Pulp Fiction

[criterionmaster]

You said you give it an 8, so it isn't shit.

[captainofbeef]

blackmoses said:

I must admit, the first time I saw Pulp Fiction I absolutely loved the film. But how could I not? My film taste was very bad and I had seen very few good films. I was just getting into film and this is defiantly a film that an average young teenager would like. It has a bunch of killing, drugs, and fun dialog in it. Now my film taste has drastically changed and I realize that this film isn't as good as everyone makes it out to be.

I thought more and more about the film and realized that Pulp Fiction isn't that good and just has drugs, sodomy, violence, and cool dialog in it. It has funny moments and the acting is good, but those thing didn't make the film much better. I re-watched the film a while ago and realized that the dialog wasn't as good as I remembered. The acting was still good, but nothing amazing in my opinion. I don't really love any of the parts in the film but the scenes are not the worst things in the world. Pulp Fiction isn't as bad as a lot of people say it is, but it is defiantly one of the most overrated films ever. I don't see how anyone can think it is so great unless you are a young teenager and don't know anything about film and just think the movie is cool because of the dialog and killing and other stuff like that. Their isn't anything in this film that makes it one of the best films ever or that makes it as amazing as a lot of people says it is. So overall, the film isn't the worst thing in the world but not anywhere near one of the best. So I give it a 5 or a 6/10(Not the worst film in the world but SO overrated).

First of all, it's dialogue. Your absence of the spell check makes your so called "review" seem unprofessional and not really worthy of being read. Your thoughts in the review are muddled, there is an absence of any writing flow whatsoever, and you do not state your points effectively. A formal review was what I was calling for, not a scrambled statement of your thoughts on the film.

Okay, so Pulp Fiction has, in your own words, "A bunch of killing, drugs, and fun dialogue in it." Yes, and your point is? Tarantino is portraying an underworld, things like drugs, guns, sodomy, hits, and boxing fixes all happen in the world of criminals. So then if Tarantino is making a film about the criminal underworld, shouldn't these real life characteristics be included?

As for the dialogue, yea its fun, why shouldn't it be? Do you like films with boring dialogue? It may not have any deep meaning to it, but is Tarantino trying to create "The Seventh Seal" here? I think not. Plus the point that Dan brought up about the way you and him talk is very true. Some of the things you guys say in real life could be in this film. Yet, you throw the dialogue away as "not as good as I thought it was."

You say that the acting is good, but nothing special. The scenes are good but nothing special. This is very general and I'm not really sure what you mean by you statements. Why are Samuel L Jackson's or Bruce Willis' performances nothing special? Can you point out a more hilarious bit role in all of film than Harvey Keitel's piece in the film? How about the cleaning scene or the scene in the gun shop? Have they ever been done before and if so where? Why are they not special?

When I love a film, I ask myself, "Why did I love this film? What was in it that I liked so much." For Pulp Fiction, the answer is not so simple. First of all, its the homage factor. Tarantino pays homage to the novels and films that he watched that formed who he is as a person and as a director. Also, have we said anything about the plot? I find it to be ingenious. Taking all the characters of the film and weaving them together obviously takes a great deal of work and a talented screenwriter. I personally think the dialogue is ingenious. Not since Godard had pop culture been reference in a film and in this we find more paying of homage. Plus, I find the performances to be pitch perfect and the direction is on the same level. All these factors tell me that it was a great film.

Your comment about film knowledge really makes me laugh. Why? Because of all the people on this board, you are one of the people who knows the least about film. Now, I'm not saying I'm one of the ones who knows the most, but I do credit myself to having a good amount of film knowledge. I am a teenager, I will not lie to you about that. But there are PLENTY of people who like this film who are not teenagers. For example my parents AND my grandparents like the film. And believe me, its hard to please my grandparents. Saying that you must be in a certain age group to enjoy a film is possibly the most ludicrous argument that someone can make.

Overall, I feel that you are just trying to be different by not liking this film. Its the same with music. You say that The Doors are better than the Beatles but in your heart you know its not true. But you stick with it because being different is what you pride yourself upon. Being different than the crowd is a good thing for the most part, but you do not have to compromise your personal feelings in order to do that. And I feel that that is what you have done in the case of Pulp Fiction.

