Fun little detail that gets missed if you're not in the know: the drug dealer being out of balloons is what leads to Mia's overdose. Heroin was typically sold in balloons while coke is kept in baggies, so when Mia finds Vincent's baggie she lays herself out a typical coke line, thus leading her to overdose on heroin.
I'm not a drug afficianado, but I always thought there would be a slight color difference between coke and heroine. And even in that scene..what she sniffs almost looks more like brown crystaline sugar to me than white powder coke. And I felt like she should have been able to spot the difference.
@@brianegendorf2023 Maybe its because its the "good shit". Even though heroin is supposed to be more yellow? In my country we often call it simply "yellow" (in my native langauge, ofcourse).
Pulp Fiction was a revelation at the time. It wasn't only the violence, the music and general coolness of most characters that struck people. It was just fascinating hearing people talk on screen the way people talked in real life. The way they talked, the things they talked about and all that. No one ever wrote dialogue like Tarantino before Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs.
The thing with Pulp Fiction, is that it had a lot of firsts. It was way ahead of its time, in what you could show in a movie, or at least what was the norm. I watched this film in the cinema, and despite it was a new movie, it wasn't shown in the biggest room. It wasn't expected to be that big of a hit, and really it wasn't. I also remember that me and my buddy were crying in tears of laughter throughout the movie, while a lot of people walked out. Only years later, it got praised as one of the greatest films in cinema history. I've also kept an eye on its ratings on IMDB, since its release, and over the years, it has climbed from a score around 7,something, to the current score at 8,9. A lot of people seems to have changed their view on the movie.
Since Jen is an Uma Thurman fan, you definitely need to watch Kill Bill. Pulp Fiction is a masterclass of storytelling. The dialogue is so immersive and engaging.
The OG line was just "Aww man, I shot Marvin." Travolta asked to add "in the face". Tarantino has an interview where he added "I didn't realize until then I was making a comedy."
The connection between the Jules' realization and Vincent's death for me was always pretty clear. Jules took what he saw as a sign to heart and decided to leave the business, while Vincent continued as usual and died very shortly after that as a result. Had he listened to Jules, perhaps he would've survived too. Director doesn't explicitly imply it was really a miracle, maybe it was just cruel irony. It's open to interpretation. But cause and effect are pretty obvious imo.
Cruel irony it's the key. If joules hadn't left he would've caught butch, if butch's girlfriend hadn't forgot the watch Vincent would've stay alive, if butch wasn't so carefree and "dumb" on his house Vincent would still be on his tracks
I didn't think it was that deep. I think the point was just Vincent always picks the worst time to go to the bathroom... Diner hold up scene, pop tarts, Mia overdose??? All while he's on the can
@@nathanlawson313 I honestly didn't even realize that every time he's in the bathroom, something fucked up happens lol. Holy shit, I've seen this multiple times and I hadn't caught on to that.
@@raegorz I also think that he's always in the bathroom trying to dump because constipation is a side effect of heroin use, something he was a regular user of.
The foot massage conversation at the beginning is one the funniest movie scenes ever. Anytime John Travolta and Samuel Jackson are on screen together it's awesome.
Fun fact: Years later many have come forward about Tarantino having a real life foot fetish, so the recurring theme in the movie about a foot massage was really Tarantino's mind subconsciously debating if it's appropriate.
I don't think I've ever seen anyone actually "get" the "Don't be a daddy-o" line the Uma delivers. Someone actually asked what being a rectangle meant b/c she didn't draw a perfect square on the screen (or maybe the camera stretched it into a rectangle?
This movie can take multiple watches to catch all the sub text. One suggestion I always make is to really go through it in your mind and really piece together the scenes in the proper linear time line. Doing that might help to unlock some of the hidden nuances of this film. One example would be that in the opening scene you actually see Vincent on his way to the bathroom at the diner, walk in front of the table where Honeybunny and Ringo are having their conversation. And that the line about executing everyone from Honeybunny changes from the opening scene to the ending scene, because we are getting it from two different peoples perspectives. (one from her, the other is from Jules' perspective) Holden touched on a sub-theme of redemption, but didn't quite connect it to everyone. Every character is given a second chance to change their ways and do the honorable thing: Butch goes back for Marsellus, Marsellus spares Butch, Jules pledges to quit the business and in turn talks Honeybunny and Ringo out of violence. Vincent is given two chances to change (the miracle with Jules, and saving Mia from OD) and never does and thus is the only main character to die.
We also see that Jules leaving is what ultimately gets Vincent killed. They were partners and Jules was more of the "hold the situation down" person while Vincent was way too laid back to be in this type of danger, he really got used to having Jules hold everything down while he aimlessly did his job. We see that when he is combing the apartment towards the beginning and then again when (even though it wasn't really his fault) Honeybunny and Ringo try to rob the place. Without Jules Vincent's mistakes that would have been concealed by Jules became very apparent when he leaves his gun on the counter while he goes to the bathroom.
@@CougaKitty-gg6kb interesting about the mistakes, however the gun on the counter is not Vincent's, it's Marcelles'. Because Jules had quit Marcelles went with Vincent to kill Butch. If you look closely, when you see Butch leaving the apartment he runs into Marcelles only a block away, carrying a box of pastries, and two cups of coffee. He left the gun on the counter to go get Vincent and Himself food, and who walks into a bakery carrying a silenced Uzi.
@@Seraphilms Hence why Tarantino only makes his movies and refuses to work with other studios. You'll never see him make a comic book movie for Marvel or DC. Hell, that rumor about him doing a Star Trek movie for awhile died a horrible death as well. And that's a good thing. He needs to stick to what he does.
In the beginning of the movie you can hear Jules say “Yeah! I was sitting here eating my muffin” and later you can see Vincent walking to the bathroom in the diner. Also bad things happen when Vincent goes to the bathroom (Mia overdosing, the diner robbery, and his death). And a symptom of heroin is chronic diarrhea, which is why he always has to go. There are so many little details in this movie that upon re-watch I keep finding out new things. Love the videos, looking forward to the next!!
When this movie debuted in 94' the continuous cuts in the timeline had not been seen before really. We were kind of blown away by the experience and couldn't stop talking about the odd scenes. Thereafter his films were highly highly anticipated and his legend grew.
You obviously have never seen any french, italian or russian cinema before... There are a lot of classics that have done that before Pulp Fiction. Andrey Tarkovsky even wrote a book named "Sculpting in time" where he explaines that the meaning of a movie can change depending of the order of the sequences and scenes... That book is teached in cinema schools right from the beggining, so there is nothing innovative in Tarantino using it in this movie... I mean, he even use the timeline skipping for his first movie "Reservoir Dogs", so... 🤷🏽♂️
@@lordstarkiller2010 Nope. Tarkovsky never did this. I have seen all his movies. He's great, but he didn't have nonlinear out-of-order stories like this. Neither did the Italians, sorry. Pulp Fiction was first. Not even Reservoir Dogs is out of order, the out-of-order parts are standard flashbacks around a linear main-story.
@@lordstarkiller2010 Well, how often do average Americans or even movie fans watch European cinema though? Especially in the 90s where that shit was probably way harder to find. So for the general audiences in the US, this was something new.
Non-linear narrative has been around since silent film. Citizen Kane is a non-linear film. You could say that Tarantino made it more popular and had commercial success, but he didn't invent it.
@@willpina No! Citizen Kane is not a non-linear film, it is a film with flashbacks. Likewise for Reservoir Dogs. Tarantino's Pulp Fiction is a truly non-linear film, it doesn't have a linear skeleton on which it hangs flashbacks, it is just nonlinear. It was the FIRST such film, although the Tarantino cut of "True Romance" shows you that Tarantino made another such script earlier. There is NO PREVIOUS EXAMPLE in either Russian or Italian cinema (or any other world cinema) of this type of story-telling. There are also only a handful of examples after 1994, the most prominent being Nolan's "Memento". Tarantino's later movies were all linear, with the exception of Jackie Brown, which has a three-fold repeat of a certain segment, but is mostly linear.
that is kind of rude....you prefer him to slave away sick for your entertainment? he already worked sick for like 10 y..... and he hid it because of embarrassment
Fun fact: At the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Nick Fury is standing at his fake grave. The Russa Brothers added a part of Jules “Path of the Righteous Man” quote to the grave stone as a node to Sam Jackson’s role in this movie.
The thing about this movie is that it grows on you with more viewings. Once you see it for the first time, you have to go back and rewatch to pick up on the more subtle aspects and dialog that this movie has to offer in order to fully understand the direction of this film and truly appreciate how great a movie it is.
