Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (10/10): Tarantino's Masterpiece.

“Revenge is never a straight line. It's a forest, And like a forest it's easy to lose your way... To get lost... To forget where you came in.”

The year was 2003, my friends and I wanted to check out a movie and despite not knowing much about film back then, we decided Kill Bill seemed like an interesting choice. I’ll never forget what an amazing experience I had that day as I was being introduced to Quentin Tarantino’s wacky and bizarre characters. I had only heard of his other films but had never watched them so this language was new to me. No one writes characters like Quentin Tarantino does and perhaps that is why I have more affection for this film than I do Pulp Fiction (although I absolutely love it as well) since it was my introduction to his mind. It’s hard to put into words how I feel about this film. It was impossible to shake off the unique experience of witnessing the Bride’s wrath unfold as she awoke from her four year coma only to find out that she’d lost her unborn baby and her soon to be husband in a church during her wedding rehearsal. Who was this Bill guy and how could he do such a terrible thing? Why would he send his team of personal assassins to kill her? Tarantino decides to take Hattori Hanzo’s own advice about revenge not being a straight line and present this revenge film in non-linear fashion. It’s up to us to piece the scenes together and enjoy the ride. And what a ride it was! The action scenes are highly entertaining and over the top, and the film works as a modern homage of the Japanese films Tarantino grew up loving. Kill Bill is as stylish as it gets. There are very few films that manage to deliver such an amazing visual style and combine it with such an elaborate narrative. Substance and style fit in perfectly in Tarantino’s world to deliver another masterpiece. As much as I was blown away by Volume 1 (and I think it is a much more entertaining watch), I still regarded Volume 2 as the better half since we get more of Tarantino’s wonderful dialogue and everything is executed with perfection. 

“When fortune smiles on something as violent and ugly as revenge, it seems proof like no other, that not only does God exist, you're doing His will.”

Just like Tarantino’s film, this review is all over the place. It’s hard to organize my thoughts and try to write a coherent review. There is so much that one can say about this film, but there is no way I can leave out the performances. Uma Thurman has never been better and I’m sorry but there is no other female character that stands a chance next to her. Once we are introduced to David Carradine as Bill in volume 2 our hatred towards him begins to shake as it’s impossible not to feel some degree of sympathy for his character. The scene where he sits down with her and begins speaking to her about superhero mythology is fascinating. Our disgust towards Bill isn’t close to the level of hatred we feel for the other villains, like Lucy Liu’s O-Ren Ishii who is a completely threatening one. There is a memorable scene where she executes her wrath towards one of the Yakuza bosses who questioned her. The face off between her and the Bride at the end of the first Volume is also gorgeously shot. Then there is Daryl Hannah as Elle Driver, perhaps the most hateful villain in this film. With her one-eyed patch and her non-stop whistling she was a delight on screen and an excellent match for Uma Thurman.  I still can’t get over that whistling tune she constantly hummed. Both Michael Madsen and Vivica Fox also get their opportunities to shine as part of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, but it’s Thurman who carries the film from beginning to end. There is not a moment in the film where the pacing begins to drag, everything is perfectly tuned and Tarantino’s symphony has been perfectly orchestrated. The soundtrack to this film is simply amazing and it plays a huge role in the story as well.   

   

“It was not my intention to do this in front of you. For that I'm sorry. But you can take my word for it, your mother had it comin'. When you grow up, if you still feel raw about it, I'll be waiting.” 

And I will be waiting for that third volume as well. Bring it Tarantino!

“The lioness has rejoined her cub, and all is right in the jungle.”

My Review: True Romance (9/10)

"If you gave me a million years to ponder, I would never have guessed that true romance and Detroit would ever go together."

