of the equator. ldquo;The Disaster Profiteers: How Natural Disasters Make the Rich Richer and the Poor Even Poorerrdquo; would be a great choice for history buffs and general audiences alike. This is a book that is certainly worthy of your time and attention. Very highly recommended!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The disaster profiteersBy Clare OBearaDovetailing neatly with a journalists view in Disaster Capitalism by Anthony Lowenstein which I read recently; this look at The Disaster Profiteers examines who profits and why from natural disasters.Haiti; New Orleans and Myanmar are studied along with Hurricane Sandy and other events from a science point of view. For instance; why does a large earthquake have little impact on Japans modern economy while years later Haiti is still struggling to rebuild? Were told that there is a thread of renewal after harmful events; replacing old buildings; machinery and processes with new and improved ones; so Haiti which had not had an earthquake in 200 years was on the floor to begin with; while Japan regularly rebuilds.The stages are described as planning before the event; during the event and its immediate aftermath of media coverage and aid; then the gradual rebuilding process. A developed economy has money; experts and workers to spare for rebuilding but a poor economy has only bare hands. The figures quoted in this book bear out the statement in Disaster Capitalism by Anthony Lowenstein; that almost all the aid money sent to Haiti went to companies and workers from outside the nation. Were also told that it was foreign troops who brought in cholera with them; making the people distrustful of outside aid.This is an immensely readable book for those who want to understand and dont mind looking at a few graphs. Hurricanes and earthquakes are explained as natural processes. And poor countries dont have science students or seismometers in some cases. The photos are also very helpful. Some show images from space of which countries are lit by night. These are wealthy lands. The Korean peninsula is startlingly dark above the national divide; with one bright square for the capital city. We can see the crumpling fault zone on which Haitis capital is built; and on which its new housing is also being built.We get great economics lessons and an understanding of how rich people grab land from displaced farmers in the wake of disaster. The rich people have also chosen secure; safe homes while poor people are living in flood or mudslide zones; cramped together with bad transport routes. Rape after disasters; we are told; is commonplace as displaced women are not in secure homes and with their friends. But this applies to poor women. The rich women have; quite naturally; hightailed it out of there with their families; and they wont miss the odd looted bit of jewellery or handbags; its insured; and they have money in the bank; and they can claim for rebuilding their mansion.Oxfam Internationals report in 2014; Wealth: Having It All and Wanting More; tells us that by 2016 over half the worlds wealth and resources will be owned by just 85 people. The excellently written The Disaster Profiteers explains in part how this occurs; with contracts sometimes given to those with friends or relatives in government to rebuild or supply services.To balance the tale; the author John C Mutter reassures us that while an increasing global population means that more people live in unstable areas; far fewer people die each year from disasters than used to be the case. I strongly recommend reading this book for anyone wishing to understand both natural processes and economic ones in our globalised world. I also believe we should be demanding more transparency in how aid money is spent.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Too often; we focus on helping those who get to the front of the line firstBy Robert Moore-Go Cubs GHelping those most in need should be the top priority after a disaster; but we too often focus on helping those who get to the front of the line first. Although natural disasters affect everyone; they can also widen the gap between the richest and poorest members of a community. Surprisingly; post-disaster government assistance can contribute to this inequity. Overall; this book will open your eyes to the inequities associated with the aftermath of natural disasters.It made it onto my 2016 Climate Reading List at[...]