Don't like to rent out mature videos? Don't work at Blockbuster!!

The BBQ Pit
1

I went to Blockbuster Video the other night. I’m a pretty big movie fan, and one movie that I haven’t seen yet, that a lot of film fans have, is “Pulp Fiction.” I didn’t know if that was the only movie I was going to get, so I asked a sales woman if she recommended any new movies that had come out. She highly recommended “Mr. Deeds” saying; “YOU WILL LAUGH YOUR HEAD OFF”, and said her favorite movie of all time was “Hard Ball” with Keanu Reeves.

I didn’t want to see any of those So, I picked up “Pulp Fiction” and took it to the register where the same woman was ready to check the video out for me. She was about 35 years old and the manager of the store. Here’s what went down, almost word-for-word:

Me: Hi, found what I wanted?

BB Woman: Ok. Did you find everything OK?

Me: Yep, had you seen this movie?

BBW: Uh… (Looking at it), yes!

Me: What did you think?

BBW: It’s junk! I’m surprised anyone who knows, basically, what it’s about would pay money to rent a movie like this. When I saw it on TV at a friend’s house, I had no idea what it was. My friend’s husband kept it on the whole time I was there, and I had to excuse myself early in the evening because it was so offensive. I don’t even talk to either of them anymore. You’re just sick in the head if you like movies like these.

Me: Ok… could you please put in a bag?

BBW: Why would you want to rent a movie that’s so vile?

Me: Well I obviously don’t look at these types of movies the same way you do.

BBW: You know, I had an aunt that was brutally murdered a long time ago. I guess people who haven’t had something like that happen to them couldn’t understand how truly sick these movies actually are, And how sick people are who enjoy them.

Me: Well, bye!

Ok, if she hated the movie, that’s fine. I mean, I DID ask her what she thought, but what’s with calling people “sick in the head” for enjoying movies like it? Why the fuck does she work at Blockbuster Video!? Why is she telling me about her dead aunt!? I should have known not to ask her about what she thought of the “Pulp Fiction”, knowing the movies she so highly recommended weren’t at all movies I would EVER want to rent. What a jackass!

2

What a nut! I think her career at that place will be short-lived.

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Ah, Blockbuster, land of the often frightening employees. Did you like Pulp Fiction? I’ll be honest, I was surprised they were still renting violent movies that didn’t have a strict and blatant moral code in them. Or anything R-rated at all.

4

Too be honest, I just thought “Pulp Fiction” was ‘OK’. The style of the movie and the dialog was what made it pretty good. Overall, however, I was a tad disappointed because I had such high expectations. You have to remember though, I watched “Pulp” AFTER seeing all the semi-imitation movies that came after it. I think that had a lot to do with my opinion of it. I’ll watch it again, perhaps I’ll like it more the second time.

I was surprised how many times I noticed elements in the movie that “The Simpson” had later spoofed.

5

Gads. When I saw the thread title, I thought you were using the word “mature” as in “porn, not to be near anyone under the age of 27 and/or virginal” etc.

Pulp Fiction was too much for her?

I guess she thinks Jim Varney was robbed at Oscar time, too, huh?

6

I liked it a lot more the second time. Of course, that could be because I was half asleep the first time I saw it.

BTW, has anyone seen my wallet? It’s the one with “Bad Motherfucker” on it.

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But… Pulp Fiction is a violent movie with a strict and blatant moral code in it. Who walks away at the end of that movie? All that folks that cling to their venal, amoral ways get wasted.

Seemed to me like the movie was largely built around Jules’ epiphany and redemption. Christ, he even spells it out to the restaurant robbers that they’re on the wrong path, using that passage from one of the most widely circulated works of pulp fiction in history, “And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my children.” which he finally takes to heart.

How freaking moralistic can you get?

This has been a pet peeve of mine since some pinheaded editorialist for the Globe & Mail characterized the '94 Oscars as a battle between morality (represented by the steaming piece of shite Forest Gump, if I recall correctly,) and “the amoral universe of Quentin Tarantino.”