I would never have guessed that Tony Scott and Quentin Tarantino would ever go together, but what a pleasant surprise this romantic crime thriller turned out to be. Thanks to a sharp and witty script and entertaining characters True Romance was extremely cool. The best way I can describe this film is to take Patricia Arquette's character's words and sound like a broken record: all I could think of while watching this film was Quentin Tarantino you are so cool; Tony Scott you are so cool; every single actor in this film you are so cool, True Romance you are so cool. I can't believe I had to wait 21 years to get around to watching this considering how big of a Quentin Tarantino fan I am (and I'm also a huge fan of Tony Scott's work in Man on Fire). Tarantino's energetic script and Scott's stylized direction blended perfectly in this near masterpiece. The cast is absolutely brilliant here and there are so many memorable characters and scenes in this film. I think I enjoyed this film more watching it for the first time now than if I would have seen it in 1993 considering there are so many familiar faces that I probably wouldn't have recognized back then. Brad Pitt, Val Kilmer, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, Christopher Walken, Samuel L. Jackson, James Gandolfini, and Chris Penn all have small but memorable roles. Oldman is barely recognizable playing a pimp with dreadlocks and a glass eye, but it is a unique performance. Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette give the performance of their careers here; it's a shame Slater has been in so many terrible films in the past decade because his performance here was promising. Arquette is adorable as Alabama and I can't think of another sweeter performance than hers. There is so much energy and charm in this film that it's hard to resist. Like good wine, True Romance will probably age better over time considering I couldn't believe how much fun I was having watching an early 90's film for the first time. True Romance you are so cool!

Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) is a comic book store clerk who also happens to be a martial arts film buff. He plans to spend his birthday as he always does, at the movies, watching a triple feature of Sonny Chiba. What he doesn't expect is that he will find the love of his life there. While he is watching the film, a pretty woman walks into the theater spilling her popcorn all over him. She apologizes and introduces herself as Alabama (Patricia Arquette). The two fall in love with each other after she opens up to him about her true identity. This leads them through a series of dangerous adventures involving pimps (Gary Oldman), the Sicilian mafia (Christopher Walken, James Gandolfini), drug dealers (Samuel L. Jackson), police officials (Chris Penn, Tom Sizemore), and Hollywood producers (Saul Rubinek, Bronson Pinchot). The film is full of energy and thrills as the two lovers face several obstacles along the way. Thankfully, Clarence seems to have a mentor on his side to guide him: an apparition of his idol Elvis Presley (Val Kilmer) who is sort of his conscious.

Even if you aren't a huge fan of Tarantino you could still enjoy True Romance for all the beloved actors in this film that weren't probably big Hollywood names back then. The film moves so quickly and the script is so energetic that It makes for a very entertaining watch. There are so many memorable scenes in this film, like the face off between Gary Oldman and Christian Slater, the group mexican standoff, and the violent hotel scene involving Gandolfini and Arquette, but the real scene stealer would have to be the one in which Dennis Hopper, who plays Clarence's father, is ambushed by Christopher Walken and his gang and they have a not so friendly chat about Sicilians. It was a pure Tarantino moment and there are a lot of these great dialogues that allow for the film to have such a great pace and move along so nicely. The style and characters in this film make it such a unique experience and film lovers will enjoy the Hollywood satire as well. I am so glad I finally got to see this wild and romantic film. This is another reason why Tony Scott will be missed.

My Review: Django Unchained (9/10)

