Martial Fantasy Movies

Bill Glasheen · Post by **Bill Glasheen** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 1:47 pm

One of my students loaned me Kill Bill volume 1 and 2. The loan stems from jokes in class about my name, and about Quentin Tarantino movies.

I have to say in watching the movie, that I was chuckling most of the way through it. My 6-year-old was alternating between reading his Adventures of Captain Underpants and viewing the gory eye candy. At first I was concerned about letting him see all the gratuitous, blood-spurting violence. But after a while, I decided to let him stay. Both my boys and I were completely un-involved in a very improbable plot, and we seemed to be able to separate this ridiculous fantasy from reality. However I think this review says it best.

I feel like a complete review of Kill Bill is a little premature today. However, I will say this… I am looking forward to Kill Bill Redux, in which Quentin Tarantino will take this bloated, overly indulgent, structureless three-hour problem double feature and cut it down to the two hour movie that should have made “Quentin Tarantino’s 4th Film” legendary.

Inevitably, there will be apologists for this thing. So ask the hard questions. Do you really care about Uma Thurman’s character? So you really believe in her revenge? Do you really care whether you ever see Bill, much less see him killed?

The answer will likely be, “No… but it is soooo cool."

***

Uma is hot. It's hard to keep your eyes off of her and several of the other females in this movie. They can be flirtatiously sexy. They can be resourceful. They can be manipulative and powerful. And they can be sooooo bad. Even the women can enjoy and feel empowered by this movie, providing they are immune to the gore. (I know a few feminists who would have absolutely NO problem with any of this...

)

It's ridiculous, it's improbable, it's complete fantasy, and yet it's so much fun. Maybe it captivates you because it's so surreal.

The visuals are stunning. The choreography is fun to watch.

Did I mention that Uma is hot?

Still pictures can't capture this. It's the movement. It's the attitude.

You've gotta love a woman with attitude!

- Bill

f.Channell · Post by **f.Channell** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 3:15 pm

being a rainy day it might be fun to take out these DVD and revisit them.

I like the fact that the director obviously doesn't care that this movie is what it is.

I felt the casting of long forgotten Caine is brilliant. Even his use of the flute once again.

I like the scenes where carrying a sword on aplane and motorcycle is made to seem normal in a post 9/11 world. Reminds me of the story my father in law told me of running away from home at age 12 and bringing his shotgun with him on the bus.

I think the key to watching the movie is to not even think of approaching it intelligently.

Have you seen "House of flying daggers" Bill? That one goes over the top with the wires and special effects.

JimHawkins · Post by **JimHawkins** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 3:31 pm

Despite the fact that many ohhhhhed and ahhhhed the previews of this film, when I first saw a preview I was unsure if the film was supposed to be a goofy comedy..

Then I realized it wasn't - it isn't right? -

I pretty much just forgot about it after that... No real desire to see it, perhaps when it comes on TV.

Bill Glasheen · Post by **Bill Glasheen** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 3:43 pm

Jim wrote: No real desire to see it, perhaps when it comes on TV.

You'll be waiting for Gidot, Jim. Maybe on HBO... But this will never make it on the airways. There's absolutely no way to sanitize the gore.

Fred wrote: I like the scenes where carrying a sword on aplane and motorcycle is made to seem normal in a post 9/11 world.

You caught that too, eh? The flight from Okinawa to Japan while Uma has her katana by her side. Cinematic license, eh?

That of course goes right to the board meeting, where the queen B decapitates a board member for insulting her ethnic origin (not being Japanese, etc.) Yea, that's the ticket!

I agree, Fred. It's fantasy and doesn't pretend to be anything but.

My older son kept asking why part of the movie was a cartoon.

- Bill

IJ · Post by IJ » Mon Oct 10, 2005 3:46 pm

Some movies are supposed to be deep, moving, meaningful... this one was supposed to entertain, and sometimes people hold that against it like it was a fault. QT loves martial arts movies, and there's something nice about a movie the director is using as an homage to great past films rather than a lot of crap that's just out there to (just) make a buck. I didn't know the story of Hattori Hanzo's Japanese samurai series before I saw the extra features, and I didn't know the actor who played Pai Mei had confronted the legendary villain of chinese kung fu films in previous work, but it was great seeing Bruce Lee films echoed here and there. And, while Uma is a little scrawny, she and especially Lucy Liu are plain kicka$$.

Plus, who else was going to seamlessly blend anime into a live action movie and disturb and entertain us at the same time?

Gene DeMambro · Post by **Gene DeMambro** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 5:02 pm

Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe, in his review, says it best when he talks of the Fight of the Crazy 88:

It might be the most entertainingly ludicrous fight sequence ever filmed.

And sometime we want our films to be just that....entertainingly ludicrous. And contrary to what Bill's reviewer says, I think Morris has it right when he says:

The worst thing about the first Quentin Tarantino picture in five years is that after 93 minutes of some of the most luscious violence and spellbinding storytelling you're likely to see this year, ''Kill Bill'' ends.

"Luscious violence" and "spellbinding storytelling". He also goes on to say that Kill Bill Vol. 1 is:

the year's most important unimportant movie

Nothing wrong with well-done pulp films.....

