Might as well just get this one out of the way... RESERVOIR DOGS (1992) written and directed by Quentin Tarantino Mr. Brown: Let me tell you what 'Like a Virgin' is about. It's all about a girl who digs a guy with a big dick. The entire song. It's a metaphor for big dicks. Mr. Blonde: No, no. It's about a girl who is very vulnerable. She's been fucked over a few times. Then she meets some guy who's really sensitive... Mr. Brown: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa... Time out Greenbay. Tell that fucking bullshit to the tourists. Joe: Toby... Who the fuck is Toby? Toby... Mr. Brown: 'Like a Virgin' is not about this sensitive girl who meets a nice fella. That's what "True Blue" is about, now, granted, no argument about that. Mr. Orange: Which one is 'True Blue'? Nice Guy Eddie: 'True Blue' was a big ass hit for Madonna. I don't even follow this Tops In Pops shit, and I've at least heard of "True Blue". Mr. Orange: Look, asshole, I didn't say I ain't heard of it. All I asked was how does it go? Excuse me for not being the world's biggest Madonna fan. Mr. Blonde: Personally, I can do without her. Mr. Blue: I like her early stuff. You know, 'Lucky Star', 'Borderline' - but once she got into her 'Papa Don't Preach' phase, I don't know, I tuned out. Mr. Brown: Hey, you guys are making me lose my... train of thought here. I was saying something, what was it? Joe: Oh, Toby was this Chinese girl, what was her last name? Mr. White: What's that? Joe: I found this old address book in a jacket I ain't worn in a coon's age. What was that name? Mr. Brown: What the fuck was I talking about? Mr. Pink: You said 'True Blue' was about a nice girl, a sensitive girl who meets a nice guy, and that 'Like a Virgin' was a metaphor for big dicks. Mr. Brown: Lemme tell you what 'Like a Virgin' is about. It's all about this cooze who's a regular fuck machine, I'm talking morning, day, night, afternoon, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick. Mr. Blue: How many dicks is that? Mr. White: A lot. Mr. Brown: Then one day she meets this John Holmes motherfucker and it's like, whoa baby, I mean this cat is like Charles Bronson in the 'Great Escape', he's digging tunnels. Now, she's gettin' the serious dick action and she's feeling something she ain't felt since forever. Pain. Pain. Joe: Chew? Toby Chew? Mr. Brown: It hurts her. It shouldn't hurt her, you know, her pussy should be Bubble Yum by now, but when this cat fucks her it hurts. It hurts just like it did the first time. You see the pain is reminding a fuck machine what it once was like to be a virgin. Hence, 'Like a Virgin'. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J782jBp_pW0 Dialogue: What's left to say at this point... Barry Levinson may have been the first to put "guy talk" about popular culture in films like DINER and TIN MEN, and Seinfeld walked the same beat, but Tarantino took it to another level with his particular profane energy and by having low-level criminals use it. The greasy spoon where this scene was filmed is still open, Pat and Lorraine's in Eagle Rock. I allow myself an very unhealthy breakfast there once a month - I like to pretend I'm a detective on a stakeout spying on the pot dispensary across the street.

