I look foward to seeing what everyone thought of the flick. I thought it was good, but not as good as I would have hoped. The dialouge and plot were a little stale, but the action more then made up for everything. The last 30 minutes are proably the most awsome thing ive seen in a movie all year. Good, but not as good as it could have been, and its shitty that they split the movie into 2!

Rating:*** out of 4

I was kinda upset that they had to put certain parts in black and white. Maybe there'll be an uncensored DVD? Other than that, though... I loved it. I agree with what you said about the last 30 minutes. Awesome awesome movie. Should be seen by everyone.

I read the script and in it, it actually says to have the screen turn black and white. Is this pre-planning by Tarantino or did he really want it that way? We may never know...

I have only read the script and i remember that it sayed something about Black and White.

Blood!  Limbs!  Swords!  No silly "Matrix" effects!  Truly, Tarantino is back in full swing.

*Bleep* is pissed off!  Her wedding's been destroyed, her whole family has been killed, and, to top it all off, she's been in a comatose state for four years.  And now, she's out for revenge.  Though, not the typical Hollywood revenge (I.e.: guns, grenades, explosions, etc.).  Instead, *Bleep* goes the old-fasioned way of fancy sword play.

Sure it's incredibly violent- but in a fun way if that makes sense.  Blood seems to shoot out of wounds like a sprinkler... literally in a scene centered around decapitation.  Though, the film is not without it's actual humor.  A scene which takes place in a Japanese sushi bar is really funny in a non-violent manner.  Honest!

I guess my only gripe about the movie is that it sometimes gets a bit overdrawn.  Sure, everyone likes a good sword fight, and don't get me wrong, the sword play in this flick is done very well.  I guess, it just gets old after a little while, and therefore, I have to say that cutting this into two may have been a good idea after all... though come DVD time, I'm going to be more pissed off than *Bleep* when I have to pay two different prices for what should be on one disc!  I may have to go Go-Go on Miramax's ass!

All said and done, this movie is just fun!  It's not quite the masterpiece that is "Pulp Fiction," but rather something else all together.  Every scene is a labor of love, and you can just see how much compassion Tarantino had for making this film.  As for the black and white shots, I didn't find them annoying at all.  As a matter of fact, I think Quentin and Co. where quite smart to do this- it's probably what got the MPAA to shut the hell up!  Therefore, I wish more gore-filled films would use this technique in the future... hell, it's better than a whole plethora of sloppy edits!

God bless you Quentin Tarantino!

***1/2 out of ****

"Wiggle your big toe..."

Sorry, folks, I've been away a bit...

Okay, I went to see this with a packed house on Friday night. SyCo, I have to disagree with you in some respects, this was hardly funny in a non-violent manner. I thought all the hacking up was over the top to the point of being distracting and in fact really repulsed me.  I just felt like he could have done more without showing so much of the gore.  I hoped for the sake of God no one thought to take their young kids to see this, because I would have gone to theater management and said something about allowing children under a certain age to see something like this. (Thankfully everyone looked mature enough...the crowd I was with.)

Why not give "The Bride" a name?  I think that was lost on the part of Quentin.  Maybe he thought the "bleeping" would be humorous, unless he plans to reveal her name in Volume 2.  After all, we do know everyone else's names.

The set design was really incredible.  He had a very nice color palette.  The room tones in Vernita's house, the color of the "Pussy Wagon", etc.  Definite cinematography choices I heartily approved of.  Interesting characters, despite how bizarre their actions were.  The high school chick could have been fairly amusing if she'd been toned down a bit, because I did like her, despite her "mannerisms".

Interesting use of making the story out to seem like a book with chapters. Interesting method of cutting in and out of the timeline, but that's his forte...

All that said........

Point of the story:  don't give Quentin a budget.  He can do so much more if he has no money, like devote time to characters/witty dialogue (as we know is his true skill) and less to overblown makeup and anime sequences.

And oy with the martial arts choreography because we know half the budget was Yuen (forgot his last name)'s salary.

I agree about children not being allowed to see this- though I knew better, the trailer made this look like some popcorn action flick... which it hardly is.

i've got to see this movie!!!!

