Tarantino's Kill Bill split in two - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

AKA · 07-16-2003, 01:01 PM

Tarantino's Kill Bill: A tale of two halves

The Guardian

Miramax is taking the unusual and potentially risky move of releasing Quentin Tarantino's highly anticipated new film Kill Bill as two movies, in effect turning a three-hour film from a 200-page script into a serial.

Miramax co-founder Harvey Weinstein told the New York Times that the martial arts adventure's first instalment would be in US cinemas on October 10 and that the second release would follow two to six months later, a move which has taken by surprise those familiar with Weinstein's reputation for forcing directors to cut costs and lengths of their films.

Tarantino spent 155 days shooting the film, more than planned and longer than usual for most films. But Weinstein said Tarantino was something of a special case. The popularity of his violent yet original 1994 film, Pulp Fiction, helped put Miramax on the map and generated an abundance of cash to help the studio bankroll other movies. "Miramax is the house Quentin Tarantino built," Weinstein said.

Told in chapters, Kill Bill is the story of the world's deadliest female assassin, who survives being shot on her wedding day and wakes up after five years in a coma to seek revenge on the man who tried to kill her. The film's samurai-style fight sequences were filmed largely in China and take place in everything from a nightclub to a snow-covered garden to a suburban home.

While the serial approach attracts comparisons with the hugely successful Matrix series and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Miramax's decision carries risks given the disappointing box-office figures for a number of other sequels, prequels and serials, among them this summer's Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.

Mitigating some of the risk is the movie's price tag, estimated at more than $55m: less than most blockbusters cost because many of the actors worked for union-scale wages and because production costs in China are lower than in the US.

What Miramax and Tarantino are betting on is that the director's avid fan base and the pent-up interest in Kill Bill - which has taken almost a decade to make and is only Tarantino's fifth movie - will pack cinemas not once, but twice.

Janice · 07-16-2003, 11:13 PM

Okay, this pisses me off. The price of a movie ticket is ridiculous to begin with, now they're essentially doubling it and forcing viewers to make two trips to the theater.
I love Tarantino's movies, but I'll wait for this one to hit the video stores. They'll probably have it on 3 DVDs, an hour a piece.
Just a thought--what if the movie stinks?
I hope this isn't the start of a new trend.

dlemond · 07-16-2003, 11:29 PM

Did Weinstein make this decision over a big meal?
Was he on a food high?

Because he is on something.

This is a terrible idea which seems not to suit Tarantino's style at all.

I mean come on, its not even a trilogy.

Try editing or letting the picture be as it is.

webuster · 07-17-2003, 02:27 PM

In the articles I can't believe they compare splitting 'Kill Bill' in two to releasing 'Lord of the rings' or 'the matrix' in different films. Kill Bill seems to be all one storyline, or adventure- LOTR was 3 books, and the matrix three COMPLETELY different storylines. Kill Bill doesn't seem to be too long a film, and I think fans will be pissed of waiting so long. if they leave it too long it'll go the way of the hulk and a rough print of the second part will end up online somewhere.

Janice · 07-18-2003, 04:35 PM

You guys are so right. What the heck is so long about 3 hours? No big deal. I rented the Civil War epic, Gods and Generals. It was 3 hours and 40 minutes and it was on one DVD. It said to turn the disk over after about 2 hours.
Gangs of New York, at just under 3 hours, came on 2 DVDs.
I would never go to the movies to see just one movie.
dlemond, lol on Weinstein and the big meal.

AKA · 07-18-2003, 07:22 PM

This is an awful decision. I think the Weinstein brothers think we have the attention spans of shoeflies.

TJL · 07-18-2003, 07:36 PM

When is the first film going to be released anyway?

Tarantino hasn't had a hit in a while, so this is a pretty risky move.
Hopefully the first "chapter" will be interesting enough to make viewers line up for part two.

AKA · 07-18-2003, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by TJL
When is the first film going to be released anyway?

Tarantino hasn't had a hit in a while, so this is a pretty risky move.
Hopefully the first "chapter" will be interesting enough to make viewers line up for part two.

Yeah, this is actually the first Tarantino movie in six years. Jackie Brown (1997) is his most recent. Part one of Kill Bill will be out on October 10. Supposedly.

Brian Damage · 07-20-2003, 10:40 PM

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I'll go see anything Tarrantino puts out. The cast and the premise sound really good. Tarrantino is a genius as far as I'm concerned.

webuster · 07-21-2003, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I'll go see anything Tarrantino puts out. The cast and the premise sound really good. Tarrantino is a genius as far as I'm concerned.

