Overrated Films (according to me)

Thx for your 2 cents. Mutiny on the Bounty is indeed a matter of taste. Personally, I was very disappointed. I should probably try to see the remake with Marlon Brando and Trevor Howard one day, hoping to get a better film.

After hours is great... i say that as much as I possibly can... as far as my tastes go, raging bull and goodfellas are in a whole other league above after hours, taxi driver, and the color of money... those 3 being equals in my opinion... but i have to admit I've only seen taxi driver on starz... so i've far from fully experienced it.

Well, I'm still not sure exactly what you disliked about it (atmosphere is a pretty general term), but I'll do what I can to help you understand why the atmosphere was considered so inventive.

Well, first of all, I don't know what you've got against Bruce Willis, but I think he is a fine actor, so I can't help you there. In fact, compared to most action stars, he is Olivier. But John Travolta is another story. When Tarantino approached him about Pulp Fiction, Travolta must have been just finishing up work on Look Who's Talking Now (that's the one where the dogs start talking). After Saturday Night Fever his career was a big bust. The Razzies nominated him for worst actor of the 80s. He was known for playing his sort of disaffected youth character from Saturday Night Fever in various romance movies, and he was terrible. He was all washed up. But the thing is, Tarantino likes to take bad things and make them good. His inspirations are 70s blaxploitation, action, and kung fu movies that mainstream audiences would adamantly shun, but he makes movies that everyone can enjoy. And he wanted to take John Travolta and make him into a hit man. Can you imagine that? It would be like going up to Hugh Grant and asking him to play a badass international assassin. It's similar to what Sergio Leone did for Henry Fonda in Once Upon a Time in the West - granted, Fonda has always been in great Westerns, but that casting definitely messed with his persona. And Leone is one of QT's favorite directors.

But wait! John Travolta is no ordinary hit man! Have you ever seen a film about hit men where the killing is so unimportant? No, these are hit men who talk about quarter pounders and foot massages, hit men who question their boss's decisions, hit men who accidentally kill someone and then worry about getting the car cleaned. Because hit men are people too.

But wait, there's more! Another person is being redefined in this film: Tarantino himself. People knew him as the writer/director of Reservoir Dogs and the writer of True Romance, both incredibly bloody films with high body counts. He had a reputation as a gory, blood-n-guts filmmaker. But Pulp Fiction is far from a violent film - as I said, this isn't about a hit man killing people, it's about a hit man going out on a date with his boss's wife. There are drugs, rape, and violence in this film, but the film isn't about drugs, rape, or violence in the least bit.

And then you have Samuel L. Jackson's character. With his ridiculous over-the-top attitude and gerry curls, he's a replica from some 70s blaxploitation film. Look at the scene when he busts into Brett's apartment. I've never had so much fun watching a hit man work. But wait, this caricature has depth to him. In fact, he has a religious awakening, decides to quit killing people, and gives up a worldly possession (his wallet) to Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer .

The film just consistently avoids doing what you expect it to do. It avoids contrived plot developments. A hit man going on a date with his boss's wife, we know the boss is the jealous type - so we expect that the boss will think they've hooked up or something and go on a murderous rampage, right? Wrong. And you could think of many possibilities for how Bruce Willis's story could end, but they would all be wrong.

I think if you avoid looking for flaws and just try to enjoy the film, you will. The chemistry between Travola and Jackson is wonderful, and their dialogue is fabulously written. Mia Wallace is one of the most appealing female characters I've ever seen, and Uma does a fantastic job. And what is in that briefcase? I think if you're expecting the epic, you will be disappointed. Pulp Fiction isn't about the epic. It's about the details. It's about Uma Thurman saying, "Don't you love it when you go to the bathroom and you come back to find your food waiting for you?", and you think, "Yes! Yes I do!"

People just didn't do this kind of thing in 1994, use this kind of style, or the unchronological sequencing. It inspired films like Go and Sin City. You may not realize it watching the film today, but this kind of style was innovative.

And again, have you ever seen the film on DVD? If you haven't, you should definitely rent it if you want to try again. The fullscreen version I saw looked pretty muddy, and much of the effect was lost.

If there were any English idioms you didn't understand in what I wrote, feel free to let me know. I can be pretty colloquial at times.

I don't mind so much when something strives to be more than it is. I think The Matrix succeeds, whereas the sequels... Not so much. However, if you feel about the original they way I feel about Reloaded and Revolutions, then I know *exactly* what you mean.