It defined an entire era of filmmaking. It recontextualized the tropes and narratives that came before. It festoons college dorm rooms across the world. It played at the Trylon on a newly struck 35mm print in 2024. Quentin Tarantino’s sophomore feature PULP FICTION is still “that movie”, whatever that means.
An all-star cast stretched across three interlocking stories shows people in a period of adaptation, transition, growth, and moving on — or not.
In this episode, we discuss the inimitable style with which editing imbues PULP FICTION’s narrative; its use of violence to simplify characters; the true depth of its pop culture references; and the parallel arcs each character takes to realize truer versions of themselves (whether that’s wandering the earth, getting out of Dodge, or dying in a stranger’s bathtub).
References:
#OtherProgramming #35mm
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Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: "Son of a Preacher Man" by Dusty Springfield from the PULP FICTION soundtrack.
Timestamps
0:00 - Episode 299: PULP FICTION (1994)
5:09 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary
8:04 - Chaos, genre inspirations, and where PULP FICTION sits with us today
17:00 - A movie with a clear moral stance
20:34 - Choices, moral guidelines, and what drives these characters
29:00 - Heightened style and nonreality
34:55 - Violence, power, and how characters respond to circumstance
50:17 - Americana, references, and pop culture as more than aesthetic
1:01:37 - Dialogue, character-building, and huge performances
1:17:38 - The Junk Drawer
1:25:02 - To All the Loves We’ve Tried Before: 1994
1:27:40 - Cody’s Noteys: Pulp Fiction or Pulp Nonfiction?
