Hollywood and silliness

[Occhidiangela]

Took the kids to see "The Incredibles" on Sunday, and had a few well deserved silly laughs. Worth a look when it hits the dollar theatres, or DVD, unless you have kids over the age of 7, then I recommend seeing it, maybe save a buck or two at a matinee showing. Echoes of Iron Giant, though any number of adult inside jokes are lost on kids. Nice send up of the 50's superheroes genre with a bit of new age psychobabble thrown in.

No Capes! :lol:

Was on yet another business trip, saw "Kill Bill" and "The Whole Nine Yards." The latter was a bit of silliness showcasing one of the Friends rubes, though it had a few good comedic moments. Bruce Willis never broke a sweat.

Kill Bill, which I have at long last now seen, was most enjoyable, even if we never get answered early in the film WHY Bill and his friends felt the need to waste those folks at the Texas wedding.

The nod to anime was noted, though I am a complete anime novice. Loved the soundtrack fusion of Japanese and Western ala Sergio Leone music. I will get the soundtrack. Enjoyed the send up of the Bruce Lee genre of one martial arts expert against crowds of obvios novices. Enjoyed the atomized blood spray effect as yet another "look" for high ketchup count films. Thought Lucy Liu looked better with the haircut at the end. (Sorry, still have much ill feeling in my heart for anyone related to the Ally McBeal whine fest . . .)

Why the late review? Easy, that film will never be seen in my house. Mrs Occhi is NOT a fan of Quentin Tarantino, at all. It has gotten to the point that I will not even raise his name and the word movies as a topic of discussion. True Romance, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill. Hmmm, how is that last the Fourth QT film? I count 5. Or was one of the former NOT a QT film? Or is the Producer Director subtlety lost on me?

Anyway, the only way I can see QT films is while on a trip, or if Mrs Occhi is out of town and I get the DVD as a rental.

Sooo, Lurkers all, is Kill Bill 2 more of the same, or does it add flavor to the story? I like the quirky way QT tells a story. Should I sneak in a viewing when the Missus is out of the house (better than the first), or can it wait for my next trip?(more of the same)

Occhi

[Scrape]

The Incredibles does look funny, but my chance to see it has not appeared yet.

The last movie I saw in a theater was Saw, which was quite good, especially the ending. And it is a bit freaky.

I saw The Whole Nine Yards this past year. It was entertaning, but I didn't laugh much.

Kill Bill I liked. Good action, a good mix of music, and the wacky filming style.

I have not seen the sequel yet.

Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs were also nifty.

As to his quirky way of telling the story, I agree, but it's not like that in all of them.

Another seemingly good (and recent) fight flick that I would like to see is Ong-bak.

[smithy]

I have an hour to kill waiting on the WoW beta to finish so this might be long. :)

Also, apologies if any of my questions get answered before I post this. I'd bet that someone is going to respond before I get done typing.

What about QT's films doesn't Mrs Ochhi like? I'm curious because my girlfriend watches his movies more than I do. Is it the violence, does she not enjoy his style?

Just curious. :)

Getting into it, QT''s storytelling and style are the two things that I enjoy most about his films. He always has a great song playing in the background during all the "big" scenes.
It's more than just the music though. His films, specifically, Kill Bill 1 & 2 have incredible sets and the effects are.......in your face but still usually contain a nod to past movie standards.

The scene where the Crazy 88s enter the club is a great example. Awesome music during the whole club scene, IMO. The girl in the schoolgirl outfit, the 88s, O'ren, and lets not forget Uma a little later on in the scene all have memorable outfits.

It's the little things about the films that make them good. His films always end up in the category of movies that I see something new in every time I watch, a little detail that makes me want to watch the movie yet again.

His twisted, time-wise, stories are how he likes to write I guess because they seem to mostly be the same to me. Not that the stories are necessarily repetitive but the techniques he uses to tell those stories are.

Download almost done. If you'd like to get into a more in-depth discussion of certain movies, I'm all for it.

