Pulp Fiction at 30

[T & P]

Tarantino’s iconic film has just turned 30, and fittingly there has been a reunion of the main characters to mark the occasion, as well as various articles revisiting the film and further analysing its merits and cultural impact.

‘Pulp Fiction’ Cast Reunites and Reminisces on Film’s 30th Anniversary: “It Changed Cinema”

John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman and Harvey Keitel reunited at the TCM Classic Film Festival on Thursday night to toast their 1994 hit.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

I’ve sometimes got the feeling that its cult status and claims by randoms online of being one of the all-time greatest films ever made has resulted in a degree of pushback unwarranted criticism.

Whereas it is not the greatest film ever made or even necessarily a candidate for any top ten greatest films list, it is still fucking undeniably an extremely good film, and a culturally significant one at that. Tarantino’s finest as well in my book.

 

[Silas Loom]

Tarantino’s cameo, though.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Tarantino’s cameo, though.

He does like his cameos.

 

[Silas Loom]

He does like his cameos.

Just one of his many unique qualities.

 

[May Kasahara]

Tarantino’s cameo, though.

One of the worst things ever committed to celluloid. Given the vogue for releasing director's cuts, he should do the decent thing and edit himself out.

 

[T & P]

Tarantino’s cameo, though.

I always thought he can’t act for shit for the most part. That’s even before you discuss his obsession with using the N word, which is particularly problematic when uttered by his character in Pulp Fiction. Was similarly amateurish in Reservoir Dogs. As it happens I thought his acting performance in From Dusk Till Dawn was actually fairly competent, but it feels the exception to the rule.

 

[May Kasahara]

I always thought he can’t act for shit. That’s even before you discuss his obsession with using the N word, which is particularly problematic when uttered by his character in Pulp Fiction.

Not to mention the weird way he makes Samuel L Jackson's character, arguably the de facto leading man by virtue of sheer charisma, suddenly bow, scrape and tug his forelock to this inconsequential schlub who lets them hide out in his garage for a few scenes. Nothing concerning about that power dynamic eh Quent

 

[Saul Goodman]

As it happens I thought his acting performance in From Dusk Till Dawn was actually fairly competent. In PF though it was dreadful.

Probably his best, but that isn't saying much. He even managed to be shit in Reservoir Dogs.

 

[Silas Loom]

Probably his best, but that isn't saying much. He even managed to be shit in Reservoir Dogs.

He wanted to be Mr Pink, originally. Imagine how bad that would have been.

 

[Saul Goodman]

He wanted to be Mr Pink, originally. Imagine how bad that would have been.

Although I can imagine him not tipping.

 

[T & P]

Not to mention the weird way he makes Samuel L Jackson's character, arguably the de facto leading man by virtue of sheer charisma, suddenly bow, scrape and tug his forelock to this inconsequential schlub who lets them hide out in his garage for a few scenes. Nothing concerning about that power dynamic eh Quent

I must say I never got that vibe whenever I watched the film, and don’t see it now after you have proposed it.

Jackson’s character is an Alpha player who doesn’t bow to anyone including his own boss if he feels he’s found himself in a fucked up situation for no fault of his own. But he operates by his own moral code and despite being a gangster and assassin he respects the fact that he has invaded a friend’s space and asked them for a favour thst could cost his friend his marriage and even freedom. So he rightly berates Travolta for taking lightly the fact that Jimmy is understandably grumpy at their arrival, and that Travolta has messed up the towel.

To me squares up with the concept of respect/ disrespect we’ve seen in countless gangster films or series.

 

[krtek a houby]

Mixed feelings about the film, it's a real blokey movie and the hype at the time was out of proportion. There were better films that year, imho.

 

[T & P]

Mixed feelings about the film, it's a real blokey movie and the hype at the time was out of proportion. There were better films that year, imho.

But it didn’t do particularly well at the Academy Awards. Forrest Gump scooped up most of the main awards. I’ll let you decide how deserving its near clean sweep is when viewed in 2024.

Problematic themes aside, PF remains one of the reference films of cinematic excellence of the last few decades. The seemingly irrelevant yet captivating anecdotal dialogue, non-linear storytelling, lack of any atmospheric soundtrack suites using iconic songs of the past to great effect instead, and fantastically good performances out of even faded actors nobody would have given the time of day to, culminated whether by design or luck into an extremely talented and fresh film.

I know one can easily be drawn to developing an automatic scepticism towards something the rest of the world has been wanking off to endlessly. But as someone old enough to have experienced it for the first time as it first hit the cinemas as a completely unknown underdog film, it remains in my eyes as a fucking great and iconic piece of filmmaking.

