Pulp Fiction (1994)

PULP (pulp) n. 1. A soft, moist, shapeless mass of matter.

2. A magazine or book containing lurid subject matter and being characteristically printed on rough, unfinished paper.

American Heritage Dictionary: New College Edition  

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The first time I saw Pulp Fiction was at a slumber party where the volume was so low that I could hardly follow what was going on. The second time I saw it was in the censored for television version that aired on channel 5 featuring deleted scenes to pad the run-time after all the scandalous stuff was taken out. In spite of such less than stellar viewing circumstances, it quickly became my favorite film. It was just so damn cool. Everyone looked awesome, there was violence, swearing and Dick Dale's Misirlou was like a kick to the nuts. I instantly had to know everything about this film. 

Seeing as this was in the years before internet access, I had to seek out information in books. Over the next two years I was able to rustle up three biographies on Quentin Tarantino and read them cover to cover. Two of them have since found their way to garage sales and used book stores, but Wensley Clarkson's Quentin Tarantino: Shooting From The Hip has remained for one vital reason - it features "The Strictly Unofficial Quentin Tarantino Coolest Movies-of-All-Time List". This list is the reason I started watching Godard films. It's also the reason I know who Walter Hill is. This list let me know that it was OK to like Hollywood action films as well as French art films.

Sometimes I think about altering my favorite films list. As cool as it is, Pulp Fiction doesn't really hit me on an emotional level. There are even Tarantino films (Jackie Brown and Kill Bill) that speak to me on a more personal level. But then I try to come up with a film that could possibly replace it, and the mere thought of doing so feels like sacrilege and infidelity. How could I possibly replace the film that begat my cinephilia with some movie I likely would never have even seen in the first place if it weren't for this formative film?  I can't just toss aside my first love. And most importantly, Pulp Fiction is the film that let me know it was OK for high and low culture to co-exist within the same work and that the resultant work could itself be considered high art. Without Pulp Fiction, this blog would be short one co-founder. I guess since I owe this film everything, the least I can do is let it top my favorite film list from now until forever. Seems fair, right?