Kill Bill

grade A-

this is for fans of movies and Quentins style...one thing can be sauid about QT, and that his movies are not ordinary fare etc...just the very very very opening sceen which I will say as spoiler:





an old 70's style "feature presentation" announcement is fucking beautiful..bring a tear to my eye.



QT may be this, he may be that, but he makes movies for people who have grown up loving movies. Period.

The Ironside music is a trip and you wont eve forget the opening scene...

but be warned..this is a kung-fu movie and with that aesthetic as its driving force..so if you are into lets say...Spielbergs movies, normal ways of movie making...this isn't for you. Its for us.

Time to see it for a night viewing

hahah someone voted me zero and someone voted me 5 stars..and none are moi...someone is sticking up for my honor...gratzi

I want to see this. And the Jack Black movie.

2the9s said:

go see this first..jack black has been left in the dust...just for the Santa Esmerelda Dont Let Me Be Misunderstood music being used in a crucial scene..QT giuves good soundtrak

On tv people were saying that it's pretty violent and gorey. To paraphrase one guy: "If you buy popcorn, you're gonna need the empty bucket."

I was thinking about seeing this movie but after hearing the comments, I'll pass.

UptownWuss

UptownDeb said:

It's over the top cartoon gore..not as bad as folks are making it out to be

btw Lucy Liu steals this movie

I FUCKING LOVED IT!

"You might not be able to fight like a samurai, but you can at least die like one!"

Gogo

That evil chick in the Star Trek villain uniform. :LOL:

It opens here next week... I'm looking forward to it!

Of course, I'd go to see anything with Lucy Liu in it but a new Tarantino movie is something to look forward to. Plus, I've read enough very differing opinions of "Kill Bill" that is sounds as if it is definitely worth seeing to make my own mind up.

I gotta see this movie. The title alone interests me enough to make me want to go see it.

teller said:

"NOT you Sophie!..you..stay right there..."

this has to be seen twice literally...as soon as posible as close to your first viewing

Vivica: "come on bitch"

The gore isn't that bad. It's just everytime someone gets cut, their blood sprays from them like it is coming from a garden hose.

CtheUncanny said:

I know! I LOVE IT!

"$75 to get your freak on!"

I can't believe that was actually allowed in that hospital.

Again, if you don't understand what I mean, then go see the movie.

CtheUncanny said:

lol true...but Lucy Lui's group entourage of killers slo-mo entering to their priovate room is worth it alone..just that scen alone with the music accompanying it..and I aint even mentioned Vivica Fox

teller said:

Maybe the first ten times, after that it got redundant.

rdhull said:

The music was the shit throught. Definitely one of the best scores for a movie in a long time. And Vivica was.....FOXY.
[This message was edited Sat Oct 11 14:01:41 PDT 2003 by CtheUncanny]

from okp...to see the influence and gatheirtng of influences from other films that QT rolled into one...again

Potential Spoilers!!
You don't need to see any or all of these films to get or enjoy KB. But it's fun to pick stuff out. Enjoy

The Babycart Series/Shogun Assassin-renegade samurai (ronin) Ogami Itto and his infant son Daigaro are on the run in Japan taking assassination jobs and seeking vengeance. The blood doesn't run, it doesn't flow, it Old Faithfuls out of dismembered and decapitated bodies. Kill Bill bears far more resemblance to these samurai films than to anything Kurosawa ever did. Features a funky 70s
soundtrack

The Razor Series-Samurai cop Ittami Hanzo is a bad motherfucker. he tortures himself. thrusts his dick into vats of sand and into unsuspecting female witnesses to glean information. He'll pull an Ogami Itto and cut your fucking arms off if you get to trippin. Chiba's character shares "Razor" Hanzo's namesake

The Streetfighter/Streetfighters Revenge/Sister Streetfighter-Who's Sonny Chiba? well in KB he's Hitori Hanzo master craftsmen of the world's most deadly samurai swords. In The Streetfighter Series he was Terry another bad mu'fucka who was not above breaking bones, ripping off schlongs and larynxes. The original film, I believe, was the first film to receive an X-rating in the US for violence. Also, the x-ray of bone-crunching impact that was used in the forgettable Jet Li/Aaliyah vehicle of which the name isn't coming to me was used in the Streetfighter film.