[agentknight]

This is a silly argument. Pulp Fiction is shit, although because I watched it so much when I was younger (basically pre-Lynch/Kitano) I know a lot of the dialogue which is what makes it quotable, not how "good" the dialogue is. In fact, it is rather stilted and stupid.

[ie]

BeeD, I have to knock out your first point.
Sorry. I'm closer to your side on this one, but in order to be fair: Dialogue is an acceptable way of spelling dialogue, and you should have said "it's dialogue." Its=it possesses something. It's=it is, or it has. Could have been an accident, but just to spell it out.


Agent Knight, I thought this particular piece of dialogue was good and quite striking the second time around. It's not hip say mother fucking what again, mother fucker or anything like that, and without some tell-tale signs, you may have thought this dialogue came from one of your more favored movies. It's just plain, slice-of-life style dialogue, that really makes a good point. And, it is unfortunate.

Fabienne: I was looking at myself in the mirror.
Butch: Uh-huh?
Fabienne: I wish I had a pot.
Butch: You were lookin' in the mirror and you wish you had some pot?
Fabienne: A pot. A pot belly. Pot bellies are sexy.
Butch: Well you should be happy, 'cause you do.
Fabienne: Shut up, Fatso! I don't have a pot! I have a bit of a tummy, like Madonna when she did "Lucky Star," it's not the same thing.
Butch: I didn't realize there was a difference between a tummy and a pot belly.
Fabienne: The difference is huge.
Butch: You want me to have a pot?
Fabienne: No. Pot bellies make a man look either oafish, or like a gorilla. But on a woman, a pot belly is very sexy. The rest of you is normal. Normal face, normal legs, normal hips, normal ass, but with a big, perfectly round pot belly. If I had one, I'd wear a tee-shirt two sizes too small to accentuate it.
Butch: You think guys would find that attractive?
Fabienne: I don't give a damn what men find attractive. It's unfortunate what we find pleasing to the touch and pleasing to the eye is seldom the same.

[agentknight]

Overall, I feel that you are just trying to be different by not liking this film. Its the same with music. You say that The Doors are better than the Beatles but in your heart you know its not true. But you stick with it because being different is what you pride yourself upon. Being different than the crowd is a good thing for the most part, but you do not have to compromise your personal feelings in order to do that. And I feel that that is what you have done in the case of Pulp Fiction.

If I was blackmoses I would be SO ANGRY right now. I hate it when people say "man, you only claim to like this shit because it's *cool*."

[ie]

For the most part, if you just follow your intuition and decide for yourself whether you like this movie, and your opinion is independent of the crowd, you can find yourself in situations where your opinion is different than "the crowd."

That can just be because of groupthink, where Person A decided that Movie A was bad, then Person B who is a reasonable person just banked on Person A's decision. This continues until we have a circle of people who have either not seen Movie A, or did, but did not have a galvanized opinion on Movie A. I think this is why so many movie reviews use very particular phrases.

Example: Many reviewers of The One seem to akin the movie to a video game. Many of these same reviewers may not have a thorough understanding of video game history, and plagiarism aside, so perhaps they generalized just a bit... too much. Thus, we find ourselves with a groupthink conclusion that may not have had much strength, or even basis in reality.


Leading to alternate opinions, based off of not following the crowd or the hype, and seeing the movie for what it is, with our own admittedly biased perspective on the world, rather than what this haze of half-truths generalized it to be.


Oh, hey, that wasn't exactly Pulp Fiction related, now, was it?

[blackmoses]

Yep, I am just trying to be cool and different for not liking the film. Just like I am with the Doors. I am just trying to be different. I told Dan at McDonald's monday that I know the Doors albums are not even that good, I acctually said their albums are kind of bad and that they only have like one or two albums that just make it into my top 100 and the Beatles have like 5 that are in my top 100, I just like the band so much they are number one. But no no I am obviously just trying to be different. I just say I don't like Pulp Fiction even though I really do because if I do that I am cool.