Gene

Sochin · Post by **Sochin** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 5:26 pm

Just a fun way to retell the story of the indominatable human spirit...

Bill Glasheen · Post by **Bill Glasheen** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:18 pm

Perhaps what one needs is first to see this movie.

From the reviewer...

John Carpenter's career peaked with Big Trouble in Little China -- and what a peak it is. No other director/writer has attempted to create what Carpenter did in the 80's. Why this took so long to come to DVD is beyond me. This movie makes the best mix of cavalier anti-heroes, humorous villains, dark magic overtones, and good old fashioned fight scenes (done up as a mix of kung fu with old west shoot-em-up).

Those who don't like this movie don't get it's inherent self-deprecatory theme. This movie is all about fun. If you don't get it, see a doctor about your broken funny bone!

TheGreatWhiteBuffalo · Mon Oct 10, 2005 7:59 pm

Kill Bill was a great martial arts movie. Big Trouble in Little China was also entertaining. "It's all in the reflexes." That line cracks me up in that movie. How about this one:

TSDguy · Post by **TSDguy** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 11:53 pm

My biggest problem with the movie (and I had the same problem with The Matrix) is the horribly, mind blowingly unathletic people trying to portray martial arts gods. Many people have raved about how athletic Uma was; I think she moved -- to reuse my quote describing Keanu in The Matrix-- like a quadrapalygic with emphysema.

Jet Li should have been Neo and Zhang Ziyi should have been the bride.

Edit: The One was badass.

AAAhmed46 · Post by **AAAhmed46** » Tue Oct 11, 2005 12:42 am

Pa kua vs xing yi, that was fun to watch.

If you watch anime, there are TONS of fantasy martial arts stuff.

But one that really sticks to my mind is

KUNG FU HUSTLE!!!!!!!!!

BEST MOVIE EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gene DeMambro · Post by **Gene DeMambro** » Tue Oct 11, 2005 2:22 am

Funny you mention Keanu Reeves being like a quadrapalygic, as he trained for The Matrix while in a brace after having neck surgery. Uma Thurman will be the first to tell you that she is a most unathletic person.

Gene

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Oct 11, 2005 3:13 am

I liked the counterbalance of exaggeration and litotes, as in Bill's apology that "perhaps I over-reacted."

Then there are numerous scenes instructing the uechika on the proper holding of the katana for Seisan. In our dojo I've seen everything from a parasol pump to a reverse hands grip on a baseball bat.

What has to be a subtle stroke is the investiture of the Okinawans with supernatural sword crafting skills, when in fact it was the Japanese who "disarmed" the uncouth Okies in 1614.

The films gave me the opportunity to review my complete sets of Kung Fu Cards, the 1973 Topps set of 60 cards on grey stock in the US. The Scanlens set on white stock in Australia. And the smaller reorganized A&BC Gum set of 60 in the UK. Did you know that the photos on cards #51 and #45 of the US and Scanlens sets show the puzzles on the reverse

I have yet to complete the "test set" which has a blue border on the back

Glenn · Post by **Glenn** » Tue Oct 11, 2005 5:52 am

I enjoyed seeing Sonny Chiba (Hattori Hanzo in Kill Bill 1) and Gordon Liu (the leader of the Crazy 88 in Kill Bill 1 and Pai Mei in Kill Bill 2) again. They have starred in numerous martial arts films over the past 30 years, both at their peak around the mid 1970s-early 1980s.

Gordon Liu in particular has always been a favorite of mine. His movies usually had decent humor built into them. He is was great in "36 Chambers of Shaolin" (known in the US as "The Master Killer" and "Shaolin Master Killer"), "Executioners from Shaolin" and "Invincible Pole Fighter". He also fought against Jet Li in "Last Hero in China" (aka "Deadly China Hero").

Sonny is best known for his "Street Fighter" series of movies.

Gordon Liu in Kill Bill:

and in 1978:

Sonny Chiba in Kill Bill:

and in 1974:

Bill Glasheen · Post by **Bill Glasheen** » Tue Oct 11, 2005 1:47 pm

There's a real problem here.

Good martial artists generally can't act. Yes, Chuck, that especially includes you. And god please help me every time I have to look at Bruce Lee getting serious in a movie. Jackie Chan is the only guy who pulls this off, and he's the most self deprecating of all of them. Meanwhile, good actors generally are rotten athletes. Even David Carradine was only a dancer, and needed slo-mo to make his kung fu magic look semi credible. So, what are you going to do?

You're lucky if you get the right balance.

I agree that Uma is frankly a little too slight for the role, and so doesn't pass the sniff test on that account. It's not quite as bad as Wonder Ti.. I mean Wonder Woman, but in the league.

The bar scene above was my favorite in that movie. Uma pulled off the manipulative female role really well. She deftly flashed her charm and beauty, and withheld her intelligence until the right moment. (Frankly she reminded me of two of my red-headed sisters, who could manipulate their surroundings depending upon what attribute was needed at that point in time. Beauty and intelligence are a disarmingly deadly combination.)

- Bill