Pulp Fiction Essays (1912 words) - English-language Films

Pulp Fiction Introducing a film such as Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction takes much patience and significant artistry with words. Tarantino's work is an audacious, outrageous look at honor among lowlifes, told in a somewhat radical style overlapping a handful of separate stories. "Quentin Tarantino is the Jerry Lee Lewis of cinema, a pounding performer who doesn't care if he tears up the piano, as long as everybody is rocking" (R.Ebert). Introducing a film such as Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction takes much patience and significant artistry with words. Tarantino's work is an audacious, outrageous look at honor among lowlifes, told in a somewhat radical style overlapping a handful of separate stories. "Quentin Tarantino is the Jerry Lee Lewis of cinema, a pounding performer who doesn't care if he tears up the piano, as long as everybody is rocking" (R.Ebert). The title is perfect. Like those old pulp magazines named "Thrilling Wonder Stories" and "Official Detective", the film creates a world where there are no normal people and no ordinary days; where breathless prose clatters down fire escapes and leaps into the dumpster. Or at least there are no ordinary days for those who don't consider tactless and accidental murder to be part of their everyday agenda and occupation. The characters in this film separate societal normality from personal normality. For example, Jackson and Travolta are magnetic as a pair of hit-men who have philosophical debates on a regular basis. These characters continue to think that they're "just doing their job" and that there jobs are for the same purpose as any body else's job - to get paid and then to, in return, pay the bills. Societal norms push the audience to believe that these characters along with Ving Rhames, (Marsellus Wallace), are misfits and should be "taken care of". Tarantino starts us off with a dual definition of "pulp" one being "a soft, moist, shapeless, mass of matter" and two being "a book containing lurid subject matter, and being characteristically printed on rough, unfinished paper". This introduces the audience to the presentation of the film. It's segmented structure is Tarantino's way of playing with the audience's perceptions. The entertainment throughout Pulp Fiction is scintillating, it captures the audience and forces them to piece the segments together in order to form one complete story. Hence the title containing the word "pulp" and the product being "rough" and somewhat "unfinished" to the viewer. This voluble, violent, pumped-up movie isn't for every taste, not for the squeamish, but it's got more vitality than almost any other film of 1994. The screenplay by Tarantino and Avary is so well written in a psoriatic yet potent way that you'll want to rub noses in it - the noses of all those zombie writers who take "screenwriting classes that teach them the formulas for writing "hit films". Pulp Fiction is constructed in such a nonlinear way that you could see it a dozen times and not be able to remember what comes next. It doubles back on itself telling several interlocking stories about characters who inhabit a world of crime and intrigue, triple-crosses and desperation. Vincent Vega (Travolta) and partner Jules Winnfield (Jackson) are a couple of mid-level hit-men who carry out assignments for a mob boss. We see them first on their way to a violent showdown discussing such mysteries as why in Paris they have a French word for Quarter Pounders. They're as innocent in their way as Huck and Jim, floating down the Mississippi and speculating on how foreigners can possibly understand each other. Vince's and Jule's careers are a series of assignments that they can't quite handle. Especially Travolta's character, not only does he kill people inadvertently ("The car hit a bump") but he doesn't know how to clean up after himself. Good thing the two of them know people like Mr. Wolf (Harvey Keitel) who specializes in messes; and has friends like Lance (Eric Stoltz) who owns a "big medical encyclopedia" for emergency situations. Uma Thurman can tell you about those medical procedures. Bruce Willis is compelling as a crooked boxer whose plan to take it on the lam hits a few detours. Butch Coolidge (Willis) is supposed to throw a fight but bails and looses Marsellus (Rhames) a lot of loot. Butch and his girly are to ditch town ASAP but first he needs to make a dangerous trip back to his apartment for a valuable family heirloom. The history of this heirloom is described through a flashback dream narrated by Christopher Walken, a Vietnam veteran. Walken's dialogue build to the movie's biggest laugh. The

