Let's Talk - Movies
Episode 21: Reservoir Dogs (1992) - Opening Scene Breakdown
Jason Connell and Sal Rodriguez break down the opening scene from the classic movie and talk about diners, connections to Quentin Tarantino, and getting questioned by the cops.
Synopsis: When a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writer: Quentin Tarantino
Cinematographer: Andrzej Sekula
Cast: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Edward Bunker, Quentin Tarantino
Original Episode: S01E21
Recorded: 03-24-22
Studio: Just Curious Media
https://www.JustCuriousMedia.com/
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Special Guest:
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#justcuriousmedia #letstalkmovies #mrjasonconnell #salvadorlosangeles #cinema #classicmovies #movies #moviereviews #film #filmreviews #studios #producers #directors #writers #actors #moviestars #boxoffice #reservoirdogs #quentintarantino
Let's Talk - Movies
Episode 21: Reservoir Dogs (1992) - Opening Scene Breakdown
Jason Connell and Sal Rodriguez break down the opening scene from the classic movie and talk about diners, connections to Quentin Tarantino, and getting questioned by the cops.
Synopsis: When a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writer: Quentin Tarantino
Cinematographer: Andrzej Sekula
Cast: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Edward Bunker, Quentin Tarantino
Original Episode: S01E21
Recorded: 03-24-22
Studio: Just Curious Media
https://www.JustCuriousMedia.com/
Listen:
https://LetsTalkMovies.buzzsprout.com/
Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmKGDMnZ6x-ej7LR00QXwiA/
Follow:
https://www.facebook.com/LetsTalkMoviesPodcast/
https://www.instagram.com/LetsTalkMoviesPodcast/
Host:
https://www.instagram.com/MrJasonConnell/
Special Guest:
https://www.instagram.com/SalvadorLosAngeles/
#justcuriousmedia #letstalkmovies #mrjasonconnell #salvadorlosangeles #cinema #classicmovies #movies #moviereviews #film #filmreviews #studios #producers #directors #writers #actors #moviestars #boxoffice #reservoirdogs #quentintarantino
Whoa, just curious. Welcome to Just curious media. This is let's talk movies. And I'm Jason Connell, on the show. Today I'm joined by a special guest, Sal Rodriguez.
Sal Rodriguez:Thank you, Jason.
Jason Connell:You're welcome, sir. Sal, you haven't been on Let's Talk movies in the flesh. And 2022. But you were on the Karate Kid. The Karate Kid. Part Two, The Karate Kid. Part Three. Rocky for Rocky verse, Drago, I put all of these really cool scene by scene breakdowns that we did on. Let's talk Cobra Kai, and repurpose those four in particular on Let's Talk movies. Because we were talking movies. We weren't necessarily talking Cobra Kai. So you did join us on those journeys, which just released recently. So you've been on Let's Talk movies. People have heard you. But this is the first time you've been back alive
Sal Rodriguez:in a while. Yeah. It's very exciting. Very happy to be here. Thank you, Jason.
Jason Connell:You're very welcome.
Sal Rodriguez:You know, all those movies. You mentioned Karate Kid credit cut
Jason Connell:to remember doing it?
Sal Rodriguez:No, I'm saying. I feel like I should be getting some residuals here.
Jason Connell:Oh, hey, hello. And that's the show.
Sal Rodriguez:What are those? You know, at least one of those checks that my friends get for like 99 cents, you know, from a commercial that did 20 years ago?
Jason Connell:Yeah, the minute we get a check, you'll get a check.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, absolutely. Well, Jason, I like to believe that a lot of this is due to my coerciveness when it comes to you, because you will create content that I would almost call hybrid content, where they could like fit in this genre, they could fit in this category. And so when you talk about repurposing the truth is, yeah, you do some things which could fit in multiple categories. Like if you'd cover a football movie, you can put it in let's talk movies, or when you have your football podcast later, you could throw it in there you transcend.
Jason Connell:I wish I could say that. That's all by design. But it's not. I was just like, wow, we've pivoted, we finished the first 10 episodes and let's talk movies, which were 10 different movies from the 80s. And you're on what four of those amazing episodes. Tons of fun, but I haven't jumped into a new decade yet, but I've been doing some different things. There's some interview episodes, I did Dabney Coleman, John capitalist, and I thought, Well, wait a second, we did these deep dives on the Karate Kid franchise. And so I put like a quick intro on there on YouTube Live. And then I was like, why not put that out there. So it was just kind of happened. And then
Sal Rodriguez:just like have to cut in there because you know, you mentioned please do other interviews that you've done for let's talk movies. Dabney Coleman. I love that a lot. And it's inspired me to watch On Golden Pond, which I love. So yeah, good. Let's talk movies inspires me as a listener and friend to do these deep dives, which I enjoy. That's awesome.
Jason Connell:It's working. So yes, it's working. It's all about celebrating movies to revisit a movie you've seen. It's been a while, or you never saw it like you. So yeah, I thought well, I have this credit card. 123 Let's do this. When we did the rocky for the Sylvester Stallone's ultimate Director's Cut of rocky versus Drago, we were just doing it because we were gonna go to the event and I went, you weren't able to go. And then we came back and talked about it. And that was such a hybrid in its own self, but we put it on let's talk Cobra Kai because of the connection to the Rocky series, The Karate Kid series, John G. Albertson was the director of Rocky, the first Rocky the first grade kid, so on. And he also did credit cut to three, so many cross pollination cross parallels. So it made sense. Yes. And in this show, what do we do? We just talk movies. That's really sometimes talking is just me, like I recently did a review of American underdog, which was a great movie in the theater recently, as well as a classic Warren Beatty film, heaven can wait, because the Rams just won the Super Bowl. And in that movie, there's all these parallels. And I was like, hey, that's it. That's the jumping off point. But tonight, we're breaking new ground yet again. Because we're going to be breaking down Reservoir Dogs 1992. opening scene breakdown. Yeah, not a scene by scene breakdown of the entire movie, which, listen, I love this movie so much. It's going to happen at some point in time, or it should happen at some point in time. But I've been thinking about this other thing to tackle this. A great scene from a movie. And opening scenes to me really speak to the movie, a great opening scene often manifest into a good movie. I mean, there's a lot of other things gotta get right. Sure. But this is a classic. It's the 30th anniversary again. 1992 2022. I cannot believe it's 30 years. And it was Tarantino his first movie, Quentin Tarantino. That is those who don't know so it's like, wow, I want to explore this. There's a lot of things to uncover, not to mention where they shot it and all these parallels, and there's enough to explore just in the opening scene, and I was gonna do a solo episode sound, but I figured, why not go back and see if you're interested to go on this deep dive together?
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah. And you know what? You pick the right guy, Jason. I would wager that if you were to ask anyone else to sit down and talk with you like this, they would not indeed have not one but two sets of Reservoir Dogs action figures, one set made by NEC and the other by mesco. I prefer the Neko ones, but the mesco ones are more expensive. So even though I have never seen the entire movie, Reservoir Dogs, hold on,
Jason Connell:what can we go? Oh,
Sal Rodriguez:I know. I know. I will now after getting the action figures. And after exploring the opening scene with you, which by the way, I love the opening scene idea. I love that idea alone.
Jason Connell:Yeah, not just this movie, but just in general. No, because I think
Sal Rodriguez:today talking to you, before we record it today, I really started thinking more and more about the whole idea of an opening scene, because I think an opening scene in the movie is very important. Everything and I didn't even realize how important it was until today.
