Kill Bill vol2.

Re: Kill Bill vol2.

(please excuse my late review)
Wow, I really like Tarantino...a lot. I've loved all his movies. and he is one of the reasons I want to become a film maker.

Looking at it from a story aspect, I wasn't too impressed. :( I'm VERY sad. I was REALLY bored.

Now looking at it from a cinematographer's aspect. AMAZING. Great shots, and composition. Great style.

And then it dawned on me. KB was all about style. Old school fighting style, Black and white style, spraying blood fighting style...directing style, lighting style...you know?

Overall I think the story was lacking, but I thought this was great. But anyone else feel like not going to the theater and watching it on a big screen...just hurts? Lately I've noticed renting a movie kills the film experience...

This and The Last Samurai...should've seen it in theaters...

Damnit, yet my ex drags me to see Daredevil?? What the hell?? She won't be missed. :P ;D
 
Re: Kill Bill vol2.

I just watched it again, and it's soo much better...It's amazing...But I am SOOO for a complete version. I'm going to go rent vol. 1 so I can watch them together...

It's kind of like Back to the Future, they're good alone...but I love watching all three in a row.
 
Re: Kill Bill vol2.

I just watched Vol 1 and 2 back-to-back on DVD. What a phenomenal movie (it really is only one movie). Still, I wrote a review for KB2 by itself for my local film club:

It’s August, and Kill Bill Volume 2 is still one of the best films that have come out of Hollywood this year. Basically it’s an action movie, but what makes it unique is the way genres are combined and themes are interwoven, not to mention some absolutely stellar performances and beautiful cinematography.

Kill Bill 1 was a showcase for Tarantino’s skill in non-linear story telling and his astounding ability in combining amazing images with perfectly chosen musical scores. Despite the bloodshed (which is deliberately cartoonish, rendering it much less offensive) Tarantino had created a film with genuine warmth -- an homage that exuded the director’s love of film. However, while some felt the artful presentation was an end unto itself, others faulted it for not having enough character development or the trademark Tarantino conversation that made his previous films so distinctive. I’m sure those critics are happy now because Volume 2 has everything that Volume 1 lacked, resulting in a film dichotomy in the truest sense of the word: Volume 2 is the yin to Volume 1’s yang, the meat to the other’s bun. Combine the two and you have a masterpiece.

Kill Bill Volume 1, the first film directed by Quentin Tarantino since Jackie Brown six years previously, was the first half of a fairly simple story: A woman and her quest for revenge. Her name was not revealed; she was simply referred to as The Bride since it was at her wedding that she was left for dead by her ex-coworkers, members of an elite group of assassins known as the Deadly Vipers Assassination Squad (DiVAS). Apparently their boss, a man named Bill (David Carradine), did not approve of employee resignations. The Bride survived but her unborn daughter was lost, so she swore bloody vengeance against those responsible. By the conclusion of Volume 1, The Bride had eliminated two of the five on her death list.

Volume 2 begins with a deliberately cheesy looking black and white film noir shot of The Bride (Uma Thurman) driving her convertible while talking to the camera, explaining what she’s been up to since the end of Volume 1. Just as with the first movie, the film starts off out of sequence; she tells us she’s finished off all but the last one on her list, and she’s now on her way to perform the title -- she’s on her way to kill Bill! The scene cleverly serves as a trailer for the rest of the film, complete with self-referential Hollywood hype. In fact, it was extracted and used for the first KB2 teaser trailer.

From there we’re thrown back in time to witness a disarmingly gentle conversation between Bill and The Bride -- essentially two ex-lovers attempting to lay unresolved relationship issues to rest. Despite the amiable tone the tension is palpable since we know from the first movie that with every passing moment The Bride and her entire wedding congregation are one step closer to becoming Viper-ized, yet we don’t know exactly when the inevitable will occur or what will trigger it. It’s a great scene made an order of magnitude more powerful thanks to Tarantino’s trademark out of sequence narrative.

We then flash forward to learn the fate of the other two remaining Deadly Vipers: Bill’s hick of a brother, Budd (Michael Madsen), and the depth-perception-challenged Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah). Along the way there’s lots of great dialog, a scene deliberately designed to freak out claustrophobics, an explanation of how The Bride became so incredibly deadly, and an absolutely brilliant fight sequence within a cramped trailer that ends not with a bang but with a squish.