[criterionmaster]

blackmoses said:

Yep, I am just trying to be cool and different for not liking the film. Just like I am with the Doors. I am just trying to be different. I told Dan at McDonald's monday that I know the Doors albums are not even that good, I acctually said their albums are kind of bad and that they only have like one or two albums that just make it into my top 100 and the Beatles have like 5 that are in my top 100, I just like the band so much they are number one. But no no I am obviously just trying to be different. I just say I don't like Pulp Fiction even though I really do because if I do that I am cool.

So you are agreeing with us finally? I can't believe it. At least I think you are agreeing, I could barely read it. This is what I got out of what you said: That you are lying about The Doors, and really you do like The Beatles more. And that you actually do like Pulp Fiction, but say you don't in order to seem cool. That's what I read; tell me if I am wrong.

If I am not, I am glad you finally admit it, and I totally forgot that you told me that stuff about The Doors.

[blackmoses]

No. I LIKE the Doors more then the Beatles. I know they are not better and have few good albums, but I just love their songs SO much that they are my favorite. Beatles are like my 15th favorite band. They are good but I just don't love them as much as you, BeeD, and Bus do. I despise Pulp Fiction! I was just kidding about everything I said. But why would I say I don't like something I do? If I like a movie I say I like it. If I did like Pulp Fiction I would say I did, but I don't.

[captainofbeef]

You still haven't proved to me why you don't like Pulp Fiction though. And that is why I have trouble believing your statements

[blackmoses]

Sorry, but I don't really care. I don't like Pulp Fiction and I told you why and that is all there is to it.

[ie]

Why are there Beatles and Doors in my Pulp Fiction?

[blackmoses]

Yeah really. You people could at least say I am not trying to be "cool". That makes no sense. If I like a movie I say I like it if I don't like a movie I say I don't. You people (Dan and Tim) say I am being cool everytime I don't like something you do. Tim, RIGHT AFTER THE DAY I TELL HIM I LIKE TITANIC, goes and posts and say that "Joel suddenly hates, cause he wants to be cool". What is cool about not liking a movie anyway? And Tim when have I told you I ever didn't like or like Titanic to beging with? Tell me that!

[captainofbeef]

I never said that you wanted to be "cool." I just said that you like to be different. Now tell me that is not true. You DO like to be different and you know it. I have given up on trying to get a reasonable explanation of why you don't like Pulp Ficition out of you. So, while I don't believe its your true opinion, I will accept that you don't like the film.

[blackmoses]

I was talking to Dan and Tim there not you. Notice I said Dan and Tim in that one part. But this is more toward them not you because you didn't say I was trying to be cool, you did say I was trying to be different but Dan and Tim constantly say I am being cool.

[PTAhole]

Shut up, Joel. I've deliberately stayed out of this thread, because the subject is tired, but you're really starting to piss me off. It just seems that you suddenly don't like things you LOVED before, and honestly, I don't believe half of them. That is all. I'm seriously think this thread should be locked for a while.

[blackmoses]

When did I LOVE Titanic?

[PTAhole]

I remember you gushing about it with Dan a couple years back, and just earlier this year, you bought the three disc set and expressed you strong enjoyment of the film. Whatever.

Dan, can we lock this thread?

[blackmoses]

No I didn't. I liked the film and got the 3 disc because it was only $9.99 and its a $20 set

[PTAhole]

Whatever. I no longer care. I'm sick of your shit, and I will no longer respond in this thread.

[blackmoses]

You are overreacting. You just say I am always trying to be "cool" when I am not. If you would just not say I am trying to be cool then I wouldn't be so mad. I don't try to be cool their is no reason for that. I like what I like I don't like what I don't like. Do I ever say you are trying to be cool?

[blackmoses]

Tim you deaf?

[criterionmaster]

I just want to mention that you forgot to mention anything about Pulp Fiction's soundtrack! And how were the performances some of your favorites before, but now they are just "good?" They didn't get worse, they are the same still.

[blackmoses]

The soundtrack is great! Uma's i said was great and her performence is still good but other then hers I just thought they were good.