Twizard Rating: 97

Rating: 10/10 (27 April 2016)

If a piece of art is highly influential, does it make that piece of art
good? Yeah, probably--great, even. But it doesn't necessarily mean
everyone has to like it.
Intermixing and connecting four stories, the film compares and
contrasts all different types of low-level scums of the earth.
In Pulp Fiction, the dialogue is superb--near perfect. Quentin
Tarantino's direction is that of ridiculously mind-numbing proportions.
The cinematography is truly something else. Not to mention,
groundbreaking on so many different levels--replicated infinitely.
But just because it's groundbreaking, doesn't mean it has to be my
favorite film.
Perhaps this has something to do with all the hype I've been hearing my
whole life about how it's the greatest film of our lifetime--of ALL
time. But I wanted to love it. I expected to love it!
And although I didn't love it necessarily. I liked it--a lot. Tarantino
might just be my favorite director. I think he's the greatest auteur of
our generation. Each film of his I've seen has inspired me even more in
my own writing and artistry.
What I like about Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained, and even
Reservoir Dogs, is the sense of grandeur and importance. They all
command your attention with mere dialogue in ways that most mainstream
action blockbuster flicks never will.
And Pulp Fiction is engaging in that same way. But it differs from
those other Tarantino films in one particular way: It's mostly much ado
about nothing. I get that it's supposed to pose as commentary on the
state of the film industry and mimic countless classics that have gone
before it. But too often does Pulp Fiction take its sweet time getting
to the point. That's Tarantino's style with his hard-hitting
dialogue--which I find entertaining. But if there is no point (or no
point of any substantial value) then all that dialogue gives us just
that--entertainment.
Which I'm all for. Some of my favorite films are meaningless is the
grand scheme of things. But in those films, I care deeply about the
characters. I relate to them. I root for them. Here, I'm not sure who I
root for, if anybody. But maybe that's the point, too.
The nonlinear story is cool, and is brought back to popularity with
this movie, but definitely not the most interesting I've seen in
cinema. On the other hand, watching the stories unfold is. Never
knowing what's coming around the corner or which characters to trust or
like. Tarantino gets the absolute best performances out of his
talent--Samuel L. Jackson above all else.
The best scene is when John Travolta and Uma Thurman venture to a
1950s-themed diner. Every employee there is a caricature of some '50s
icon. Which is a curious thing since this film pays homage to countless
zeitgeists of yesteryear, but almost none of them are from the 1950s.
Perhaps its groundbreakingness is partially due to massively exposing
the world to Tarantino and proving that he wasn't just a one-hit-wonder
with Reservoir Dogs. That his style is here to stay.
The movie is exploitation that critics reaffirm as high-quality, while
also changing the game for independent films, making it okay for
A-listers to appear in these lower budget productions.
But like I said, I also have to credit it to its technical
accomplishments. And the fact that it's thoroughly and consistently
engaging.
Pulp Fiction is an amazing film. Perhaps Tarantino's greatest artistic
accomplishment. But one that I could watch over and over? It's not even
my favorite Tarantino film.
Twizard Rating: 97