Leaderboard

Anyway, I think this is a legit great film and would have it Top 20 at least, and on my personal list it's probably going to finish in the Top 10. For all the credit Tarantino gets for his writing (clever wisecracks, memorable lines, etc.), I don't think most people realize what a masterful visual director he is. He's precise on the level of a Spielberg or Hitchcock, filmmakers that people would normally think of as great visual storytellers before they think of their scripting. One of my favorite examples is the famous long conversation between Jules and Vincent that opens the film (after the pre-credit diner scene). For example, look at just the segment that takes place inside the car: The dialogue is fun and all, but really they are just kind of bullshitting and talking about nothing. Yet to me the scene feels dramatic and propulsive. Why? Note that Tarantino changes the visual approach when the subject changes. First it's a two-shot with both actors in frame, Travolta closer to the camera. We stick with this for the entirety of the discussion about pot being legal in Amsterdam. Then notice what happens as the conversation shifts to beer and fast food: suddenly Tarantino is cutting between close-up shots of each actor's face, before pulling back to the two-shot just as this line of conversation peters out ("I didn't go into Burger King"). Then we get an angle looking up from inside the trunk at both actors as they've changed subject again, talking about what kind of guns they'll need. The visual language is telling you where the dramatic beats are. So many filmmakers that try to do this kind of chatty, hangout scene don't understand this, they just hold a single shot or just cut between faces. Tarantino has a strong sense of telling a STORY with every scene he directs, which makes a huge difference. (And yes, this strategy of changing the visual angle when the dramatic beat changes continues as they go into the building and up to Marvin's apartment.) Pulp Fiction is loaded with stuff like this, the visual language telling you something that isn't in the dialogue. Another great example from early in the film is when Marcellus is explaining his plan for what Butch should do in the boxing match: Marcellus does all the talking, but the camera holds only on Butch's face. This primes the audience for the fact that Butch is going to be an important character later (something the dialogue doesn't do) and also keeps Marcellus shrouded in mystery as to what his face looks like, enhancing the menace everyone feels from this character. It's pretty brilliant. To me there's a reason the movies with Tarantino scripts but different directors don't quite reach these heights. Finally, that speech from Jules at the end really ties the room together. I actually get emotional when he talks about "trying to be the shepherd," because the whole movie has been about that, people making moral choices to save other people's lives. Jules is the only one who does it without any obvious self-serving benefit (even Butch gets the benefit of Marcellus removing the price on his head), which is the central question in the movie: What does it mean to "be the shepherd?" I find new stuff to appreciate in this movie every time I watch it. I love a lot of Tarantino's work, but I'd still put this one on top both for its influence and its own merit.

Who is Paul? I only know John Scheer.

I mean, the fact that badass action heroes now want to discuss pop-culture minutiae on the regular is definitely a debt owed to this film. The influence has gotten more diffuse over the years, but in the 10 or so years after Pulp there were a LOT of indie movies clearly trying to copy the Tarantino template (only they just copied the wisecracking gangsters, not the discussions of moral issues).

Michael Bay gets his revenge, equal pay for an equal con, and more on this week's mini-sode! Paul opens up the Explanation Hope Line, goes through Corrections and Omissions for Deadfall, and gives his Pick of the Week. Plus, find out which movie we will be watching next week!

Wrote the boys another letter. What's nice about being old is that embarrassment can barely fuck with you anymore. Mailed it today!

I'd also add that Pulp Fiction (and Kevin Smith) blew up independent and lower budget filmmakers. There had been independent film since film began. There had been "outsiders" (which I hesitate to use because he had directed a movie with Hollywood stars and sold multiple scripts before Pulp Fiction came out) before Tarantino. There was a huge look into more independent, outside voices directly because of Pulp Fiction (and Kevin Smith).

Amy said in the Podcast that she wanted to hear from someone born in the 90's, so as someone born in 1990: I have mixed feelings on Pulp Fiction. I'm with Amy for the most part. I do believe it belongs on the list because of how massive of an impact it has had on film making since it's debut. I have a respect for the film and I'm sure that a lot of films I absolutely love were influenced by Pulp Fiction. However, it's far from my favorite Tarantino movie, let alone any movie of all time. There are a lot of conversations that go on much too long without building any tension or advancing the story. The first time I watched it at 17, my friends and I were bored to tears and I honestly didn't get it, which is the opposite reaction I had to Reservoir Dogs on initial viewing. So in closing, as someone who grew up more with Tarantino's later work (Kill Bill, Inglourious Bastards, etc.), and then going back and discovering Pulp Fiction, I am not in love with the movie like the older generations but I respect it's place in film history.

At the whim of our blood-thirsty overlords we are on an underwater quest to hunt The Frays. Thank you very much for this Catch Frays Sub Mission

If it helps, "The Big Apple Bible" and the original Moshe Kasher Comic-con episode, both of which have 'dem boys weaving a story while laughing at themselves, and relishing friendship, is how I fell in love with Hollywood Handbook. You guys make me so happy, that I cannot express it adequately. I Just signed up as a patreon of The Flagrant Ones, in support of y'all, and because of your boost to James Adomian's new podcast.