Monday, February 18, 2008

Monologue: The Bride (Vol. 2)

Time for Monday's monologue.

I know I've talked about Kill Bill too much. Too bad. I was reminiscing about its opening scene. Uma breaks the fourth wall. Her monologue, which was originally shown in theaters as a teaser, was something almost none of us expected to be a part of the actual movie. It was so much like an advertisement itself (complete with the meta moment of name checking movie advertisements!). The Bride reminds you of the plot from Vol. 1. to get you back into this cleaved [Bride of] Frankenstein monster of a movie.

I looked dead, didn't I? But I wasn't. But it wasn't from lack of trying I can tell you that. Actually Bill's last bullet put me in a coma; a coma I was to lie in for four years. When I woke up I went on what the movie advertisements referred to as a roaring rampage of revenge. I roared. And I rampaged. And I got bloody satisfaction.

I've killed a helluva a lot of people to get to this point. But I have only one more --the last one, the one I'm driving to right now, the only one left. And when I get to my destination I am going to kill Bill.
It's fun, but it's also strange since it doesn't really match the movie. I love Uma when she moves into the heightened ACTING mode that Tarantino sometimes asks of her and few other filmmakers really capitalize on. But I know that turns people off. She's a divisive actress.

But wouldn't it be interesting if more sequels tried this approach.

I looked happy didn't I? But I wasn't. Well, um... I was. MaryJane and I were in love. I resisted the love. The movie taught me that with great power came great responsibility. I found the power. I became responsible. I dumped MaryJane. But then I accepted her love and the hero inside of Spider-Man: Peter Parker. And so did she! I went and got 'em tiger --the bad guys, all of the bad guys... whenever my Spidey Sense was tingling.

And when we woke up, I was unhappy. I resisted the love. Because with great power comes great respon...
See, if they'd tried this recap technique for Spider-Man 3 they would have realized they already told the entire MaryJane/Parker love arc in the first two movies! Time for a new drama. How did this movie couple forget the entirety of 2 so that they could have the exact same angst for 3 that they had in 1? Arrggggghh.

Of course some franchises really need the recap to make any sense at all. Try to imagine Alien 5 if you will...

I...well, you see... It -- um....
No! the very idea of it: how could Sigourney even recap? She can't do it. That's some confusing identity issues and plot threads (plot knots?) right there.
*

9 comments:

Glenn Dunks said...

"I...well, you see... It -- um...."

genius.

Anonymous said...

Love Uma. The most underrated American actress. Just watch Dangerous Liaisons, Henry & June, Final Analysis, Jennifer 8, Pulp Fiction, Les Miserables, Tape, Hysterical Blindness and so on..
I hope she'll get an Emmy nom for My Zinc Bed. She should work more, and not make too many light comedies. Not sure it was a good move to sign on for a part in Eloise in Paris

poz pig said...

I hate (HATE!) Kill Bill 2. I was so excited about it, but have rarely seen a slower, more self-indulgent film in the cinema. And whatever chance I might have had to enjoy it was completely ruined by Carradine's atrocious performance. Uma is excellent, though I thought she did a lot more with less in Vol 1

said...

Well howz 'bout moi's lill' film/research
a.k.a. Kill King Tut's Daddy's Groove

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7iQRFP_e90

Stay on groovin' safari,
Tor

Anonymous said...

Gayasxmas, if that is your real name, are you kidding me? It's okay that you think Kill Bill Vol. 2 was slow and self-indulgent (I personally thought it was the best film of 2004, and my favorite Tarantino film) but how can you say David Carradine's performance was atrocious? It was brilliant. At no point did I think he was acting. It was one of the most "natural" performances I can think of, along with Minnie Driver in "Good Will Hunting".

Anonymous said...

minnie driver that was a smug performance if ever there was one, beating out the goddess siggy weaver for the ice storm is not on!!!

Anonymous said...

Sigourney Weaver hardly did anything in The Ice Storm, especially not anything Oscar-worthy.

Minnie Driver was really good in Good Will Hunting. Being English and so being forced to watch a lot of shit UK TV, I know how hard it is to find an English actor who actually feels natural in the role, and not like they're reading a script.

You Americans are lucky, you only have to see the good English actors who are able to make it over to Hollywood.

PIPER said...

Awesome. Just awesome.

I'm discovering that Tarantino stuffs his movies with so many different references and techniques that some stick out like sore thumbs. Death Proof is a good example of this. Part homage, part dialogue circle jerk. And although the Bride Monologue is strange because it doesn't follow, that's what I love about it. And that's what I love about QT.

Glenn Dunks said...

I rewatched Vol 1 last night and it's soooo good. I really really liked Vol 2 as well, but it's not as good and Uma isn't quite as fascinating in it either. Still, I love them both.