Friday Flicks: Pulp Fiction

Welcome to Friday Flicks, the newest feature here on Rag Doll. Every Friday I will be staying up way too late to watch movies I have never seen before, and review them based on my own Cinematic Scale of Greatness. The scale is composed of four parts: Acting, Costuming, Set Design, and Soundtrack, with occasional bonus points for whatever I see worthy. For the inaugural Friday Flicks, I chose a classic that I have been dying to see, and only had the opportunity to watch after it came to Netflix this month, Pulp Fiction. So let's dive in!

Acting: 10/10

I couldn't live with myself for rating the acting in this film any less. From Rosanna Arquette's "That was trippy" to Samuel L. Jackson's final recitation of Ezekiel 25:17, every single actor is bringing their A-game, bringing to life the twistedly entertaining characters. Whether they're huddling around to watch an adrenaline shot be administered or accidently shooting a man in the face, you are both completely enamored and disgusted by these people.

+2 Bonus points for Christopher Walken's straight face during his brief and awkward cameo.

Costuming: 9/10

Apart from Uma Thurman's ultra-chic pantsuit, which is honestly overrated, the costuming is A+. I don't mean to hate on the pantsuit, I just don't understand why its so iconic to the movie, since she's only onscreen for twenty minutes and does nothing to advance the plot. Also, who wears a velvet pantsuit to a burger joint? What makes the costuming so great is the authenticity of the "Los Angeles" style. The costumes so define the characters and the city they live in that at The Broad alone, you can spot handfuls of LA natives sporting Mia Wallace's bob or Butch's brown suede jacket.

+2 Bonus Points for Tim Roth's frosted tips and Hawaiian shirt. I can think of about 10 guys off the top of my head who still dress like this.

Set Design: 10/10

Tarantino really has an eye for the aesthetic, which anyone could tell you. I especially love the way he chose to set the story in primarily 1960s era architecture on the outskirts of the city as opposed to the art-deco style buildings of Downtown LA. The midcentury buildings contribute to the wild west feel of the plot and also remind me of home.

Soundtrack: 8/10

Don't get me wrong, this movie has an amazing soundtrack. When Pumpkin and Honeybunny jump up from their booth, guns blazing, and "Misirlou" starts playing over the freeze frame and title screen, you're completely sucked into this strange world of criminals and heros. Mia Wallace's slow introduction scene is infinitely improved by the haunting cover of "Girl You'll Be a Woman Soon". However, it's not the kind of soundtrack you could listen to in your car or doing homework. At least to me, it doesn't hold up outside of the world of Pulp Fiction.

Final Score: 10.25/ 10

I absolutely adore this movie. Everything about it is sheer perfection, and I was being knit-picky so I could have something to talk about. I would definitely recommend that everyone see it at least once in their lifetimes. It is so different than anything I have ever seen before; I'll be holding all other movies to a higher standard now.

Thanks for reading! See you nest Friday!