showdown at the house of blue leaves

From an accountant's viewpoint, Miramax timed the release of Kill Bill Volume 1 on DVD and Volume 2 in theatres perfectly. The people that were able to sit through Volume 1 without walking out in disgust or confusion can then run to their local theatre to see the conclusion. Given that it was Miramax's decision to hastily cut down Taratino's latest film, I'm sure this was their intention all along. Nevertheless, I still felt cheated at the abrupt ending - this film does not stand on its own.

Kill Bill Vol. 1 is clearly labeled for those keeping score that it's Quentin Tarantino's fourth feature film. Tarantino is not a bad director, but I definitely consider him over-rated. I enjoyed Reservoir Dogs for the nuanced and original dialogue. I thought Pulp Fiction's aftershocks in popular culture were amazing to behold, and the film's unconventional storytelling made it a lot of fun to watch. With Kill Bill Volume 1, Tarantino has cast aside the edgy, boundary-pushing director's mold that had been cast for him by critics at large, and revealed to the world what he really is: a film geek. Not that this wasn't the case before; this time it was just extremely transparent and a little troubling to watch. His references to old kung fu movies, the ADD-inspired fight scenes, and the sparse, uninteresting dialogue have effectively created an inside joke on the movie going public. Like Guy Ritchie, Tarantino seems firmly entrenched in the school of Characters With Really Clever Nicknames, or even Directing by Music Video. I found I was listening to more music than dialogue, which is inevitable given the the amount of almost monotonous action and violence taking place on the screen. In Kill Bill Tarantino chooses style over substance, trying to convince us there's a story amidst all the comical bloodletting, the embarrassingly shoehorned anime sequence, and the completely over-the-top sword fighting. Where Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon emphasizes grace in combat, Kill Bill is satisfied to take the typical American approach and take on the entire world Rambo-style.

Like the aspiring director who learns a new technique, he's intent to use overly-stylized directing everywhere he can whether it works or not. The black and white and anime sequences add nothing to the overall experience, and the story is more or less inconsequential. Kill Bill is simply a revenge story with the equivalent of boss battles you might see in Double Dragon. Aside from the visual spectacle there really is no point behind the movie. But if you've heard anything about the film's conception, both Tarantino and Uma Thurman came up with the character of The Bride and the basic idea behind the movie. You can almost hear them laughing in the background, because there's no way this movie is anything but an ultra-violent exercise in self-gratification. Did I forget to mention I was laughing the whole time? Most people would tell you the bloodbath of a showdown with the Crazy 88s is the pinnacle of Volume 1; I enjoyed the absolutely wacky performance of The 5,6,7,8s. Under analysis this experimental mosaic built from Tarantino's influences clearly breaks down, but I'll be god damned if I don't get to see Bill die in Volume 2. So I guess you could say Volume 1 did its job, but it still feels like there's some Hanzo steel held to my throat.

Where it seems Tarantino is devolving into displays of sophomoric violence and superficiality, Tim Burton is growing up. Big Fish is another movie I was reluctant to see last year, which I also saw on the weekend. Now Tim Burton is one of those directors who has a lot of fun with his craft - sometimes even a little too much fun - and always at the viewer's expense. Indeed, Batman was an excellent realization of the comic, but I think the whole "dark" theme got taken a bit too far with the rest of his career. Yes, you can take a familiar setting and make it completely frightening by taking a few colors away, but after a while it feels like you're stuck playing Quake for two hours. I'd equate his behaviour behind the camera to Toddy and American McGee with their attempts at originality with familiar licenses. When the critics couldn't stop shouting "Tim Burton's masterpiece" about Big Fish I thought that maybe they were just happy that he wasn't making another film in monochrome.

If I had to summarize what I experienced I'd have to use the word "magical" at some point; there's no avoiding it. Using his experience with the odd and imaginative, Burton gives us truly amazing things to look at, but nothing distracting or absurd that makes you wonder just what it is he's trying to say. The legitimately touching story told in the words of the main character is brought to life through a series of tall tales, most of which are almost too outlandish to be true. Burton treats the source material very tastefully, while still maintaining his trademark sense of playfulness and wonder. The Wife also noted that it made her cry - and this is not something I see very often. Myself, I practically sobbed after witnessing the introductory movie of Crystal Chronicles. So throughout the entire film I was expecting one moment to wrinkle my face like a cheap suit, but it never came. That is, until the movie was done and I realized the enormity of the film's message. Anyone that considers their relationship with their parents distant, cursory, dysfunctional, whatever - I honestly think you would be better served by this movie. There's something about the way the current generation is taught to treat their elders; in many TV commercials it seems the smartassed kids are always outwitting the parents or some other trite nonsense. Big Fish brings back storytelling to an industry that has been jaded by these same smartassed kids that are too cool for a story not involving large explosions or cheap, lowbrow humour. It also says something else about our generation: we're not misunderstood; we simply haven't taken the time to understand what has come before us. Probably an overly profound thing to say, but a film I thought I was taking at face value ended up saying something completely deeper.