Movie Reviews

It's been almost a decade since Pulp Fiction was released, but watching it again recently I realized how unique and original it remains. Perhaps what the characters in the movie are actually doing is not entirely unique, but the way it's filmed and the things that the characters talk about are so interesting. Most film dialogue is so directly connected to the film's plot that it only seems to be servicing that plot, rather than seeming real and interesting. Quentin Tarantino has an incredibly amazing ability to write engaging dialogue and then shoot it in a unique and energetic style. No other director I know of can make scenes with people just talking so entertaining.

I guess the other element of Pulp Fiction that's made it so popular is its convoluted timeline (something that has, more or less, been successfully imitated by other filmmakers). I think what Tarantino's getting at here is that, in most stories (be it in movies, books, theatre, etc.), it's really not where the characters end up that's important, it's the process of how they get there. In other words, it doesn't really matter where "the end" is (technically, the movie Pulp Fiction ends exactly where it started: in the diner).

A really cool movie...