# Pulp Fiction **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 28, 1999, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694 "1999-06-28T04:12:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 1999, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694/21 "1999-07-21T18:43:00Z")
Just out of curiousity, why do people like Tarantino? Ok he does interesting stuff with the film and the way the plot is developed, but I find the scripts and the general plot to be boring. So do my friends, some of whom fell asleep in Pulp Fiction. Yet other people rave about it. I just don’t get it. But do Americans really swear that often and monotonously? I would fins it very hard to live there if you do. My 50 öre (about 2 cents) * * * What’s the ugliest part of your body? Some say your nose, some say your toes, But I think it’s your Mind - Frank Zappa ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 1999, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694/22 "1999-07-21T20:47:00Z")
BTW, the clever “what’s in the suitcase” was an allusion to a 60’s Mike Hammer (Mickey Spillane?) movie where a suitcase filled with unnamed nuclear material is stolen. Anytime the suitcase is opened, there is a glow from inside and a creepy scifi growly noise. Apparently, the movie was one of Tarantino’s favorites. * * * “Knowing others is wisdom. Knowing yourself is enlightenment.” - Lao-tzu, Chinese philosopher ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 1999, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694/23 "1999-07-23T05:01:00Z")
I think there was also a _Star Trek_ episode with a similar plot device. There was some alien who was made up of shimmering lights and anyone who looked at it without protective goggles went blind or insane. And no, FloChi, I think most people do not swear as consistently as the average Tarantino character does. His use of profanity and racial language seems to derive from his infatuation with the “gangsta” lifestyle. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 1999, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694/24 "1999-07-23T05:19:00Z")
> [@](#): > > I just don’t get it. Those who don’t like Tarantino movies are usually the people who don’t get them. * * * \>^,^\< KITTEN Coarse and violent nudity. Occasional language. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 1999, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694/25 "1999-07-23T00:17:00Z")
I checked the script. 73 Nova. It’s not important. No mention of owner. I picked out a pointless detail. Am I glad this is MPSIMS, or what? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 1999, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694/26 "1999-07-23T03:25:00Z")
FloChi - Personnel opinion only - Tarantino has a strength in dialogue - Pulp Fiction has several scenes that are beautiful for the dialogue (Walken’s scene) My favorite is when Jules and Vinnie are discussing foot massages and then Jules says, “put your face on” - just classic - Reservoir Dogs has the same things - dialogue… Also, the language I believe is manly man talk (at least perceived manly man) Once again just my opinion * * * ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 1999, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694/27 "1999-07-23T03:28:00Z")
Pulp Fiction trivia - the opening song is a Greek folk song called Miserlou (which I read today means “Beloved”) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 1999, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694/28 "1999-07-23T04:48:00Z")
Well as long as this thread has revived, here’s another question. What do you feel are the best _Pulp Fiction_esque movies? _Reservoir Dogs_ and _Jackie Brown_ are two obvious ones. I also liked _The Usual Suspects_, _2 Days in the Valley_, and the recent _Go_, all of which were indebted to and/or inspired by _Pulp Fiction_. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 1999, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694/29 "1999-07-23T13:45:00Z")
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels is very PulpFictionesque. Fast, violent, and hysterically funny. * * * “Knowing others is wisdom. Knowing yourself is enlightenment.” - Lao-tzu, Chinese philosopher ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 1999, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694/30 "1999-07-23T15:37:00Z")
Swimming with Sharks. A darker movie with Kevin Spacey the guy that played Brad in Pulp Fiction (“look at the big brain on Brad”) A a Lt. from the 1st season of Srar Trek NG. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 1999, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694/31 "1999-07-24T05:30:00Z")
There is a resemblance between the two men, but the character of Brett was played by Frank Whaley not Kevin Spacey. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 1999, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694/32 "1999-07-23T19:10:00Z")
My appoligies, there sould be a comma after Kevin Spacey. The movie Swimming with Sharks" has three main characters. Kevin Spacey, Frank Whaley, and Michelle Forbes (from Star Trek). ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 1999, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694/33 "1999-07-23T19:10:00Z")
coupla things: re the suitcase: i have a buddy who’s a huge fan of the movie, and insists that it’s wallace’s soul. the deal is this: wallace sold the soul to the devil (the combo to the lock on the case is ‘666’), and jules and vince are sent to get it back. proof that it’s a soul lie in the glow it emits, and the band-aid on wallace’s neck where it was removed. incidentally, when ‘honey bunny’ sees the suitcase and asks jules if “that’s what i think it is”, jules replies in the affirmative, which means that (hypothetically, at least), the characters do know what it is. re: other movies LOCK STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS the best movie i’ve seen in a long time ellis ---