Did he even see the damned movie? Moral choices were the major plot points, and it only avoided being preachy by managing to be a totally fucking righteous action movie at the same time.

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I loved Forrest Gump AND Pulp Fiction. Two of my all-time faves.

9

I liked Gump too.

Why does everyone hate it?
Is it because it beat out 2 other great movies at Oscar time?

To the OP.
That woman is out of her mind. Mr. Deeds!? I don’t care if you like a movie like Mr. Deeds, but of all the new movie to recommend… It’s sad that you don’t need taste to run a video store.

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“SAY WHAT AGAIN MOTHER FUCKER! SAY WHAT ONE MORE GODDAMNED TIME!”
on another board someone has a sig with a pic of Mr. Jackson from the starwars movie that says “hand me my lightsabre, its the one that says bad muther fucker on it”

Pulp Fiction is one of the greatest movies of all time, as you pointed out look at all the flicks to come out after that had that Taretino (sp?) flavor borrowed from Pulp fiction.

oh yeah the lady’s a dink forget her.

11

[hijack]
I heard that the lightsaber that Samuel used in the movie actually had BMF (Bad MotherFucker) inscribed on it. Anyone know of the veracity of this rumor? Oh, and the joke line I always heard went “Jedi Motherfucker”
[/hijack]

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N.B., that isn’t an actual Bible verse – it is, to be charitable, a highly doctored version of Ezekiel 25:17.

It’s still freakin’ cool, though.

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A. Anyone who says that her favorite movie of all time is an inane Keanu Reeves comedy and says you will laugh your head off at the atrocious remake of Mr. Deeds is an idiot.

B. The woman who had a fit about Pulp Fiction is an even bigger idiot. PF is a brilliantly written and acted, not to mention directed, film, which does have a strong moral point, per Jules’ reformation.

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More importantly, she is a shitty employee to berate a customer. Report her ass. jarbabyj reported sucky customer service a few months back, and got a free meal out of it, and the shitty worker there apparently had been a problem before. Either report her sorry ass, or go back whenever she works and rent the most disgusting, immoral, bloodbath movies you can find, and record her comments on a tape recorder.

NOTE: Recording of personal face to face converstations is OK as long as one of the party is aware of the recording. No cite yet, gotta run.

15

Blockbuster needs to stop trying to be the morality cop on the block. Pulp Fiction is a great movie, and very moral, to boot! And funny. And violent. And intelligent. And it has a great love story. What’s not to like???

(Slight hijack) I was at BB picking out movies. Now, I like to chit-chat about movies with the other renters. I admit, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and if someone starts looking at me funny, I back off. So this older lady (probably late 60s) is debating which movie to pick up. I said, “ooooh I saw that, it’s really good.” She asks who’s in it and I tell her. She says, “I don’t THINK so! That man is vulgar!” Okay, so I know where she’s coming from now. Then she picks up “Monster’s Ball” and I tell her I thought it was great, but she might want to re-think it because there’s a really heavy sex scene in it. She says, “I’ll be the judge of that! I might learn something!”

Just goes to show…you can never tell.

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I don’t understand why she would have such a problem renting that movie. After all, it was the Blockbuster doctored family friendly edition of the film, wasn’t it? The one with a 2 minute running time?

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Best be careful there, as the law will vary from state to state (in the USA). “Unlike the federal wiretap act and analogous laws in various other states, Massachusetts law prohibits the secret tape recording of any speech, even if the speaker had no reasonable expectation of privacy in the contents of that speech. According to the state’s highest court, the Massachusetts law thus prohibits individuals from recording a conversation without the “permission or knowledge” of all (emphasis added) parties to the conversation.” from Legal Watch.

18

MyFoot, watch this movie again. I, too, didn’t see what the big deal was with Pulp Fiction the first time I saw it. I, also, saw it after much hype and hoopla. I’ve now seen Pulp Fiction more than a dozen times now. Each time I watch it, I find something else to like about it.

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Plus, he did ask her for her opinion. Maybe she went too far, but I think that removes his right report her.

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IMHO, of course.