It's one that you need to watch more than once. It def gets better every time you watch it. JACKIE BROWN is prob his most underrated film but easily one of his best works
Unfortunately they’re only going to watch the Patreon voted films. So Jackie Brown will remain a underrated gem. So many reactors skip it because of their Patreon fans. I just think people’s unconscious biases get in the way. Too many black characters in Jackie Brown.
The reason this movie is so “hyped” is because you have to remember the time when this movie came out. There was nothing like it. By todays terms and Tarantino’s follow ups it’s not as clean. But it’s still a classic and one of the best films ever made. It also brought back John Travolta’s career and made Sam Jackson a star.
The reason people (like myself) regard Pulp Fiction so highly, and consider it Tarantino's best film, is because we'd never seen anything like it at the time. There was nothing like it. The dialogue. The plot construction. The sudden, shocking plot developments. It was easily the best movie of 1994, and the 1990s as a whole. I don't know if y'all would have liked it more if you saw it before seeing Tarantino's later films. It was odd that y'all watched his movies out of order. But, I digress. Make sure you check out Kill Bill 1 & 2, if you haven't!
I don't really say to myself, "huh, this movie looks awesome. But I should watch all the other movies this director did first." unless it's actual sequels lol. But I'd say I STILL barely see movies like this today. This is great. The dialogue which is the main element of this movie is so engaging. And it's mostly about nothing! And yet, it's so entertaining
Nothing like going to film school or studying a Film/Cinematic Arts degree and hearing everyone talk about this film 24/7. You'd be surprised how many people have never seen it or don't enjoy the movie at all but I guess it isn't for everyone. I know some girls love to shit on this movie to piss off the lads lol
If it was a movie just about Jackson's and Travolta's characters, then I'd think it was a 100% better, otherwise I think it's just OK with a few great parts.
This is a tough one to think about out of context. I was just coming into my love of cinema when it came out, and to call it a game-changer is underselling things. Movies just weren't done like this before... but a lot have since, and I think that's why it's harder to connect to for new audiences. So much of what's here has been reiterated upon as filmmakers influenced by it have gone on to do their own things that this probably feels clumsy and awkward. But isn't that what all first steps are like? Interesting discussion.
Context is huge when it comes to how hard this hit in ‘94. You could argue early Scorsese and Reservoir Dogs, but Pulp Fiction is an entire mood that spawned a lot of imitation afterwards, but nothing else came close.
My favorite thing about this movie will always be the dinner scene with Vincent and Mia. The comfortable silence bit is super memorable to me personally because it’s very true.
I can’t put into works what this movie means to me. I was 15 when it came out and my friends and I snuck into the theatre to see it and left with our minds blown. I loved it for different reasons back then, but one thing that sets this movie apart is that while I will always love it b/c of the nostalgia, as I age, I find new reasons to appreciate it. The 15 yr old me loved that Butch smoked Vincent with his own gun, the 40 yr old me understands why the watch was so important and especially feels for Butch in the moment when he learns she forgot the watch. You can see his anger and that he’s also holding back. It’s great. Also, as I rewatch, it has never felt dated like so many of the great movies of that time do today. As many have already said, it was revolutionary in its day, and the more you watched it the better it gets. So there are my random thoughts. Glad you liked it, but I promise you’ll like it more it you watch it another couple times….. do it!!!
Yes Tarantino's first movie shot at a very low budget from the money he made for selling the script True Romance and it was amazing! He spent half the budget to get the rights to use the Stealers Wheel song "Stuck In The Middle With You", you will never hear that song the same after the movie.
Fun fact you may enjoy, the “Ezekiel 25:17” that Samuel L Jackson quoted in one of the first scenes of this movie is actually printed on Nick Fury’s tombstone at the end of captain America civil war!!
Yes it's all true. We put mayonaise on fries (also ketchup sometimes and other sauces). But dutch mayonaise is VERY different from american mayonaise Anyway, if you want another good old one from tarantino, try "Reservoir Dogs". It's really good.
If anything, Reservoir Dogs proves that one could produce the most perfect piece of theatrical art with the lowest budget imaginable. Now I'm not saying the budget WAS low, but the sets and scenes CAN be done very cost-efficient, all without not losing an ounce of story quality.
The main thing for me with early Tarantino movies...he's showing that even these bad ass people have a normal life! they talk about stuff we talk about (you both commented on that) so I think he was keen to flesh out those "movie" characters into people that had normal lives. NO one had really done that before. It's super cool and funny of course.
I think this reaction is a real testament to the power of anticipation and hype. Giving the scores and having the thoughts you guys had would've probably been higher had it either been your first Tarantino or the film not consistently be called one of the best ever made. On that note, I would really love to see a little (or big) vid about you 2 discussing your all-time favourite films because we've only really heard allusions to them and it'd be a fun discussion for not just you guys, but us as well.
Wow, I’m surprised at how underwhelmed you both were by this one. Sam Jackson’s performance is about as good as it gets imo. Favorite QT movie along with Inglorious Basterds and Kill Bill. But hey, that’s why they make chocolate and vanilla!
I love every part of the dialogue in this movie. Me and my friends got permission to read the script as a book for English class in high school (I'm from the Netherlands) and it was great! Love watching you see this for the first time, It gets better with every rewatch! Oh and we Dutchies do love mayonaise on our french fries
The greatness of this movie is the way that it is edited. Being 55 years old and watching movies that have a beginning a middle and an end for my whole entire life and then watching this movie and the sequence that it is shot in blew my mind and that is why besides the actual subject matter the reason this is my favorite movie😜🔥
I felt the same when I first saw the movie because it's all over the place and hard to follow on the first watch so expectations really mess with how you watch it. However, when you re-visit it, you realize 1) How great the dialog is (all time great screenwriting) 2) How great all of the acting performances are (Sam Jackson puts on a masterclass) and 3) How much social commentary he puts into one movie. It's not plot driven at all, and almost impossible to explain to someone what it's about, but its one of the best crafted movies ever made.
I've watched "Pulp Fiction" more than five times. The storyline, characters, music choices and tension are extraordinary. And after watching the film, everyone can connect the linear storytelling process of the film, since that it was told in a non-linear fashion. Nevertheless, "Pulp Fiction" is arguably QT's masterpiece, and still holds up to this day.
2 quick things of note: The reason for Uma being used heavily for marketing was partly because of the "pulp" aspect of the title. Pulp books most commonly used vixens holding a deadly object or smoking a cigarette(which during the Hays code era was lingo for sex). The second thing is just something to keep in mind. Now it'd be a really big stretch if only one actress that appeared in both, but with this film coming out in 1994 it was only 4ish years after the MPAA had created the new rating of NC-17. Now alot of people think of Showgirls as the film that is probably the most famous film to get this rating, however not the first. The first film to be given the rating was the 1990 film Henry & June. It starred Fred Ward(from Tremors fame), Uma Thurman, and Maria de Medeiros(aka Butch's girlfriend). So because of this and Tarantino's love of film. It's not hard to see the connection. By 1994 Uma had maybe less than 20 films and only 7 films between Henry & June and Pulp Fiction.
*What most ppl. missed, is , after Vincent and Mia left the club/restaurant, the radio was on in the car giving the local news. Make sure to watch that part!! Did they really win that trophy?
In the UK we had a series of adverts (DirectLine I believe) with Winston Wolf doing car insurance for people, played by Harvey Keitel with all the same motifs from the film. My friends had seen those ads before watching the film with me, so literally the whole Winston Wolf sequence they were Leonardo DiCaprio pointing at my TV.
Loved your reaction. This film is a certifiable classic and is important to understand that this film is created in the spirit of an independent film. If you like dialogue, character development, plots and intricate plot twist and strong acting performances this film is brilliant. Also take into account this film was created as a retro film in 94 with characters reflective of late 70’s - early 80’s. It’s original, unique and has withstood the rest of time. Overall, I rate this film a strong 8 and a half and only because some of the scenes, like Bruce Willis bedroom scene with his girlfriend are a bit dragged out and borderline unnecessary. Lastly, I’m a new sub and thoroughly enjoy your content. Much love and keep it coming!!!
We live in such a results driven society. We want resolution on everything. Tarantino distinguishes himself in his movies are journeys, just love the process of his movies. Not every movie needs a finish line.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the epitome of this. I watched it in the cinema and loved every minute, but in the end I thought: What the fuck was this about? It speaks to Tarantino's writing and directing talent that such an aimless, meandering film is so immensely entertaining. Not many directors can pull this off. The only ones that come to mind right now are the Cohen Brothers, who did it wonderfully in The Big Lebowski and other works.
