Listen free for 30 days
-
Cinema Speculation
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Quentin Tarantino
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $40.01
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
You may also enjoy...
-
Once upon a Time in Hollywood
- A Novel
- Written by: Quentin Tarantino
- Narrated by: Jennifer Jason Leigh
- Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Quentin Tarantino’s long-awaited first work of fiction - at once hilarious, delicious, and brutal - is the always surprising, sometimes shocking new novel based on his Academy Award-winning film.
-
-
booooooring
- By Amazon Customer on 2021-08-06
Written by: Quentin Tarantino
-
The Coen Brothers
- Written by: Adam Nayman
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From such cult hits as Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski to major critical darlings Fargo, No Country for Old Men, and Inside Llewyn Davis, Ethan and Joel Coen have cultivated a bleakly comical, instantly recognizable voice in modern American cinema. Film critic Adam Nayman carefully sifts through their complex cinematic universe in an effort to plot, as he puts it, "some Grand Unified Theory of Coen-ness." The book combines critical text with a visual aesthetic that honors the Coens' singular mix of darkness and levity.
-
-
Inspirational
- By Kevin on 2023-05-28
Written by: Adam Nayman
-
Heat 2
- A Novel
- Written by: Michael Mann, Meg Gardiner
- Narrated by: Peter Giles
- Length: 18 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Michael Mann, four-time-Oscar-nominated writer-director of The Last of the Mohicans, The Insider, Ali, Miami Vice, Collateral, and Heat teams up with Edgar Award–winning author Meg Gardiner to deliver Mann’s first novel, an explosive return to the universe and characters of his classic crime film—with an all-new story unfolding in the years before and after the iconic movie.
-
-
Not my kind of narrator
- By Jaz on 2023-01-29
Written by: Michael Mann, and others
-
The Philosophy of Modern Song
- Written by: Bob Dylan
- Narrated by: Bob Dylan, Jeff Bridges, Steve Buscemi, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dylan, who began working on the book in 2010, offers his insight into the nature of popular music. He writes over sixty essays focusing on songs by other artists, spanning from Stephen Foster to Elvis Costello, and in between ranging from Hank Williams to Nina Simone. He analyzes what he calls the trap of easy rhymes, breaks down how the addition of a single syllable can diminish a song, and even explains how bluegrass relates to heavy metal. These essays are written in Dylan’s unique prose. And while ostensibly about music, they are really meditations on the human condition.
-
-
I loved it
- By Amazon Customer on 2023-06-04
Written by: Bob Dylan
-
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls
- How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood
- Written by: Peter Biskind
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 23 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Easy Rider, Raging Bulls follows the wild ride that was Hollywood in the 70s - an unabashed celebration of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll (both on screen and off) and a climate where innovation and experimentation reigned supreme.
-
-
Can a performance be rated 6 stars?
- By Amazon Customer on 2023-11-19
Written by: Peter Biskind
-
Wild and Crazy Guys
- How the Comedy Mavericks of the '80s Changed Hollywood Forever
- Written by: Nick de Semlyen
- Narrated by: Curtis Armstrong
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The behind-the-scenes story of the iconic funnymen who ruled '80s Hollywood - Bill Murray, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and Eddie Murphy - and the beloved films that made them stars, including Animal House, Caddyshack, and Ghostbusters.
-
-
A great listen about a great time in comedy
- By Anonymous User on 2023-05-15
Written by: Nick de Semlyen
-
Once upon a Time in Hollywood
- A Novel
- Written by: Quentin Tarantino
- Narrated by: Jennifer Jason Leigh
- Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Quentin Tarantino’s long-awaited first work of fiction - at once hilarious, delicious, and brutal - is the always surprising, sometimes shocking new novel based on his Academy Award-winning film.
