posted
Friday again, and time for the new movie thread. I saw this movie on the first showing of the opening day, so I thought I'd get this one rolling. Ordinarily I wait a few weeks to see a movie, so much do I hate fighting the crowds. But Quentin Tarantino and Kung Fu are two of my favorite things, so I had to check this out.
First off, with the Tarantino-isms. The good news for all the easily offended types: while there was a reasonable R-rated level of profanity, it had about 10% of the usual Quentin level of F-bombs and the like. On the other hand, this was by far the most violent movie he's ever made. He wanted to use the same level of special effects as were available in '70s Hong Cong cinema. But he used a lot of them. There were buckets of blood, and many people were killed, dismembered and disfigured in very graphic ways. If you've got a strong stomach, most of it's pretty funny. But if you get queasy, leave this one alone, or at least don't eat before you see it.
Anyhow, I dug the movie. It wasn't as good as I was hoping, but I don't think I've ever seen a movie as good as I was hoping that this one would be. It's the first movie in years, though, that I've been this excited for that wasn't a complete let-down. After the Star Wars prequels, the last few Jackie Chan and Jet Li movies, the second Matrix movie, and some others, it's nice to have a break in the losing streak. I was into it enough that when I got home, I turned on the TV and saw a behind-the-scenes special on it, and when they showed clips from the movie, I felt annoyed when they ended, and I found myself wishing that I could see the movie again.
As for the stylistic choices: The modular storytelling was vintage Quentin, and he does it better than just about anybody else. I really liked the anime sequence. It was (again) very violent, but very cool. On the other hand, he chose to show a huge section of a pivotal fight scene in black and white, and it was very distracting. That was my least favorite part of the movie.
Concerning the fighting: First off, I was impressed by the casting. It's really cool that he was able to put so many people in the movie that he was paying homage to with the movie. Gordon Liu and Sonny Chiba has acting roles, and Yuen Woo Ping and Sonny Chiba coordinated the fight scenes. They were very good, and have aged incredibly well. The fight scenes themselves were great, although they were different than I expected. In contrast to most Hollywood movies from the past four years, this movie was not trying to one-up The Matrix. Quentin was doing a straight homage to Shaw Brothers kung fu and other martial arts genres, with a little of his own style interjected. And he did an amazing job of it. If you haven't seen many old kung-fu, karate or samurai movies, you'll probably still like the fight scenes, although they may seem a bit average. But if you know what he's trying to do, you'll dig the heck out of them.
Finally, on the choice to split the movie: I'm ambivalent about this one. I really would like to have seen the whole thing in one chunk. It always seems like a pretentious and egotistical choice to do something like this. But, on the other hand, the movie did not seem (to me) to be overly padded. I'm glad he had as much time as he did to flesh out the scenes. I wonder if he'll release the DVD volumes separately, or cut together as one film. I'd like to see the latter, but que sera sera.
Okay, that's my review. I just wanted to get my first impressions down before I lost them. Feel free to disagree on anything.
quote: Unlike Tarantino's postmodern classic Pulp Fiction, this movie lacks humor, subtext, unpredictability and the rich dialogue that made that film so memorable. Instead of rethinking genre movies, here he is a slave to them.
Kirk Hunicutt, from the Hollywood Reporter, review on Fandango website. I agree with most of what Hunicutt says in his review. Kill Bill is very kinetic and watchable, but incredibly bloody. Think 55-gallon drums of blood. If you don't have a strong stomach and love of action movies, don't see it. Otherwise, you might enjoy it. The fight choerography is astounding, without the overuse of bogus hanging from wires that has been so prevalent in recent years. The swordplay is especially memorable. Uma is good in a tough role, and the direction, editing, and music are great. But the movie is lacking heart, something which Pulp Fiction had, and what made it so great and watchable (for me at least) over and over.
Posts: 6316 | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
I read the Fandango review. There are several parts that I disagree with. First off, his complaint that the movie is devoid of emotion. I can think of several points in the film that display extreme emotion. For example: * * * * ***SPOILERS************************************** ************************************************* ************************************************* ************************************************* -The Bride waking up and realizing that her baby is gone. * -Sofie Fatale's physical, and later emotional, pain at losing her arm. * -The terror of the young boy with the samurai sword. * -Ellie Driver's anger at not being able to kill the Bride. ************************************************* ************************************************* ************************************************* ***END SPOILERS********************************** * * * * These are just a few examples. Yes, the emotions are spare in the film. But it seems to me that the director made certain moments so stoic (such as the ones mentioned by the Fandango reviewer) in order to set the important emotions into relief, making them more urgent. And I found the technique quite effective.