My favourite Tarantino movie by far. The dialogue throughout this movie. I just recently watched Hateful Eight.. Dope!! I wonder, has Jen seen any of the How to Train Your Dragon or Kung Fu Panda trilogies??
If you want a straight Tarantino narrative try Jackie Brown. His only film based on someone else’s source material. Also True Romance, his first produced screenplay.
I remember when my best friend brought over the VHS tape he rented. That movie had me all over the place. I really enjoyed it and gave it a 2nd watch about a month later and loved it because I picked up on more details of the movie and stories. I would suggest Jackie Brown as your next Tarantino movie. That one starts Samuel L. Jackson, Pam Grier, Robert Deniro, Michael Keaton and Bridget Fonda. A great heist type story.
Y’all been pumping out so many gotdang Tarantino films that I saw PF in my feed and just kinda skipped over it then I was sitting here eating and was like “wait… Pulp Fiction???” Lol Hope you guys do all his movies!!! ❤️
Upon hearing that this was Holden's first time watching this movie, everyone who *has* seen this movie was anxiously waiting to see their reaction to Zed and the gimp. Jen: What the heck!? Holden: Channing Tatum...This is getting weird. Honestly, I'm not sure what I expected their reactions to be but knowing these two from their other reactions I'm not really surprised by what their reactions were.
Fun fact seeing as you mentioned Hitchcock while you were watching: Marcellus crossing the road and spotting Butch in the car he was passing is a direct reference/homage to an almost identical moment in Psycho. Speaking of references, at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier when they're stood in the graveyard, the tombstone has the epitaph "The path of the righteous man - Ezekiel 25:17" as a reference to Samuel L Jackson's repeated use of the line in Pulp Fiction.
A huge part of this film's popularity hinges is due to it being a sort of milestone in cinema at the time. It launched the career of Uma Thurman, marked the comeback of John Travolta (who really showed he could actually act for the first time in his career) and introduced Quinton Tarantino into the mainstream movie going audience. I don't think I've ever met anyone who says it's their favorite movie but it's one of those films that the vast majority of viewers have not only seen but highly enjoyed.
Not really. Travolta's performance in Saturday Night Fever was extremely underrated. He was also terrific in a Brian DePalma film called Blowout, where he plays a sound technician who pieces together a murder mystery by listening to tapes of an accident. Great movie with a killer performance by Nancy Allen and John Lithgow doing deranged very well.
Brilliant! I love that you didn't add yourself to the title as your first time seeing it also. I'm suprised how much more excited for the video I got when you told us. I love suprises. I also love sleepy Falcon. Seriously.....that dog is the most beautiful color. Be nice to Boston! Great video!!
Tarantino always talks about how he views this as a comedy, and it really comes down to if you get it or not. If you don't that's okay it's niche but it's hilarious if your in on the joke the whole time.
I would Really want to see u guys eventually react to his other movies( reservoir dogs,is 1st,jackie brown my favorite ,kill bill , hateful eight and deathpoof) . they are all great to watch even if some are better than the others.
I may be off base with my theory, but I have one that might explain you and Jen's ambivalence towards this movie. It's the same one I had the first time I watched it when I was much younger. I'm so used to movies being about good guys and their journey to become a great hero. Pulp Fiction is NOT that. Pulp Fiction is a movie about bad people and their journey to becoming semi-decent human beings. Samuel L. Jackson's character is not a good person. He's a hired killer. Bruce Willis' character in the beginning only cares about money and doesn't feel bad when he learns he killed his opponent in the boxing ring. But by the end of their journeys, they find some sort of redemption. Bruce Willis went back to save Ving Rhames not because he was thinking of trying to make good with him to be let off the hook. It's because he may be a bad person, but in the face of TRUE EVIL like those those hillbilly rapists are, he realizes he has to save Ving Rhames character. Samuel L. Jackson's character doesn't become this crime fighting do gooder by the end, you notice he still let's Bonnie and Clyde still take all the money at the end, because his journey isn't about becoming Captain America (or maybe I should say Nick Fury) at the end. It's about simply NOT killing a bunch of idiots that he would've done without a thought just earlier that morning. I think for someone like you and Jen, that might be incongruous with your general life point of view, with how much you love Captain America and Spider-man and Goku. You know, generally boy scouts. And Pulp Fiction is NOT that movie for that at all. But it's all relative and matters of degrees. Instead of the gauge starting at "good person" and going to "great hero", here it's "bad guy" going into "decent person." And you see an example with John Travolta's character as someone who doesn't undergo that transformation. He gets shot midway through the film by Bruce Willis because he continued that killer lifestyle, denouncing and rejecting everything Samuel L. was telling him about it being a miracle they're alive, and that he's getting out of the business. I'm not sure you two would have the same experience that I did with this film. I first watched it when i was pretty young, around 12 or 13. So my mindset was still in the, "This feels weird. These aren't good guys I can root for!?" mentality. But as I got older and rewatched, the more and more engaged I got with it. The more and more I understood that it's a story about people just trying to do their best, whatever shitty circumstance they may be in, even if self inflicted. And the long dialogue scenes, that just might be a difference of opinion. From a purely plot point of view, I can see how one could argue that it could be tightened up. But Tarantino films have a lot more European cinema influence where there's just as much emphasis on character as plot. A lot of the seemingly "meaningless" dialogue does a lot to inform the characters. The car conversation that starts the film may seem weird about Big Macs and weed, but it shows that John Travolta's character is all about the material. The physical goods that give him pleasure, like Big Macs, like weed, like talking about eating pork at the end because bacon tastes good, like being a heroin addict, like saying he'll shoot Bonnie and Clyde on principal alone if Samuel L. gives him $1500. So when he sits there and tells Samuel L. that there was no miracle, no act of God that saved them, it all lines up. The dialogue informs that decision. And that extends towards all the dialogue in the film with all the characters.
Fun Little fact or it’s up for speculation it was said that in creating the movie what was inside the briefcase was meant to be ambiguous to everybody and how it moves each and every character it was also mentioned that inside the briefcase might be Marsellus Wallace‘s soul if you didn’t realize any of the religious connections
When I went to Europe in 1998, the first thing I did in Paris *wasn’t* the Eiffel Tower - it was McDonald’s. And yes, it’s true, Jen! And in Amsterdam, it’s also true! 🍔🍟
Hi there, Jen and Holden. Longtime Tarantino fan here, so I have a lot to say about this film. I certainly appreciate what you both said about needing to take some time to process and form an opinion. I was in the same boat when I saw the movie the day it came out in 1994. The theater manager spoke to me before the show, telling me how personally excited he was to be showing Pulp Fiction in the multiplex he was in charge of. After the film was over, he spotted me walking through the lobby and approached me. "Well, what did you think?" I was like, "I don't know, man. Leave me alone, I gotta give this one some thought." Reservoir Dogs had come out two years before this movie, and my friends and I were bonkers for it. We watched it in the theater and then multiple times at home. Needless to say, we were counting the days until Pulp was set to open in October. A week or two before, Roger Ebert mentioned on his show that he had already seen it twice, and we cursed at him for being so lucky. The first thing that struck me about Pulp, compared to Dogs, is how many characters actually made to the end alive. I was expecting another bloodbath, and I think a lot of people who only had Tarantino's previous movie to go by were thinking the same thing. As you know, there's plenty of violent death being dealt out in most of Quentin's later films. This makes Pulp Fiction the odd man out, so to speak. But I think that's fitting for a film with multiple stories about personal redemption...Vincent saving Mia's life, Butch saving Marsellus, Jules turning over a new leaf and sparing Ringo and Yolanda. I noticed Jen yawning a few times during the extended dialogue scenes. This feels like a much more laid-back movie than Basterds or Django, and I think that's down to the numerous situations in which characters are keeping secrets that they hope won't be discovered. The French farmer hiding Shoshanna and her family, Hickox hiding the fact that he's not German, Django and Dr. Schultz's subterfuge at Calvin Candie's dining table. Not nearly as many secrets being kept in Pulp Fiction, so that tension which you might have expected was missing. Some Pulp Fiction factoids: Quentin's first three films (Dogs, Pulp, Jackie Brown) do not use a conventional score like the kind John Williams or Hans Zimmer would compose...just a selection of songs. "Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon" was released as a single, the rest of the songs were recorded and published many years earlier. Pulp was nominated for several Oscars. It was Quentin's first film to be nominated for Best Picture. The only Oscar it won was for its screenplay. Pulp Fiction's budget: About $8 million. Django Unchained's budget: Around $100 million. (Leo ain't cheap.) This movie played in a theater near me from October 14, 1994 until May 25, 1995. That's over SEVEN MONTHS. I'm not sure even Titanic lasted that long! Samuel L. Jackson lost the Best Supporting Actor award to Martin Landeau...a real shame, since the part of Jules was written specifically for him. Aside from Nick Fury, Jules Winnfield may be Sam's most recognizable character...although his favorite Tarantino film is actually Jackie Brown. My personal "briefcase mystery" theory: It contains a crown made of gold. Very shiny gold.