I agree that Tarantino is a great director, but splitting the film in two doesn't enchance his genius- or uphold it. It's pointless and it's charging fans double the money to see just one film.

Brian Damage · 07-22-2003, 06:19 PM

I guess there just isn't a big enough audience for 3 plus hour epics anymore?!?

Janice · 10-06-2003, 01:31 PM

'Kill Bill' Thought Up Years Ago

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Director Quentin Tarantino and actress Uma Thurman came up with the idea for "Kill Bill," their latest film, over an after-work cocktail during the shooting of "Pulp Fiction" a decade ago.

"I told him I had this idea about a character - she's an assassin - and we went back and forth," Thurman told the San Francisco Chronicle for its Sunday editions, "and Quentin goes, 'Yes! and the guy at the head of it all, his name is Bill! He's a pimp for assassins! .... He's the bad guy and the movie's called 'Kill Bill'!"

Tarantino immediately wrote the opening scene for "Kill Bill" but set aside the screenplay for other writing, directing and acting projects after the release of "Pulp Fiction."

He didn't pick up his long-abandoned story until 2000, when he ran into Thurman at an Academy Awards party. Tarantino told the newspaper, "I just wrote and rewrote for a whole year."

"Kill Bill" turned into Tarantino's biggest undertaking to date: a three-hour tale of an elite assassin, played by Thurman, who is on a mission of revenge against her former employer, Bill.

Last summer, Tarantino agreed with distributor Miramax to split "Kill Bill" into two installments. The first part opens Friday; the second is expected to open early next year.

Brian Damage · 10-06-2003, 02:21 PM

I can't wait.

Liza · 10-06-2003, 09:49 PM

That's annoying. If Kenneth Branagh can get away with releasing a four-and-a-half-hour long version of Hamlet (which, as pretty as it was is not exactly gripping) there's no excuse for chopping up a Tarantino

Can anyone imagine what would have happened if they'd chopped up PULP FICTION?

Janice · 10-10-2003, 12:36 AM

Great reviews so far. It's supposed to be off the charts violent. I have a hard time with violent movies.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/KillBillVol1-1126182/

07-16-2003, 01:01 PM	#1
AKA Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 17, 2001 Posts: 15,746	Tarantino's Kill Bill split in two *Tarantino's Kill Bill: A tale of two halves* The Guardian Miramax is taking the unusual and potentially risky move of releasing Quentin Tarantino's highly anticipated new film Kill Bill as two movies, in effect turning a three-hour film from a 200-page script into a serial. Miramax co-founder Harvey Weinstein told the New York Times that the martial arts adventure's first instalment would be in US cinemas on October 10 and that the second release would follow two to six months later, a move which has taken by surprise those familiar with Weinstein's reputation for forcing directors to cut costs and lengths of their films. Tarantino spent 155 days shooting the film, more than planned and longer than usual for most films. But Weinstein said Tarantino was something of a special case. The popularity of his violent yet original 1994 film, Pulp Fiction, helped put Miramax on the map and generated an abundance of cash to help the studio bankroll other movies. "Miramax is the house Quentin Tarantino built," Weinstein said. Told in chapters, Kill Bill is the story of the world's deadliest female assassin, who survives being shot on her wedding day and wakes up after five years in a coma to seek revenge on the man who tried to kill her. The film's samurai-style fight sequences were filmed largely in China and take place in everything from a nightclub to a snow-covered garden to a suburban home. While the serial approach attracts comparisons with the hugely successful Matrix series and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Miramax's decision carries risks given the disappointing box-office figures for a number of other sequels, prequels and serials, among them this summer's Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Mitigating some of the risk is the movie's price tag, estimated at more than $55m: less than most blockbusters cost because many of the actors worked for union-scale wages and because production costs in China are lower than in the US. What Miramax and Tarantino are betting on is that the director's avid fan base and the pent-up interest in Kill Bill - which has taken almost a decade to make and is only Tarantino's fifth movie - will pack cinemas not once, but twice.

