Brief Synopsis (From Netflix)
A burger-loving hit man (John Travolta), his philosophical partner (Samuel L. Jackson), a drug-addled gangster's moll (Uma Thurman) and a washed-up boxer (Bruce Willis) converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper fueled by director and co-writer Quentin Tarantino's whip-smart dialogue. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time, resulting in one of the most audacious and imitated films of the 1990s.
Jason
Now look, maybe your method of massage differs from mine, but, you know, touchin' his wife's feet, and stickin' your tongue in her Holiest of Holies, ain't the same fuckin' ballpark, it ain't the same league, it ain't even the same fuckin' sport. Look, foot massages don't mean shit.
Its been about ten years since I last saw this movie and for some reason I had this idea that Reservoir Dogs was a better a movie. Now don't get me wrong, Reservoir Dogs is really good, but it pales in comparison to Pulp Fiction. Pulp Fiction has it all humor, violence and Sam Fucking Jackson.
I think my favorite part of this movie is also why it can be frustrating for some people. I really like the fact that each seen is almost like its own short film. I mean if you piece the 6 or 8 scenes together they make a bad ass flick, but even if you watch them individually without the other scenes they are still really great. This to me is so good because I feel like there are no throw away scenes. What I mean is it makes me feel like no scene is more important then another, some are more enjoyable for me personally, but they all use amazing dialogue and acting to make you really understand the intertwining lives of a couple of gangsters, a washed up boxer, a mob boss and his wife.
Final Thought- This movie makes very few mistakes. In fact it might be to good. It makes Tarantino's other movies look like there just trying to reproduce what this movie seemed to accomplish so easily. Hopefully one day he will be able to make another movie as good as this one which some people, myself included, would call his masterpiece. I think we all can tell that I think this movie absolutely deserves to be on this list. In fact it is so good it should probably be higher on the list. I would say at least 50 maybe even higher.
Alfredo
I'm sorry, did I break your concentration? I didn't mean to do that. Please, continue, you were saying something about best intentions. What's the matter? Oh, you were finished! Well, allow me to retort. What does Marsellus Wallace look like?
I could sit here all day doing nothing but replaying that scene over and over again. That's how fantastic it is. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Pulp Fiction is by far Tarentino's best work. It's the movie whose acclaim he's tried to reproduce time and time again and although he's come close once or twice he can't quite hit it. Which really isn't much of a surprise. I mean this movie has it all. An all-star cast, a compelling if not at times disturbing story, bullets and a guy in a gimp suit and really what more could you ask of a movie?
Tarentino does a lot if things right but my favorite thing by far is the soundtracks he picks for his movies. Everything from Reservoir Dog's use of Steelers Wheels' Stuck in the Middle With You to Kill Bill's use of Twisted Nerve by Bernard Herrmann. He has a fantastic way of making some really great music bring back detailed thoughts of men having their ears ripped off and women ODing on really high quality German shit.
Final thoughts- I'll say it again, this is Tarentino's best movie. Every great director should have at least one movie on this list and if he can have only one then this one would have to be it. Although I feel as though it's too low on the list.
Bryan
"Well, I'm a mushroom-cloud-layin' motherfucker, motherfucker! Every time my fingers touch brain, I'm Superfly T.N.T., I'm the Guns of the Navarone! IN FACT, WHAT THE FUCK AM I DOIN' IN THE BACK? YOU'RE THE MOTHERFUCKER WHO SHOULD BE ON BRAIN DETAIL! We're fuckin' switchin'! I'm washin' the windows, and you're pickin' up this n*****'s skull!"
Awesome movie. This cast is full of some of the most talented actors of it's day, and I consider their performances here as among their best. The role of Jules is how I will always think of Samuel L. Jackson. It's telling that without discussing it with anyone, the 2 posters before me both chose lines from Jackson as well to start their post.
And it isn't because his character just lucked out in the script. All of the dialogue is top notch. Equal weight is given to character building and plot development, which is quite a task considering how large an ensemble it is, and how complex the story is. But both work wonderfully, and play off each other. It is rare in a movie for everything to click, and Pulp Fiction pulls it off.
I am surprised this movie is only 94 on the list. It is head and shoulders above everything we've screened so far. I'd absolutely move it further up.
For most of the reviews we've written so far, I've found myself having to list the good aspects of the movie to even out my review, so that I wasn't simply trashing it. I now find myself having trouble doing the opposite. I am glorifying this movie, but struggling to find things that detract from my experience. The fact that I can't easily list any shortcomings speaks volumes.
The one note I would add about this movie is that it is best viewed multiple times. Our viewing was overwhelmingly positive in part because we've all seen it before. Had any of us been watching for the first time, the lack of chronological progression and unorthodox storytelling technique can be confusing. The movie is so self referential that the tiny minutia, which we were enjoying because we knew what was coming, is only really appreciated on a second look. If I remember correctly, my first time was not as awesome as this viewing was.
So this movie is an "unrealistic motherfucker. Motherfuckers who thought their ass would age like wine." It just gets better and better. (Sorry, the dialogue is so well written I couldn't contain myself to one quote).
Final Thought - This absolutely belongs on the list, and I would strenuously argue that it deserves better than spot 94. In my mind it isn't a film that just managed to make the list, but has solidly won it's place.
