Just pure striptease on the big screen. Nothing else.
Totally off-topic here... but Peter Greenaway has spent the last century or so calling film nothing more than 'illustrated text.' His whole point is that movies aren't actually utilizing what the medium can do.
There's way more going on here than just a standard remake or some simple homage to the seventies.
I don't really see it. If this movie actually 'reinvented' the genre, then sure, fine—you could argue it’s genius or that Quentin Tarantino is some massive auteur. But there's zero reinvention happening here.
To me, all this posturing and acting like this is something special when it's basically just an average flick... it's just annoying. And since QT is treated like this 'artsy' filmmaker in the USA—kind of like how people used to view Goddard and his crew back in Europe 🙄—he clearly knows his cinema history, but the guy just lacks any real standards. Everything is gold to him. Everything is great. Well, it isn't. 😛
Kung Fu movies are built on three things: action, action, and more action. Plot and characters? Nowhere to be found. They’re cheap to produce, churned out by the factory, and the profit margins are always huge. There's another genre of films you could describe exactly the same way, and if I recall correctly, it's usually the same crowd watching them. Jesus, why am I even doing this... 😕
But it wasn't actually designed as a parody at all. Scary Movie is a parody. If thinking of Kill Bill as one helps you get by, fine, but nobody else has ever claimed Kill Bill is a parody except for you.
That's actually super helpful, I finally get what you were talking about. But hey, tell me, who was the lead actress?
You're playing dumb, man...
The whole thing is that I already mentioned the movie feels like those old Charles Bronson flicks mixed with some basic Hollywood style kung fu. It’s all stuff that was done better years before Tarantino ever showed up. People worship Tarantino and overhype him way too much, but let's be real—let's not build massive hype around nothing. More to the point, the movie is just average, nothing more. But once the bandwagon starts rolling, everyone acts like they're some high-society connoisseur.
And then there's this obsession with kung fu movies... like in 'True Romance,' which Tarantino wrote, where this guy tries to convince a buddy to go watch that trilogy of Street Fighter films starring Sonny Chiba—the same guy who shows up in Kill Bill as Hattori Hanzo, the guy making the katana for Um. Honestly, Jesus... enough already.
Anyway, why the hell am I even explaining myself? 🙄
So, Quentin was on the Howard Stern show this morning. The guy is just incredible when he starts talking. He’s got this way of speaking where he stays composed, but he isn't just rambling nonsense—he actually makes sense.
On the subject of his films, he said:
It's a martial arts movie with revenge as the core driver. I stuck to the established rules of that genre, and honestly, there's nothing deeper than that. (Responding to someone claiming the film feels empty because the characters lack depth)
As for my directing style, I tend to give you the answer first and then circle back to the question. That’s really the only unique thing about me. (His response to Stern mentioning how much he liked the scene where we see Uma Thurman in the truck labeled 'Pussy Wagon' before eventually figuring out how she ended up behind the wheel of that thing)
Some people might get defensive, but let’s be real: Tarantino just recycles stuff. He’s good, sure, but he isn't exactly an original thinker. If you want actual originality, look at someone like Sam Fuller. The hype around Tarantino has definitely outpaced what the guy actually brings to the table.
A few Sam Fuller films worth checking out: White Dog (pretty sure you guys saw this one on TV ages ago...) Shock Corridor Naked Kiss Crimson Kimono His first film, I Shot Jesse James, filmed back in 1949 And for me, his best is Underworld USA
They're relatively older flicks, but almost all of them ended up getting some big Hollywood star remake.
An editor over at The New Republic is actually issuing an apology after claiming in his column that the producers behind the smash hit "Kill Bill" were "Jewish executives" who prioritize "money above all else."
🙄
Movie promos really don't have any boundaries, do they?
Salon.com
The New Republic Original Film Comment
*** The Easterblogg page is pretty long, so you might want to just 'scroll-down' or use 'Search' for "Kill Bill" to find the Easterov comment regarding the new Tarantino film.
