IT STINKS!!! ...or not.

[Reply #720 on:]

Kill Bill, Volume 2
I really enjoyed Volume 1, but I love, love, love the second half.  True, there may not be as much stylized action and gore, but the character development and snappy dialogue are a fine substitute.  There are plenty of glaring movie references to everything from classic kung fu pics (just like the first half) to Evil Dead that keep things interesting, and The Bride's showdown with Elle Driver, along with the revealing of the former's real name (not a mystery for those who saw the Volume 1 trailer though).  Uma Thurman and Bill Carradine are "lovely and amazing" here.  I might be speaking too soon, but I envision a Best Actress nod for Thurman.  Look out for Quentin Tarantino's cameo (sort of).  Highly recommended, even if you haven't seen Volume 1.

A+

EDIT: TOTPD to the 5.6.7.8's 

[Reply #721 on:]

I give it a B.
First of all, Pai Mei rocks my Irish socks! 
2nd, I didn't like this nearly as much as Volume I,   but it's still great.  Maybe not enough violence for me. And I really didn't like the "omfg! I love Bill!" Uma. She looked like a ditzy blonde whenever she was with him, and not the kick ass ass-kicker I love. Boo!
Also, LAN, I wish the little black girl was their daughter even more now. The white girl sucked ass. God, I hate kids.


Nicole Kidman's new movie: A+
It looks horrible, but she looks great with short hair.   

[Reply #722 on:]

I'll have to see Vol. 2 then. The surprise ending of Vol. 1 makes me want to see it even more.

No one spoil this film

[Reply #723 on:]

Damn, I'm not even the second to review this shiznit. Ah well, I give it... erm... same as bumblebeetheta.

[Reply #724 on:]

   

Originally posted by boingo2000:
Kill Bill Vol. 1[/small]
Barring any unforseen developments, I think I've found my favourite film of the year.  The film plays homage to exploitation/kung-fu/revenge movies, while simultainiously trancending all those genres (OK, I'll try to cut down on the $5 words from now on) to become something more (and something more kick-ass).  Uma Thurman hits all the right notes as The Bride, a... but you probably know the story by now.  (If not, you've probably given up on this long-winded review long ago anyway.)  Uma kicks ass, in the same way Bruce Lee kicks ass, in the same way Sonny Chiba (who appears in the film) kicks ass, in the same way Jackie Chan or Charlie Chaplin or Gene Kelly or ANY physical performer kicks ass when they're at their best and know it.  QT's music gives the film just the right edge (movies'll have to work hard from now on to show me something better then samurai fights set to spagetti western music).  The camerawork is amazing (love the sequence in the bar while Uma walks to the restroom and the camera uses that as an excuse to fly all over the place), but there is one moment showing a bullet come out of a gun in extreme detail that seems like it would be more at home in a Robert Rodriguez movie (QT calls RR "my brother" in the special thanks during the film's end credits).  The whole thing left me breathless.

5 stars of 5

So now then...

Kill Bill Vol. 2[/small]

I didn't like this as much as Vol. 1, and that's 75% my fault, and 25% Miramax's fault.  It's Miramax's fault in that they made me wait half a year to see the resolution, and it's my fault in that in those 6 months, I hyped the movie to myself to a standard pretty much no movie could have achieved.

This is not to imply that Vol.2 is a bad movie.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  What I said about Uma in my Vol.1 review still holds true, Michael Madsen finds all the right notes for Budd, Daryll Hannah blows away John Goodman in the "menacing cyclops" competiton, and David Carradine... there's no other words, David Carradine is perfect.  Gordon Liu's Pai Mei more then makes up for this instalment's lack of Sonny Chiba.  And all my resoect goes to Michael Parks for pulling off a double role and not having me realize it until I read the credits (even if I did find his second role a little hard to understand).

But, and I cannot stress this enough, there's a reason the films are Vol. 1 and 2, not Part 1 and 2.  The tones are very different, and someone expecting the hyper-kinetic energy of Vol 1 (like me) is going to be dissapointed.  Vol. 2 is more meditative, more slower paced, much more a love story.

