90s Movie Review - Pulp Fiction

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Genre: Crime/ Drama
Runtime: 154 minutes
Year: 1994
Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Bruce Willis, Amanda Plummer, Rosanna Arquette, Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz

Description: The lives of two mob hitman (Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta), a boxer (Bruce Willis), a gangster (Ving Rhames) and his wife (Uma Thurman), and a pair of diner bandits (Amanda Plummer, Tim Roth) intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

Review: It is difficult to summarize Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” I a few words. The story consist of several synchronous narratives that intersect and influence each other in bizarre ways. Looking at each of the storylines, it is safe to say that each of them is not exceptional. But the genius of this film lies not so much in the storylines, the strength lies in the dialogues that the characters have among themselves giving these characters a wonderful depth. Because of this, “Pulp Fiction” is an exceptional film that continues to captivate time and time again. Most say it’s Tarantino’s best film to date.
I think it is safe to sage that “Pulp Fiction” is in fact one of the best films of the 1990s. It was director Tarantino’s second film, after the phenomenal directorial debut “Reservoir Dogs” (which is my Tarantino favorite). With that he proves he wasn’t a one-hit wonder. The film is packed with pop-culture references, great acting and dialogues. It’s a movie like a lot of good music, the more times you undergo is, the better it gets.
Now, the dialogues are one of Tarantino’s characteristics. They are often about daily things, things that have nothing to do with the scene. But they always amaze you.
“Pulp Fiction” got an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, which was well-deserved. It is one of the best film ever made, not just by Tarantino, in general.

Rating: 5 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 72: New York Stories

Director: Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 124 minutes
Year: 1989
Starring: Nick Nolte, Rosanne Arquette, Steve Buscemi, Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Larry David, Mike Starr, Chris Elliot, Adrien Brody, Kirsten Dunst, Talia Shire

Description: A middle-aged artist (Nick Nolte) obsessed with his pretty young assistant (Rosanna Arquette), a precocious 12 year old living in a hotel, and a neurotic lawyer (Woody Allen) with a possessive mother make up three Gotham tales.

Review: I always like movies with multiple storylines, so I was excited to finally see this. Well, that was a disappointment.
The first story, “Life Lesson”, is about a middle-aged painted who has an obsession with his young assistant. It stars Nick Nolte and Rosanna Arquette. This story was very boring, nothing interesting really happened. And although I love the song Shade of Pale by Procol Harum, there is such an overuse of this song that I didn’t want to hear it anymore after this segment. This story was directed by Martin Scorsese.
The second story, “Life Without Zoë”, follows young girl Zoë. She is a schoolgirl who lives in a luxury hotel. She helps return to an Arab princess a valuable piece of jewelry that the princess had given to Zoë’s father. This story felt so childish and silly. I couldn’t believe that this was directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
The final story, “Oedipus Wreck”, is about lawyer Sheldon. He has trouble with his overly critical mother Sadie. During a magic show, Sadie disappears. At first furious, Sheldon eventually realizes that it better that way. This story was actually fun. I loved Woody Allen in it and he also directed it. It was funny and actually kept me watching. They saved the best for last.
Overall “New York Stories” was really disappointing. That last story saved the movie.

Rating: 2/ 5