-
-
booooooring
- By Amazon Customer on 2021-08-06
Written by: Quentin Tarantino
-
The Coen Brothers
- Written by: Adam Nayman
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From such cult hits as Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski to major critical darlings Fargo, No Country for Old Men, and Inside Llewyn Davis, Ethan and Joel Coen have cultivated a bleakly comical, instantly recognizable voice in modern American cinema. Film critic Adam Nayman carefully sifts through their complex cinematic universe in an effort to plot, as he puts it, "some Grand Unified Theory of Coen-ness." The book combines critical text with a visual aesthetic that honors the Coens' singular mix of darkness and levity.
-
-
Inspirational
- By Kevin on 2023-05-28
Written by: Adam Nayman
-
Heat 2
- A Novel
- Written by: Michael Mann, Meg Gardiner
- Narrated by: Peter Giles
- Length: 18 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Michael Mann, four-time-Oscar-nominated writer-director of The Last of the Mohicans, The Insider, Ali, Miami Vice, Collateral, and Heat teams up with Edgar Award–winning author Meg Gardiner to deliver Mann’s first novel, an explosive return to the universe and characters of his classic crime film—with an all-new story unfolding in the years before and after the iconic movie.
-
-
Not my kind of narrator
- By Jaz on 2023-01-29
Written by: Michael Mann, and others
-
The Philosophy of Modern Song
- Written by: Bob Dylan
- Narrated by: Bob Dylan, Jeff Bridges, Steve Buscemi, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dylan, who began working on the book in 2010, offers his insight into the nature of popular music. He writes over sixty essays focusing on songs by other artists, spanning from Stephen Foster to Elvis Costello, and in between ranging from Hank Williams to Nina Simone. He analyzes what he calls the trap of easy rhymes, breaks down how the addition of a single syllable can diminish a song, and even explains how bluegrass relates to heavy metal. These essays are written in Dylan’s unique prose. And while ostensibly about music, they are really meditations on the human condition.
-
-
I loved it
- By Amazon Customer on 2023-06-04
Written by: Bob Dylan
-
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls
- How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood
- Written by: Peter Biskind
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 23 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Easy Rider, Raging Bulls follows the wild ride that was Hollywood in the 70s - an unabashed celebration of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll (both on screen and off) and a climate where innovation and experimentation reigned supreme.
-
-
Can a performance be rated 6 stars?
- By Amazon Customer on 2023-11-19
Written by: Peter Biskind
-
Wild and Crazy Guys
- How the Comedy Mavericks of the '80s Changed Hollywood Forever
- Written by: Nick de Semlyen
- Narrated by: Curtis Armstrong
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The behind-the-scenes story of the iconic funnymen who ruled '80s Hollywood - Bill Murray, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and Eddie Murphy - and the beloved films that made them stars, including Animal House, Caddyshack, and Ghostbusters.
-
-
A great listen about a great time in comedy
- By Anonymous User on 2023-05-15
Written by: Nick de Semlyen
-
The Creative Act
- A Way of Being
- Written by: Rick Rubin
- Narrated by: Rick Rubin
- Length: 5 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Many famed music producers are known for a particular sound that has its day. Rick Rubin is known for something else: creating a space where artists of all different genres and traditions can home in on who they really are and what they really offer. He has made a practice of helping people transcend their self-imposed expectations in order to reconnect with a state of innocence from which the surprising becomes inevitable. Over the years, he has learned that being an artist isn’t about your specific output, it’s about your relationship to the world.
-
-
Wow, life changing book
- By Stephen Nash on 2023-01-24
Written by: Rick Rubin
-
Best. Movie. Year. Ever.
- How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen
- Written by: Brian Raftery
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From a veteran culture writer and modern movie expert, a celebration and analysis of the movies of 1999 - arguably the most groundbreaking year in American cinematic history.
-
-
Enjoyable!
- By Anonymous on 2020-08-27
Written by: Brian Raftery
-
Oscar Wars
- A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears
- Written by: Michael Schulman
- Narrated by: Charlie Thurston
- Length: 21 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Oscar Wars, Michael Schulman chronicles the remarkable, sprawling history of the Academy Awards and the personal dramas—some iconic, others never-before-revealed—that have played out on the stage and off camera. Unlike other books on the subject, each chapter takes a deep dive into a particular year, conflict, or even category that tells a larger story of cultural change, from Louis B. Mayer to Moonlight. Schulman examines how the red carpet runs through contested turf, and the victors aren't always as clear as the names drawn from envelopes.
