100 Things challenge - 1/100 - Pulp Fiction

[erynwen]

'The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides with the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon those with great vengeance and with furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know that my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.'

There are movies I have a clear view of. I love them, or I hate them. (Or I love a specific actor in them while hating the rest, but that's another story *gg*).

This is not a movie like those others.

I have rather mixed feelings about it, hate and love it to equal parts, and I can't really put my finger on the reasons for either.



We watched this once in class, and many of my classmates afterwards said they didn't get the movie, that it was too chaotic, too complicated.
For me, exactly in this lies the appeal of the movie.

The chronological order is completely messed up, and people who just died are walking around in ugly T-Shirts and have breakfast. We never find out what exactly is in the suitcase Vince and Jules carry around with them all of the time (I think it's cocain, but it could be anything really.)



There are really long, really strange and disturbing monologs that seem rather pointless (yes, the watch is important to Bruce Willis, no one needed to hear about Christopher Walkens arse *gg*), and discussions about burgers and foot massages and coffee.
People get killed, beaten up, almost die of an overdose, are shot in the face and rob a diner (I love Tim Roth so much in these scenes, you wouldn't believe).



Does this make Pulp Fiction a good movie, or a bad one? It all comes down to the question: Do you like Quentin Tarantino's work, do you know what he's trying to do and trying to tell, can you forget everything you know about good film making to watch this?

I sometimes find it hard, to let myself being dragged into these stories. I've watched this movie many, many times, but each and every time, I have to be in a very special mood, and each and every time, there are moments when I just want to fast forward to a point where I don't have to roll my eyes anymore. When Bruce Willis and Ving Rhames are in this basement, gagged and beaten up, I just want to hit Quentin with something hard. Every single time.



The movie leaves me blinking, grinning, or shaking my head, depending on my mood. But it is my one of my favourite movies by Tarantino, in a very strange, twisted way *gg*

(And I'm not the only one, Til Schweiger directed and starred "Der Eisbär" (The Ice Bear), which is one big rip off, down to the burger discussion *gg*)






Master Post

Comments

[gobbolina.livejournal.com]

I. Love. It. It love that movie so much. I can't believe I watched it for the first time just a couple of years ago. I love it because it's messed upt, because it's somehow pointless and well... Whish Steve Buscemi had a bigger part. The watch monologue is one of the best movie parts ever. ;o)
I like Tarantino's movies.

[erynwen.livejournal.com]

I do, too. Well except for Jackie Brown, and I'm not the biggest fan of Death Proof. I'm really looking forward to Django Unchained. And a bit afraid *gg*