[Vol 1] A (quite negative) review of Volume-1

The banality of fascist art and architecture is often noted; the banality of fascist movies less so. Kill Bill is one banal fascist movie.Here’s the idea:

Tarantino, likes, loves, martial arts films, right man? So, like,

because he’s stuck for anything else to do right, cos he only really had one idea, right? Right? He decided to show his fans a real good time by making a big, fuck off kung fu film which will just be so wild man and so crazy and so much fun that everyone will just have a great time man. Right?

Wrong.



I don’t really care that it was fascist - Hollywood makes fascist movies for the fascist inside us all: if Don Simpson or Bruckheimer could speak English that is what they would say. My argument is with the solid-ass tedium of most of them; with Tarantino, who has managed to get himself accepted as a wild and wacky film director, leading the field now with Kill Bill.

Secret Agent (or some such covert operator) Uma Thurman’s wedding party is slaughtered by The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. She is in a coma for four years then recovers and sets about killing them all. Er, that’s it.

I’m cool with simple plots; I like a good comic-- they don’t make good comics anymore-- but a comic must have a dynamic brevity. I stopped reading comic books when they went pretentious back in the mid-eighties, y’know, when Spider Man spent three issues wandering around Manhattan fretting about the meaning of his life. Kill Bill isn’t as pretentious as that, but it sure don’t have dynamic brevity.

Here’s the pickle that Quentin has got himself into: he’s become a world famous cinematic rock and roller. He wants to make a film that rips off (read ‘celebrates’, read ‘homage’; better still, read ‘long masturbation ritual’) all the crappy kung-fu films he’s watched over the years.

This is not the very freshest idea for such a towering hipster as Quentin, but its the only one he’s got. Course, if you’re going to make such a movie-- endlessly violent; one dimensional plot-- you better make it short and sweet; about 85 minutes I should say. But cinematic hipsters can’t make movies that slight and brief! Even if that is all their slight and brief idea is worth.

So Quentin gets to work on his trademarks: pointless (in the case of Kill Bill) flashbacks, scenes that go on too long-- nobody minds because when they go for that long, he rewards his audience with some heavy injuries being handed

out; crass jokes; a small smattering of off-the-wall dialogue (formerly Tarantino’s masterstroke, it’s in short supply here); flashy cinematography and baroque martial arts bouts on an ante that he thinks he is thrillingly upping each time one occurs.

There’s only one trouble with all this fun, man: it’s boring. Uma hacks her way around (she’s nice to watch for a while) in balletic sequence after balletic sequence of fight-arranging ingenuity and blood- spurting savagery (there’s cascades, fountains of blood which didn’t give the audience I was

with the vicarious thrill that Tarantino has insisted it will. In fact, when one man is disembowelled at a bar by a seventeen-year-old girl and an deluge of plasma hits the floor, me and my compadres heard the coke-swilling baseball cap-wearing thrill seeker behind me yawn. I smiled in the darkness.)

It ends in a big and bloody fight. Only it don’t end, there’s Vol 2 as well.

I thought for one horrible moment, when Uma had prevailed over several hundred Yakuza and was on plane consulting her revenge list, that we were in for more but happily, the credits rolled. I turned to my two companions (both Tarantino fans) and said: ‘how do you feel?’

'Relieved’

Relieved that Uma wasn’t going on, right now, to do the rest of the list.

Now, I hope that Tarantino and his producer planned to release the film in two bits. Because if the wunderkid conceived this as one three-hour plus film, then he has degenerated into a serious bore.

So, loud and clear, I’m not being a fogey (though I could take issue with the usual bout of childish Tarantino sadism: a four-year-old girl watching her mother being stabbed to death), I know its a comic but it is a crappy comic. This be the song of Hollywood itself nowadays: too much money and no ideas. Dragging what used to be a nerdy sideshow of culture

into the mainstream for lack of anything else to do. I was going to conclude with the old school report admonishment ‘must try harder’, but that could be

disastrous advice for Mr T.

wow. a pretty negative review we got here.



I got a few things to say about this review.


  1. What’s fascist about Kill Bill???


  2. Pointless flash-backs? they are great, it always jumps back to tell some of the background and yet as you know enough, it jumps back again into the story, isn’t that an innovative way of storytelling?


  3. boring? This was the first movie in years where time passes as swiftly as it could. it wasn’t boring for a minute!

[quote]wow. a pretty negative review we got here.



I got a few things to say about this review.


  1. What’s fascist about Kill Bill???


  2. Pointless flash-backs? they are great, it always jumps back to tell some of the background and yet as you know enough, it jumps back again into the story, isn’t that an innovative way of storytelling?


