Kill Bill Vol. 2

[stray]

After walking out of the theater, I am ready to see it again.

Not the splatterfest I had anticipated (as in Vol. 1) , but the choreography is some the best I've seen in any film, Chinese or American. Every bit of it is amazing, and even more apparent without the blood.

Much more depth to it than the first segment, especially character-wise, and the lines are much more "blurred" from the genres he borrows from. It's not emulation. This guy's a genius.

That probably won't please anyone who likens Kill Bill to a "video game plot" though -- All I can say to that is: There are more ways to make a film than one. Storytelling is one, Commentary another. Either way, whether it's executed with style or not is more important. I'm sure critics have an appreciation for "style", but I suspect they may be limited
in how they recognize it: they don't appreciate Commentary, or don't care for or aren't even aware of what's being commentated on.

Uma, Madsen, and Hannah were terrific, but I swear, David Carradine deserves a fucking award for this. LOL, now I'm waiting for Tarantino and Shatner to team up.

Pai Mei: Gordon Liu. What can I say? This man is a Legend. If anyone here hasn't seen the 36th Chamber, then find it now. It is the greatest Kung Fu flick of all time, better than anything even Bruce did (although Gordon isn't). Gordon is kinda like "Beatrix" in that film, so it's a real treat to see him play the opposite role in KB.

[Joe]

After the tragedy of the first one, I'm going to have to Blockbuster/steal this one.

I hate anime. It was live action anime. Game over, man. Game over.

However, David Carradine rocks. So torn.

[stray]

However, David Carradine rocks. So torn.

Check it out then. Great acting. More than you'll find in any Anime for sure.

[Mediocre]

Did anyone else see the preview for Hero and go "HOLY FUCK"?

[schild]

Hero?

[stray]

Did anyone else see the preview for Hero and go "HOLY FUCK"?

Think my exact words were "HOLY SHIT". Just found out it was first released in 2002, and only making it's way to America now (WTF?).

Hero?

http://www.herothemovie.com

The trailers there are pretty weak compared to the Miramax one (which isn't online apparently).

[Alluvian]

After the tragedy of the first one, I'm going to have to Blockbuster/steal this one.

I hate anime. It was live action anime. Game over, man. Game over.

However, David Carradine rocks. So torn

If you like other QT movies like reservoir dogs and pulp fiction go see it.  It is more classic QT (abbreviating cause I hate spelling his name, not because I am trying to be cool or anything) with a lot of story through dialog scenes.  Tons of dialog.  Way more chatting than action.

There are really only two action scenes, and that is really just 1 and then two half scenes.

If you hate all of QT works then go ahead and rent it.  I liked it a lot and was very 'meh' on the first one.  I only liked it because I spent 75 cents on it.  This one was worth matinee price for sure.  Good even as a standalone movie.

Carradine was great fun in it.  Awesome dialog scenes.  I think you would like this one.  Nothing anime about it at all.

I saw the hero trailer and was pretty 'meh' about it.  Ah well.

[schild]

Oh, that Hero.

Jet Li sucks ass.

Gimme Yuen Biao, Sammo "Fatso' Hung, or Chan any day.

[Neph]

Hero fucking rules, just watched it, such great visuals, my eyes/brain are now satisfied.

BTW, KBv2 fucking rules, saw it twice and the second time was even better. Will a third bring the same reaction? Who knows!!

[schild]

Hero fucking rules, just watched it, such great visuals, my eyes/brain are now satisfied.

BTW, KBv2 fucking rules, saw it twice and the second time was even better. Will a third bring the same reaction? Who knows!!

GO SEE KILL BILL VOL.2 ON SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY, YOU PAY FOR THE WHOLE SEAT BUT ONLY GET THE EDGE!

meh

[schild]

This pretty much sums up why I hate Kill Bill Vol. 1

The Filthy Critic's take on Kill Bill 2.

It's also why I have no intention of seeing Kill Bill 2 until it's on DVD.

[Rasix]

People that take that review seriously need to be shot in the dick.  There's a difference between being a film critic, a film snob, and a complete raging douche bag.  

It wasn't a bad movie.  If you disliked One, there's a better than average chance you'll like the second. It was highly stylized, great dialogue, good scenery, better characters and attention to plot, and some asskicking thrown in for good measure.  

If you take gass bags like this seriously, you cheat yourself of some honest to God good cinema because of one man's stupid hang ups.

*spits on the floor*

[schild]

Hrmmm, you should read more of his reviews, I'd say he's spot on about 80% of the time. And seriously, Kill Bill is derivative shit to me and Uma Thurman has given some of the worst voiceovers and acting money can buy. For me to like vol. 2 it would have to be fucking amazing. I'll see it when it comes out on DVD, like I said - but til then, I stand by my opinion. Considering how much I hated the first, expecting Vol. 2 to be good would be like expecting Episode II to be good (ya know, Attack of the Clones).

[Rasix]

It's a completely different movie (ironically for being part of the same movie).  Do rent the DVD, you might be suprised.