Second, the reviewer said that, "this movie lacks humor, subtext, unpredictability and the rich dialogue that made that film so memorable. Instead of rethinking genre movies, here he is a slave to them."
I won't argue dialogue, as I don't have a script with me, but, while this was a more action-oriented film than some of his others, I was quite satisfied with the dialogue. I didn't laugh as much as in Pulp Fiction. But I laughed more than I did in Reservoir Dogs or Jackie Brown. They're different films, and while humor wasn't as prevalent in this one as it was in Pulp Fiction, it had other motives and strengths that made up for that fact.
As for the idea that the director sacrificed his trademark unpredictability and became a slave to the genre, I disagree. For example: * * * * ***SERIOUS BIG-TIME SPOILERS********************* ************************************************* ************************************************* ************************************************* The initial fight scene with Vivica A. Fox. First, being in the middle of this massive, heroic battle, only to have the tone change so drastically by the arrival of the child was (if not for the trailers) completely unpredictable. After that the hero and the villain plan an elaborate end to their conflict. I was all ready for the fight scene at 3 a.m. at the baseball field, trying to decide whether the villain would have an ambush waiting, and anticipating what would have been a very cool and genre-faithful showdown, and suddenly, with a bang and a throw, it was all over. I don't think Tarantino sacrificed his imagination or his unpredictability at all in that scene. ************************************************* ************************************************* ************************************************* ***END SPOILERS********************************** * * * * Other than that, the review was fine. I agree, as I said, that it's a bit frustrating having the film split. But not having the scenes rushed seems to have paid off in this installment. And someday, hopefully, it'll all be a LOTR-length DVD and we won't have to worry about the 4-month intermission.
posted
Eep! Thanks for the warning about the violence, the ads had looked tempting, but I think I'll skip it... Posts: 2911 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Speed, I get were you're coming from. I don't think its a bad film, there's a lot I like about it. I liked the insane schoolgirl in bobbysocks and schoolgirl plaid skirt. I loved the sampling of 70s TV and action film music--themes I know I've heard before but cannot place. The amazing swordplay. Uma's performance was solid--I thought she carried the film to some extent. Sonny Chiba's role was small but cruical--bet he does more in Vol. 2. But I was disapointed. I was unprepared for the *extreme* amounts of blood and gore--possibly more than Natural Born Killers. Pulp Fiction is one of my favorite films. The dialog was far snappier than in Bill, and the plotting more complex and intruiging. I doubt Tarentino will top it, personally. But I hope he keeps trying and I'll keep watching and hoping he does top it.
posted
I didn't like the movie nearly as much as I thought I would. The trailer I saw which made me think this would be an awesome movie pretty much showed everything from the movie worth seeing.
*SPOILERS*
* * *
Okay, so in the trailer they showed the set-up for just about every fight, and I was left thinking that the proceding scene would be awesome. The only fight scene I was even slightly impressed by was between The Bride and Gogo, and that was entirely because of Gogo. They set up the fight between Lui's character and the Bride for three quarters of the movie, and it ended up being one of the lamest fights I've ever seen on film. Thurman's character spent the last half hour being a super-human death machine, and then when she fights Lui they both look like average women with swords. The worst part was how fricken cool the location they fought in was, and that the interplay between the two before the fight was impressive. Lucy Lui looked like a goddess all in white and posing with her sword. Then three unimpressive clanks and one is cut. Three more clanks and the other is cut. Then its over with like two more swings. Talk about anticlimatic.
Which brings me to the SFX, which were just plain horrible. I'm glad that I now know a reason for this "retro" look, but I almost laughed at the horrible brain shot at the end. It was amazingly obvious that the cut started well over Lui's actual head. The violence in this movie didn't bother me at all, but the blood squirting ten feet in the air after every dismemberment was distracting with how stupid it looked. The black and white switch added absolutely nothing, and took away a lot, but I think it was a must to prevent an NC-17 rating.