 

[nightowl]

Not to mention the weird way he makes Samuel L Jackson's character, arguably the de facto leading man by virtue of sheer charisma, suddenly bow, scrape and tug his forelock to this inconsequential schlub who lets them hide out in his garage for a few scenes. Nothing concerning about that power dynamic eh Quent

You must be seeing something I've never noticed during multiple viewings of the film.

 

[krtek a houby]

But it didn’t do particularly well at the Academy Awards. Forrest Gump scooped up most of the main awards. I’ll let you decide how deserving its near clean sweep is when viewed in 2024.

Problematic themes aside, PF remains one of the reference films of cinematic excellence of the last few decades. The seemingly irrelevant yet captivating anecdotal dialogue, non-linear storytelling, lack of any atmospheric soundtrack suites using iconic songs of the past to great effect instead, and fantastically good performances out of even faded actors nobody would have given the time of day to, culminated whether by design or luck into an extremely talented and fresh film.

I know one can easily be drawn to developing an automatic scepticism towards something the rest of the world has been wanking off to endlessly. But as someone old enough to have experienced it for the first time as it first hit the cinemas as a completely unknown underdog film, it remains in my eyes as a fucking great and iconic piece of filmmaking.

Saw both films when they came out. Didn't really think either deserved their success at the Oscars or Cannes. Pulp Fiction wasn't an underdog, iirc, when it hit the cinema. It had already won a prestigious award at Cannes.

The Hudsucker Proxy or Shallow Grave made more of an impression but that's just a personal take.

Don't hate PF, just got tired of it.

 

[Sue]

I know one can easily be drawn to developing an automatic scepticism towards something the rest of the world has been wanking off to endlessly. But as someone old enough to have experienced it for the first time as it first hit the cinemas as a completely unknown underdog film, it remains in my eyes as a fucking great and iconic piece of filmmaking.

Nah, it wasn't. That's not even strictly true of Reservoir Dogs which preceded it -- I saw RD at the cinema when it came out and there was quite a lot of hype round it then, if it was shown in an arthouse cinema.

I saw Pulp Fiction at the cinema when it came out too and there was even more hype round that (think it was a big thing at Cannes). FWIW, it's the only time I've seen PF. I can't remember it super clearly -- it was a long time ago -- but I remember finding bits of it really unpleasant. Haven't really felt the need to watch it again. (I'm not really a Tarantino fan tbh.)

 

[Saul Goodman]

Saw both films when they came out. Didn't really think either deserved their success at the Oscars or Cannes. Pulp Fiction wasn't an underdog, iirc, when it hit the cinema. It had already won a prestigious award at Cannes.

The Hudsucker Proxy or Shallow Grave made more of an impression but that's just a personal take.

Don't hate PF, just got tired of it.

Shallow Grave was excellent. I've watched it maybe 7 or 8 times. I've watched Pulp Fiction twice, but I don't think you can compare the two. I'd still rather watch Shallow Grave but I think Pulp Fiction was a much better film.

 

[krtek a houby]

Shallow Grave was excellent. I've watched it maybe 7 or 8 times. I've watched Pulp Fiction twice, but I don't think you can compare the two. I'd still rather watch Shallow Grave but I think Pulp Fiction was a much better film.

Fair enough, no they can't be be compared, it was more saying what films from that year I prefer. There's much to like about PF, the soundtrack, the cast and the non linear stuff. But overall, it's not for me at this stage.

 

[belboid]

It's still a fucking great movie. Not as good as Reservoir Dogs, where there isn't a word out of place and Taratino's role is so inconsequential that it doesn't matter. Not as good as Jackie Brown, which is far and away QT's most grown up and most complete film - and which also benefits from QT only having a voice role.

But PF is still astoundingly good. Yes, it was already a Massive Thing by the time it came out*, but so what? It was sharp, stylish and bloody funny. Its dialogue ran far truer to life than other major movies of the time. The way it played with structure and its homage/spoofing/stealing of other movie tropes may be old hat now, but it was still unusual then, especially not so well done. Those performances! Those clothes! And some of those lines! Could be the most quotable movie since Casablanca.


*it must have been, I was sat just behind Jim Broadbent when I saw it at Screen on the Green.

 

[Sue]

Not as good as Jackie Brown, which is far and away QT's most grown up and most complete film - and which also benefits from QT only having a voice role.

I think that's his best film. According to a film fan friend, it's the favourite Tarantino film of people who don't actually like Tarantino films...

Could be the most quotable movie since Casablanca.

Steady on!

 

[T & P]

It's still a fucking great movie. Not as good as Reservoir Dogs, where there isn't a word out of place and Taratino's role is so inconsequential that it doesn't matter. Not as good as Jackie Brown, which is far and away QT's most grown up and most complete film - and which also benefits from QT only having a voice role.