¨Gentlemen, you had my curiosity, but now you have my attention.¨

I am a huge Quentin Tarantino fan and enjoy his movies very much so I had huge expectations for this film and I wasn’t disappointed. Django Unchained is one of the top five best films of the year and deserves all the awards it has been receiving. Is this Tarantino’s best work? No it isn’t, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a fun film to watch. It has several flaws; the movie feels messy and a little overlong at times with some editing issues, but the story is just so fun that it’s worth it. Inspired by the Spaghetti westerns that Tarantino grew up watching, he pays homage to those films with Django Unchained. Just like those spaghetti westerns ended up reinventing a genre that was dying, in a way Tarantino has reinvented a genre now that had been long forgotten. We’ve seen very few westerns come out in the last decade (my favorites being 3:10 to Yuma and True Grit), but none as gritty and dark like this one. It is a western mixed with Tarantino’s classic dark and violent trademarks. Tarantino actually defines this film more a southern than a western considering it takes place in the South pre Civil War era, and it truly is worth the watch. Django Unchained has some great performances as well; it was a surprise to see Leonardo DiCaprio playing such a vicious and ruthless role, Samuel Jackson also nails his role as DiCaprio’s adviser, Foxx takes a while to settle in the lead role but he does deliver halfway through the film, and then there was Christoph Waltz who was the highlight of the film for me. Waltz had already surprised film lovers with his Oscar winning performance in Inglorious Basterds, and here he surprises us once again although this time playing the hero instead of the villain. In my opinion his character carries this movie and shouldn’t even be considered as the supporting character, but rather the leading one. He is a delight to watch on screen and is truly magnificent. Who would have thought that he could play such a likeable character after seeing him in the despicable and vicious role in Tarantino’s previous movie?

This is one of Tarantino’s most straightforward films with hardly any flashbacks, and it isn’t divided into chapters either like his other movies. The story opens somewhere in Texas during the pre-civil war era where we see Django (Jamie Foxx) being carried off in chains towards a slave market along with some other folks. They are interrupted by a former dentist, Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), who has come to free Django. He is very much against slavery and racial segregation, so he buys Django his freedom with the condition that he help him find three brothers who are wanted men, and only Django has seen their faces. Schultz isn’t working as a dentist; he has found a much more profitable living as a bounty hunter so he teams up with Django who is more than willing to help find these men who abused his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) and sold her to a ruthless plantation owner down in Mississippi known as Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). Django and Schultz become such good friends that they become partners in the bounty business and later the Dr. agrees to help Django on his quest to free his wife from Candie. It won’t be an easy task so they have to come up with a plan first, but Schultz is so inspired by Django’s love for his wife that he agrees to help him. In Candie’s gigantic residence we are introduced to some new characters such as his loyal adviser, Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson) who is in charge of all the slaves and household duties, and several other employees of Candie. One thing is for sure, freeing Broomhilda from all these men won’t be an easy task.  

My major complain (although it really is a minor one because I did love this film) is that it runs a bit too long. I thought the climax was reaching its highest point at least 30 minutes before the ending, and it did hurt the movie a bit that it extended itself. Tarantino is a master at creating tension and suspense, and he does it once again here, but he could have ended the film there instead of including another act where he has a small role as an Australian that just doesn’t work. The film is very violent, but Tarantino always finds a way to make you laugh (a task that isn’t easy) with a smart and inventive script. Racial abuse is pointed out here in a very strong way similar to when Tarantino showed the Nazi’s abusing the Jews in Inglorious Basterds. The excess in racial abuse is very clear and can be hard to watch for some, but it has a powerful effect, especially thanks to DiCaprio’s portrayal as the vicious and abusive slave owner. The real star of the film however is Christoph Waltz who really makes this film a lot more fun. It was one of my favorite performances of the year. Django Unchained may have just reinvented the western genre altogether with this inventive Tarantino script. The ending might be pretty predictable for a Tarantino fan, but the entire ride was just so exciting and such a fun experience. I agree with what A.O. Scott said about the film: ¨It is digressive, jokey, giddily brutal and ferociously profane. But it is also a troubling and important movie about slavery and racism.¨ This is one of the most entertaining movies of the year, but it could be divisive for some.

