KILL BILL

by **jim katta** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 2:42 am

"KILL BILL"
Surprised that I haven't seen a thread here on this, so I figured I'd whip one up. In my opinion, despite what the director Tarantino says, I think the film borrows way more from Hong Kong cinema than anything Japanese. Yeah, he used some japanese actors, but the overall style is completely Hong Kong. I suspect he's referencing Japan for cool points rather than it being his real source influence. Everytime he does an interview, it's clear that what he's really talking about (regarding his love for old asian flicks) are the films that came out of Hong Kong. Yes, I know that "now" he cites actual japanese films, but I've been following Tarantino from the beginning, and he always mentioned Chinese films before. I guess it became to trendy for American directors to reference Hong Kong directors, so in a bid to be different he switched to japan. Yes, I believe that Tarantino can be that contrived. Still love his work though (except for the dead n--ger storage bit). Anyway, just curious to know what people think of the film.

One very weird side note. I noticed that the japanese actress Chiaki Kuriyama (Battle Royale) is in the film. Interested in seeing finding out what other films she's been in I typed her name into Google and got back a link to a picture book from her early days. Uh, hello, it was basically child porn! Seriously, I know japanese women often look younger than their age, but this was clearly a girl 12 years old or younger in a commerical photo book in pics where she's topless and in seductive (?) poses. Uhm, can some japanese native explain to me how 1)child porn is seemingly okay in japan, and 2)how that same child porn model can then go on to become a major japanese film star and no make mention of this? Maybe I'm overreacting, but I was just really surprised and offended to see that she had been exploited like that at such a young age. Walking down the streets of tokyo, I've seen magazines on street news racks with such photos, but I never picked one up and I assumed that if it was being sold publicly that the girls 'had' to be of age and just looked young as I glanced walking by. But this Chiaki thing was clearly out of bounds. WTF? Back on subject, I've seen extended clips of "Kill Bill" and it looks great, can't wait to see it.

by **Crispy** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 5:18 am

I am very much looking forward to seeing this in a few days. I love Tarantino, he is my favorite director behind Stanley Kubrick, and I have faith that this will be a spectacle I will enjoy greatly.

I think you must be interpreting your findings on the subject of that actress wrong. Child porn is very much illegal in Japan, and while that doesn't mean it doesn't happen, I doubt it would go onto an actress's official resume.

by **jim katta** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 5:34 am

The only way to prove to you that it is indeed her (trust me, her name is on it, and she's very recognizable) is to post a link to the site, which I WILL NOT do. If anybody wants to look for it, that's their choice. Anyway, yeah, Tarantino effing rocks. After so much mediocre movie material getting forced down our throats, he's like a breath of fresh air. Definitely more worth the price of admission than Lost In Translation. Now we just have to see if The Last Samurai will fall short and officially make Tarantino king of gaijin in japan filmmakers.

by **Steve Bildermann** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 6:52 am

Jin Katta wrote:Surprised that I haven't seen a thread here on this

See : http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2420&highlight=kill+bill

Don't worry Jim.

The only reason I was able to find the previous thread was because I used the obscure super secret FG forum command called S-E-A-R-C-H and entered the rather vague search criteria 'Kill Bill'

by **Caustic Saint** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 7:45 am

And don't forget this (much shorter) topic about the release of the new trailer from a couple weeks back:

http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4585

by **jim katta** » Sat Oct 11, 2003 3:06 am

went and checked out the other thread, and since it has a whopping 2 posts, and this thread is mainly just posts reminding us that another thread was created on this, I guess that means nobody's really interested in Kill Bill in either thread. hmmm, judging from the lively Lost In Translation thread, I guess that means Sophia is the defacto King/Queen of gaijin in japan directors. Still not feeling her work though.

I finally saw Kill Bill. It was a fun ride. Not much substance, plenty of style. What I liked about Pulp Fiction was how the characters had really interesting personal stories/philosophies that made all the style have something to rest on. Never got that feeling with Kill Bill. It felt like all style. I definitely don't think he should have cut it in two parts. When the film ended I felt totally ripped off time-wise, the film could have definitely been longer. Damn the Harvey Weinstein's marketing centric ass. I was rather surprised about and enjoyed the large amount of japanese language used in the film.