About kill Bill 2, wjithout spoiling it so I will say very little, the movie is "good". Take that for what you will. I liked it but individual tastes vary. I like the first one more, my girlfriend liked the second better. It's a little less action intense and more cerebral, I guess but that doesn't seem the best word. I can't think of one better though.

Kill Bill 2 explains some more of the backstory, and also gives some more character backgroud.

It's a safe bet that if you like the first Kull Bill and have enjoyed other QT films, you will enjoy Kill Bill 2. I just think you will like one better than the other.

Smithy

[Minionman]

Also saw the incredibles this weekend. Was really funny, especially at the end with the baby.

Ladykillers was another silly one from this year I liked.

A few months ago I saw this old western one TV. Maybe it was one of the cheaper ones but it was really funny. I know at the time it was probably seen as serious, but nowadays most of the stuff in it is just funny. If it were made today, they would make that exact movie as a comedy.

[Occhidiangela]

What about QT's films doesn't Mrs Ochhi like?  I'm curious because my girlfriend watches his movies more than I do.  Is it the violence, does she not enjoy his style?

Just curious.  :)

Best answer for that is: tastes differ, and QT's does not appeal to her movie taste buds. Can't explaing it any better than that.

If Kill Bill 2 is more cerebral, I for one am happy.

Will be seeing the I Love Huckabees this weekend with the Missus, we both need a laugh, have heard that film is funny.

Occhi

[[wcip]Angel]

http://www.lurkerlounge.com/forums/index.p...st=0#entry28214

I asked the same question you did, Occhi, when the film first came out.

Bolty presented a satisfying answer:

Tarantino did not direct "True Romance" and "Dusk Till Dawn", so they are not his movies.

If I remember right he wrote part of "True Romance" and actded in "Dusk Till Dawn". There are actually quite a few movies thst Tarantino rewrote much of the script for but did have his name in the credits.

edit: Personally, I felt KB1 and 2 were some of QT's worst films. Although the first one was enjoyable to a certain extent, the dialogue and the questionable casting subtracted from the overall quality, especially as these two items - the writing the actors - tend to be the aspects of QT's films I appreciate the most. In Pulp Fiction, she was brilliant, in KB Uma Thurman was unconvincing as hell. I'd rather have seen Milla Jovovich in the role of the Bride. At least she has the viciousness and brutality in her eyes one would expect an assassin to have.

I'd also like to point out the opening sequence of KB(1) with the stand-off in the kitchen and the yelling of "bitch" back and forth between the killer and the killee. At this point in the film, I actually cringed for the first time to a QT-flick.


But hey, that's just my opinion.

[Occhidiangela]

Thanks for the answer on the QT four-five thing.

As to casting, I think QT has a lech on for Uma, who wouldn't? ;)

As to the scene in the kitchen, that is typical QT profanity for its own sake, which is part of the reason that my better half is no fan of his. What I want to know is, if the lady of the house is such an über assassin, why did she miss with her first pistol shot out of the cereal box? :P

I remember reading a review some months ago about why Tarantino chose that particular story structure, part of it being tribute to certain styles of film, in the same way that Jackie Brown was a tribute to the Blacksploitation films of the 1970's.

Occhi

[Rhydderch Hael]

... What I want to know is, if the lady of the house is such an über assassin, why did she miss with her first pistol shot out of the cereal box?   :P ...[right][snapback]59864[/snapback][/right]

Apparently Vernita Green was a better blades fighter than a shootist. The Bride said as much. Plus, it was a quick-draw without having any sighting on the gun itself— shooting by 'feel' and she may not have had the best grip on the gun (dried marshmallows are a bitch on grip contact).

Some sword folk fawn over the katana action and come away believing that blades are better than anything else in combat. The kitchen scene subtly reinforces that in a sort of Britt-from-the-Magnificent-Seven homage where a knife thrower beat a shootist.

But once you get into the second movie, you're going to see that perspective get blown away— literally. In the game of rock-paper-scissors, the S-Mart boomstick beats all.

