Kill Bill, Vol. 1

I love this movie. though it kinda makes me angry that this has been delayed till April. I was waiting for this movie by Febuary 3rd. But no. I don't see why they couldn't release the DVD on Febuary 3rd and just keep the movie pressed back until April, but, hey that's Disney for ya.

Vol. 2 opens during that week in April, so the idea is that you can watch Vol. 1 right before you see Vol. 2. Also, Uma Thurman might get an Oscar nomination for her performance (we'll know before the end of January), and an Oscar nod/win would be great publicity going from February to April.

It's not just Disney. The bottom line for any studio is money.

Besides, you don't think Hollywood would trust a viewer to slip a DVD movie back into the player before watching the next installment in a theater IF the viewer had bought the DVD all of three months in advance. They're doing us a favor.

John

The Vol 1 DVD release was supposed to be a barebones one. Hopefully with the new date, QT can add more extras.

poli kalo an ke perimeno na do to 2oro meros gia to telos. krima pou mas karataei se tosi agonia...
:.(

I wonder how this film even got 7 if there is no concrete plot .. and only blood bath.. and relentless slaughtering!!

didn't you say that sometimes, entertainment is enough?

Ha Eddie .. I got it

Then I should say QT movies are my guilty pleasure !!!

I could never call QT movies a guilty pleasure, just a pleasure is good enough. I still think QT is on a roll and I can't think of one thing the guy has done that I don't like. Kill Bill may have been very bloody, however, it was one of my favorites last summer.

Donkey (from Shrek) says: "Everybody love QT movies! In fact, I can't think of one person who say I don't like me no QT movies!"

The only thing that puts me off sometimes about QT movies is that he pushes the envelope of violence too much in his movies. He is probably one director I can think shows violence just for showing it.. Acting in his movies is excellent, with great script and screenplay. QT has definitely found his niche in that area. Maybe he got carried by the tribute to the "Lone wolf and cub" series. His movies are enjoyable and gruesome. Hence guilty pleasure for me!

A rundown on QT's films and me:

-Reservoir Dogs: Kinda like it
-Pulp Fiction: LOVE IT
-Jackie Brown: N/A (haven't watched it)
- Kill Bill V1: Don't like it

rpruthee,

you should check out "lady snowblood" for a more direct influence on "kill bill". i'm actually going to review one of animeigo's "lady snowblood" movies soon.

eddie

Eddie,

It's my understanding that Tarantino's primary influence was "Kimba the White Lion."

Yes, I've heard the "Lady Snowblood" samurai connection, too, and it will be interesting to hear your comments and comparison.

John

John,

Well, as you know, Japanese cinema (both live-action and animation) often features strong female characters, both in terms of character build-up as well as in terms of action movie conventions. This often results in Japanese movies being populated with femmes fatales. One of the "Lone Wolf and Cub" movies has a gang of female assassins, but "Lady Snowblood" features a revenge-seeking heroine whose whole family was wronged (much like The Bride in "Kill Bill").

As for "Kimba the White Lion"? Dude, didn't you see the anime sequence in "Kill Bill"?

Eddie

As Samuel L. Jackson mentions about "Pulp Fiction," Tarantino steals from everybody. Which is entirely appropriate, as art is often a collaborative effort, one thing leading to another.

"Kill Bill" provides the researcher a field day uncovering all of the director's multitude of influences, esp. as Tarantino admits to being a huge fan of Hong Kong action movies, samurai movies, anime, gangster films, Westerns, and practically everything violent on screen. And he says he's seen them all!

Look forward to your "Snowblood" review.

John

eddie when are we going to see the review of "Lady Snowblood"? I am waiting

"lady snowblood" is coming soon (sometime before sunday, hopefully).

As far as I'm concerned, QT is a genius. While his films are usually pretty simple, especially this one and Reservoir Dogs, they are packed with style, great acting, great music and a walloping emotional impact. The first scene from this film that comes to mind is the sword fight with O-Ren in the snow. Although the Bride is super-pissed and veangeful, you can tell that these women used to be her friends and partners-in-crime. It's almost hard for her to kill these people, but then she remembers what they did and her regrets fade away. In that scene, there is a constant fountain that makes noise in the background. What a clever suspense design this was! It's funny how QT is classy and trashy at the smae time, like the ultimate sword fight with the Crazy 88 in which everyone is getting limbs cut off left in right, but it's in black-and-white (as if that made the violence any less graphic). And the beginning of this movie made me jump out of my seat in theater! I never expected the Bride to be so utterly destroyed in the beginning of the movie, and when she's in the middle of speaking and BANG! She gets shot in the head! While I'm not a sick that craves blood and guts, I feel that this was one of the best film beginnings ever. In one scene, it portrayed Bill as an intimidating, sadistic SOB and made you feel sympathy for the Bride. Also, the music, as in all QT films, is great (I think Jackie Brown had the best soundtrack, but this was close). The camera angles were fascinating, like in the House of Blue Leaves with the sword fight and the dance scene. Anyway, I can't recomend this film enough. I'd rate all of QT's films (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp FIction, Jackie Brown) a 10 and Kill Bill a 9 ONLY because i haven't seen Vol. 2. If Vol. 2 is half as good as this, the complete KILL BILL film will be a 10. If I had my way, this and "Big Fish" would've been nominated for Best Picture and "Seabiscuit" would've been taken off the list. I'm surprised Uma Thurman didn't get a Best Actress nomination. It's also nice to see some legitimate masters of the genre in this film, like David Carradine and Sonny Chiba. While it's true that QT could do a film with more substance, I think "Kill Bill" was appropriate because QT's last film "Jackie Brown" was very mature and character-driven, so an action epic is totally acceptable. I loved how there was something unique about every character so that they made a lastin impression, even if they were only in it for one scene. For example, Daryl Hannah had that eyepatch and the whistling song (which was stuck in my head for weeks!). Also, watch for one of the most extraordinary anime sequences I've ever seen!

"Kill Bill" is a love letter to the kung-fu/exploitation films and to his fans. This film is not a rip-off or plaigarism, but it is an homage with inimitable QT style and new twists. It also makes for a hell of an entertaining action/revenge classic. I can't wait for Vol. 2 and the box set that will hopefully be released afterwards.

What are moir?? effects?

Moire: Having a wavy or watery appearance; those fluttering lines you sometimes see, especially when a series of regularly spaced lines are close together. They are particularly bothersome in non-anamorphic transfers.

John

Excellent point about the fountain. Next to the ultra-cool shot of O-Ren and her posse strutting slo-mo down the hall that fountain is the most enduring image (and sound) of the film. It's those seemingly insignificant things that make QT a brilliant filmmaker.