I read the entire script (both volumes), and I
loved it!  I find humor in things and places
where others don't, and it seems Tarantino
shares my sense of humor, because every scene
in KILL BILL is completely hilarious!  It seems
this movie was made specifically for me; if not
for me, then it was made for my demographic:
22 year old white males whose lofty goals are
such that they must live with their parents
until their big break which ... nevermind.
My point is:  the ultra-violence, anime
references, and satirical twists on the
CHARLIE'S ANGELS motif, were understood and
appreciated by me.  KILL BILL is a must see
for people like me who take insane pleasure
from watching AMERICAN PSYCHO, and listening
to MARILYN MANSON's early work, and enjoy such
things as decapitations on MORTAL KOMBAT, and
GRAND THEFT AUTO games.  No, people like me
aren't insane -- we've just got such stressful
lives that watching fictional human atrocities
is perfect anger management which lets us live
productive, normal lives; that's also why I
enjoy FIGHT CLUB so much.  Having read the
script, and completely enjoyed the story (if
it can be called a story), I can't wait to see
the movie!  LET THE BLOOD FLY!!!
On another note:  Let kids see this movie.  I mean, they know it's fake.  They know all the gruesome decapitations and ultra-violent effects are fake.  They're not stupid.  Let them enjoy it for what it is: a live-action cartoon.  When I was young, I watched a lot of horror movies.  Horror movies are great for a young boy; they build character.  On a side-note, I also found some porno when I was young, and I ... well, I learned that Ron Jeremy is an hilarious actor!  Holy crap, that guy's funny; he's got perfect comic timing!  I don't remember the name of the first porno I watched as a kid, but Ron Jeremy was in it, and I still laugh to this day at a perfectly executed scene in which he just finished doing something very taboo, and then he said, with perfect comic timing, "I'll stick this gun up your ass, and blow your brains out!"  He said that to a bad guy in the movie...err...but the way he said it was hilarious.  That was after he said other hilarious stuff during a taboo act.  Good stuff. Me horrible?

Yeah you are not the only one who read the script i think that everyone who is hear have read it maybe not everyone but nerly.

Well, I went off on a rant about other stuff, but my main point is that KILL BILL is something that I'm crazy enough to enjoy with popcorn!  And if repressive folks'd lighten up, they'd find the joy in enjoying the sufferring of FICTIONAL CHARACTERS as well.

Okay, Alan, while I agree that it was practically made for you with you having final cut, I still have to disagree with letting kids see it.  That I am standing by, I don't care how (dysfunctional?) your childhood was.

Alan may have a point... if I had children, I'd rather them see "Kill Bill" then some senseless piece of garbage like "Bad Boys II."

Kill Bill is a good film! But I only actually began to remotely like it after my
2nd viewing of it (last night).  It's one of those films that you have to be
IN THE RIGHT MOOD TO VIEW. So when I first saw it I thought it to be
a load of swashbuckling stuff...but I realized the great Assassing-betrayed--back for revenge plot. My first views on this got an angry reply. But
now I feel like an idiot, because although it wasn't the greatest film I've
ever seen so I think it's good. But it's not as good as Resevoir Dogs and
Pulp Fiction. 7 and a half out of 10

leslyjl21 im confused to your line; "Interesting characters, despite how bizarre their actions were". I would have thought that making your characters bizarre would therefore make them more interesting.

I must also disagree with you on the anime sequence. I am a keen lover of anime, and although im not going to sit here and protest that the anime sequence was made specifically for anime lovers and that i got it and you didnt, i will say that bridging the gaps between artforms is something that i root for. Im not saying that you dont, im just saying that the anime sequence was used correctly seeing as the film has Asian influences and i also read from some1 reviewing the film online that its used to show the origin of lucy lui's character (forgot the name!) so instead of using a live action flashback they used a tool that relates to her origin. Therefore giving her character and origin more depth. I think the anime is 1 of the best if not the best parts of the film.

In regards to the whole film, i enjoyed it, it took its time to get rolling but was fine after a short while. It's good to see QT moving in a new direction and showing us how broad he can be, although it is no pulp fiction it doesnt have to be because they are both totally different.

I must agree on some of the character points though, wiggle your big toe seemed a bit pointless and annoying, and the scene with uma thurman and the two men (the sword maker and the other bloke - boyfriend?!) was quite boring. I would rather have 2 greasy hit men talking about burgers than that.

All in all a good tale that should have a good conclusion in the 2nd half...

Loved it, and almost every scene WAS hilarious, Alan.  I could go on about how much I liked it- but i have nothing to say that you guys haven't said already.  Peace out.