-
-
Fascinating
- By Amazon Customer on 2024-01-15
Written by: Michael Schulman
-
The Nineties
- A Book
- Written by: Chuck Klosterman
- Narrated by: Chuck Klosterman, Dion Graham
- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It was long ago, but not as long as it seems: The Berlin Wall fell and the Twin Towers collapsed. In between, one presidential election was allegedly decided by Ross Perot while another was plausibly decided by Ralph Nader. In the beginning, almost every name and address was listed in a phone book, and everyone answered their landlines because you didn’t know who it was. By the end, exposing someone’s address was an act of emotional violence, and nobody picked up their new cell phone if they didn’t know who it was.
-
-
This Explains Me
- By Karen W. Lam on 2023-01-16
Written by: Chuck Klosterman
-
Story
- Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting
- Written by: Robert McKee
- Narrated by: Robert McKee
- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert McKee's screenwriting workshops have earned him an international reputation for inspiring novices, refining works in progress, and putting major screenwriting careers back on track. Quincy Jones, Diane Keaton, Gloria Steinem, Julia Roberts, John Cleese, and David Bowie are just a few of his celebrity alumni. Writers, producers, development executives, and agents all flock to his lecture series, praising it as a mesmerizing and intense learning experience.
-
-
Very informative
- By elc on 2023-10-22
Written by: Robert McKee
-
How Not to Make a Short Film
- Secrets from a Sundance Programmer
- Written by: Roberta Marie Munroe
- Narrated by: Roberta Marie Munroe
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Featuring interviews with many of today's most talented writers, producers, and directors, as well as revealing stories (e.g., what to do when the skinhead crack addict next door begins screaming obscenities as soon as you call "action") from the sets of her own short films, Roberta walks you through the minefield of mistakes that an aspiring filmmaker can make - so that you don't have to make them yourself.
Written by: Roberta Marie Munroe
-
Hollywood: The Oral History
- Written by: Jeanine Basinger, Sam Wasson
- Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon, Marni Penning
- Length: 28 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the archives of the American Film Institute comes a unique picture of what it was like to work in Hollywood from its beginnings to its present day. Gleaned from nearly three thousand interviews, involving four hundred voices from the industry, Hollywood: The Oral History, lets a listener “listen in” on candid remarks from the biggest names in front of the camera—Bette Davis, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Harold Lloyd—to the biggest behind it—Frank Capra, Steven Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock, Jordan Peele, as well as the lesser known individuals that shaped what was heard and seen on screen.
-
-
A must listen for cinephiles
- By Levi McCaan on 2023-05-14
Written by: Jeanine Basinger, and others
-
Something Like an Autobiography
- Written by: Akira Kurosawa
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The distinguished filmmaker chronicles his life, from his birth in 1910 to the worldwide success in 1950 of his film Rashomon, and provides a provocative account of the Japanese film industry.
Written by: Akira Kurosawa
-
The Neil Gaiman Reader
- Fiction
- Written by: Neil Gaiman
- Narrated by: Neil Gaiman, George Guidall, Lenny Henry, and others
- Length: 27 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Spanning Gaiman’s career to date, The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction is a captivating collection from one of the world’s most beloved writers, chosen by those who know his work best: his devoted fans. A brilliant representation of Gaiman's groundbreaking, entrancing, endlessly imaginative fiction, this captivating volume includes excerpts from each of his five novels for adults—Neverwhere, Stardust, American Gods, Anansi Boys, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane—and nearly fifty of his short stories.
Written by: Neil Gaiman
-
The Price of Peace
- Money, Democracy, and the Life of John Maynard Keynes
- Written by: Zachary D. Carter
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 22 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the dawn of World War I, a young academic named John Maynard Keynes hastily folded his long legs into the sidecar of his brother-in-law’s motorcycle for an odd, frantic journey that would change the course of history. Swept away from his placid home at Cambridge University by the currents of the conflict, Keynes found himself thrust into the halls of European treasuries to arrange emergency loans and packed off to America to negotiate the terms of economic combat.
