While "Pulp Fiction," "Kill Bill," and "Death Proof" are all widely recognized as films that only could have come from Quentin Tarantino, the DNA of his filmography can be attributed to the movies that made him. His idiosyncrasies, for better or worse, display a filmmaker who had been inspired by a number of different subgenres, each of which gave him a deeper appreciation for the form. Even Tarantino's most original stories feature a great deal of homage.
That said, it still feels strange to...