mcclelland vs. grant essays

mcclelland vs. grant essays George McClellan and Ulysess S. Grant were two of the Civil Wars most prominent Northern generals. In this essay I will describe the two generals and provide brief details on the battles they were acquainted with. George McClellan was a US Military Academy graduate with an exemplary record as a cadet. In 1857 he resigned his commission to enter the rapidly expanding railroad business, where he quickly demonstrated outstanding ability. McClellan, appointed by Lincoln, was made commander of the main union army named the Army of the Potomac, after having proved himself a reliable commander of the Ohio troops. He immediately began drilling the disorganized and demoralized regiments into a reliable fighting force. He is described as to have been very well liked by his soldiers. His biggest weakness was his speed, or lack thereof. On one occasion Lincoln said if McClellan did not intent to use the Army of the Potomac he (Lincoln) would like to borrow it for a few days to see what he could do with it. (pg. 55) One example of McClellans slow tactics, however, persistence, were shown in early March of 1862. His plan consisted of maneuvering his army farther down the Chesapeake Bay in order to seize the Confederate capital. His plan faced an obstacle. The Virginia, a Confederate ship, attacked and almost shattered the union blockade. McClellan insisted that the Virginia be put our of commission before be began operations. (pg. 67) The Virginia eventually set sail back to the Norfolk harbor after four hours of engagement. In late March, although Lincoln urged him to move forth McClelland laid deliberate siege to Yorktown and allowed Confederate troops to stretch across the lower peninsula of Virginia. This delayed the advance for almost a month. McClellan thought that there were many more troops then there really were, mainly because his chief ...

Oral Film History Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Oral Film History Report - Essay Example 8. Did you read any film magazines (which ones?) or write fan letters? 9. Is there anything special that they think you should know about the movies before 1990? 10. How did film-going differ then compared to now? Oral History Essay Few days ago I interviewed my friend’s mother Ms. Emma, who was born in 1967, and she has just celebrated her 46th birthday on May 30th 2013. Ms Emma is a very fun loving person. She was born in Chicago and had a fun filled childhood with her family and friends in her growing age. Now she stays in Manhattan with her husband and children. Ms. Emma tells about how she spent her teenage phase when going to movie was really fun and full of enjoyment. It was a pleasure to hear her become nostalgic about her teens and talk about how movies played a significant role during her young years. When I asked about her favorite film or actor that marked her adolescence, Ms. Emma replied that she loved this movie called â€Å"The Breakfast Club†. It has ma de a great impact during her adolescence period because this movie was all about five high school students from different origin and about their evolving friendship. The movie depicted friends who met in Chicago; all the occasions in it were just like the real incidents happening in Chicago at that time. She said that as on a growing up teenager this type of movies related to school and friends made a realistic effect on her life. Another movie she loved to watch that time was â€Å"High School† though it was little old one but she liked it a lot. She explained that this was documentary film by director Fredrick Wiseman that showed some cases from the usual days in Northeast High School, their teachers and students relationship. While growing up she watched this movie several times as it used to come on television and during that tender age it manifested her thoughts deeply. Ms. Emma while explaining all these seemed very happy and was thoroughly enjoying the conversation. Yo ung girls often have infatuation or an attraction towards, so I was eager to know if she had any such experience regarding any of the teen actors or actor of her age at that time. When I asked about her crush on any teen actor, she said actually she liked most of the movie actors which she watched and did not have crush on any particular teen actor. The main movie theaters were on the Division Street Road. Ms. Emma said when she was in her teens, she and her friends used to watch the movies in the morning shows because the ticket price cost less than evening and night shows at that time. Division Street Road where the theaters were located was in the downtown which was around 2hrs journey from Ms. Emma’s house. So if Ms. Emma and her friends wanted to watch a movie they need to make prior arrangements for that. They have things to eat and drink. Ms. Emma said sometimes they had group of friends and families who went for movies together. Going for movie was like a day outing f or them and they had lots of fun. I was curious to know if she watched movies just for fun or did she have a choice for any specific genre. I was interested to know whether she was interested more in thriller or horror or romantic comedies as the choice of genre sometimes determines a person’s nature and overall interests. So when I asked about her favorite genre, director or stars she was very excited and without any second thought she replied that she had a huge crush on Tom Hanks. Ms. Emma said Tom Hanks is among the highest paid all time box office star. I

