Kill Bill

Watched the first one on DVD last night in preparation for seeing the second one. I'm suprised no one has mentioned the little "in-jokes," like the character named Hattori Hanzo, or Go-go's schoolgirl outfit, which should remind everyone of Baataru Roiaru!
My favourite line: "I'm not bald, I shave my head!"

Both films are permeated with what are esoteric jokes to those who don't see and love movies. "Pulp Fiction" has many tongue-in-cheek film noir references.

HB - you have to watch the extras on the DVD - it's great material.

I actually refrained from doing so until I've seen the second one, which a group of us from the advanced class at my dojo are going to do tomorrow night!

Hobitbob- forgive my ignorance. What are the inside jokes involving Hattori Hanso and Baataru Roiaru? Are these characters from martial arts films?

I thought Viveca Fox was given short shrift in Vol 1. She was way too easy to kill.

I just saw Vol 2 last night. Not half as bloody as Vol 1, but bloody enough. I DID notice in Pt 2 that David Carradine makes reference to killing Shaolin Temple monks (His "Kung Fu" TV character was a Shaolin priest)

A TV series in the 1980s on Japanese TV, starrring Sonny Chiba (Of "Karate Fighter" fame) about the multigenerational saga of a smurai family, pure adventure, pure fun. Also, Hanzo "the Razor" was the title of a series of movies in the 1970s that mixed the "Chanbarra" rivers of blood samurai action with exploitative soft core porn. These were directed by the same group that made the "Lone Wolf and Cub" movies (sometimes referred to as the "Babay Cart from Hell" series).



Another Japanese cult movie. In the "near future," as society breaks down, random classes of JR. High school students are transported to an island off the coast of Kyushu, and forced to kill each other off until only one survives, all on national TV. I think this spawned a series of anime sequels. Anyway, the girl who played Go-go played the lead character in Battaru Roiaru. The shots of Go-go bloodied in her schoolgirl uniform were remniscent of similar shots in that movie. In addiditon, the character in Battaru is a psychotic slut, like the character in Kill Bill. The "Do you wnanna **** me" sequence is copied from a similar sequence in BAttaru.

I strongly agree with Borricone, 9/13/03: Kill Bill Sucks.
And Equus, 10/20/03I: Kill Bill is a movie?

I watched Kill Bill I last night. About the only word I can come up with is "boring." A relentless, phony-baloney, alleged hand-to-hand combat, consistingly loud, accompanied by buckets of blood. The combatants are as believable as the Easter bunny and Santa Claus and twice as interesting. This movie was not made to have any character development or an intrigueing plot line. It is all bread and circuses. Who gives a s--t what happens to either combatant. I just want to see "people" flipping backwards over and over. An unrelentingly fast visual pace can be as boring as an unrelentingly slow-paced, talky movie. Something Shakespeare knew when he alternated contrasting scenes (dialogue, fight scenes, large groups, small groups, etc.)

Want to see an exciting, believable female assassin film? Try the 1991 French version of Nikita Le Femme. We know who she is, who trained her, and how she turned into an assassin. She has a personality. Her physical actions are plausible. Her transformation into a Christ like figure is intrigueing. This movie was the material used to make a TV series of the same name.

Le Femm Nikita was made in an American Version called "Point of no Return" with Bridget Fonda. A much weaker film than the French version. Also, Anne Parillaud was much sexier than Bridget Fonda.

Well, some just aren't going to get it even with nearly 90% favorable reviews and a lot of four star ratings.

Jeffrey Anderson in the San Francisco Examiner:

KILL BILL VOL. II REVIEW

"So what is Tarentino?" I don't believe he is fixated on violence at all -- it's a tool of the trade to tell what ultimately is a very human story about revenge and redemption." To me, the two gals in Kill Bill I are the furthest from being "very human" as it humanly possible to be.

I think you are reading into the film things that are not there and giving accolades such as "great film making" that are mere assertions. To even suggest the possibility of an Oscar for Uma borders on...on...on...
crazy. That's it -- just plain crazy. She isn't called on to do anything more than look bloody.

Lightwizard. Don't dismiss my opinions. I think your adulation of this movie is mistaken. Bur you do remain the movie guru of these threads, in my opinion.

"So what is Tarentino?" I don't believe he is fixated on violence at all -- it's a tool of the trade to tell what ultimately is a very human story about revenge and redemption." To me, the two gals in Kill Bill I are the furthest from being "very human" as it humanly possible to be.

