Pulp fiction (1994)

Pulp fiction has almost 20 years on it's neck and still it feels like more. I rember being amused by some of the absurd, brain-scraping action in the film and as I re-watch it, I find myself smiling a couple of times, but, beyond that, I am bored to death and, to be honest, quite embarrassed of the fact that this was such a popular film that made a strong mark on a number of hip films to come. I rember a colleague complaining about the immaturity of Quentin Tarantino; he is the kind of director that tries to make violence look funny and cool. After these 20 years, I tend to agree with my colleague. Stylistically, this film isn't new at all. Things like this - messy narrative, episodic storytelling, strange connections - have been done so many times before this, and I don't see that Pulp fiction breaks any new ground (Godard!), beyond making a certain form of film language popular (taking a scrap of this and a scrap of that, assembling it into a hodgepodge of cool). I tend to appreciate the humor of for example Wes Anderson more than Tarantino (even though I found Death Proof  surprisingly hilarious). Anderson's films have a kind of tenderness to them that Tarantino's films are, in my humble opinion, lacking. Of course, the film has it's merits. The sometimes offbeat, bullshit bantering is one thing you will never forget; yummy coffee is praised in the middle of a horrible brain-cleaning job. True to the overall style of the film, this type of bantering is always stylish and snappy. One thing I didn't remember is Tarantino's eye for locations. Dilapidated apartments and shady 'hoods are important ingerdients of this bizarre film. All lines are totally overwrought and the only thing that matters seems to be the coolness of it all: all characters have this icy, detached attitude and they are all, of-course very eloquent. And yes, I have a hard time sitting back and enjoy the philosophical rambling about spirituality, fate and decisions. - My impression of films from the nineties is that they all, somehow, dealt with the subject of chance vs. fate.