Jason Connell:The setup? Yeah. So when we talked earlier, you've talked about this before on one of our shows, like, oh, I had never saw that that pops up sometimes. And then you actually go and do your homework. Just because we've talked about it. You're intrigued by seeing the movie. I kind of knew you hadn't seen it because you mentioned it. I doubt you'd gone back and seen Reservoir Dogs in the interim. But since this was an episode, an episode just about opening scenes, I was like, Sal, just watch this opening scene. We can explore it and you can bring a different juxtaposition to the episode because you haven't seen it. Right? So that's interesting to me. And that's all we're gonna do. We're not gonna go further. There might be a couple of things that spill out so sorry, no, I'm not trying to give you spoilers but it may happen that a little bit but you'll forget
Sal Rodriguez:I know I will forget and I do want to Manisha I will let you know this is a very significant time for me Reservoir Dogs was made in 92 I was just looking at myself a little clip that were that I am in in the movie The perfect weapon with Jeff Speakman, which was 91 Yeah, so right at this time I was out there in a number of movies. Sometimes that could be seen sometimes I was not seeing Yep. But it would have been entirely possible for me to have maybe called Central Casting or senex casting in 92 trying to be an extra on Reservoir Dogs
Jason Connell:that would have been incredible so oh my gosh, imagine
Sal Rodriguez:that if you were to see me in the background of this scene.
Jason Connell:Oh my god, you would have been really cool. Even before we even got me sorry, even cooler before we go into this do you have those figures so that we could see
Sal Rodriguez:you know what the figures are not accessible? You know what I had a flood in my apartment and I had to move stuff all around. I had to put down take down some display cases. But I will get them and you have my word. I will show them to you. Yeah,
Jason Connell:sounds good. Sounds good. I'm glad you're okay. No flood right now you're not you're not sitting in flooding waters I
Sal Rodriguez:know. Well, fortunately, the kitchens on the other side of the world.
Jason Connell:Okay, good. All right. So the opening is going to be the same but I'm going to do a rapid fire through just the background in case someone like yourself isn't overly familiar or if they haven't seen in a while and they can't believe that you know, some of the connections. So the usual setup for a scene by scene breakdown, but then we'll halt and we'll just explore the one scene and there's still enough here to bite off because it's an eight minute scene. It's not as if it's like this two minute little scene. So again, Reservoir Dogs 1992 This is the 30th anniversary the synopsis is when a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant so interesting good synopsis they're fighting criminals
Sal Rodriguez:interesting that the There you go talk about but right now after you read that, I'm thinking Okay, which one of them yeah,
Jason Connell:you have not seen this to me I'm like, Oh my gosh, this is crazy Saudis know all this. I'll do my best at refraining but I you know, come on. I started here salsa. Shot the window.
Sal Rodriguez:Okay. No, I agree. It's like I don't spoil Casa Blanca for me. No, I agree. I you know, it'd be a fun game that as you show somebody this scene. Yeah. And then it's not. One of them is a police informant. Which one?
Jason Connell:That is good. But so this is the only highest movie I've ever seen that I can recall. That doesn't actually show you the highest interest. So yeah, when you if you've seen Tarantino movies, and I know you have some of it can be out of order out of sequence. And this is one of those movies like Pulp Fiction. You know, not all of his movies do that. But this one does. And it was early on in doing so. And you never really get the heist which is makes it interesting in its own self.
Sal Rodriguez:That is interesting, because one of my favorite heist movies is Ocean's 11. Yeah, both remake and classic. They're great. And they show the heist and I do enjoy seeing the high so this would be interesting. Yeah, hi smoothly without seeing the heist.
Jason Connell:It's more about dialogue. It's more about character. It's about suspense. And as an audience member, you know who's who but it's unfolding before your eyes and You really don't need it how well it's done. It's so well crafted. So I'm actually glad it's not in there. However, if they throw it in there, I'd probably be like, Oh, that's cool too, but, you know, whatever. So it's Directed by Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It's in the crime drama thriller genre. 8.3 rating on IMDb, which is really good. That's a harder curve. That bar is very tricky. So 8.3 With all the reviews is really good. And it's a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. These are very high rating outstanding, right? Yes, quick.
Sal Rodriguez:I mean, that alone should drive a person to see it. I mean, because that's pretty. Those are excellent ratings.
Jason Connell:The release date, January 21 1992, at the Sundance Film Festival, what I wouldn't have done to be there at the premiere. I mean, unbelievable. I've gotten to Sundance a few times, a decade after this or even later. But how cool so that's where it all started. And myself. Now I know you haven't seen it. So you can't speak to this cell when you first see it this week this weekend. But I saw this on VHS. And I was in a video store Critics Choice video, Tulsa, Oklahoma 31st. And Harvard shout out it's long gone. And I was strolling down the aisle. I mean, there was a blockbuster attempt. But this was like the cool store that critics toys. cinephiles work there. And they're a little bit older than me because it would have been my dream job. But I was too young. And they only have like three different guys. And I was walking down the aisle. I picked this box up. It was interesting. And the guy who knew me, Mike was like, Ha, son, you'd like that. And I read the bag. And I was like, alright, so I don't know anything. I'm by myself. I take it home. I proceeded to watch it. And so I was floored right away. You were, I mean, immediately. I was almost it's like the kind of movie I was waiting to discover. And there it was. Listen, this movie changed the whole genre. It changed filmmaking. I was so blown away. And I was by myself. I then went to different friend's house or had friends come over one at a time or two at a time. And I would make them watch it so I could experience it with them. Because it was that powerful because they had the same reactions. I did like it broke all of the rules. And so it wasn't in the theater and Tulsa, unfortunately, it probably a very limited release. So VHS was as fast as we could get it. And so there was no hype train yet. It was just something I picked up and I felt like well, I'm on the cusp of something here. So I always felt that instant bond with Tarantino.
Sal Rodriguez:Interesting, interesting story. Yeah, so this was what when was Pulp Fiction?
Jason Connell:It was right after like, 94
Sal Rodriguez:Okay, so that's when I discovered Tarantino I that was more mainstream.
Jason Connell:You had the Laker release, it had even bigger actors. You know, they brought in Chris Walken, and Bruce Willis, and you know, everybody, Travolta, Sam Jackson. So it just kind of elevated everything. But that said, it all started here. And it's funny, because that's a long time ago, when I got on VHS. And then in 2019, I had a buddy who hadn't seen it, much like you, Sal Rodriguez. And we went and saw it. And he was floored. And I hadn't seen it in a while. So I hadn't watched that movie in its entirety at least 10 years. And I forgot how amazing that held up. And afterwards, it could not thank me enough. Like, I've always thought about this movie. I didn't know what it was. He just had this such a visceral reaction to the movie, as did I. So it's like, wow, that thing holds up, man. And so So I wish if I was in LA right now, just watch this movie together.
Sal Rodriguez:Well, now that you mentioned, I can keep an eye out, you know, every now and again. I was like, I wonder if if anybody's playing any old movies and then you look online, you'll see that there's people are playing old movies. It's entirely possible this could show up at a movie theater at some point while Fathom maybe
Jason Connell:they're going to do something maybe fathoms 30th anniversary, you know, so
Sal Rodriguez:something could happen. I mean, I took my mother to see Gone With the Wind a couple of years ago, hell, maybe Reservoir Dogs sometime soon with a q&a
Jason Connell:with Tarantino. So hey, look, look for something at the VISTA by the way, because he could do something be an anniversary and now that he owns it. Wow. Look out. So the budget for this movie $1.2 million seems like a lot and also doesn't seem like a lot, right? You know, filmmaking. So you know, they shot on film. So there's that. Now the US gross and that's box office just domestic box office was 2.8 million. Now again, very limited release. This movie did gangbusters on VHS and beyond. So we don't have any numbers to the ancillary revenue streams. But this movie obviously made its money back but then launched a career Right it's still going. So I success to say the least.