-
-
Overall fine, some glaring holes
- By Amazon Customer on 2022-01-22
Written by: Zachary D. Carter
-
Martin Scorsese
- A Journey
- Written by: Mary Pat Kelly, Leonardo DiCaprio, Steven Spielberg
- Narrated by: Nancy Linari, P.J. Ochlan
- Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Few filmmakers, if any, make the kind of impact that Martin Scorsese has made on American cinema. The winner of every prestigious film award, including the Oscar, Scorsese is a living legend. Bestselling author and award-winning filmmaker Mary Pat Kelly’s groundbreaking biography reveals how this working-class boy from Manhattan’s Little Italy became one of our most acclaimed, celebrated, and influential filmmakers. Martin Scorsese: A Journey maps Scorsese’s personal and artistic evolution.
Written by: Mary Pat Kelly, and others
-
The Science of Storytelling
- Written by: Will Storr
- Narrated by: James Clamp
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How do master storytellers compel us? There have been many attempts to understand what makes a good story, but few have used a scientific approach. In The Science of Storytelling, Will Storr applies dazzling psychological research and cutting-edge neuroscience to our myths and archetypes to show how we can tell better stories, revealing, among other things, how storytellers - and also our brains - create worlds by being attuned to moments of unexpected change.
-
-
Confusing at first, but brings it together
- By Monica B on 2023-01-08
Written by: Will Storr
Publisher's Summary
Instant New York Times bestseller
The long-awaited first work of nonfiction from the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: a deliriously entertaining, wickedly intelligent cinema book as unique and creative as anything by Quentin Tarantino.
In addition to being among the most celebrated of contemporary filmmakers, Quentin Tarantino is possibly the most joyously infectious movie lover alive. For years he has touted in interviews his eventual turn to writing books about films. Now, with Cinema Speculation, the time has come, and the results are everything his passionate fans—and all movie lovers—could have hoped for. Organized around key American films from the 1970s, all of which he first saw as a young moviegoer at the time, this book is as intellectually rigorous and insightful as it is rollicking and entertaining. At once film criticism, film theory, a feat of reporting, and wonderful personal history, it is all written in the singular voice recognizable immediately as QT’s and with the rare perspective about cinema possible only from one of the greatest practitioners of the artform ever.
The audiobook is narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, and features Quentin Tarantino reading the first and last chapters. A perfect listen for all fans!
More from the same
What listeners say about Cinema Speculation
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alex Chapman
- 2022-11-24
Good But Disappointing
the reason it is disappointing is the fact that Quentin Tarantino only reads the first and last chapter out of like 20 chapters so if you're looking for Quentin Tarantino to read the whole book don't buy this book I wish I could return it genuinely feel like I was clickbaited but it's well written because it's Quentin Tarantino and he writes the best but I was extremely disappointed that he didn't want to make the effort to read the whole book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kelly Coe-hegy
- 2023-07-10
Great energy .. but not at all what I thought
Qi’s ability to tell stories is pretty awesome. But the play by play breakdown of some movies in this book wasn’t what I expected and I wasn’t as interested in those details as in the reason Q got into this crazy industry..
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alan Draven
- 2022-12-19
QT's First Nonfiction Book
Quentin Tarantino is a man who needs no introduction. An accomplished director, screenwriter, sometimes actor, and you can now add novelist and author to that list. In June 2021, he published the novelization of his masterpiece, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and it met my high expectations, proving to be a well-written, insightful novel expanding on the film and giving us an alternate ending to boot. I couldn’t wait for QT’s next book and to my great delight, I didn’t have to wait long: on November 1st, 2022, he gave us the second of his two-book deal with Harper, this time a much-anticipated work of nonfiction.
