Mon. June 8

Without Quentin Tarantino there might be no Guy Ritchie. Hey, without Quentin Tarantino we might not have had a "Sopranos." Tarantino had this idea that bad guys could be really nasty mothers, yet, y'know, witty, clever as well as dealing with mundane stuff like how to order a cheeseburger. "Pulp Fiction" is where Quentin Tarantino trademarked this hipster style, melding of violence, black comedy and esoteric dialogue. Now, one can take a little umbrage with the romanticism of crime and violence, and argue - as most police will tell you - that criminals are more likely to be dumb thugs than, say, Miles Connor-esque bon vivant rockers and art thieves. But, hey, we find (continually) the mix of the murderous and mundane entertaining and, not to get heavy here, but it's likely true that criminals don't spend their time being 24/7 villains. Everybody has a mother, you know. Kids, families, Little League games. And, who among us, has not committed some small crime or another, and yet continues to live what we consider fairly moral lives? (Ah, the fine lines of the law ...) At any rate, in "Pulp Fiction," which is at the Coolidge Corner Theatre Monday June 8 at 7, Tarantino shuffles the stories of mobsters Vincent and Jules, boxer Butch Coolidge, thieves Pumpkin and Hunny Bunny and mob boss wife Mia. Each tale is more compelling and shocking than the next, in keeping with true pulp storytelling. John Travolta revitalized his career in this 1994 flick which also stars Samuel L. Jackson, and Uma Thurman. The film is part of Brookline's Trader Joe's promotion, in which locals voted for which period pieces they wanted to see on the big screen nearby at the Coolidge and this was the '90s winner. Tickets: $9.75. Oh, and what do the Trader's folks do? They hand out samples of food - they are good at this - and have a raffle goodie back there for the lucky one.

290 Harvard St., Brookline, 617-734-2000 www.coolidge.org