Analytic source review and evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analytic source review and evaluation - Essay Example The methodical studies conducted over the last decades regarding the addiction of drugs among the young people, revealed that after a certain period an individual cannot afford the price and gradually gets involved in criminal activities to increase their affordability. In majority instances, such consequences were found to be led by the negligence of parents, guardians or the other members of the society towards the young people. These activities not only hinder the healthy growth of the society, but also restrict social progress in terms of economic divergences, education prospects and governance systems. The objective of the paper will thereby be focused on analysing and evaluating the criminal activities associated with illegal drugs as well as sexual assaults in the modern day context. Discussion Illicit Drugs Illicit drugs habit is often regarded as the major cause of interpersonal violence as well as public health challenges in the modern society. With this concern, the Nation al Drug Intelligence Centre (NDIC) along with many other non-profit organizations have taken initiative and organized a yearly National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA) that tends to assess the impact of threats related to illicit drug related crimes on the society as well as on the nation at large. Recent reports in this regard revealed that the total cost incurred in relation to illicit drug use was approximated in excess of $193 billion in the year 2007. The cost was estimated focusing on three major principal areas i.e. crime, health and aggregate productivity of the state or region. The component of crime cost is fundamentally based on three major factors that include criminal justice system costs, crime victim costs as well as other crime costs. In addition, health related issues and costs include four major components i.e. emergency departmental costs in the hospitals for homicide and non-homicide cases, speciality treatment and medicine costs, insurance administration costs and other health related costs. Nonetheless, the productivity costs and issues are also associated with some direct and indirect components such as labour participation costs, pre-mature mortality costs and the costs incurred due to harm of education as well as lack of societal growth (U.S. Department of Justice, 2011). When considering the global trend, people addicted by illegal drugs and related crimes in England and Wales were reported to constitute around three million adults in the year 2011-2012. This proportionate was further affirmed to account for around 8.9% of the total population in England. Another significant attribute of the trend exhibited that in majority cases, the offenders were young where minors aged 16 years to old aged people of 59 years were also identified involved in such crimes (The Independent, 2012). According to the research study of Payne-James & et. al. (2005), it was found that the drug addiction is especially notices among the unemployed persons. Cons equentially, 80% drug habituates have been reported to be spending their life suffering from several mental as well as physical health issues. At the onset, mental and financial problems can be identified as the main causes of such offences which might be caused due to social complexities or monetary troubles often faced by young generation people (Payne-James & et. al., 2005). Besides, as exhibited by Payne-James & et.

Once Upon A Family Essay Example for Free

Once Upon A Family Essay In the book (Daley, 2007) â€Å"Once Upon A Family† by author Margaret Daley, we read about a character by the name of Sean Williams who is helped by his principal at Cimarron High, where he attends school, by the name of Peter Stone. Laura Williams was extremely nervous as she stands before the high school principal, who is tall, dark and handsome, as she worries so much for her oldest child who had always been a good student. Peter Stone explains that Sean wasn’t willing to talk very much about the fight that he took part in and wonders if the new move had anything to do with this sudden change in Sean’s behavior. Peter takes a special interest in Sean’s mother and realizes that he can help her, her family and himself in finding completeness in their lives. Peter Stone lives on a beautiful ranch and is a religious man who learns not only to care for Sean, but also for his mother; Laura and Sean’s siblings. The Williams family attend Peter’s church many times and learn that God has special intentions for their lives and also that all problems can be solved through prayer. Laura Williams is a good hearted, self-sacrificing widow, while Peter Stone worked at his job at the high school where he could make a difference in the lives of the young and attended church, faithfully to fulfill his religious needs, but he still needed the Williams family in his life to fill an empty void and just as desperately as they needed him. We learn from this book that God has a special way of bringing people together and he always knows exactly what we need.