[[wcip]Angel]

The thing is, she probably wasn't trying to kill the bride. She probably just wanted to show the bride the little toy that came with the cereal, and she accidentally hit the trigger of her gun instead. :)

[Hammerskjold]

[quote=Occhidiangela,Nov 9 2004, 10:03 PM]
>Took the kids to see "The Incredibles" on Sunday, and had a few well deserved silly laughs. Worth a look when it hits the dollar theatres, or DVD, unless you have kids over the age of 7, then I recommend seeing it, maybe save a buck or two at a matinee showing. Echoes of Iron Giant, though any number of adult inside jokes are lost on kids. Nice send up of the 50's superheroes genre with a bit of new age psychobabble thrown in.


I haven't seen Incredibles yet, but I was pretty much sold as soon as I heard it was from the same guy that did Iron Giant. Great underrated film, and possibly Vin Diesel's best speaking role to date. ;)

On KB and Tarantino, I think people who expects Pulp Fictionesque dialogue from KB1 & 2 will be dissapointed. His other trademark is present though, his theme of redemption is definitely there.


>The nod to anime was noted, though I am a complete anime novice. Loved the soundtrack fusion of Japanese and Western ala Sergio Leone music.

You know I don't like most japanese animation out right now, at least the ones that are on TV. It barely passes as toy commercials with a lot of freeze frames and speed lines with a lot of bad dialogue. But the best thing about anime (and some european comics) to me at least, is the acceptance of animation as simply another medium for storytelling. There is no pre-set bias that says cartoons are strictly for kids.

(And who can resist Leone's choice of music?! I can't forget that scene with the band tearfully playing on while Tuco was getting the knuckle face treatment in The Good Bad & The Ugly. And I agree, the fusion of the Japanese and Leone makes great music. Well I liked it at least.)


>Sooo, Lurkers all, is Kill Bill 2 more of the same, or does it add flavor to the story? I like the quirky way QT tells a story. Should I sneak in a viewing when the Missus is out of the house (better than the first), or can it wait for my next trip?(more of the same)

IMO, it's a different shift from 1. If 1 was a high octane blend of exploitation\revenge\samurai action, 2 is a western mixed with a kung-fu eastern. I personally thought it ran a bit long in the end, but I enjoyed it.

[Rhydderch Hael]

... As to casting, I think QT  has a lech on for Uma, who wouldn't?   ;)  ...

Long, long ago in a galaxy in close proximity to my head I heard the rumour that Mira Sorvino was supposed to be cast as The Bride and it was her breakup with Tarantino that gave Uma Thurman the green light. Of course, 'twas just a rumour and the anecdote that Quentin and Uma came up with the character and story while filming Pulp Fiction really does deal the coup de grace to the Sorvino slant—

—still doesn't stop me from thinking about the possibility. In all reality, I'd think Mira would not have been able to go as subtly creepy as Uma goes with The Bride (ol' Kiddo does convey a sense that not all her brass is neatly arranged in the mag, so to speak) but knowing Mira's performance from The Replacement Killers, a cute girl on a killing spree does sort of make me weak in the knees (ostensibly from massive blood loss and shock).

[Occhidiangela]

Mira Sorvino [right][snapback]59883[/snapback][/right]

Yes, having a lech for her is molto understandable. I thought she was perfect in Mighty Aphrodite in a semi comic role.

Occhi

[Scrape]

Ladykillers was another silly one from this year I liked.

This movie was so enjoyable. The way the gang interacted with each other was phenomenal.

As soon as I get the chance, I would like to see the 1955 version.

[Occhidiangela]

This movie was so enjoyable. The way the gang interacted with each other was phenomenal.

As soon as I get the chance, I would like to see the 1955 version.
[right][snapback]59906[/snapback][/right]

It was originally a wonderful film starring Alec Guinness, which I saw on black and white TV back in the early 1970's. Sounds like the remake is worth a look.