Thats not to say I hated the movie, and I think what makes me so angry is that it could have been so very much better.
I thought going in that this would be my favorite movie all year. As it is, I do not think they can get me to see Vol 2.
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999
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posted
Okay, me again. I don't want to sound like I can't abide the thought of a negative review to this movie. I see your point, and I have no problem with you not liking it. I just wanted to provide an alternate point of view on your dissatisfaction.
There's a reason that you didn't like those fight scenes, and a reason that they looked different than you expected. Anyone who's been watching American action movies over the last 4 or 5 years has now developed a certain expectation about what fight scenes they'll see. Since Rush Hour and The Matrix, we've been loaded down with Asian style fighting in our movies. And the vast majority of these scenes have been choreographed by people like Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Cory Yuen, Yuen Woo Ping, or, in the case of films like Charlie's Angels and The Musketeer, cheap imitators of these very people. They all have their own way of doing things, but they're also all from Hong Kong. They have a specific form of martial arts and a specific method of filmmaking in Hong Kong. It's very dynamic and acrobatic, using wires, crazy stunts, and large, fluid motion.
In this double-film, Tarantino partially wanted to pay homage to this style of filmmaking. He also wanted to pay homage to a very different style, originating in Japan. That's why the final showdown of the first volume takes place in Tokyo, why they use Japanese weapons, and, most importantly, why the fights in this volume were choreographed by Sonny Chiba. Sonny is the actor who plays Hanzo, the swordmaker. He's also a legend of Japanese film and a master of Ninjitsu, Judo and Kenjutsu, which are very different from the kung-fu we're used to. Fighting with a samurai sword is inherintly completely different than kung-fu fighting, or even fighting with a Chinese sword or saber. The moves are different, more spare and subtle, and the filmmaking style is different as well. If you're a gamer, it's kind of like the difference betwen playing Tekken and Bushido Blade . They're great games, and they both involve people fighting, but the entire premise behind one is nothing like the other.
I'm reminded of my in-laws. They're from Albania. They came to visit us last year, and it was the first time they'd ever left their country. Since Albania is the poorest country in Europe, coming to America was also the first time they'd ever ridden in a car, seen a movie in a theatre, or eaten in a restaurant. Every meal they've ever eaten has been a simple fare of bread, beans, cheese, salad, and occasionally fruit. When I heard that, I began thinking of all the wonderful things I could introduce them to. I took them to Chinese, Tibetan, Brazilian, Mexican, Italian, Inidan and several other varieties of the best food I've ever eaten. They hated all of them. The only thing they could stand was the all-you-can-eat soup and salad bar, because it's the closest to the food they're used to. It doesn't matter how good something is, until you adjust your palate to it, it never tastes as good as the stuff you're used to.
By the way, although Sonny Chiba choreographed the Kenjutsu fight, Yuen Woo Ping was still in the credits as martial arts supervisor. I suspect that, in the fight with Gogo, when The Bride dropped her sword and fought empty-handed against a girl with a Chinese-style weapon, Woo Ping got into the choreography. It was certainly the most obvious use of wires and acrobatics in the film. That may explain why it was your favorite.
If it makes you feel better, the second volume will be more heavy on the homage to the Chinese fighting style. Woo Ping will be the main choreographer, and it will star Chinese film legend Gordon Liu as a kung-fu master. [edit: He also had a small part in this one, as the head of the 88 Crazy Fists (the bald guy in the Kato mask with the double-sword), but he'll have a role that he's more accustomed to in vol. 2] So, chin up. You'll probably like volume 2 much better than you did this one.
posted
You know, Speed, it's possible that not everyone who sees this movie will judge it based on its faithfulness to a genre. Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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I understand that. I was saying that Xavier would probably like Volume 2 better, not because it's more faithful to a genre he's partial to, but because it will probably be closer to the style of movie that his palate is adjusted to. I'm not trying to convince anyone, and to be honest, I'm as interested in their points of view as I'm hoping they'll be in mine.
quote:The violence in this movie didn't bother me at all, but the blood squirting ten feet in the air after every dismemberment was distracting with how stupid it looked.
