10.10.04
Kill Bill, Vol. 1
(First Viewing)

“It lacks cohesion”

03.04
(Second viewing on imported bootleg PAL)

What kind of assassin shows up for a showdown wearing a midriff top?

Where’s Pam Grier? She’d kick both of their asses in about 10 seconds.

Dammit, I’m not going to be able to stop whistling that tune again.

It’s nice to see that Sonny Chiba’s still getting some work.

Whoa. It looks like a Gamera movie, only with a $100 million budget! It’s James Cameron Presents “Gamera The Invincible”!

I want a motorcycle.

I want to start an Asian all-girl band.

I want a bunch of masked henchmen.

Well, maybe it just played better on the small screen.

04.15.04
Kill Bill, Vol. 2

In part two, the Bride continues her rip-roaring rampage of revenge, finishing off the remaining members of her assination squad. Well, almost all of them. Someone remains standing, presumably to leave the door open for a threequel or, possibly, a Saturday morning cartoon show.

Along the way, Tarantino pays tribute to a wide variety of 70’s action-exploitation genres, including a spectacular soundstaged Kung Fu/ Shaw Brother homage. Like its predecessor, if nothing else, it is very pretty to look at.

David Carradine is very good. There is a genuinely startling third act twist, and a pleasantly low-key finale. Uma Thurman still shows up for assassinations wearing a midriff top. Does she kick ass? Well, kind of. Like its 70’s inspiration, it was hard to tell if the audience was cheering on a heroine who gives as good as she gets or if they’re getting off on watching a woman covered with mud, blood and fruit pulp.

(Checking out my fellow audience members, it certainly looked like they were taking a break from downloading Japanese tentacle-rape porn off of Usenet.)

Uma Thurman: no Pam Grier, but not too shabby.
© 2004 Miramax Films