Suitable for kids, you think? (12 yrs old)

Occhi

[Minionman]

It was originally a wonderful film starring Alec Guinness, which I saw on black and white TV back in the early 1970's.  Sounds like the remake is worth a look.

Suitable for kids, you think?  (12 yrs old)

Occhi
[right][snapback]59909[/snapback][/right]

Depends on your view on swearing. If you think younger kids are fine with swearing, go ahead. There's very little gore and no sex.

[Refrigerator]

This movie was so enjoyable. The way the gang interacted with each other was phenomenal.

As soon as I get the chance, I would like to see the 1955 version.
[right][snapback]59906[/snapback][/right]

I don't know about that... I really detested that movie. Much of it was the way the main leader person spoke. Every time he started talking I just cringed. And that smile. *Shudder*

I did think the bits with the barges were sort of funny. Lotta barges in that town.

Overall though, I just thought the Ladykillers was... just plain boring. <_<

[Scrape]

I don't know about that... I really detested that movie.&nbsp; Much of it was the way the main leader person spoke.&nbsp; Every time he started talking I just cringed.&nbsp; And that smile.&nbsp; *Shudder*

I did think the bits with the barges were sort of funny.&nbsp; Lotta barges in that town.

Overall though, I just thought the Ladykillers was... just plain boring.&nbsp; <_<
[right][snapback]59937[/snapback][/right]

To each his (or is it her) own, as that saying goes.

I did not laugh much during the movie, but as I stated, I really enjoyed it.

I usually don't classify movies by actors (or maybe I do), but out of all the Tom Hanks movies I saw, I liked him best in this. Philadelphia was great as well.

I did not enjoy Forrest Gump.

[Pop Squid]

The Incredibles was a hoot. If you haven't seen it, just go. 'Twas really, truly entertaining for the whole Squid family. My favorite bit: when the kid on the tricycle gets to say "THAT WAS TOTALLY WICKED!!" (He wasn't my favorite character, tho... that honor belongs unquestionably to Edna, dahling.)

Voices provided by Holly Hunter, Wallace Shawn, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee and other perfectly-cast folks.

[Medicine Man]

But once you get into the second movie, you're going to see that perspective get blown away— literally. In the game of rock-paper-scissors, the S-Mart boomstick beats all.
[right][snapback]59873[/snapback][/right]

He he he -- also one of my favorite scenes in the second installment of Kill Bill.

About Kill Bill 2. If you are looking for the backstory behind the Wedding Massacre, Occhi, you will get it in the second installment. I'd also say that the second part is the better of the two. Although the whole package is still basically a beer and popcorn presentation, the KB2 goes a long way towards establishing the Bride and Bill as something more than one-dimensional characters. In addition to having a bit more story, KB2 also has the signature odd humor and stylish violence of its predessesor, though not as high a body count (how could it?).

If you get the chance to see it, you will probably enjoy it.

Cheers.

[Occhidiangela]

He he he -- also one of my favorite scenes in the second installment of Kill Bill.

About Kill Bill 2. If you are looking for the backstory behind the Wedding Massacre, Occhi, you will get it in the second installment. I'd also say that the second part is the better of the two. Although the whole package is still basically a beer and popcorn presentation, the KB2 goes a long way towards establishing the Bride and Bill as something more than one-dimensional characters. In addition to having a bit more story, KB2 also has the signature odd humor and stylish violence of its predessesor, though not as high a body count (how could it?).

If you get the chance to see it, you will probably enjoy it.

Cheers.
[right][snapback]60056[/snapback][/right]

Lower body count is all to the good, so long as story and funny are a step up.

Thanks for the reviews, looks like one I may rent while the missus is out and about . . .

Occhi

PS: Just saw Bourne Supremacy. Bourne Identity and Supremacy, taken together, are the best treatments of Ludlum on the screen that I have seen to date. Mrs Occhi and I enjoyed it, and it was only a dollar at the local dollar movie!

Huzzah, there is value in the world here and there!