Beloved by Morrison Essay -- Morrison Beloved Book Review

Beloved by Morrison Beloved is the tale of an escaped slave, Sethe, who is trying to achieve true freedom. Unfortunately, though she is no longer in servitude to a master, she is chained to her "hainted" past. Morrison effectively depicts the shattered lives of Sethe, her family, fellow former slaves, and the community through a unique writing style. The narrative does not follow a traditional, linear plot line. The reader discovers the story of Sethe through fragments from the past and present that Morrison reveals and intertwines in a variety of ways. The novel is like a puzzle of many pieces that the reader must put together to form a full picture. Through this style, which serves as a metaphor for the broken lives of her characters, Morrison successfully conveys the horrors of slavery and the power of a community. One of Morrison's techniques is to relate the story of Beloved from several different points of view. Most of the book is told from third-person omniscient, with the viewpoint character constantly changing. For example, in chapter three the perspective switches even during a flashback. At first, the story is told from Sethe's viewpoint. "Down in the grass, like the snake she believed she was, Sethe opened her mouth, and instead of fangs and a split tongue, out shot the truth" (39). Then the narrative changes to the perspective of Amy Denver, who helps Sethe escape when she is pregnant. "The girl moved her eyes slowly, examining the greenery around her. ‘Thought there'd be huckleberries. Look like it. That's why I come up in here. Didn't expect to find no nigger woman'" (39). Every character in the book, dead included, tells part of the story. In chapter sixteen, the point of view switches to... ...nt. He has sex with Beloved and when he reaches the "inside part he was saying, ‘Red heart. Red heart,' over and over again" (138). Morrison weaves together the story of characters whose shared past is so devastating they cannot live in the present. By using a writing style as fragmented and troubled as the lives of her characters, Morrison actively involves the reader in piecing together the horrors of slavery. Beloved at times was difficult to read because of the emotional impact of its passages. The character of Ella best describes the struggle of their lives when she says, "The future was sunset; the past something to leave behind. And if it didn't stay behind, well, you might have to stomp it out. Slave life; freed life-every day was a test and a trial. Nothing could be counted on in a world where even when you were a solution you were a problem" (302).

