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Tag: Kill Bill Vol. 1

  • The 10 Best Martial Arts Movies of All Time

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    Are you ready to get donkey kicked with martial arts excellence? Roundhoused with hand to hand glory? Punched, slapped, backhanded and judo tossed into cinematic submission? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, please sign your name in the comments section – I’ll take it as your waiver. Only then will you be ready to receive this list of the ten martial arts movies of all time, so I can’t be held liable if you try any of these onscreen stunts at home! If you want to karate chop a cinderblock blindfolded while balancing on a wooden pole, that’s between you and whatever deity you pray to. I won’t responsible for whatever grueling martial arts training methods you subject yourself to after being inspired by these movies, but I fully support your commitment.

    Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

    Michelle Yeoh in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

    Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is so much more than just a martial arts film. It’s an epic, it’s a drama, it’s a romance, it’s a tragedy, it’s one of the greatest martial arts movies of all time, and it deserves your undivided attention. This is the story of Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien, two warriors living in Qing dynasty China. Though these middle aged martial artists have long held feelings for each other, duty has prevented their romance from taking root. Mu Bai entrusts Shu Lien with his fabled sword “Green Destiny,” which is immediately stolen by a masked thief, and the love Shu Lien feels for her companion compels her to steal it back. While the finer details of the plot are a bit confusing to follow (Gobi Desert love stories and secret martial arts manuals abound) the wire work martial arts sequences and swordplay are more than just accessible, they’re totally awesome.

    The Karate Kid

    (Columbia Pictures)

    One of the most enduring films of the 1980’s, John G. Avildsen’s The Karate Kid is the story of Daniel LaRusso, a bullied teenager who starts learning martial arts from an Okinawana named Nariyoshi Miyagi. The movie fools the viewer into thinking that Mr. Miyagi has hoodwinked Danny into doing household chores instead of learning martial arts training methods, but once Danny starts sparring, the true meaning of “wax on, wax off” is revealed. The Karate Kid is the ultimate underdog story, a David and Goliath tale about how discipline and training can overcome an opponent’s size and aggression. In this case, that aggression comes from Cobra Kai: a sociopathic martial arts studio that takes a leaping kick to the jaw by film’s end.

    Enter The Dragon

    (Warner Bros.)

    The greatest movie made by the cinema’s greatest martial artist, Enter The Dragon is a contender for the best martial arts film of all time. Bruce Lee plays a Shaolin master tasked by the British government to investigate a crime lord named Han. How? By entering into Han’s martial arts tournament, of course! The film is essentially a two hour PSA on why you should never, ever mess with Bruce Lee. The man’s hands are widely considered lethal weapons for a reason, and this film will demonstrate why. If you need a specific example, Lee’s climactic fight with O’Hara is all the proof you need. While some martial arts matches are fought until knockout, this one is fought to the death.

    Everything Everywhere All At Once

    A bloodied Evelyn Quan with a googly eye on her forehead smiles confidently in "Everything Everywhere All At Once
    (A24)

    Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All At Once is truly one of a kind. This absurdist comedy sci-fi masterpiece stars Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Quan Wang, a burned out laundromat owner living with her estranged family in California. After being visited by an alternate dimension version of her husband, Evelyn is informed that an evil, parallel universe version of her daughter is attempting to destroy reality with a black hole made out of a bagel. In order to stop the multiverse’s destruction, Evelyn will need to face an onslaught of inter-dimensional martial artists and, even worse, her own repressed feelings. Side-splittingly funny, woefully romantic, and deeply moving, this movie hits you with a barrage of emotional punches – each one landing harder than the last.

    Kill Bill Vol. 1

    The Bride in Kill Bill
    (Miramax FIlms)

    Directed by Quentin Tarantino, Kill Bill Vol. 1 is a love letter to martial arts movies of yesteryear. The film stars Uma Thurman as “The Bride,” a former assassin whose wedding day was brutally cut short by her old colleagues. Beaten, widowed, and left for dead, The Bride launches the ultimate comeback – a seven course revenge meal that is served cold as Antarctica. Donning a yellow jumpsuit like the one Bruce Lee wore in Game of Death, The Bride cuts a bloody, high-flying swath through her opponents with the help of Hattori Hanzo forged steel. Come for the death matches fought in suburban kitchens, stay for the schoolgirls swinging meteor hammers – you won’t be disappointed.

    Ip Man

    (Mandarin Films)

    Directed by Wilson Yip, Ip Man is the biographical film about the martial arts master who trained Bruce Lee. Born at the turn of the 19th century, Ip Man began training in the art of Wing Chun when he was only a child. The film follows the master at the height of his powers, a maturation which coincided with the Japanese occupation of China. After finding out that Japanese officers are making Chinese citizens compete in martial arts death matches for bags of rice, Ip Man decides to enter into a bout himself. It’s the ultimate story of resistance, as Ip Man wages a one man war against an invading nation – often taking on ten or more foes at once. While no martial artist can ever quite compare to the legacy of Bruce Lee, Donnie Yen’s performance as Ip Man sure comes close.

    Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior

    (Sahamongkol Film International)

    Created by the most underrated martial artist in movie history, Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior is the breakout film of Tony Jaa. Who is Tony Jaa? Perhaps the world’s greatest living movie martial artist, a man who uses absolutely bonkers abilities to create some of the most staggering fight sequences in cinema. Jaa plays Ting, a Buddhist monk and martial arts master tasked to retrieve the stolen head of a Buddha statue. How? By beating the pus out of Bangkok’s criminal underworld, duh. The film is essentially a compilation of mind blowing stunts and brutal action sequences, where Ting dukes it out in underground fighting pits against multiple foes. Honestly, you could fill this list with Tony Jaa movies and it would still be an accurate “Best of All Time” compendium, but I had to give the competition a fighting chance. Tony Jaa wouldn’t be so merciful.

    Drunken Master II

    (Golden Harvest)

    Drunken Master II is hailed as Jackie Chan’s greatest movie, and considering that list also includes Police Story and Rush Hour, that’s saying something. The film stars Chan as Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung, a 20th century martial artist and physician. After accidentally ending up with a box containing the Imperial Seal while out on a delivery, Wong becomes embroiled in a plot by the British to steal the fabled artifact (and probably stick it in the British Museum). Set upon by martial artists hired by the British government, Wong resorts to using his secret weapon: alcohol. A martial arts comedy, Wong fights each of Drunken Master II‘s battles half in the bag. The film is a testament to Jackie Chan’s absurd levels of physical skill and comic timing, the fight sequences are equally funny and awe inspiring.

    Five Deadly Venoms

    (Shaw Brothers Studio)

    A martial arts classic, Chang Cheh’s Five Deadly Venoms is one of the finest films made by Shaw Brothers Studio – a juggernaut of Hong Kong cinema. Starring Taiwanese martial arts legend Chiang Sheng, the film tells the story of Yang Tieh – a man tasked with killing the five previous pupils of his master. Don’t worry, all of the other pupils turned to evil, so it’s justified! Known as the titular Deadly Venoms, these former students used skills they learned in The Poison Clan to create killer fighting styles based around venomous animals in Chinese folklore. Ever wonder what popularized animal-based fighting styles in martial arts movies? This film right here! Combining intricate murder plots and martial arts bouts, Five Deadly Venoms is a cult classic thriller as complex as it is kick-ass.

    The Raid: Redemption

    An Indonesian SWAT team officer blocks a punch from a muscular criminal in "The Raid: Redemption"
    (PT Merantau Films)

    Directed by Gareth Evans, The Raid: Redemption is a contemporary classic in the making. Starring modern martial arts master Iko Uwais, the film follows an MBC squad (basically Indonesia’s equivalent of SWAT) tasked with infiltrating an apartment building overtaken by a crime lord. It doesn’t go as planned. The group is met with a massacre, and Uwais’ rookie cop Rama is one of the few survivors. Navigating the apartment building with the brutal efficiency of Judge Dredd, Rama punches and kicks his way to the top of the complex where the crime lords are hiding. Brutal, claustrophobic, and merciless, The Raid: Redemption feels like a martial arts movie high on bad acid – a glorious nightmare.

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    Sarah Fimm

    Sarah Fimm (they/them) is actually nine choirs of biblically accurate angels crammed into one pair of $10 overalls. They have been writing articles for nerds on the internet for less than a year now. They really like anime. Like… REALLY like it. Like you know those annoying little kids that will only eat hotdogs and chicken fingers? They’re like that… but with anime. It’s starting to get sad.

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    Sarah Fimm

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  • SZA’s “Kill Bill” Video: A Sequel, of Sorts, to the Equally Tarantino-Influenced “Shirt”

    SZA’s “Kill Bill” Video: A Sequel, of Sorts, to the Equally Tarantino-Influenced “Shirt”

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    By now, paying homage to Quentin Tarantino movies in music videos and songs has been done to death (no pun intended, or whatever). Among others, there was Lady Gaga and Beyoncé’s “Telephone,” Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora’s “Black Widow,” Aminé’s “Caroline” (also featuring the lyrics, “Let’s get gory/Like a Tarantino movie”) and Rob $tone’s “Chill Bill” (complete with what has become known as “the Kill Bill whistle” a.k.a. the Bernard Hermann-composed theme for 1968’s Twisted Nerve). Being that Tarantino himself is the king of delivering postmodern pastiche, he likely isn’t (/can’t be) vexed in the least by all this constant “homage” (often a polite word for stealing someone else’s shit and trying to make the public assume it’s your own). Especially not SZA’s latest, “Kill Bill,” which not only goes whole hog on a Tarantino reference in the song title itself, but also in the music video that goes with it.

    Of course, no one who watched the Dave Meyers-directed “Shirt” video (that was also heavily influenced by Tarantino) can be surprised by the tone of its “follow-up,” of sorts. Granted LaKeith Stanfield isn’t the one to betray her trust in the trailer modeled after Budd’s (Michael Madsen) in Kill Bill: Vol. 2. This time directed by Christian Breslauer (known for videos like Lil Nas X’s “Industry Baby,” Tyga and Doja Cat’s “Freaky Deaky” and Anitta’s “Boys Don’t Cry”), SZA spares no detail on really driving the (Pussy Wagon) point home that this is all about showing love for a Tarantino classic that itself shows nothing but love for the idea of killing an ex.

