May as well add Fight Club to the probably saw it list
Lol I 'm still thinking about this. I would have thought calling Pulp Fiction as emblematic of a 90s zeitgeist the most lukewarm take I have ever made. Thatās not at all a critique of the film, but I literally canāt think of a better example. The film itself is largely an exercise in nostalgia, which in itself grounds it explicitly in its time. The very casting of Travolta was an overt 70s reference which undermines your contention here.
I think what struck audiences in the 90s the most about Pulp Fiction wasnāt the violence, the dialogue, or the nostalgia but rather the highly nonlinear nature of the narrative. It certainly wasnāt the first movie to have this type of structure, but it might have been the first really popular one. Now that technique is everywhere (Iām looking at you, Nolan).
This is a little odd. I never accused you of having a hot take or nor did I take any negative tone towards anything you said. I simply disagreed with the zeitgeist thing - I still do. Not a big deal, honest. Never felt you were coming in hot.
I donāt feel Pulp Fiction is emblematic of the 90s. Movies like Reality Bites, Hackers, Bio-Dome, Empire Records were all popular when released and if you watch them today for the first time you would have no doubt those are from a specific era. I donāt get that with Pulp Fiction. Nor do I with films like Fight Club, Shawshank, Quiz Show, Heavenly Creatures etcā¦ Clerks? Definitely 90s.
My comment relating to the 70s was about studios loosening the reigns on creators once again post-Pulp after they ruled with an iron fist for almost 15 years.
Fincher starts filming two months after the release of Pulp - script was completed two months prior to Pulpās release (they had to rush production due to Pittās schedule). I suspect the success of Pulp Fiction gave Fincher some leverage with the studio although I canāt know that for certain. I do know he had to fend the studio off while filming se7en from everything to casting to lighting to tone - and he won all those battles.
Iām not understanding your statement about how the hiring of Travolta undermines my contention. Iām probably missing something.
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A tangent but I remember an anecdote of a studio head coming up to Fincher after the studio screening of Fight Club and telling him āitās fine, itās a fine movie,ā which is basically the kiss of death for notes lol.
Those boring executives had no idea how it would take hold of audiences.
Seems like every year or two somebody says āOK here finally comes Superbad but for/with womenā and imo it never happens. Is this it?
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And the music. In my early 20s, Pulp Fiction became the soundtrack of our nights out - pregaming, jukeboxes at bars, in cars, etc. The surf songs hit really hard and were a new sound for us.
Wtf are you talking about Boomer
We already got that movie. Itās called Booksmart and it is PERFECT.
I thought someone would say that, and I could not disagree more. Booksmart sucked. Most interesting part of that movie was the fact that the skater girl crush worked at Val Surf and was super nice to my son all the time.
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We canāt be friends anymore. Booksmart would easily be tapped as my favorite movie of all time. Olivia Wilde knocked it out of the goddamn park. This movie is the reason I went into Donāt Worry Darling with zero doubts and left with a broken heart.
Well, as my mother used to say, āthatās what makes the world go round.ā
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Maybe you just need to watch it a few more dozen times. I bet it will grow on you.
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I am finally giving this a shot as I write this and am feeling like the joke is on me.
I didnāt know there was anyone who didnāt like Booksmart. Itās earnest and sweet and kind of crude. I liked it. Not a favourite of all time (FOAT?) like Risky but it was good enough that itās still with me.
Booksmart, Eighth Grade and Ladybird would make a good triple bill.
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Fortunately a spot in the Risky friends club just opened up. We will celebrate with the triple bill you have listed 
Eighth Grade showing Bo Burnham needs to make Ninth Grade ASAP.
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Goodfellas totes obv.
Denis Villeneuveās āARRIVALā will be available to stream on Netflix US starting September 1st.
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Watched Trainspotting for the first time. Really didnāt like it. Noticed that there was a Rewatchables for this, which seemed especially absurd to me, because even if you love this movie how could it possibly be rewatchable? However, Iām glad that I listened to the podcast, because CR and Andy Greenwald explaining essentially that the magic of the movie was in its cool and exciting tone, along with its soundtrack, is a great way of letting me know that I donāt even have to consider giving it a second go in the future.
Same. Saw it once, really donāt feel like watching it again.