Psy-Trance in the Realm of Disco Essay

Admittedly so, being myself no less a stranger than a fan of the latent psychedelic rave culture of the last decade, with its steady pounding trance-inducing techno-grove, I was altogether rather curious to discover just what kind of a picture that Richard Dryer had to present in his famous essay (Dryer, 1979). For years, before they lost most of their covert appeal, stealing away to a Rave was somewhat popular for my generation; at least in the places where I grew up. So there was just something exciting to me, anticipating what he was about to relate of this earlier pop culture often rumored to share the same DNA of the psy-trance music of today’s Technocratic Age. It seems as if disco, understandably at its time a more readily accessible form of escapism had also quickly spread to far off distant lands overseas. It was probably the anticipation of some new and exotic twist that I was about to discover of the past that suddenly had my head inadvertently bobbing back and forth to some memorable however invisible beat. It seems to happen almost instinctually that way. Somehow, even before I turned the first page, my mind wandered to that pounding ecstasy-driven scene at the very beginning of the movie Blade, 1 where the music intense as it is drives the scene so powerfully that you just cannot stand still. There is just slightest sense of horror though, because everybody including the audience knows the inevitable; except that careless fool who has allowed lust to direct him into a den of vampires. The strobe lights pierce the atmosphere bouncing off the ceiling and all over the walls; forcing a familiar rush of anxiety. Soon, he is set to become their latest entree. It’s that environment of undisputable cool, the fashion, and the excitement that I love, but you can keep the blood. Dyer employs the analysis of a socialist and goes to great lengths to dissuade any notions that disco is just some crude form of capitalist production. He then launches into his narrative charging disco with three distinct characteristics: egotism – romanticism – and materialism. Although he somewhat claims that his argument is not as simple as capitalism is evil, in time you get the sense that Dyer really believes that all music is created with some measure of subversive super-sexual intent in mind. Disco he calls â€Å"naked eroticism† (Ibid). However, he sees it in a better light than the simple patriarchal rhythms of rock and roll, — â€Å"rock’s eroticism is thrusting, grinding – it is not whole body, but phallic†¦ even when preformed by women – rock remains indelibly phallocentric music† (Ibid). The movement and the culture which would grow up around this musical genre are shown in light of a powerful force that would ultimately come to influence the future of gay politics in the United States. Suddenly, I had found that unexpected nuance from out of disco’s past that I was searching for. In the end, he states his case. Disco he believes has an ability to celebrate the intensity of romantic adoration and the lament of being let down at the same time. It is the tension between the two that he seems to be reaching for. All that I know, is that when I used to hit those clubs late at night, I just wanted to dance. If Dyer seems to take a hatchet to this subject, in Do It (‘Til You’re Satisfied): Repetitive Musics and Recombinant Desires, Susan McClary employs a scalpel. However, her unique intellectual dexterity makes her tool that much more devastating. She neatly deconstructs old arguments that she seems to believe were built upon over-wrought modalities of Western tradition; that have today simply gone astray. Disco is placed along the side of other â€Å"repetition-driven [pursuits] of ecstasy(p7)† along with the avant-garde minimalist schools of thought coming out of the 1960’s. 2 McClary dives into a narrative that focuses upon stripping away illusions. She gives us a nice panoramic view of the minimalist history and the creative motives that evolved into the psy-trance music that became known as disco. At the heart of her prolonged study is a reliance upon what she calls an â€Å"analytical argument (p7) †¦ built around an in-dept comparison of form and process in Steve Reich’s Music for Eighteen Musicians (1999) and Donna Summers [and Moroder’s] Love to Love You Baby (1975). She naturally rejects the argument that disco is solely a minimalist form which is inherently non-teleological (without design or purpose). This may appear to be a neat stretch for those in the know. But, I was just happy to be along for the ride. As with Dyer, McClary argues against â€Å"traditional hierarchies of musical value† (p9). To her, Reich is the minimalist reaching for the edges of a musical trance-like state, and Summer is the erotic practitioner who belts out a classic vamp that surprisingly simulates an amazing 22 orgasms (p11). At last, she reaches just that much closer to what I have come to believe that the great body of psy-trance music is really all about; even thought she quickly abandons it. However, it is here that she poses her most salient point: â€Å"Teleological music’s ‘climax mechanism’ is akin to the [Western male] orgasm; teleology is thus the drive to orgasm; banishing teleology must mean banishing orgasm. Minimal music is anti-teleological, and is thus akin to trantric [‘Oriental’] sex, where the ability to put the [male] body into orgasm-defying stasis even as it engages in what for most humans is the most goal-directed activity imaginable is the sign of profound yogic accomplishment†(p12) Both of these authors seem to be seeking the same thing; just going about it in their own separate way. Yet, they both seem to miss the point as far as I am concerned because the aim of this psy-trance music is the same wherever it may be found. It is the search for that endless climatic moment that leads to a higher spiritual purpose. This same search for heavenly escapism can be found in many of the native Indian dance rituals that can be found right here in America. Even thought this spiritual quest has so often been obscured by the popular use of hallucinogenic drugs, still the psychedelic-techno music, the dark covert meeting places, and the strict social boundaries often found together in the mix wherever this type of pure eroticism abounds; all of it has a purpose. Even when the ‘raves’ were popular just a few years ago, still it seemed that even this generation could find some higher meaning in the heat of the dance. The pounding repetitious beat that always seemed to somehow naturally marshal the entire crowd into a circle; why does this always seem to happen? It is all a part of that necessary escapism just like that which draws thousands of young Israeli men to travel each winter far away from their homes and to a place called Goa in southern India. They are called Goa freaks (Saldanha, 2006), because they live a solitary existence almost like zombies forever strung out on ecstasy. However, it is the abandonment to the music that draws them there in order to find a solitary refuge, while being seduced into a trance-state that perhaps will help them to forget the anguish of their shattered lives.