If you're hung up on the whole "derivative" thing, then just don't bother.  It's typical of his other work in that some of it does borrow from other cinema.  The whole Pei Mei seen is a great homage to kung fu film genre but probably produces some of the greater moments and dialog in the film (Gordon Liu was really bad ass).  

I liked Vol 1 a lot.  Everything really but his foot fetish. I don't want to see any more of Uma's feet. Ever. The fight with Oren's goons more than made up for it.  I've always been a big fan of old Kurasama sammurai flicks, kung fu movies, etc, so it was something that I hadn't gotten from modern film in a while.

[Alluvian]

See, I hated the fight with the crazy 88's.  Worst part of both movies IMO.  After the first 3 or so deaths it just became repetitive and monotonous.  I have seen that scene so many times.  Adding blood and closups of limb removal does nothing to make it better.  Just makes it stupid AND repetitive instead of just repetitive.

Best moment in the first kill bill is easily the whole sushi scene.  Really the only scene I liked in the first movie.  The second movie had 4-5 scenes as good as that one and the action was better because it was not as drawn out.  Short bursts of action wrapped in entertaining dialog.  David Carradine was just great, and the majority of the second film is devoted to him.

Volume 2 was is about tied with Pulp Fiction in my enjoyment of it.  Volume 1 had a few nice touches but overall bored me.

[schild]

So I watched Kill Bill 2.

Sucked.

Edit: I figure later on today I'll get some flack for being so brief, so here - I'll wrap it in a box for everyone.

Carradine can't redeem a film. He's just not that entertaining.
Tarantino can't write dialogue. Period.
B&W isn't artsy. It's just lame.
Pai Mei's eyebrows annoyed the fuck out of me.
Michael Madsen was wasted.
Uma Thurman still sucks. And she's ugly. Bite on that.
I hope he foreshadows even more in his next movie, mouthbreathers.
Camp != Good
Kung-Fu Schlockiness != Good
Uma can't deliver a monologue.

I've killed a hell of a lot of people to get to this point, but I have only one more. The last one. The one I'm driving to right now. The only one left. And when I arrive at my destination, I am gonna kill Bill.

Mr. Tarantino, you sir, are a bucket of assholes.

Edited for clarity.

[SirBruce]

Tarantino can't write dialogue. Period.
...
B&W isn't artsy. It's just lame.
...
Uma Thurman still sucks. And she's ugly. Bite on that.
...
Kung-Fu Schlockiness != Good

How can you say such patently outrageous things and expect anyone to take your opinion seriously?

Bruce

[Arnold]

I refuse to buy any Kill Bill DVD at the moment.  #1 has been out, and #2 just came out.  I'm waiting for about Christmas time, when they combine the two, and then add in extra shit that can't be found on either.

[schild]

What's outragous about any of those?

Tarantino avoids dialogue whenever possible, because he knows he can't write it for shit.

His use of B&W for some flashbacks and not for others was stupid.

Uma Thurman sucks. You didn't offer any information to point to the contrary.

Kung-Fu Schlockiness was cool 10 years ago. It isn't anymore.

Come back and talk after you've seen Zatoichi 2003.

[Hanzii]

Wannabe artcritics suck more ass than Tarantino.

I enjoyed both movies.

[Rodent]

Tarantino avoids dialogue whenever possible, because he knows he can't write it for shit.

Reservoir dogs had some pretty good dialogue.

[SirBruce]

Don't bother arguing with schild on this point; I've already tried.  Tarantino is KNOWN in in the industry for his particularly sharp dialogue.  Uma Thurman is KNOWN for being sexy.  B&W is KNOWN for being artsy.  Etc.

If he doesn't like a movie, that's fine, but he shouldn't paint with a broad brush just because he has bad taste.

Bruce

[Alluvian]

Tarantino avoids dialogue whenever possible, because he knows he can't write it for shit.

Wow, that is the new record holder for "Dumbest thing Schild has ever said on the forums".

Like or hate his dialog, Tarantino has made some REALLY dialog heavy films.  In fact he tends more to avoid action in order to fit in more dialog ala reservior dogs (the entire film was dialog) and the extremely short action scenes in pulp fiction bookcased by heavy dialog scenes.

The kill bill movies (the first especially) were a huge departure from all his other movies up until this point, or at least his first 2.  Both having much more action and much less dialog.  Your statement that he avoided dialog would only match one of his movies.  And that was kill bill volume 1.  And for that reason I didn't like it much.  The action didn't hold up under scrutiny.

[Sky]

I didn't care for the first KB at all, but I really enjoyed the second one. Mindset may have had a lot to do with it, but I feel it was more of a "Tarentino" flick than KB1.

I want a long straight beard to flick around.

That said, I think the dialogue, though much better in KB2 than KB1, is not up to his normal excellence. I've liked all his other movies, but I think his oriental action obsession has blunted his gift for dialogue (or maybe he ran out of cool ways to say things?). I can't see a movie like Hero having the level of dialogue of Jackie Brown.

[Alluvian]

off topic...


