Part II
If you remember from Part 1, I've listed Stephen Colbert and Kevin Smith as archetype's of Hollywood Geeks. However, one the really stands out in the scene (and one that I consider a god amongst directors) that has acclaimed geek status is Quentin Tarantino. Wikipedia puts him in words a better way than I can:
"...well-known for his public persona as a motor-mouthed, geeky hipster with an encyclopedic knowledge of both popular and art-house cinema."
What makes him a geek? His encyclopedic mind - the fact that he can spit at any information about every single film made on Earth (Note: that is a hyperbole). What makes him a Geek and not a nerd is the fact that Tarantino is a his works aren't only meant for critics, but for subculturist and the mainstream folk as well. Now, the people in the "Mainstream" (People who enjoy Michael Bay movies, the Fast and the Furious, Frat Pack movies, anything with lots of explosions, guns, and cars, etc. Though, don't get me wrong - I enjoy Frat Pack movies and several Michael Bay movies as much as the next guy) value him and his movies because of the amount of violence in them (As to quote Dane Cook, "Everybody loves a little violence in their life."). However, subculturist enjoy his movies because of the many pop cultural references and influences in them. One prime example of this out of Tarantino's movies is Kill Bill Volume I & II. There are many East Asian fun facts throughout the movie that Quentin Tarantino can just sit down and point out in every minute of the movie. There are many examples, but to list a few:
- Hattori Hanzo is based on an old Japanese historical figure that has been depicted in many movies and television shows, and the man playing Hanzo, Sonny Chiba, took on the role of Hattori Hanzo in Japan's Kage no Gundan.
-The plot line of Kill Bill is also based around The Five Deadly Venoms, a Hong Kong Martial Arts cult film from '78.
-Pai Mei is also based off a Chinese historical figure, and the character has been featured in several old
- He's also portrays a scene similar to that of the opening of Samurai Fiction, with the lights turned off and the blue drop-off in the background.
- The yellow jump suit the Bride is wearing is the same one that Bruce Lee wore in his final movie, The Game of Death; the masks that the Crazy 88 wore are a nod to Bruce Lee's work in The Green Hornet
The point is - Quentin Tarantino is a geek himself. And a god.
I believe I've got my point across as to what geeks are: likable, social, bitchin', culturally refined intellectuals. As for nerds well, there aren't really any great examples. Why? Because a) You probably have never heard of them and b) Neither have
To sum it up: Geeks are intellectuals who can actually pull away from their hobbies and Geeky obsessions and go out - have a life, get some friends outside of the Geek clique, get some fresh air, can actually do a push-up, have some appeal, mate, know what's going on outside of their own little world, and actually socialize with the opposite sex. Nerds? Still living with their parents, either in a room or their basement, with bookshelves filled with fantasy and/or science fiction novels, playing D&D, with the internet as the only means of communcation with the outside world. As you're reading this they're eBaying for that Ultimate Star Wars collection set and putting their house up for mortgage... again. If they're more obsessed with getting the original VISOR that LeVar Burton on the set of Star Trek rather than getting with somebody of the opposite sex - then
Does an obsession consume your life - or do you take control of it?
Henry "Pootie Chang" Pham