Two Cents is an original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team will program films and contribute our best, most insightful, or most creative thoughts on each film using a maximum of 140 words each. Guest writers and fan comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future entries to the column. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion.
The Pick
Now, I want you to go in that bag and find my wallet. The one that says “Bad Mother Cinapse”. That’s it. Open it up! Take out the money. Count it! How much is there?”
“Two cents”.
OK, add it to the review roundup because we’re watching motherf***in’ Pulp Fiction, motherf***ers! Believe it or not, the most ultramodern movie of our time turns 20 next month, and we’re celebrating by watching Quentin Tarantino’s seminal classic together!
Did you get a chance to watch along with us this week? Want to recommend a great (or not so great) film for the whole gang to cover? Comment below or post on our Facebook or hit us up on Twitter!
Next Week’s Pick:
For Halloween we’re unveiling a very special Trick Or Treat Two Cents event. For the entire month of October (which has generously gifted us with five Thursdays), we’re checking out several awesome horror picks curated together by Liam and Austin — neither of whom has seen all five. Why “Trick Or Treat”? To mix things up a bit, every review must close with a verdict of “Trick” or “Treat”.
The first pick, right in time for its 40th Anniversary, is Tobe Hooper’s breakout hit, one of the all-time great horror films, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre! Yup, Pulp Fiction is now the same age that Texas Chainsaw was when it came out, in case you need something to cry about.
We hope you’ll join us on our month-long journey through these horror selections! Here’s the whole lineup:
Oct 2 — The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Oct 9 — The Devil’s Rain
Oct 16 — Eyes Without A Face
Oct 23 — Demons
Oct 30 — Prince Of Darkness
Would you like to be a featured guest in next week’s Two Cents column? Simply watch and send your 140 word (or less) review to twocents(at)cinapse.co!
The Team
Austin:
I think it’s worth celebrating when a film doesn’t really grab me at first but its seed germinates and grows over time. Pulp Fiction is not a film that pretends at depth, and as a result it grows in my mind every time I experience it. So much of the script, which may seem casual, is carefully constructed with hidden symbolism.
With Butch’s story, I draw a parallel between he and Marsellus Wallace, and his father and Captain Koons. Koons expresses his wish that young Butch will never experience a kinship forged by “the pit of hell” as he and Butch’s father did, but that’s exactly what happens with Butch and Marsellus, who even ends up sacrificing his ass (albeit involuntarily). Butch’s decision to save his former enemy ends up being his own salvation as well, as his debt is forgiven.
My big takeaway, though, is the difference between Jules and Vincent. Faced with the same incident, Jules identifies the Hand of God and immediately tries to correct his course, whereas Vincent ignores several warnings. This is the critical difference in their characters, and ultimately determines their fates. (@VforVashaw)
Brendan:
What is there to say about Pulp Fiction? It’s Pulp Fiction, for God’s sake. There are few films which present such an immediate and undiluted blast of pure, singular voice. Tarantino didn’t so much make this movie as pour it out of his brain, and the finished film seems drunk on the very act of creation. There’s love poured into every single shot, into every seemingly throwaway exchange of poetically profane dialogue. While Tarantino’s exuberance goes catastrophically awry in individual moments (the “Dead N — — Storage” scene is an embarrassment) the film as a whole is a perfect balance of style and soul. For all the flashy pop culture-soaked dialogue, Pulp Fiction is ultimately the story of fools and villains stumbling towards something like redemption, and it’s a beautifully played journey for involved. Except Tarantino. Dude can’t act so well. (@TheTrueBrendanF)
James:
Pulp Fiction cemented QT’s reputation as more than just a one hit wonder after Reservoir Dogs, even if he’s still trying to prove he’s no one trick pony. But what a trick! What a pony! It’s all here: the chronologically skewed narrative, deft cast building, canny knack for dialogue, complete mastery of mise-en-scene, shameless use of pop culture references, and being able to extract awards-worthy performances from long forgotten thespians of old. What was once innovative almost comes across as cliché nowadays, so embedded is his style in the cinematic lexicon. Despite spawning a host of pale imitators that mistook flawed characters waffling on about what they had for tea for naturalism, like all QT’s films, Pulp Fiction drags you willingly on a discussion-worthy odyssey into the unknown. One of the few films that gets better with repeated viewings. (@jconthagrid)
Rhea:
Vincent Vega is just trying to stay alive. He lives by a set of outdated rules (a Man Code, if you will) that he thinks will save him, not realizing that this is the new, non-linear universe: 1. Don’t give another man’s wife a foot massage. In fact, don’t do anything to her that you would not be okay doing to another dude. 2. Don’t fuck with a man’s vehicle. 3. Even when you’re giving instructions about cleaning up an exploded body from a 1964 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu, say please. 4. If you have to go potty, stop and go right away. This last one continually got him in a shit-load of trouble, so unless you’re three years old, don’t heed that principle. Instead, take a page from Jules’ book, and try hard to be the shepherd. (@Rheabette)
Our Guests
Justin Harlan:
There are movies that I think are just okay at first, but end up loving over time. There are movies that I love at first, but end up find to be just okay over time. Tarantino’s classic Pulp Fiction has fallen into the latter category, but seems to be coming back around with my latest viewing. Tarantino has a way about him, a style to his films, that is unique in American cinema… but that doesn’t always translate for me. For every film of his I love, i.e. Django Unchained, there’s a heralded film that does nothing for me, i.e. Kill Bill. Pulp Fiction floored me when I saw it during my high school years and with each viewing that feeling dissipated more and more.
The kitschiness and subtle awkwardness is more endearing to me now, in my 30s, and I think a few more viewings in the coming years will restore the film in my mind, perhaps beyond where it ever was before. (@thepaintedman)
Did you all get a chance to watch along with us? Share your thoughts with us here in the comments or on Twitter or Facebook!
Get it at Amazon:
Pulp Fiction [Blu-Ray] | [DVD] | [Instant]