Brian's Thoughts on Movies

The Kill Bill movies Vol 1 (2003) and Vol. 2 (2004) were famously filmed as one and then split once writer director Quentin Tarantino (the director of Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained) could not find a way to edit his story down to an acceptable length.  Tarantino’s films tend to be over 2 ½ hours so upon learning that his much anticipated revenge epic starring Uma Thurman, who had a small but memorable role in Pulp Fiction, would be two films I felt it a good choice as it would neither dilute the story nor would it be so long that getting through it would be an endurance test.  Also after getting one Tarantino film I would not have wait a few years for the next one as they were released a mere six months apart. For a years a full version planned for DVD called Kill Bill-The Whole Bloody Affair but it was never released. Tarantino and Thurman first conceived the film while working on Pulp Fiction (1994) and it was the first film Tarantino had...

"I'm too old for this s---!" The four films of the Lethal Weapon series starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, were all directed by Richard Donner which is unique and the biggest key to its success.  Donner’s sense of how to handle the material and the actors and crew’s trust in him fueled the series. Each film touches on a real world issue:,drugs, apartheid, teenage gun violence, and human slavery.  In the first two films the cops are working on assigned cases but in the third and fourth film they stumble onto it.  Ultimately the films focus much more on the relationship between the two men than on their detective work and the relationship is what kept audiences coming back. Lethal Weapon (1987) It is the darkest of the series and although I usually like this, the bond between the men is not as strong which keeps the film from being my favorite.  Although the film is driven by a duo only one of them is a title character.  The f...

"As the sun sets in the west we bid you a fond farewell" True Romance plays like a heist film in reverse in which a newlywed couple named Clarence and Alabama, played by Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, try to secure their future by selling cocaine that Clarence inadvertently stole from Alabama’s former pimp, Drexel played by Gary Oldman.  The film focuses on their burgeoning relationship as much as the unpredictable environment the couple finds themselves in while getting mixed up with some pretty nasty and colorful characters. As always I discuss spoilers so please watch the film first. Quentin Tarantino sold this script, one of two from early in his career before he was able to direct his own film.  Natural Born Killers is the other, a story about a vile couple that was changed substantially by director Oliver Stone.  Director Tony Scott in turn made some structural changes to True Romance but maintained the soul of the script and injected it with ...

“Then you have my resignation sir.” James Bond to M in Licence to Kill Licence to Kill is the most controversial James Bond film.  Rarely have I heard comments that it is poorly made, but many Bond fans, especially those who have not read the books, do not like it.  I feel this is good example of the need for film discussion.  For example, I like David Fincher as a director and I admire the structure of his film Fight Club.  However despite two viewings I do not enjoy the experience of watching it, though many disagree with me. Please note, I do include spoilers and third act revelations in this post so I encourage every reader to watch the film first and then come back. Producers Albert R. Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson decided to create a story to showcase Bond’s darker side, now that they had Timothy Dalton, whose interpretation was based on the more serious character from the books.  Licence was Dalton's second Bond film.  During the late 198...