*ah, just saw the other Kill Bill thread started by Pongi way back in Feb. Okay, so let's call this the "After" you've seen Kill Bill thread...

by **AlbertSiegel** » Sat Oct 11, 2003 10:40 am

I did see Kill Bill today and all I can say is it is a movie I will not bother to see again. Not a very good or well thought out movie in my opinion. The Anime scene was a bit odd. Good movie to see once, but that's about it.

by **Naniwan Kid** » Sat Oct 11, 2003 2:35 pm

I thought Kill Bill was awesome! I can see the HK references, but I can also tell that Tarantino has seen Battle Royale and Ichi the Killer. This movie is as violent an American movie as you will ever see, I guarantee. The body count is endless, and there are dozens of severed limbs, heads, etc.... Deep? not really, but damn cool. I can't wait for Vol II.

by **Pizzicatoblue** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 9:57 am

I've seen Kill Bill tonight, and I have only two phrase to say...SEEN IT, AND LOVE IT!! CAN'T WAIT FOR VOL.2 BABY, YEAH!!!

by **Crispy** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 12:41 pm

I don't have any words that can fully express how cool I thought that movie was. I love you, Tarantino! (not gay)

by **Andocrates** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 3:15 pm

5 of us saw it, 3 Japanese, (1 squemish girl) and 2 Americans we all loved it but the Japaese accents were really bad so my Japanese friends kept laughing at the wrong places.

Sonny Chiba was awesome, he has huge stage presence. I'll, for sure, buy the DVD and see it again when it hit's the 1$ show.

It's good, cheesy fun.

by **Taro Toporific** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 7:36 pm

Naniwan Kid wrote:

Heppiri goshi
Note the posture of Uma in the above picture, she has her center of balance all wrong with her weight/butt hanging back (bad) rather than an straight upright posture. That stance is called Heppiri goshi 'bad ass'.*
As Charisma Man, "mercutio" said before in the thread last Feb, "damned if Uma doesnt look like she's swinging a damn broomhandle instead of a sword."

*My screwy direct translation of Heppiri goshi meaning the koshi/ass-hip pulled back and stuck out. Heppiri goshi also means 'to be afraid'.

by **jim katta** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 6:47 am

Uma can hang her butt on me any day. heheheh... :devil2:

by **Crispy** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 2:20 pm

Uma is joining the ranks of Hollywood movie stars who star in martial arts movies even though they are not classically trained, you can't expect the same from her as you could from dedicated martial arts stars. Still, I think she did a better job than Keanu Reeves did.

by **Alcazar** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 3:11 pm

Last night I was watching TV with my parents and brothers when an ad for Kill Bill came on,-film's are released a few weeks later in Australia than in America.

I loudly exclaim 'What the Hell!', when part of the ad is Taro's avatar loop: The bald martial arts guy in a suit you see everyday on FG. I had never seen it before off FG, and it was so weird seeing the representation of 'Taro' on a TV screen and not the usual 'big postage stamp' size.

It was such a 'WTF?!' moment.

by **kamome** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 5:32 pm

Alcazar wrote:I had never seen it before off FG, and it was so weird seeing the representation of 'Taro' on a TV screen and not the usual 'big postage stamp' size.

It was such a 'WTF?!' moment.

Dude, Taro is just 10 steps ahead of everyone. He'll surprise you like that.

by **devicenull** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 3:43 pm

lol, the movie teaches one that to be accepted by the japanese, you must slaughter the leader... *looks in Ishihara's direction*

by **Neo-Rio** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 4:44 pm

That little tip goes for just about every other culture.... but Japan in particular.

Hey, do you have any spare nuclear bombs?

by **American Oyaji** » Thu Oct 16, 2003 6:06 am

Just saw it.

If I could describe the movie in 2 words.

BLOOD BATH

Very slick and stylish. too much blood tho....and the owner of that place should have slipped and fallen on the bloody glass floor for a little comic relief since she was tottering around anyway.

What I thought was interesting that the movie doesn't proceed in a linear manner. It made Jump cuts. for example, you KNOW Oren Ishii is gonna die because she was number 1 on the list and she was already crossed off when she crossed Vivica Fox's character off.

Not a bad movie. I wish I had someone to go with though. I hate going to the theater by myself all the time.

BTW, this movie had a HEAVY Japanese influence. The Chinese influence was in the way the fights were choreagraphed. (Woo-ping Yuen).

But the style and the way the scenes were staged was very reminiscent of Japanese Samurai movies.

by **devicenull** » Thu Oct 16, 2003 8:55 am

American Oyaji wrote:Just saw it.

If I could describe the movie in 2 words.

BLOOD BATH

Very slick and stylish. too much blood tho....and the owner of that place should have slipped and fallen on the bloody glass floor for a little comic relief since she was tottering around anyway.

What I thought was interesting that the movie doesn't proceed in a linear manner. It made Jump cuts. for example, you KNOW Oren Ishii is gonna die because she was number 1 on the list and she was already crossed off when she crossed Vivica Fox's character off.

Not a bad movie. I wish I had someone to go with though. I hate going to the theater by myself all the time.

BTW, this movie had a HEAVY Japanese influence. The Chinese influence was in the way the fights were choreagraphed. (Woo-ping Yuen).