So bear that in mind, and I think you'll enjoy the movie.  I think I'm going to like it a whole lot better the second time I see it, now that I know what to expect.

4 stars out of 5

Questions left unanswered after both volumes:

Show spoiler

• What were the Deadly Viper Assaination Squad?  Did they go on group misisons, or solo ones like the one we see Beatrix on?
• How did Beatrix come to Bill's attention in the first place?  What is her past?  Why did she decide to become a hired killer for Bill?
• Did O-ren Ishii ever get revenge on the lanky guy who stabbed her father in Vol. 1's anime sequence?
• What is the relationship between Beatrix and Elle?  Why do they hate each other so much?
• What did Bill do to Hattori Hanzo that Hanzo would break his blood oath and make a sword for Beatrix?
• Why did Pai Mei teach Beatrix the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart technique?

[Reply #725 on:]

Chasing Amy

I found this film very funny at times, such as discussions on whether or not Archie and Jughead were gay, racist subplot of Star Wars and the comics book fan not wanting Jason Lee to sign his comic because he was "just a tracer." This, together with Dogma has nearly made me forgive Ben Affleck, he's very good in this movie. Jason Lee is magnificently funny, the real star of the film, and Dwight Ewell is brilliant too.

Okay, now bad stuff. The dramatic, romantic plotline is usually well handled, but at many times becomes heavy handed and tedious. Plus, the film could well be a candidate for Worst Film Ending Ever.

Show spoiler

Afflecks girlfriend and his best friend aren't getting along very well, so what's the solution? They sleep together. She's understandably wierded out, so she leaves him. What the fuck happened there? It made no sense, especially after all the drama leading up to it.

Overall, a good film. I like Dogma better, but the snappy dialouge in the first half of the film makes up for the tediousness of the second.

[Reply #726 on:]

Here's some cool bits of trivia about the movies, viewed in retrospect:

Show spoiler

Remember the scene in the House of Blue Leaves where The Bride and O-Ren recite the line from the Trix cereal commercials? "Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids"? Now that we know The Bride's name is Beatrix Kiddo, that little exchange makes a bit more sense.

Also relevant may be that an author named Beatrix Potter wrote the Peter Rabbit children's stories -- perhaps making "silly rabbit" a reference as well.

"Pai Mei" means "white eyebrow" in Chinese.

This is more obvious, but The Bride's child is named BB, which is most likely a reference to the first letters of her parents' names (Beatrix and Bill).

Anyway, I ::heart:: this movie, though for different reasons than Vol. 1. I think I like Vol. 1 a bit more, since it has more style, but both volumes are equally well-executed films. I would even say that the best moments in Vol. 2 far outshine the best of Vol. 1 (The fight with Elle Driver, The Bride & Paula Schultz  , the Pai Mei sequence, Budd in the office with his boss, Bill's Superman diatribe), but are separated more so that the effect is lessened. I'd say Vol. 1 is an A, and Vol. 2 is an A-.

Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey. 

[Reply #727 on:]

After all the recent Kill Bill reviews, I'll just go and review an older (two months ago) movie:

The Passion of the Christ

Good story. Great cinematography. Great makeup. Good costume design. Good art direction. Great acting. Great directing. Great movie. Short review.

[Reply #728 on:]

Potter; You should have said - "Good". Saves you time writing it and us reading that.

Thanks people who didnt give too much away in their visible reviews for Kill Bill Vol. 2(by the way, their great ones too).

Also, has anyone seen 'Elephant'? Its not going to reach here until the end of the month, but I'd love to hear what anyone thought about it.

[Reply #729 on:]

2x post for review

Lets Scare Jessica to Death
Directed by John Hancock
1971

Havent you always had those thoughts that everyone was out to kill you or they are all Vampires? I sure have. This is the basic plot of the film.

Jessica has just been released from an Mental Institution and begins to think that everyone around her is a Vampire. She is just put off as crazy by the townsfolk, but that doesnt worry her much - she thinks their Vampires.

Its a kind of watching a person fall from tall storey building, waiting for the inevitable splat - but it doesnt happen. Instead you're taken through a (often long) journey of insanity, unsure if something bad is going to happen or not.

