Kill Bill

Handsome Bob

I just watched Kill Bill Vol 1 and 2 for the first time since originally watching these films all those years ago. The film reminded me of so many things. For one, how bad ass female characters can be. I mean c'mon, Uma Thurman, Daryl Hannah and Lucy Liu all ruled.

The action is fantastic if not slightly ridiculous.

Michael Madsen and David Carradine have an awesome scene.

Pai Mei. Legend.

Buck likes to ****.

I mean what a class film. Now apparently sequels are being planned:

Bennett Walsh said at the Shanghai International Film Festival the third film involves the revenge of two killers whose arms and eyes were hacked by Uma Thurman in the first stories.

The fourth instalment of the popular kung fu action films concerns a cycle of reprisals and daughters who avenge their mother's deaths, Hangzhou-based newspaper City Express quoted Bennett as saying.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=21491

Personally, I would love to see a film where the tables are turned on Beatrix. This time, Beatrix should be the one that is the target of revenge, where Vernita Green's daughter makes good on the bride's open invitation to track her down once she grows up. I don't think this is too much of a stretch, Uma can play a glamourous 40/50 something year old.

Sad Professor

That link is quite old. I doubt additional sequels will ever happen at this stage.

It is years since I have watched Kill Bill, but at the time I felt quite strongly that the decision to the split the film in half didn't do it any favours. Tarantino should have just put his ego to one side and cut the film down to 2 hours and 20 mins or whatever. The finished result just seemed overly indulgent to me. It was a quality script as always with Tarantino, but it didn't need two films to be told and many of the scenes seemed redundant or went on too long.

AnnyHallsal

Kill Bill's awesome Quentin is so damn stylish.

Handsome Bob

Sad Professor wrote: »

That link is quite old. I doubt additional sequels will ever happen at this stage.

It is years since I have watched Kill Bill, but at the time I felt quite strongly that the decision to the split the film in half didn't do it any favours. Tarantino should have just put his ego to one side and cut the film down to 2 hours and 20 mins or whatever. The finished result just seemed overly indulgent to me. It was a quality script as always with Tarantino, but it didn't need two films to be told and many of the scenes seemed redundant or went on too long.

I don't know, I mean I'm not sure whether I'd want to cut any scenes from both films. Perhaps the scene with thr 88's could have been reduced. Other than that I think every scene has its value. Even the at first meaningless scene with Budd and his boss has meaning within the wider context of how bad Budd's life has turned out.

Magic Eight Ball

Typical bloated self-indulgence Tarantino tripe. The only good thing he ever did was Jackie Brown.

nyarlothothep

hmmm I think it tries to hard to impress the audience. Its not really any different from any other Tarantino film, in being a composite of retro influences. He was going somewhere interesting with Jackie Brown, I think in giving up on that direction hes consigned himself to a comfortable mediocrity where he'll never reach the same heights of his 90s career.

That being said a new Tarantino film usually gets me excited because I like his novelistic and unconventional approach to film making.

unreggd

I fxckin love Kill Bill, its prob my fave film of all time, as for me its a major box-ticker

I agree though that it coulda been better cut down. There's a good few chapters I always skip, mainly the ones with Michael Parks. He was put in the film for the sake of it [2 diff characters, wtf!!]

Not really fussed about a sequel, it wouldn't be anything new

and I dont agree that the bride's acts of vengeance deserve revenge

But I wouldnt be surprised if theres a Michael Bay sequel where Sophie has robotic arms, and Elle is back with cyber eyes :P

krudler

He did apparently shoot footage of the little girl who plays Vernita's daughter "just in case" a sequel ever did come about, thats mostly a rumour though. I like the Kill Bill movies, theres greatness in there but seperately they're a bloated, self indulgent mess. cut a sh1tload of the unncessary stuff out and it'd make a classic single film but as two seperate parts they're all over the place. Tarantino does have talent, but he just needs to stop stealing his ideas from other people, True Romance is still the best thing he's ever written and that was even a ripoff of Badlands, down to the theme tune.

epgc3fyqirnbsx

Magic Eight Ball wrote: »

Typical bloated self-indulgence Tarantino tripe. The only good thing he ever did was Jackie Brown.

I'm sorry, now I think half of Tarantino's stuff is just alright, but this post just seems to reek of one that has to go against popular opinion for the sake of going against popular opinion.