Fantastic. A brilliant piece of storytelling. Holden, I was worried when you started with Django, but I get it now: your going from poorest Tarantino movie to best. Excellent. True Romance is indeed the apex.
You might get a lot of snobby commenters telling you that you are wrong and that pulp fiction is a masterpiece but I respect you telling us what you really think. There are many beloved films I don’t think are masterpieces as well and this is just how subjectivity works
Vincent's car actually belongs to Tarantino himself and was stolen during filming in 1994. It eventually showed up in 2013, a man had bought it and spent thousands keeping it restored. Some cool trivia for you.
I really hope you do Once upon a time in Hollywood, it’ll be slower for some people but it’s one of my favourites. Just make sure you know the history with the Manson family and Sharon Tate, as it is one of Tarantino’s historical retellings.
Out of all of Tarantino's films, I think Pulp Fiction is the most rewatchable - and the most rewarding to rewatch. I would say that the Butch storyline is the slowest pace and probably has the most material that could be cut down. That's also the storyline that was co-written with Roger Avery - which is probably why it feels distinctly different from the rest of the film. Pulp Fiction is still my personal favorite - but I definitely see how it's not as impactful for those only seeing it for the first time now. As someone who saw it in theaters - it was impossible not to see just how far-reaching the influence and impact of Pulp Fiction had on the film industry - especially the indie film circuit. Glad y'all finally got to watch it.
I think younger audiences generally have a low attention span and therefore struggle to appreciate this movie in it’s full capacity. The beauty of this movie is in the dialogue and small touches - it doesn’t need to be rewarded by a huge Hollywood climax & not everything has to be wrapped in a neat little bow for you.
I've seen this movie more than 20 times in the theater. It's a masterpiece. Is it as great as Schlinder's List, Godfellas or the Godfather? No, but it's in the next tier of modern masterpieces and is ranked in the top 20 greatest movies of all time. No other Tarantino movie will ever crack that list.
I brought this over to a sleepover right after it came out on VHS, watching it with my friends parents. LOL. they left the room after the 'holiest of holies' line. I think what keeps people coming back to QT & PF is his dialogue is how people talk in real life. We may not be able to relate to the actions of the characters but we all speak like them. QT does recycle many things from 50s-60s culture into his films- music, actors, etc....Virtually evey line of PF is quotable. "Hey, Flock of Seagulls...keep chilin"
For me, Pulp Fiction gets a 10. I saw it in the theater when it came out and it blew me away. I love it top to bottom, but, more than anything else, it's a screenwriting masterpiece. Having said that, the movie isn't about the plot. The plot boils down to four simple things going wrong: throwing a fight, picking up a briefcase, taking Marsellus' wife to dinner, and robbing a diner. What makes the screenplay brilliant and drives the movie are the exactness of the characters, the characters' self-awareness, and the crazy balancing act the dialogue pulls off between sounding amazingly natural and authentic but also incredibly clever and polished. It's probably the most influential movie of the last 30 years. It's impact was so broad that it's kind of hard to recognize it now, but you can see the self-awareness in a lot of movies (Scream, Adaptation, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, etc.) and everybody does their version of Tarantino style dialogue from Buffy the Vampire Slayer show, to Kevin Smith's movies, to the MCU movies.
Great behind the scenes moment is that Quinton and Uma came up with story as well as premise for "Kill Bill" while shooting this film hence the samurai sword in the pawn shop scene. You guys really need to watch the "Hateful 8", kind of a Tarantino western who done it. Also, the animated film "The Bad Guys", takes from Pulp Fiction, Ocean's 11, & any Fast and Furious film. It was a really fun surprise.
I've enjoyed many of your reactions but this one, being the first seeing you both react to a new movie, I LOVE. And I didn't even mind the little bit of chit chat, it made it even more real. Thanks! 😀
The first reaction after watching Pulp Fiction is always ‘wtf was that?’. You don’t watch it all over again, you spend a couple of months and still those scenes and dialogues stay with you. Then you meet a friend who has seen it, and then discussion begins, and then you start understanding how much of the details you are able to recall and you fall in love with it all over again. After 3-4 watches it is already in your favourites list!! Tarantino’s best work according to me!!! After watching it 20 times, I still don’t know how to explain the greatness of the film!
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Fun little detail that gets missed if you're not in the know: the drug dealer being out of balloons is what leads to Mia's overdose. Heroin was typically sold in balloons while coke is kept in baggies, so when Mia finds Vincent's baggie she lays herself out a typical coke line, thus leading her to overdose on heroin.
I had always assumed she didn’t know it was heroin, but that makes a lot of sense
I say, Goddamn! Goddamn...
I'm not a drug afficianado, but I always thought there would be a slight color difference between coke and heroine. And even in that scene..what she sniffs almost looks more like brown crystaline sugar to me than white powder coke. And I felt like she should have been able to spot the difference.
@@brianegendorf2023 true, but that doesn’t make for good story telling now.
@@brianegendorf2023 Maybe its because its the "good shit". Even though heroin is supposed to be more yellow? In my country we often call it simply "yellow" (in my native langauge, ofcourse).
Pulp Fiction was a revelation at the time. It wasn't only the violence, the music and general coolness of most characters that struck people. It was just fascinating hearing people talk on screen the way people talked in real life. The way they talked, the things they talked about and all that. No one ever wrote dialogue like Tarantino before Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs.
"At the time" are the operative words here. When this came out, it was totally unique. It had an effect on cinema that came after. It's great.
Tarantino is definitely way up there. Before Tarantino, though, I have to hand it to Robert Altman.
The thing with Pulp Fiction, is that it had a lot of firsts. It was way ahead of its time, in what you could show in a movie, or at least what was the norm.
I watched this film in the cinema, and despite it was a new movie, it wasn't shown in the biggest room. It wasn't expected to be that big of a hit, and really it wasn't.
I also remember that me and my buddy were crying in tears of laughter throughout the movie, while a lot of people walked out. Only years later, it got praised as one of the greatest films in cinema history.
I've also kept an eye on its ratings on IMDB, since its release, and over the years, it has climbed from a score around 7,something, to the current score at 8,9.
A lot of people seems to have changed their view on the movie.
Pulp Fiction is one of the most quotable movies ever written. its just great
Well maybe throw in some Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness as well lol But you're 100% right
CHECK OUT THE BIG BRAIN ON BRETT! I say that shit all the time haha
This and The Dark Knight
Well maybe throw in a little Scarface or godfather.
Most quotable movies ever written are likely Monty Python, Blazing Saddles, and the original Dumb and Dumber.
Since Jen is an Uma Thurman fan, you definitely need to watch Kill Bill.
Pulp Fiction is a masterclass of storytelling. The dialogue is so immersive and engaging.
Tarantino and Thurman were discussing that story and the character of The Bride as early as the making of this movie.
Yes watch Kill Bill
1000% need to watch the Kill Bill duology
Watch Kill Bill
AN EPIC MASTERPIECE OF A MOVIE!
*”Awh man, I shot Marvin in the face..”*
Lmao never gets old
I've watched that scene so many times, and I have to side with Jules..there was no bump before the gun goes off..
It isn't even the line that is so funny. It's the delivery! "OH MAN! I just stepped in dog sh..."
I was in tears for a solid 10 minutes the first time I ever saw that scene lol
My favorite part is when he tells Harvey Keitel to say please XD
The OG line was just "Aww man, I shot Marvin." Travolta asked to add "in the face". Tarantino has an interview where he added "I didn't realize until then I was making a comedy."
The connection between the Jules' realization and Vincent's death for me was always pretty clear. Jules took what he saw as a sign to heart and decided to leave the business, while Vincent continued as usual and died very shortly after that as a result. Had he listened to Jules, perhaps he would've survived too. Director doesn't explicitly imply it was really a miracle, maybe it was just cruel irony. It's open to interpretation. But cause and effect are pretty obvious imo.
Cruel irony it's the key. If joules hadn't left he would've caught butch, if butch's girlfriend hadn't forgot the watch Vincent would've stay alive, if butch wasn't so carefree and "dumb" on his house Vincent would still be on his tracks
I agree. It also could be because Joules quit he wasn't there to back Vince up. Like you said it's open to interpretation.
