Best Movie Dialogue: K.Smith vs. Q.Tarantino

[Jimmy"The Gent"]

In my opinion these two current directors/writers have the best talent for writing screen dialogues in movies. Both are pure geniuses when it comes to comedic/dramatic lines with Tarantino having a darker twist on his conversations making them more urban and raw. Smith, on the other hand, has more of a Shakespearian delivery(most of the time) with long monologues and witty remarks. Sometimes Smith can get too wordy in his character exchanges, which might turn off less shrewd watchers, and Tarantino's dialogue scenes can be a tad long sometimes, but these are only tiny flaws in a day and age when a lot of shitty movies are made.

I love all of Smith's and Tarantino's films, having seen them all except Jersey Girl, and can't really decide who is the clear-cut master of movie dialogue. Maybe you guys have some input, or even have another favorite director/writer with the knack for good screenplay dialogue.

-from Pulp Fiction:

Vincent: "Want a sausage?"

Jules: "Naw, I don't eat pork."

Vincent: "Are you Jewish?"

Jules: "I ain't Jewish man, I just don't dig on swine."

Vincent: "Why not?"

Jules: "They're filthy Animals. I don't eat filthy animals."

Vincent: "Sausages taste good. Pork chops taste good."

Jules: "A sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie. I'll never know 'cause even if it did, I wouldn't eat the filthy motherfucker. Pigs sleep and root in shit. That's a filthy animal. I don't wanna eat nothin' that ain't got enough sense to disregard its own feces."


-from Clerks:

Dante: "You've gotta watch the store. I have to go to this."

Randal: "Wait, wait, wait. Has it occured to you that I might bereaved as well?

Dante: "You hardly knew her!"

Randal: "True, but do you know how many people are going to be there? All of our old classmates,to say the least.

Dante: "Stop it. This is beneath even you."

Randal: "I'm not missing what's probably going to be the social event of the season."

Dante: "You hate people."

Randal: "But I love gatherings. Isn't it ironic?"

[HHHLovesMovies]

Well, I must say that I am a fan of both of these guys' work. But I would say hands down...Tarantino. Dialogues may best QT's best quality (my opinion), but im not knocking Kevin, hes good too, just not amazing like Quentin. Good argument though, i guess.

[krazy drako]

I really think it is in the mood you're in. Personally I like the dialoge from "Clerks" better than "Pulp Fiction". Even though "Pulp Fiction" had some damn good dialoge, I found "Clerks" funnier and kept me interested better.

My favorite Kevin Smith movie dialoge was defenetly from "Chasing Amy". When Hooper-X was on stage talking about how African Americans won't be on the back door of sci/fi fantasy genre anymore. If you've seen "Chasing Amy" you will know what I am talking about.

My favorite Quentin Tarantino movie dialoge was the scene in the beginning of the movie where Jules and Vincent goto pick up Marcellus Wallus briefcase. "English mother fucker do you speak it!" Classic scene.




What the hell is with all this Quentin Tarantino Versus Kevin Smith topics lately? They're both talented in there own ways. Hell one day I hope to see them to do a movie together.

[Scarface98.9]

Tarantino. I don't think Kevin Smith has ever written anything that has topped Clerks, dialogue-wise, while Tarantino is pretty consistent IMO

[Tweek]

Originally posted by krazy drako


My favorite Kevin Smith movie dialoge was defenetly from "Chasing Amy". When Hooper-X was on stage talking about how African Americans won't be on the back door of sci/fi fantasy genre anymore. If you've seen "Chasing Amy" you will know what I am talking about.





"BLACK RAGE!"

Heh, yeah, that's probably one of my favorite kevin smith bits

[Jim Morrison]

Pulp Fiction is undeniabley in my opinion the best dialogue ever written for the screen. But, Smith's Chasing Amy is a very close competiton. There are great dialogue bits. $5 Milkshakes, Massages, Biblical Quotes and cleaning up a corpse vs Archies sexual preference, oral sex, the chasing amy schpeel and black power. Right now, I'm giving it to Pulp Fiction.

[Joshmo]

Though calling someone "Cockknocker" and "Lunch Box" is pretty funny....

Tarantino is hands down the greatest writer for coming up with funny and outragious shit. ;)


"Damn, Jimmy, this is some gourmet shit"!


"I dont need you to tell me how fuckin good my coffee is okay? I'm the one who buys it, I KNOW how good it is"

"I buy gourmet cause I wanna taste it when I drink it"....

"But whats in my kitchen aint on my mind"....

"Is there a sign on my garage that reads dead nigger storage"?????

NOTHING Smith could write could equal that scene as well as a host of others.

BTW..no offense to African American posters, its part of a movie I was quoting. :)

[El Bracamonti]

Tarantino, but Smith is sooooooooo close!

[Cottonmouth]

Originally posted by Tweek
"BLACK RAGE!"


"The chickens is coming home to roost, y'all"

"What they're trying to say is deep down, we all wants to be white!"

"Well, isn't that true?"

*kicks down podium, pulls gun, snaps it back and shoots Banky, as crowd disperses, wildly*

[krazy drako]

Hooper X: And JEDI is the most insulting installment. Darth Vader loses his beautiful black VISAGE, to reveal an old white man. They're trying to say that deep down, we all wants to be white!

Banky: Well, isn't that true?

Thats the rest of the one quote from the post above.

This came from a thread I started in the Star Wars forum entitled "Star Wars References In Kevin Smith Movies" (http://www.joblo.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=70114)

[Sigur509]

Smith

No one will ever beat Tarantino's Pulp Fiction Dialouge, but all of Smiths films have great Dialouge, and Tarantino dissapointed me with Volume 1, not having much of a Tarantino writing feel to it, so Smith.

Tarantin's best Dialouge - Pulp Fiction

Smiths's best Dialouge - Clerks

[SAI]

Kevin Smith. Tarantino's dialogue was wonderful in his first 3 film but Kill Bill (vol 2 in particular) tends to sound like somebody trying to write like him, a couple of great lines aside.

Tarantino's Best script: True Romance
Smith's Best Script: Chasing Amy

[MickeyKnox]

Quentin Tarantino-The dialogue in his movies are absolutely brilliant and original, take the Dennis Hopper/Christopher Walken scene in True Romance.

[blankpage]

Yeah, after some though - they're both great, mind you - I'm gonna have to go with Tarantino. Pulp Fiction is the ultimate dialogue film, IMO.

[Lazy Boy]

Both have enormous strengths in the dialogue department, but I'll have to give the slight edge to Tarantino, whose effortlessly cool dialogue is aided by his matured directorial style. Some of Smith's long winded diatribes in Dogma, for instance, conked out after a while.

[Erin123]

My vote goes to Tarantino, for pretty much the same reason everyone else has given: Pulp Fiction - imo THE best dialogue ever put to screen.

Smith's best is Clerks, which is good but not mindblowing.

[therealjohng]

I consider Tarantino, Smith and Mamet are the three best writers for dialogue. But Tarantino takes the cake.

[Hatfield]

Definatly Tarantino...

though he didn't really prove that with Kill Bill Vol.1 and 2, but I think Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, and Reservoir Dogs all top Kevin Smith.
I can't deny though that Clerks had good dialogue.

I also think Scorsese is good at writing dialgue when he wants to. See Mean Streets, Casino, Goodfellas, and I know there are more with exceptionally well written dialogue.