Sal Rodriguez:And by the way, you're just you're just talking about Tarantino himself. I mean, what about all these other guys? Yeah, young Tim Roth and all that.
Jason Connell:Yeah, well, it helped everybody so it helped, ya
Sal Rodriguez:know, fantastic everyone. This was striking gold for ya.
Jason Connell:And I'm gonna give you just the crew to people and the cast I hit on his just for this specific scene. However, it's loaded.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, it's a jam packed opening scene, jam packed.
Jason Connell:The crew of course, Quentin Tarantino, Written Directed now, quick beats of his career. I have to do this. So after Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Oscar winner Best Screenplay. Oscar nominated Best Director. Next, Jackie Brown, love that movie. Kill Bill Volume One Kill Bill Volume Two Death Proof, which is part of Grindhouse and glorious bastards Oscar nominated Best Screenplay Best Director, Django Unchained Oscar winner screenplay, The Hateful Eight. Once upon a time in Hollywood, Oscar nominated Best Screenplay Best Director, Best Picture didn't win. I believed he deserved it. Although I really loved pericyte No disrespect, but I thought once upon a time in Hollywood, it was this like a masterpiece, and it definitely deserved the best picture but didn't happen. And then the cinematographer from this particular scene from this particular movie, on J Sekula. He also did Pulp Fiction and for rooms and American Psycho so great cinematographer and nails this movie. And quickly the cast in this scene. Harvey Keitel is Mr. White, also, Larry, I guess it's his real name because they all have these names. So anybody in a reservoir dog outfit has a name like a mist or something. So he's Mr. White. You may know Harvey Kotel from Bad Lieutenant also in Pulp Fiction. Tim Roth, who you just said is Mr. Orange. He's also Freddie. He's in Pulp Fiction and the hateful light so you can kind of see that Tarantino cast the same guys again and again are saying people again and again and
Sal Rodriguez:again. That's a popular tactic for a lot of directors, I
Jason Connell:think. Yeah, like Woody Allen cast the same people, people who make lots of movies, they're just cinephiles. And they're cranking them out. They like to work with the same people. I mean, Scorsese is always casting Leonardo DiCaprio because you know before that he always cast Robert De Niro. So Michael Madsen is Mr. Blonde he's also Vic he's in Kill Bill Volume on Kill Bill Volume to the Hateful Eight so a lot of Tarantino movies then there's Crispin rest in peace. We lost him far too early the age of 40 and 2006 He plays nice guy Eddie. He's a movies like shortcuts Footloose, True Romance. Then there's Steve Buscemi love Steve Buscemi. And he is Mr. Pink. He's a movies like Fargo TV shows like The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire and so many more things. He's incredible. Then there's Eddie bunker rest in peace. Lost him in Oh 571 He plays Mr. Blue runaway train Tango and Cash cow there's a connection to see let's talk Kobrick guy and then Lawrence tyranny. Also rest in peace out unfortunately. 30 year old movie you're gonna lose people. I hate this but and he
Sal Rodriguez:was already less like he was in his what? Late 50s at least or early 60s?
Jason Connell:Yeah, we lost him at 82 He had a good run. You died in 2002. He plays Joe Cabot, and he's also nice guy at his father. So there's that Chris Penn's father in the movie. Isn't movies like born to kill bodyguard but he's great in this and of course Quentin Tarantino is also in the movie as Mr. Brown so there's your players in this opening scene.
Sal Rodriguez:Hang on. Let me just Jason I got I gotta add since I mentioned earlier, so all these great movies and some I've seen Absolutely. Yeah. And which ones have great action figures. There are kill action figures. I have the bride. She looks beautiful. Nice with her sword. Death Proof. I have the Kurt Russell action figure from from Death Proof. Oh my god. Stop man, Mike. Yes, exactly. Django Unchained action figures came out. And they weren't controversial right away. And they were pulled from the shelves. As a matter of fact, eBay had a moratorium on selling Django Unchained action figures. And the whole controversy was whoever complained whoever wrote the letter initially to Toys R Us or whoever said these are racist. They glorify slavery. It was one of those things where people thought oh, we don't want it to be a racial thing. So they took down the figures. And then so now like either resign or if you want a Django Unchained action figure, especially the Jamie Foxx, which use Django, right? Especially that one is going to be a couple 100 for the little eight inch figure at least. And then let's see what's funtime Hateful Eight. Oh, the Hateful Eight there aren't Hateful Eight action figures. I don't have them yet. So there we go. Yeah. Quentin Tarantino makes money off of movies, everything and toys.
Jason Connell:Wow, that's amazing. Well, a quick tour. have you here just a few things as we always do this on Let's Talk movies we break down a movie. But before that funny little sidenote in the 90s I did a little video edited in camera. So I was very very greened everything and ironically, it was one of those things where I was filming the TV when Joe played by Lawrence tyranny was giving the names like yo, Mr. Pink and Yeoman, you know, he's he's throwing names out there. That's a funny scene. It's a great thing because people you know, Mr. Brown doesn't want his name because it sounds like Mr. Shit, you know, so it's a real funny thing. And, and everybody wants to be Mr. Black. And it's like, you're not Mr. Black, Mr. Blacks on some other jobs. So it's hilarious. And so I fill in the TV. And then I fill me in a green jacket. I used to have this really like, almost like a master's jacket, I would always wear it on St. Patrick's Day. So then I cut to me, not an actor, but I was in college, I was playing with video cameras, not knowing it was gonna be my life. And I'm like, a, I'm Mr. Green. And I'm just, I'm real playful. But I would posit that I'd film him again. And I showed my friends and we got the biggest kick out of it. So because it's all you know, this is like early 90s. Right? I would do anything to find that VHS tape, but I can't find it missing. If it ever does surfaces that one of my friends is house and you know who's gonna put a VHS and see what's on it right? First, you gotta get a player. But anyway, so I remember doing that I was just so fond of the sequence. So obviously, this movie really spoke
Sal Rodriguez:to me. So we were not at the scene where he names them yet right
Jason Connell:now this is pre that. That's a whole other thing that we should talk about. That is lame duck. It is. Okay. Okay. So as for the movie, this titled Reservoir Dogs, there was a short film that Quentin Tarantino did at the Sundance Institute, 1991 June film lab, it's 12 minutes long. I've not seen it, which is shocking to hear. But really, it's almost like a casting you know, practice. It was like one scene of the movie, which we're doing here. But it maybe not even that maybe it morphed, but it did have Steve Buscemi as Mr. Pink. It had Quentin Tarantino, as Mr. White, not Mr. Brown as who he was in the final version. And then an actor named David Jensen, who I've seen in many things, and he plays Joe Cabot. So it's just those three in this scene, just working through some things. And then Tarantino was gonna go off with $30,000 in a 16 millimeter camera and film his Reservoir Dogs, that's the down and dirty indie version, he was going to go make that version, right. And then he gets a phone message on his answering machine from Harvey Keitel, who got a copy of the script, from a friend of a friend calls him leaves a message, wants to be in the movie and wants to help him raise money. And that's what it went from just this little thing that maybe we never see or hear from, right. Sure. Who knows. Chi tells in it, he agrees to star in it raises the 1.2 million, which raises the bar on the production. And the rest sound, as they say, in the film industry, or in any industry at all, is history.