In the last chapter, appropriately entitled “The Last Chapter,” The Bride and Bill meet for the final showdown. But things don’t unfold how she, or we, imagined they would. Instead of fists-of-fury, we get tongues-a-waggin’. But it’s all good, even great at times. In a funny and exciting flashback, we’re shown how The Bride’s career path turned on a dime the moment the life-taker learned she’s going to be a life-maker. And Bill reveals his passion for comic books, in particular the mythos of comic book heroes, expounding at length on Superman’s alter ego, Clark Kent. It works perfectly. Tarantino’s unique and quirky dialog works a type of mojo most screenwriters would kill for.

As far as pure technique goes, both volumes comprise a film making primer akin to Citizen Kane. Artistically blended black and white, color, and monochrome sequences combined with freeze frames, split screens, slow-mo, extreme close-ups -- you name it, Tarantino probably used it. Genres ranging from Film Noir to Spaghetti Western are effortlessly combined. And Tarantino reveals yet another talent by directing one of the best child performances in years without the nauseating Spielberg-esque byproducts that are so typical.

But Kill Bill 2 is far from being just a technical exercise. It’s character driven all the way. Despite being a bunch of killers, each one is memorable, even likable, and rich in nuance -- defined just as much by their actions as their conversations. The performances by David Carradine and Michael Madsen are downright hypnotic. Michael Parks, playing a Mexican pimp, combines disturbing sleaze with mesmerizing elegance in what’s hands down his finest performance. Daryl Hannah’s over the top and quirky character, with her color-coordinated eye patch and obsessive note-taking, deserves a movie of her own. And Gordon Lui’s hilarious portrayal of an archetypical Kung Fu master, Pei Mai, almost steals the show. Uma Thurman, however, achieves that feat.

Thurman’s performance is simply amazing. Tarantino developed the role expressly for her, and it shows. It’s so tailor-made it’s nearly impossible to imagine anyone else playing the part. And it had to be strenuous for her; in addition to the physicality of her role, she’s required to convey every emotion in the book. But what might have been her biggest challenge was to create a character the audience could root for, even sympathize with, despite her questionable ethics. Within the context of the Kill Bill universe, The Bride appears completely justified in killing damn near everyone. Yet the message we’re left with as we walk out of the theater is a surprisingly sweet one: There’s really no difference between being a mother and a hero.

Verdict: **** (4/4)
 
Re: Kill Bill vol2.

[quote author=Phil link=board=movies;num=1082171201;start=30#40 date=08/13/04 at 00:23:45]
Overall I think the story was lacking...[/quote]

Check out QT's reason for doing a simple revenge story without fluffing it up into something it isn't in the KB2 DVD's documentary.

Even though the plot was simple -- a woman working down her death list -- when you think about it there's amazing depth and attention to detail. Someone with less imagination would have had trouble filling up 80 minutes. But QT had four hours of amazing stuff: An explanation of how The Bride became such a bad *ss, the origin of Oren Ishii (with the memorable anime), the Hatori Hanzo sequence, the incredible 20 minute Showdown at House of Blue Leaves, the goldfish/Clark Kent speeches, the motherhood theme... the list goes on and on. And look how The Bride develops. When we first see her she's a victim. In the flashbacks she's a love-struck girl. By the end of the film, she's totally confident and Bill's equal.

I've read some reviews where the film critic focused only on the simple plot and ignored all of the supporting themes and details. I doubt any of them would complain that Bergman's Wild Strawberries was *only* about an old man driving to pick up an honorary award or Kurosawa's Ikiru was *only* about a guy who realizes he has six months to live. ;)
 
Re: Kill Bill vol2.

[quote author=Mike_Donis link=board=movies;num=1082171201;start=30#43 date=08/16/04 at 21:50:36]PaulK, your review reminds me how much I ****ing loved that movie![/quote]

I'll take that as a compliment. Thank you very much. :)
 
Re: Kill Bill vol2.

This movie was much better the second time around, also viewing it in a whole, which I KNEW I should've in the first place...

