Pulp Fiction

Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

Written by: Quentin Tarantino (screenplay, story), Roger Avary (story)










"Pulp Fiction" is a film that stands in a class of its own.  It's bloody.  It's violent.  It's crude.  And it's great.

What's most surprising to me is that "Pulp Fiction" only represents Tarantino's sophomore effort.  By his second film, he's already showing an incredible ability to synthesize influences to create an entirely new piece.  (He will repeat this process with martial arts films in "Kill Bill" and war films in "Inglorious Basterds.)

The complexity of the story sequencing is something that stands out no matter how many times I've seen it.  Each of the stories could theoretically stand alone, but is also critically connected to the other parts.  Almost like a house of cards, each part leans on the others to stand up, and it works incredibly well.  Other movies have been made since with a similar structure, but none with nearly as much finesse and artistry as "Pulp Fiction."

The Big Lebowski

Directed by: Joel Coen

Written by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

The Coen brothers are known for making comedies which are both dark and surreal. It's films like "The Big Lebowski" - following up "Fargo" - which helped them to earn this reputation.

When Jeffrey Lebowski, aka The Dude (Bridges) is the ultimate lowlife who spends his time drinking White Russians, bowling with his buddies, and wearing a robe. When the wife of multimillionaire businessman Jeffrey Lebowski goes missing, The Dude is brought in to solve the case. Through the meddling of his friend Walter (Goodman) and his "ladyfriend" (Moore), The Dude gets drawn deeper and deeper in a case that goes far beyond a kidnapping.

The plot, loosely based on the old noir mysteries of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, simply serves as a backdrop for the incredibly interesting characters. Without going too over-the-top, the characters come off as both surreal and hyper-real. For example, we all know someone like Walter, who is just a hair away from totally crazy, and we all know someone like Donny (Buscemi), who never seems to fit in - even as a misfit. Yet, nobody in real life is quite as off-base as any of the characters. Overall, it's the performances - especially the supporting cast - which bring this film to life.

Although the movie was whimsical and abstract with randomness as a premium, I still felt like there was a lot of fat that could have been trimmed, or at least tweaked. For example, I totally enjoyed Julianne Moore's character, but many of her scenes failed to add anything meaningful to the film beyond giving The Dude something to do. Sam Elliot's appearance as The Stranger is a perfect example of a character who, without being central to the story, was made into an essential feature of the movie.

Over the years, "The Big Lebowski" has become a cult classic, and it's easy to see why. It's not a typical plot or action driven movie. The main character would struggle to even be an anti-hero. And there are random dream and dance sequences. But put them all together, and there's a charming synergy which appeals to the Big Lebowski in all of us.