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WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE.
First of all, I just want to say how much I enjoyed the movie. Right from the opening, with the use of music and all, I was sucked right in. I was quite entertained, despite the entire experience being marred by a crying baby in the audience...why can't people just keep the kids at home?
BTW, does anyone else besides me love all of Tarantino's opening credit sequences? Think about them. "Little Green Bag" at the beginning of Reservoir Dogs. The surf music at the top of Pulp Fiction. "Across 110th Street" at the top of Jackie Brown (complete with copyright and "Mighty Mighty Afro-dite Productions Inc." at the bottom of the screen!). It's little touches like these that make me respect Tarantino's work. It's so obvious that he loves movies that he pays a complete homage to them each time out (i.e. "Mighty Mighty Afro-dite Productions Inc.").
Haters, please save the "yeah, see, but he's a thief, he ripped off City of Fire, Tarantino's a hack bastard" arguments. Who really gives a shit? It's been 11 years. Get the fuck over it.
Anyway, back to the movie. I enjoyed the look of it, the stylistic touches, the good ol' Tarantino Story Switcheroos (the Pussy Truck, starting the movie with #2 on the death list and ending with #1), etc. (BTW, Tarantino switched to black and white during the House of Blue Leaves sequence in order to avoid trouble from our friends at the MPAA. Apparently, the international versions have the whole sequence in color because us weak-stomach Americans can't handle lots of blood). The acting, such as it was, was very good. Uma delivered a great performance, as did Lucy Liu.
And for the Tarantino haters who don't like him because "he used the 'N' word way too much in Jackie Brown," I suppose you could get on Vivica and Uma for saying "Bitch" about 733 times during their sequence. But then you'd be nitpicking, and you'd also look like an idiot, so I suggest shutting the fuck up and getting over it.
Like I said, stylistically, I thought it delivered. The fight scenes also delivered. Script-wise, unfortunately, I couldn't help but feel cold towards the whole exercise. It's a shame that Harvey Scissorhands decreed that this would be a long movie split in half, because I never really got the chance to make an emotional connection with The Bride. I felt bad for her when she woke up out of her coma, and realized that not only had she lost her child, but she was also being pimped out in the hospital. But I really wanted, no needed, to understand why the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad turned on The Bride and tried to kill her off. That to me was the biggest bump in the road, and I'm sure we'll find out why in Vol. 2 (hopefully? I just don't want to read some lame Tarantino "sometimes there is no reason why" excuse come February if we don't see why).
Like I said, stylistically, I could dig it, but just felt like a cheat to split this thing in two, because there was a bit of an emotional connection, but by then there was the BIG CLIFFHANGER, and the credits rolled. Hopefully Miramax will release a "Complete Director's Cut" of this thing next year, so I can see it the way it was intended to be seen, without interruption.
______________________________________________ "St. Anger 'round my neck He never gets respect..." -Metallica (it is what it is. deal with it.)
"Life is pain. Get used to it." -(The Real) Charlie Baltimore, "The Long Kiss Goodnight"
"systematic overthrow of the underclass Hollywood conjures images of the past new world needs spirituality that will last I've seen the future, and it will be." -Prince (as Batman), 1989
_____________________________________________________________ delete if there is a post, i couldn't find it
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