    And, like Beatrix Kiddo (Uma Thurman), SZA only feels obliged to exact that kind of revenge because her erstwhile boyfriend tried to kill her first. In matters of love, that usually tends to be more metaphorical. But by making it literal, SZA (de facto Tarantino) emphasizes how fragile the heart can be. Particularly when handed a note by one’s boo that reads, “I wish it didn’t have to be this way, really I do, but sometimes in life we have to protect our own heart, even if it means ripping it out of our chest. Au revoir mon amour.” In other words, he’s trying to say that 1) he has to be callous now and 2) he’s only hurting himself more than he’s hurting her by deciding to leave—and then summoning a bunch of his goons to shoot up the trailer. Such sentiments echo Bill’s delusions before aiming his gun at Beatrix, assuring her, “I’d like to believe that you’re aware enough even now to know that there’s nothing sadistic in my actions… No Kiddo, at this moment, this is me at my most masochistic.” And then—bang! He thinks he’s killed her.

    The same goes for SZA’s ex thinking she’s been left for dead in that trailer. But no, she emerges semi-triumphant and determined to take down the bastard who would presume to do such a thing to her as she sings, “I’m still a fan even though I was salty/Hate to see you with some other broad, know you happy/Hate to see you happy if I’m not the one drivin’.” This last line conjures the image of Beatrix herself driving to get to Bill’s house as she vows to the audience, “I am gonna kill Bill.” In a scene that Thurman had to fuck up her back and knees for in order to give Tarantino the shot he wanted. But surely Tarantino would shrug that off as a “hazard of the trade.” And besides, he might add, look at not only the great art it created, but the great art it’s still spawning. Ah, the director when his “ego” is stroked in such a way—with imitation being the sincerest form of allowing one to believe in their continued relevance.

    To further accentuate her commitment to the film, SZA even drags out Vivica A. Fox, who played Vernita Green a.k.a. Copperhead, to serve as her driver (and flash a scandalized look when SZA mellifluously croons, “I just killed my ex/Not the best idea”). The one taking her from her trailer to the dojo where she can quickly practice some swordplay techniques but mainly show us how her tits look in her version of Beatrix Kiddo’s iconic yellow moto jacket and matching pants. Breslauer then cuts to her riding a motorcycle through a tunnel (just as Kiddo did), after which we suddenly see SZA in the same House of the Blue Leaves-esque setting where Kiddo took on the Crazy 88s. This then segues into Breslauer including a scene that mimics the same anime style of Kazuto Nakazawa in Kill Bill: Vol. 1, used when even Tarantino thought the gore would be too cartoonishly over the top, so he actually made it into, well, a cartoon.

    For SZA’s purposes, it was likely less burdensome on the budget to display her taking her final revenge on the man who broke her heart in animated form. And she does so in such a way as to throw the words he used in his note right back in his face by tearing his heart out of his chest. Which we see dripping with blood in “real-life” once she’s extracted it (by briefly making him believe she wants something sexual instead of violent to happen) in her animated guise. Parading it in her hand with calm blitheness, she then licks it—something that, to be honest, feels pulled out of the Jeffrey Dahmer playbook rather than the Beatrix Kiddo one. But hey, creative license and all that rot when reinterpreting someone’s work.

    Which SZA did not only visually, but cerebrally. Specifically by claiming of Bill’s motives, “I feel like he doesn’t understand why he did what he did. He’s void of emotion, but he loved The Bride so much that he couldn’t stand her to be with anyone else. That was really complex and cool to me. It’s a love story.” But there’s nothing “complex” or “cool” about it (which speaks to how Tarantino has normalized psychopathic behavior by making it seem, let’s say, “slick”). What’s more, Bill himself breaks down his straightforward “reasoning” for killing her (or so he thought) by admitting to Beatrix what he was thinking at the time of concocting her murder: “Not only are you not dead, you’re getting married to some fucking jerk and you’re pregnant. I overreacted… I’m a killer. I’m a murdering bastard. You know that. There are consequences to breaking the heart of a murdering bastard.” In this scenario, SZA wants to be the murdering bastard. Just as Kiddo did after suffering the “slight” that went on during the Massacre at Two Pines.

    In the end, though, SZA does feel obliged to provide her own little (rope) “twist” on the narrative. Having commenced the video with a snippet of “Nobody Gets Me” (which provides similarly possessive lyrics such as, “I don’t wanna see you with anyone but me/Nobody gets me like you/How am I supposed to let you go?”), SZA closes it with one from “Seek & Destroy.” And all while offering Armie Hammer his wet dream on a platter by featuring a scene of herself tied up in a shibari rope harness. Does it mean she’s the masochist now for having killed her ex? Maybe. Or perhaps this is just how she celebrates a satisfying kill.

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    Genna Rivieccio

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