Xavier. Yeah. I was ready for mucho macho violence, it is after all a kung-fu action film, but blood drenches the movie to a truly nauseating, cartoonish degree. I've loved action movies my entire life, and I even liked Natural Born Killers, but the repeated high-pressure blood fountains were over-the-top. It made me think about walking out on the movie, after I paid almost my last dollar for a ticket.
Posts: 6316 | Registered: Jun 2003
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quote: The black and white switch added absolutely nothing, and took away a lot, but I think it was a must to prevent an NC-17 rating.
SPOILERS --------------------------
Disagree completely. The fight against the 88s was, among many things - LONG. It needed to be long, as we need to see The Bride take out her anger and skill on each and every one of them. Thing is, if we just kept seeing the same thing for 10 minutes, we'd get bored VERY quickly, and completely desensitizd to it - therefore, enter the three visual changeups - first, from color to black and white. This was a stylistic choice, not a ratings padding. There was nothing shown in the b&w sequence any worse or less horrfying than shown in color. Different, yes, but not worse. Note the second changeup, the transition back into color - the blink. This was planned. The next changeup was into the silouette/James Bond-opening-esque fight on the grid. The added a completely NEW visual look to it. Yes, it was just more killing, but it was also new an interesting to look at.
The visual changeups were designed to keep your interest, while showing what Quentin believed neded to be shown on screen. Every single one of 'em getting knocked down to the ground.
Oh, and for the record, I loved it. It exceeded my admittedly already high expectations.
posted
Of course you like such a blood-drenched film , Celia you're EVIL.
I am not trying to turn this into a debate. Tastes vary widely, even for the same person over time. I am just offering mine and other published reviewers opinions. Tarantino has taken movie sampling to new levels. There is a fine line between copying ideas and paying tribute to them. I found Tarantino's earlier works to be very original, not so much Kill Bill Quotes from LA Times review, by Manohla Dargis, bolds mine:
quote:Sampling movies like a D.J., Tarantino uses other artists' beats and images to scratch out his own tune. This sort of playful mix-master technique has its seductions, but there are dangers to getting hooked on other people's genius. The penultimate battle royale in a Japanese nightclub has moments of great graphic beauty amid the spurting severed limbs, yet the scene's most stunning tableau -- a silhouette of the Bride squaring off against some heavies -- is borrowed from Seijun Suzuki, an eccentric master of the yakuza film.
The penultimate sword fight is awesome, no doubt about it.
quote: This kind of mad movie love explains Tarantino's approach and ambitions, and it also points to his limitations as a filmmaker. His multiple references are inescapably entertaining -- it's like watching a movie programmer strut his cool stuff -- but there can be something distracting about them as well. (Unable to place a few titles, I started to feel like one of those losers on "Jeopardy.") Worse, they can show Tarantino at his clever worst rather than his clever best. His previous films have been stuffed to the gills with movie allusions. But what made those films rock weren't the salutes to Hong Kong shoot-'em-ups, it was the anguish in Tim Roth's voice as his character bled to death, the shock of John Travolta's assassin meeting his end on the can, the lyrical stillness of Pam Grier's face.
Exactly. Less sampling and more originality, less blood and more heart, less "Bitch!" and better dialog with more humor would have helped the film enormously.
posted
Better than I expected. The more previews, commercials and clips I saw, the more I felt this would be the first Tarantino directed film I disliked.
But that wasn't so. I liked it. However it is the first Tarantino film I've had little interest in going to see again. It was so so so thoroughly more violent and bloody, and horrific than anything I'd seen that by the time one character is killed near the end, I'd just about had enough, and I've never felt that way with one of his films before.
That being said, considering his objectives, to make a flashy, old school, and yet modern revenge picture incorporating everything Speed mentioned, he was pretty darn successful. And for me, that's what any artistic venture is about, setting aesthetic objectives and trying to achieve them as close to perfectly as possible, whatever they be. I felt Tarantino did just that.
I think the reason most people (and critics) will have problems with it will be the fact that they find the objective hollow, and the methodology for achieving it, puerile and painfully stupid at best. But if you're okay with his objective and you respect it, I think you'll feel the same way about the movie.