From Clerks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGOVbXF7Iog INT: CONVENIENCE STORE. DAY DANTE is tugging at a can of Pringles potato chips. The can is stuck on a MAN'S hand. DANTE You hold the counter and I'll pull. MAN Usually I just turn the can upside down. DANTE (pulling) Maybe we should soap your hand or something. MAN (straining) They oughta put some kind of warning on these cans, like they do with cigarettes. DANTE I think it's coming now... The can pops off and DANTE staggers back a few steps. The man rubs his hand. MAN Thanks. I thought I was gonna have to go to the hospital. DANTE I'll throw this out. Precautionary measure. MAN It stings a little. DANTE A word of advice: Sometimes it's best to let those hard to reach chips go. DANTE steps behind the counter. MAN Thanks. The MAN exits as RANDAL enters. DANTE throws the canister away. DANTE Do you know that article is accurate? Caitlin's really getting married! RANDAL You know what I just watched? DANTE Me pulling a can off some moron's fist. RANDAL Return of the Jedi. DANTE Didn't you hear me? Caitlin really is getting married. RANDAL Which did you like better: Jedi or The Empire Strikes Back. DANTE (exasperated) Empire. RANDAL Blasphemy. DANTE Empire had the better ending: Luke gets his hand cut off, and finds out Vader's his father; Han gets frozen and taken away by Boba Fett. It ends on such a down note. And that's life-a series of down endings. All Jedi had was a bunch of Muppets. RANDAL There was something else going on in Jedi. I never noticed it until today. RANDAL follows DANTE as he cleans up around the store. DANTE What's that? RANDAL All right, Vader's boss... DANTE The Emperor. RANDAL Right, the Emperor. Now the Emperor is kind of a spiritual figure, yes? DANTE How do you mean? RANDAL Well, he's like the pope for the dark side of the Force. He's a holy man; a shaman, kind of, albeit an evil one. DANTE I guess. RANDAL Now, he's in charge of the Empire. The Imperial government is under his control. And the entire galaxy is under Imperial rule. DANTE Yeah. RANDAL Then wouldn't that logically mean that it's a theocracy? If the head of the Empire is a priest of some sort, then it stands to reason that the government is therefore one based on religion. DANTE It would stand to reason, yes. RANDAL Hence, the Empire was a fascist theocracy, and the rebel forces were therefore battling religious persecution. DANTE More or less. RANDAL The only problem is that at no point in the series did I ever hear Leia or any of the rebels declare a particular religious belief. DANTE I think they were Catholics. A BLUE-COLLAR MAN half enters the door. BLUE-COLLAR MAN Are you open? DANTE Yeah. Come in. He goes to the coffee machine and makes a cup of joe. RANDAL You know what else I noticed in Jedi? DANTE There's more? RANDAL So they build another Death Star, right? DANTE Yeah. RANDAL Now the first one they built was completed and fully operational before the Rebels destroyed it. DANTE Luke blew it up. Give credit where it's due. RANDAL And the second one was still being built when they blew it up. DANTE Compliments of Lando Calrissian. RANDAL Something just never sat right with me the second time they destroyed it. I could never put my finger on it-something just wasn't right. DANTE And you figured it out? RANDAL Well, the thing is, the first Death Star was manned by the Imperial army-storm troopers, dignitaries- the only people onboard were Imperials. DANTE Basically. RANDAL So when they blew it up, no prob. Evil is punished. DANTE And the second time around...? RANDAL The second time around, it wasn't even finished yet. They were still under construction. DANTE So? RANDAL A construction job of that magnitude would require a helluva lot more manpower than the Imperial army had to offer. I'll bet there were independent contractors working on that thing: plumbers, aluminum siders, roofers. DANTE Not just Imperials, is what you're getting at. RANDAL Exactly. In order to get it built quickly and quietly they'd hire anybody who could do the job. Do you think the average storm trooper knows how to install a toilet main? All they know is killing and white uniforms. DANTE All right, so even if independent contractors are working on the Death Star, why are you uneasy with its destruction? RANDAL All those innocent contractors hired to do a job were killed- casualties of a war they had nothing to do with. (notices Dante's confusion) All right, look-you're a roofer, and some juicy government contract comes your way; you got the wife and kids and the two-story in suburbia-this is a government contract, which means all sorts of benefits. All of a sudden these left-wing militants blast you with lasers and wipe out everyone within a three-mile radius. You didn't ask for that. You have no personal politics. You're just trying to scrape out a living. The BLUE-COLLAR MAN joins them. BLUE-COLLAR MAN Excuse me. I don't mean to interrupt, but what were you talking about? RANDAL The ending of Return of the Jedi. DANTE My friend is trying to convince me that any contractors working on the uncompleted Death Star were innocent victims when the space station was destroyed by the rebels. BLUE-COLLAR MAN Well, I'm a contractor myself. I'm a roofer... (digs into pocket and produces business card) Dunn and Reddy Home Improvements. And speaking as a roofer, I can say that a roofer's personal politics come heavily into play when choosing jobs. RANDAL Like when? BLUE-COLLAR MAN Three months ago I was offered a job up in the hills. A beautiful house with tons of property. It was a simple reshingling job, but I was told that if it was finished within a day, my price would be doubled. Then I realized whose house it was. DANTE Whose house was it? BLUE-COLLAR MAN Dominick Bambino's. RANDAL "Babyface" Bambino? The gangster? BLUE-COLLAR MAN The same. The money was right, but the risk was too big. I knew who he was, and based on that, I passed the job on to a friend of mine. DANTE Based on personal politics. BLUE-COLLAR MAN Right. And that week, the Foresci family put a hit on Babyface's house. My friend was shot and killed. He wasn't even finished shingling. RANDAL No way! BLUE-COLLAR MAN (paying for coffee) I'm alive because I knew there were risks involved taking on that particular client. My friend wasn't so lucky. (pauses to reflect) You know, any contractor willing to work on that Death Star knew the risks. If they were killed, it was their own fault. A roofer listens to this... (taps his heart) not his wallet. The BLUE-COLLAR MAN exits. DANTE and RANDAL remain respectfully quiet for a moment. An angry WOMAN opens the door and pokes her head in. WOMAN Is that video store open or not?

