Blu-Ray/Movie Review: From Dusk Till Dawn

 

From Dusk Till Dawn is a 1996 film that blends the action, crime-drama, and monster genres. It was directed by Robert Rodriguez and stars George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino (who also wrote the screenplay), Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, Ernest Liu, and Salma Hayek (in her second major film role). The supporting cast includes Cheech Marin (who plays three different roles), John Saxon, Danny Trejo, Fred Williamson, Tom Savini, and Kelly Preston. In it, Clooney and Tarantino play criminal brothers who have recently robbed a bank and taken one of the tellers hostage. They end up taking a family (Keitel, Lewis, and Liu) hostage and force Keitel, who plays a former minister named Jacob Fuller (who has lost his faith after his wife's death), to Mexico in the family's RV. Seth (Clooney's character) assures Jacob that his family will be safe after they meet the brother's contact the following morning at a strip club in Mexico that is open from dusk till dawn. It turns out the strip club is run by vampires who steal from truckers and bikers who frequent the club. 

The blu-ray release is a single-disc release with no bonus content. The A/V transfer is okay, but not outstanding. If you have a large screen and a good sound system, the movie will look and sound very good, even if the HD transfer is not of the highest quality.

The movie falls into the category of good, but not great. It was made just before the big advancement in CGI effects and technology (basically before the first Matrix film and the subsequent Star Wars and Harry Potter films revolutionized movie effects), so some of the effects are extremely fake-looking and cheesy. It is absolutely not family-friendly as it has a lot of violence, swearing, and some nudity. It is well-written and well-acted, and Hayek looks stunning in her bikini scene and takes over the movie at one point despite the limited screen time she gets. While it is not really a comedy, it does have some funny moments, such as Cheech Marin showing up throughout the film in different roles. Ultimately, if you are a fan of action films and shoot-em-up monster movies, you will probably like this one. 

DVD/Movie Review: Kill Bill Volume 2

 

Kill Bill Volume 2 is the 2004 sequel and conclusion to 2003's Volume 1. Like Volume 1, this movie is ultra-violent but in a much different way. Where the first movie was over-the-top, almost campy with the action and violence, this one is not. There are definitely a couple really good fight scenes, but things are more real in this one than the first. There is no spraying, blood, dismembering, or crazy stunts done with wires (save for a couple). While it does take some suspension of disbelief to accept everything that happens, this is far more of a realistic action/drama than the first one was.

This volume lays out the entire back story of what led up to the attack we see bits and pieces of in the first movie. It also puts The Bride (Uma Thurman) in real peril, both physically and emotionally, as the movie goes along. The confrontation with Bill (David Carradine) is almost all dialogue and about 45 seconds of an actual fight scene, but it works perfectly. To the extent that Bill could be made sympathetic in any way for what he did, the writing and David Carradine's performance pulled that off. He balanced an almost easygoing nature with a sinister one perfectly. Daryl Hannah and Michael Madsen get a lot of screen time in this one, much more than Vivica Fox and Lucy Lui got in the first movie. The fight scene between Elle and The Bride was certainly the high point of the movie, action-wise.

The DVD extras are very sparse. Like with the release of Volume 1, there is a short making-of documentary, then a music video, and a deleted scene. What was included was fine, but chances are there is a lot more that could have been included. Ultimately, whether you like this or not will depend on your taste. The movie definitely earns its R rating, but it is a more well-rounded and overall better movie than Volume 1. It is a good mix of action, drama, and dark humor. If you like Tarantino's other movies (especially Volume 1), chances are you will like this one. If bad language and violence are not up your alley, then you probably want to stay away.

DVD/Movie Review: Kill Bill, Vol. 1

 

Kill Bill is a revenge story written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Volume 1 was released in 2003 and starred Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Chiaki Kuriyama, Vivica A. Fox, Julie Dreyfus, Daryl Hannah, and Sonny Chiba. David Carradine and Michal Madsen also appear in the movie but have much larger roles in Volume II. Volume I gives you bits and pieces of the story, but the entire story is fleshed out in Volume II.  In Volume 1, we see Uma Thurman's character (just called "The Bride") beaten and shot during her wedding rehearsal. We find out that she is attacked by the assassin squad she used to be a member of, led by the titular Bill. She awakens from a coma 4 years later and starts picking them off. Volume I introduces all the main characters (somewhat) and shows The Bride, although Bill is never shown. You just hear his voice. The story kind of jumps around a little (somewhat to the way it did in Pulp Fiction), but it is really not that hard to follow if you pay attention.

You have to know what you are getting into with a Tarantino movie. There is lots of over-the-top violence and gore, off-color humor, and bad language. If any of those are immediate turn-offs for you when choosing a movie, don't even think about this one. You will hate it. If you can accept those things and you like his other films, you will very likely love this one. Volume 1 is actually the more violent and gory of the two films, although there is a lot in both. The gore, however, is so extreme it is more tongue-in-cheek than it is real. Like chopping off arms and gallons of blood spewing out like a geyser. It is meant to be more humorous than scary and is far less believable than what you would get in a horror movie. The movie is kind of a combination of a Western, with the 1970s martial arts films. Right down to The Bride having to go through tons of subordinates to get to her main target in the climactic fight scene.

The bonus content is relatively light. There is a about 20-minute making-of documentary and trailers for some of Tarantino's other movies. Hopefully, subsequent releases will get more extensive extras, especially if Tarantino ever makes a follow-up. Ultimately, whether you like this or not is totally subjective. If you are a fan of Tarantino's other movies, this is very much in a similar vein. It definitely deserves its R rating and will not appeal to everyone. For everyone else, though, it is a great story, well acted, funny in parts (although very dark humor), and has lots of action. If those are the kinds of things that appeal to you, it is definitely worth the time to watch and/or worth adding to your physical media collection.