Angel
"When I bring an OD dying bitch into your house, I'll stab her with the big fucking needle"
Ideally my cohorts and I would bring something a little different every couple of days, showcasing the differences in out tastes in film. We should in fact feel more or less a little bit differently about all the films. This is most definitely NOT one of those films!!!
I loved this film. Words can not describe the amount of guiltless enjoyment that I had while watching this movie. To be honest, if I really think about it, I have no idea what the film is really about. That does not matter though, it does not have to make sense. The plot of the story is not what shines in the film.
The best part of the film are the characters. The casting is absolutely fabulous. Choosing any other actors to portray these characters and the film would fall flat. Especially Sam Jackson. His delivery and lines make the entire film In fact, if you sat down and thought of the most bad ass lines Samuel L. Jackson could say, then thought of a list of almost-as-awesome lines, AND THEN linked all those lines together in an almost coherent story you would have Pulp Fiction.
Final Thoughts- I have been waiting for a film that absolutely knocks me off my feet. This is one of them. There are tons of line from the film that we all love. We are constantly using the lines with one and another. It is a film that stayed with me the first time that I saw, it and it will stay with me in the future. This is the first film that belongs on this list.
I actually hate Quentin Tarantino movies because he's a racist douche who cribs all his stuff from Asian/classic/other people’s cinema but that's got more to do with the type of film he's considered the pioneer of: post-modern cinema. And post-modernism is all about references, nostalgia and pastiche; a mish-mash collage of stuff that has been done before, but tweaked and seen through ironic, critical or loving commentary. But it would take forever to detail all the aspects of post-modernism in art and culture, even when it comes to just film, so that’s all I can probably explain without boring/confusing anyone.
ReplyDeleteDespite how much I absolutely despite Tarantino’s other movies, I admit that Pulp Fiction is his best, and therefore, watchable. But it’s got Samuel L. Jackson and Chirstopher Walken so, clearly, at least he knows how to cast.
The reason you guys all love it is because 1) it’s a TOTAL guys movie, 2) it’s post-modern (even if you don’t know what that means) and 3) we’ve been “trained” to absorb our media this way.
Basically, because of commercials, TV shows, MTV, etc... our younger generations watch FAST movies, if you get what I mean. We like fast editing, fast plots, fast speech, fast action, fast EVERYTHING. We want to be blown away by the sheer amount of crap that happens in the 90-120 minutes we spend watching a movie.
That’s why older movies bore younger people, because we’re not all used to slowing down, to pacing ourselves when it comes to absorbing a movie. And that’s also why older, slower movies can have greater depth in fewer actions. You all criticized the older movies on this list for not much happening - like that’s a bad thing. Well, when someone from an older generation (like the members of the Academy who voted on this list) watched a movie like Pulp Fiction, they probably thought too MUCH happened.
So... yeah. If anyone made it through this comment, I applaud them.
I'm totally with you regarding it being post-modern, but I'm not sure I see that as a critique as much as you seem to. Certainly our post modern culture irks me at times (like when people think a reference to a "one-armed man" is a quote from The Mask, and don't think of the Fugitive, for example). But a movie that captures this ethos is just as viable as a film that captures the soul of the vaudeville cinema, and all of us voted yes for Yankee Doodle Dandy. Part of what drew me into participating in this blog is that I am frustrated by the way modern culture is willing to rely on superficial references without any knowledge of the source. (Like knowing "go ahead, make my day" but not having any idea who Dirty Harry is). This list has movies that shaped the culture, and ones that I feel I should have seen but have not yet. (I've only seen about half the list).
ReplyDeleteYour critique that some could think too much happened in Pulp Fiction is viable. I can totally see how some viewers would be overwhelmed. And my comment that this movie might need multiple viewings may be a symptom of this complexity. But I'll stand by my critique of films that do not move the plot along.
And while you're right to generalize that newer movies tend to cater to ridiculously short attention spans, I'm not sure that the movies on this list are great examples of that trend. I'm excitedly looking forward to movies on the list from the 40s and 50s, but have trouble with the pacing in Blade Runner (1982) and French Connection (1971).
The newest movie on the list is the Fellowship of the Ring, and that also made me feel like I was wondering in the woods for hours. (I actually like the trilogy, more on that when we get to it, but Fellowship dragged.)
Hey, it really all comes down to your own personal movie preference. Are postmodern movies daring and interesting commentary or are they shameless ripoffs with nothing new to say? Then again, to even generalize all the films in a specific movement/genre is downright ridiculous...
ReplyDeleteMy personal opinion is that I deeply dislike Tarantino movies. They don't appeal to me and it annoys me to no end that his films are SO popular and breathlessly embraced without understanding his references (like you said Hoppe, there are probably a bajillion Hot Topic teens who think the yellow jumpsuit originated with Uma Thurman. Urgh.).
But like I said, this is clearly Tarantino's best work. But I have seriously mixed feelings about the characters and I still think he inserts many things for no reason or without knowing why simply because he's a film geek too - so he thinks it's cool, even though it might not make sense. (I don't get the title cards... why?)
And as for pacing, I can watch any and all movies of any pace; I am of the younger generation but I've also studied film for years and watched some seriously slow stuff. I was simply responding to all of you wondering why Pulp Fiction isn't higher on the list. And I say look at the voters: probably older, industry professionals who've seen a LOT of movies over many, many years. And maybe us young whipperschnappers just don't watch movies the way they do.