It's not often that I cover a creator in a blog. I did do so with Adam Sandler, who likes to connect his works with the appearances of recurring secondary characters, even though the stories themselves are otherwise unconnected.
Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez do the same thing in their works. They subtly connect their works to make a shared reality (which just so happens is part of the larger TVCU), without having to announce to the world that their films are sequels or part of a series (because they aren't, or at least not all of them.)
So below will be a timeline, as usual, focusing on films and television series that have been written, directed, or produced by the duo together or separately, or in which one or both have acted.
1899--FROM DUSK TILL DAWN 3: THE HANGMAN'S DAUGHTER--Set 100 years ago in Mexico, this horror/western is the story of the birth of the vampire princess Santanico Pandemonium.
March 1916--YOUNG INDIANA JONES--"Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal"--Indy joins the Mexican Revolution, then joins the war in Europe. Pancho Villa, General Pershing, and Lt. George Patton appear. Pancho Villa also appears in FROM DUSK TILL DAWN 3: THE HANGMAN'S DAUGHTER. Patton also appears in AN AMERICAN CAROL.
World War II--GRINDHOUSE--"Werewolf Women of the S.S."--FU MANCHU is the lead villain in this unmade movie shown in a faux trailer.
1945--INGLORIOUS BASTERDS--Donny Donowitz is the father of Lee Donowitz from TRUE ROMANCE. Red Apple Cigerettes appear. As for the ending, just remember that Hitler, like many world leaders, had many doubles. Also, remember that he was possessed by a demon. At some point, I'll cover Hitler, the world's worst super-villain, in it's own blog.
1982 to 1983--ROMY AND MICHELE: IN THE BEGINNING--The story of how their friendship began in high school.
1990--TRUE ROMANCE--The main character, Alabama, is later referenced in RESERVOIR DOGS.
Spring 1990--RESERVIOR DOGS--A group of criminals try to pull off the perfect bank robbery.
1992--EL MARIACHI--A traveling mariachi is mistaken for a murderous criminal and must hide from a gang bent on killing him.
Winter 1993--PULP FICTION--Hit-Man Vincent Vega is the brother of Vic Vega from RESERVIOR DOGS. There is a reference to the events of the film AIR FORCE. A nurse named Bonnie appears who is first mentioned in a deleted scene from RESERVOIR DOGS. Red Apple cigarettes appear, which are also seen in FROM DUSK TILL DAWN, ROMY AND MICHELE'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION, FOUR ROOMS, KILL BILL, and THE EYE OF ORAN.
December 31, 1994 to January , 1995--FOUR ROOMS--Red Apple Cigarettes appear.
Early 1995--DESPERADO--A gunslinger is embroiled in a war with a local drug runner.
Spring 1995--FROM DUSK TILL DAWN--Seth Gecko gets food from Big Kahuna Burgers. Big Kahuna Burgers are originally from PULP FICTION. Red Apple Cigarettes are sold in Benny's House of Liquor. Chongo Beer is sold at the vampire bar. Chongo Beer is also served at the bar seen in DESPERADO, a sequel to EL MARIACHI. A "crotch gun" is used by Sex Machine. This may be the same gun or styled after the gun owned by EL MARIACHI in DESPERADO. There is an appearance by reporter Kelly Houge. Kelly Houge also appears in CURDLED. The story will continue in FROM DUSK TILL DOWN 2: TEXAS BLOOD MONEY and FROM DUSK TILL DAWN 3: THE HANGMAN'S DAUGHTER.
May 1995--ER--"Motherhood"--On a fateful Mother's Day, several staffers in the ER face possible life-changing events. Susan Lewis' sister Chloe gives birth to a beautiful - and healthy - baby girl. Things start to go wrong however when their mother Cookie - who had agreed to take in Chloe and the baby - suddenly decides she's done enough and Susan will have to take care of it. Carter turns down an offer for an ER sub-internship in the hopes that he'll get an offer in surgery. Dr. Hicks has news for him however. Benton's mother takes a turn for the worse. Carol Hathaway is overwhelmed with the final preparations as her wedding day approaches.Written by garykmcd
Summer 1995--CURDLED--Reporter Kelly Houge refers to when she reported on the Gecko killings. A picture of the Gecko brothers appear. These are references to FROM DUSK TILL DAWN.
Early 1996--LADIES ROOM/JUST TEMPORARY--Play which became a pilot for a series that introduced Romy and Michelle. Sadly the show didn't get sold, but the characters moved on to the big screen.