Sal Rodriguez:I love the story. I really do. And I'm genuinely curious. Just curious, as a matter of fact, the Sundance Institute in 1991, I had a turn to get involved in that. I wonder,
Jason Connell:listen, I want to do all these things. But who knows? Who knows how he got in it? Well, let
Sal Rodriguez:me be clear, you know, when I talk about Hollywood to people, you have to talk about the nepotism. The people that are born into it, you know, and good for them. I wish I were right. Tarantino doesn't come from that background, right. He was actually a pounding the pavement, stroke. Film nerd.
Jason Connell:I think in Manhattan Beach. He worked in a video store.
Sal Rodriguez:He's family, nothing. Now. Well,
Jason Connell:so you've actually met his father. I met
Sal Rodriguez:Tarantino, his father at one of the festivals. He was in
Jason Connell:the movie holy Hollywood, the Jeff Hall and film. Oh, wow. To the screening that he talked about it, but but they're estranged. And so we
Sal Rodriguez:did I leave the q&a on that. Yeah. So I have met Quentin Tarantino, his father.
Jason Connell:Yeah. Tony Tarantino. Oh, my God.
Sal Rodriguez:That's crazy. That is,
Jason Connell:yeah, I'm bringing it all.
Sal Rodriguez:Back. It all goes back to the United Film Festival.
Jason Connell:Yes, it does. So that happened, but they were a strange, it's well documented. I think they've since connected a couple of times. I don't know if his father wanted to be an actor before and just not that big of an actor. And then there's a story I don't I don't want to speak out of line. But I think that he wasn't involved in his life, and that all sudden, he becomes Qt Quentin Tarantino, and it's like you're hearing from someone who wasn't there earlier. I think what I've read is Quentin had a tough time with that. But this is years ago, there was a great book I read called rebels on the backlot. And it really talks about his beginnings from video store nerd to writing to this, that and the other and it also follows other people's careers which is David Fincher and some others. that book, I should reread it. But anyway, so it talks about that a little bit in there. But yes, you have met his father. And but he wasn't Yeah, he didn't come from like Hollywood like he wasn't a sheen. You know, like, Hey, you're in that movie. No, he had to go earn it. And obviously he's got the Goodsell. He's a great incredibly gifted writer. He's obviously brilliant genius. He has all of these visions in his head. And he's really clear at his message and all of his movies. Yeah, it's kind of like Wes Anderson, he kind of creates this atmosphere in his movies all feels connected for a reason. That's his style. That's his patented style.
Sal Rodriguez:And for that reason, I'm going to definitely give the full length viewing time to Reservoir Dogs. I did enjoy Pulp Fiction. And a lot of it has to do with the style. I may not be like, I'm always now on the bandwagon about Apocalypse Now. I'm not a big war movie guy, but I loved Apocalypse Now. So I think when it comes to like Pulp Fiction, I wasn't crazy about the subject matter, honestly. But at the end, I was like, That was a good movie. It's a good movie. You know, it was a very good movie. So I did like Pulp Fiction, which led me then to try to watch Reservoir Dogs a few years ago, didn't make it through the opening scene. And now ironically, here we are talking about the opening scene. And then I'm gonna watch the whole movie again. So life always seems to come around full circle.
Jason Connell:Hey, so go watch right now. Bill White. I'll be I'll just watch you. So here we go. We're jumping into the opening scene breakdown. And Sal, we are at a diner. I love a good diner. I gotta say, I do too. I moved to Los Angeles in 2004. I already knew or much of this movie was shot and pulp by the way, some of the buildings were torn down, and but I'm a big location guy. Like when I first moved to LA and went to Pasadena and I see, you know, the gamble house, which was the Back to the Future docks house. And I was like, Are you kidding me? I mean, it's just almost an out of body experience for me. Yes, I've met lots of actors. Sure. But I think I'm even more moved by locations. There's just something, you know, real and tangible and it hasn't changed. I mean, the Halloween house is in South Pasadena. They moved it across the track and all of those things just really speak to me. Well, I knew that this scene was filmed at Pat Lorraine's coffee shop. So I drove by because I used to live right by Eagle Rock, and Eagle rocks the best, by the way, love it. And it's in Los Angeles, but it's like a little suburb. And I drove by the coffee shop and it was always close. And I think they just filmed things that I would see like signs in the window. And it's like, okay, so that happens in Los Angeles. For those who don't know, some things. Some establishments just become locations, and people can run around the clock. So it's no longer a restaurant like i There's a Johnny's restaurant over on Wiltshire, that I've I've never seen it open for business other than they shoot lots of scenes, their movies shows.
Sal Rodriguez:That's been the case with a lot of old buildings in downtown Los Angeles. Oh, sure. Sure. I mean, I would say pre gentrification, maybe, exactly. But yeah, they rented out a lot of stuff, especially period pieces.
Jason Connell:Well, so when I moved away from Eagle Rock, Miracle Mile, I lived to Hollywood Hills, the valley, and then I moved back in the area. A few years later, Pat Lorraine's. I just noticed, they're open. And I would go there and have great breakfast is there. It was awesome. Great coffee, big portions. And Sal, I felt like I was in church. Because I knew every time walking in, there's the poster of Reservoir Dogs and anyone I was with, it's like, you know, Reservoir Dogs. The opening scene was right over there. I was a gig I would take my cousin there people who would visit and eventually it just kind of was a known thing an entity and I didn't freak out as much anymore, but it was just how are we gonna go all it's gonna
Sal Rodriguez:rains again. So you were able to sit at the actual booth. Yeah, but that was like
Jason Connell:a bigger table. But I've sat right there. You know, they put a few tables together for that. So I've definitely sat in that proximity. And to me, that's like, such a neat thing. But are you you being in Los Angeles your whole life? Have you been by there? Are you familiar with patent Lorraine's?
Sal Rodriguez:You know I tell you I grown up in Los Angeles and still living in Los Angeles. I haven't spent a ton of time in Eagle Rock. I did stand up comedy there about 10 years ago a few times, but I actually have not hung out there much. I do go to the target. I passed by the target and Colorado will just go right there. It's just Eagle Rock Boulevard. Okay, so I gotta check it out every every now and again and find myself going down Colorado. I stopped at the target and I'm gonna look for this for this restaurant. Now.
Jason Connell:It's real close to Occidental College, which is a beautiful place and we're having dogs like myself. I tend to walk there when I lived nearby three times a week. Now I didn't go to patent the rains three times a week but I'm just I'm in that area a lot. So just to be clear, those out there like myself want to see a location. You can go here in Saudi want to give him the address?
Sal Rodriguez:Sure. That would be up 4720 Eagle Rock Boulevard, Los Angeles, California nine double O four one.
Jason Connell:There it is and Hey, going for breakfast don't just drive by going and experience it do the whole thing.
Sal Rodriguez:Jason This is the absolute truth. My favorite meal to eat out. Yes, breakfast. There you go if I never ate out for lunch or dinner again, but only breakfast I would be content. Love it.