Only good thing was Jackie Brown? The reason that Pulp Fiction was so popular, or at least one of the main reasons, was the dialogue. A chat about McDonalds in Europe. Why would that be in a movie at all? Cos it's a feckin natural conversation, and a pretty new concept for a movie

On topic, I enjoyed the Kill Bills for the escapisms that they were, not too up on Jap films either but from what I do know it looked like a successful fusion of jap meets west. Good movies, good fun. IMO.

krudler

The worst thing about the KB movies is the massive anticlimax to the 2nd one, after what seems like an hour of dialogue she punches him in the chest? thats it? 2 movies of buildup for a 3 second showdown? Bill's idea of getting dressed up in black and having a swordfight on the beach at dawn sounded way cooler :pac:

indough

sorry but did you just refer to the five point palm exploding heart technique as both a 'punch in the chest' and an anti-climax?

jill_valentine

I agree that it could have benefitted from losing about three hours at least, but yes, there was some terrific stuff in there.

I also would very much like to see more Elle Driver, should the mythological sequel go ahead. She was the most awesome part of it for me by a long shot, and I like the idea of her going all Zatoichi on everybody's ass.

everyday taxi

I'd love to knock the bejaysus out of that Una thurman in a sexual kinda way. Im gonna watch it now!!!

juma

I havent seen those films in years but one thing that always puzzled me was why do they censor Beatrix name in it? Was it just to add suspense?

krudler

juma wrote: »

I havent seen those films in years but one thing that always puzzled me was why do they censor Beatrix name in it? Was it just to add suspense?

Thats just Tarantino being Tarantino, his version of "the man with no name" from the Leone westerns, a nameless antihero as the central character. I do love the way that her name is in the very first line of dialogue in the first movie, "Hello Kiddo", but its passed off as just a pet name by Bill instead of being her actual surname, nice touch.

Galvasean

indough wrote: »

sorry but did you just refer to the five point palm exploding heart technique as both a 'punch in the chest' and an anti-climax?

A glorified punch in the chest that was signposted too heavily.

Mickeroo

I think when watched back to back as one movie it's almost Tarantino's best movie. I don't think editing it down to a shorter single movie would have worked, Vol 1 is quite different to Vol 2 in tone and style, like tarantino said, the first one is the eastern and the second is the western.

johnny_ultimate

I'd agree that it does get a bit bloated, and while the second has some great moments, the first is probably a better film with the stylistic changes feeling more confident. I'd totally agree the man needs an editor: the dialogue scenes drag on way too long in his recent films, the main problem being they are neither funny nor engaging enough to pull you in over their extended running time. Inglorious Basterds pushed it to an extreme (that film could have shaved an hour off, if it wasn't for the meandering dialogue), but hints of it here too, such as the conversations with Bill. Of course, you have to concede that this is Tarantino being Tarantino, a stylistic trait of his that does, if nothing else, lend his films an individual edge. Doesn't always take the audience into account though.

All that said, the tea house (I think) and trailer fights are just great.

And the O-Ren Ishii decapitation

scene is a fantastic character introduction sequence.

krudler

Galvasean wrote: »

A glorified punch in the chest that was signposted too heavily.

bingo, it was an anticlimax to have this character Bill built up as this unmitigated badass, and the finale of the film is him making a sandwich and having a chat about Superman.

Mickeroo

The only movie i thought the meandering dialogue was rubbish was in Death Proof. I didn't notice it so much in Kill Bill and in Inglorious Basterds i thought it served well in increasing the tension in some scenes, such as the opening scene and the scene in the bar with Fassbender(who at the single coolest moment in the whole film in that scene i might add). I thought it worked much the same way in the scene with Bill and Kiddo at the end.

jill_valentine

I have to say, I know Tarantino always has a great soundtrack, but I thought Kill Bill's was exceptional. About Her and Goodnight Moon are both amazing, and employed very nicely.

johnny_ultimate

jill_valentine wrote: »

I have to say, I know Tarantino always has a great soundtrack, but I thought Kill Bill's was exceptional. About Her and Goodnight Moon are both amazing, and employed very nicely.

For introducing me to this, I am forever grateful to Tarantino:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXgjzHSVDEA

jill_valentine

I think we all remember the whole f*cking summer of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIKORxPeFq8

too.

And actually, I've just remembered Bang Bang (You shot me down). Yes, I think it's time to dig out that CD.

DesperateDan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENyGj_NQKkU

And this :cool:

krudler

It does have a class soundtrack, thats the one thing nobody can fault Tarantino about, the man really knows how to put a song to a scene.