I'm astonished at the critical praise it's getting, hell, I'm not so sure even Pulp Fiction got consistently this many positive reviews (I know Shulgasser and Jeffrey Lyons didn't like it, but I always thought they were half-wits anyway, so that didn't bother me much), right now it's at 80% in the tomato meter over at rottentomatoes.com. Wow!! I was sure tons and tons of critics would hate it for the very reasons I imagined in the previous paragraph but instead, they feel rather different.
Anyway, I enjoyed it, but I'm pretty sure I won't be seeing it again, at least for a very, very long time.
Posts: 752 | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
I have to say that although I thought life couldnt get any better than Pulp Fiction I have to say, Kill Bill is better, I love Bruce and Samuel but frankly, Lucy Liu wins my vote.
Posts: 47 | Registered: Oct 2003
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quote:... considering his objectives, to make a flashy, old school, and yet modern revenge picture incorporating everything Speed mentioned, he was pretty darn successful. And for me, that's what any artistic venture is about, setting aesthetic objectives and trying to achieve them as close to perfectly as possible, whatever they be. I felt Tarantino did just that.
Greywolfe, this was a good point. Tarantino did produce one hell of a modern revenge tale, and so as you pointed out, he achieved his artistic objectives. Morbo
[ October 12, 2003, 11:44 PM: Message edited by: the Professor ]
Posts: 111 | Registered: Jun 2003
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quote: Assault weapons don't kill people... people who watch Quentin Tarantino movies kill people.
US Senator Bob Dole. link to source. So if anyone close to you starts making too many hip, obscure 70s movie and pop-culture references, for God's sake, RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! Don't stop running till you are among decent folk, whose favorite movies include It's a wonderful life (yours truly---however, never turn your back to me, because I've see all of Quentin's films.) What a humorless old curmudgeon Dole was >> . Thank God he's a has been. Morbo
Posts: 14 | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
One thing that Tarantino does better than almost anyone else is scoring. He always finds the perfect song or piece of music to set and enhance the mood and he does it in an inventive and usually hilarious way. His soundtracks are fantastic.
Kill Bill is no exception. Opening with the slowed-down Nancy Sinatra version of Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) was incredibly effective. Only the Coen brothers are a match for Tarantino in this department.
Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
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Credit should probably also go to the lady in charge of that. I believe a woman is in charge of that with Tarantino although quite obviously Tarantino is a heavy handed presence in that arena. And you're right, that Nancy Sinatra song is so perfect, it makes you wonder how many more perfections are capable in this imperfect world.
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I'm pretty sure he does the majority of it himself. I have an album called The Tarantino Connection that has some vocal tracks of him talking about the songs for his movies. He said that he goes through his record collection (which is extensive) when he is about to begin writing a script to find the tone of the movie.
Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
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I agree, Mrs. M and greywolfe, picking nuanced music that perfectly sets mood and tone has always been a Tarentino trademark. I wonder how much is due to him and how much to his people working on sound and music editing? Kill Bill continues this brilliant use of music. I especially liked the cool 70s action film music that played whenever Uma was fixin' to open a can of whup-*** on someone. Does anybody know where that music comes from? Or is it an original parody of classic action film music? I'm sure I've heard it before, at least the first part. I also like the heavy percussion instumentals that played along with the motorcycles in Tokyo. I wouldn't be surprised If Kill Bill is nominated for or even wins Oscars in music or sound editing categories.
****minor Pulp Fiction spoilers************
2 other quick examples of Tarentino's deft touch with music, from Pulp Fiction: Right before Uma snorts John Travolta's heroin thinking it's cocaine, she plays around with her lighter--the song has the lines "girl, you'll be a woman soon" and "you're playing with fire." When Butch sees Marsellus after he blew the fix in the big fight and Marsellus has his men scouring LA to kill him, the song on the radio says "It's good to see you!" Then Butch runs over Marsellus. Morbo
[ October 13, 2003, 03:47 PM: Message edited by: the Professor ]
Posts: 111 | Registered: Jun 2003
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I've only seen Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill. I found Pulp Fiction to be interesting, and certainly a good watch - but I wasn't on the lookout for anything very cool (and I haven't seen it in years), so I probably missed something.