**Author:** ![ShadowSRM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@ShadowSRM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowSRM)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694/34 "2000-08-09T00:02:13Z")
I read a post on this thread about the Vic Vega(Michael Madsen) from Resivor and Vincent Vega(Travolta) connection. They’re probably brothers. Also, Mr. Pink from Resivor Dogs is the waiter that serves Uma and John at Jack Rabbit Slims. Could it be that Steve Buscemi(who was arrested at the end of Dogs) made a deal with the FBI or escaped and is in disguise for some reason at Jack Rabbit Slims? I thought that was pretty cool. The thing in the breifcase, I think it’d be cool if it was Marcellus’ soul, but in keeping with the Dogs/Pulp connection, it’s most likely the diamonds that the gang was trying to steal in ‘Dogs’. Then again, it’s whatever you want it to be. That’s what’s cool. I’m not a fan of Tarentino’s, I’m a fan of Dogs and Pulp. Four Rooms sucked, that’s all I can say about Tarentino. ---
**Author:** ![tegatu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@tegatu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tegatu)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2001, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694/35 "2001-07-17T14:36:57Z")
I don’t know if anyone is still following this thread or not, but having just read all the posts so far, I’m surprised that no-one has mentioned the resemblance between the contents of the briefcase in ‘Pulp Fiction’ (casts a glow, is never seen) and the boot/trunk of the car in Alex Cox’s ‘Repo Man’ (casts a glow, is never seen). In the case of ‘Repo Man’, the contents are alleged to be dead, decaying aliens,but everyone who investigates is vaporised. People have mentioned the briefcase in ‘Kiss Me Deadly’, but I’d have thought the ‘Repo Man’ car was a more likely inspiration for the ‘Pulp Fiction’ briefcase - both, of course, are MacGuffins of the first order. ---
**Author:** ![Fish42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4da419/32.png) [@Fish42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish42)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2001, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694/36 "2001-07-17T15:15:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by phouka \* > \*\*BTW, the clever “what’s in the suitcase” was an allusion to a 60’s Mike Hammer (Mickey Spillane?) movie where a suitcase filled with unnamed nuclear material is stolen. Anytime the suitcase is opened, there is a glow from inside and a creepy scifi growly noise. Apparently, the movie was one of Tarantino’s favorites. > \*\* The Mike Hammer film you’re refering to is “Kiss Me Deadly,” directed by Robert Aldrich. Personal guesses as to what’s in the suitcase: 1. Jules is telling the truth when he tells ‘Ringo’ that the suitcase contains the boss’s laundry. Marcellus owns a really shiny gold-lame suit, like the one Elvis wore on the cover of “50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong: Elvis’s Gold Records Vol 2.” 2. It contains a MacGuffin. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2001, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694/37 "2001-07-17T15:34:06Z")
This was answered in another thread, and yes, it’s a MacGuffin. Tarantino never decided what was in it. There’s a quote and cite in that other thread, I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2001, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694/38 "2001-07-17T18:00:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ShadowSRM \* > \*\*Also, Mr. Pink from Resivor Dogs is the waiter that serves Uma and John at Jack Rabbit Slims. Could it be that Steve Buscemi(who was arrested at the end of Dogs) made a deal with the FBI or escaped and is in disguise for some reason at Jack Rabbit Slims? I thought that was pretty cool. > \*\* I thought it was pretty evident that Steve Buscemi was killed outside the warehouse at the end of Reservoir Dogs. ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2001, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694/39 "2001-07-17T18:19:00Z")
Buscemi was, at the least, involved in a serious gunfight at the end of the movie, though his plight is unknown. All that _is_ known is that he runs out, is met by yht cops, there is some gunplay and then the cops are inside the warehouse telling Harvey K. to drop his gun. For those that liked _Lock, Stock…_, I wonder what they thought of _Snatch_, a very similar movie with many of the same characters. ---
**Author:** ![Spritle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Spritle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spritle)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2001, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694/40 "2001-07-17T19:42:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fish42 \* > \*\* It contains a MacGuffin. \*\* [/QUOTE] Yeah, that’s it. It’s the same stuff in the trunk in _Repo Man_ - a lot of MacGuffins. Actually, I was gonna post that it was a MacGuffin, but I couldn’t remember the term. [stupid question] What is the origin of this term anyway? [/stupid question] and why is every poster in this thread listed as a “Guest” with a “N/A” thread count??? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulp-fiction/6694.md?page=3)