Movie of the Week – Pulp Fiction

Movie of the week: Pulp Fiction (1994).

An ensemble group of characters intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

Auteur writer-director Quentin Tarantino is maybe the most celebrated filmmaker to emerge in the 1990s (at least among his fans). Pulp Fiction is his greatest work (though, my personal favorite is Inglourious Basterds). Much like his debut, Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino’s wonderfully colorful characters in Pulp Fiction (his second film) carry the piece, and his dialog and the performances are what make it a classic.

Pulp Fiction is the film in which Tarantino fully established his working relationship with producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein (who also earlier produced True Romance, which Tarantino wrote). They have since produced all his films. He decided to reteam with cinematographer Andrzej Sekula (who also worked on Four Rooms) and production designer David Wasco (who has designed all Tarantino’s solo films other than his latest, Django Unchained), after their good work on Reservoir Dogs.

The film has a great ensemble cast with John Travolta (completely resurrecting his career), Samuel L. Jackson (who often gets Tarantino’s best material), Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Eric Stoltz, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Maria de Medeiros, Rosanna Arquette, Uma Thurman, Frank Whaley, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken, Harvey Keitel, and Tarantino.

Pulp Fiction is arguably the best film of the 1990s (with The Shawshank Redemption, Schindler’s List and Goodfellas – I would also put forth Rushmore, The Big Lebowski and Trainspotting as my favorites). It was nominated for seven Oscars including Best Picture, but only won one for Best Writing. Like the films listed above, it is an essential film for fans of cinema and those who want to have a good working knowledge of the best films ever made. The dialog and performances are some of the best and most entertaining of the decade.

Trailer: Here

Available on: Blu-ray, DVD and Streaming

Movie of the Week - American Psycho

This week’s movie is American Psycho (2000).

The film is about the 80’s and an investment banker who lives on the verge of insanity due to the artificial material obsessed nature of the time and culture to which he is a part of – desperately trying to fit in but alienated at the same time. The film is brilliantly directed by Mary Harron, who at the time was compared to Martin Scorsese stylistically (it is a shame she has not been able to get more feature projects funded and off the ground), based on Bret Easton Ellis’s novel. Harron co-wrote the script with her friend Guinevere Turner, who also has a small role. The film features a wonderfully chilling score from John Cale (a member of The Velvet Underground) and career best work from production designer Gideon Ponte and cinematographer Andrzej Sekula. The cast is also fantastic, featuring a breakout performance by lead Christian Bale and lots of interesting and good supporting bits from Justin Theroux, Josh Lucus, Chloe Sevigny, Reese Witherspoon, Samantha Mathis, Matt Ross, Jared Leto, Willem Dafoe, and Cara Seymour. What makes the film great is how funny and absurd it is while shocking and scary in the next moment, and sometimes at the same time. The film will play completely differently depending on the mood or who is watching. This is a must see for fans of black comedies. Check out the trailer.

American Psycho [Blu-ray/DVD]