So I figured the anime sequence was one of the greatest things I've ever seen.  Most of the things Alan said, I'm gonna agree with..not sure about letting kids watch it, unless you mean kids like my age..that's okay then.  In any case, definitely a hilarious movie from start to finish.  See my list of homages, too!

And Lesley..it's Wo Ping..Yuen Wo Ping.  Or Woo-Ping.

-Chris

hahah.....yeah, i only saw a ripped copy of it, but it was AWESOME!!
specially the anime sequence.....quite nice!
i liked when O-ren in the anime sequence was an assassin that blew a bullet through that guy in the limousine's head, and the camera looked out from the wound....that was cool

I was bored half-way through. I found there was nothing really to anchor to. Couple things were wrong:

1. We have no idea who she is or why she was assassinated.

2. If she was in the back of the orderly's truck for 13 hours after she killed him and left him and buddy in her room, someone would have found his Pussy Wagon (and her) in the Hospital underground parking lot.

I thought the camera angle from ceiling down was rather refreshing. I didn't care for the anime. And when real-life characters' limbs came off and the blood was excessively anime, I thought that was trash.

I've seen everything he's done, but I won't bother seeing Vol. 2

That's my opinion.

As a plus, for those who enjoyed this unique film experience, it truly did stick with multiple format, as opposed to using only one medium. A splendid example of a cocophany of film styles that work together.

Well, having just seen Vol. 2 I can tell you that it gives you her whole background and tells why she was killed.  As for the rest, about trash and so on..well, as you said, it's your opinion, so I won't try to mess with it.

Hi Heretic:

I just thought the anime ruined it. I think he used it for production cost reasons. Much cheaper to hire an animator than to pay for all the special effects it would have cost otherwise. Anyway, I think it would have been better if he had used less exaggeration, less blood and more story background.

lol... I like your sig.

Quoted from havah, posted April 21st, 2004, 7:02pm at here I think it would have been better if he had used less exaggeration, less blood and more story background.

I'd have to agree with you there (at least partly). I mean I loved all the blood, and when those samurai swords came out I could barely handle it, but It still would have been nice to have more background. I guess that's the problem with cutting one story into two parts, we miss out on stuff.

Hey Freak:

For me, it was the lack of realism, which equates to a lack of believe-ablility. I would get into it, yes, especially the sword play, and then a limb would shoot anime blood! Sucks!!!!!!! I could have stuck with the story if I felt her cause was real, if I could completely relate to it on a compassionate level. Just when I'd get to that point, the anime would start. It zipped me back to my own reality which was: this is just a movie. It left me disappointed. I felt robbed of the opportunity to truly root for my heroine because I could not believe in her anime cause.

In the end, I wonder: is all this violence simply thoughts going through her head in the moments after being shot and immediately before death? Maybe she was never comatose. Maybe that's why there's so much cartoonism infused between the true emotional expressions of her confused state - to keep the audience confused and track the random thoughts one might think in the final moments of a deadly betrayal.

Anyway, I think as a director, he set a hard-to-follow example of how mixed medium can really be a visual symphony. Kinda makes me think Tarantino is like the Vivaldi of movie-making.

To me, Kill Bill was, as Tarantino stated, a "geek fanboy's dream".  He referenced my movies, from John Woo to Anime to Sergio Leone to Star Trek, and I loved every bit of it.  That being said, I'm a teenager, and I think this movie is perhaps for less mature people, made by someone people might consider a less mature filmmaker. 

But..maturity..pff.

Hi Heretic:

I just finished watching "El Mariachi", and thought it was fantastic. I think if "Kill Bill" was done more like "El Mariachi" I would have loved it.

:-)

Hey havah,

I also quite enjoyed El Mariachi.  Curious, though: In what way would you have liked to see Kill Bill more like El Mariachi?  From the aspect of realism, cinematography, or what? 

Also, why do you use El Mariachi, specifically, for an example?  Just wondering.

!!! loved both volumes !!!
wouldn't you say that anime was used as a cultural reference as well as a stylistic feature- we get info about the other characters in way that complement them...

also- black and white was used to prevent censorship issues, but in japan, you can see it in color

Hi Heretic:

From the standpoint of realism, I think El Mariachi is superior to Kill Bill. Also, since Tarantino was implementing the "Spaghetti Western" feel, El Mariachi captured that flavor with absolute perfection without actually being a "Spaghetti Western". I think Tarantino could have learned something from that.

