I'll be in the hospital most of Friday for my AV node ablation (see my latest film -- a little thing I like to call "Biventricular Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator" -- at right), but should be out this evening, when I will make an effort to approve comments. So, please, keep 'em coming in.
Meanwhile, although it might not have been the natural choice on the eve of a surgical heart procedure, I watched "Kill Bill Volume 1" last night, an experience I found thrilling (Tarantino and Robert Richardson know how to create images), though not at all involving. But that's the kind of movies Tarantino makes. They are abstract art, not strong stories, not emotional experiences. I thought of Hitchcock, who said his films are not slices of life but slices of cake. Tarantino makes candy necklaces, tasty chunks strung together -- little climaxes without much overall dramatic shape. Sometimes it's a little like ADD De Palma (love that split-screen sequence in the hospital), but Tarantino does not waste a single shot. Every single image has a place, a reason to exist in that particular context (see Dogme 09.8 #1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10), and it's so satisfying in contrast to the random mish-mash action editing of... well, you know the movies I'm talking about. Tarantino's eye makes me delirious with movie love.
Best of all, in Volume 1 there's not much stilted, wordy dialog to distract from the excellence and exuberance of the filmmaking. I'd like to see Tarantino do a silent film someday -- only music on the soundtrack. His music selections, as always, are dynamite, though sometimes too short and inconsequential (see Dogme 09.8 #6 about "segues using snippets of pop tunes that fade out just as they're getting started"). I'd like to see him really stretch out and develop more whole sequences around a piece of music instead of just a tiny piece of a piece of music. (Only reservation: the music during the first part of the fight in the snow between Uma Thurman and Lucy Liu was too slight and slick to fit the gravity of what should have been the climactic confrontation of Volume 1.)
More on Volume 1, Volume 2, "Inglourious Basterds" and other topics of interest after my ablation. (Sing along with the Ramones: "I wanna be ablated!")
JE: Back from hospital, in recuperation mode. I'm feeling much better... Not dead yet!
Good luck, Jim. May the wizards of modern technology keep you in tip-top shape for more fascinating blogs.
I feel that he really shows a lot of depth with the second volume, and that makes one (it made me, anyway) reconsider the first one as more than just a fun-ish samurai movie.
I agree that vol 1 comes in separate chunks, Vol 2 is where the story, backstory, and character comes in. Frankly, I'd love to see both volumes re-edited as one movie, because I think volume 1 was seriously hindered by the lack of everything that was put in vol 2. As for the soundtrack, I agree wholeheartedly on the music in the showdown. Frankly, they had the coolest sounding music theme for this film, but instead of using it as a *theme* throughout the film, it was used only sporadically, mostly around the scene with the Crazy 88's if I remember correctly. After listening to that music in all the trailers, I was really disappointed how little it was actually used in the film.
Best wishes, Jim.
Volume 2 is a much more emotionally involving, if less visceral experience. Uma makes only one kill, and I'm guessing you can predict who it is.
Hey Jim, hope everything goes well. Glad to hear you got around to watching Kill Bill. I think you'll find Vol. 2 much more engaging. I prefer it to Vol. 1 although making comparison starts the debate once again over whether the two films should be critiqued seperately or as one film as it was supposedly intended. Once again, hope everything goes well and I'm looking forward to hearing what you think about Vol. 2 and Inglourious Basterds.
Damn, I'm glad you caught onto Tarantino's eye, something sorely overlooked but has become the reason I love his films so much, and something I constantly try to point out to people who attack Death Proof (to my eye, his most formally developed film, if that makes sense) for its script. Kill Bill though, when taken as a whole especially...that's some damn fine moviemaking.
You're absolutely correct that Volume 1 isn't terribly deep (and neither is Volume 2, but it's way more visceral), but hey...they needn't all be Silent Light. Tarantino's films are proof that entertainment needn't be poorly done, and benefits tremendously from someone who knows their form. Damn am I excited for Inglourious Basterds.
Hope the recovery is a smooth one.
Great to see the operation went well!
And on a quick note about "Inglourious Basterds," which I just got back from: ...I think I'm going to have to two-time it. Liked it, but not sure how much yet. But man was it a beautiful looking (and sounding!) film.
Good luck, Jim. I wish you best of health!
Like a few people have said already, Vol. 2 is much more involving. It ties up everything from vol. 1 which gives the whole thing a sense of dramatic shape. I think Ebert said something similar in his review.
I do hope your recovery goes well.
I'm only an hour removed from a screening of "Inglorious Basterds", and I have to say that I had one hell of a good time at that movie. I don't think that I find any other current director as purely entertaining as him. I'm waiting to hear what you have to say about it.
I'm looking forward to what you have to say about volume 2, which - I'll take a contrary stance here - I find the lesser of the two films. I have some specific reasons why, but I'll wait until you post.
Good to hear you're back at home Jim!
As for Tarantino's lack of emotional involvement, "Jackie Brown" has to be the one case where that isn't true and, in its own different way, "Inglorious Basterds" also marks more emotional territory for Tarantino...
"It would be an epic misperception to see "Inglourious Basterds" as some irreverent pastiche. It's not. Every liberty Tarantino takes, in both tone and history, is part of the filmmaker's overarching determination to remind audiences - remind them so they feel it - that World War II was, to put it mildly, the worst thing that has ever happened. Nearly seven decades of cinematic cliche may have dulled our response. Tarantino explodes those cliches to shake us awake."
Mark LaSalle's review of "Inglorious Basterds":
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/20/MVQU19AT6G.DTL
I'm glad that you are feeling better.
When you comment on Inglorious Basterds, I would be interested to know whether you think it ventures into territory such as the fight with the Crazy 88s in Kill Bill or the slow motion car crash in Death Proof which just felt like "too much" for lack of better way of describing it.
Jim,
I'm eager to hear your thoughts on Inglorious Basterds, because after two viewings I was intoxicated with visual/aural movie love. It was incredible.
Digging through the posts I missed while on vacation and came upon this one. Hope you're doing okay after your procedure. Long live the new flesh, indeed!