07-16-2003, 11:29 PM	#3
dlemond Hey, I know you. Moderator Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 03, 2001 Location: New Jersey Posts: 6,751	Did Weinstein make this decision over a big meal? Was he on a food high? Because he is on something. This is a terrible idea which seems not to suit Tarantino's style at all. I mean come on, its not even a trilogy. Try editing or letting the picture be as it is.
	__________________ Michael

07-17-2003, 02:27 PM	#4
webuster Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 26, 2002 Posts: 2,150	no way! In the articles I can't believe they compare splitting 'Kill Bill' in two to releasing 'Lord of the rings' or 'the matrix' in different films. Kill Bill seems to be all one storyline, or adventure- LOTR was 3 books, and the matrix three COMPLETELY different storylines. Kill Bill doesn't seem to be too long a film, and I think fans will be pissed of waiting so long. if they leave it too long it'll go the way of the hulk and a rough print of the second part will end up online somewhere.

07-18-2003, 07:36 PM	#7
TJL Suburbanite Extrordinaire Forum Star Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: New Jersey - the cradle of civilization Posts: 16,588	When is the first film going to be released anyway? Tarantino hasn't had a hit in a while, so this is a pretty risky move. Hopefully the first "chapter" will be interesting enough to make viewers line up for part two.
	__________________ "I think I'll stroll up to the front to see how the shooting's going..." - Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce Read my blogs! http://centralparkamisguide.com/ http://dvdcriticscorner.com Visit me on Facebook!http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=641138880 Hey, I do the tweet thing too! http://twitter.com/TomLevier My shop of handmade items! http://www.etsy.com/shop/ColdGarageCreations

07-16-2003, 11:13 PM	#2
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	Okay, this pisses me off. The price of a movie ticket is ridiculous to begin with, now they're essentially doubling it and forcing viewers to make two trips to the theater. I love Tarantino's movies, but I'll wait for this one to hit the video stores. They'll probably have it on 3 DVDs, an hour a piece. Just a thought--what if the movie stinks? I hope this isn't the start of a new trend.

07-18-2003, 04:35 PM	#5
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	You guys are so right. What the heck is so long about 3 hours? No big deal. I rented the Civil War epic, Gods and Generals. It was 3 hours and 40 minutes and it was on one DVD. It said to turn the disk over after about 2 hours. Gangs of New York, at just under 3 hours, came on 2 DVDs. I would never go to the movies to see just one movie. dlemond, lol on Weinstein and the big meal.

07-18-2003, 07:22 PM	#6
AKA Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 17, 2001 Posts: 15,746	This is an awful decision. I think the Weinstein brothers think we have the attention spans of shoeflies.

07-20-2003, 10:40 PM	#9
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	Maybe I'm in the minority, but I'll go see anything Tarrantino puts out. The cast and the premise sound really good. Tarrantino is a genius as far as I'm concerned.

07-22-2003, 06:19 PM	#11
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	I guess there just isn't a big enough audience for 3 plus hour epics anymore?!?

10-06-2003, 01:31 PM	#12
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	'Kill Bill' Thought Up Years Ago SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Director Quentin Tarantino and actress Uma Thurman came up with the idea for "Kill Bill," their latest film, over an after-work cocktail during the shooting of "Pulp Fiction" a decade ago. "I told him I had this idea about a character - she's an assassin - and we went back and forth," Thurman told the San Francisco Chronicle for its Sunday editions, "and Quentin goes, 'Yes! and the guy at the head of it all, his name is Bill! He's a pimp for assassins! .... He's the bad guy and the movie's called 'Kill Bill'!" Tarantino immediately wrote the opening scene for "Kill Bill" but set aside the screenplay for other writing, directing and acting projects after the release of "Pulp Fiction." He didn't pick up his long-abandoned story until 2000, when he ran into Thurman at an Academy Awards party. Tarantino told the newspaper, "I just wrote and rewrote for a whole year." "Kill Bill" turned into Tarantino's biggest undertaking to date: a three-hour tale of an elite assassin, played by Thurman, who is on a mission of revenge against her former employer, Bill. Last summer, Tarantino agreed with distributor Miramax to split "Kill Bill" into two installments. The first part opens Friday; the second is expected to open early next year.

10-06-2003, 02:21 PM	#13
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	I can't wait.

10-06-2003, 09:49 PM	#14
Liza BestYearsofOurLives Forum Veteran Join Date: Apr 24, 2001 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 6,537	That's annoying. If Kenneth Branagh can get away with releasing a four-and-a-half-hour long version of Hamlet (which, as pretty as it was is not exactly gripping) there's no excuse for chopping up a Tarantino Can anyone imagine what would have happened if they'd chopped up PULP FICTION?

10-10-2003, 12:36 AM	#15
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	Great reviews so far. It's supposed to be off the charts violent. I have a hard time with violent movies. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/KillBillVol1-1126182/