Summer 1996--ROMY AND MICHELE'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION--There is a billboard for Red Apple Cigarettes outside the girls' apartment, and they eat at Big Kahuna Burgers. Both of these products originated in PULP FICTION.
November 1997--NASH BRIDGES--"Bombshell"--Note this series was recently linked in my Superman blog, but I believe has other crossover links as well.
1998--THE FACULTY--In this film, one of the students believes that other books and films about "pod people" and the such like INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS and THE PUPPET MASTER must have been based on true incidents since the same events are happening in his town now.
2000--LITTLE NICKY--The second appearance of Chubbs, who is now in heaven, having died in Happy Gilmore. Also we see the Townie "You can do it!!!" guy, originally seen in the Water Boy. And in this reality, Lucifer is actually the father of Satan, Satan having been born at the same time as Christ. Satan has three children, one of whom is half-angel.
October 2000--DEADLINE--"Pilot"--Linked I believe to Touched by an Angel...
Early 2001--SPY KIDS--The children of spies find themselves having to take on the role themselves.
Summer 2001--SPY KIDS 2: ISLAND OF LOST DREAMS--There is an appearance of the golden idol that appeared in the opening sequence of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. The idol had last been seen in the possession of DANGER GIRL Abbey Chase in 1997.
Summer 2001--KILL BILL--The wedding massacre is investigated by Sheriff Earl McGraw and his son. Earl was in FROM DUSK TILL DAWN and his son was in the sequel. However, McGraw was shot to death in FROM DUSK TILL DAWN. Win Scott Eckert and Rick Lai go with the identical cousin theory to explain the two sherrifs. Of course, this means they are identical and have the same name, and their sons were both identical and have the same name. But this is actually all very common in the TVCU. This Sherrif McGraw will later appear in GRINDHOUSE. The character Hattori Hanzo is from a Japanese series in which every storyline would feature another in a long line of warriors named Hattori Hanzo. (Sort of a cool kick-ass Blackadder.) There is a Red Apple Cigarette poster at the airport in Okinawa. Esteban also smokes Red Apples. The final action of the film occurs in Acuna, Mexico, which was also the setting of EL MARIACHI. Meanwhile, the character of Pei Mei is from EXECUTIONERS OF SHAOLIN, A SLICE OF DEATH, FISTS OF THE WHITE LOTUS, AVENGING WARRIORS OF SHAOLIN, and TWO CHAMPIONS OF DEATH. KILL BILL is also connected to "Shadow Warriors" TV series.
2002 to 2004--ALIAS--As Sydney goes to SD-6 to meet with Sloane about quitting the agency despite Michael's warning, a former agent comes with a commando in the office and holds everybody's in hostage...except Sydney and Jack who tries to unfold the deadly gang's threat... Written by RealLiveClaude
2003--SPY KIDS 3-D: GAME OVER--Carmen's caught in a virtual reality game designed by the Kids' new nemesis, the Toymaker (Stallone). It's up to Juni to save his sister, and ultimately the world.
2003--ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO--Hitman "El Mariachi" becomes involved in international espionage involving a psychotic CIA agent and a corrupt Mexican general.
May 2005--CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATON--"Grave Danger"--The CSI Nick Stokes is kidnapped while investigating a crime scene and buried alive in a glass casket by his kidnapper. The Las Vegas Police Department receives a package with a tape and a hardware to permit watch Nick inside the casket, together with a request of one million dollars cash to release him. The mayor refuses to pay the ransom, but Catherine Willows asks her wealthy father and gets the amount. Then Gil Grissom schedules a meeting with the criminal to deliver the money and be informed where Nick is.Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Summer 2005--GRINDHOUSE--"Death Proof"--Sherriff McGraw (the one not dead) and his son appear. Also Big-Kahuna Burgers and Jungle Janice..