On the other hand, Kill Bill is great. I'm suddenly very glad that I had a kungfu movie streak between the ages of 14 and 15 - I recognized what Tarantino was doing without having to hear preview/reviews tell me about it. I wholeheartedly love the fight sequences, and O-shii Ren's origin story, and *anything* to do with katana. I was expecting to get some weird stuff, and I got it, but at least I knew where it came from (some of the 70's-ish cinematography, odd sound effects, etc). The only thing I could have done without was the Bride ripping Buck's lip off. Coulda done without that one. But that's the only image in the movie that really makes me cringe. I expected the blood-fountains, and it reminded me very much of anime (and a little bit of Army of Darkness) - while I don't usually get crazy about lots and lots of blood, I accepted them because Tarantino had the balls to show what it's *really* like to fight with katana.
The soundtrack is awesome. I'm gonna be picking that one up very quickly.
That said... what other things should I look for? I'm going to see it again, and this time I'd like to know what I should be looking for - if there is anything to look for.
Posts: 753 | Registered: Mar 2001
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quote:I don't usually get crazy about lots and lots of blood, I accepted them because Tarantino had the balls to show what it's *really* like to fight with katana.
Okay, sorry to break it to you, but the human body is not a baloon filled with 100 gallons of blood under pressure waiting to pop. Getting your arm cut off does not, in fact, cause blood to spray out with the pressure of a firehose.
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999
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quote: I especially liked the cool 70s action film music that played whenever Uma was fixin' to open a can of whup-*** on someone. Does anybody know where that music comes from? Or is it an original parody of classic action film music? I'm sure I've heard it before, at least the first part.
It's from Quicy Jones' Ironside, and it's on the AMAZING soundtrack album.
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posted
I think Tarantino was accurately showing what japanese cult samurai films (Lone Wolf and Cub, anyone?) portray sword fighting as.
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I think that Lime makes a good point about the swordfighting. Yes, the gore is cheesy and over the top, but that's the point, and it's hardly fair to criticise the movie for it's lack of realism. However, how many times have you seen a swordfight in an american movie that ends with a kick, or with both people fistfighting after swords are discarded. I was pleased to see a movie where swordfights end in people being cut and limbs severed.
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Thanks for the info Taalcon. I just found this link http://tarantino.webds.de that goes over the soundtrack almost scene-by-scene. I may buy the soundtrack over the DVD.
Posts: 327 | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
This was a great movie. Understanding, of course that this IS a Tarantino film, after all.
And those who dislike the violence should remember that it isn't called "HUG BILL" or "Teatime with Bill".
Tarantino is one of the few directors who can play gouts, even FOUNTAINS of blood, for laughs and get away with it.
Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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quote:Okay, sorry to break it to you, but the human body is not a baloon filled with 100 gallons of blood under pressure waiting to pop. Getting your arm cut off does not, in fact, cause blood to spray out with the pressure of a firehose.
I did use the wrong word - "really" - when what I meant was "katana aren't made of Nerf". They cut people, that's what they're designed to do, and Tarantino didn't shy away from that. Yes, the buckets of blood was gratuitous. Did I think that getting my arm cut off results in buckets of high pressure spraying blood? No.
Posts: 753 | Registered: Mar 2001
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When we went to see it, we took my kids along but the younger one (11) saw "Good Boy" instead with a friend, which was fortunately playing at the same time as "Kill Bill." I haven't had a problem with him seeing violent movies, but from what I heard this was too violent.
It was and it wasn't. I'm glad he saw the other film, but it wasn't violent enough to gross me out. If the blood hadn't spurted like a fire hose, if the injuries had been portrayed realistically, I couldn't have watched it all. Instead it was more like a two-hour version of the Black Knight scene from "Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail."
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Chris, that's what I was thinking the whole time. If the bleeding had been realistic, and i mean really realistic, not the hollywood action movie crap, I wouldn't have been able to stand that much killing. But since he pushed it just that much beyond believable, I was able to watch it, and laugh, even.
I enjoyed it, but it was also vaguely unsatisfying, in that anything I see between now and Christmas is just to pass the time until RotK, which may or may not be what I hope for. But still.
Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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quote: ...There were long lines - but it turns out they were mostly for a vicious little horror film about chainsaws and the second week of Quentin Tarantino's pretentious remake of everybody else's martial arts revenge movies.