Gore effects are nicely done, the film feels gritty by the lost presence of colour and its almost documentary style directing (just a little).

If you can find this lost classic, its well worth the hassle.

A-

[Reply #730 on:]

 

Originally posted by Melllvar:
Shaun Of The Dead

I'd go along with the previous reviews of SOTD, by saying that this movie is fantastic.

For those who don't drop by the Spaced thread, this is a movie I've been waiting for for quite a while, and it has been well worth the wait.  Shot with slick direction by Spaced Director, Edgar Wright (co-writing here, with Spaced and Shaun star Simon Pegg), they keep up the affection which they show the movies they are homaging, as they have done in Spaced.

This movie is basically an extension of an idea brought about in Spaced Season One (the episode, "Art" ), when Tim (the main character), stays up playing Resident Evil too long, and starts to see zombies everywhere.

The stand-out moments are almost every line uttered by Shaun's boorish best friend Ed (played by fellow Spaced co-star, Nick "Mike" Frost), a briliant visual gag involving an identical team of Zombie fighters (led by - yes, another Spaced star - Jessica "Daisy" Stephenson, and featuring some of the leading lights in British Comedy today: Matt Lucas, Reece Shearsmith, Martin Freeman, as well as Spaced's Marsha herself, Julia Deakin.), Shaun and Ed's almost total avoidance of the total mayhem which is taking place around them in the first half-hour, oh, and Shaun's "this is the plan" montage, which is hilarious.

Also, it's worth mentioning the other stand-out performances, including Lucy Davis (especially in the scene when she's teaching the gang to act like zombies to evade detection.) and the fantastic Penelope Wilton, playing surely one of the mumsiest characters ever.

Oh, and listen out for the kick-ass soundtrack.

To coin an oft-repeated line from the movie (and an obscure Spaced reference to boot):

It's fried gold!

9/10

I like the character Ed. I think he is a really funny character and there were lots of buddie moments between Shaun and Ed.

Yeah the scene where Lucy Davis teaching to others to act like zombies was funny. The bit where they knocked over a zombie was funny too.

[Reply #731 on:]

 

Originally posted by eggsandwich:Also, has anyone seen 'Elephant'? Its not going to reach here until the end of the month, but I'd love to hear what anyone thought about it.

it's in my netflix queue. I became interested in it from the trailer but of course it never played here so I have to wait for the DVD. Since then I'v read mixed reviews, but it seems to be better than the similarly themed "United States of Leland"

[Reply #732 on:]

 

Originally posted by LAN.gnome:

 I would even say that the best moments in Vol. 2 far outshine the best of Vol. 1 (The fight with Elle Driver, The Bride & Paula Schultz   , the Pai Mei sequence, Budd in the office with his boss..

True dat, but during the office scene, you were probably staring at the lady the whole time.  Silly teen boy.

[Reply #733 on:]

 

Originally posted by Jeremy:
 True dat, but during the office scene, you were probably staring at the lady the whole time.    Silly teen boy.

Actually not, if you can believe it. Larry was simply too entertaining to be distracted by anything.

"Budd -- you working tomorrow? Pff, no, you don't know when you're workin'! How about Tuesday? You workin' Tuesday, Budd? Oh, wait there's your name -- there was your name..."   

[Reply #734 on:]

Hellboy

Terry Gilliam.  Neil Jordan.  The Coen Brothers.  Tim Burton.  Quentin Tarantino.  Terry Zwigoff.  Alexander Payne.  Sam Mendes.  Peter Jackson.  Robert Rodriguez.  And now, Guillermo del Toro joins the list of directors who I'm automatically interested in any new project they take on.

Why?  Because after the promising but ultimatly disapointing Mimic, del Toro has proved with Blade II and Hellboy that he's a visionary directorwho knows how to appease comic-book fans.  Mike Mignola's cult comic book character is perfectly handeled in del Toro's screenplay, and his directon, while not capturing the look of Mignola's comic, emulates the feel perfectly.  Also, I must give mention to Marco Beltrami's score, which reminds me of Danny Elfman's score for Batman; not in a rip-off way, but in a "this-is-going-to-make-him-a-big-name" way.  Good fun.