I think you are reading into the film things that are not there and giving accolades such as "great film making" that are mere assertions. To even suggest the possibility of an Oscar for Uma borders on...on...on...
crazy. That's it -- just plain crazy. She isn't called on to do anything more than look bloody.

Lightwizard. Don't dismiss my opinions. I think your adulation of this movie is mistaken. Bur you do remain the movie guru of these threads, in my opinion.

I'm not dismissing your opinion, I'm disagreeing with it. I can't believe we saw the same movie but like Ebert and Roeper get into it on disagreeing about a film, opinions on anything are bound to sometimes differ. Tarentino is not to everyone's taste but I am not mistaken in my appreciation of what he produces as a filmmaker. His dialogue is pungent and witty and often does seem a bit crazy. So humans never do crazy things? I might have led you to believe you should take the film more seriously because of my commentary. That's simply doesn't work with Tarentino.

Lightwizard, You wrote:

"It's ultimately about great innovative filmmaking -- something others could learn from who are more stoic and have an unhealthy psychological fixation on violence. I needn't mention any names even though many will think, "So what is Tarentino?" I don't believe he is fixated on violence at all -- it's a tool of the trade to tell what ultimately is a very human story about revenge and redemption."

What is an "unhealthy psychological fixation on violence." ? "Tarentino is not fixated on violence, he just uses violence- "a tool of the trade" to tell a very human story. Let me point out, once again, that I see the characters in Kill Bill as super-human fantasy characters, not plausible human beings. If anyone starts with the premise that they are, then we are indeed on a different wavelengths. But I don't believe most people who really like the movie believe they are seeing two females of the real human species. The movie fits the genre "fantasy". By the by, I got kick out of parts of the movie especially thepower of one woman-being doing-in all those nasties. But after the five hundredth one, it does get boring.

You wrote, "[Kill Bill] doesn't try to fake its importance."
That's difficult to follow. Does it mean the movie is important, but doesn't appear to be important? Or, does it mean the movie sincerely tries to be important, but isn't?

"Tarentino is a genius of improvisation"
How do you know? I assume you know he uses improvisation in making his movies. That's something one reads about from someone who has worked with him. It isn't a result of viewing the film.
In any case, the master film maker who creates his movies by improvisation is the British diretor Mike Leigh.

For example: From an interview with Mike Leigh:
ML: It boils down to, essentially, that I start with no script. I do a brief of the film for myself, which is usually pretty fluid. Then I work with the actors for an extensive period creating the characters, through conversation, research and improvisation. Then we go out and invent the film on location, and structure it and shoot it as we go. To me, that's what it's all about. It's about using film as a medium in its own right, not as a way of including the decisions of various committees.

Lightwizard, you have the numbers and you are a tough nut.
But you remind me of English Lit Professors. The type that overwhelms you with words. You ask them a question and 30 mins. later he says, "Does that anwer your question?" What was the question?
My questions are somewhat rhetorical. If you comment and answer, I'll be happy to read them.

If I've said anything to offend you . . . believe me . . . . . .




















_________________

Huh?

"Kill Bill" is a love story.

It is.

An argument could be made that the blood and killing and gore were Uma's symbolic struggle with inner multiple personalities, while coping with the illegimate birth of her daughter and estrangement from her lover. She was slowing 'finding herself' again.

Or it could have been just blood and guts.

Although I can appreciate that there is a multitude of interpretations for all of Tarentino's films, the storylines are pretty straight forward (despite even his use of time shifting). He shakes up psychological balances and it's often disconcerting for some moviegoers. His ideas are open ended which is why they are fun to watch even if the violence becomes overwhelming. The violence is not relentless but used to punctuate the storytelling. Like I said before, other directors could learn something about how to used violence to the advantage of revealing their characters and the story rather than brandishing it with an unbridled mindset.

I saw KBI last night, and I liked it.

It had a good mix of over-the-top Kung-Fu Theater kitsch, and a core story of female vengeance. The characters were super-human fantasy characters, but that's how characters in any epic story are, super-human fantasy characters. Heck, most of them are partly divine like the Hellenic mythological heroes from Achilles to Jesus Christ.

Are they and the fantastical stories about them real? But, we can identify with them because these stories deal with issues that plain old mortals such as ourselves encounter in our mundane lives. Like betrayal, vengeance and renewal.

The anime scenes telling the story of O-Ren Ishii were top notch.

You tuned into the film with absolutely no problem.