Jason Connell:Alright, so now over credits no picture we hear. Let me tell you what like a virgins about let me tell you what, like a virgin is about hearing that for the first time. So I was like, come again. I just wasn't used to a movie just talking. So, you know, in a way that's like that doesn't belong in a movie that's like something someone I know may say immediately it was like taboo to have this type of discussion. But here we are. We're talking about a Madonna song. So my guards dropped. And I know I've saw the box that cover, right? It looks pretty violent. But we're coming out of the gate with some comedy. It reminds me of an American Werewolf in London. your guards down? You're laughing you're laughing laughing and then you're just like, oh, wait a second. This is pretty terrifying. So it was groundbreaking to me. It was you know, a new type of movie was born. So not just that line. But I mean, it just set the stage what's coming. So then we come in, and it's got the goods. You got the Steadicam shot going around the table through actor's backs, like, you know, over the shoulder, you just didn't see that right Score says he was doing amazing things with cameras, but usually would have like a wide and some close ups and not the Steadicam and creating this kind of scene there because there's eight guys at the table. It's a lot of coverage. And I think that you could still smoke inside. There's a lot happening. And you also see Sal six guys wearing matching a tire. Which throws you for the first time you're like what's going on
Sal Rodriguez:here? Yeah, and I mean, the they're talking about Madonna. Why are these grown men? You know? Because Exactly. Yeah, sure. In a movie in 92. You would think if someone's gonna be talking about Madonna, maybe some young lady's talking about Madonna. So no. Why are these guys talking about
Jason Connell:these guys? And what are they wearing? So it'd be clear to the listeners. What are these outfits and I tried to emulate you
Sal Rodriguez:you are giving them an homage. Jason is wearing a white dress shirt with a tie. Unfortunately a gray tie. blue tie. You know what? It's a blue tie? Yeah. blue gray, blue gray. Okay, you could be Mr. Gray. Is there a Mr. Gray? No, but there is now you could be Mr. Gray. There we go. Yeah, you look nice. By the way. Thanks, sir. Very professional. I would hire you.
Jason Connell:I can be arrested for dog. Oh, this is great. No, sir. Go on. What is their attire consist?
Sal Rodriguez:They're wearing white dress shirts, black ties, black jackets. Yep, most of them. There's a couple of guys there like Chris Penn is wearing like a warm up jacket. Gap. Right? And then and then Joe is wearing something else. Yeah, so not everybody. But most of that six, six of the eight
Jason Connell:year wearing the same matching out? Yes. And that becomes the iconic Reservoir Dogs look, but we don't know that. We don't even know names. So I've seen it so many times backwards, forwards, whatever. So yeah, we know their names, but I'm trying to put my mind into your space. Like, I don't know anything beyond this. You don't know their names or not talking these Mr. Whiteman. Now that's going on. Right? You do know, I think you know Joe's name. But they're not calling him by these names. And the reasons I'll just jump ahead a little bit. These guys, for the most part, don't know each other. So they're going by these aliases, because it just stops there. Right. And that's why I have this by this
Sal Rodriguez:scene. I'm under the impression that they're very friendly with each other and know each other quite well. That's That's what I thought,
Jason Connell:No, they've been plotting this heist for a while now. They have some history. Like they're going into action after this meal, the heist goes into action. So they've set this up for a few weeks now. So they have spent time there is camaraderie, but they don't know their names. Now Joe and nice guy Eddie know everybody, and they've gone by their name I love it's nice guy Eddie not to Sadie. Nice Guy, Eddie. But everyone else is like, you know, you're Mr. Blue. Yeah, that's it. That's what you're gonna go by. And it's just to kind of keep, you know, if you get busted, what do you really know? This guy, you know, it's a smart device.
Sal Rodriguez:Let me tell you this when we were teenagers running through the streets of Los Angeles, whenever we got bumped up and bumped up was the expression for getting when approached by the police. Okay, well, it could mean as simple as being approached and detained. Yeah, yeah. So when you would get bumped up and they would take you and your buddy OSI. How do you guys know each other? Who's I would just say, I just met him on the bus. I don't know who this kid is very. And he would say to me, I just met him on the bus. We don't know each other. Mr. Orange? Yeah. And you know what? It used to work.
Jason Connell:Yeah, there you go. So the style and the humor and just it hooks you from the start. So it just really does and I know you've only seen x, but the movie is consistent. And yeah, it does pivot and things change and allegiances emerge ajan fall apart and you're trying to what's going to happen here because again they don't keep a secret who the agent is you learn pretty early on and then really cool reveal I gotta say, so it's not like you're also guessing but you're guessing what the heck's gonna happen you know what's going to unfold you have no idea because it's breaking all the rules as you go but back to this scene so eight min on actually it's not eight but eight min talking about a Madonna song and not this song he's going to tell us what like a virgin's about and that's by the way that is Mr. Brown Quentin Tarantino with that great line so he utters the first line in his first movie right out of the gate I love that and they're also talking about other Madonna songs like they're referencing true blue border line Papa don't preach that's comical Sal. They've just got a whole catalogue. Yeah, with this really happened but sometimes post soccer games or post basketball or martial arts when guys are just being guys and the guards down you're just hanging out. You'd be surprised that don't put it past people that all sudden go down a rabbit hole about Madonna songs.
Sal Rodriguez:Well, not far fetched. It's not only recently I said, I don't know. I think I came across the Backstreet Boys video and I was like, let me watch this and I was like, pretty good. Let me watch it. I ended up watching like four or five Backstreet Boys videos and I was like, they're pretty good. And then I said, Well, let me listen to someone say I started listening to them and see before I know it I'm a 48 year old man listening to Backstreet Boys and NSYNC and liking it and thinking this is pretty good music these guys are Hey, that guy's a pretty good singer. You know one of those things?
Jason Connell:That's hilarious. Well, on that note, I've actually always been or was back then. Anyway, a Madonna fan. You know I thought some of her
Sal Rodriguez:icon she's she she is the queen of pop would you say?
Jason Connell:I can't Yes, absolutely. Yeah, I mean, yeah, like a virgin she comes on the scene. Papa don't preach the video was like a movie had Danny Aiello in it who I met Rest in peace, by the way, but I've told that story before, but it's just like, you know, she was she was iconic pushing the envelope MTV. In fact, like a prayer was one of my favorite songs for a long time. Now that wasn't on these guys. Let's cuz I don't think it was out yet. Or maybe it was but whatever. Anyway, so they go on and on. But back to Mr. Brown sound when he does say, I'm going to tell you what, like a virgin's about what is he alluding to? So because that was its own way to take things and quite funny as it played out, but what did he mean? They want to enlighten us
Sal Rodriguez:a woman feeling pain while having sex for the first time in a long time when she meets a certain new fella, John Holmes. eskie calls him John Holmes esque.
Jason Connell:Well, no, I threw that in there. But he calls him like, you know, there's this John Holmes, motherfucker. And he's, you know, so basically saying that he's Oh, he's using John Holmes as a reference. Yeah, well endowed and so that his take and it's funny. And of course, it's not as powerful as it used to be for me, because I've heard it and I've lived with this for 30 years, but it was just like, groundbreaking, like, oh my gosh, this is a great way to take it like a virgin. She's been with lots of guys and now she's with a guy who's very well and died the first time so therefore, and then he goes on to say Mr. Brown says, he's like Charles Bronson and The Great Escape. He's digging tunnels and so and the guys are the laughing and it just kind of lightens the mood. Of course the cameras still doing the Steadicam around and as a viewer man, my jaw was just drops out. I just, you know, we've heard this kind of talk now because there's like nine other Tarantino movies and other people emulating such I mean, people raise the bar in the bar has got to go higher. So at the time, though, at the time, it was groundbreaking.
Sal Rodriguez:I guess the idea is, well, first of all, for the uninitiated, John Holmes was a very large, pun intended male porn star. Yeah, what 70s and early 80s Yeah, and then eventually passed away from AIDS if I'm not mistaken.
Jason Connell:Yeah, I was involved in the Wunderland murders, which was yes, very dark and he went down a dark path factor movie Boogie Nights is loosely based on John Holmes, the meteoric rise and ultimate fall from grace. So highly recommend Boogie Nights Paul Thomas,
Sal Rodriguez:I like to Boogie Nights I did amazing movie.