But the style and the way the scenes were staged was very reminiscent of Japanese Samurai movies.

i also think that the japanese was done very well. rather cool to hear it being spoken so fluently (even though it was most likely just staged)... i wonder if they will subtitle the non-nihonjin japanese when it comes out in japan :P

by **Andocrates** » Thu Oct 16, 2003 9:37 am

i also think that the japanese was done very well. rather cool to hear it being spoken so fluently (even though it was most likely just staged)... i wonder if they will subtitle the non-nihonjin japanese when it comes out in japan

Dude, the Japanese was terrible - even I laughed at the bad Japanese. As I stated earlier the 3 Japanese people laughed every time Umma said anything.

by **American Oyaji** » Fri Oct 17, 2003 12:59 am

Lucy Liu's Japanese wasn't too bad...it wasn't the pronounciation, but the intonation and rythm.

Uma's was horrendous.

But I think that MAY have been the point. With the number of Japanese people working on the film, they KNEW Uma's Japanese was bad.

They are both such good actresses that if they had wanted them to speak perfectly, they could have trained them too.

by **devicenull** » Fri Oct 17, 2003 1:40 am

Andocrates wrote:
i also think that the japanese was done very well. rather cool to hear it being spoken so fluently (even though it was most likely just staged)... i wonder if they will subtitle the non-nihonjin japanese when it comes out in japan

Dude, the Japanese was terrible - even I laughed at the bad Japanese. As I stated earlier the 3 Japanese people laughed every time Umma said anything.

meh, i saw it at 2 in the morning on a 15" screen... im pretty sure anything would have impressed me at that time :P

by **AlbertSiegel** » Fri Oct 17, 2003 12:12 pm

meh, i saw it at 2 in the morning on a 15" screen... im pretty sure anything would have impressed me at that time

15" widescreen or normal?

by **devicenull** » Fri Oct 17, 2003 3:15 pm

AlbertSiegel wrote:
meh, i saw it at 2 in the morning on a 15" screen... im pretty sure anything would have impressed me at that time

15" widescreen or normal?

laptop

that's how they show their movies down in mexico... you can read all about it on the news.. lots of postings all about this new movie

by **Caustic Saint** » Sun Oct 19, 2003 4:23 pm

I bought a bootleg of a Miramax screener on DVD in Seoul yesterday.

I like how Tarantino writes dialogue and how he tells the story - non-linear movies always catch my attention. I felt the strongest points were the swordplay and the anime - neither of which I'd really say Tarantino was "responsible" for.

The other thing I want to comment on is the ending. As it's a big spoiler for anybody who hasn't seen it yet, I've made my comments very non-specific (no character names) and set the color to a ghostly shade that can be read by selecting the text.

Begin spoilers
I loved that they didn't show you exactly what that one person did to the other one. You just had to imagine it. Sure, you could see that the other person was on an IV, but you had no idea just what had been done. Much more effective - in my mind - then showing just how bad it really was, or wasn't.
End Spoilers

Edit. I've checked the "ghostly" color in both schemes, and it works well for including text that some people may not want to read. If anybody wants to use this technique in a post, the bbcode is:

Code: Select all: [color=#EFEFEF] [/color]

by **Milla** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 10:41 am

I saw it, loved it and waiting for vol. 2.
but don't u hate this 2 part thing....first with The Matrix, then LOTR trilogy, Star Wars episodes..the list goes on

by **Caustic Saint** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 11:02 am

Milla wrote:I saw it, loved it and waiting for vol. 2.
but don't u hate this 2 part thing....first with The Matrix, then LOTR trilogy, Star Wars episodes..the list goes on

LOTR has been a trilogy ever since it was written, so there's not much that can be done about how that one's been put together for the current films. Star Wars? With the original trilogy I had a lot more anticipation for the second and third films. Now it's more like, "eh, I'll see it when it comes out." Lucas is pretty much raping his own creation, and the fact that the Clone Wars take place inbetween the second tha third films of the prequel trilogy is just plain wrong. We've been hearing about these wars for over 25 years, and now all we'll get to see of them is a batch of 2-3 minute animated shorts on Cartoon Network. Gee, won't that be swell.... :roll:

I'd say the Matrix series is more of a duology than a triology, as they've admitted that Reloaded and Revolutions are just one large movie cut into two pieces.

Kill Bill was meant to be only one movie, but QT didn't want to do a 3-hour movie. Dunno why not. The way he constructs a story (non-linearly) tweaks the viewers perception of time and keeps the movie fresh all the way through, not dragging it out at all. He should've kept it as one movie and left it at that. I expect there will be a DVD release with the "real" cut of the movie on it.

by **Ptyx** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 11:40 am

He wanted to make à 3 hours long movie but The Weinsteins bros (Head of Miramax) asked to cut the movie in half due to distribution issues (3 hours long movies mean less showing by day, therefor less viewers) and QT agreed.

by **American Oyaji** » Wed Oct 22, 2003 2:51 pm

good points all around....

I'm an old school star wars fan and even though I bought the DVD, I have only watched episode 2 once since i bought it.

I watched Matrix Revolutions twice already.

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KILL BILL

KILL BILL

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