Why is it that people would much rather spend their time speculating about a movie before it even drops than actually bothering to say anything—or even anything at all—once they’ve actually sat through it?😕
The soundtrack works incredibly well in certain scenes. It’s just total cool... like when Uma grabs that samurai sword... strikes a pose, and then the music kicks in... the effect is perfect. But honestly, everything really just boils down to that. 😉
The soundtrack is just listed as 'original music' in the credits, which makes it pretty tough to pin down exactly what we're listening to. It’s got this vibe that leans into those 70s action flicks—kind of a funky, Blaxploitation rhythm—but then it shifts into a weird mix. Like, there's this one slow-motion scene (classic Quentin Tarantino) where the music suddenly feels more like the glamorous tracks you'd hear at a high-end fashion show. It’s all over the place.
I remember reading somewhere that in the States, nobody ever just drinks straight whiskey or cognac. It’s always some sort of cocktail—some custom concoction of different spirits mixed with juices and whatever else happens to be within arm's reach. If you nail that blend, though, it becomes a legend that nobody else has ever heard of. Kill Bill Vol. 1 is exactly that kind of cocktail, and it's definitely going to become a legend. It’s wild how many references they pack in from every martial arts flick ever made, but it isn't just that. That weird mix of American melodrama with Japanese sensibilities, all set against a South American soundtrack, only really works if you don't take the movie too seriously from the jump. Which, honestly, isn't hard to do, since in the first five minutes, Quentin Tarantino basically signals that this is just a totally cool movie built on style, a simple plot, and snappy dialogue.
That opening fight scene where The Bride (Uma Thurman) goes head-to-head with Vivica A. Fox shows the movie has real intentions of becoming a kung fu action classic. And, because it's Tarantino, that sharp dialogue fills out those high-tension scenes, creating this almost unreal atmosphere where it feels like a shame to miss even a single detail on screen. Like I said, the story is straightforward, reminiscent of those old Charles Bronson movies where everyone gets killed off—though, uh, in this case, she actually survives, wakes up from a four-year coma, and sets out on a path of vengeance. The rest is pure, top-tier choreographed action punctuated by quick bursts of verbal sparring. Interestingly, even after an hour and fifty minutes, we never actually see Bill's face, yet his presence and significance haunt almost every scene. It's a testament to great directing and a very focused narrative direction. Another thing you notice with Quentin is his killer casting; even the minor characters get these lines that make them feel like they have entire lives of their own, which just adds so much depth to the whole thing.
Kill Bill Vol. 1 is absolutely drenched in violence. There are plenty of visual surprises and tricks to keep the viewer engaged, but the sheer grotesqueness and the over-the-top amount of dismembered organs reminds me of those comic books I used to avoid as a kid—the kind that are pretty typical of the American comic scene. 🙂 Anyway, from my perspective, the movie is okay—fun, unusual, and it proves Tarantino is a real filmmaker, or, as they say in English, a "filmmaker" who's just plain cool. He's a guy with a vision and the grit to see it through exactly how he imagined it. Still, the whole thing where Hollywood stars are doing kung fu and swinging swords feels a bit like déjà vu (think The Matrix Reloaded). Just like the déjà vu of conceiving and filming one movie only to edit it and split it into two (like The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions). Regardless, I still highly recommend giving it a watch.
A new 'anthology' for 'our generation': IMDB.com's top 50 indie (if that even means anything anymore) films. I've managed to sit through 38 of them 😉 Some names on this list weren't even on my radar 😕 Honestly, I'm approaching the list in no particular order. It’s too hard to pick a "best" one, so the ranking doesn't really matter much to me. How many have you guys checked off your list?
For a 'serious' list focusing on legendary directors, check it out here
Another really solid one here, "The Salton Sea"...
Finally, someone actually watched this movie and left a positive review instead of the usual stuff. 👍 Honestly, the whole thing caught me off guard. I mostly went in just to see what Val Kilmer was up to these days. But man, that movie is wild—specifically that scene where they show up at that Black dealer's place:
It seems like everyone’s already got an opinion on what’s broken. So, why don't we just try something else? Let's use this forum to pitch a synopsis for some American indie flick—something that actually sounds interesting based solely on its premise. Anyone up for it? 😉
Flash Gordon is first 😉 The other two are pretty easy—Galaxy Quest and Mars Attacks.
Here's a little something from me. Both quotes come from the same flick:
you think god belongs only to you? He doesn't. God is an immortal spirit who belongs to everybody, to the whole world. You think you're special? God is not an Israelite.
and
God loves me. I know he loves me. I want him to stop.