  3. boring? This was the first movie in years where time passes as swiftly as it could. it wasn’t boring for a minute![/quote]

Totally agree with you! Really don't know what he's talking about and thank God he is also quite clearly in the minority as most people who saw it liked/loved Kill Bill.
But there always has to be a so called 'critic' that has to trash a film, no matter how good it is... ::) >:(

Lol, fascist?? Ok…



Boring? Well it’s all a matter of opinion - different strokes for different folks.  I didn’t find it at all boring, and was quite upset when the movie ended… I wanted more!



Pointless flashbacks? I wouldn’t necessarly call it “pointless,” it was makes a movie interesting, and like Seb said it, a ‘different’ way of story telling.  Also these “pointless” flash backs also answered a lot of questions which I’m sure you would bitch about if the questions weren’t answered.  So basically you’re in the mindset of a lose-lose movie, no matter what he did.

Fascist?? Dude, it’s a very stylish martial arts flick, not too much more, not too much less. Looking a little too deep into it, don’t you think?

If you found it boring, maybe it is just not the genre for you. But for me, it’s the first time in a really long time that I have been compelled to see a movie 4 or more times. That doesn’t happen often.

I feel kinda bad for people who cant enjoy great movies like Kill Bill. Sucks to be them.

Uh oh its redkings Redux.

Whatever, I didn’t even bother finishing that.



I’ve seen the movie three times, enjoyed it immensely three times and I don’t feel like thinking too much about why. The fact is, my simple initial reaction was “good”.

Directed at the person who posted the review:



Facist? what is Facist about the movie. When i think Facist i think like Italy in WWII.



I personally did not like the movie but unlike your facist argument which you pulled out of your ass i have good reasons. I felt the knife fight was cool but it went downhill from there:


  1. what is up with the bang bang song? It felt like Madonna’s Die another Day song


  2. Too much gore. what ever happened to the days when gore in Tarantino movies was not a lot. Does he think flies buzzing around dead bodies is cool?


  3. not enough character development of the main character. I understand this is in volume 2 but if he made this linear like Jackie Brown it would have been better


  4. The Hospital Scene: the idea of selling a coma patient’s body is sick. this is where i walked out.


  5. a lot of editing could have been done. If only this was one 120 minute movie.


  6. the subtitles for main characters are dumb. what the hell is this THE LONGEST DAY?



    in closing i have mixed feelings about Tarantino. He let me down big time because when i read the script a while back i loved it. i saw the movie and hated it. i still have hope for his world war 2 film. I really loved Pulp, Reservoir and Jackie maybe thats the type of film i expected.

In response to your Hospital scene comment, I have a friend who worked in a hospital and he said that unfortunately “that” happens. As nasty as it was, it’s not something Tarantino made up. And besides, the bride kicked his ass. :wink:

Kill Bill is the most fun I’ve had with a movie for so long? Theres gore but it’s all in good fun. If you want serious gore go see Cannibal Holocaust. The main reason you dont like it is because of the bang bang song? Dude your lame. The guy who was selling the brides body when she was in coma got it good adding less sickness. Why would anyone want to cut this movie down to 120 minutes. That would make this movie bad REAL bad. And last the subtitles are remince of the japanese style its oriented at.



Do some homework before you see this movie. Asshole

you call me an asshole because i hate a movie… hmm is this a democracy or a dictatorship?



If anything you are the asshole for having the narrow mind. Tarantino is a cool director and as far as the backlash against me regarding gore let me just say this: when gore is used properly it has an effect but when it is just used for the sake of gore it has no point and is grotesque.



Sam Peckinpah used blood properly. So did Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, and Scorsese

[quote]you call me an asshole because i hate a movie… hmm is this a democracy or a dictatorship?



If anything you are the asshole for having the narrow mind. Tarantino is a cool director and as far as the backlash against me regarding gore let me just say this: when gore is used properly it has an effect but when it is just used for the sake of gore it has no point and is grotesque.



Sam Peckinpah used blood properly. So did Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, and Scorsese[/quote]
HMMMMMMMMMM



From what I know, Those four directors rarely used gore, to tell you the truth you know jack-all about gore in films. But that doesn’t matter this film was Quentins tribute to the swordplay movies from japan like The Lone wolf and cub series which use the same amount of violent hackings as Kill Bill does, FUCK it uses more. Those four directors never use gore if you can name one occasion (Besides Saving private ryan which is based on real shit) where they use it alot I’ll shut up but don’t bitch about the amount you should look at Lucio Fulci or George Romero for gore. Kill Bills gore is in the same vein as the swordplay flicks we all know and love (Well not you for one). You want “grotesque” look at Cannibal holocaust and The Beyond. Kill bills gore is hilarous and its a real fuckin h00t to watch as well. Kill bill is all in fun if you take that seriously you need your fuckin head examined. I’m narrow minded HAH!