But PF is still astoundingly good. Yes, it was already a Massive Thing by the time it came out, but so what? It was sharp, stylish and bloody funny. Its dialogue ran far truer to life than other major movies of the time. The way it played with structure and its homage/spoofing/stealing of other movie tropes may be old hat now, but it was still unusual then, especially not so well done. Those performances! Those clothes! And some of those lines! Could be the most quotable movie since Casablanca.

I haven’t watched Jackie Brown in ages and I guess I ought to give it another go. I myself wouldn’t put it in my top three Tarantino list, even though I enjoyed it. Pam Grier is superlative of course, but I guess I’d expected Samuel L Jackson’s character to be as epic as in his previous work with Tarantino.

Mind you, it still feels more original and less self indulgent than Kill Bill. Death Proof is imo the weakest of his films, and Django Unchained is for me too gratuitously laden with N-bombs. Inglorious Basterds is good enough but no masterpiece. I somehow feel The Hateful Eight is the one film that has flown under the radar and deserves another viewing.

 

[krtek a houby]

I haven’t watched Jackie Brown in ages and I guess I ought to give it another go. I myself wouldn’t put it in my top three Tarantino list, even though I enjoyed it. Pam Grier is superlative of course, but I guess I’d expected Samuel L Jackson’s character to be as epic as in his previous work with Tarantino.

Mind you, it still feels more original and less self indulgent than Kill Bill. Death Proof is imo the weakest of his films, and Django Unchained is for me too gratuitously laden with N-bombs. Inglorious Basterds is good enough but no masterpiece. I somehow feel The Hateful Eight is the one film that has flown under the radar and deserves another viewing.

The last one has Kurt Russell punching Jennifer Jason Leigh. Iirc. Not impressed with those scenes.

 

[Elpenor]

As it happens I thought his acting performance in From Dusk Till Dawn was actually fairly competent, but it feels the exception to the rule.

He very convincingly portrays a creepy perv in that film IIRC, bloody typecasting

 

[Elpenor]

If someone told me their favourite film was Pulp Fiction, or that Tarantino was their favourite director I would probably change the subject to something else. his work is too long of late and has too many questionable elements.

For some of the genre films he makes, crammed with homages to cult or not widely known examples of the genre, I suppose that shines a light on cinemas past which is a good thing, he is a keen student of film history. But maybe that is also an element of a fan who’s won a competition.

Still haven’t seen Jackie Brown, and there are good things said about that, so should probably change that. Not arsed about watching the other ones I haven’t seen though or rewatching any.

 

[krtek a houby]

If someone told me their favourite film was Pulp Fiction, or that Tarantino was their favourite director I would probably change the subject to something else. his work is too long of late and has too many questionable elements.

For some of the genre films he makes, crammed with homages to cult or not widely known examples of the genre, I suppose that shines a light on cinemas past which is a good thing, he is a keen student of film history. But maybe that is also an element of a fan who’s won a competition.

Still haven’t seen Jackie Brown, and there are good things said about that, so should probably change that. Not arsed about watching the other ones I haven’t seen though or rewatching any.

Jackie Brown is a worth a watch, it's kind of connected to Out of Sight (Steven Soderbergh, dir. also worth watching)

 

[Elpenor]

Jackie Brown is a worth a watch, it's kind of connected to Out of Sight (Steven Soderbergh, dir. also worth watching)

Out of Sight is one of my favourites so I will try and make time over the weekend

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Django Unchained is for me too gratuitously laden with N-bombs.

I think that criticism is valid for some of his films, including Pulp Fiction, but not Django Unchained. These are slave owners talking about/to their slaves. And they get their comeuppance at the end. It's anything but gratuitous. It has a very specific point to it. Their use of dehumanising language has the effect of dehumanising them.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

I loved it when it came out, have seen it tons of times but can’t watch now, it’s just so dated and frankly not very exciting.

Jackie Brown on the other hand remains excellent and the best thing he’s done.

 

[May Kasahara]

You must be seeing something I've never noticed during multiple viewings of the film.

I have also watched PF many, many times. Was totally blown away by it on release, loved it for years, had the soundtrack on tape, yada yada. I watched it not long ago with my teenage son (his first viewing, my first in years after having rinsed it so much) and while I still rate it as a highly entertaining, slickly made film with many superb performances, my perspective on it has inevitably changed down the line. This dynamic was one of the things that struck me quite forcibly, after never having noticed it before, and one of several things I now find problematic that I previously hadn't.

 

[May Kasahara]

Tbh I find it much harder to enjoy QT films these days because of Weinstein and all the creepiness thereof. There is a real sense of self-satisfied smuggery that seeps out of them, alongside the frequent obvious misogyny. And sometimes, like Inglourious Basterds, they are just shit.