Post by klep on Aug 8, 2016 6:44:21 GMT -6
This week's writeup courtesy of Jacob Roth
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 8/1: Lady Snowblood
There are dozens of bits in the early seasons of The Simpsons that I would laugh at as a child, bits that were referencing other media that I would only catch up to much later. I was reminded of this experience watching Lady Snowblood, only with Kill Bill instead of The Simpsons.
Lady Snowblood is a pure pulp story set in Meiji-era Japan of a thirst for vengeance so unslakable it transcends generations. Yuki, the titular Snowblood, is an asura, a demon in human form born only for one reason; to fulfill her mother’s need for revenge. There are four objects of Yuki’s ire, and she will not stop until they are dead, cut down by the sword she sheaths in her umbrella. Limbs will be hacked off and barrels of blood will be spilled along the way.
There are enough indelible images in this film to be interesting in its own right, my favorite of which is a woman hurling handwoven Bamboo brides into the ocean just so she doesn't have to tell her father that she can't sell them. But what I found most fascinating was seeing how deeply this film informs Kill Bill. There are shots in Lady Snowblood that Tarantino copied wholesale, and if you like his late period use of chapter titles you have this movie to thank. Sometimes the reference is just a sound effect that Tarantino pushed into the foreground, and the the tone of this film suffuses Kill Bill. No matter how much I liked Lady Snowblood, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Quentin was standing over my shoulder taking notes.
And that’s a shame. I went into Lady Snowblood almost completely blind. The only things I knew about it were that it was in Japanese and it had a kick-ass title. I was spoiled anyway. Kill Bill is a terrific picture, but it doesn’t deserve to elbow Lady Snowblood out of the spotlight the way it does. The student shouldn’t cast such a shadow over the master.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 8/8: A History of Violence
Another film about the generational costs of violence and vengeance, this time from David Cronenberg, kicking off his semi-respectable period. It is available to stream on Amazon, though it is not free for Prime members.
No NEXT PICTURE SHOW this week. David Kleppinger will resume covering our favorite podcast next week.
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 8/1: Lady Snowblood
There are dozens of bits in the early seasons of The Simpsons that I would laugh at as a child, bits that were referencing other media that I would only catch up to much later. I was reminded of this experience watching Lady Snowblood, only with Kill Bill instead of The Simpsons.
Lady Snowblood is a pure pulp story set in Meiji-era Japan of a thirst for vengeance so unslakable it transcends generations. Yuki, the titular Snowblood, is an asura, a demon in human form born only for one reason; to fulfill her mother’s need for revenge. There are four objects of Yuki’s ire, and she will not stop until they are dead, cut down by the sword she sheaths in her umbrella. Limbs will be hacked off and barrels of blood will be spilled along the way.
There are enough indelible images in this film to be interesting in its own right, my favorite of which is a woman hurling handwoven Bamboo brides into the ocean just so she doesn't have to tell her father that she can't sell them. But what I found most fascinating was seeing how deeply this film informs Kill Bill. There are shots in Lady Snowblood that Tarantino copied wholesale, and if you like his late period use of chapter titles you have this movie to thank. Sometimes the reference is just a sound effect that Tarantino pushed into the foreground, and the the tone of this film suffuses Kill Bill. No matter how much I liked Lady Snowblood, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Quentin was standing over my shoulder taking notes.
And that’s a shame. I went into Lady Snowblood almost completely blind. The only things I knew about it were that it was in Japanese and it had a kick-ass title. I was spoiled anyway. Kill Bill is a terrific picture, but it doesn’t deserve to elbow Lady Snowblood out of the spotlight the way it does. The student shouldn’t cast such a shadow over the master.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 8/8: A History of Violence
Another film about the generational costs of violence and vengeance, this time from David Cronenberg, kicking off his semi-respectable period. It is available to stream on Amazon, though it is not free for Prime members.
No NEXT PICTURE SHOW this week. David Kleppinger will resume covering our favorite podcast next week.