As I whine and complain about all the terrible movies that I have suffered through, I feel as if I lose sight of what movie going is all about. Even to my cynical and critical brain, I of all people should not lose site on what watching a movie is supposed to be like and what emotions it can make you feel. So, in order to bring a sort of balance to the universe (or, my blog in this case), I believe it is time to view and discuss an enjoyable movie. Just to take pleasure in the potential influence that movies have on us.
I do not plan to go into as great a depth as I do with my Movie Rantings, if only because there is just so much you can rejoice the prominence of films before it becomes redundant. Instead I will give my perspective on the movies that have shaped me and give a critical analysis of the film. Instead of ranting, I’ll channel my inner Roger Ebert and give an non bias review of it. With no further a do…Movies That Made Me.
What better way to kick this off then with the best piece of work Quentin Tarantino has ever done, Pulp Fiction.
Pulp Fiction defies logic. It’s a violent, vulgar, and all around insulting movie. It has corny dialogue and a non linear path to tell a story. And still…it is one of the greatest works ever. This movie don't smile for no pictures. It is a different kind of monster, and that’s what gives it the character that makes it memorable. Tarantino never makes a boring movie, he can make a bad one, but never a boring one. He’s like the Kurt Cobain of movie making; even if the instrumentals suck, you can’t help but still listen because of the ingenuity. Not to hype this movie up anymore, but it is so similar to Citizen Kane that it just has to be good.
The first chapter starts off with Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) driving to work. These two are hit men that work for mobster, Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) and are sent to an apartment to collect a valuable of Marsellus’ from a group of wayward, criminal young men. The scene is so transcends a great deal. From the allusion of Huckleberry Finn and his buddy Jim discussed how foreigners can understand each other, transformed into what they call a quarter pound hamburger, with cheese, in France. “A royal with cheese,” of course. You have to remember the conversion to the metric system. Following one of the more memorable scenes in cinema history, in which Jules recites the famous "Ezikiel 25:17" line, Vincent and Jules kill off the teens, and the chapter closes.
Does he look like a bitch?!
Vincent is ordered by his boss to take out Marcellus' Wife, Mia (Uma Thurman), and make sure she has fun. This leads to one of the stranger scenes I've ever watched. Vince and Mia share an odd conversation, before she demands they win the dance contest...and they do; they win a dance contest in a 1950s themed restaurant. It's surreal to see it because of just how damned weird it is. And I love every minute of it. Still, it's not a movie without drugs and after taking Mia home, she gets into the coke and accidental over doses. Panicking that Marsellus will have his ass, he rushes her to a close friend of his to help revive Mia. A frantic and tense scene filled with an angry wife, a little black medical book, and an adrenaline shot leads to Vincent having to shove the needle into Mia's heart and wake her. Guys, it's in your best interest to make sure Marsellus never knows of this. By the way, you wanna hear a bad joke? 3 tomatoes are walking down a street, papa tomato, mama tomatoe, and baby tomato. Baby tomato lags behind and papa tomato gets really angry about it, so he goes back and squishes him, then says, "Catch up." Get it?
As odd as that scene gets, it is still nothing in comparison to the scene in which a boxer named Butch (Bruce Willis) has a flashback about how he got his prize possession: a small pocket watch from his father. Who else could tell this story better than Christopher Walken? His father hid this watch up his ass during the war in order for it to not get taken by "no commie scum." So Butch holds this watch dear, and before he can leave town for good with his lover, Fabienne, after stealing money from Marsellus. Tragically for him, he forgot the watch and has to go back for it. The next scenes are so weird because it consists of Marsellus chasing Butch into a junk store where the owner turns out to be a racist, closet homo, rapist. I couldn't make this up if I tried. Butch ends up escaping, and contemplates leaving Marsellus to live out the last of his few hours taking it in the back door, but decides to save Marsellus. Just...watch...
Zed's dead, baby, Zed's dead.
The situations are not just outlandish and creative, so is the dialogue. Most movies simply use the dialogue to advance the plot, Pulp Fiction's characters fall head over heels in love with their lines. Every word seems to inch its way out of the actor's mouth with such passion and powerful presence that it makes it memorable. That's what makes the characters, all of them, so unique: Vincent is laconic, Jules is precise, Mia is a living, breathing soap opera, Butch is bold. All the chances this movie makes are what makes it so much fun. This film doesn't just tell you a story, it draws you into the story and pulls you in multiple directions. Every time you tune into the flick, you will notice or like something new about it. Tarantino seems to take all the bland movies on the shelves of a video rental store, combine the best of every genre, and pump steroids directly into it. I'm not going to go over every scene, because my words could never do this movie justice...but if you have never experienced this movie, you have to. Sit down, buy it, and just sit back and enjoy; Pulp Fiction defines what easy watching is all about.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go find my "Bad Mutha Fucker" wallet.
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