Is Hero any good?  It has been out for awile abroad hasnt it?  Has anyone seen an import of it?

[Abagadro]

Just for clarification, he didn't have anything to do with making Hero, he is just producing the American version (i.e., bringing it here).

Anyone who can watch PF or RD and hear the interplay between Jules and Vincent, or Mr. White/Orange/Pink and think that QT can't write dialogue has no fucking clue.  QT is brought in on numerous movies to punch up scripts without credit for that very reason.  PF is one of the best/most revolutionary movies of the last 20 years.

[Furiously]

I'm going with Schild on this one. Uma Thurman is not attractive.

[stray]

I'm still digging these movies for the directing and action, but I'll admit, Kill Bill isn't all that on the writing.

Don't know if any of you have heard this before, but supposedly Quentin's friend from his videostore days, Roger Avary (has since directed Killing Zoe, Rules of Attraction), was responsible for an equal amount of the dialogue/situations in Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. He just didn't get any credit (think he just got a "story" credit in Pulp Fiction). Just about anything with characters talking about every day stuff (foot massages, God, etc., etc.), pop culture references (Like a Virgin, Beatles vs Elvis)..In other words, much of what Quentin is best known for..Is actually the work of Roger Avary.

Love him like a brother. Can't hang out with him without feeling as though he'll take my intellectual properties. I'm sure he feels the same way about me. I wish it were different...but such is this business.

Both of them wrote one huge script together at first, which was Natural Born Killers and True Romance, then called the "Open Road", all about Clarence Durley, with characters and parts from other films as well (Avary says he still sees pieces of that script coming up in newer QT films). He also helped him with Reservoir Dog's. Later on, QT divided them up, used the pieces to make several new scripts, and the rest is history.

[Abagadro]

I have a hard time believing that considering what nazis the Writer's Guild is about such things. He is credited with 'stories' for Pulp Fiction and writing the "background radio dialogue" in RD.  I also haven't seen him do much since the split, so it's not like he has proven himself to be the dialogue master without QT.

[HaemishM]

I like Tarantino, especially Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction.

But you've heard my take on KB1. It fucking sucked. It was overdone shit. I'm waiting on Netflix to send me KB2, because I've heard if hated 1, 2 is better. I don't hold high hopes. Whatever magic he had with PF and RD (and it may well be Roger Avery), he lost with KB1, a film that prided itself on being fucking annoying. The switches between B&W, color and overprocessed, blown-out color seemed arbitrary and random. The violence was FUCKING STUPID. I got the joke, and it wasn't funny. The dialogue, which I liked in his other films, sounded entirely phony and forced throughout the whole thing.

Michael Madsen has been wasted as an actor since Reservoir Dogs. Fucking Species my ass. How could you screw that up?

Uma Thurman had about 10 minutes of pretty, followed by many years of "What the fuck happened to her?" And I will get stabby if I have to watch another long shot of her ugly ass troll feet.

[Bunk]

off topic...


Is Hero any good?  It has been out for awile abroad hasnt it?  Has anyone seen an import of it?

Hero is a great movie that most American audiences are going to hate.  If you disliked Crouching Tiger because of the lack of realism, Hero will make your head explode.  

Its a fantasy film, based on the same story as The Emperor and the Assassin.  Very good, just expect a lot of long scenes with no dialogue and tons of odd visuals.

Proabably would be a good movie to see high if I were in to that sort of thing.

[Rodent]

off topic...


Is Hero any good?  It has been out for awile abroad hasnt it?  Has anyone seen an import of it?

Saw Hero last year, very good movie if you're into wierd kung-fu dances and beautiful scenery. I liked it alot but it's probably not for everyone.

Uma Thurman is KNOWN for being sexy.

Well here I'm going to go ahead and agree with Schild. I'm not a big fan of Uma Thruman.

[Sable Blaze]

I have yet to see a decently choreographed sword fight. Edge-on-edge parrying? Please. I cringe whenever I see this stupidity.

Actually, I'll retract that statement for two films. The Three Musketeers and the Four Musketeers. The fights there were OK, if a bit overblown. Rapiers are a bit different matter than actual cutting swords. Ironically, they make the opposite mistake: rapiers don't cut. However, they at least get the parrying to deflect paradigm right...mostly.

[Alluvian]

off topic...


Is Hero any good?  It has been out for awile abroad hasnt it?  Has anyone seen an import of it?

Hero is a great movie that most American audiences are going to hate.  If you disliked Crouching Tiger because of the lack of realism, Hero will make your head explode.  

Its a fantasy film, based on the same story as The Emperor and the Assassin.  Very good, just expect a lot of long scenes with no dialogue and tons of odd visuals.

Proabably would be a good movie to see high if I were in to that sort of thing.

As stated in another topic, Shaolin Soccer is now one of my favorite films.  I can ditch realism in a second if the movie makes no pretences in that direction.  And hero sounds just like crouching tiger, and shaolin soccer in that it happens in a comic book style definition of real.

[Sky]

No love for Jackie Brown? I thought that was a damn good movie.