I'm completely up with you with your review. At first I think I built it up into this HUGE ending in my head. With even more action and even more suspense...

I think the worst thing I did was post a review thinking about it as an individual movie and forgot it should be viewed as a whole...

Definitely 4/4 stars.
 
Re: Kill Bill vol2.

This is weird.

I did not care for KILL BILL. To clarify, I am the Tarantino junkie; he is a God among filmmakers. I own RD, PF, JB and KB (and True Romance cause it reaks of QT).

I watched KILL BILL Volume 2 tonight and loved it. I was captivated. What happened? I have no idea. I have to go back and watch KILL BILL V1 now; was I in a certain state of mind that led me not to like it?
 
Re: Kill Bill vol2.

Let us know when you figure it out. :)

Have you ever seen Who Killed Roger Rabbit? It has an ultraviolent cartoon intro. If you took that intro, extended it by another 90 minutes, cut it from the rest of the film, and released it separately nine months before the other half, then you would have had a relationship similar to what KB1 has with KB2. ;D

I liked 2 better too, mostly thanks to the zen performances , but 1 is still great.
 
Re: Kill Bill vol2.

[quote author=PaulK link=board=movies;num=1082171201;start=45#48 date=08/20/04 at 00:19:50] If you took that intro, extended it by another 90 minutes, cut it from the rest of the film, and released it separately nine months before the other half...[/quote]
and minus the rabbit in the oven, running around the kitchen...It's almost the exact same movie...weird... :D

Hey John, I was talking to a friend of mine, who was saying how amazing volume 2 was and how much he disliked volume 1...so I guess you're not alone...
and when I told him I hadn't seen 1 since opening night, he said that's probably why I wasn't into 2 as much the first time, compared to when I watched them together...it had been about a year!
 
Re: Kill Bill vol2.

2 was definatley more character driven (as oppossed to non-stop sword fighting). I wonder if thats it?
 
Re: Kill Bill vol2.

[quote author=Phil link=board=movies;num=1082171201;start=45#49 date=08/20/04 at 00:33:55]
and minus the rabbit in the oven, running around the kitchen...It's almost the exact same movie...weird... :D[/quote]

;D
 
Re: Kill Bill vol2.

I was hugely disappointed with Vol 2, although it seems I may be the only here who feels that way. There are no real characters there to build up. Everyone is so cartoonish that I couldn't buy them for a moment and everything I dislike about QT caming shining through. He loves his own dialouge way too much. So much of Vol 2 was wasted breath to me. Vol 1 rules though. I took the movie as a homage to the pulp/hong kong/spagetti western charaters that are defined more by what they do than who they are. I even found in the first one that the emotion in the scene when she wakes up and finds her child taken from her was too real. It didn't jive with everything else. These people are near superheroes and I admired his balls in making a no apologies straight style over substance movie. Vol 2 just bored the hell out of me. Really how can you take any of the characters seriously? I couldn't anyway so it had no emotional through-line for me.
 
Re: Kill Bill vol2.

i dont particularly like either. 1 is insulting and grotesque (my oppinion) and 2 is completely empty. Now if u get me going i can tell u about a whole bunch of aspects i find apealing about 2, but thats it, for 2 the parts are far greater than the sum.

The more i read it the more i agree that one 2 1/2 - 3 hour movie would be far superiour. And even those of u who like them, i think if tarantino made the whole thing 3 hours from the beginning, u'd agree.

oh and i should mention im in love with all of QT's previous works.
 
Re: Kill Bill vol2.

I agree with your assessment also. I also agree with John's agreement on you assessment.

I also concur. :P
 
Re: Kill Bill vol2.

I have to concur on your agreement to agree with our agreement and concurness. In fact, I share your exact sentiment on the concurness of concurring concurrently.
 
Re: Kill Bill vol2.

Alright

I rewatched KILL BILL Volume One and came to the following conclusion:

QT is a ****ing god. Although I prefer Voume 2 anyday over V1 I have to say "Wow." Watching them concurrently is perfect. Honestly. I maybe just didnt get it until I saw part 2 but WOW.

Tarantino might just be the ballsiest and most creative filmmaker alive right now.

All is good.
 
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