Research Topic

            For my research topic, I was thinking of doing a close analysis of Pulp Fiction and explaining how, even though the story is rooted in drugs and violence, it is actually a story of redemption. This was my first thought once being given the assignment since its an argument I always have to make to friends and family when the movie is brought up. There is a lot of supporting evidence in the film and I could have a lot of material to discuss in the paper.

            My only hesitation with this topic is that I would not know how to find sources for it. Besides the film itself, I do not know what could help me make this argument. I was thinking of possibly looking up sources referring to the nature of a story about redemption. I was also considering looking up sources that discuss violence and its effect as a plot device rather than just gory images. Both of these could be used to help my arguments, but I do not know how easy it will be to find any articles of this nature.

            If I continue to not be able to find sources to aid this argument then I may have to change my topic slightly or even drastically if I still cannot find anything. However, I want to change my topic as little as possible since it is one I have experience with and one I am interested in, but I guess I will have to work with whatever I can find.

            Another possibility is if I find more creative ways to use sources with my argument so I can look up broader sources or more common ones that come with many options. However, I should probably just think of a slightly altered topic that would be easier to find sources for. (307)

Pulp Fiction Review

For those unfamiliar with writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s cult masterpiece Pulp Fiction, it is a twisted combination of plots that capture the very pulp of society that are evident in its title. The plot is a non-linear combination of three main stories that intertwine with the five main characters popping in and out of all of them. The three main stories revolve around a duo of hit men, a deceiving boxer and a mob boss and his wife. In order, they are titled, “Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace’s Wife,” “The Gold Watch” and “The Bonnie Situation”.

The hit men’s story revolves around their retrieval of a mysterious briefcase for their boss and the panic caused after an unfortunate accident after the getaway. The second involves one of the hit man’s mission to take his bosses’ wife out on a date only to find her dying from an overdose halfway through. The third involves a boxer who is supposed to throw his final boxing match but decides to win and run away with a hefty profit.

All three of the stories are very simplistic in theory and purposely made stereotypical by Tarantino. However, his goal was to take these classic mobster stories and add a twist to all of them. Most stories of two hit men retrieving a briefcase would end after they get it, but Tarantino decides to stick with the two and provides the most entertaining and memorable moments of the movie of what happens after they are leaving. A Boxer being paid to throw a match he decides to win instead is nothing new, however, most stories of this origin do not end in the rape dungeon of a pawnshop. It is these aspects of Tarantino’s stories that change the formula from something generic and unoriginal to three of the most intense and memorable stories of film history.

The glue that progresses and ties all of these stories together is the sharp natural dialogue that Tarantino is so well known for. He is at the top of his game in Pulp Fiction providing the most natural and genuinely interesting dialogue that not only serves as something to listen to, but also actually progresses the story just as much as the character’s actions do.

These actions are actually what the film is most criticized for with the movie being rated R for almost everything, including graphic violence, strong sexual material and heavy drug use to name a few. Some claim that the movie is just an excuse to set up extreme situations of violence and substance abuse. This has caused the film to be known for its excessive and brutal nature. However, when paying closer attention, it is quite easy to see that it is largely a story of redemption. Since the film revolves around less than moral individuals, it is not surprising to say that everyone who is killed in this movie could easily be considered a “bad person” but when examined, one will notice that every character that seeks forgiveness for their actions is alive when the credits roll.

The soupy morals and excessive nature are what this movie is known for. For good reasons too, further supporting the choice for the title of the movie. However, the reason this movie has reached a certain level of greatness over the years is not only from its drugs and violence but also from its tangled story superb dialogue.  With Pulp Fiction being the masterpiece of a director as talented as Quentin Tarantino, any movie fan owes it to themselves to see it. (592)

User review: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110912/reviews-1860

Spring Break

Over this spring break I am going to Colorado with my family. This isn’t a huge deal for me since I have gone to Colorado at least twice a year for as long as I can remember since the majority of my family lives there. In fact my family and I have done it so many times that we have gotten the car ride down to twelve hours, and yes, we drive there every single time. I have mastered the car ride better than any other member of my family by staying up all night before and going to sleep when we leave at five in the morning and sleeping literally the entire way. When we go, we mainly go to Fort Collins since almost all of my family lives there, however, this time we are also stopping by Denver since one of my cousins just had a baby. That is the main reason for this trip.

 You see, I have a large family with all my aunts, uncles and cousins and we have been waiting for a baby in the family since a few years after I was born. In the past year, two babies have entered my family and more are on the way. This has caused all the women in my family to simultaneously become baby crazy. This pretty much means I will have a week to the men and myself in my family as all the girls gush over the babies. However, this is not a bad thing considering I will get to go skiing, snowboarding, to the shooting range, possibly a hockey game and anything else I want to do.

I am really most excited to sleep, however, since no matter how much sleep I get during the week, I am always tired. Even if I can never get enough sleep, I am still sure I will have a lot of fun over break seeing all of my family again, including the new ones. (330)

Movie Fan

            I enjoyed a lovely trip to the local movie store this week with a few friends. I had never been to this store, so I was looking forward to what it would be like. I was quite pleasantly surprised when I walked in and noticed the tables to sit down at. It seemed much more friendly than a place like blockbuster since you could sit down and maybe have some food as you talk to your friends. I also enjoyed the smell of pizza from behind the counter. I then continued into the store and looked at all of the movies. As a large fan of movies, I was quite at home in the store. I also did not think a small place like that would have so many movies. As a person who still owns a VHS, I had a large appreciation for the old school tapes. We spent a long time walking around the store looking at the new movies we have not seen yet and the old movies we have not seen in too long. After a long time arguing about which movie we should rent, we finally decided on scream 4. This was immediately followed by the realization that none of us had any money on us. However, we did get a little information sheet with all the prices on it. Even if we did have money, we did not have state ID’s or credit cards to get a membership. The one drawback was the prices of the movies. At the redbox, you can get a movie for about one dollar a night; with an additional dollar every night you keep the movie. It was like three bucks to rent a movie here and I am sure the late fees are even more. I found these prices a little ridiculous, but there were a lot of deals with buy on get one free movies, so it was not terrible. The trip was also not an entire waste because we had a quarter to get a gumball and if you get an orange gumball, you get a free rental. However, we just got a plain old yellow smiley face one, bummer.