Shaw Brothers Films-Shaw Brothers Studios was responsible for many of the most famous and influential kung fu films ever made featuring such talent as Gordon Liu (featured in KB vol 1 and vol 2 as two different characters!!!), Lo Lieh, Jimmy Wang Yu and Cheng Pei Pei (recently of Crouching Tiger fame). Some of their classics include Kid With The Golden Arm, Master Killer, 8 Diagram Pole Fighter, Executioners from Shaolin, Come Drink with Me, Fists of the White Lotus. Shaw Bros gets a big time shout out in KB.

Executioners from Shaolin-Gordon Liu starred in this (which i haven't seen although i have scene the sequel..fists of the white lotus) film and fought and defeated the evil and traitorous white-haired master Pai Mei. In KB volume 2 he plays malicious Pai Mei who instructs Uma in the ways of kung fu.

Coffy-Tarantino is real quick to extol the virtues of Jack Hill's film starring Pam Grier and Sid Haig. Classic woman on a revenge rampage/blaxploitation film. If anything KB took from blaxploitation it was the dialogue for the Vivica Fox sequence.

They Call Her One Eye-Swedish exploitation film about a young girl w/ one eye killing folks on the oh so gruesome tip after having been raped and doped up. Tarantino said this film is the only film he's seen that he could understand people being scared to watch. Also known as Thriller. Daryl Hannah rocks the eye patch to match w/ whatever outfit she's in.

Rolling Thunder-70s revenger starring the great William Devane and a "young" Tommy Lee Jones (not like he was ever really young) as a vietnam vet returned home after a 7 year stint in a POW camp to find his wife has moved on w/ Lee Jones playing his buddy who can't really adjust. Devane's wife and son are murdered and his hand is chopped off in the garbage disposal sending him on a rip-roaring rampage of revenge. Paul Schrader's (of Taxi Driver and Notes on Film Noir fame) film is heavy on the character development and both Jones and Devane give great peformances. Tarantino named his ill-fated vanity distribution label after this film. It's also on his 10 best films of all-time list in last year's Sight and Sound "10 Best Films of All-Time".

Game of Death-this film remained incompleted by Bruce Lee due to his untimely death. but that didn't stop producers from going on with the show using doubles and even a cardboard cut out of Lee's face. Despite this fact the film features a climactic battle featuring Lee against three opponents including Kareem Abdul Jabar. It's these battles which take place one after another which feature Lee in the one-piece yellow tracksuit that is so iconic. Uma dons a two-piece version of this yellow tracksuit for her sojourn in japan.

Master of the Flying Guillotine-While volume 1 is not heavy on the kung fu. It does feature a flying guillotine-like contraption wielded by sexy school girl psycho Go Go Yubari. Master of the Flying Guillotine starred and was directed by independent filmmaker Jimmy Wang Yu as the One Armed Boxer. Just a great fucking kung fu movie. One of Tarantino's favorite. It's gotten one of the best DVD treatments of any Kung fu film. A true classic.

Tokyo Drifter/Branded to Kill-Two films by infamous and influential director Seijun Suzuki. Tokyo Drifter is his trippy Technicolor yakuza romp that is all things 60s. The House of Blue Leaves section of Kill Bill takes both the club feel w/ the musical performance by japanese guitar rock band the 5, 6, 7,8s and the swordfight sequence against the blue background from this film. Branded to Kill was Suzuki's final film for Toho and got him banned from the studio when what should've been a generic yakuza flick starring chipmunk cheeked Jo Shishido turned into a tripped out visual masterpiece (Jarmusch stole one of the killings in Ghost Dog from this film. you'll know it when you see it).

The Dollars Trilogy-The Man w/ No Name (who actually has a name) trilogy is heavily influential on tarantino. especailly The good, the bad, and the ugly. Uma in KB plays The Bride and all mentions of her name w/i the film are bleeped out from the soundtrack. She is in effect, the Woman w/ No Name. While the first film owes more to japanese samurai pics of the 1970s Volume 2 will have more of a spaghetti western influence. Look for more on these films then.

Once Upon A Time in The West-The opening sequence of KB reminded me of the slaughter of the family by Henry Fonda's character in Leone's epic western OUATIW. Even Bill's gun looks the same. OUATIW also features a man w/ no name in the form of Charles Bronson's character "Harmonica" also out for vengeance. One of my favorite films of all time,if not my favorite.