Rating: A-

[Reply #735 on:]

 

Originally posted by boingo2000:
 

Questions left unanswered after both volumes:

Show spoiler

• What were the Deadly Viper Assaination Squad?  Did they go on group misisons, or solo ones like the one we see Beatrix on?
• How did Beatrix come to Bill's attention in the first place?  What is her past?  Why did she decide to become a hired killer for Bill?
• Did O-ren Ishii ever get revenge on the lanky guy who stabbed her father in Vol. 1's anime sequence?
• What is the relationship between Beatrix and Elle?  Why do they hate each other so much?
• What did Bill do to Hattori Hanzo that Hanzo would break his blood oath and make a sword for Beatrix?
• Why did Pai Mei teach Beatrix the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart technique?

Show spoiler

1)I don't have the answer to no. 1 but I have and answer to no. 2.

2)The guy who stabbed O-ren's father in Vol. 1 was Bill himself. Before you say no, take a look at his fingers. He is wearing the same exact rings Bill is wearing in Vol. 1. Although, this brings up a whole new Question, how come O-ren didn't stab Bill on sight?

3) The reason why Elle hates Beatrix is probably because back in the day when Beatrix was an assassin, she was a much better killer than Elle.

4) Not sure. Good question though.

5) He probably taught her because she proved herself worthy. So, he then teaches her the technique.

I hoped I helped on some of the questions.

[Reply #736 on:]

I just saw Kill bill volume two and it was great. Good to see my hometown got a mention, as subtle as it was.

I think it was very different to the first but equally fulfilling. The battle with elle was great. Would elle have died of blood loss? I would of put An extra cap in her ass just to make sure. What was the deal with Beatrix kiddo being blown away by a shot gun and not having a fatal wound? Pai mei was comedy gold, as where the Kung fu type camera shots in his scenes.

Some of it was lost on me as I had already briefly read over the entire script after volume one had came out.

A- Tarantino at his best.

also...
beatrix: Master ( in mandarin)
Pai mei: Your mandarin is terrible!

[Reply #737 on:]

U know whats knida stupid, is that if the movies are in 'volumes' than y is there only 2? You might as well call it the sequel instead of vol.2. Weird.

[Reply #738 on:]

Well its not really a sequel, its just the story got broken up into two halves. So it is not really a sequel because no real great amount of time has passed. It was merely done for time, so you didn't need to sit down and watch a movie for 4 and half hours or so without a break.  Its not like we catch up with our characters a couple of years later and a new adventure starts its the same flow of events.

[Reply #739 on:]

 

Originally posted bu Guy:
About Chasing Amy.

Show spoiler

Afflecks girlfriend and his best friend aren't getting along very well, so what's the solution? They sleep together. She's understandably wierded out, so she leaves him. What the fuck happened there? It made no sense, especially after all the drama leading up to it.

You didn't get that at all, did you? It did actually make sense- it was desperate, yes, but not like you said.

Show spoiler

The idea was that they'd have a threesome to get Holden's need for kinky stuff doused (He wants to be a part of Alyssa's wild life) and it would quench Banky's gay lusting (which is just one of Holden's notions at that time)+ it might make Banky a little less jealous of Alyssa, because he'd have a taste as well.

I don't think those "comic book fan" who thought Banky was "just a tracer" was a true fan- a true fan would know that they co-wrote the stories, co-designed the characters and so on and so forth. And a true fan would understand that shading can really make a comic stand out.

But what really annoys me is that Banky was such a sissy in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

[Reply #740 on:]

 

Originally posted by mikey:
t An extra cap in her ass just to make sure. What was the deal with Beatrix kiddo being blown away by a shot gun and not having a fatal wound?

From what Budd said, the shotgun was only loaded with rock salt, which I guess makes it non-fatal.

Also remember that she survived a direct shot to the head, too. She's made of tough stuff. 

[Reply #741 on:]

I got to watch Endless Sunshine of a Spotless Mind a couple of days ago.