AnnyHallsal

And he can write. There's some pin-sharp dialogue in Kill Bill. People can slag off his shtick, but try writing dialogue as snappy and memorable as True Romance, Pulp Fiction etc. He's in another league to most contemporary screenwriters, or playwrights for that matter. There are also amazing images/visual moments, some camera pans etc that you don't get in the work of most directors. Kill Bill is yards better that most of the dross that comes out of Hollywood day-in, day-out.

Also gave us this great parody

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GCJ-G97QUA

Galvasean

krudler wrote: »

I do love the way that her name is in the very first line of dialogue in the first movie, "Hello Kiddo", but its passed off as just a pet name by Bill instead of being her actual surname, nice touch.

:eek: Never kopped that!

indough

Galvasean wrote: »

A glorified punch in the chest that was signposted too heavily.

setting aside the fact that i was clearly not being 100% serious, the move is nothing at all like a punch, its 5 seperate jabs each with a finger (not a single hit and not with a fist)

“He hits you with his fingertips at five different pressure points on your body, and then lets you walk away. But once you’ve taken five steps your heart explodes in your body, and you fall to the floor, dead.”

dunno how you could possibly consider that a glorified punch, but anyway...

Galvasean

indough wrote: »

setting aside the fact that i was clearly not being 100% serious, the move is nothing at all like a punch, its 5 seperate jabs each with a finger (not a single hit and not with a fist)



dunno how you could possibly consider that a glorified punch, but anyway...

So semantics is your game then? I'll bite :P
Fine then, a glorified super-poke. She just

gave him a bit of a prodding, he walks off, dies.

By signposted I mean

there was this casually inserted flashback where Bill tells her of this amazing move that the great master wouldn't teach anybody. Watching it thinking, "Hmmmmm.... how might this come in useful...."

unreggd

I liked the ending. Yes, it was a bit of an anti-climax, but it is a whopper move! It's a bit like the Kiss of the Dragon

It's better than the other planned ending of Beatrix showin up in a wedding dress and a swordfight on the beach

Just as Bill thought he won, not only did she come back, but with that move that he clearly wanted to learn for years

She obv proved herself to Pai mei more than any other student he ever had

I'm just surprised she kept it from Bill even back when they were madly in love

Maybe she saw it as her only real way out [and it the end it was!]

grames_bond

I'm still waiting (as are many people) for "kill bill: the whole bloody affair", the movies the way they were meant to be done......as one (long) movie, Tarantino has even written a new anime sequence for it!

krudler

Anyone seen the Japanese version with the tea house sword fight left intact? more violence and it doesnt turn to black and white, pity its never come out over here.

Mickeroo

krudler wrote: »

Anyone seen the Japanese version with the tea house sword fight left intact? more violence and it doesnt turn to black and white, pity its never come out over here.

yea i remember you could get an R2 dvd of it online for a while on CD-Wow years ago, wish i bloody baught it now.

Galvasean

Damn Hollywood big-wigs, censoring the sword fight and splitting the movie in two. Gptta love movie politics :rolleyes:

tman

grames_bond wrote: »

I'm still waiting (as are many people) for "kill bill: the whole bloody affair", the movies the way they were meant to be done......as one (long) movie, Tarantino has even written a new anime sequence for it!

Yep, that'll be a day 1 bluray purchase for me if it ever comes out!
Sounds like he was going to get stuck into finishing it after Inglorious Basterds was done and dusted, but I haven't heard a peep about it since then:(

krudler

The uncensored fight is crazy, the amount of blood flying around the place is mental towards the end of it, I know we got a shot of the aftermath in colour but when the blood is flying during the fight it makes it way cooler, I still piss myself laughing every time she catches the axe and sends it back at the guy who threw it, buries it right in his forehead and sends him flying through a table, great sh1t

mikhail

Kill Bill fans should read this: http://www.thehousenextdooronline.com/2008/11/blooming-lotus-redemption-and-spiritual.html

It interprets the story as a classic Buddist story about a warrior purifying herself of five 'deadly sins' (to use a term from a more familiar religion). Even if you don't find yourself convinced by the argument, it's a fascinating take on it.

jill_valentine

I actually think the black and white might have added to it. I mean, it is a bit uncharacteristic of the Eastern style he was going for, but it does make everything look great.

Ridley

Stopped to watch Chapters 8 and 9 when I caught them on TV yesterday. Easily the best sequence of both volumes for me.

Really need to get around to seeing L'Arena - and Nighty Night's use of My Name Is Nobody - in their original context.