Green Hornet-TV show that helped make Bruce Lee a star in America. His performance as masked man and manservant Kato (an Asian version of Tonto to the Green Hornets modern day Lone Ranger) soon proved to be the more popular than the titular character. take that whitey!! KB features both the Kato masks...88 of them to be exact and the show's theme song

Battle Royale-Kinji Fukasaku's hyper-violent and controversial masterpiece about a dystopic japan in which school children are sent to an island and forced to kill one another off. Actress Chiaki Kuriyama crosses over to Tarantino's film in the form of Lucy Liu's insane bodyguard Go Go Yubari complete w/ a modified flying guillotine (see: Master of the Flying Guillotine). KB is dedicated to the late Fukasaku as well as late Shaw Bros director and John Woo mentor Chang Cheh.

Reservoir Dogs-The crazy 88 suits look super damn familiar don't they?

From Dusk Til Dawn-Michael Parks was the truth as Sheriff Earl McGraw in the opening sequence of FDTD. And he's baaack! Yep, Parks reprises his role as the good Sheriff in Kill Bill this time along w/ his son! He has some of the best lines in thf film. I had the great fortune of having Trio and caught Parks in "Bus Riley's Back in Town" (which also features a David Carradine cameo) a 1960s melodrama starring Anne Margaret and Parks aping the shit out of the recently deceased James Dean as the titular Bus Riley which was shown as part of Tarantino's week-long film series on the network.

Pulp Fiction-Pulp's "Fox Force Five" the ill-fated pilot in which Uma's character Mia Wallace starred as Raven McCoy "the most deadly woman in the world w/ knife (look for that title to be applied in KB)" becomes "Death List Five" in Kill Bill.

Kung Fu-bullshit TV series starring a non-martial artist and resident white boy as a chinamen named Kane who comes to America and walks the earth getting in adventures. Made David Carradine a cult hero which in turn made him Bill. The man Uma is out to kill. He's nothing but a presence in volume 1 (and a hell of a presence that is). Look for him to give a career best performance under the masterful guiding touch of Tarantino.

Blood: The Last Vampire-Amazing anime short that featured digital and hand drawn anime together. The same company did the anime in KB although the style is dramatically different.

Animatrix-Kid's story is probably the closest equivalent of the rough line and expressionistic style of the anime in Kill Bill.

Death Rides a Horse-Spaghetti Western revenger starring Lee Van Cleef. Which also features a character named "One Eye" and "Bill" Also KB Volume 2 includes a character named Da Mo and the Italian title of this film is "Da uomo a uomo." Sound farfetched? Tarantino got title Reservoir Dogs from his inability to pronounce the title of the Louis Malle film "Revoir Les Enfants"

Jingi Naki Tatakai-1973 Kinji Fukasaku yakuz film featuring the legendary Bunta Sugawara or Bud as he became known in the States. Tomoyasu Hotei's track on the soundtrack bears the same name but is actually from the 2000 film "Shin Jingi Naki Tataki" starring Hotei.

Ironside-the excerpt on the soundtrack is the theme from the Raymond Burr TV series of the same title. Tarantino uses it hilariously in the film as the flashback theme.

Twisted Nerve-that song Daryl Hannah whistles as she struts her tall ass through the hospital is from the score to a thriller by the same name starring Hayley Mills (!) from 1968.

The Grand Duel-Luis Bacalov track from the soundtrack was originally part of the score for this Spaghetti Western starring yet again Lee Van Cleef!

Kill Bill, Vol. 1 ROCKED!!! It was a total, over the top, Drive-in style martial arts flick of the 70s school. If seeing this type of flick, as directed by QT, sounds good, then go check it out. If it doesn't sound like your cuppa tea, then skip it. Its a classic explotation flick, all the way.

One neat little story: A friend of mine knows Quentin, and about two years ago she was hanging out with him, watching Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan. When Khan made the quote about "the old Klingon proverb that revenge is a dish best served cold", Quentin grabbed the Kill Bill script and started writing a note in it. Lo and behold, this quote starts the friggin' movie! That was actually fairly cool, that she was there when he added an ingredient to his flick!

rdhull said:

Very good list! One thing I must add: the ariel shot of Tokyo in KB was actually the set from the latest Godzilla flick being produced in Japan!

WAHT AN AAAWWESSSUM movie!

Is itjust me, or do y'all want to own the Pussy Wagon?

Eh, it was fair... just a bit too Tarantino. Still, there were good things, and Go Go was awesome!
[This message was edited Sat Oct 11 22:20:53 PDT 2003 by Lammastide]

A WONDERFUL list, rdhull!

Bittersweettears said:

LOL, Yes, I want that Pussy Wagon!

:You're name's Buck and you like to fuck...right? You're name's Buck..."

Lammastide said:

just in case, I didn't make that list, someone else did..I just copied and pasted it for reference etc