Summer 2005--DON'T--Edgar Wright's contribution, Don't, was produced in the style of a 1970s' Hammer House of Horror film trailer.[12] The trailer featured appearances from Jason Isaacs, Matthew Macfadyen, singer Katie Melua, Lee Ingleby, Georgina Chapman, Emily Booth, Stuart Wilson, Lucy Punch, Rafe Spall, Wright regulars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and a voice-over by Will Arnett.[8][13] Mark Gatiss, MyAnna Buring, Peter Serafinowicz, Michael Smiley and Nicola Cunningham (who played the zombie "Mary" in Shaun of the Dead), among others, made cameo appearances though they eventually went uncredited. To get the necessary 1970s' look, Wright used vintage lenses and old-style graphics. During editing, he scratched some of the film with steel wool and dragged it around a parking lot to make it appear neglected by wayward projectionists.[8] According to Wright, "In the '70s, when American International would release European horror films, they'd give them snazzier titles. And the one that inspired me was this Jorge Grau film: In the UK, it's called The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue. In Spain and in Italy, I think it's called Do Not Speak Ill of the Dead. But in the States, it was called Don't Open the Window. I just loved the fact that there isn't a big window scene in the film—it's all based around the spin and the voiceover not really telling you what the hell is going on in the film."[6] On the Charlie Rose talk show, Quentin Tarantino also pointed out another aspect of American advertising of British films in the 1970s that is being referenced—none of the actors have any dialogue in the trailer, as if the trailer was intentionally edited to prevent American viewers from realizing that the film is British.[14]
Summer 2005--HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN--The director of a trailer that played in some theaters in the United States and Canada (mainly the latter), Hobo with a Shotgun, Jason Eisener, also made a feature-length adaptation of it. Rutger Hauerreplaced Dave Brunt as the titular character, though Brunt does make a cameo as a corrupt cop.
The adaptations received mainly positive reviews, with the general consensus being that they were cartoonishly enjoyable and gleefully violent homages to their reasons for being. Although Hobo with a Shotgun was not as big a box office success in the U.S. as it was in Canada, it has since gained a cult following there.
Summer 2005--GRINDHOUSE--"Planet Terror"--Sheriff McGraw appears again, this time with wife and daughter. Red Apples appear. The recent death of Jungle Janice (from Death Proof) is mentioned. The doctor seen in Death Proof is a central character in Planet Terror. Note that many zombie films are in the TVCU, thanks to crossovers, and most of those films end with the world being overrun with zombies. However, for TVCU purposes, we must adjust the endings so that just a town was overrun, before being contained by the military and covered up by the government.
November 2005--THANKSGIVING--Eli Roth's contribution is a promo for the slasher opus Thanksgiving. Produced in the style ofholiday-based slasher films such as Halloween, Black Christmas, April Fool's Day and My Bloody Valentine,[8] the trailer starred Jeff Rendell as a killer who stalks victims dressed as a pilgrim; Jordan Ladd, Jay Hernandez, and Roth himself as his intended victims; and Michael Biehn as the Sheriff. The design for the titles in Thanksgiving was based on a Mad magazine slasher parody titled Arbor Day.[6] Select excerpts of the score from Creepshow were used.
According to Roth, "My friend Jeff, who plays the killer pilgrim – we grew up in Massachusetts, we were huge slasher movie fans and every November we were waiting for the Thanksgiving slasher movie. We had the whole movie worked out: A kid who's in love with a turkey, and then his father killed it, and then he killed his family and went away to a mental institution and came back and took revenge on the town. I called Jeff and said, 'Dude, guess what, we don't have to make the movie, we can just shoot the best parts.'"[6] "Shooting the trailer was so much fun," Roth has stated, "because every shot is a money shot. Every shot is decapitation or nudity. It's so ridiculous, it's absurd. It's just so wrong and sick that it's right."[8]
Roth's fake trailer contained elements that almost earned Grindhouse an NC-17 rating, including a cheerleader simultaneously stripping, bouncing on a trampoline and getting stabbed in the vulva, and three decapitations, one of which occurring as the victim's girlfriend performs fellatio on him. According to Roth, "Instead of seeing it spread out in a feature, watching it all jammed together nonstop makes it more shocking. But we had a great discussion with the ratings board. They got it. Once they saw it with all the bad splices and the distress and scratches they were fine with it."[8] Roth confirmed in an interview with Cinema Blend's Eric Eisenberg that he and co-writer Jeff Rendell are working on a possible feature film.[15]
2006--MACHETE--Lucas Cano, (Machete) an ex-bodyguard for the Mexican President, tired of his life style, retires to a remote small town in Mexico, in hope of finding peace. But things do not work out for him the way he wants them to. First, he must confront several drug dealers who smuggle illegal immigrants into the United States, forcing them to smuggle drugs. Then, Machete finds out that his old Vietnam friend, who now works for the CIA in Arizona, has been assigned to arrest Machete, and take him back to the US for some old charges. Machete's health is deteriorating rapidly. He is constantly bleeding internally, but he won't stop drinking and smoking. Panchito is a little boy Machete met in a street fight, and the little boy, claiming not to have any family, decides to hang out with Machete and tries to help him change his life style. Machete does not know that a higher power is watching out for him. Panchito is an angel sent by God to save his body and soul. Esperanza (Pelancho) meets Machete when one of the drug dealers (and immigrant smugglers) tries to rape her. Esperanza immediately feels a connection between them, but can't tell what it is. Machete gets the same feeling and starts to investigate who the girl is and where she come from. Esperanza's mother, convinced by the local priest to tell Esperanza the connection between her and Machete, confesses to her but it is too late. Machete has been shot by Ruidoso and is dying. The Devil is also involved. Machete Is also the uncle of the spy Kids. (Thanks, Mattkind.)
