PULP FICTION - A+

Writer-director Quentin Tarantino crafts cinematic sequences that mix heady-themed, snappy dialogue with visceral action to create intense, if not orgiastic, masterpieces.  While all of Tarantino’s films are in this same class, Pulp Fiction(1994), with Django Unchained (2012, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington and Samuel L. Jackson) a close second, is clearly at the head of it.  The screenplay for Pulp Fiction was co-written by Tarantino and Roger Avary who won Best Original Screenplay Academy Awards, the only Oscar winners out of the seven categories nominated including Best Editing by Sally Menke.  The story’s nonlinear path is complemented by a collection of popular songs which help maintain the viewer’s sanity by offering pointed and lyrical pauses between episodes of witty banter and stark violence.  (If it were possible to make a person insane just by watching a film, I am sure I would nominate both Quentin Tarantino and Stanley Kubrick as Best Crazymaker …but it’s the kind of crazy I love!)

Produced by Lawrence Bender, Pulp Fiction was nominated for Best Picture and won the Palme d’Or.  The other Bender-Tarantino pictures which I highly recommend are Reservoir Dogs (1992, starring Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney and Michael Madsen), Kill Bill Volume 1( 2003, starring Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah and Michael Madsen) and Kill Bill Volume 2 (2004, with the same stars as Kill Bill Volume 1plus Lucy Liu, Viveca A. Fox and others) and Inglourious Basterds (2009, starring Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz and Michael Fassbender among others, including narration by Samuel L. Jackson and Harvey Keitel).

The awesome cast of Pulp Fictionincludes John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, (all three of which were nominated for Acting Oscars), Bruce Willis, Harvey Keitel, Maria de Medeiros, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, with Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette and Christopher Walken.  A quick list of recommended films in which Mr. Travolta appears: Brian De Palma’s Carrie (1976, starring Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie with Amy Irving and John Travolta); Saturday Night Fever (1977, starring John Travolta); Blow Out (1981, starring John Travolta with Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz and also directed by Brian de Palma); Look Who’s Talking (1980, starring John Travolta, Kirstie Alley and George Segal with Bruce Willis providing the Baby’s voice);  Get Shorty(1995, starring John Travolta; Gene Hackman, Rene Russo and Danny DeVito ); Face/Off (1997, starring John Travolta and Nicholas Cage); The General’s Daughter (1999, starring John Travolta and Madeleine Stowe).  Travolta is also extremely watchable in the TV series Welcome Back, Kotter (initially aired in 1975, starring Gabe Kaplan) and the made-for-TV movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976, starring John Travolta, Glynnis O’Connor, Diana Hyland, Robert Reed and P. J. Soles).

Recommendations for Samuel L. Jackson fans (if not already mentioned): A Time To Kill (1996, starring Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey); The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996, starring Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson); and The Negotiator (1998, starring Kevin Spacey and Samuel L. Jackson). Recommendations for Uma Thurman fans (if not already mentioned): Dangerous Liaisons (1988, starring Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Swoosie Kurtz, Keanu Reeves, Mildred Natwick and Uma Thurman); and Henry & June (1990, starring Fred Ward, Uma Thurman, Richard E. Grant, Maria de Medeiros and Kevin Spacey).

Films to see for Bruce Willis fans (if not already mentioned):  Die Hard (1988, starring Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman and Bonnie Bedelia) and rest of the Die Hard series films; The Last Boy Scout (1991, starring Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans); Twelve Monkeys (1995, starring Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe and Brad Pitt); The Jackal (1997, starring Bruce Willis, Richard Gere and Sidney Poitier); Mercury Rising (1998, starring Bruce Willis, Miko Hughes and Alec Baldwin); The Sixth Sense (1999, starring Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment and Toni Collette), Hart’s War (2002, starring Bruce Willis); Sin City (2005, starring Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen and Bruce Willis); Surrogates (2009, starring Bruce Willis, ); Red (2010) and Red 2(2013, starring Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich); and Looper (2012, starring Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt).  Also Willis was terribly cute in the TV seriesMoonlighting in which he co-starred with Cybill Shepherd and initially aired in 1985. (Yes, he was terribly cute at least once!)

In addition to films already mentioned, must-see films with Mr. Keitel are: Mean Streets (1973, starring Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel); Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974, starring Ellen Burstyn and Kris Kristofferson with several hidden gems including Jodie Foster and Harvey Keitel); Taxi Driver(1976, starring Robert De Niro; Jodie Foster and Cybill Shepherd); The Duellists (1977, starring Keith Carradine, Harvey Keitel with Albert Finney); The Last Temptation of Christ(1988, starring Willem Dafoe, Barbara Hershey and wherein Keitel plays Judas); The Piano (1993, starring Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel and Sam Neill);Little Fockers (2010, starring Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Jessica Alba, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand, wherein Keitel plays Randy Weir); Moonrise Kingdom (2012, starring ); and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014, starring Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham and Mathieu Amalric, wherein Keitel plays Ludwig).

Honorable mention films for the rest of the cast:  Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead (1990, starring Gary Oldman, Tim Roth and Richard Dreyfuss); Rob Roy (1995 starring Liam Neeson, Jessical Lange; John Hurt and Tim Roth); Planet of the Apes (2001, starring Mark Wahlberg, Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Roth); Broken (2012, starring Tim Roth, Cillian Murphy and Charlie Booty); Cattle Annie and Little Britches(1981, starring Burt Lancaster, Rod Steiger, Diane Lane and Amanda Plummer); The World According to Garp (1982, starring Robin Williams, Mary Beth Hurt, Glenn Close and John Lithgow wherein Amanda Plummer plays Ellen James); and The Fisher King(1991, starring Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges and Mercedes Ruehl wherein Amanda Plummer plays Lydia).

Running Time:  154 Minutes

A Favorite Quote:  “Any time of the day is a good time for pie.” (Maria de Medeiros as Fabienne)

The final installment of my top ten films of all time alphabetically is Spellbound.