Jason Connell:And there's even a movie called the Wonderland murders. Val Kilmer. And so yeah, he's referring to him in his heyday.
Sal Rodriguez:Sure, but the idea is that I guess the Quentin Tarantino idea for this and scenes like The Royale with cheese and Pulp Fiction are like that thugs or let's just say, the people that you would not expect to have these types of conversations in their day to day life relatable. Yeah, that's These are just regular people. Their job is not regular, but their rigs actually. That's the idea. Yeah. What
Jason Connell:are they gonna sit around and talk about? Okay, when we get to the place I want you to be on point. Yeah, that's what we're used to seeing what we're not used to hearing them talk about a Madonna song. And that's the genius of Tarantino. He's like, what's more interesting, we've seen that but we've not seen that. These guys be guys. Yeah. And I love that. And they could have been talking about football. Sure, but it's just funnier, that it's this female icon. And they're having this discussion. So in 1993, there was an interview with Quentin Tarantino. And he shares the fact that he met Madonna finally. And I asked her if he was correct in his assessment about what Like a Virgin means. And Madonna says, I quote, no, it's about love. It's about a girl who has been messed over. And she finally meets one man who loves her. So in that exchange, Mr. Blonde, played by Michael Madsen was actually right. Because he said that well, he didn't say all that, but he's like, it's about true love.
Sal Rodriguez:Okay, well, whether it be this take on the song of that tick. They're both Tarantino. Right? Those are both
Jason Connell:No, no, no, no, no, no, Mr. Blonde is Michael Madsen. No, no, but Tarantino
Sal Rodriguez:wrote it. Good point. Right. So this is Tarantino his words. You
Jason Connell:know the character. He's right on all fronts. Yeah. So he was right on right. Yeah, I
Sal Rodriguez:like it. I like it. I'm done with it. I like it. So
Jason Connell:really what I said earlier, I'll say it again here. It was actually six men talking about Madonna because Joe and Mr. White Harvey kotel are talking about this address book. And I like these types of scenes and this also happens in the movie Boogie Nights when they go to get the drug deal and they're making the deal and you got the one guy doing the the snaps the pops the Fae, and there's and then the music's playing the Jessie's Girl and you're just like, you're so uncomfortable. Because there's sensory overload. There's so much happening. It's comfort, absolute discomfort. Well, this doesn't have discomfort, but there's a lot going on. You got the funny conversation. You even watch Steve Buscemi, you know Mr. Pink in that scene, watching because it comes up in a minute. He's looking for the waitress and he looks disgusted. Like, I gotta get a cup of coffee. And then and they're all talking about Madonna. And then there's this that the other end over here you got Joe and he's going to this old address book saying names he doesn't remember and driving Harvey Keitel, Mr. White crazy. But all that's kind of happening right and it's a lot to take in this movie. You need to watch it multiple times to pick up the layers and the nuances in the oh my gosh, he did say that. So all that's happening. And you also learn right that in there the hierarchy of play. Why is Joe wearing this black Polo? Well, he's the guy in charge man. You can tell from age from stature
Sal Rodriguez:cartel.
Jason Connell:You could you can tell him to
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, but it looks like maybe they're old friends. Maybe. Right and just with them,
Jason Connell:and they know each other. Yeah, you're right. Can you tell us the next while I guess any bunkers kind of older but he's probably like the senior reservoir dog. Right? And then Joe's ahead of it all. You don't really know how nice guy it is yet, but he's wearing like this, you know, sopranos outfit, like a mobsters outfit. And then he shifts the conversation. So we don't go Madonna too long. It's funny, it delivers. And then and it's the way they're talking to each other. Like, I was saying something could interrupt him. It's just the way they were, you know, ping pong back and forth. It's beautiful. Well,
Sal Rodriguez:that's why I thought just by this scene alone, I'm thinking, Oh, these are all old friends. They even joke about shooting each other. These are all friends. These are all a buddies. Yeah, these are the two old guys in charge. And that's what I was thinking. Anyway, that's what I thought I had figured out about the sea. Like these are all you know, the word dog is like, buddy, that's my dog. That's my dog. Yeah. So these are the Reservoir Dogs. I'm thinking like, these are like all old friends. This is what I thought from the scene.
Jason Connell:Right? And which actually comes from I think he took it from like, there was a movie called Straw Dogs. Also back to that Pulp Fiction. If you remember, Travolta and Sam Jackson, they're wearing very similar outfits reservoir dog outfit. Yes. And they don't go by Mister Mister, but they do have chemistry. They have been together for years and years and years. And so they were like to hit men who have always worked together. So anyway, obviously he took that from this but so nice guy and he pivots the conversation to capability super sounds the 70s and we'll talk about who actually is K Billy because he's actually the end of the sequence. You hear him come in, but it's played by I'll just tell you now. Steven Wright,
Sal Rodriguez:the great comic, one of my favorites, one of my favorite
Jason Connell:best no one is Steven Wright. He's one of a kind, but I love that they brought him in this movie, never his face, just as voice throughout the movie. And he's talking about nice Gatti. That is the night the lights went out in Georgia. Now sound do you know that song?
Sal Rodriguez:I do not. I only know to Georgia songs. You know, Georgia by Rachel Raja. Yeah. Or the Devil Went down to Georgia. And that's it. Yeah. Who's saying that? That was Jack Daniels or Jeff? Daniels? No, no, not yet. Charlie Daniels, Ben.
Jason Connell:Charlie, Daniel. There we go. So I put it on today just to kind of revisit it. And I thought, oh, you know, if you heard the course you know the song. So they're talking about that song. Like, you know, I didn't know on that song that she's the one that killed him. And they're like, this is just such pop culture and very nostalgic and they're like, you know, it's in the song so they're just busting balls cracking each other important things out, but I have the reservoir dog soundtrack. And that song is not on the soundtrack. But it's in the movie and talked about in the movie, but doesn't mean they had the rights to put it on the sound. Well, they didn't play it in the movie. They just talked about it in the movie. They didn't play it in the movie, they could have just played it for the heck of it. No, they don't play it so they don't even bring it up. The soundtrack is great, though. It's got that great song stuck in the middle with you, which is one of the most pivotal scenes in this movie, which I'll save by Steelers wheels. It's amazing. And also on the soundtrack. Like every few tracks, there's this little audio insert. So the Madonna speech is a track on the soundtrack, which is interesting. You know, they only had so many songs, so they sprinkled in some of the audio from this memorable film. So Joe jokes with Mr. Blonde to shoot Mr. White, right? You just said it a minute ago. Yeah. And he's like, you know, I changed my mind. Shoot this guy. Basically, Mr. White steals the address book from Joe because it's driving him crazy. He's saying these names. And Mr. Blonde like this little like a little shot. Now sell. Spoiler alert here. In the movie, at some point in time, there's a three way standoff guy gun guy gun guy got on three way. Joe, Mr. White, not so nice guy, Eddie. So you have that to look forward to. I won't tell you the Fallen Soldiers along the way. But that is a iconic scene in the movie.
Sal Rodriguez:I look forward to it. And after this scene after watching this scene. So what happens when you gotta know? You gotta know? What are these guys doing? Where are they going? I need to know now.
Jason Connell:And we don't waste any time. When we come back in, you're in like the heist is over and guys are running and stuffs happening. And a lot of the highest Well, the I should say the highest the post highs when there's cops or shoot outs. It's not quite heat, the heat exchange with a it's not quite that. But a lot of it happens. You know, just the Highland Park area. Like a lot of it happens right there. In fact, when I lived in that area, real close to these things, but this was in 92 The area was very different, you know better than I. But you know, the intersections, there's a train that goes through there. So when you see it, you're gonna kind of freak out and recognize things right away, for sure.
