Several years ago, before I was really into movies, a friend of mine wouldn't shut up about how great Pulp Fiction was, so I decided to rent it.
I turned it off halfway through, and from then on declared myself "not a fan of Tarantino".
But last night, I caught the last half hour or so of Pulp Fiction on cable, and I think I finally got what was so great about the movie in so many people's eyes (and now, possibly even mine).
I was completely blown away by the dialogue.
So now, I need to watch it again with different eyes. Before, I watched it expecting story. Now, I'll watch it looking for characters and dialogue. Before it's over, maybe I'll finally have a bit of appreciation for someone who I've largely ignored in the past.
first off, your avatar scares the hell out of me
second off, when Pulp Fiction was huge, I never liked it. I watched it and I didn't see what was so great about it. I watched it again and it clicked for me too. I now am a huge Tarantino fan.
It is more than just the dialogue, the homages to other films, the long takes, the natural lighting, the soundtracks....all of it...
I grew up on this movie. I've loved it since I was 9, before I got any of the film references and directorial genius that was Tarantino. I just thought it was hella cool!
I apologize, I will NEVER say hella again.
Pulp Fiction is a classic. And one weird thing is that I never really got into the movie until really late. Thing is, I have only been serious about movies since '99 and discovered a love for Pulp Fiction like two years after that.
But people in my opinion never really seem to get what makes it so great. I always compare it to The Passion of Joan of Arc in creating a new way of building characters and a story. Passion focused on character development through just the imagery of Joan of Arc and her accusors during her trial. All things noticeable of the three act play kinda story was gone. Pulp does the same thing and lets us analyze characters through how they talk and act in situations that may be of no importance to the history or understanding of the character, but thing is, that's real life and thats how we see other people around us. But with the professions the characters have, we identify them all with being bad guys, the great thing is that with every criminal act one does, it is followed up with an act of redemption of sorts and the ambiguilty is who in the film truly believes in what they are doing is for their own redemption or just to save their own skin only. Identifying sincereness in characters that at first glance have none is truly what makes Pulp Fiction special.
~rougerum
So what is in the briefcase? Gold? A soul? Something to do with Kiss Me Deadly? God?
Although Tarantino has said that it is unspecified, the popular theory is that the briefcase contains Marcel Wallace's soul.
I probably saw the same interview. He just figured that the contents wouldn't seem so great if they were known. I tend to agree. I never liked the whole soul theory. It just seemed too "out there" for this kind of movie.
Quote from: Duck SauceSo what is in the briefcase?
A MacGuffin :lol:
Nice one, JB!
(where's that thumbs up everyone has been begging for?)
The soul thing is always an interesting theory, but my personal favorite is "Greed"
I liked how they made that glow so unrealistic to anything one would think that it could be so everyone has started guessing on what it could be.
~rougerum
Quote from: SHAFTRfirst off, your avatar scares the hell out of me
second off, when Pulp Fiction was huge, I never liked it. I watched it and I didn't see what was so great about it. I watched it again and it clicked for me too. I now am a huge Tarantino fan.
It is more than just the dialogue, the homages to other films, the long takes, the natural lighting, the soundtracks....all of it...
HAHA! Me too man! (I'm a big wimp though. When I first saw Scream freshman year in high school it scared the hell out of me) I don't know why but I really just busted out laughing in the library when I read this. I need to lay off the sauce...
I'll never forget the first time I saw 'Pulp Fiction'.
It was about 10 at night, on video, and I couldn't beleive my eyes (watching this whole film at night is an experience)
All this wild crap happens that you just dont see coming (one minute Uma Thurman is dancing around in her house, moments later she's in a bloody mess, one minute Bruce Willis is sneaking into his motel room, five minutes later he's in a basement with two rapists and a gimp!)
It was so different and exhilerating (how often in a film do you see a conversation in a car that is suddenly interupted because a person accidently blows someones head off?)
'Pulp Fiction' forever!
you were ten, that other dude was nine. damn i'm old.
Quote from: Duck SauceSo what is in the briefcase? Gold? A soul? Something to do with Kiss Me Deadly? God?
this is a very tired question and there is no right answer...
Quote from: pgrQuote from: Duck SauceSo what is in the briefcase? Gold? A soul? Something to do with Kiss Me Deadly? God?
this is a very tired question and there is no right answer...
I was trying to start speculation and discussion on the topic.
I like the CRAZY theory that in the case is the gold suit Elvis wears in True Romance.
i just saw Pulp Fiction for the first time. i'm glad i waited until now. if i had seen it as a kid it would have spoiled it for me. i remember i saw a small part on cable (the part where travolta sticks in the needle) but the film looked uninteresting to me, so i never checked it out.
now i see what all the commotion was about. it really is a breath of fresh air.
i don't think anything is any more funny that when those guys open up that steel cage in the basement. i thought for sure it was a tiger or some wild caged animal. then that guy comes out and everything gets freaky!! then they the chain the guy up. hilarious!!!
wow. tell me how his other films compare.
i read an interview back in the day, cant remember where -- it's claim for the glowing briefcase: the jewel covered boxing championship belt for the fight that butch was going to throw for marcellus -- -- i guess it makes sense... i cant remember if marcellus mentions any sort of "championship" match. regardless, it's grounded in some sort of logic -- maybe tarantino will tell us all when he's on his deathbed, writing his memoir.
I'd rather never know.
I think that something should be said about cable television. I have also found myself watching a movie from the middle (in some cases one I didn't like on first viewing) and really getting into it and the next going out and renting it finding that it's really enjoyable.
And the same goes for me...things like what's in the briefcase, or (in a lesser sense) what's in that box in Castaway, not knowing makes it all better...
Quote from: Xixax
So now, I need to watch it again with different eyes. Before, I watched it expecting story. Now, I'll watch it looking for characters and dialogue. Before it's over, maybe I'll finally have a bit of appreciation for someone who I've largely ignored in the past.
none of those characters or dialogue would have worked in Pulp Fiction without the story. It's absurd to think of chacracters and dialogue as working without a story. Thats why so many people have failed trying to rip QT off because they're more concerned with characterization and "cool dialogue" and they forget about the story. The result is always shit.
I loved Pulp's story.
JB is absolutely right - a macguffin!
Isn't that the point of it - what is in that briefcase that is so damn important? What, oh what, could it be? The whole idea is to add that element of wonder, because if you see it, and it turns out to be heroine or cash or whatever then so fucking what, it's heroin or cash or whatever....
And a soul, okay, but then you've crossed a line into a fatastical realm where souls can be carried in briefcases and we may as well have had Sam Jackson do a wire fu fight and John Travolta can rise from the dead after Butch lays him out.
So... What's in the briefcase is... Doesn't matter, it's important and that's all we need to know. Speculation is fun, yeah for speculation.
thats what i said its for the imagination. what if he really said that it was an Oscar im sure some people would be disapointed.