Kill Bill Vol. 2
Finally got a chance to see Kill Bill Vol. 2, with Carley, Ben, Nancy, Meaghan, and Nathan (the same group that saw Vol. 1, so it worked out well).
What...a...movie. Better than the first one, and that's a feat. Tarantino turns down the blood and turns up the story - as would be expected from having to cut a three-hour movie in half to make...two two-hour movies. You learn what happened to Elle Driver's right eye (and then see what happens to her left). You learn of Pai Mei and the five-finger palm exploding heart technique - the deadliest move in martial arts. Oh yeah, and The Bride's real name (HINT: Bill's been calling her it the whole time).
Now, let's not forget, this is Tarantino, and it wouldn't be a Tarantino movie without excessive violence. The Daryl Hannah/Uma Thurman fight is excellent (you really can't go wrong with samurai swords), and there definitely is a fair share of blood.
The real difference between Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 can be found in the dialogue. Tarantino's a notoriously bad writer of dialogue, and while there aren't all that many gems, there are many more than in Vol. 1. The Bride's daughter, for example, is terribly cute and gets some incredibly cute lines (even if they are things like "Impervious to bullets, mommy!" and "I stepped on him..."). The young lady (Perla Haney-Jardine) was very good, albeit for a short time, and will hopefully make a few more appearances before her cuteness runs out.
The only negative I could find was that the eventual showdown with Bill is, ultimately, a letdown. An appropriate end, but an anticlimactic one. Which, I suppose, illustrates the difference between the two movies - blood bath versus...well...more like a blood hot tub.
So, all in all, a fantastic movie, at the moment, the best of the year (although it is only April, and the Academy Award winners are usually out from October on). Better than the first, and a very satisfying conclusion.
Go see it.
What...a...movie. Better than the first one, and that's a feat. Tarantino turns down the blood and turns up the story - as would be expected from having to cut a three-hour movie in half to make...two two-hour movies. You learn what happened to Elle Driver's right eye (and then see what happens to her left). You learn of Pai Mei and the five-finger palm exploding heart technique - the deadliest move in martial arts. Oh yeah, and The Bride's real name (HINT: Bill's been calling her it the whole time).
Now, let's not forget, this is Tarantino, and it wouldn't be a Tarantino movie without excessive violence. The Daryl Hannah/Uma Thurman fight is excellent (you really can't go wrong with samurai swords), and there definitely is a fair share of blood.
The real difference between Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 can be found in the dialogue. Tarantino's a notoriously bad writer of dialogue, and while there aren't all that many gems, there are many more than in Vol. 1. The Bride's daughter, for example, is terribly cute and gets some incredibly cute lines (even if they are things like "Impervious to bullets, mommy!" and "I stepped on him..."). The young lady (Perla Haney-Jardine) was very good, albeit for a short time, and will hopefully make a few more appearances before her cuteness runs out.
The only negative I could find was that the eventual showdown with Bill is, ultimately, a letdown. An appropriate end, but an anticlimactic one. Which, I suppose, illustrates the difference between the two movies - blood bath versus...well...more like a blood hot tub.
So, all in all, a fantastic movie, at the moment, the best of the year (although it is only April, and the Academy Award winners are usually out from October on). Better than the first, and a very satisfying conclusion.
Go see it.