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My Review: Inglourious Basterds (10/10)

(10/10) Inglourious Basterds is by far the best movie of the year. Quentin Tarantino once again directs a masterpiece; a film that combines a lot of violence, funny and inteligent dialogues, and great characters. I`m a huge Tarantino fan and have enjoyed all his movies. It`s very hard to pick a favorite since all his movies are great: Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill, and now Inglourious Basterds. Tarantino is a master at what he does and he knows everything there is to know about films, and in this movie which you would expect to be all about World War II he combines so much film history knowledge into it that the war actually seems to take a second place. No other director can tell a story the way he does and combine so many diferent characters that you actually care for and hate seeing them get killed off. I had huge expectations for this movie and I wasn`t disappointed. Tarantino seems to combine the same formula he uses for all of his movies mixing funny dialogues with violent sequences, but he has a way of telling each story that just ends up captivating you every time.

The opening sequence was just brilliant and it actually set the tone for the rest of the movie since the film seemed to focus on long dialogues (which explains why the movie is two and a half hours long) that contributed on building the tension and anxiety of the viewer. In this opening scene we are introduced to Col. Hans Landa (played brilliantly by Christoph Waltz) who has a long conversation with Perriere (Denis Menochet), a family man who has a milk farm and is hiding jews. Col. Hans is trying to find out if Perriere is hiding jews and we are introduced to his character in this dialogue where he explains his position, his occupation, his nickname, and so on. Everything we need to know about him, we learn through the conversation that these two characters have. In the meantime, we the viewers begin to feel the anxiety that this Colonel is putting us through. Col. Hans doesn`t just storm in and turn the place upside down in search of the jews, instead he loves torturing his adversary and has long conversations with them prooving his intelligence and superiority. Christoph Waltz creates one of the best villains (I would rank him up there with Ledger`s Joker and Hopskins`s Hannibal Lecter) and surely will get an Oscar nomination for his work in this movie where he switches back in forth from german to french to english to italian. In this opening sequence he proves his talent by being able to soften Perriere and making him talk despite seeming to be uncorruptable at first. His character does this several times during the movie and enjoys torturing his victim`s psychologically. After Perriere gives away the hiding spot of the jews, one girl escapes, Shosanna (played by Melanie Laurent) and she will become a key character later on in the film when she finds an opportunity for revenge. In the second chapter of the movie we are introduced to the basterds. They are a group of about a dozen American Jews who are in France with the sole purpose of torturing and killing Nazis. Their leader is Lt. Aldo Raine (who is also played extremely well by Brad Pitt and his character is probably the one that delivers most laughs). Some of the basterds include: Donny Donowitz, the bear jew (played by Eli Roth, the director of the Hostel films) who kills nazis with a baseball bat, Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz (Til Scweiger), Lt. Archie Holcox (Micheal Fassbender), and Wilhelm Wicki (Gedeon Burkhard) among others. Some of these characters share a key scene with Bridget von Hammersmark (played by Diane Kruger) in a tavern where they plan on ambushing the nazis in a theater. Diane Kruger also delivers a great performance as Bridget, a famous movie actress that is actually a spy against the nazis. The performances by Christoph Waltz, Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, and Melanie Laurent were all outstanding and there were a few other characters that played smaller roles that were also great. The perfomances combined with Tarantino`s script add to the overall suspense and tension of the film.

This movie introduces so many different characters that I wish they all had a chance to have more screen time. Brad Pitt is not in this movie all that much as the trailers made you think, but it all worked out for the best becuase every character brought something different to the table. The language switching from german to english to french and then to italian all contributed to give this film a more realistic touch. I loved the diversity and complexity all these factors brought into play. The film isn`t actually as violent as you would expect it to be. It does have some of the classic Tarantino elements of over the top and suprise violence, but there is much more to it. The way the story is told and put together is what I enjoyed the most along with how Tarantino builds the suspense and tension. All these elements contribute to make this a complete film. It is hard to say if this is his best work because I have come to love all his other movies, but this films feels more mature and maybe Tarantino feels the same way about it. He even might have subconsciously said it through Lt Aldo when he told his partner at the end of the movie: I think this might just be my masterpiece. His masterpiece or not this is still a great movie and the best I`ve seen all year.