I didn't think it was that deep. I think the point was just Vincent always picks the worst time to go to the bathroom...
Diner hold up scene, pop tarts, Mia overdose??? All while he's on the can
@@nathanlawson313 I honestly didn't even realize that every time he's in the bathroom, something fucked up happens lol. Holy shit, I've seen this multiple times and I hadn't caught on to that.
@@raegorz I also think that he's always in the bathroom trying to dump because constipation is a side effect of heroin use, something he was a regular user of.
The foot massage conversation at the beginning is one the funniest movie scenes ever. Anytime John Travolta and Samuel Jackson are on screen together it's awesome.
Fun fact: Years later many have come forward about Tarantino having a real life foot fetish, so the recurring theme in the movie about a foot massage was really Tarantino's mind subconsciously debating if it's appropriate.
@@cup_and_cone I mean did they even had to confirm that? I always thought it was pretty obvious after watching his movies
Do you have any other examples of other movies where John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson are in the same scenes together?
I only know of this movie.
With every Pulp Fiction reaction, it's always a matter of how people will handle the pawn shop scene.
Yeahhg that one scene scarred me for life
Always curious
I don't think I've ever seen anyone actually "get" the "Don't be a daddy-o" line the Uma delivers. Someone actually asked what being a rectangle meant b/c she didn't draw a perfect square on the screen (or maybe the camera stretched it into a rectangle?
@@austntexanmy fav movie sandlot line " you're an L-7" (square)
just hold your fingers up L on one 7 on the other
I saw it when I was 12 if I remember correctly I handled that traumatic shit by laughing
This movie can take multiple watches to catch all the sub text. One suggestion I always make is to really go through it in your mind and really piece together the scenes in the proper linear time line. Doing that might help to unlock some of the hidden nuances of this film. One example would be that in the opening scene you actually see Vincent on his way to the bathroom at the diner, walk in front of the table where Honeybunny and Ringo are having their conversation. And that the line about executing everyone from Honeybunny changes from the opening scene to the ending scene, because we are getting it from two different peoples perspectives. (one from her, the other is from Jules' perspective)
Holden touched on a sub-theme of redemption, but didn't quite connect it to everyone. Every character is given a second chance to change their ways and do the honorable thing: Butch goes back for Marsellus, Marsellus spares Butch, Jules pledges to quit the business and in turn talks Honeybunny and Ringo out of violence. Vincent is given two chances to change (the miracle with Jules, and saving Mia from OD) and never does and thus is the only main character to die.
Mmhm. Told in a completely non linear pattern. Which I love. Kind of reminds me of the movie Memento. Like a lot. Takes multiple watches.
Bro yes I hope Holden reads this man
Holden is both a bit too sheltered and young to get a lot of it anyways.
We also see that Jules leaving is what ultimately gets Vincent killed. They were partners and Jules was more of the "hold the situation down" person while Vincent was way too laid back to be in this type of danger, he really got used to having Jules hold everything down while he aimlessly did his job. We see that when he is combing the apartment towards the beginning and then again when (even though it wasn't really his fault) Honeybunny and Ringo try to rob the place. Without Jules Vincent's mistakes that would have been concealed by Jules became very apparent when he leaves his gun on the counter while he goes to the bathroom.
@@CougaKitty-gg6kb interesting about the mistakes, however the gun on the counter is not Vincent's, it's Marcelles'. Because Jules had quit Marcelles went with Vincent to kill Butch. If you look closely, when you see Butch leaving the apartment he runs into Marcelles only a block away, carrying a box of pastries, and two cups of coffee. He left the gun on the counter to go get Vincent and Himself food, and who walks into a bakery carrying a silenced Uzi.
Good group of best picture nominees that year: Pulp Fiction, Shawshank Redemption, Quiz Show, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Forrest Gump.
Wow, that is a great group of movies.
I love most of these. Shawshank is the best of that list for me.
Best year for movies ever. Lion King and Jurassic Park too.
I will never forget Tarantino's absolute glee at winning an MTV movie award after having watched Forrest Gump rack up Best Picture wins.
@@HoldenHardman can you react to clone wars 2003
What makes Quentin’s films iconic is that he writes AND directs them. The level of consistency is super impressive in today’s age.
@@Seraphilms Hence why Tarantino only makes his movies and refuses to work with other studios. You'll never see him make a comic book movie for Marvel or DC. Hell, that rumor about him doing a Star Trek movie for awhile died a horrible death as well. And that's a good thing. He needs to stick to what he does.
In the beginning of the movie you can hear Jules say “Yeah! I was sitting here eating my muffin” and later you can see Vincent walking to the bathroom in the diner. Also bad things happen when Vincent goes to the bathroom (Mia overdosing, the diner robbery, and his death). And a symptom of heroin is chronic diarrhea, which is why he always has to go. There are so many little details in this movie that upon re-watch I keep finding out new things. Love the videos, looking forward to the next!!
Like his dealer being out of balloons and giving him a baggie instead leading to mia over dosing
I thought heroin did the exact opposite. Source: Trainspotting
@@KWin246 He's always in the bathroom because he can't poop, opiates do indeed constipate you. Source: personal experience
Not diarrhea, constipation.
This film gets better on rewatches. There's so much stuff in there, that you only get after you've watched it again, sometimes multiple times.
When this movie debuted in 94' the continuous cuts in the timeline had not been seen before really.
We were kind of blown away by the experience and couldn't stop talking about the odd scenes.
Thereafter his films were highly highly anticipated and his legend grew.
You obviously have never seen any french, italian or russian cinema before... There are a lot of classics that have done that before Pulp Fiction.
Andrey Tarkovsky even wrote a book named "Sculpting in time" where he explaines that the meaning of a movie can change depending of the order of the sequences and scenes...
That book is teached in cinema schools right from the beggining, so there is nothing innovative in Tarantino using it in this movie... I mean, he even use the timeline skipping for his first movie "Reservoir Dogs", so... 🤷🏽♂️
@@lordstarkiller2010 Nope. Tarkovsky never did this. I have seen all his movies. He's great, but he didn't have nonlinear out-of-order stories like this. Neither did the Italians, sorry. Pulp Fiction was first. Not even Reservoir Dogs is out of order, the out-of-order parts are standard flashbacks around a linear main-story.
@@lordstarkiller2010 Well, how often do average Americans or even movie fans watch European cinema though? Especially in the 90s where that shit was probably way harder to find. So for the general audiences in the US, this was something new.
Non-linear narrative has been around since silent film. Citizen Kane is a non-linear film. You could say that Tarantino made it more popular and had commercial success, but he didn't invent it.
@@willpina No! Citizen Kane is not a non-linear film, it is a film with flashbacks. Likewise for Reservoir Dogs. Tarantino's Pulp Fiction is a truly non-linear film, it doesn't have a linear skeleton on which it hangs flashbacks, it is just nonlinear. It was the FIRST such film, although the Tarantino cut of "True Romance" shows you that Tarantino made another such script earlier. There is NO PREVIOUS EXAMPLE in either Russian or Italian cinema (or any other world cinema) of this type of story-telling. There are also only a handful of examples after 1994, the most prominent being Nolan's "Memento". Tarantino's later movies were all linear, with the exception of Jackie Brown, which has a three-fold repeat of a certain segment, but is mostly linear.
7:04, I'm gonna miss Bruce Willis. So sad he's retired due to a brain disorder called Aphasia. I wish him and his family the best of luck.
Thanks for the info this is how I learned he had it and what it is. Good to know.
that is kind of rude....you prefer him to slave away sick for your entertainment? he already worked sick for like 10 y..... and he hid it because of embarrassment
@@Belnick6666 he’s obviously not saying that. he’s saying it’s sad that he’s been forced into retirement due to his disorder
Fun fact: At the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Nick Fury is standing at his fake grave. The Russa Brothers added a part of Jules “Path of the Righteous Man” quote to the grave stone as a node to Sam Jackson’s role in this movie.
The thing about this movie is that it grows on you with more viewings. Once you see it for the first time, you have to go back and rewatch to pick up on the more subtle aspects and dialog that this movie has to offer in order to fully understand the direction of this film and truly appreciate how great a movie it is.
It's one that you need to watch more than once. It def gets better every time you watch it. JACKIE BROWN is prob his most underrated film but easily one of his best works
Unfortunately they’re only going to watch the Patreon voted films. So Jackie Brown will remain a underrated gem. So many reactors skip it because of their Patreon fans. I just think people’s unconscious biases get in the way. Too many black characters in Jackie Brown.
