Listen to Quentin Tarantino and Hollywood Theatre Programmer Dan Halsted Talk Kung Fu Movies on the Pure Cinema Podcast

Just two film geeks geekin' out.

Dan Halsted in his film archive at Hollywood Theatre, next to a post for the Italian version of "Kung Fu Queen" given to him by Quentin Tarantino. IMAGE: Rocky Burnside.
By Matthew Singer

Dan Halsted and Quentin Tarantino were made for each other.

Neither of them, presumably, would take any offense at being referred to as a 99th percentile film geek. Halsted, in particular, is one of the country's foremost collectors of classic kung fu cinema—the programmer at the Hollywood Theatre owns a trove of rare prints, which he keeps in a vault underneath the iconic cinema in Northeast Portland.

Related: Hollywood Theatre's Archive is Home to a Kung Fu Film Collection Coveted by the Likes of Quentin Tarantino and RZA.

His collection is so impressive it drew Tarantino—a guy who knows a thing or two about martial arts movies himself—to the Hollywood back in 2015, when the Oscar-winning director made a special appearance during a screening of his film The Hateful Eight. The two went out drinking afterward and have been buddies ever since. Halsted even loans him movies from time to time.

Now, the two are nerding out together in public. Tarantino recently invited Halsted to talk kung fu flicks with him on an episode of the Pure Cinema podcast. It's a long and wide-ranging discussion that goes about two hours, but hey, you've surely got the time?

Stream the episode below.

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