What I especially liked about El Mariachi, too, is that you get the story up front: He's a simple guitarist from a long line of them, in a small town looking for work as a musician. When he, and his guitar case, are confused with another seeming mariachi, he finds himself the target of some very blood-thristy Mexican bad guys.

We learned all that in the first ten minutes. It glued you to everything that was going to happen in the next 2 hours.

Though I enjoyed "Desperado" and "Once Upon a Time in Mexico", "El Mariachi" is definitely one of the best movies I've ever seen, on so many counts, but primarily, the way this great story was executed.

Hi havah,

I agree with you that El Mariachi is more realistic than Kill Bill, and I'd also agree that it's a great movie.  Definitely the best of the three in my mind.  I also can see where you're coming from regarding the story of Kill Bill.  I would say that the story is played down a lot in Kill Bill Volume One, so if you don't enjoy what remains, which is excessive bloodletting, then I would imagine that it wouldn't be a good movie experience.  I personally happen to like excessive bloodletting in sword fights and anime, and therefore I was pleased with Kill Bill.

I'd think that it would be a shame if you didn't watch the second one though, as it is extremely different from the first one.  I recommend strongly that you watch the second one, as it not only explains the entire story in great detail, but offers some great great writing (most notably Bill's monologue regarding Superman's critique on the human race).  Also, there is very little violence compared to the first one, and most of it is relatively realistic.

I struggled to like the Kill Bill movies. While the action was both outstanding and intense I felt the actual story (screenplay) didn't do the genius of QT any justice.

I can appreciate that this is a tribute picture but then so was 'Reservoir Dogs' and 'Pulp Fiction'. I remember when 'Fiction' was released and the fact that people were paying tribute to this movie, reviewing it and showing it a good 12 months down the line. Where's 'Kill Bill' at now??

Here's my reviews...

http://www.geocities.com/conflictscripts/KillBillVol1.htm

http://www.geocities.com/conflictscripts/KillBillVol2.htm

I know this was long dead, but..well, it's not now.

I just wanted to respond to Stu..it is true that Kill Bill hasn't made as big a splash as Tarantino's first works.  But at the same time, I think that the films which it pays tribute to have a smaller audience in North America.

Hey Heretic,

I can appreciate that Kill Bill does have a cult following as does the films that inspired QT to make these movies, that's cool. I was just speaking from a personal POV and as QT had made such a huge impact on the way I look at films now I suppose I was expecting that trend to continue and it kinda stopped dead here.

Yes the action is cool (Vol.1) and yes the soundtrack is v.cool but I never got from it what I usually get from QT, even Jackie Brown had its moments, which is an imaginative screenplay that again redefines the genres it focuses on.

wellll....that's definitely one way of looking at it.  hadn't even considered it.  

but maybe (this is a big assumption i don't necessarily stand next to) QT felt it was necessary to gain a bigger spotlight in the public eye.  

he could create another fantastic movie like Reservoir Dogs, or he could pursue Kill Bill...make something that was deep for QT lovers, and superficial for the majority of mainstreamers.

NOW he can make any movie and he'll have a bigger crowd....i hope.

Well made point which I hadn't considered.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I hope you're right.

A good point, Shaman.  

Thanks, Stu, that clarifies things for me.  It sounds to me like Inglorious Bastards won't be particularly mainstream...but I guess we'll see.

I'm really looking forward to IB. I heard QT speak of it in an interview some months back and when he mentioned WW2 I was shell shocked. I would never have put QT into this genre and can't wait to see what he does with it.

Damn, I remember feeling the same way about Kill Bill, although I would've put him with that genre.

Wow.....

Quentin Tarintino has proved that he can take an old idea and make it interesting.
Vengeance ahs been used in martial arts films for years, and yet he makes it seem original and funny, which, to tell the truth, it is.

Uma Thurman stars as Beatrix Kiddo, who gets gunned down at her own wedding by a group of assasins. She escapes from hospital, just to hunt them down.

The gore and violence in this is spectacular, rivers of blood spew everywhere from simple wounds, a sword chops off the top of someone's head, brians visible.

Originally written so that both Vol 1 and Vol 2 were one, it was split into 2 for it's long running time (about 200 mins).

The acting and disalogue is spot on, so that leaves one thing: action.

Beatrix manages to fight off like a hundred ninjas by  herself without getting a scratch on her. How friggen cool is that?

I've yet to see part two, but I'm working on it.