Greetings, and welcome to Earthling Cinema, where we examine the last remaining artifacts of a once proud culture,
and try to understand what human lives were like before their planet was destroyed. I am your host, Garyx Wormuloid.
This week’s film is "Pulp Fiction," directed by acclaimed foot fetishist Quentin Tarantino. The film is made up of
three interconnected stories about the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles, a city with an otherwise sterling reputation.
First, we meet Vincent and Jules — two hitmen sent to retrieve their kingpin boss' briefcase, which contains
his favorite orange light bulb. Jules consumes processed animal carcass, reads from the Bible,
"My name is the Lord!"
then does some team-building exercises with Vincent. Next, we follow Vincent as he takes the kingpin's wife, Mia,
out for some food paste and engages in some sort of bizarre, wordless courting ritual.
He promptly ruins the mood by leaving his poison for Mia to find, then stabbing her in the heart with a tiny sword.
Ordinarily, this would kill a human, but it appears that Mia is immortal. I see no other possible explanation.
Finally, we have Butch, an over-the-hill boxer with too much pride and a jewelry fixation.
"Five long years he wore this watch, up his ass."
He and the kingpin go to a pawn shop together, but they decide not to buy anything. Taken individually, these stories
would not be long enough to charge a full admission at most movie theaters. But, combined, they form a feature-length
film that upends traditional gangster and action films by trivializing their macho image. Much of "Pulp Fiction's" humor
comes from a cavalier attitude about human-on-human violence.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I break your concentration?"
At the beginning of the movie, Vincent and Jules are on their way to do some "conflict resolution" with a few of their
boss’ associates. They are undermanned and undergunned —
"We should have fuckin shotguns."
which should be cause for suspense, or at least mild concern. But, their casual gossip about TV pilots and
foot massages makes for a breezy and relaxed scene. Later, Vincent accidentally shoots Marvin’s head off,
"The fuck's happening? Ah, shit!"
rendering him dead, but there is no remorse. Vincent and Jules worry more about bloodying up Jimmie’s towels
than about having taken a life.
"This shit's hard to get off."
Then again, Earthlings took their home furnishings very seriously. In the torture dungeon, Maynard says that
"Nobody kills anybody in his place of business except him or Zed,"
"Nobody kills anybody in my place of business 'cept me or Zed."
which is followed by a friendly door chime.
"That's Zed."
Most films would pair an ominous statement like that with dramatic music.
"If they move, kill em."
Well, most films would forego the torture dungeon scene altogether, but you know what I mean. The film also takes
a cavalier attitude with time. High stakes situations are often undercut by someone moving at a slower pace.
When Vincent is on the phone frantically trying to save the dying Mia, his shots are intercut with Lance calmly ingesting
wet bread pellets. Then, as they're trying to find the medical book, Lance and his wife get sidetracked by
petty squabbling, which is completely normal in a healthy relationship, thank you very much. Butch takes his
sweet time picking a weapon while we hear Marcellus being raped in the background. Just as serious things are
downplayed, so too are mundane things granted special significance. The bathroom is a focal point for many
crucial scenes, just as it was in human lives.
"I'm gonna take a piss." "I'm gonna take a shit."
Jules and Vincent are nearly killed by a man who lives in the bathroom.
"Die, you motherfuckers!"
More notably, every time Vincent uses the bathroom, something bad happens. There’s the restaurant robbery,
Mia overdosing on poison, and finally, getting shot by Butch. Not to mention whatever gastrointestinal problem he has.
With important things trivialized and trivial things important-ized, the film seems to make a point — we are
out of control. Life is random and filled with outrageous coincidence. Honey Bunny and Pumpkin talk about
robbing a restaurant because there would be less of a “hero factor,” and yet they pick the very restaurant where
two heros are eating. Butch just so happens to stop at a traffic light at exactly the moment Marcellus is walking
across the street to deliver some donuts, and then they just so happen upon the one pawn shop in America
owned by dishonest scumbags. Vincent and Jules are shot at from point-blank range with bullets that can pierce
human skin and are miraculously left unscathed. Are these simply freak occurrences, or should we believe
that a higher power has gotten involved? Jules says yes. Vincent says no. Butch doesn’t mention it one way or another.
"Dead's dead, baby. Dead's dead."
What is apparent is that at the beginning of the film Jules takes a life, and at the end he spares one. Even in a chaotic world,
we still have the power to choose. The humans don’t, because they’re extinct. But we do. For Earthling Cinema,
I am Garyx Wormuloid. To learn more about this absurd planet, hit the subscribe button.