I fucking love Jackie Brown
Jackie Brown is very underrated.
The reason this movie is so “hyped” is because you have to remember the time when this movie came out. There was nothing like it. By todays terms and Tarantino’s follow ups it’s not as clean. But it’s still a classic and one of the best films ever made. It also brought back John Travolta’s career and made Sam Jackson a star.
The reason people (like myself) regard Pulp Fiction so highly, and consider it Tarantino's best film, is because we'd never seen anything like it at the time. There was nothing like it. The dialogue. The plot construction. The sudden, shocking plot developments. It was easily the best movie of 1994, and the 1990s as a whole.
I don't know if y'all would have liked it more if you saw it before seeing Tarantino's later films. It was odd that y'all watched his movies out of order. But, I digress. Make sure you check out Kill Bill 1 & 2, if you haven't!
I don't really say to myself, "huh, this movie looks awesome. But I should watch all the other movies this director did first." unless it's actual sequels lol. But I'd say I STILL barely see movies like this today. This is great. The dialogue which is the main element of this movie is so engaging. And it's mostly about nothing! And yet, it's so entertaining
shawshank redemption exists btw
Nothing like going to film school or studying a Film/Cinematic Arts degree and hearing everyone talk about this film 24/7. You'd be surprised how many people have never seen it or don't enjoy the movie at all but I guess it isn't for everyone. I know some girls love to shit on this movie to piss off the lads lol
If it was a movie just about Jackson's and Travolta's characters, then I'd think it was a 100% better, otherwise I think it's just OK with a few great parts.
I’ve seen this movie a thousand times and I can’t explain how entertaining it is to watch y’all go on this wild ride for the first time
This is a tough one to think about out of context. I was just coming into my love of cinema when it came out, and to call it a game-changer is underselling things. Movies just weren't done like this before... but a lot have since, and I think that's why it's harder to connect to for new audiences. So much of what's here has been reiterated upon as filmmakers influenced by it have gone on to do their own things that this probably feels clumsy and awkward. But isn't that what all first steps are like? Interesting discussion.
Who has done anything similar? The only person I can think of is Christopher Nolan in "Memento". That's it.
@@annaclarafenyo8185 Boondock Saints is VERY Tarantino inspired.
Context is huge when it comes to how hard this hit in ‘94. You could argue early Scorsese and Reservoir Dogs, but Pulp Fiction is an entire mood that spawned a lot of imitation afterwards, but nothing else came close.
My favorite thing about this movie will always be the dinner scene with Vincent and Mia. The comfortable silence bit is super memorable to me personally because it’s very true.
I can’t put into works what this movie means to me. I was 15 when it came out and my friends and I snuck into the theatre to see it and left with our minds blown. I loved it for different reasons back then, but one thing that sets this movie apart is that while I will always love it b/c of the nostalgia, as I age, I find new reasons to appreciate it. The 15 yr old me loved that Butch smoked Vincent with his own gun, the 40 yr old me understands why the watch was so important and especially feels for Butch in the moment when he learns she forgot the watch. You can see his anger and that he’s also holding back. It’s great.
Also, as I rewatch, it has never felt dated like so many of the great movies of that time do today.
As many have already said, it was revolutionary in its day, and the more you watched it the better it gets.
So there are my random thoughts. Glad you liked it, but I promise you’ll like it more it you watch it another couple times….. do it!!!
“I don’t remember asking you a Goddamn Thing” used to be my text tone when I was in high school 🤣😂
Reservoir dogs is in my top three favourite movies! It’s a very underrated move, I think you guys would love it!
Yes Tarantino's first movie shot at a very low budget from the money he made for selling the script True Romance and it was amazing! He spent half the budget to get the rights to use the Stealers Wheel song "Stuck In The Middle With You", you will never hear that song the same after the movie.
25:48
Sam L. Jackson actually does have the initials B.M.F. engraved on his lightsaber prop from when he played Mace Windu 😂
You should check out Nick Fury's tombstone in Captain America 2! Fun little Easter Egg from his character in Pulp Fiction!
Fun fact you may enjoy, the “Ezekiel 25:17” that Samuel L Jackson quoted in one of the first scenes of this movie is actually printed on Nick Fury’s tombstone at the end of captain America civil war!!
Yes it's all true. We put mayonaise on fries (also ketchup sometimes and other sauces). But dutch mayonaise is VERY different from american mayonaise
Anyway, if you want another good old one from tarantino, try "Reservoir Dogs". It's really good.
If anything, Reservoir Dogs proves that one could produce the most perfect piece of theatrical art with the lowest budget imaginable.
Now I'm not saying the budget WAS low, but the sets and scenes CAN be done very cost-efficient, all without not losing an ounce of story quality.
Ketchup and mayo mix is great. But the mayonnaise needs to be European. Much better but luckily I have a Polish store near my house.
The main thing for me with early Tarantino movies...he's showing that even these bad ass people have a normal life! they talk about stuff we talk about (you both commented on that) so I think he was keen to flesh out those "movie" characters into people that had normal lives. NO one had really done that before. It's super cool and funny of course.
I think this reaction is a real testament to the power of anticipation and hype. Giving the scores and having the thoughts you guys had would've probably been higher had it either been your first Tarantino or the film not consistently be called one of the best ever made.
On that note, I would really love to see a little (or big) vid about you 2 discussing your all-time favourite films because we've only really heard allusions to them and it'd be a fun discussion for not just you guys, but us as well.
Wow, I’m surprised at how underwhelmed you both were by this one. Sam Jackson’s performance is about as good as it gets imo. Favorite QT movie along with Inglorious Basterds and Kill Bill. But hey, that’s why they make chocolate and vanilla!
This film is Fantastic
I love every part of the dialogue in this movie. Me and my friends got permission to read the script as a book for English class in high school (I'm from the Netherlands) and it was great! Love watching you see this for the first time, It gets better with every rewatch! Oh and we Dutchies do love mayonaise on our french fries
Yes it's definitely a "day in the life of..." type of movie. Not really a specific build up or climax. Just a character film. Awesome reaction guys
The greatness of this movie is the way that it is edited. Being 55 years old and watching movies that have a beginning a middle and an end for my whole entire life and then watching this movie and the sequence that it is shot in blew my mind and that is why besides the actual subject matter the reason this is my favorite movie😜🔥
Mia and Vincent actually *didn’t* win the trophy - they stole it. It was on the news on the radio.
Don't know if you guys are done with Terantino films, but a really good one is the Hateful 8 realllllly good watch. Love the reaction.
I felt the same when I first saw the movie because it's all over the place and hard to follow on the first watch so expectations really mess with how you watch it. However, when you re-visit it, you realize 1) How great the dialog is (all time great screenwriting) 2) How great all of the acting performances are (Sam Jackson puts on a masterclass) and 3) How much social commentary he puts into one movie. It's not plot driven at all, and almost impossible to explain to someone what it's about, but its one of the best crafted movies ever made.
Holy crap Holden hasn't seen Pulp Fiction that is NUTS!
I've watched "Pulp Fiction" more than five times. The storyline, characters, music choices and tension are extraordinary. And after watching the film, everyone can connect the linear storytelling process of the film, since that it was told in a non-linear fashion. Nevertheless, "Pulp Fiction" is arguably QT's masterpiece, and still holds up to this day.
In Inglorious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino is the 1st German soldier they show getting scalped.
2 quick things of note: The reason for Uma being used heavily for marketing was partly because of the "pulp" aspect of the title. Pulp books most commonly used vixens holding a deadly object or smoking a cigarette(which during the Hays code era was lingo for sex). The second thing is just something to keep in mind. Now it'd be a really big stretch if only one actress that appeared in both, but with this film coming out in 1994 it was only 4ish years after the MPAA had created the new rating of NC-17. Now alot of people think of Showgirls as the film that is probably the most famous film to get this rating, however not the first. The first film to be given the rating was the 1990 film Henry & June. It starred Fred Ward(from Tremors fame), Uma Thurman, and Maria de Medeiros(aka Butch's girlfriend). So because of this and Tarantino's love of film. It's not hard to see the connection. By 1994 Uma had maybe less than 20 films and only 7 films between Henry & June and Pulp Fiction.
*What most ppl. missed, is , after Vincent and Mia left the club/restaurant, the radio was on in the car giving the local news. Make sure to watch that part!! Did they really win that trophy?
In the UK we had a series of adverts (DirectLine I believe) with Winston Wolf doing car insurance for people, played by Harvey Keitel with all the same motifs from the film. My friends had seen those ads before watching the film with me, so literally the whole Winston Wolf sequence they were Leonardo DiCaprio pointing at my TV.