It was actually quite good, and that's what I'd have hoped from it. Another serious Jim Carrey movie, and also a role that Kate Winslet played very well.
There was a section in the middle where my mind had drifted off, but I can't even remember when that was anymore because the rest of the movie made up for it. It took me a couple of moments to 'get' what happened, because you really have to keep up when the movie is swapping around in time.
It's definitely something different. The majority of the movie is played in Carrey's memories of his girlfriend, who helps him try to keep what he has left of them. He's gone and erased her from his memory after she did the same because of a big fight they had.
I really enjoyed Kate Winslet's character, as she played the impulsive and strange girl quite well. It was also kinda cool to see Elijah Wood in a role as a human (who looked quite cute in a hoodie jumper). Kirsten Dunst annoyed me a little, I really never did like her acting, but the way she carries on after smoking pot is done accurately (with a little giggle from me), and she does redeem herself with the good gesture at the end.

Overall I give this movie:
*** 1/2 out of *****

I really quite liked it. It was nice and something different. Nice? Do I have any other adjective?? 

[Reply #742 on:]

 

Originally posted by Spacedal11:
U know whats knida stupid, is that if the movies are in 'volumes' than y is there only 2? You might as well call it the sequel instead of vol.2. Weird.

Why not make it into Two Volumes? Its his movie, he can do whatever he feels he can to express his creativeness into his films.

[Reply #743 on:]

Exactly. And nobody has really used those terms before. It's always 'sequel' or something. This brings a little individuality to it.

Not that these movies aren't individual enough!
I'm seeing Vol2 tomorrow!!

[Reply #744 on:]

Yes Kill Bill was quite satisfactory, and David Carradine is awesome!
So awesome, I might start watching Kung Fu if it ever comes on again.
OMFG Daryl Hannah is teh hawt secksyiest!!1 
With that millisecond of the pink bra in Vol. 1 she did wonders, but I would totally hump that eyepatch or her suit from Vol. 2!! 

Best line: "I'd like a glass of water please." or whateer it was. 

Well done Q&U. A+

[Reply #745 on:]

 

Originally posted by eggsandwich:
  Why not make it into Two Volumes? Its his movie, he can do whatever he feels he can to express his creativeness into his films.

Though this is true, I'm still anticipating the release of what I think will be a director's cut -- the two volumes edited into one film, with perhaps some of the bits added in that were removed for time (for example, David Carradine's fight with Michael Jai White). Did they ever film any of the Yuki (Go-Go's twin sister) scenes? Those would be a treat.

[Reply #746 on:]

Just saw Kill Bill Vol. 2 and I really like both volumes. I would say somewhere around A/A+ (both movies). I think the music was better in volume 1.

A couple of guys in the row behind me said the movie sucked though, but on the other hand they did look like idiots.

[Reply #747 on:]

Dude I was just pointing it out! Don't have a cow man.

[Reply #748 on:]

 

Originally posted by ~FazeShift~:
Yes Kill Bill was quite satisfactory, and David Carradine is awesome!
So awesome, I might start watching Kung Fu if it ever comes on again.
OMFG Daryl Hannah is teh hawt secksyiest!!1   
With that millisecond of the pink bra in Vol. 1 she did wonders, but I would totally hump that eyepatch or her suit from Vol. 2!!   

Best line: "I'd like a glass of water please." or whateer it was.   

Well done Q&U. A+

Yeah, but shes no Uma thurman. Damn.

When I went to see it, me and my mates where the only non american and for that matter white guys  in the whole cinema. it was great. You should of heard the cheers and remarks when Budd blew the bride away. They added a degree of sass to proceedings. A first I was dissapointed by carradine, but he really grew on me as the film went on. The soundtrack fitted the film really well. Im sure  I had heard the Pai Mei theme before, Maybe in mortal combat or something. The vengance theme is the greatest.

[Reply #749 on:]

Saw Kill Bill: Volume. 2 the weekend it opened.

OMFG I loved it. I loved the character development Vol. 1 was sort of missing. My only complaint would be the fight with Bill was too short(10 seconds), but the rest of the film was excellent.

