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do you think that critics were too harsh on the violence in pulp ficiton?

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do you think that critics were too harsh on the violence in pulp ficiton?

Old 12-24-02, 04:09 PM
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do you think that critics were too harsh on the violence in pulp ficiton?

here is a review of the violence and ill ad my coments. my comments are in parenthasis

Several people are shot, some repeatedly, some at close range ;heads, arms and groins are the main targets. (most are off screen) Most deaths are accompanied by a lot of blood and gore. (if this is the begining scene when jules
Spoiler:
kills brent, there is maybe a split second of gore if even any)
One man is slashed and stabbed with a samurai sword, but the most graphic incident takes place
Spoiler:
when a man (marvin) is shot in the head, while sitting in a car. We see an explosion of blood and the car, as well as the passengers are shown covered with bloody brain matter. (we do, i just saw a little bit of blood, not brain matter??) (also raders of the lost arc had a similar scene where the bad guy gets sliced up by the plane propellers, and lots of blood gets on the window, but i dont think that movie got any complaints for violence, i see it as sort of the same situation, just insted of a plane, marvin gets shot in the head.)
The resulting bloody mess actually becomes a story subplot, as the killers try to clean the car.
Spoiler:
The result is that the camera lingers on the gory details for a very long time. (they just talk about it but we don't see them do we )
Spoiler:
A woman (Mia) overdoses on heroin and she is seen with a very bloody nose and foaming from the mouth. A man (vincent) slams a very large needle into her chest, and she's shown sitting up with the needle sticking out. A man is raped, and we both see him and hear screaming.
A few punches. A man (vincent) injects himself in the arm with a syringe filled with heroin; we see the long needle pierce his skin and watch as his blood rises up and swirls around in the syringe; the camera focuses on the syringe for a while." (it isnt that long, a few seconds maybe)

do you think that this review is alittle extreme? (i got the review from kidsinmind.com)

Last edited by Rypro 525; 12-24-02 at 04:16 PM.
Old 12-24-02, 06:03 PM
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That isn't a "review" and it wasn't written by a critic. Consider the source, Kids In Mind, and the intent of the synopsis, as stated on the Web site:

Our Kids-In-Mind reviews are objective, non-critical assessments of the potentially objectionable material contained in movies and are primarily addressed to parents. We don't tell parents whether a movie is good or bad, we don't tell them whether it has any social or political significance -- we don't even bother with whether it has artistic merit. We simply list material that parents may not want their kids to watch or hear. Then parents can decide whether a movie is OK for their own kids, according to their own criteria. The writing style is straightforward and quite neutral, and we take great pains to describe a film's content without actually revealing any plot elements.
Old 12-24-02, 06:40 PM
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I think that little synopsis was pretty correct. Quentin had some shots that just forced you to look at things you don't normally see. The violence was nothing over the top, but the shot of Mia ODing and the needle in Vincent's arm were both a little disturbing.
Old 12-24-02, 06:44 PM
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Was the movie violent? Of course. Is it appropriate for children? Of course not.

Will I make my kids sit and watch Pulp Fiction? Most definitely. However, as they are currently aged 6 and 3, I think they're a bit young for it.
Old 12-24-02, 07:21 PM
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Seems a pretty accurate description (not a review) of the violence to me.
Old 12-24-02, 08:41 PM
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I agree. This should have been PG big time.
Old 12-24-02, 10:42 PM
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Well i remember there was alot of controversy at the time over the violence in the film & it's rating & being to 'extreme' for a R rating & complaining how unfair the MPAA is for not giving it a NC-17(did they ever?).

What a huge letdown when i saw it on video.I mean it was a good film.Yet not even close to be as horribly graphic as some thought.Most is offscreen & what little we do see onscreen is not 'that' bloody. Really whoever thought this was extreme & to much for a R rating must not see that many films which have much worse content in terms of graphicness/subject matter than all of Pulp Fiction.


& No i'm not 'desensitized' which the moral nutcases love to spout out when someone thinks a certain film is not that bad despite their opinion.

In fact the violence in Reservior Dogs & True Romance is much more powerful,unpleasent & makes see just how bad(uncool) violence really is.Those two films are masterpieces i think.Pulp Fiction is good,but alittle overrated to me.
Old 12-24-02, 10:47 PM
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When I read kidsinmind I more concerned with sex and nudity than I am with violence and gore.
Old 12-24-02, 11:21 PM
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There really wasn't much controversy about the violence in Pulp Fiction. A bigger deal was made about Reservoir Dogs, but neither film caused the hoopla that you are describing.
Old 12-25-02, 12:53 AM
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& No i'm not 'desensitized' which the moral nutcases love to spout out when someone thinks a certain film is not that bad despite their opinion.


so those concerend with violence in public media are "nutcases", but those who embrace it are not.

What a hoot.
Old 12-25-02, 01:37 AM
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Originally posted by Scot1458
[B]so those concerend with violence in public media are "nutcases", but those who embrace it are not.

What a hoot.
Put words in people's mouths much?
Old 12-25-02, 06:27 AM
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Why is that wehn you show violence in "urban society" than it's sometimes contraversial like Pulp Fiction was

BUT..

When it's a war movie like SPR or BOB then nobody says anything..Sounds like a double standard to me

Yes wars ARE brutally violent but so is our society sometimes..

That's all I'm sayin'
Old 12-25-02, 09:59 AM
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Well theres nothing wrong with being 'concerned' over movie content.Yet some people are so conservative & live by impossibly sensitve means that they want everything 'acceptable' to them.

In other words."Jee i'd love to see a John Woo film,but please cut out all the violence,thas upsets me!" Well whats left of the film then?


Even funnier is the whole taboo/fear of nudity. "Eeek,breasts breasts breasts!!!..cut it out,please oh god cut that immoral footage out!!!!" panics some sheltered woman. Ironic huh?



In other words.I repsect films & do not bitch over the content itself,but usualy the purpose of the film.Is it boring & exploitive or does it serve a purose? Is the violence so over the top & stylized that it in terms becomes amazing to look at(John Woo for example) or does it just repluse you as intended?

+ most importantly.Is the film entertaining at all or has a interesting story which makes you think?


Afterall films is fantasty & not real no matter what the content.So it all depends on how well the film turns out in the first place.


As much as i was offended by Death Wish 2 given it's exploitive & untalented mean spirited for mean spirted sake direction.Would i want that film banned or censored? Of course not.


Then theres the really sheltered people who thought The Matrix was to bloody when theres barely any blood in the film(!). Or people who thought Resident Evil was to gory when the films barely gruesome at all & practically dry!


Thats when i would wonder just what are some peopel problems over a films content by making it seem like it's worse than it really is.
Old 12-25-02, 04:04 PM
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i mean in the kids in mind review, i think that they over did it a little bit consitering that most of the actual violence is off screen.
Old 12-26-02, 10:57 AM
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It's all in perpsective. An American President offends me much more than say Resivor Dogs.
Old 12-26-02, 09:18 PM
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Please don't think I'm trying to bash you, because I'm not. I'm really curious to find out how someone could be offended by The American President. Is it the Presiden't political viewpoint? That's the only thing I can think of that might offend someone.
Old 12-27-02, 06:37 PM
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I love this movie. I don't generally get into very violent films. Or even disturbing ones. What grabs me about PULP FICTION is that it touches on the underpinnings of violent scenarios more than just showing the scenarios. In that, it isn't that visually violent, but thematically. We don't see the violence so much as what leads to it and what comes out of it. For many, that is more disturbing than the actual blood and guts.
Old 12-27-02, 09:44 PM
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EXACTAMUNDO MaudlinHarold !!

You said it Bro

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