I’m surprised Holden didn’t catch immediately that the buddy Holly waiter is Steve buscemi
Loved your reaction. This film is a certifiable classic and is important to understand that this film is created in the spirit of an independent film. If you like dialogue, character development, plots and intricate plot twist and strong acting performances this film is brilliant. Also take into account this film was created as a retro film in 94 with characters reflective of late 70’s - early 80’s. It’s original, unique and has withstood the rest of time. Overall, I rate this film a strong 8 and a half and only because some of the scenes, like Bruce Willis bedroom scene with his girlfriend are a bit dragged out and borderline unnecessary. Lastly, I’m a new sub and thoroughly enjoy your content. Much love and keep it coming!!!
So glad Holden hasn't seen this before. His reaction to the watch story was hilarious.
We live in such a results driven society. We want resolution on everything. Tarantino distinguishes himself in his movies are journeys, just love the process of his movies. Not every movie needs a finish line.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the epitome of this. I watched it in the cinema and loved every minute, but in the end I thought: What the fuck was this about?
It speaks to Tarantino's writing and directing talent that such an aimless, meandering film is so immensely entertaining. Not many directors can pull this off. The only ones that come to mind right now are the Cohen Brothers, who did it wonderfully in The Big Lebowski and other works.
Fun fact! Ezekiel 2517 was on the grave stone at the end of captain America winter soldier! 🤯
My favourite Tarantino movie by far.
The dialogue throughout this movie.
I just recently watched Hateful Eight.. Dope!!
I wonder, has Jen seen any of the How to Train Your Dragon or Kung Fu Panda trilogies??
A lot of dialogue? That's the whole point of his craft. The Hateful Eight will drive you crazy haha.
If you want a straight Tarantino narrative try Jackie Brown. His only film based on someone else’s source material. Also True Romance, his first produced screenplay.
Jackie Brown is ONE of my favorite films of his. It was based off of Elmore Leonard’s Rum Punch but Tarantino style and dialogue is all through there.
I'm so happy you guys decided to watch this. This has to be my favorite movie.
I remember when my best friend brought over the VHS tape he rented. That movie had me all over the place. I really enjoyed it and gave it a 2nd watch about a month later and loved it because I picked up on more details of the movie and stories.
I would suggest Jackie Brown as your next Tarantino movie. That one starts Samuel L. Jackson, Pam Grier, Robert Deniro, Michael Keaton and Bridget Fonda. A great heist type story.
Y’all been pumping out so many gotdang Tarantino films that I saw PF in my feed and just kinda skipped over it then I was sitting here eating and was like “wait… Pulp Fiction???” Lol
Hope you guys do all his movies!!! ❤️
Upon hearing that this was Holden's first time watching this movie, everyone who *has* seen this movie was anxiously waiting to see their reaction to Zed and the gimp.
Jen: What the heck!?
Holden: Channing Tatum...This is getting weird.
Honestly, I'm not sure what I expected their reactions to be but knowing these two from their other reactions I'm not really surprised by what their reactions were.
Fun fact seeing as you mentioned Hitchcock while you were watching: Marcellus crossing the road and spotting Butch in the car he was passing is a direct reference/homage to an almost identical moment in Psycho.
Speaking of references, at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier when they're stood in the graveyard, the tombstone has the epitaph "The path of the righteous man - Ezekiel 25:17" as a reference to Samuel L Jackson's repeated use of the line in Pulp Fiction.
A huge part of this film's popularity hinges is due to it being a sort of milestone in cinema at the time. It launched the career of Uma Thurman, marked the comeback of John Travolta (who really showed he could actually act for the first time in his career) and introduced Quinton Tarantino into the mainstream movie going audience. I don't think I've ever met anyone who says it's their favorite movie but it's one of those films that the vast majority of viewers have not only seen but highly enjoyed.
Not really. Travolta's performance in Saturday Night Fever was extremely underrated. He was also terrific in a Brian DePalma film called Blowout, where he plays a sound technician who pieces together a murder mystery by listening to tapes of an accident. Great movie with a killer performance by Nancy Allen and John Lithgow doing deranged very well.
Brilliant! I love that you didn't add yourself to the title as your first time seeing it also. I'm suprised how much more excited for the video I got when you told us. I love suprises.
I also love sleepy Falcon. Seriously.....that dog is the most beautiful color. Be nice to Boston! Great video!!
Please watch some more Tarantino films. Like Once upon a time in hollywood and kill bill
Tarantino always talks about how he views this as a comedy, and it really comes down to if you get it or not. If you don't that's okay it's niche but it's hilarious if your in on the joke the whole time.
I would Really want to see u guys eventually react to his other movies( reservoir dogs,is 1st,jackie brown my favorite ,kill bill
, hateful eight and deathpoof)
. they are all great to watch even if some are better than the others.
Even "True Romance", which he wrote but didn't direct. A VERY Tarantino movie
I never miss a Tarantino reaction. Looking forward to see all of them. Thanks!!
I may be off base with my theory, but I have one that might explain you and Jen's ambivalence towards this movie. It's the same one I had the first time I watched it when I was much younger. I'm so used to movies being about good guys and their journey to become a great hero. Pulp Fiction is NOT that. Pulp Fiction is a movie about bad people and their journey to becoming semi-decent human beings. Samuel L. Jackson's character is not a good person. He's a hired killer. Bruce Willis' character in the beginning only cares about money and doesn't feel bad when he learns he killed his opponent in the boxing ring. But by the end of their journeys, they find some sort of redemption. Bruce Willis went back to save Ving Rhames not because he was thinking of trying to make good with him to be let off the hook. It's because he may be a bad person, but in the face of TRUE EVIL like those those hillbilly rapists are, he realizes he has to save Ving Rhames character. Samuel L. Jackson's character doesn't become this crime fighting do gooder by the end, you notice he still let's Bonnie and Clyde still take all the money at the end, because his journey isn't about becoming Captain America (or maybe I should say Nick Fury) at the end. It's about simply NOT killing a bunch of idiots that he would've done without a thought just earlier that morning.
I think for someone like you and Jen, that might be incongruous with your general life point of view, with how much you love Captain America and Spider-man and Goku. You know, generally boy scouts. And Pulp Fiction is NOT that movie for that at all. But it's all relative and matters of degrees. Instead of the gauge starting at "good person" and going to "great hero", here it's "bad guy" going into "decent person." And you see an example with John Travolta's character as someone who doesn't undergo that transformation. He gets shot midway through the film by Bruce Willis because he continued that killer lifestyle, denouncing and rejecting everything Samuel L. was telling him about it being a miracle they're alive, and that he's getting out of the business.
I'm not sure you two would have the same experience that I did with this film. I first watched it when i was pretty young, around 12 or 13. So my mindset was still in the, "This feels weird. These aren't good guys I can root for!?" mentality. But as I got older and rewatched, the more and more engaged I got with it. The more and more I understood that it's a story about people just trying to do their best, whatever shitty circumstance they may be in, even if self inflicted.
And the long dialogue scenes, that just might be a difference of opinion. From a purely plot point of view, I can see how one could argue that it could be tightened up. But Tarantino films have a lot more European cinema influence where there's just as much emphasis on character as plot. A lot of the seemingly "meaningless" dialogue does a lot to inform the characters. The car conversation that starts the film may seem weird about Big Macs and weed, but it shows that John Travolta's character is all about the material. The physical goods that give him pleasure, like Big Macs, like weed, like talking about eating pork at the end because bacon tastes good, like being a heroin addict, like saying he'll shoot Bonnie and Clyde on principal alone if Samuel L. gives him $1500. So when he sits there and tells Samuel L. that there was no miracle, no act of God that saved them, it all lines up. The dialogue informs that decision. And that extends towards all the dialogue in the film with all the characters.
I'm from the Netherlands, and yes it's true. We put mayonnaise on our fries (on the side)! 😄
the stove clock flashing in the background is OCD inducing ...lol but am shocked Holden has not watched this one lol
Fun Little fact or it’s up for speculation it was said that in creating the movie what was inside the briefcase was meant to be ambiguous to everybody and how it moves each and every character it was also mentioned that inside the briefcase might be Marsellus Wallace‘s soul if you didn’t realize any of the religious connections
When I went to Europe in 1998, the first thing I did in Paris *wasn’t* the Eiffel Tower - it was McDonald’s. And yes, it’s true, Jen! And in Amsterdam, it’s also true! 🍔🍟
This is sad indeed!
Hi there, Jen and Holden. Longtime Tarantino fan here, so I have a lot to say about this film.