Cinema Speculation is a unique tome that delves deep into the movies that helped shape Tarantino’s love of film. It focusses mainly on what he considers the greatest decade of filmmaking, the 1970s, and discusses many of his moviegoing experiences as a kid with his mom, going to see double bills, travelling long distances just to catch a showing of a film, and shares his thoughts on why the films he selected to talk about are so important in the grand scheme of things. He goes to great lengths, explaining in detail why movies like Taxi Driver, Rolling Thunder, Rocky, and Dirty Harry, among many others, are still relevant today. He shares some of the conversations he’s had with John Milius, Brian De Palma, Martin Scorsese, John Flynn, Paul Schrader, and many more legendary Hollywood filmmakers, screenwriters, and producers. Tarantino’s passion for film knows no bounds. If you’re a fan of his and have seen even just a handful of interviews with him, you know how passionate he is about the craft and storytelling—it’s like a religion to him. This book illustrates that times ten! QT is a wealth of knowledge and it’s easy to see that if he hadn’t made it as a director/screenwriter, he would’ve assuredly landed a career as a movie critic or film historian.
Cinema Speculation reads like an exhaustive collection of movie reviews and essays, by way of being part film history, part personal history. Sure, he sometimes comes off as elitist in his harsh views, but the man knows his stuff and can defend any of his opinions brilliantly. The only downside with the audiobook is that we only get Quentin narrating the first and last chapters. This is such a missed opportunity of having him read the entire book. The narrator, Edoardo Ballerini, does a terrific job, but once you start with QT, it’s a hard act to follow and Ballerini can never rise to Tarantino’s level—no one could. Still, don’t let that detract you from picking up the audiobook; it’s one of the very best books on film I’ve ever read/heard. It’s like signing up for a masterclass with Quentin Tarantino. What could be better if you’re a film fan or Tarantino aficionado? I hope QT’s on a roll here and treats us to another book—fiction or nonfiction—very soon. As his filmmaking career winds down, it’d be pretty awesome to have him put out novels and books every other year. He’s as good a writer as he is a filmmaker.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mike
- 2022-11-01
Quentin Tarantino is the most unbelievable master of his craft
I love books like this because I went blind later in life and I used to love movies and so they give me insight into movies that I might never be able to see you again . I definitely related best to the movies that I had had the chats to see that Quintin talked about so I think for anybody reading this book they should go back and listen to or watch all the movies beforehand that are talked about this book and then read this book. that being said some of the side bars and addict dots are truly inspiring and it makes me wish I could go back and be in the film industry. if Quentin Tarantino does not make movies anymore he should write books about movies also he should be teaching a masters class to all inspiring film students because he truly is a movie genius
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 2024-01-11
very cool and passionate
love it. we listen and want to watch the films he talks about immediatly. And when it finishes we want more. we want the 90's, 2000, 2010...
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Louis Alexandre Jean
- 2023-12-11
It’s basically a collection of reviews of Tarantino early cinematic influences
If you are a cinema nerd, you will love this book.
Every chapter analyzes and reviews, one specific movie or a small group of related movies.
The selection of movies dissected in this book are the earliest influences of Quentin Tarantino, childhood to teenage years.
I found it very interesting, it made me want to rewatch some 70s Classics, and discover some that I have missed .
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dave
- 2023-08-06
Fascinating and insightful
A series of wonderfully digressive essays from a dude who knows movies better than just about anyone. His analyses of these mostly genre and genre-adjacent pictures are cogent, honest, and often very funny. His histories of how these movies came to be made are flat-out fascinating, as are his speculations about the versions that never were. A must-read for movie nerds.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Eduardo Henrique de A. Silva
- 2023-04-28
What a gem!
If you are a film lover, this is for you!
To get a piece of the mind of Quentin, part narrated by himself, is priceless!
Very interesting!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Leonard Gray
- 2023-04-13
The Book to Read if You’re a Film Fan!
Not only is this an entertaining Listen, Tarantino has made it very factual and intriguing. If you are a fan of film, of various genres, a budding script writer or filmmaker, this is a must read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Guy Roland
- 2023-01-26
Worth every moment.
Although Quentin only reads the first and last chapters, his distinct voice is audible throughout. Great stories. Great history of a young Tarantino, and his influences. Both in life and in cinema.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!