The thing that pisses me of the most the most is people like ‘Jimmybleeder’ saying this movie is a bore… Never mind the fascist remark I’m ignoring that (coz quite frankly it’s 2 stupid for me 2 regard)… it’s not that I think people don’t have the right 2 think this movie is boring ,they do, it’s just that I cant understand it… I mean I’ve heard different kind of criticism and while I usually don’t tend 2 agree with it I can always see where it’s coming from… but when someone says this movie is boring it just makes me feel like we didn’t watch the same movie… this movie(as best described by the man himself)is an underlining bomb…

And now as far for ‘thenexttarantino’(quit pretentious nickname don’t u think?) much more

Specific remarks:

First of let me start by saying that u loose all credibility in my eyes when u compare that die anther day Madonna bullshit song with Nancy sinatra’s bang bang… the first is a cheesy/ Catchy poop song and the second just delivers the moment perfectly… when u play it in that context it just seems like the song was specially written for the movie… that’s what’s so great in QT’s music choice…

As for your not enough character development case I say this: There is all the character development u need as for now… She was fucked up real bad by this jokers and now she’s in a vendetta kind of mood… and later on as the story progresses (in vol.2) the bride will become a much more 3-dimensional character…

It really does seem like u expected another “gangsters in suits talking their ass off kind of movieâ€? which really isn’t the case in kill bill… that explains u’r whole 2 much gore and violence take… this is violence/action taken 2 extreme(and beautifully done in my humble opinion) and if u expected anything else then u where in error… it seemed 2 me this should have been obvious 2 anyone who have read this very detailed script (as u say u did ) but I guess I was wrong… ???

oh and don’t be such a prude, yea of course the whole pimping of the comatose bride is a bit sick and demented (who said there’s anything wrong with that?) but so is the rape scene in pulp or the ear scene in dogs and I don’t hear u complain about that… QT handles those scenes great by adding them a touch of humor making them a bit uncomfortable 2 watch but always entertaining and memorable…

I could go on and on about all things I think r so great in the film, from the amazing fight scenes, stylistic/beautiful camera movement, great performances, kick ass soundtrack and more, but I wont…

A. Because I’m 2 fucking tired 2 do so. and B. coz it’s all already been discussed before in this forum…

Im sick of troll fuckheads like jimmywanker and fagkings only regging here to post shit about Qt or KB because they starve attention and are sad lonely people. Fuck them off.

First off Tarantino is not a one-dimentional director. SO why do you argue that he must only make gangster flicks with catchy dialogue? Maybe this is why Jackie Brown was a box office failure to the commercial crowd. Kill Bill is in a league of its own and you gotta understand that before you watch it. As for losing his auture persona, you can’t any more wrong! The main characteristic of QT movies that I admire the most is that the camera is a charcter and has a mind of its own. - I reckon that the Camera sould even appear in the cast credits. And also there is no other directer that can pull off a movie like Kill Bill.

Nexttarantino or whatever the fuck you’re called…How could you comment on this movie if you walked out in the hospital scene? You missed like 4/5 of it. Next time try to watch the whole movie before any of us could take your arguments seriously. And how the fuck is “Bang Bang” like “Die Another Day”?! You obviously made it clear you have no logical reasons to back up your lame-ass arguments.



And beaumeont, if you wanna live in the fucking past; fine by me. You seem one of those kids who jerks off at the idea of the Vegas Bros. movie, but you could give 2 shits about Kill Bill or Inglorious Bastards.

the man had some points I could see . I didnt exactly feel real enlightened at the end of the movie for the third time. I think i have to wait till vol.2 but that can be a lame excuse.



ow and about the gore thing

Bad Boys ending, did you see that, that was pointless gore, just pointless, where in the hell does that fit in wiith the rest of the movie?

One of the main things is that the gore isn’t even gross, its funny looking how the blood sprays in an absurd way. Even when that guy gets cut in half all it is is some blood, in other movies i’ve seen brains and guts go everywhere but people don’t understand that its just funny looking blood. And plus it was in black and white also how could anyone get offened by that?

Kill Bill is a grindhouse film. You either like these kinds of films or you don’t. Most of us do.



If youre looking for Pulp Fiction 2, youre gonna be letdown.



The problems arise when people start taking the film too seriously. These kinds of people cant enjoy cinema.



The funny thing is, Kill Bill is so easy to watch and so much fun to take in as a cinematic experience. All the great things most of us love about movies are in it. Theyre boiled down so even the most ignorant kinds of viewers can get whats going on.



The violence isnt offensive at all to me, its more stylistic and beautiful than anything else.



QT is essentially a pop culture artist. If you cant enjoy that then his stuff isnt for you I guess.



Thenexttarantino: You should call yourself the thenextbrettratner. I think you should maybe find another director to name yourself after. QT isnt for you.



Everyone who didnt like Kill Bill and is letdown by QT: Maybe its time for you guys to find a new board huh?