Love Me Tonight: https://boxd.it/1FcusZ ⭐ Stay: https://boxd.it/1FNgQ3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Grindhouse Planet Terror: https://boxd.it/1FXiR3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Death Proof: https://boxd.it/1G8oBx ⭐ Kill Bill Vol 1: https://boxd.it/1FxHEB ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Vol 2: https://boxd.it/1FFkB1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Heya! This is Ash, dilligently coming back for you with Weekly Recap, episode 10. I have some 5 star treats for y’all today, so let’s go!
The first entry isn’t a 5 star though, I can say that for certain. Love Me Tonight has a promising start, as the townsfolk wake up to their morning routine in amusing rhythm to each other. But then the singing started and I just couldn’t bear it. I despise musicals, but I had to watch it for the sake of my film course. My only hope is I don’t have to write an essay on it at some point…
Love Me Tonight: https://boxd.it/1FcusZ ⭐
Next is a film I adored the first time I watched it, so I decided to rewatch it this week just to tell you all about it. Stay has to be among the most overlooked masterpieces of the 21st century. The editing is simply exquisite, with hands down the best transitions I’ve ever seen. This film manages to craft such a seamless flow to its scenes, powered by gorgeous cinematography, an enchantingly trippy plot, an insane attention to detail, and the phenomenal performances by McGregor and Gosling (especially Gosling), climaxing with an incredibly hard hitting ending as the mystery is solved in the most cathartic way possible. I haven’t watched any of Marc Forster’s other films because they all seem so dissimilar to Stay – and haven’t exactly gotten incredible reviews – so I do wish he does another film as it’s simply one of the best films I’ve ever seen. While I tend to be spoiler-free in my reviews, I have to be extra careful with this one as the only way to experience properly all it has to offer is by going in completely blind: trust me, you won’t regret it. I’m so happy I loved it even more this time, as I’m honestly dying to watch it again – right away – just to become utterly entranced once more by the absolutely perfect utilisation of every single element of filmmaking that’s on display here with unabashed confidence.
Stay: https://boxd.it/1FNgQ3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Going back to the Tarantino marathon I started last week, though first is a Robert Rodriguez movie. Planet Terror is the first half of the Grindhouse project he and Tarantino did together, and I definitely think this is the superior film, because this was just pure fun from start to finish. The comedy is fantastic, with cheesy dialogue that perfectly compliments the insane special effects. Rodriguez has such a brilliant style, as he really excels at pushing a low budget to the extreme, harnessing ‘objectively bad’ B movie tropes and making them his own with hilarious consequences.
Yet everything Rodriguez does right with Planet Terror, Tarantino does wrong with Death Proof. It is by far the worst film he has ever made! I’m so sad this counts as one of his ten films, because it’s just such a disaster. The car mayhem scenes are fantastic, with some really beautiful deaths that at least acted as an oasis in this never ending desert of boredom, which instead of sand is populated with a plethora of scenes that can only be described as the epitome of pointless. The plot literally resets halfway through, changing the entire cast so that the set-up for the previous characters ends up being a complete waste of time. Not that it matters since every character is so incredibly unlikable anyway. At least Kurt Russell is great, as his 4th wall breaks did make me laugh, but my goodness did I hate having to watch this film.
Grindhouse Planet Terror: https://boxd.it/1FXiR3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Death Proof: https://boxd.it/1G8oBx ⭐
And now to wash away the awful taste left by the worst Tarantino film is my favourite Tarantino film. Kill Bill… oh yes! Where to even begin with this 4 hour thrill ride? It’s just such a perfect experience with the bloodbaths humorously presented in all their boundless beauty. This is where Tarantino refined his style to its maximum potential, with the clear boost in budget breaking any chains that might have been holding back his insane imagination. And of course, my precious Robert Richardson has finally entered the scene, blessing us with cinematography that’s to die for, while the excellent array of music compliments the sublime visuals in the plethora of eclectic poesy and whimsical carnage that dominate this masterpiece.
I’ve watched this as many times as Pulp Fiction, but written even more reviews on it than any other film. I will say though that I didn’t really connect with it on my first watch, as perhaps I needed to mature more in my love of film before I could finally appreciate precisely how much of a love letter to cinema this film really is. Because Kill Bill is quite simply one of the most beautiful films I’ve ever seen. It’s leagues ahead of every other Tarantino film, because while his future films are always fun in their own right, none even come close to matching the brilliant story crafted in these 4 hours. The writing, editing, music and cinematography all combine flawlessly to craft a visual-audio poem of revenge across cultures and genres. Tarantino has never been ashamed of his inspirations – from the Westerns of Hollywood to the French New Wave, all the way to the Anime of Japan and the Martial Arts of China – but here he displays them in full force in a perfect amalgamation of styles that blends into its own unique artifact once injected with Tarantino’s own unreplicable flair.
This film is a masterclass in how to stimulate every single sense in the human body. From the incredible dialogue and perfect editing, to the heart pumping action and heart wrenching performances, all the way to the visual treats of Richardson’s gorgeous cinematography and Tarantino’s fantastic ear for a killer soundtrack: Kill Bill really does have it all. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, because while Tarantino has crafted many masterpieces during his surprisingly short career, Kill Bill is without a doubt his single, defining, magnum opus.
Kill Bill Vol 1: https://boxd.it/1FxHEB ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Vol 2: https://boxd.it/1FFkB1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
