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In Reply to: Re: One redeeming scene for this middle American posted by BillEpstein on November 08, 2004 at 14:56:19:
Tarantino did not make this film for the average film goer whose film experience does not include Asian martial arts films. Tarantino loves the martial arts genre, and Kill Bill Vol. I (which I have seen)and Vol. II (which I have not) are homages to that genre, with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Unless you are, at minimum, familiar with that genre, and more particularly a fan of that genre, then it's attributes will be missed. And the scene with Lucy Liu and Uma Thurman in the garden with the snow falling is absolutely beautiful.
Follow Ups:
I am SO tired of hearing that. I AM familiar with the Martial Arts genre, both the older Shaw Brothers style and the newer current Wuxia/wire-fu type martial arts. I am a big fan of the newer stuff. Quite frankly, Kill Bill is to those movies, what Homer Simpson is to the average American.
Jack
Hmm - after watching the election I think the majority of Americans are in the Homer Simpson/Ned Flanders Camp.
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I saw a couple dozen of the films, took Tae Kwan Do classes, ordered all the weapons and throwing stars from those martial arts magazines...by age 16 I was burnt out. So I know the genre. The scene you mention in the snow could have been impeccable. Instead, Tarantino let the camera stay on the dripping fountain too long and let the heroine stay on the ground too long. Master film makers know how to use the camera to add suspense and slow down time. Tarantino is a far cry from being a master. And I never saw that type of stylization in any Eastern martial arts movie. The scene ended of course, with Lucy Liu's scalp flying across the rock garden and her brains showing. You call that beauty? And we had to watch scores of people maimed in a never-ending orgy of blood-spurting violence just to get to this scene. It was overblown to the point of sheer inanity.
Do I call Lucy Liu's head flying in the air beautiful? No. I call it a humorous take on the genre, a nice juxtaposition with what took place before. Read my earlier post. This movie was clearly made with tongue in cheek. That scene was made to be funny in it's own wicked way. That is the point. Begin with a beautiful scene, dark, sparkling snow in a garden, the light hitting snow and garden perfectly, creating an air of tranquility and peace. Then enter the violence. That scene was in the film for it's own sake. Notice how it never snowed anywhere else in the movie? Why only there? Because it had to snow for the scene to work. The beauty of that scene gave the scalping more impact. And it worked. You either appreciated it or you did not. Have you seen that type of scene before? Probably not.This is the same reason why different people think different jokes are funny. For the same reason that someone did not get a joke does not make the joke bad, and merely because you did not appreciate Kill Bill does not make it bad. With an "R" after your moniker, I assume you appreciate the opinions of reviewers. Well, more than eight of ten reviewers thought Vol. I was a good film. Or are reviewer's opinions not worth the ink? Present company excluded, naturally.
I saw the two movies as a send up the various movie genres, overdone to make a point. Much in the way Ichy & Scratchy (on the Simpsons) make fun of all the cartoon violence where no one gets hurt.Does Kill Bill have the best story line ever? NO. In fact it invites parody of itself as well...which has been done.
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