I certainly appreciate what you both said about needing to take some time to process and form an opinion. I was in the same boat when I saw the movie the day it came out in 1994. The theater manager spoke to me before the show, telling me how personally excited he was to be showing Pulp Fiction in the multiplex he was in charge of. After the film was over, he spotted me walking through the lobby and approached me. "Well, what did you think?" I was like, "I don't know, man. Leave me alone, I gotta give this one some thought."
Reservoir Dogs had come out two years before this movie, and my friends and I were bonkers for it. We watched it in the theater and then multiple times at home. Needless to say, we were counting the days until Pulp was set to open in October. A week or two before, Roger Ebert mentioned on his show that he had already seen it twice, and we cursed at him for being so lucky.
The first thing that struck me about Pulp, compared to Dogs, is how many characters actually made to the end alive. I was expecting another bloodbath, and I think a lot of people who only had Tarantino's previous movie to go by were thinking the same thing. As you know, there's plenty of violent death being dealt out in most of Quentin's later films. This makes Pulp Fiction the odd man out, so to speak. But I think that's fitting for a film with multiple stories about personal redemption...Vincent saving Mia's life, Butch saving Marsellus, Jules turning over a new leaf and sparing Ringo and Yolanda.
I noticed Jen yawning a few times during the extended dialogue scenes. This feels like a much more laid-back movie than Basterds or Django, and I think that's down to the numerous situations in which characters are keeping secrets that they hope won't be discovered. The French farmer hiding Shoshanna and her family, Hickox hiding the fact that he's not German, Django and Dr. Schultz's subterfuge at Calvin Candie's dining table. Not nearly as many secrets being kept in Pulp Fiction, so that tension which you might have expected was missing.
Some Pulp Fiction factoids:
Quentin's first three films (Dogs, Pulp, Jackie Brown) do not use a conventional score like the kind John Williams or Hans Zimmer would compose...just a selection of songs. "Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon" was released as a single, the rest of the songs were recorded and published many years earlier.
Pulp was nominated for several Oscars. It was Quentin's first film to be nominated for Best Picture. The only Oscar it won was for its screenplay.
Pulp Fiction's budget: About $8 million. Django Unchained's budget: Around $100 million. (Leo ain't cheap.)
This movie played in a theater near me from October 14, 1994 until May 25, 1995. That's over SEVEN MONTHS. I'm not sure even Titanic lasted that long!
Samuel L. Jackson lost the Best Supporting Actor award to Martin Landeau...a real shame, since the part of Jules was written specifically for him. Aside from Nick Fury, Jules Winnfield may be Sam's most recognizable character...although his favorite Tarantino film is actually Jackie Brown.
My personal "briefcase mystery" theory: It contains a crown made of gold. Very shiny gold.
Fantastic. A brilliant piece of storytelling. Holden, I was worried when you started with Django, but I get it now: your going from poorest Tarantino movie to best. Excellent. True Romance is indeed the apex.
...Whole Nine Yards... THANK you. A wee gem.
Watching Trudy in Pulp Fiction always makes me wanna watch The Commitments right after ;)
You might get a lot of snobby commenters telling you that you are wrong and that pulp fiction is a masterpiece but I respect you telling us what you really think. There are many beloved films I don’t think are masterpieces as well and this is just how subjectivity works
I think it is a masterpiece but I also don’t think that someone having a different opinion makes them wrong.
It's not subjective. Pulp Fiction is one of the greatest films ever made, perhaps the greatest.
@@ghostlee6434 they can just disagree but at the same time there will still be people who can’t accept that they didn’t rate it a 10
Vincent's car actually belongs to Tarantino himself and was stolen during filming in 1994. It eventually showed up in 2013, a man had bought it and spent thousands keeping it restored. Some cool trivia for you.
I really hope you do Once upon a time in Hollywood, it’ll be slower for some people but it’s one of my favourites. Just make sure you know the history with the Manson family and Sharon Tate, as it is one of Tarantino’s historical retellings.
Out of all of Tarantino's films, I think Pulp Fiction is the most rewatchable - and the most rewarding to rewatch. I would say that the Butch storyline is the slowest pace and probably has the most material that could be cut down. That's also the storyline that was co-written with Roger Avery - which is probably why it feels distinctly different from the rest of the film.
Pulp Fiction is still my personal favorite - but I definitely see how it's not as impactful for those only seeing it for the first time now. As someone who saw it in theaters - it was impossible not to see just how far-reaching the influence and impact of Pulp Fiction had on the film industry - especially the indie film circuit.
Glad y'all finally got to watch it.
I think younger audiences generally have a low attention span and therefore struggle to appreciate this movie in it’s full capacity. The beauty of this movie is in the dialogue and small touches - it doesn’t need to be rewarded by a huge Hollywood climax & not everything has to be wrapped in a neat little bow for you.
YOUVE NEVER SEEN IT?!?! bro. this reaction is now twice as good.
It always makes me sad when people don’t get how great Pulp Fiction is. You hurt my feelings, Mr and mrs Hardman.
I've seen this movie more than 20 times in the theater. It's a masterpiece. Is it as great as Schlinder's List, Godfellas or the Godfather? No, but it's in the next tier of modern masterpieces and is ranked in the top 20 greatest movies of all time. No other Tarantino movie will ever crack that list.
It is definitely not overhyped. I absolutely love this movie and all the little subtleties
I brought this over to a sleepover right after it came out on VHS, watching it with my friends parents. LOL. they left the room after the 'holiest of holies' line. I think what keeps people coming back to QT & PF is his dialogue is how people talk in real life. We may not be able to relate to the actions of the characters but we all speak like them. QT does recycle many things from 50s-60s culture into his films- music, actors, etc....Virtually evey line of PF is quotable. "Hey, Flock of Seagulls...keep chilin"
10/10 My favorite movie of all time. This movie is made with a tremendous amount of verve and filled with wonderful performances.
One of the best films ever made. It blew my mind when I saw it as a 16 year old 2 decades ago. Nothing he has done has reached this level.
Awesome.
that was THE reaction i was waitng for !!
For me, Pulp Fiction gets a 10. I saw it in the theater when it came out and it blew me away. I love it top to bottom, but, more than anything else, it's a screenwriting masterpiece. Having said that, the movie isn't about the plot. The plot boils down to four simple things going wrong: throwing a fight, picking up a briefcase, taking Marsellus' wife to dinner, and robbing a diner. What makes the screenplay brilliant and drives the movie are the exactness of the characters, the characters' self-awareness, and the crazy balancing act the dialogue pulls off between sounding amazingly natural and authentic but also incredibly clever and polished. It's probably the most influential movie of the last 30 years. It's impact was so broad that it's kind of hard to recognize it now, but you can see the self-awareness in a lot of movies (Scream, Adaptation, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, etc.) and everybody does their version of Tarantino style dialogue from Buffy the Vampire Slayer show, to Kevin Smith's movies, to the MCU movies.
This is my favorite movie. Super glad to see you guys react to it
Enjoyable start to finish. I'd watch this again!
" Aww man! I shot Marvin in the face..." Still one of my favorite lines, I can never stop laughing after I hear it xD
Note that Jules leaving to walk the Earth meant Vincent was alone in the apartment. Leading to his death.
Travolta and Sam Jackson are so goddamn amazing in this. So many classic scenes and speeches that never get old.
Great behind the scenes moment is that Quinton and Uma came up with story as well as premise for "Kill Bill" while shooting this film hence the samurai sword in the pawn shop scene. You guys really need to watch the "Hateful 8", kind of a Tarantino western who done it. Also, the animated film "The Bad Guys", takes from Pulp Fiction, Ocean's 11, & any Fast and Furious film. It was a really fun surprise.
this is one of my favorite movies, its soo good. the dialogue always makes me laugh.
Top 10 movie of all time. Brilliance and script writing poetry.
I've enjoyed many of your reactions but this one, being the first seeing you both react to a new movie, I LOVE. And I didn't even mind the little bit of chit chat, it made it even more real. Thanks! 😀
Seeing Holdens reactions to this for the first time.. hilarious!
So many great lines in this movie. Deserves a rewatching.
The first reaction after watching Pulp Fiction is always ‘wtf was that?’. You don’t watch it all over again, you spend a couple of months and still those scenes and dialogues stay with you. Then you meet a friend who has seen it, and then discussion begins, and then you start understanding how much of the details you are able to recall and you fall in love with it all over again. After 3-4 watches it is already in your favourites list!!
Tarantino’s best work according to me!!!
After watching it 20 times, I still don’t know how to explain the greatness of the film!