What can I say? If you're a grownup who thinks dismemberment is not entertaining, and if you are among those who have noticed that Emperor Tarantino is naked and don't wish to appall yourself with further displays of his "talent," Runaway Jury is a good movie.
-Orson Scott Card
Wow... that's a pretty definitive review for someone who has not, nor will ever, see the movie. He's made it no secret that he's not personally into martial arts movies. I guess this gives him the right to give a film a scathing, vicious review based solely upon genre. But where did he get the mock-indignation over the filmmaker's supposed theft of ideas that he's never cared for, or even been exposed to?
I suppose I could go over all his past reviews and tell him that every album he's ever enjoyed sucks because there's nothing good in Broadway showtunes or modern country music, but that would be a little petty.
[edit: wow... I just flamed one of my favorite authors on a forum that he created. What's possessed me? On the off chance that he or any of his relations read this... no hard feelings, eh?]
posted
I had only one problem with this film, Does anyone practice traditional japanese martial arts, such as Kendo. Kenjustu ,or Iaido? Sure sure the choerography was visually amusing but the mixture of the traditional arts made the fights a little hoky.The way Uma Thurman swung her katana like it would cut anything was, to me, a little lame. But as all of Tarantino's movies the dialogue was hilariuos and the filming, incredible. Tarantino is an amazing director. Other than the sword play. i Loved this movie.
Posts: 13 | Registered: Oct 2003
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quote: But as all of Tarantino's movies the dialogue was hilariuos
I thought the dialogue was only average, with a few scenes or exchanges of good dialogue being the exception. I want to see it again. But I think the dialogue was weaker than any previous Tarantino scripted film (except for Dawn to dusk, if Quentin had anything to do with the script for that turkey.)
posted
He...once more, the brazilian guy have nothing to say, because (surprise, surprise) Kill Bill is not on brazilian theaters yet. Have to wait for 3 weeks.
Go, third world!
Well...at least there will be "Matrix Revolutions" next week.
Posts: 1785 | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
So if I liked "Kill Bill" AND "Runaway Jury," where does that put me, in the Uncle Orson scheme of things?
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
I saw the last thirty minutes of Kill Bill via a pirated copy-- and wished I'd stuck to refreshing Hatrack over and over and over-- I would have been more entertained.
"See, Tarantino's paying omage to those great 70's kung-fu cut ups. . . see how great he is?"
Not remotely. His filmaking got in the way of his film.
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
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I don't plan on seeing this, simply because, in the reviews I've read of it, not one word has been said about interesting characters. It makes me think that it would just be Gray's Anatomy meets flashy filmwork. Not my cup of tea.
Anyway, Card has a long tradition of trashing movies he hasn't seen. It makes sense that the movies that it looks like you will hate the most, made by people whose previous work you dispise, will also be the ones you won't see.
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Which is fine. I just get a trifle annoyed when a reviewer assumes they understand my viewing habits based on a single movie.
quote:If you're a grownup who thinks dismemberment is not entertaining, and if you are among those who have noticed that Emperor Tarantino is naked and don't wish to appall yourself with further displays of his "talent," Runaway Jury is a good movie.
I think dismemberment can be entertaining (such as in "Search for the Holy Grail," where it was hilarious, and "Misery," where it was absolutely chiiling, etc), I like Tarantino's movies, but I still think "Runaway Jury" is a good movie. Is this a problem? Why is there an assumed either/or component to OSC's reviews?
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
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quote: I had only one problem with this film, Does anyone practice traditional japanese martial arts, such as Kendo. Kenjustu ,or Iaido?
Do you practice Iaido? I've seen pictures of classes but it's pretty rare to have access to them. Apparently the difference between using wooden sticks and actual swords is pretty significant? Posts: 13123 | Registered: Feb 2002
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Awesome. I thought it was brilliant. I didn't expect something realistic. I didn't expect something deep. I expected a ninja action movie with loads of babes, blood, tough talk and slick, slick, slick film-making. I got exactly that.
Oh, a friend of mine remarked to me recently, "Do you really think Pulp Fiction is a brilliant and complicated plot? Or is it a simple plot that's really, really well edited?"
Posts: 2945 | Registered: Apr 2000
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i do practice iaido. i practice the eishin ryu style i think and i know all 10 forms. i am yet to be ranked.
Posts: 13 | Registered: Oct 2003
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