Sal Rodriguez:I look forward to it. And I didn't know about all the locations. I mean, I didn't know much about Reservoir Dogs. How I got two sets of action figures, but I don't What do you
Jason Connell:know, what is this worth? So then Joe goes and pays the bill. And I love this right? So he's gonna go pay the bill. He's Joe. He's in charge. And he wants the crew to tip right you guys. I'll pay the bill. It's about a buck each. I love it. It's only $1 Sounds one freaking dollar that's what you get. Spend $1 and get a free meal. But that buck, having a cough that up leads to what?
Sal Rodriguez:Mr. Pink, talking about what he doesn't believe in typic. That's important even and I do like, I like the topic. I do find it an interesting topic because I've done you say in Europe. It's not expected anyway. Okay, so when I was went to Japan, they just don't right will not even take a tip from you. Yeah, it was very different from America. Very different. Right? Yeah. So yeah, I liked the idea. And I liked the conversation when it comes to tipping.
Jason Connell:And I just mentioned you see an agitated machine me and that he plays Mr. Pink, the wonderful actor Steve Buscemi. But he's obviously over caffeinated. And that's even talked about Eddie's like, you know, with all due respect, you don't need another cup of coffee, you're already on edge. But the dialogue is so cutting and funny. And also cringe worthy. You're laughing but going, Man, this is a little too close here. And it's breaking all the rules. And you know, yeah, he has a stance. He doesn't believe in it. But if it's really good service, he'll do it. But he doesn't like the fact that it's a given you have to tip right.
Sal Rodriguez:Well, supposedly, the word tip, at least this is what I was taught many years ago. I don't know if it's true. Tip is an acronym. And that's how it started. To ensure promptness. Yep. So Supposedly, the whole idea behind tipping was that if you do something extra above and beyond more than is required of you, I will leave you a tip. But not just for you doing your basic average job, which is his whole point, right?
Jason Connell:Yeah. True. And that is his point. And then Joe comes back over and like, he doesn't believe in it, you know, and Mr. Orange is trying to speak for Mr. Pig. And he's like, I don't let him talk. And so he's like, I don't usually believe in this, but I'll do it. And I was like, I don't care what you believe and cough up a buck. I bought your breakfast. It's great. And he's like, Yeah, okay. But It cracks me up that Joe comes back to the table, and he immediately realizes that there's $1 Yeah, he counts up the dollar, two seconds, and he's like, of the $7 We're missing one. But and then he utters Oh, Mr. White makes a good As Harvey Kotel, he really does. He kind of goes on the offensive and I liked what I had to say about waitressing and kind of had some stats. So again, he's kind of the elder statesman for the Reservoir Dogs. It's the number one job for uneducated women. And I love that Tarantino makes fun of not tipping and waitressing. But then comes right back and shows us how important it is and how people count on their tips. Yeah, it's
Sal Rodriguez:one of those like, Hey, dude, have a heart you know? Yeah, open up your heart. Here's what's happening here.
Jason Connell:I waited tables. Before that I was a bartender. Some people don't realize that they get paid less hourly wages, small hourly wage, it's not as if they get a really good hourly wage and then tips no low and you have to offset it with the tips. But you know, someone who's ignorant and doesn't know any better. It seems like well, you don't tip McDonald's people as he says they get paid a higher hourly wage. They don't rely on tips.
Sal Rodriguez:What has to happen with me is every time I go somewhere with my mother, I have to overtip because she was rude to the waiter or waitress. So I was gonna you know, kick in a few extra, some extra. I have to, it's gonna happen. I understand and good for you so well, it's not their fault. It's
Jason Connell:definitely waiters fault. So then, Joe, I also love his line. All right, Ramblas. Let's get rambling. Now, so I actually use this line. And one of my short films The Midnight Ramblers. So see that tie in there we used it an homage tip of the cap, so I always love that line.
Sal Rodriguez:Do you have a minute Ramblers? Can I see this? Oh, you
Jason Connell:need to see it. It's a classic. Really? I'll check it out off to get you a copy. Yeah, let me share that. We'll have it on let's talk movies. So now we fade to black. We're leaving the scene. We feel like we know these guys, we don't really know most of their names. We don't even know what they're doing and why six guys are dressed the same. But we're hooked. There's like something here that's taking us on this journey where we're going like you right now. You're I don't know what we're doing. But you know, it's a heist movie. Alright, non heist heist movie. Yeah.
Sal Rodriguez:But the scene alone makes me at the conclusion of the scene. Yeah, I want to know what is happening here. Where are they going? What are they doing? I need to know, which is excellent filmmaking that the viewers like, you know, that chomping at the bit like, let's, I need more of this.
Jason Connell:Well, to have the presence of mine and have their confidence and your material and your writing. And to say, well, I know it's a heist movie, and people want to get there. But I'm going to slow roll this with some dialogue. And at the end of the day, there is no highest it's just a lot of dialogue and characters and situations. And you're not going to miss that. That's pretty ballsy. Those are like real Mavericks in the industry that say no, this is the vision and we're gonna go do that this thing would have been watered down Any Which Way But Loose. Had this been a studio movie like a true studio movie. First time director. Yeah, yeah, quite No, no, we're gonna change the script. We're gonna we're gonna script doctor in here. And that's what I love. He went and made his movie, and it happened to strike gold, and he never had to sacrifice his voice. You and I know this. And I know you know this, for sure. You get too many cooks in the kitchen movies. They pay the price, but the Coen brothers they make the movies they want to make and people respond or they don't. Tarantino Paul Thomas Anderson Score says, if you're true filmmaker and have that gravitas, go make it and I I love I didn't think about this. When I was watching. I was just like, I've not seen anything like this. No, I was aware.
Sal Rodriguez:It's the dream of any of most artists of any artist not having to run something by the focus group, run it by the focus group running by the focus group. And yeah, at the end, it's a watered down version of your dream.
Jason Connell:Totally. And this is a different time they were shooting on film wasn't like he could grab a digital camera and go do it and then show them he's serious and shot the opening scene. And now they went for broke one point 2,000,092 on a no named director with titles, reputation on the line. There's a lot more at play there. That's risky. So he's got to bring the goods. Now what I don't know, Sal is if he shot sequentially or not. I don't know. I don't know if opening scene was first being shot. I'd love to find some of these things out. But anyway, so that ends that same voters still another piece to it. We fade to black and we hear K Billy Stephen right. And he sets up a little green bag. Also on the soundtrack by George Baker. You know that song, don't you? Which one is a little green bag. Well, I've heard it so many times. It's a reservoir dog song for me now. When you watch the movie, you'll see it but then they have this on screen. We see a film by Quentin Tarantino. Right? And it's like, wow, there's the name and the I was still trying to figure out his name you say? Okay, Quinton. Yeah, who is this guy? And then we go to the slow motion shot of the Reservoir Dogs from the side right you see this old truck? You see the bird back wall. And actually I have gone there and so that's an Eagle Rock as well. It's down the street that used to be there. That wall used to be there. There was a bowling alley there. I've gone there, that was gone. So the walk just happened right there, which is like, a two minute drive from Pat Lorraine's, right? Probably was a good wall. It looks cool. You see the side and you see fronts. And that's how you get the introductions of the characters because they're all slum on it's like, their names come on their real names, not their actual names. And then you go to the back and you see them. It's on slomo. And then you see the reservoir dog title come up and nothing a bus goes by. That's Eagle Rock Boulevard, by the way. And there was an homage in the movie swingers 1996. That Doug Liman Jon Favreau film, and they recreated that the slow motion walk in the movie is less of that. They weren't they weren't dressed.