High Fidelity (2000), directed by Stephen Frears Written by D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink, John Cusack and Scott Rosenberg Based on the book by Nick Hornby INT. CHAMPIONSHIP VINYL – DAY Rob sits there, reflecting. LOUIS (O.S.): Rob, it’s your turn! ROB: Ok, I’m feeling kind of basic today. Top five Side 1’s. Track 1’s. “Janie Jones,” Clash. From The Clash. Rob STANDS, AMBLES towards the counter. Barry and Louis sort through records on display. BARRY: Eh. ROB: “Let’s Get it On,” Marvin Gaye from Let’s Get it On… Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” off of Nevermind. BARRY: Oh Rob, that’s not obvious enough. Not at all. How about “Point of No Return” on Point of No Return? Barry and Louis chuckle. ROB: Shut up. “White Light-White Heat,” Velvet Underground. LOUIS: Ok, that would be on my list. BARRY: Though not on mine. ROB: And Massive Attack, No Protection. The song is “Radiation Ruling the Nation.” BARRY: Oh, kind of a new record. Very- A Customer SLINKS in. CUSTOMER: Excuse me, do you still have- BARRY: (to Customer) In a minute. (to Rob) Very nice, Rob. A sly declaration of new classic status slipped into a list of old safe ones. Very PUSSY! CUSTOMER: Excuse me, do you still have- BARRY: (to Customer) In a minute! (to Rob) Couldn’t you be more obvious than that, Rob? How about uh, I don’t know, The Beatles? How about fucking, fucking Beethoven? Track 1 Side 1 of the Fifth Symphony! How can someone who has no interest in music own a record store? CUSTOMER: Hey, do you still have that Beefheart French import, “Safe as Milk”? Barry paces towards the counter. Customer follows. BARRY: Let’s see… Barry bends behind the counter. BARRY: Ah, yes. Here it is. Barry hands it over. The Customer SNATCHES it, CARESSES it, even BLOWS on it. CUSTOMER: How much you want for it? Barry gestures for it back. Customer abides. BARRY: Oh, no. You know what? I don’t think I’m selling it this week. Maybe next week. CUSTOMER: Oh no, you said that last week! BARRY: Did I? Yeah, well I just… Barry shrugs with indifference. Customer storms away. Louis approaches. LOUIS: Hey, I don’t have that record. I’ll buy it for forty. BARRY: Rob? ROB: Sold. Rob passes the record from Barry to Louis. LOUIS: Now why would you sell it to me and not to him? BARRY: Because you’re not a geek, Louis. LOUIS: You guys are snobs. Dialogue Takeaway: This scene immediately follows one in which Rob accuses Laura of becoming someone who she isn’t, which she admits insofar as she’s undergone personal growth. Rob, on the other hand, and to use Laura’s words, “hasn’t changed as much of a pair of socks” since she first met him. Rob’s music list perfectly demonstrates the fear behind why that is. He rattles off “obvious” classics that critics have praised for decades, strengthening the limb upon which he climbs out on to endorse newer talent. He couches his open-mindedness in age-old plaudits of bygone eras. Some might call this sly, others cowardly. Barry, in so many words, says it’s both. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GIGcWLwSDQ