2006--MACHETE--Lucas Cano, (Machete) an ex-bodyguard for the Mexican President, tired of his life style, retires to a remote small town in Mexico, in hope of finding peace. But things do not work out for him the way he wants them to. First, he must confront several drug dealers who smuggle illegal immigrants into the United States, forcing them to smuggle drugs. Then, Machete finds out that his old Vietnam friend, who now works for the CIA in Arizona, has been assigned to arrest Machete, and take him back to the US for some old charges. Machete's health is deteriorating rapidly. He is constantly bleeding internally, but he won't stop drinking and smoking. Panchito is a little boy Machete met in a street fight, and the little boy, claiming not to have any family, decides to hang out with Machete and tries to help him change his life style. Machete does not know that a higher power is watching out for him. Panchito is an angel sent by God to save his body and soul. Esperanza (Pelancho) meets Machete when one of the drug dealers (and immigrant smugglers) tries to rape her. Esperanza immediately feels a connection between them, but can't tell what it is. Machete gets the same feeling and starts to investigate who the girl is and where she come from. Esperanza's mother, convinced by the local priest to tell Esperanza the connection between her and Machete, confesses to her but it is too late. Machete has been shot by Ruidoso and is dying. The Devil is also involved. Machete Is also the uncle of the spy Kids. (Thanks, Mattkind.)
Spring 2011--COMMUNITY--The mysterious briefcase and its contents last seen in PULP FICTION makes an appearance.
Summer 2011--KILL BILL VOLUME 3--No, this hasn't come out yet. It's still in the "announced" status, but Tarantino stated way back when that if there was a volume 3, he'd want it to be 10 years later, thus the date placement.
Late 2011--SPY KIDS: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD IN 4-D--A retired spy is called back into action, and to bond with her new step-children, she invites them along for the adventure to stop the evil Timekeeper from taking over the world.
2013--MACHETE KILLS--The U.S. government recruits Machete to battle his way through Mexico in order to take down an arms dealer who looks to launch a weapon into space.
ALTERNATE REALITES:
CINEMULTIVERSE--Here are the works of Tarantino and Rodriguez that haven't been giving a crossover connection to make it into the TVCU yet: LOVE BIRDS IN BONDAGE, MY BEST FRIEND'S BIRTHDAY, VEGETABLES, EDDIE PRESLEY, THE CORIOLIS EFFECT, SLEEP WITH ME, SOMEBODY TO LOVE, DESTINY TURNS ON THE RADIO, DANCE ME TO THE END OF LOVE, GIRL 6, JACKIE BROWN, SUKIJAKI WESTERN DJANGO, DIARY OF THE DEAD, NATURAL BORN KILLERS, DJANGO UNCHAINED (the Django character may actually be in, but I'm unsure so I'll place it here for now, and when my crew tells me I messed up, I'll move it when I update in six months), SIN CITY, BEDHEAD, DEL CASTILLO, THE ADVENTURES OF SHARKBOY AND LAVAGIRL 3-D, CURANDERO, FAMOUS, BULLFIGHTER, HIGH HOPES, THE UNITED MONSTER TALENT AGENCY, AMELIA'S 25TH
GOLDEN GIRLS UNIVERSE--Tarantino played an Elvis impersonator in the GOLDEN GIRLS episode "Sophia's Wedding".
LOONIVERSE--Tarantino played Master Moloch in the DUCK DODGERS episode "Master & Disaster".
TOOBWORLD--Tarantino played Desmond in the ALL-AMERICAN GIRL episode "Pulp Sitcom". Rodrigues directs the REBEL HIGHWAY episode "Roadracers".
Hey Rob,
ReplyDeleteThere's a couple of Music videos you may want to include here by Lady Gaga. The one with the Tarantino connection is "Telephone" with Beyonce. In that video, Honey Bee (Beyonce) picks up Lady Gaga from prison in The Pussy Wagon from Kill Bill. Apparently, Gaga was having lunch with Tarantino and was describing the video concept to him and he told her she had to use The Pussy Wagon and lent it to her for the video.
Telephone's video clip is a direct sequel to her Paparazzi video clip.
Brad