Sal Rodriguez:I've seen swingers a couple of times, but I didn't know that. They're hanging
Jason Connell:out the house. And they're talking about like, oh, that opening scene and not opening scene I'm sorry, the scene where they walk through the bar, the cabana or whatever and Goodfellas, like how they liked that scene. And they're like, Yeah, Hollywood, everybody rips everybody off. And then they cut right to the offer, doing an homage to the reservoir dog walk. And I actually even back in the early 90s film my own homage for a contest. I was working at the Carmike cinemas in Stillwater, Oklahoma. There was this contest. And I had everybody who worked there I was managing wearing a little vests were in their little ties, right? Do the slow motion walk down the hallway, we use a couple of shots in the thing and people were loving it because it was still so new and groundbreaking Reservoir Dogs. And also in college, I bought this huge oversized poster and had it dry mounted. And it was that shot. It was the front shot of the Reservoir Dogs. It was in black and white and I put it above my bed. And my friends like that is the coolest thing. I had it for years, and then eventually pass it on to another friend. So
Sal Rodriguez:I can only imagine that this movie was instrumental in you making your way to Los Angeles. It had
Jason Connell:something to do with it sound there's no doubt this and and then you see a movie like clerks and it's like all these things I saw at the right time. And I was working at a movie theater and movies like Trainspotting came out. swingers came out and I thought, oh my gosh, I have to gravitate over here to something in this in this field. But in Oklahoma you think No way. But I had to move to do it. So that concludes the opening scene. It sets the stage Sal, when you watch it, you're left wanting more Right? Absolutely. jump right in. I do. I do want to know more? And how soon are you going to wait until you dive into Reservoir Dogs?
Sal Rodriguez:Well, as much as I'd love to say it's next on my queue. I do have to. I hate to admit to the let's talk movies, listeners. But I still have yet to see Top Gun. So I need to Well, that's been a while. I need to watch Top Gun and then I will watch Reservoir Dogs. Now unfortunately, Top Gun doesn't have any action figures, Reservoir Dogs does. So maybe I should watch Reservoir Dogs first grab the action figures. show them to you then I'll watch Top Gun after that I'm
Jason Connell:liking that style. So there are other memorable scenes in this movie. Here's a few I have a list of three but we talked about one in a minute ago, the naming scene. Fantastic. I mean, Joe even says it's my way or the highway, which we talked about on Roadhouse, which obviously Tarantino got from Roadhouse Roadhouse preceded Reservoir Dogs, oh, no, 89 and 92. And then there's the commode story that is incredible. I just have a toilet but
Sal Rodriguez:it's a story to command story.
Jason Connell:It's such an incredible sequence. It's beautifully crafted. It's basically Tim Roth, Mr. Orange,
Sal Rodriguez:you just put the word beautiful in the same sentence as Kamala commode.
Jason Connell:It's basically one of the guys forget what I just said. And we learned he's the informant. And he's talking to his superior. And he's saying you're going undercover. You got to have a story ready, you got to have a story ready that you're in the joint, and it can be relatable to them. And so it's all about learning the story, and then you skip ahead and time and he's getting better at telling the story. And then the story has visuals like he's sitting here talking to the guy and then he's cutting to him in front of Joe and Mr. White and Eddie is telling the story. It's amazing. So the combos store, there's a torture scene, which is so hard to watch has stuck in the middle of you playing I'll leave it there. Iconic, memorable, but very grotesque, and crosses every line that we've seen in movies. And then there's that shootout I talked about, so there's just a few. The movie as a whole though just it's a payoff. And it's a heist movie without a heist. I mean, it's just crazy.
Sal Rodriguez:If anything is going to make me a bigger Tarantino fan. I mean, I did enjoy Kill Bill as well. Ah, the Kill Bill is We're amazed actually why Kill Bill what volume one of volume two
Jason Connell:and three? Is room murder in the works or something? I think it's happening. So after this sequence, no, not you, Sal Rodriguez. But after this sequence like a first time viewer, you just wonder what's coming. Why are these guys talking the way they talk? Why are six of them dressed the way that just because you still don't know you're like, this is cool. I like this look, but at the same time, you're just mesmerized Sal, and Quentin Tarantino simply has that gift, the power to entertain and take us on whatever journey he wants to take us on. And so I'm happy to say that I was there from the beginning. I know I mean, so many others, I'm sure right. But before the hype train, and even before he built Miramax I do say Miramax is the house that Tarantino built. Of course, it's got the Weinstein's but they're not in favor anymore, of course, for good reason. But Tarantino was this caused all of that to go on overdrive, if you will. And Tarantino has recent acquisition of the VISTA, the VISTA theater in Los Angeles. I know the owners they also in the Los Felice three down the street on Vermont, we had our festival, the United Film Festival, the Los Angeles version was at those theaters, and Tarantino during the pandemic purchased the VISTA theater. And that means our worlds are getting closer and closer. And one day in the not too distant future. Quentin Tarantino and I will talk and we'll talk films, and hopefully it will be on Let's Talk movies.
Sal Rodriguez:That's fantastic. I love that I love those full circle things. You have had your festival at the theater that Tarantino currently owns. And back then I also ran a q&a. Featuring Tarantino, his father and I have met him. Wow.
Jason Connell:It was a double bill that night we played strictly background and holy Hollywood. Yeah. Tony Tarantino, he didn't direct it. But he was part of the q&a and you know, is a lot going on. But yeah, you were there.
Sal Rodriguez:That's fantastic. Wow. Amazing. I can't believe it. I'm gonna watch Reservoir Dogs. I absolutely. I'm gonna watch it now. And I'm gonna, again going back to apocalypse. Now. You don't have to love war movies to appreciate Apocalypse Now. Yeah, and you know what? I'm not like a big crime movie guy. Usually I'm not a hitman movie type of viewer. Right. But I can appreciate a film well done. And funny dialogue. I do like
Jason Connell:funny dialogue and led led to an incredible career that's continuing to evolve and grow. And so if you haven't seen once upon a time in Hollywood, I think that's truly a masterpiece. Like, all of the good of Tarantino paying off in this movie. That's just takes it to a whole other level. It's a period piece. You think you're back in the it's about, you know, the Manson times when they were on the prowl. So it's late 60s, but oh my gosh, it's just it's next next level. But it started here. And the reason I wanted to not do why want to do a scene by scene breakdown of Reservoir Dogs, but I wanted to do this opening scene because it always started here and this opening scene. I mean, Tarantino is career unfolds in front of our eyes, and and he had the first line coming in. It's just it's so fitting, he couldn't have written a better script, and yet he did so
Sal Rodriguez:and I'd forgotten. It wasn't until I saw him on the screen that I forgotten that he's acting in a two he's not only write and direct, he also acted in Yeah, he was also in Pulp Fiction. I forgot what was he doing in Pulp Fiction.
Jason Connell:They went to his house for refuge after they killed the guy in the back seat. The brains went. They went to his house and he had the linens and it was his place. They got all cleaned up and Harvey kotel comes over
Sal Rodriguez:there forgot because I saw Pulp Fiction when it was released. That's when I saw it. Yeah,
Jason Connell:yeah. Well go back and see this and so sow with without further ado, please enjoy Reservoir Dogs. So thank you so much for listening. And please be sure to subscribe to the let's talk movies podcast as well as the let's talk movies YouTube Live Channel. You can also really help us by giving the show a five star rating on Apple podcast.
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