QT has a penchant for making movies about movies rather than subjects but I give him credit for having a flair for dialogue. What his characters talk about and HOW they talk about it is very distinctive. I think the key to tarantino dialogue is that what your hearing has a point and a purpose that plays out later. People copying his style miss that.
So even tho it seems like people in his stories are talking about bullshit or trivial things theyre actually setting up something that your going to see play out later on in someway.
For instance the Tony Rockyhorror scene in Pulp Fiction
Now we're just listening to two guys talking about a couple of people and the shit they do BUT theres subtle info in there..namely
its a story about a crime boss, his wife and how much of a short fuse he has about people who fuck around with his wife.
its later reinforced when we see those two at the bar in the Butch and Marcellus Wallace scene.
We HEAR marcellus but never see his face (tension builder) All we know is he is a big black man who clearly doesn't sound like he takes shit from anyone (REAL tension builder) which confirms the Tony Rockyhorror story to us..this guy seems like he'd throw someone off a balcony for petty reasons. Then there's Jules and the bartender laffing knowingly at the fact that Vince has to take his wife out.
All of this is kinda subconscious so when we get to the actual date the tension has been building for a while and we know what the stakes are. And the date goes TOO WELL..they have good conversation, dance well together and are bonding culminating to an awkward but ROMANTIC moment when it looks like they might KISS..we ALL feel the sexual tension in the room and Vince is so nervous he has to rehearse a speech in the bathroom just to figure out a way to leave the house before something happens.
So when we see that she's overdosed on his shit and is dying we're literally on the edge of our seats because if marcellus wallace damn near killed someone for giving his wife a foot massage then lord only knows what he'll do if she DIES.
Thats where Tarantino excels..most of the time.
