Dear Mr. Baltz
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Mr_Wolf_80 — 10 years ago(March 21, 2016 03:32 PM)
What about checking the rating before watching a movie? Or reading some reviews, or a bit of the plot or some comments?
By the way, I read in your profile that your favourite horror movie is "Carrie", which is
not
at least less shocking than "Reservoir Dogs".
I'm Winston Wolf. I solve problems.
And no dream is ever just a dream -
retroman-38055 — 9 years ago(April 09, 2016 11:23 AM)
Mr. Wolfyou have the honor of being the first commentator on my post to whom I felt the need to respond.
First of alljust sayinthe post is titled "A Note to Mr. KIRK BALTZ"which kind of negates any criticism on your part of my opinion of the film RD and his performance. You know that whole "conversation between A and B and you're C" ditty?
The same is true of those others who commented with the intent of ridicule, but you came at me personally in a way that I felt compelled to address.
CARRIE is a disturbing film on many levels, yes. But I see it less as a horror movie than as a dark fairy-tale tragedy. I was bullied and ostracized in school. I was excruciatingly lonely. I had a stifling homelife. I can identify with all that for Carrie White, and so for me, CARRIE has a heart. It is a worthy look at one person's pain, and the consequences for those who cause it. Very timely, even more so now than in 1976. Also, the lead character never uses her telekinetic powers just for the hell of it, or to be casually cruel. (In other words, she's not randomly throwing knives at people to slice their ears off.) She only uses it when she is emotionally devastated, and to protect herself.
RESERVOIR DOGS has no heart. There are no redeeming characters (except those played by Baltz and Tim Roth) or revelations, as in Tarantino's later work, and I am a fan of his later work. But RD is nothing but torture porn in my opinion.
As far as reading reviews and such beforehandI did read them. For whatever reason, the torture-the-cop aspect was played down by these. I could have, of course, turned the movie off when I saw where it was going, but the honest to God fact is that I wanted to see Nash rescued. I am clinically depressed, hypersensitive, and have an anxiety disorder, and these conditions lead me to get emotionally wrapped up in fiction of all kinds. Therefore, I shouldn't be watching these types of movies to begin with.
You may be sure I won't make that mistake again.
See my film essays at RecommendationsByRetroman.wordpress.com. -
Mr_Wolf_80 — 9 years ago(April 10, 2016 05:09 AM)
Uh, I'm honored I guess.
Sorry, I didn't want to be rude or to offend.
So, if I've well understood, your post was directly addressed to Kirk Baltz and no one else?
However, well, honestly, I'll tell you that (sadly?) I'm so accustomed to violence into movies that almost nothing upsets me anymore.
By the way, on the contrary, I'm a fan of "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction" (to the point I know every line of them) and not of Tarantino's later works.
Interestingly enough, I watched "Reservoir Dogs" after many years a few weeks ago, before writing here (after watching a movie, I always come here to read other posters' posts and comment), but in a public screening in my university, with many other boys and girls (many watched it for the first time, I guess): came to the infamous ear-cutting scene, I didn't hear anyone screaming and no one run away.
Ok, the point is, let's say, "Reservoir Dogs" is not the "same shocking" of "Carrie", but I wouldn't call it a movie with no heart: it's a gangster movie and the violence is inherent in that world, and Mr Blonde is just the ultimate prototype of psychopath.
And another theme, for example, is the tie which is created between Mr White and Mr Orange.
If you're so hypersensitive, you better avoid this kind of movies, in special way, gangster movies, which are plenty of merciless characters: I can hardly remember a gangster movie with a "redeeming character".
I'm Winston Wolf. I solve problems.
And no dream is ever just a dream -
Stirchley — 9 years ago(June 13, 2016 12:13 PM)
I disagree that there are no redeeming characters in the movie. Harvey Keitel - Mr. White - had some very good qualities & I guess he is my favorite character. He takes pride in being a professional, he's not a maniac, he took care of Tim Roth as much as he could & took full responsibility for him being shot. The only thing he did which I didn't like was to abuse the cop. Wonderful role for Mr. Keitel.
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sillyspaghetti — 9 years ago(October 18, 2016 01:07 PM)
Hi to the OP. I suffer with depression and a vivid imagination. I saw Reservoir Dogs when I was around 15 or 16. I had seen Pulp Fiction and loved it and had NO IDEA about the ear slicing/torture scene in this. RD is not a bad film, and for the most part I love it, but I cannot bear this scene. I haven't watched RD for about 15 years but it popped in my head last night in a dream. I dreamt Mr Blonde had taken over Michael Madsen, who then cut my face with a razor and then lopped my ear off, and then tried to kill me, only to then be killed by The Bride from Kill Bill who saved me and let me go.