Grade:A

Ps. At the end of the film, as I was walking out, two guys proclaimed that there favorite scene was

Show spoiler

When Uma Thurman put the flaslight in her mouth.

. Dumbasses. They just sat through a film, with so many memorable moments, they had to choose THAT scene. Get your minds out of the gutters.

[Reply #750 on:]

What are you gay?

Im part kidding part serious

[Reply #751 on:]

Finally got to see it, was pleased. It's something completely different compared to Vol.1 . Less effects, more character development, but still lots of references to other movies...   

A

 

Originally posted by spacepilot3000:
My only complaint would be the fight with Bill was too short(10 seconds), but the rest of the film was excellent.

While I was surprised that the fight with Bill was rather brief, I wasn't disappointed about it. After all, if you want to see endless swordfights, watch Vol. 1!   

[Reply #752 on:]

The Haunted Mansion

Eddie Murphy acts like an unfunny rich white guy and gets scared for no reason.
I know it was going to be a family movie but at least make the movie watchable for everyone. F

[Reply #753 on:]

 

Originally posted by homerjaysimpson:
The Haunted Mansion

Eddie Murphy acts like an unfunny rich white guy and gets scared for no reason.
I know it was going to be a family movie but at least make the movie watchable for everyone. F

[Scruffy] "Second"

[Reply #754 on:]

Hojew, you're just mad 'cause your dad's not in it. 

[Reply #755 on:]

 

Originally posted by Nasty Pasty:
 
[Scruffy] "Second"

Third. I was expecting to have nightmares! But the only thing that freaked me out was when the spiders erupted from the door, and I flew my legs on my sisters lap and left them there for the remainder of the movie. I than forgot how to walk and almost fell out of the thearter. But Disney wouldn't know the meaning of horror or a good movie if it bit them in their asses. 
except for 101 Dalmatians  !

[Reply #756 on:]

Kill Bill: Volume One

Wasn't impressed.

*gets killed by nerds*

I mean! It had its moments. But I don't see why it was so great it had to be two movies.

[Reply #757 on:]

How can you talk after getting killed so much?

On-topic: Haven't seen either of them, so I have no clue. But Uma's a knockout in any case.

[Reply #758 on:]

 

Originally posted by FishyJoe:

I mean! It had its moments. But I don't see why it was so great it had to be two movies.

It's only one movie, but for marketing purposes it was divided in two. Apparently it was too long, but Harvey Weinstein loved it so much he wanted it to be seen complete.

[Reply #759 on:]

 

Originally posted by FishyJoe:
Kill Bill: Volume One

Wasn't impressed.

*gets killed by nerds*

I mean! It had its moments. But I don't see why it was so great it had to be two movies.

It was actually split into two parts because Miramax didn't believe people would have the attention-span to watch the thing in its three hour-long format.

My Review of Volumes One and Two
The whole plot seemed a little shallow to me when I first heard about it, but it's a lot more deeper than the previews make it seem. It can be touching, funny, and if you're claustrophobic, seeing a certain scene from vol. 2 in theaters may make you a tad uncomfortable. The various styles (anime, black & white, a buried-alive scene that switches from widescreen to the regular format depending on whether we're above or below ground). It's a violent movie, but the violence is a cartoony sort of violence that sometimes seems straight out of a Spy vs. Spy comic. It's like Gallagher took a mallet to someone's head sometimes.

This is a must-see for the kung-fu fans out there, with cameos by the likes of Sonny Chiba and Gordon Liu (who has dual roles). The soundtrack's great too, nice change from the more modern songs and the all-too familiar oldies that are usually stuck into modern-day movie soundtracks. Daryl Hannah is perfect as the dispicable Elle Driver, Lucy Liu is actually good in something for once (not a big Lucy fan), and David Carradine plays the likable villian Bill. Tarantino's cameo is also pretty funny (if you know who it is).

The best movie to come out in quite some time. This and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind are the only reasons to be going to the cinema (unless you live somewhere that's showing Shaun of the Dead) this week.
And I know I may be in the minority, but I liked volume 2 just a tad more than 1.
Kill Bill Volume 1 A
Kill Bill Volume 2 A+